VOA慢速英语2019--蒙特利尔将在2020年禁止马车

Montreal to Ban Horse-Drawn¹ Carriages in 2020

The city of Montreal, Canada is set to ban horse-drawn vehicles on January 1. The ban was approved after pressure from animal rights activists² who say the horses are being mistreated.

The horse-drawn vehicles, known as carriages, have long been a popular way for Montreal visitors to see the city.

On a recent day in the center of Montreal's Old Port area, six horses and carriages were lined up in front of Notre-Dame cathedral, the French news agency AFP reported.

Nathalie Matte is a carriage operator in the city. She told AFP that many people are clearly drawn to the beauty of the horses. "You can pet him if you wish," she tells visitors looking at her animal.

Mujtaba Ali was visiting Montreal while traveling through Canada. "It's a unique way to see the city rather than just taking the bus or the subway," he said.

Carriage business owner Luc Desparois said the vehicles had become an important part of Montreal's culture over the years. "They have been around since Montreal started," he told AFP.

After being pressured by animal rights groups for years, Montreal's city council ordered a ban on the horse-drawn carriages in 2018. The ban is set to take effect on January 1.

The city government had previously³ banned horses from the road when summer temperatures rose in an effort to satisfy the activists. But the groups kept pushing for a total ban.

A turning point happened in 2018 when a horse died on the street while pulling a carriage. The incident caused Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante to denounce⁴ the industry and support the removal of horse-drawn carriages from the city.

The ban is expected to put about 50 carriage operators and their horses out of work.

Jean-Fran?ois Parenteau is a spokesman⁵ for the city of Montreal. "It is a tradition that has long been appreciated. But today, I think it is time to move on," he told AFP. He added that it is important for the city to "care about animals."

His comments were welcomed by Galahad, an association that seeks to protect horses and had campaigned for the ban. The organization's founder⁶, Chamie Angie Cadorette, said the horses faced difficult working conditions.

"It is not just an hour a day. It is eight hours a day to go up and down the roads in traffic," she said. She accused horse carriage owners of mistreating their animals.

"They say (the animals) are being abused. Prove it," said carriage business operator Luc Desparois. His company, which has 15 horses and employs 15 carriage drivers, recently led a legal battle against the ban. But he lost in court.

In April, the city announced a plan aimed at preventing unemployed⁷ horses from ending up in slaughterhouses. The city offered to pay $760 for each donated horse. As of December 16, only one request to join the program had been made.

Desparois said he considered the offer a "total insult."

"You could offer me $ 10,000 tomorrow morning and I won't sell it to you," he said. He added that after 34 years in the business, his animals meant a lot more to him than money.

Words in This Story

cathedral – n. the largest and most important church in a particular area

pet – v. touch an animal

unique – adj. different from most other things

appreciate – v. enjoy and recognize the full worth of something

slaughterhouse – n. a place where animals are killed for meat

1 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

2 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

4 denounce   

vt.谴责，声讨，告发

参考例句：

• We should denounce a heresy.我们应该公开指责异端邪说。
• He had thought to denounce or even assault this man.他本来想要申斥，甚至痛打这个人一顿。

5 spokesman   

n.发言人，代言人

参考例句：

• The government spokesman gave a quick briefing to the reporters.政府发言人向记者们作了情况简介。
• They drew lots to decide who should be their spokesman.他们抽签决定谁是他们的发言人。

6 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

7 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。