Comprehension: No More Carriage Rides in NY's Central Park?

New York's new mayor has ignited a firestorm by announcing plans to nix one of the city's century-old traditions -- the horse-drawn carriages in Central Park -- calling them inhumane.

Watch the video and answer the questions below.  Decide if the statements are True or False.

1.There have been horse-drawn carriages in Central Park for 150 years.
a. True
b. False

2.There are 170 horses working in New York City.
a. True
b. False

3. The horses are entitled to 5 weeks vacation by law.
a. True
b. False

For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

For 150 years the same sound has resonated through New York's Central Park.
Christina Hansen has driven a horse-drawn carriage for years. But today her job is in jeopardy. New York City is home to 68 coaches, with 170 full-time drivers and more than 200 horses...but recently elected Mayor Bill de Blasio wants to get rid of them. To Christina they’re an iconic symbol of New York in danger of disappearing.
"You know, especially people in our carriages they're like 'you can't get rid of this, this is New York, this is Central Park, it's like getting rid of the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building. Everybody knows the central park carriages."
Behind this initiative is an organization called NYClass, which wants to replace the horse-drawn vehicles with electric replicas of vintage cars. The lobbying group gave 1.3 million dollars to mayoral candidates opposed to the tourist attraction, including Bill de Blasio. NYClass says working conditions for the horses are unacceptable.  
"These horses are working in Midtown traffic with their noses up against a tailpipe, and it is just not a safe environment to have a 1200 pound horse that will tend to spook if they hear a construction noise, a car backfires. They run the risk of being hit by SUVs and taxis."
New York’s stables also say they're concerned for the animals’ rights. Conor McHugh owns one of the city’s four barns. Here horses have individual stalls with water buckets they can refill themselves, but Conor says it’s the veterinary care that stands out.  
"If you're a working horse and you become a carriage horse, you are entitled by law to numerous things, among them five weeks vacation, veterinary check-ups, regardless of your health condition, you have to still see a veterinarian twice a year."
The Mayor’s proposal would eliminate the carriages in the next three years, but it still requires approval from the city council. For now, these mobile landmarks can still be seen, and heard, in Central Park.

Answers:
1. a
2. b
3. a

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