Pufferfish: The World’s Most Dangerous Fish? In one episode of the famous American cartoon show The Simpsons, Homer nearly dies after eating sushi made from a poisonous fish called fugu. However, this situation was not just dreamt up by a TV writer, because that fish is real—and so is thepotential danger.
Known as pufferfish in English, they contain a substance called tetrodotoxin, which is deadly to humans. In fact, it is hundreds of times more poisonous than cyanide. That hasn’t stopped people from eating pufferfish, though, and particularly in Japan, they are regarded assomething of adelicacy. They are only allowed to be prepared by highly trained chefs, who know exactly which parts of the fish can be safely consumed.
Pufferfish are highly toxic to other fish, too. But that isn’t the only way these fascinating creatures are able to kill or scare away potentialpredators. They have very elastic stomachs which can hold great amounts of water. They use this to their advantage and, when threatened, turn themselves into huge balls multiple times their actual size. Predators are therefore unable to eat them, and the pufferfish can make their escape. Even if other fish do catch them, they will quickly feel the effects of the tetrodotoxin.
These features of the pufferfish help to explain why most of the 120 species are not under threat. Although overfishing and pollution pose some danger, they are generally able to live safely in the world’s tropical and subtropical oceans. Their diet typically consists ofalgae but also includes mussels and clams. If you ever see a pufferfish on a menu, though, it’s probably safer to try something else.
1. Why is The Simpsons mentioned in the passage?
(A) To explain why pufferfish is considered a delicacy.
(B) To illustrate eating pufferfish can actually be deadly.
(C) To bring up the fact that pufferfish is popular around the world.
(D) To give an example of a cartoon that uses pufferfish as main characters.
2. Which of the following statements about pufferfish is true?
(A) They taste delicious when eaten raw.
(B) Japanese people are disgusted with them.
(C) They contain a chemical as poisonous as cyanide.
(D) In Japan, only professionals can prepare pufferfish.
3. Which aspect of pufferfish is NOT mentioned in the passage?
(A) How they defend themselves.
(B) The number of their species.
(C) Their worst predators.
(D) What they feed on.
4. The pictures below show two different states of a pufferfish. Which of the following events might cause it to change into State B?
