（2021·新高考I卷·C篇）
When the explorers first set foot upon the continent of North America, the skies and lands were alive with an astonishing variety of wildlife. Native Americans have taken care of these precious natural resourses wisely. Unfortunately, it took the explorers and the settlers who followed only a few decades to decimate a large part of these resources. Millions of waterfowl（水禽）were killed at the hands of market hunters and a handful of overly ambitious sportsmen. Millions of acres of wetlands were dried to feed and house the ever-increasing populations, greatly reducing waterfowl habitat（栖息地）.
In 1934, with the passage of the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act (Act), an increasingly concerned nation took firm action to stop the destruction of migratory（迁徙的）waterfowl and the wetlands so vital to their survival. Under this Act, all waterfowl hunters 16 years of age and over must annually purchase and carry a Federal Duck Stamp. The very first Federal Duck Stamp was designed by J.N. "Ding" Darling, a political cartoonist from Des Moines, lowa, who at that time was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt as Director of the Bureau of Biological Survey. Hunters willingly pay the stamp price to ensure the survival of our natural resources.
About 98 cents of every duck stamp dollar goes directly into the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund to purchase wetlands and wildlife habitat for inclusion into the National Wildlife Refuge System—a fact that ensures this land will be protected and available for all generations to come. Since 1934, better than half a billion dollars has gone into that Fund to purchase more than 5 million acres of habitat. Little wonder the Federal Duck Stamp Program has been called one of the most successful conservation programs ever initiated.
1.What was a cause of the waterfowl population decline in North America?
A.Loss of wetlands. B.Popularity of water sports.
C.Pollution of rivers. D.Arrival of other wild animals.
2.What does the underlined word "decimate" mean in the first paragraph?
A.Acquire. B.Export. C.Destroy. D.Distribute.
3.What is a direct result of the Act passed in 1934?
A.The stamp price has gone down.
B.The migratory birds have flown away.
C.The hunters have stopped hunting.
D.The government has collected money.
4.Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?
A.The Federal Duck Stamp Story
B.The National Wildlife Refuge System
C.The Benefits of Saving Waterfowl
D.The History of Migratory Bird Hunting
【答案】ACDA
【解析】本文为说明文，讲述了美国为了保护“水禽”颁布了一项政策，狩猎者需要购买相关水禽类邮票，然后政府把售卖所得款拨给候鸟保护基金组织。
1.细节理解题。根据题干信息North America以及decline定位到第一段：Millions of waterfowl were killed at… Millions of acres of wetlands were dried… greatly reducing waterfowl habitat. 分析可知，数百万的水禽被猎人和野心过大的运动员给杀害了。而数百万英亩的湿地被开垦以喂养和容纳日益增长的人口，而这大大减少了水禽的栖息地。可知，湿地流失是导致水禽数量减少的原因。 故选A。
2.词义猜测题。根据题干信息first paragraph定位到第一段：Unfortunately, it took the explorers and the settlers who followed only a few decades to decimate a large part of these resources. 根据Unfortunately（不幸地是）可知，此处与前文 "taken care of" 形成对比，故此处应表示 "损害、毁坏" 。原文译为：不幸地是，这些探险者和定居者只花了几十年的时间就毁掉了这些资源的很大一部分。故选C。
3.推理判断题。根据题干信息in 1934定位到第二、三段。分析可知，第二段是在说明在颁布了这个法令之后，16岁或者超过16岁以上的水禽捕猎者必须每年购买并携带联邦鸭票，而第三段则提及了大约98%的鸭子邮票的钱都是直接被用于购买保护湿地。 因此D选项, 政府可以筹集钱，符合题意。故选D。
4.主旨大意题。根据原文分析可知，首先作者先提出了湿地的破坏导致了水禽数量的下降，而后政府则通过发行联邦鸭票筹集资金，用于保护湿地，是史上最成功的保护项目之一。因此A选项，联邦鸭票的故事符合题意。故选A。
