18．These days，there are very few wild animals left in the UK．The wolves have gone．The bears have been hunted to extinction．Fortunately，there are a few badgers（獾）…oh，well，actually，not for long as the British government have just decided to kill them too！But why？
Badgers are fascinating nocturnal（夜间活动的）creatures，living underground．They're extremely brave，fighting off larger animals such as bears and wolves．The problem is that some badgers carry"bovine tuberculosis"（bTB）-an infectious disease caused by the bacterium M．bovis which can cause TB in some other animals，including cattle．For farmers，this is a serious issue，because they usually keep a large number of cows together to raise．In 1998in the UK，almost 6，000cows were killed to control the disease．And in 2010，more than 30，000animals were destroyed．Bovine TB costs the UK about￡100million per year．And some believe that the disease could end up costing the economy￡9billion over the next 40years if nothing is done about it．
Experts say that badgers are responsible for about 50% of the infected cattle．So，after much debate，the government has agreed to kill badgers．
Of course，many are against the measure．They claim that killing the badgers in controlled zones wouldn't work because badgers from neighboring areas would simply move in and become infected too．Furthermore，the number of cattle in one spot is usually very large．They believe that the way cattle are raised intensively，and transported around to lots of different farms during their lives is probably the biggest cause of the spread of the disease．
67．Why does the UK government want to kill badgers？B
A．Because badgers are responsible for all the bTBinfected cattle．
B．Because a disease connected with badgers has caused a big loss．
C．Because badgers are very easy to become infected with bTB．
D．Because cattle are often with badgers which may carry bTB．
68．Some people believe that killing badgers in certain areas doesn't help becauseA．
A．badgers nearby would occupy where the killed badgers once lived
B．badgers are often transported around to lots of different farms
C．the disease will still exist there with all the cattle infected
D．the government doesn't have a good knowledge of the disease
69．What's the main idea of the passage？A
A．The UK government has decided to kill badgers to control the disease．
B．Very few wild animals exist in the UK these days except badgers．
C．A lot of people are against killing badgers for some reasons．
D．A large sum of money has been spent controlling the disease．
70．What does the underlined part in Paragraph 4probably mean？B
A．Cattle are often kept separately to prevent diseases．
B．Many cattle are gathered in one area to raise．
C．Cattle are raised very carefully and attentively．
D．Cattle are cared for by sick farmers sometimes．
分析 本文主要讲述了在英国由于獾很容易携带"bovine tuberculosis"--这一可传染的疾病进而引起大量牲畜的死亡的现象，因此政府下令将獾这一动物猎杀的事情．
解答 67．B 细节理解题． 根据文章内容The problem is that some badgers carry"bovine tuberculosis"（bTB）-an infectious disease caused by the bacterium M．bovis which can cause TB in some other animals，including cattle；In 1998in the UK，almost 6，000cows were killed to control the disease 可知，badgers携带的病菌使得大量的动物也被感染，由此引起大量牲畜的死亡，人们的财产受损．结合选项，答案为B
68．A 细节理解题．根据文章内容because badgers from neighboring areas would simply move in and become infected too．附件的badgers会移居到之前badgers被猎杀的地方，再次对其他动物造成威胁，故答案为A．
69．A 主旨大意题．根据文章内容，主要就是讲述了badgers对牲畜的威胁，因而英国政府对badgers的猎杀行为，结合选项，答案为A．
70．B 词义猜测题． 根据文章内容the number of cattle in one spot is usually very large；cattle的饲养规模是非常巨大的，由此可推断，农民都是将其聚集饲养，由此可知，B正确．
点评 本文是一个新闻阅读类阅读理解，题目涉及多道细节理解题，做题时结合原文和题目有针对性的找出相关语句进行仔细分析，结合选项选出正确答案．推理判断题也是要在抓住关键句子的基础上合理的分析才能得出正确答案，切忌胡乱猜测，一定要做到有理有据
