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 licence¹ 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 species² balanced. The most common one is the Mallard, which is known as an invasive species as it has been breeding³ with native ducks which are now at risk of becoming extinct⁴. 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 organisation⁵, 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 accidentally⁶ 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 grilled⁷ 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?

1 licence   

n.证书；许可证，执照；v.许可；批准

参考例句：

• 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。

2 species   

n.物种，种群

参考例句：

• 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。

3 breeding   

n.繁殖

参考例句：

• 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。

4 extinct   

adj.灭绝的，不再活跃的，熄灭了的，已废弃的

参考例句：

• 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。

5 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• 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。

6 accidentally   

adv.偶然地；意外地

参考例句：

• 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。

7 grilled   

adj. 烤的, 炙过的, 有格子的 动词grill的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• He was grilled for two hours before the police let him go. 他被严厉盘查了两个小时后，警察才放他走。
• He was grilled until he confessed. 他被严加拷问，直到他承认为止。