Passenger pigeons once flew over much of the United States in unbelievable numbers．Written accounts from the 18th and 19th centuries described flocks(群) so large that they darkened the sky for hours� 题目和参考答案——青夏教育精英家教网—

题目内容

12．Passenger pigeons（旅鸽） once flew over much of the United States in unbelievable numbers．Written accounts from the 18^th and 19^th centuries described flocks（群） so large that they darkened the sky for hours．
It was calculated that when its population reached its highest point，there were more than 3billion passenger pigeons-a number equal to 24to 40percent of the total bird population in the United States，making it perhaps the most abundant bird in the world．Even as late as 1870when their numbers had already become smaller，a flock believed to be 1mile wide and 320miles （about 515kilometers） long was seen near Cincinnati．
Sadly，the abundance of passenger pigeons may have been their undoing．Where the birds were most abundant，people believed there was an ever-lasting supply and killed them by the thousands．Commercial hunters attracted them to small clearings with grain，waited until pigeons had settled to feed，then threw large nets over them，taking hundreds at a time．The birds were shipped to large cities and sold in restaurants．
By the closing decades of the 19^th century，the hardwood forests where passenger pigeons nested had been damaged by Americans'need for wood，which scattered （驱散） the flocks and forced the birds to go farther north，where cold temperatures and spring storms contributed to their decline．Soon the great flocks were gone，never to be seen again．
In 1897，the state of Michigan passed a law prohibiting the killing of passenger pigeons，but by then，no sizable flocks had been seen in the state for 10years．The last confirmed wild pigeon in the United States was shot by a boy in Pike County，Ohio，in 1900．For a time，a few birds survived under human care．The last of them，known affectionately as Martha，died at the Cincinnati Zoological Garden on September 1，1914．

51．In the 18^th and early 19^th centuries，passenger pigeonsD．
A．were the biggest bird in the world
B．lived mainly in the south of America
C．did great harm to the natural environment
D．were the largest bird population in the US
52．The underlined word"undoing"probably refers to the pigeons'B．
A．escape
B．ruin
C．liberation
D．evolution
53．What was the main reason for people to kill passenger pigeons？C
A．To seek pleasure．
B．To save other birds．
C．To make money．
D．To protect crops．
54．What can we infer about the law passed in Michigan？B
A．It was ignored．
B．It was too late．
C．It was unfair．
D．It was strict．
55．Which of the following is the best title of the passage？C
A．The protection of passenger pigeons．
B．The abundance of passenger pigeons．
C．The disappearance of passenger pigeons．
D．The population of passenger pigeons．

分析本文按照时间顺序叙述了旅鸽逐渐消失的过程．在美国，18世纪和19世纪旅鸽的数量很大．人们认为旅鸽数量多，会永恒的供应，于是成千的人杀害了旅鸽．美国用各种各样的理由捕杀旅鸽，使鸽子惨死．由于法律出台较晚，最后一批旅鸽也在辛辛那提动物园死去．

解答 51．D．细节理解题．根据文章第一段"Passenger pigeons once flew over much of the United States in unbelievable numbers．Written accounts from the 18th and 19th centuries described flocks（群）so large that they darkened the sky for hours．"可知，在美国，18世纪和19世纪旅鸽的数量很大．故选D．
52．B．词义猜测题．根据文章"Where the birds were abundant，people believed there was an ever-lasting supply and killed them by the thousands．"可知，人们认为旅鸽数量多会永恒的供应，于是成千的人杀害了旅鸽．因此可推测此处undoing的意思是死亡，毁灭．故选B．
53．C．细节理解题．根据文章第三段"Commercial hunters attracted them to small clearings with grain，waited until pigeons had settled to feed，then threw large nets over them，taking hundreds at a time．The birds were shipped to large cities and sold in restaurants．"可知，商业猎人捕捉了大量的旅鸽，把他们卖到大城市的餐馆里，因此推测人们杀死旅鸽的主要原因是为了赚钱．选项A的意思是寻开心．文中没有提到让人们高兴的内容，故不符合文章的意思．选项B，为了挽救其他鸟类．在文中没有提到其他鸟类，故不符合原文，故排除B项．选项D，为了保护庄稼．根据the hardwood forests where passenger pigeons nested had been damaged by Americans'need for wood，which scattered（驱散）the flocks and forced the birds to go farther north，可知美国人是为了需要木材而驱赶旅鸽，而不是为了保护庄稼，故排除D项．故选C．
54．B．推理判断题．根据I文章最后一段"n 1897，the state of Michigan passed a law prohibiting the killing of passenger pigeons，but by then，no sizable flocks had been seen in the state for 10 years．"可知，到密歇根州通过禁止屠杀旅鸽的法律时，在美国已经10年没有见过大的旅鸽群，这可推断旅鸽数量已经很少了，因此这项法律通过得太晚了．故选B．
55．C．主旨大意题．通读全文可知，本文是一篇记叙文，按照时间顺序叙述了旅鸽逐渐消失的过程．故选C．

点评本文是健康环保类阅读，考查学生的细节理解和推理判断能力．做细节理解题时一定要找到文章中的原句，和题干进行比较，再做出正确选择．在做推理判断题时不要以个人的主观想象代替文章的事实，要根据文章事实进行合乎逻辑的推理判断．