Animal-rights activists often complain that cute beasts get more sympathy than equally deserving ugly ones.If so，one would think a lovely creature like the mink（貂）would be easy to protect.Yet in the Netherlands，mink is the only animal that can still legally be farmed for their fur.That is about to change.On August 28th the government brought forward to this year a ban on mink-farming that had been scheduled to take effect in 2024.The timetable was sped up not because mink had become more adorable，but because they can contract covid-19 and spread it to humans.
   Dutch farmers normally raised about 2.5 million minks a year，making the Netherlands the world's fourth-largest producer after Denmark，China and Poland.In April，a couple of minks and the farm hands who tended them were diagnosed with covid-19.Genetic tracing showed that at least two workers had probably been infected by mink，rather than the other way around.The affected animals were destroyed and stricter hygiene rules imposed，but by summer the virus had spread to a third of the country's farms.In June，parliament voted to shut down the industry as soon as possible，and the cabinet agreed.
   That was a win for the Netherlands Party for the Animals，which has four seats in the 150-member parliament.In 2013，it helped pass the law that gave mink farmers until 2024 to get out of the business.
   Now the party and its supporters object to the generous compensation（補(bǔ)償）the government has offered for bringing forward the deadline：150 million，or 1 million per farmer.Some members of parliament claim that the compensation paid for destroying the infected minks was higher than the market price for their fur.
   Fur farmers any modern standards allow minks to be raised humanely，and that they are not a big reason for the spread of the virus.But minks tend to live by themselves instead of living in groups：animal-rights advocates say they cannot be raised humanely in small cages.As for covid-19，the worry is that mink could serve as a medium for it to attack human immunization（免疫）programs.The industry's value is modest（farmers put it at ＄150 million- ＄200 million，activists at under ＄100 million），and polls show the public overwhelmingly opposes it. "In a democratic country，that widespread belief has to translate into a political decision to ban fur farming，" says Esther Ouwehand，leader of the Party for the Animals.The farmers accept they are shutting down.The remaining argument is over money.

（1）According to the passage，why did animal-activists have an unexpected win for protecting minks？
A．Because mink's cute appearance won people's heart.
B．Because the minks could act as a host for an infectious disease.
C．Because the government carried out an act earlier than planned.
D．Because the farmers stopped raising minks，considering the great reward.
（2）What does the writer mean by saying "the other way around" in paragraph 2？
A．The farm-raised minks were born with the virus.
B．The farmers were infected with covid-19 by minks.
C．The minks contracted covid-19 from their caregiver.
D．The affected minks had contact with the virus in nature.
（3）Esther Ouwehand and his party members supported the following statements EXCEPT .
A．Minks can be easily bred by humans without bringing any harm to them.
B．It is acceptable to shut down mink fur industry because it isn't profitable.
C．Objection to fur industry is a main reason behind this governmental decision.
D．The amount of money to make up for the loss of the mink farmers was too high.
（4）Which of the following might be the best title of the passage？
A．Cuteness Wins
B．An Unexpected Win
C．Winter for Minks
D．Farmers v.s.Activists

【考點(diǎn)】社會(huì)；說明文．

【答案】B；C；A；B