There are about 70,000 wild horses in the U.S. They live on grassy land in the
West. Ranchers say there are too many horses. They take space from sheep and cattle and eat the land bare.
Where did these horses come from? In the 1500’s, Spanish explorers came to
America. They brought their horses with them. In time, some of the animals ran away. Others were let loose. Today, the offspring of these horses still run wild in the West.
The U. S. had two million wild horses in the early 1900’s, some ranchers began to
kill them. By 1950, only 17,000 wild horses were left. Many people became angry and worked to get a law passed. The law protected the horses on public lands. However, soon the wild horse herds became too large again.
Finally, the government set up a program. People could adopt the horses. Since 1973, more than 20,000 horses have been adopted. It costs the government $300 to catch each horse and put it up for adoption. Now the government is cutting the amount of money it will spend. No one knows how many new horses will be offered for adoption. Animal lovers hope that all the wild horses can be saved. 【題組】20. What happened after a law was passed to protect wild horses?
(A) The horses went east
(B) No horses were left
(C) All the horses were adopted
(D) There were too many horses