On May 23rd the United States Department of Agriculture will meet to discuss the pressing topic of wild pigs. These beasts, which number 6 million or so, are an increasing bother. At their worst, they can damage crops, spread diseases, attack humans and kill farm animals. And things are getting worse: a study show that they are likely to double in number over the next 3 years. Why is it so hard to control wild pigs?
Introduced to America in the 16th century, and related to the wild pigs found in Europe, wild pigs can be found in 75% of all states. No single law exists to control them and regulations differ between states: while in Missouri they can only be shot if met by chance, in Texas hunting is actively encouraged. A “pork chopper” law allows Texan hunters to shoot wild pigs from helicopters, and some people in Louisiana have even built their own pighunting drone(无人机). As well as being popular with hunters, wild pigs are cheaper for game raisers to breed(饲养)than deer. In Michigan and Pennsylvania suggested bans on the private breeding of pigs for hunting have caused quarrels between game raisers and wildlife officials.
Wild pigs' double nature——considered pests by farmers, but valued by hunters——makes it hard to pass laws to control them. Two other factors also contribute. Nearly 70% of land in America is privately owned. And it is difficult for lawmakers to impose(强加)breeding and hunting laws on private landowners. Secondly, it is hard to define a wild pig.
In some states, laws are being introduced to redefine the term “wild animal” to keep out wild pigs. This is good news for those raising pigs for hunting, but less are to those who consider them pests whose number should be limited. Meanwhile, discussions continue over how to deal with this problem.
【小题1】People are not permitted to hunt wild pigs freely in . A．TexasB．MichiganC．MissouriD．Louisiana【小题2】Why do the game raisers prefer raising wild pigs to deer? A．It's difficult to raise deer.B．Wild pigs are in large numbers.C．Deer are not popular with hunters.D．They can benefit more from wild pigs.【小题3】Which is NOT the reason for the difficulty in controlling wild pigs? A．The difficulty of passing effective laws.B．The high percentage of land owned privately.C．The farmers' unwillingness to shoot wild pigs. D．The popularity of raising wild pigs in many states.【小题4】What is the best title of the text?A．Why are wild pigs so hard to control?B．Are wild pigs pests or wild animals?C．Wild pigs——an increasing danger in the US.D．How to deal with the problem of wild pigs?C
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(答案→)C
解析：
文章大意：为何野猪数量难控制？美国农业部在会议上讨论“野猪”这个迫切问题。
【小题1】C 细节理解题。根据文章第二段No single law exists to control them and regulations differ between states: while in Missouri they can only be shot if met by chance可以知道是在密苏里州。故C正确。
【小题2】C 推理判断题。根据文章第三段的首句Wild pigs' double nature——considered pests by farmers, but valued by hunters可知C选项与文章表达不相符合。故C正确。
【小题3】D 推理判断题。根据文章第二段As well as being popular with hunters, wild pigs are cheaper for game raisers to breed(饲养) than deer.可知野猪也比鹿的养殖成本更低。故D正确。
【小题4】A 主旨大意题。文章主要讲述美国“野猪”为何数量难以控制这个迫切问题，故A符合文章的标题。故A正确。