Read and choose the correct answer.

The SHARK WHISPERER

Stuart Cove kneels on the sandy seabed. One hand rests on a plastic crate filled with chopped fish. When he opens the crate to spear the first piece, perhaps 20 reef sharks appear in the water around us. Twenty minutes later all the fish have gone and the sharks drift away. Over the past 25 years, Stuart has captured and manipulated sharks into various scenes. Tiger sharks are big and aggressive and frequently responsible for attacking humans, but when captured or placed under stress they struggle, but then become calm as if they are half asleep. The sharks can then be released and manipulated for the shot and this is when Stuart steps in. Stuart's work includes three James Bond films, one Jaws sequel and even a TV advert for a Japanese toothpaste which involved getting a shark to hold still underwater while he scrubbed its teeth with a 5ft pink toothbrush! But the film that made Stuart famous is Open Water \(2004\). Filmed on shop-bought digital video cameras, it was about a young couple left behind in the open ocean after a diving boat trip and then menaced by sharks. What made the film remarkable was that it didn’t use any stand-ins or special effects. "A lot of it wasn't acting. It was real fear. It should have been stunt people," says Cove. "But the budget was too small to do that." Cove grew up in the Bahamas. At 19, he was an experienced diver, but he had no idea, when he started working on the James Bond film, For Your Eyes Only, that he would have to work with tiger sharks.

Today, Cove charges around $10,000 for two to three days shooting with a tiger shark. "Honestly I was scared to death," Cove says. During the first take, the shark escaped — much to Cove's relief. Pretending to look for the lost animal, he was amazed to find it struggling at the edge of the set, trapped in a net. "So I grabbed it and it tried to bite me, and then it relaxed. I swam it back and suddenly I was the hero who saved the whole day’s shooting.” After that, Cove became one of the chief shark handlers. He never told anyone he'd found the shark in the net! Out at the dive site, I asked him what I should do if I'm actually attacked by one of the sharks he's feeding. Try taking your arms in," he said, "and avoid moving." But in fact, despite their reputation, many species of shark are very fussy eaters. Cove has seen sharks take bait such as chicken or lobster into their mouths, taste it, then spit it out. The same goes for divers: when the sharks accidentally bite the feeders’ hands, the animals immediately realise their mistake when they taste a wetsuit.

Despite this, Cove himself has been bitten three times by sharks. Once he was bitten on the hand. "It was the worst pain I’ve ever felt," he says. "The teeth go very deep." Still, he insists that each time he has been doing all the things for the camera you shouldn’t do: waving his hands around in the water unprotected.

For some shoots Cove and his staff have even simulated shark attacks. They strap food between a chain-mail suit and their clothing and let sharks tear it off them. "That's dangerous because they can actually rip your wetsuit and flesh ... yeah, it’s not smart. But you know, he says, for fame and fortune. You don’t mind doing anything."

1. Stuart Cove controls the behaviour of sharks ...
A while they are feeding.
B when they’re in a particular state.
C by making them angry.
D by spending a lot of time with them.

2. What was surprising about OPEN WATER? ...
A the reactions of the actors
B the amazing stunts
C how cheap it was to make
D how successful it was

3. What do we learn about Stuart’s first job with sharks? ...
A It came unexpectedly.
B He had been training for it for many years.
C It was what made him famous.
D He refused the offer.

4. What advice does Stuart give to Adam? ...
A Wave your arms around to deter sharks.
B Stay still, take your arms in and avoid moving.
C Feed sharks regularly to keep them calm.
D Always wear a wetsuit for protection against bites.

5. Stuart believes ...
A his job is less dangerous than people think.
B his experience protects him from injury.
C safety is the most important consideration.
D the danger involved in his job is worth.