1 . Owls(猫头鹰)can be found in many parts of the world. And today, one kind of owl, the barred owl, is causing a problem in forests of the northwestern United States. Barred owls are a large species native to eastern North America, but they began moving west at the start of the 20th century. In parts of the Pacific Northwest, barred owls are now causing a drop in the population of a kind of smaller and less aggressive(侵略性的) bird: the northern spotted owls. The U.S. Geological Survey is doing something unusual to protect spotted owls: killing barred owls. As a member of the department, David Wiens has mixed feelings about the program. “It’s a little unpleasant, I think, to go out killing owls,” he says. “But we knew that barred owls were really stronger than spotted owls and their numbers were growing too fast, so it makes sense to do that.”

It is a controversial( 有争议的) program. “A decision not to kill the barred owl is a decision to make the spotted owl disappear,” says Bob Sallinger, a director at the nonprofit Audubon Society in Portland, Oregon. However, Marc Bekoff, a professor of ecology(生态学 ) and biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, strongly disagrees with the experiment and says humans should find another way to help spotted owls.

If reducing the barred owl population improves the number of spotted owls, the U.S. Geological Survey may consider killing more barred owls as part of a longer-term effort. Enough success has been noted for the experiment to be extended to August of 2021.

1. Why are barred owls being killed ?

A．They are breaking the laws of nature.

B．They are killing each other to survive.

C．They are destroying large areas of forests.

D．They are putting the spotted owls in danger.

2. What is Wiens’ attitude towards the program?

A．Doubtful.

B．Uncaring.

C．Supportive.

D．Negative.

3. Which is the best title for the text?

A．New Ways to Help Forests

B．How to Keep Ecological Balance

C．Killing One Species to Save Another

D．Time to Protect Animals

2 . California will be the first state to ban the sale and manufacture of new fur products.    1    It will go into effect on January 1, 2023.

California’s fur law was one of several bills designed to prevent cruelty to animals. “California is a leader when it comes to animal protection and today that leadership includes banning the sale of fur, ” said Governor Newsom in a news report. “    2    We are making a statement to the world that beautiful wild animals like bears and tigers have no place on trapeze (高空秋千) wires or jumping through flames.”    3    More than a dozen European countries, including the United Kingdom, Austria, Norway and the Netherlands have also passed laws to limit the fur trade.

    4    “The signing of the ban shows the point that today’s customers simply don’t want wild animals to suffer extreme pain and fear while keeping up with the fashion,” said Kitty Block, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States and president of Humane Society International. Not everyone, however, was pleased with the ban. Banning the killing of animals for their fur means killing the fur business, says Hyatt, an owner of a fur store.    5    

Many retailers are also ending fur sales. In mid-October, Macy’s (American’s department store) announced it will stop fur from all its stores by the end of 2020. The stores will also close all fur vaults and salons. Other fashion brands such as Prada, Gucci, Michael Kors and Burberry have taken similar steps in recent years.

A．But we are doing more than that.

B．California is taking the lead in protecting animals.

C．Similar laws have been carried out globally already.

D．And that in turn will leave many people unemployed.

E．Two other California cities had already banned fur sales.

F．Not surprisingly, the ban is welcomed by animal rights activists.

G．The ban applies to clothing, shoes, handbags and other things that contain fur.