Is hunting good or bad for the environment, Like so many hot button issues, the answer to this question depends upon who you ask. On the one hand, some say, nothing could be more natural than hunting, and indeed just about every animal species 一 including humans 一 has been either predator or prey at some point in its evolution. And, ironic as it sounds, since humans have wiped out many animal predators, some see hunting as a natural way to reduce the herds of prey animals that now reproduce beyond the environment's carrying capacity.
On the other hand, many environmental and animal advocates see hunting as savage , arguing that it is morally wrong to kill animals , regardless of practical considerations. according to Glenn Kirk of the California-based The Animals' Voice, hunting" causes immense suffering to individual wild animals..."and is"irrationally
cruel because unlike natural predation ( 捕 食 ) ,hunters kill for pleasure ...” He adds that, despite hunters' claims that hunting keeps wildlife populations in balance, hunters' license fees are used to manipulate a few game species into overpopulation at
the expense of a much larger number of non-game species , resulting in the loss of biological diversity, genetic integrity and ecological balance."
Beyond moral issues , others contend that hunting is not practical- According to the Humane Society of the United States , the vast majority of hunted species —— such as waterfowl, rabbits, upland birds and mourning doves ——"provide minimal nutrition and do not require population control."
Author Gary E・Varner suggests in his book , In Nature's Interests, that some types of hunting may be morally justifiable while others may not be. Hunting “designed to secure the aggregate welfare of the target species, the integrity of its ecosystem, or both" —what Varner terms ' therapeutic hunting' —is defensible , while
subsistence and sport hunting —both of which only benefit human beings—is not.
Regardless of one's individual stance , fewer Americans hunt today than in recent history. Data gathered by the U. S. Fish & Wildlife service in 2006 show that only five percent of Americans 一 some 12.5 million individuals 一 consider themselves hunters today, down from nine percent in 2001 and 15 percent in 1996.
Public support for hunting , however , is on the rise. A 2007 survey by Responsive management Inc. found that eighty percent of respondents agreed that “hunting has a legitimate place in modem society , " and the percentage of Americans indicating disapproval of hunting declined from 22 percent in 1995 to 16 percent in 2007.
Perhaps matching the trend among the public, green leaders are increasingly advocating cooperation between hunters and environmental groups: After all, both deplore urban sprawl and habitat destruction.
51. What does the author say sounds ironic?
A) Some predators may often turn out to be prey of other predators.
B) Hunting may also be a solution to the problem caused by hunting.
C) The species of prey animals continue to vary despite humans' hunting-
D) The number of prey animals keeps rising despite environmental change.
52. What does Glenn Kirk think of charging hunters' license fees?
A) It keeps game population under control.
B) It turns hunting into a sport of the rich.
C) It leads to ecological imbalance.
D) It helps stop killing for pleasure.
53. What is the argument of the Humane Society of the United States against hunting?
A) Overpopulation is not an issue for most hunted animals-
B) Hunting deprives animal populations of their food sources.
C) Many birds and small animals are being irrationally killed-
D) Hunting is universally acknowledged as a savage behavior.
54.When is hunting morally justifiable according to Gary E. Varner?
A) When it benefits animals and their ecosystem-
B) When it serves both human and animal interests.
C) When it is indispensable to humans' subsistence.
D) When it stabilizes the population of animal species.
55. What concept are green leaders trying to promote?
A) effective protection of animal habitats.
B) strict control over urban development.
C) Coordinated efforts of hunters and environmentalists.
D) A compromise between development and animal protection.
答案解析：
由题干中的关键词“ironic”定位到第一段。第一段提到“since humans have wiped out many animal predators, some see hunting as a natural way to reduce the herds of prey animals that now reproduce beyond the environment's carrying capacity”，意思是人类消灭了很多动物捕食者，而狩猎却成为减少食草动物数量(这些食草动物繁殖数量超过了环境承载力)的一种自然方式，即狩猎可能是解决因人类行为(消灭捕食者)而造成问题的一种方法，这听起来很讽刺，所以选B。
由题干中的关键词“Glenn Kirk”和“license fees”定位到第二段。第二段提到Glenn Kirk认为尽管猎人声称狩猎能保持野生动物数量平衡，但猎人的许可证费用被用来操纵一些猎物物种使其过度繁殖，而牺牲了更多非猎物物种的数量，导致生物多样性、遗传完整性和生态平衡的丧失，即这导致了生态失衡，所以选C。
由题干中的关键词“the Humane Society of the United States”定位到第三段。第三段提到美国善待动物协会认为绝大多数被猎杀的物种，如水禽、兔子、高地鸟类和哀鸽等，“提供极少的营养且不需要进行数量控制”，即大多数被猎杀的动物不存在数量过多的问题，所以选A。
由题干中的关键词“Gary E. Varner”和“morally justifiable”定位到第四段。第四段提到Gary E. Varner认为为了确保目标物种的总福利、其生态系统的完整性或两者兼顾而进行的狩猎，即他所说的“治疗性狩猎”是合理的，也就是当狩猎对动物及其生态系统有益时，在道德上是合理的，所以选A。
由题干中的关键词“green leaders”定位到最后一段。最后一段提到绿色领导者越来越倡导猎人和环保组织之间的合作，所以绿色领导者试图推广的概念是猎人和环保主义者的协调努力，选C。
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