Although pigs were introduced in North America in the 1500s, Canada’s super pig problem began during the 1980s, when the country began encouraging farmers to raise wild pigs. However, when the market collapsed in 2001, many of these farmers simply cut their fences loose and released the pigs into the wild out of frustration. Unfortunately, some of these pigs were hybrids of wild pigs and domestic pigs. They combined the best qualities of both species, which made them an even bigger threat.

Cross-breeding domestic pigs with wild pigs led to a serious result. These “super pigs” combine the survival skills of the wild Eurasian pigs with the size and high fertility (繁殖能力) of domestic pigs, a combination that is apparently almost impossible to control. Not only are they capable of surviving cold climates by tunneling under snow, but they also destroy crops, feed on animals of all sizes, and spread deadly diseases. They breed at a rate that makes them extremely hard to control.

Super pigs can survive in the harshest of conditions thanks to an ability to adapt to virtually any situation. They are not only highly resistant (抗……的) to extreme temperatures but also intelligent enough to avoid human hunters. “They’re incredibly intelligent,” Ryan Brook, a Canadian expert, said. “When there’s any pressure on them, especially if people start hunting them, they become almost completely active at night, and they become very elusive — hiding in heavy forest cover, and they disappear into wetlands and they can be very hard to locate.” What’s more, super pigs reproduce extremely quickly. Their numbers would still increase.

“They’re so widespread, that certainly as late as 2018 or 2019 I stopped saying that eradication (根除) was possible, they’re just so established,” Professor Ryan Brook said. “They’ve definitely moved in, and they’re here to stay.” Some Canadian states have abandoned the idea of wiping out super pigs entirely, instead focusing on containing them, while US states that border Canada are preparing for an upcoming invasion.

1.What happened at the beginning of the 21st century in Canada?

A Pigs were introduced in the country.

B Farmers began to raise wild pigs.

C The market of wild pigs crashed.

D A new breed of pigs appeared.

解析：选C。C细节理解题。根据第一段的“However, when the market collapsed in 2001”可知，2001年（即21世纪初期），加拿大的野猪市场崩溃了。故选C。

2.Which of the following isn’t super pigs’ qualities?

A They are resistant to cold.

B They attack farm animals.

C They produce young quickly.

D They are extremely afraid of heat.

解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据第二段最后两句“Not only are they capable of surviving cold climates by tunneling under snow, but they also destroy crops, feed on animals of all sizes, and spread deadly diseases. They breed at a rate that makes them extremely hard to control.”可知，“超级猪”能抵御寒冷，它们破坏庄稼，捕猎进食各种动物，传播疾病，繁殖速度极快。文中没有提到它们怕热。故选D。

3.What does the underlined word “elusive” mean?

A Difficult to find.

B Simple to define.

C Interesting to investigate.

D Dangerous to catch.

解析：选A。A词义猜测题。根据划线部分后面的“hiding in heavy forest cover, and they disappear into wetlands and they can be very hard to locate”可知，“超级猪”非常聪明，当人们开始抓捕它们时，它们就转为夜间活动，躲在茂密的森林中，隐藏在湿地中，让人们很难找到它们。由此可知此它们变得非常难以发现。故选A。

4.What does Ryan Brook think of wiping out super pigs?

A It’s well planned.

B It’s promising.

C It’s uncertain.

D It’s quite hopeless.

解析：选D。D观点态度题。根据最后一段第一句的“They’re so widespread, that certainly as late as 2018 or 2019 I stopped saying that eradication was possible, they’re just so established”可知，瑞安·布鲁克教授认为超级猪在加拿大已经根深蒂固，几乎不可能根除。故选D。