泽熙美文Reading Comprehension
It was two years ago today that the hunting ban came into force, supposedly ending centuries of tradition. However, the law has been an unmitigated failure-not that either side is shouting about it.
It was a nightmare vision that struck fear and loathing into the hearts of millions. When the hunting ban became law, it was said, 16,000 people would lose their jobs, thousands of hounds would be put down, rotting carcasses would litter the countryside, hedgerows would disappear, riders would face on-the-spot fines, law-abiding people from doctors to barristers would be dragged from their horses and carted off to prison, while dog owners would be prosecuted if their mutt caught a rabbit.
These were just some of the claims as desperate countryside campaigners battled to save their sport in the lead-up to the hunting ban, which Labour rammed into law using the Parliament Act on November 18, 2004.
For many, the fears were real. Others exaggerated as they fought an increasingly aggressive anti-hunting lobby which had rejected acres of independent evidence affirming that hunting is the most humane way of killing foxes. In the battle to “fight prejudice, fight the ban”, every emotive argument was deployed.
For its part, the anti-hunting brigade extravagantly claimed that the ban would put an end to the rich parading in red jackets. A senior Labour MP, Peter Bradley, admitted in this newspaper that it was, as many suspected, about “class war”. He lost his seat shortly afterwards. But people in red coats did not disappear.
In fact, none of the forecasts came true. What did happen was something nobody had predicted: the spectacular revival and growth of hunting with hounds. In short, the hunting ban has been a failure.
Today, on the second anniversary of the ban’s coming into force on February 18, 2005, new figures show that participation in the sport has never been higher. It is so cheerful that two new packs have been formed, something that has not happened for centuries.
They include the seductively named Private Pack, set up by the financier Roddy Fleming in Gloucestershire. It operates on an invitation-only basis, a sort of hunting private members’ club. This can only mean one thing: like it or not, hunting is cool. Young people are taking it up, enticed by the element of rebellion and the mystique of what actually happens as hunts attempt to keep within the law.
1. The phase “came into force” underlined in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.
A.take effect
B.be popular
C.be forced
D.come into existence
正确答案：A
[解析] 根据文中第一段的内容“It was two years ago today that the hunting ban came into force”可知，狩猎禁令开始生效。选项中的A项为“生效”符合文意。B项“流行”，C项“强迫”，D项“成立，建立”，这三项均不符合题意。
2. The hunting ban has been a complete failure because ______.
A.the hunting has never been stopped but has instead flourished
B.the government has been short of hands to enforce the law
C.the law makers failed to see hunting as a long-time tradition
D.the ban aimed to protect the interests of the upper-class only
正确答案：A
[解析] 根据文中第六段的内容“the spectacular revival and growth of hunting with hounds. In short, the hunting ban has been a failure.”可知，狩猎禁令彻底失败了，壮观的猎狗狩猎又复苏了，所以应该选择A。B项“政府缺少人手去执行该法律”，C项“法律制定者没有看到狩猎是个长期的传统”，D项“禁令的目的只是保护上流社会的利益”，这三项都不符合题意。
3. The word “loathing” underlined in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ______.
A.disgust
B.dislike
C.hatred
D.intention
正确答案：A
[解析] 根据文中第二段的内容“It was a nightmare vision that struck fear and loathing into the hearts of millions”可知，这是一个噩梦，让几百万人们的心感到恐惧和厌恶。选项中的A项为“厌恶”符合文意。B项“不喜欢”，C项“讨厌”，D项“意向”，这三项均不符合题意。
4. Those who break the hunting ban would ______.
A.lose their jobs
B.bring shame to their fellow people
C.have to kill their horses and dogs
D.face either fines or imprisonment
正确答案：D
[解析] 根据第二段的内容“riders would face on-the-spot fines, law-abiding people from doctors to barristers would be dragged from their horses and carted off to prison, while dog owners would be prosecuted if their mutt caught a rabbit.”可知D项“面临罚款或监禁”符合题意。A项“失去工作”，B项“给朋友带来耻辱”，C项“不得不杀掉他们的马和狗”，这三项明显和第二段内容不符合。
5. The word “prosecuted” underlined in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ______.
A.go to court
B.encourage
C.publish
D.prevent
正确答案：A
[解析] 根据文中第二段的内容“dog owners would be prosecuted if their mutt caught a rabbit”可知，如果狗抓了一只兔子，那么狗主人可能被起诉。选项中的A项为“起诉”符合文意。B项“鼓励”，C项“惩罚”，D项“预防”，这三项均不符合题意。
6. The anti-hunting lobby held that ______.
A.fox-hunting was an expression of prejudice
B.the countryside campaigners were reasonable
C.the theory of humane killing did not hold water
D.the hunters exaggerated the dreadful scene of hunting
正确答案：C
[解析] 根据第四段的内容“Others exaggerated as they fought an increasingly aggressive anti-hunting lobby which had rejected acres of independent evidence affirming that hunting is the most humane way of killing foxes.”可知，狩猎者认为狩猎杀死狐狸是最人道的方式，而反对狩猎者不这么认为，所以C项“人类猎杀不合理”符合题意。A项“猎杀狐狸是偏见的表示”，B项“乡下的活动家是合理的”，D项“狩猎者夸大了狩猎的可怕景象”，这三项明显和文中第四段内容不符合。
7. What does the author think of the hunting campaigners’ position?
A.It was unknowingly biased.
B.It was emotionally charged.
C.It was increasingly militant.
D.It was certainly powerful.
正确答案：B
[解析] 根据第四段的内容“In the battle to fight prejudice, fight the ban, every emotive argument was deployed.”可知，抗议者们在“反歧视，反禁令”的斗争中，运用了一切可以动感情的手段，所以B项“充满感情的”符合题意。A项“没被察觉到的偏见”，C项“越来越好战”，D项“当然是很强大的”，这三项明显和文中第四段的内容不符合。
8. The word “rebellion” underlined in the last Paragraph refers to ______.
A.betray
B.violation
C.department
D.contravention
正确答案：A
[解析] 根据文中最后一段的内容“Young people are taking it up, enticed by the element of rebellion”可知，年轻人受到背叛成分的怂恿。选项中的A项为“背叛”符合文意。B项“违反”，C项“离开”，D项“违法行为”，这三项均不符合题意。
9. By saying “people in red coats did not disappear”, the author implied that ______.
A.the upper class won the “war”
B.Bradley deserved his fate
C.the hunting ban did not work
D.the hunting ban was untimely
正确答案：C
[解析] 根据第五段的内容“For its part, the anti-hunting brigade extravagantly claimed that the ban would put an end to the rich parading in red jackets.”和“But people in red coats did not disappear”可知，人们继续游行，C项“狩猎禁令没有起作用”符合题意。Aa
