英语听力精选进阶版 7132（在线收听）

Background: 澳大利亚当局决定对一大批蜂拥而至的野生骆驼采取驱赶行动。多达六千头骆驼横冲直闯进入该国北部一个小居民区，践踏了民宅的篱笆，污染了水源，让当地居民吓得不敢出门。现在民众要反击了。

A dusty outpost in the Aussie outback, Docker River has a population of 355... humans that is. But in recent weeks thousands of wild camels have descended on the town in search of water. The result has been chaos according to the head of the local authority Graham Taylor.

''Water supplies have been broken and damaged, sewers under the ground have been trampled and crushed, the airport is actually virtually unusable."

A million wild camels are thought to roam the red, sandy plains of Australia's Northern Territory but a drought has made natural water scarce, driving the thirsty beasts to head into populated areas. In Docker River their overwhelming numbers have forced residents to stay indoors. Now the state government has authorised a cull. Rob Knight is a spokesman.

"Docker River is under siege by 6,000 marauding, wild camels."

We'll be pushing them out 15km and shooting them and letting them decay into the desert.''

Animal rights campaigners say using helicopters to round up the camels for shooting them en masse is barbaric but Docker's River human residents say they are determined to get their town back.

GLOSSARY 词汇表

dusty outpost 尘土飞扬的前哨 

outback 内地的 

descended on the town 蜂拥入城 

chaos 混乱 

sewers 下水道 

trampled 践踏/摧残 

virtually unuseable 几乎无法使用的 

roam 漫游/闲逛 

drought 干旱 

beasts 野兽 

populated areas 人口稠密地区 

overwhelming numbers 无计其数的 

cull 剔除/杀戮 

under siege 受到袭击 

marauding 劫掠 

decay 腐烂 

animal rights campaigners 动物权益倡导人士 

round up 搜捕 

en masse 大群的 

barbaric 野蛮的

Questions and Answers

True or false. Docker River is in an urban area. 

False. It is in the Australian outback.

Which things have the camels changed? 

They have damaged water supplies, sewers and the airport.

Why did the camels enter the town of Docker River? 

They were thirsty because of a drought and looking for water.

How will the camels be killed? 

They will be forced into the desert and shot.