题目内容

【题目】Passenger pigeons (旅鸽)once flew over much of the United States in unbelievable numbers.

Written accounts from the 18th and 19th centuries described flocks ()so large that they darkened the sky for hours.

It was calculated that when its population reached its highest point ,there were more than 3 billlion passenger pigeons—a number equal to 24 to 40 percent of the total bird population in the United States, making it perhaps the most abundant bird in the world. Even as late as 1870 when their numbers had already become smaller, a flock believed to be 1 mile wide and 320 miles (about 515 kilometers) 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 19th 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 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 10 years. 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.

1In the 18th and early 19teh centuries, passenger pigeons____.

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

2The underlined word “ undoing” probably refers to the pigeons’ ____.

A. escape B. ruin

C. liberation D. evolution

3What was the main reason for people to kill passenger pigeons?

A. To seek pleasure. B. To save other birds.

C. To make money. D. To protect crops.

4What can we infer about the law passed in Michigan?

A. It was ignored by the public. B. It was declared too late.

C. It was unfair. D. It was strict.

【答案】

1D

2B

3C

4B

【解析】试题分析:文章主要介绍了美国的旅鸽。旅鸽曾成群地出现在美国的大部分地区,有记录显示,在十九世纪和二十世纪初,旅鸽成群飞翔,能够让天空变暗几个小时。不幸的是,人们大量地捕猎旅鸽来牟取商业利益,这也成了旅鸽毁灭的主要原因。

1】推理判断题。根据第二段“making it perhaps the most abundant bird in the world”排除D;根据第一段“Written accounts from the 18th and 19th centuries described flocks() so large that they darkened the sky for hours.”和第二段“there were more than 3 billion passenger pigeons--a number equal to 24 to 40 percent of the total bird population in the United States”可知,旅鸽当时的数量达到了30多亿只,相当于美国鸟类总数的24%40%,说明旅鸽的数量在当时是最多的,故选A

2】猜测词义题。根据“killed them by the thousands...The birds were shipped to large cities and sold in restaurants.”可知,人们捕猎旅鸽并把它们卖给大城市的餐馆,由此可知,大量的旅鸽给人们带来了商机,也导致了它们自身的毁灭,故选C

3】细节理解题。根据“Commercial hunters...The birds were shipped to large cities and sold in restaurants.”可知,人们捕猎旅鸽是出于商业买卖的目的,故选C

4】推理判断题。根据最后一段“but by then, no sizable flocks had been seen in the state for 10 years”可知,密歇根出台的禁止猎杀旅鸽的法律未起到应有的作用,因为截至当时,密歇根已经有10年未出现过大规模的鸽群了,故选B

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【题目】As the capital of China’s Shanxi Province, Xi’an’s long history was properly summed up by our English-speaking guide:“If Xi’an is the grandmother of cities, Beijing is a youth and Shanghai is just a baby in the womb.

However, it was not until 1974, following the chance discovery of the Army of Terracotta Warriors by well-digging farmers, that Xi’an was once again pushed onto the international map. Three decades later, the local government is pouring funds into the tourism sector. Ancient monuments and museums are being restored, and various copies of Buddhist and Tang heritage are being constructed to help Chinese tourists rediscover their national heritage.

One of those ancient monuments is the Big Wild Goose Pagoda-Xi’an’s most sacred monument-which was built in 652 by the monk Xuanzang, who travelled across India for 18 years and returned with a precious collection of Buddhist sacred texts. In 1966, the Red Guards burnt the pagoda’s scriptures, silk wall hangings and other relics in a bonfire that raged all night. But that destruction has largely been forgotten as tourists flock to the newly restored pagoda. The only original remainders- the empty shell of the seven-storey pagoda-light up at night, standing out in the city’s skyline.

Xi’an is also displaying the glories of the ancient Tang Dynasty, with a 165-acre Tang Paradise Theme Park that is visited by flocks of tourist groups. Although every bit of this Tang heritage is recreated, it is artistically pleasing, landscaped with ponds and lakes, classical garden, bridges, palaces and pavilions. Explore the vast area on a golf cart, hopping on and off to see shortened operas from the Tang Dynasty days, laser shows on the lake, highly structured man-made waterfalls, as well as murals and statues of historical figures, philosophers and poets.

A 36km drive northeast takes you to Xi’an’s most famous attraction, the Army of Terracotta Warriors. They were made to order in 211BC by the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huangdi, who used the forced labor of 700,000 subjects to create a mausoleum(陵庙) guarded by an entire army.

【1】From the passage we can learn that a large sum of money of the local government in Xi’an is being ploughed into_______.

A. restoring the monuments

B. restoring the Pagoda

C. tourism industry

D. exploring the history

2How many historical sites in Xi’an have been referred to in the passage?

A. Three B. Four C. One D. Six

3What can we learn from the third paragraph about the Tang Paradise Theme Park?

A. Visitors are pleased with the survivals from the Tang Dynasty.

B. The natural waterfalls in it are very attractive.

C. It is totally recreated but is artistically pleasant.

D. Visitors can appreciate the full Tang Dynasty operas.

4Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A. Make a visit to ancient sites at once.

B. China’s ancient capital rises again.

C. Travel to the Army of Terracotta Warriors.

D. Take a view in the modern city.

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