Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the correct word that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 26 to 30.

Most people are fascinated with whales and would long to see one up close. Whales are mammals. Like man, they (26) ________ in air so they must come to the surface at regular intervals. They also give birth to their young alive. The young calf stays with its mother for over a year, feeding on the milk produced by its mother. Whales vary in (27) ________ , from nine-metreminke whale to the thirty-metre blue whale that often weighs as much as 150 tonnes.

Man first hunted whales for the oil in their blubber, a thick layer of fat (28) ________ keeps them warm. This oil was used as fuel, for example, in the lighting of candles. It was vital in illuminating homes and businesses in the 19^th century. Whale oil was also used as a lubricant for the machines in factories (29) ________ the Industrial Revolution.

Today, whale oil is used for making margarine and for softening leather.The poorer quality meat is made into animal food.

Wildlife experts say that whales are in (30) ________ of extinction if the hunt for whales continues. The number of blue whales for instance, has fallen to about three thousand.