Expertsdonotreallyknowwhenpeoplebegankeepingfishaspets.Buttheysaythatpeoplehavebeeninterestedinfishforthousandsofyears.SomesaytheancientSumerianswerethefirstcivilizationtokeepfishinpondsmorethanfourthousandyearsago.TheChinesekeptandstudiedcarpandgoldfishmorethanonethousandyearsago.TheancientRomanskepteelsaspets.AndtheGreekphilosopherAristotlemadewhatisbelievedtobethefirstknownstudyofsealife,includingsharksanddolphins.
Keepingfishathomeinsmallwatertankscalledaquariumsisextremelypopulartoday.Andeveryoneseemstoenjoyvisitinghugepublicaquariumsthathaveopenedaroundtheworld.
Bythemiddleoftheeighteenhundreds,sciencehadshownthatplants,fishandotherseacreaturescouldsurvivetogetherunderwater.Soitwasnolongernecessarytochangethewaterinatankforthefishtolivethere.Thisledtothebuildingofthefirstpublicaquariums.
ThefirstaquariumsopenedinLondon,Englandin1853.inthenextfifteenyears,otheraquariumsopenedinEuropeandtheUnitedStates.By1928,therewereaboutforty-fivepublicaquariums.
TheMontereyBayAquariumhasbeenrecognizedasthefirstaquariumintheUnitedStatesanditshowsvisitorstheunderwaterlifeinthebay.TheGeorgiaAquariumopeningin2005saysitisthelargestintheworld.Ithasmorethanonehundredthousandseaanimalsinthirtymillionlitersofwaterincludingtwowhalesharks---theworld’slargestfish.
Anotheraquariumre-openedin2005inCamden,NewJersey.TheAdventureAquariumfirstopenedin1992.Itspentaboutfiftymilliondollarsexpandingitsbuildingandimprovingitsexhibits.
Aquariumsprovidethepublicwithmanychancestoexperiencelifeunderthesea.Theycanbefoundinmostareasoftheworld.Peoplemightevenwanttostartanaquariumathomeandjointhemillionsofpeoplearoundtheworldwhokeepfishaspets.
小题1:Whichaquariumopenedagainafteritsrebuilding?