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 (群)so large that they the sky for hours.It was calculated that when it population reached its highest point ,they were more than 3billlion 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 American’s 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 wi 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.
24. In 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
25. The underlined word “ undoing” probably refers to the pigeons’ ____.
A. escape B. ruin C. liberation D. evolution
26. What 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.
27. What 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.
【考点】考察历史知识类阅读
【文章大意】本文主要讲述的是美国历史上鸽子曾经是最多的鸟类，但是人们不加控制的捕杀让鸽子的数量迅速减少，虽然很多地方都采取了措施，但是效果仍然不明显。
24. 【答案】D
【试题解析】细节题。根据文章第一段3,4行It was calculated that when it population reached its highest point ,they were more than 3billlion 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.可知鸽子在当时是美国数量最多的鸟类。故D正确。
25. 【答案】B
【试题解析】推理题。根据文章第二段3,4行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.可知很多鸽子都被捕捉并杀死卖往餐厅。所以该词应该是指鸽子遇见了毁灭性的打击。故B正确。
26. 【答案】C
【试题解析】推理题。根据第二段最后一句The birds were shipped to large cities and sold in restaurants.
可知鸽子被捕捉并背运往大城市卖给了各个餐厅，说明人们捕捉鸽子是为了挣钱。故C正确。
27. 【答案】B
【试题解析】推理题。根据本段第二行but by then, no sizable flocks had been seen in the state for 10 years. The last confirmed wi pigeon in the United States was shot by a boy in Pike County, Ohio, in 1900.可知虽然制定了法律，但是十年以后还没有看见成规模的很多的鸽子，说明这部法律的发行已经晚了。故B正确。
【长难句解析】
1.when it population reached its highest point ,they were more than 3billlion 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.
【翻译】当鸽子的数量到达顶峰的时候，有超过30亿只，这个数字是美国所有的鸟类的百分之20-40，让鸽子成为世界上数量最多的鸟。
【分析】本节中获得when引导的是一个时间状语从句。同时句中的现在分词短语making it perhaps the most abundant bird in the world充当的是结果状语，表示意料之中的结果。当鸽子的数量达到了30亿只，毫无疑问它是世界上数量最多的鸟。不定式做结果状语时，常常表示意料之外的结果。
2. 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.
【翻译】在1897年，密西根州通过了一项法律，禁止人们捕杀鸽子。但是十年以后在这个州也没有看见大规模的鸽群。
【分析】本句中的现在分词短语prohibiting the killing of passenger pigeons作为定语修饰名词a law；因为动词prohibite与名词a law之间构成主动关系，所以使用现在分词做定语。后半句中的by then中的by到…时，经常与完成时连用，如果与过去的时间连用，则使用过去完成时。本题中的then是过去的试卷，所以后面使用了had been。
