Are there any controversial blood sports in your country? In the UK, there’s fox hunting. Officially, it’s illegal but it’s still going on.

The goal of most fox hunts is simple: to track, catch up and, sometimes, kill a fox. A hunt begins when the hounds (猎犬) are “cast”. This is when the dogs are released and start searching in bushes for foxes. When the hounds pick up the smell, they track the fox. If they see it, the chase (追赶) is on and the dogs run after it. The hunt continues until either the fox escapes or is caught and then usually killed by the hounds.

Many people are against fox hunting. Animal rights activists argue that foxes suffer a cruel (残忍的) and violent death. They also say that fox hunting is an activity in which people seem to gain pleasure from cruelty. Others dislike it for being a mostly upper-class sport. Among them was Oscar Wilde, who once described it in 1893 as, “the unspeakable in full chase of the uneatable”.

Supporters of fox hunting say it’s a tradition that’s part of England’s cultural heritage. They also say it plays an important role in country life, and that many jobs depend on fox hunting. Finally, they point out that it’s an important form of pest control that protects the livelihood of farmers, and that the foxes are killed quickly and that it’s much less cruel than using traps or poisons.

But in 2005 everything changed. The Hunting Act came into force, and this effectively banned fox hunting. But it wasn’t easy passing the law. Thousands of people gathered outside the House of Parliament in protest. Now, it is officially illegal, but hunts still take place and more than 1804 hunt groups are still in existence. So, it seems that this England’s tradition just refuses to die.

【小题1】What does the underlined word “controversial” in paragraph 1 mean?

A．Large in quantity.	B．Divided in opinion.
C．Diverse in form.	D．Similar in nature.

【小题2】What did Oscar Wilde think of fox hunting?

A．It could bring a large number of jobs for farmers.

B．It was a blood sport where foxes were killed cruelly.

C．It could give people greater pleasure than expected.

D．It was a meaningless activity the upper class preferred.

【小题3】What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The purpose in passing the law about fox hunting.

B．The difficulty in carrying out the ban on fox hunting.

C．The change of people’s attitudes towards fox hunting.

D．The importance of keeping the tradition of fox hunting.