新西兰英语 286 Duck Shooting
From the first weekend in May until July, hunters in New Zealand are allowed to shoot ducks for sport. This is called the duck shooting season. Hunters have to get a licence 1 and can kill only a limited number of ducks each day.
There are only three types of ducks people can shoot, to keep the numbers of ducks and their species 2 balanced. The most common one is the Mallard, which is known as an invasive species as it has been breeding 3 with native ducks which are now at risk of becoming extinct 4. Another reason for the reduced numbers of local species is that people used to hunt ducks too much, including the rarer native ducks.
Although many New Zealanders enjoy duck hunting, many others oppose it. One of the reasons is that many ducks are not killed quickly and may die a slow, painful death. SAFE, an animal protection organisation 5, is calling for a ban on duck shooting.
Another problem with the shooting season is the number of injuries from careless use of guns. There are regular reports in the news about injuries to hunters and sometimes to other people nearby. Recently three workers in Blenheim got a big fright when a duck hunter accidentally 6 shot through the walls of their factory. Although no-one was hurt, the hunter was arrested and will go to court.
However, despite these problems, duck is still a popular food for many New Zealanders. It is commonly found in Chinese restaurants and one famous burger restaurant offers grilled 7 duck on its menu, but only in the duck shooting season.
Contributed by Chris Mahoney
Questions to think about
What is the attraction of duck shooting?
What is the attraction of deer hunting?
What can a) hunters and b) the NZ government do to limit the number of accidents in the duck shooting season?
- The restaurant applied for a licence to sell wine.那家餐厅申请售酒许可证。
- He hadn't paid his television licence fee.他尚未缴纳电视机使用许可费。
- Are we the only thinking species in the whole of creation?我们是万物中惟一有思想的物种吗？
- This species of bird now exists only in Africa.这种鸟现在只存在于非洲。
- the breeding of horses 马的饲养
- This area of the city has become a breeding ground for violent crime. 这个市区已成为暴力犯罪的滋生地。
- All hopes were extinct.所有希望都破灭了。
- Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years.恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。
- The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
- His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。
- Mary accidentally let out that her mother had telephoned.玛丽无意中说出她的母亲来过电话。
- As I turned around,I accidentally hit him in the face.我转身时不经意撞了他的脸。