新西兰英语 199 Review of dog laws

　　There is likely to be a review of dog laws in New Zealand. Local Government Minister, Rodney Hide, believes there are too many laws for dog owners and the laws are too muddled¹. He thinks dog owners should have more freedom to enjoy their dogs. At the moment, dogs have to be on a leash² in most public places. Some dogs also have to be muzzled³ in public and all dogs must be registered. Dogs have to be microchipped too except for farm dogs or dogs registered before July 2006.
The review would look at whether the microchipping of dogs is working. Compulsory⁴ microchipping of dogs was introduced after some dog attacks including a terrible attack on seven-year-old Carolina Anderson. The reason for microchipping is to make dog control easier by identifying dogs and linking them to their owner; however Rodney Hide has asked whether it is really good value for money.
Some local councils provide information and education to dog owners. Napier City Council offers a Dog Owner Licence, which gives owners a 30% discount on dog registration⁵. To get the licence, owners must show that their dog has never been complained about and they must agree to a property inspection⁶. Some people have suggested that all owners should have to get a licence to own a dog, like the licence required to own a gun or car. Others however think that is going too far and irresponsible owners would not bother to get the licence anyway. The review, which is unlikely to start before 2011, will consider those viewpoints.
Contributed by Anita Jones

1 muddled   

adj.混乱的；糊涂的；头脑昏昏然的v.弄乱，弄糟( muddle的过去式)；使糊涂；对付，混日子

参考例句：

• He gets muddled when the teacher starts shouting. 老师一喊叫他就心烦意乱。
• I got muddled up and took the wrong turning. 我稀里糊涂地拐错了弯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 leash   

n.牵狗的皮带，束缚；v.用皮带系住

参考例句：

• I reached for the leash,but the dog got in between.我伸手去拿系狗绳，但被狗挡住了路。
• The dog strains at the leash,eager to be off.狗拼命地扯拉皮带，想挣脱开去。

3 muzzled   

给（狗等）戴口套( muzzle的过去式和过去分词 )； 使缄默，钳制…言论

参考例句：

• The newspapers were effectively muzzled by strict censorship laws. 严厉的新闻审查法有效地使那些报纸沉默了下来。
• Whenever in the street our dog is muzzled. 每当上街时，我们的狗总是戴上嘴套。

4 compulsory   

n.强制的，必修的；规定的，义务的

参考例句：

• Is English a compulsory subject?英语是必修课吗？
• Compulsory schooling ends at sixteen.义务教育至16岁为止。

5 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

6 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。