Passenger pigeons（旅鴿）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.
It was calculated that when its population reach its highest point, 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, making it perhaps the most abundant birds 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 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（驅散）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 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 in September 1, 1914.
小題1:In the 18th and early 19th 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 population in the US
小題2:The underlined word “undoing” probably refers to the pigeons’ _______.
A．escapeB．ruinC．liberationD．evolution
小題3: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.
小題4: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.

小題1:D
小題2:B
小題3:C
小題4:B

試題分析：本文是一篇記敘文。敘述了旅鴿逐漸消失的過程。在美國，18世紀和19世紀旅鴿的數(shù)量很大。人們認為旅鴿數(shù)量多，會永恒的供應，于是成千的人殺害了旅鴿。19世紀末，美國人是為了需要木材而驅趕旅鴿。在1897年，到密歇根州通過禁止屠殺旅鴿的法律時，在美國已經(jīng)10年沒有見過大的旅鴿群。最后一批旅鴿，于1914年，在辛辛那提動物園死去。
小題1:D. 考查細節(jié)理解。在18世紀和19世紀初期，旅鴿的數(shù)量怎么樣？根據(jù)Passenger pigeons（旅鴿）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.可知在美國，18世紀和19世紀旅鴿的數(shù)量很大。故選D。
小題2:B. 考查詞義猜測。劃線單詞undoing可能指的是旅鴿發(fā)生了什么情況？根據(jù)Where the birds were abundant, people believed there was an ever-lasting supply and killed them by the thousands.可知人們認為旅鴿數(shù)量多會永恒的供應，于是成千的人殺害了旅鴿。因此判斷此處undoing的意思是死亡，毀滅。故選B。
小題3:C. 考查細節(jié)理解。人們殺死旅鴿的主要原因是什么？根據(jù)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.可知商業(yè)獵人捕捉了大量的旅鴿，把他們賣到大城市的餐館里，因此推測人們殺死旅鴿的主要原因是為了賺錢。故選C。選項A的意思是尋開心。文中沒有提到讓人們高興的內容，故不符合文章的意思。選項B，為了挽救其他鳥類。在文中沒有提到其他鳥類，故不符合原文，故排除B項。選項D,為了保護莊稼。根據(jù)the hardwood forests where passenger pigeons nested had been damaged by Americans’ need for wood, which scattered（驅散）the flocks and forced the birds to go farther north,可知美國人是為了需要木材而驅趕旅鴿，而不是為了保護莊稼，故排除D項。
小題4:B.考查推理判斷。關于密歇根州通過得法律我們可以推斷出什么？根據(jù)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.可知到密歇根州通過禁止屠殺旅鴿的法律時，在美國已經(jīng)10年沒有見過大的旅鴿群，這可推斷旅鴿數(shù)量已經(jīng)很少了，因此這項法律通過得太晚了。故選B。
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B．You should see your dentist on a day-to –day basis.
C．You can brush with the Kolibree as if guided by a dentist.
D．You’d like a dentist to watch you brush your teeth every day.
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A．How Serval found out his kids lied to him.
B．Why Serval thought brushing teeth was necessary.
C．How Serval taught his kids to brush their teeth.
D．What inspired Serval to invent the toothbrush
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A．They were unwilling to brush their teeth
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C．They preferred to use a toothbrush with a dry head.
D．They liked brushing their teeth after Serval came home.
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小題1:The underlined phrase swap meets in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______________.
A．fitting rooms
B．trading fairs
C．business talks
D．group meetings
小題2:Ebbesmeyer phoned the shoe company to find out _____________.
A．what caused the shipping accident
B．when and where the shoes went missing
C．whether it was all right to use their shoes
D．how much they lost in the shipping accident
小題3:How did Ebbesmeyer prove his assumption?
A．By collecting information from beachcombers.
B．By studying the shoes found by beachcomber.
C．By searching the web for ocean currents models.
D．By researching ocean currents data in the library.
小題4:Ebbesmeyer is most famous for ___________________.
A．traveling widely the coastal cities of the world
B．making records for any lost objects on the sea
C．running a global currents research association
D．phoning about any doubtful objects on the sea
小題5:What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?
A．To call people's attention to ocean pollution.
B．To warn people of shipping safety in the ocean.
C．To explain a unique way of studying ocean currents.
D．To give tips on how to search for lost objects on the beach.

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As we enjoy the summer ocean waves along the beaches, we may think nervously about Steven Spielberg's Jaws and the great fear that sharks inspire in us. Yet we are happy to see global efforts to protect the declining number of sharks. The world has realized that we need the species, like sharks, to keep a balanced ecosystem.
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The demand for shark fins has been rising for decades, threatening sharks with extinction(滅絕)—up to 100 million sharks are killed each year just for their fins. But we have started to reverse the trend, particularly in many areas of the United States and overseas where restaurants once proudly provided delicious shark fins on the menu.
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Overseas marketing and public efforts featuring posters on public transportation systems and TV ads have been underway for the past few years. These efforts all show signs of success, on both the supply side and the demand side of trade in shark fins.
Actually, stopping the killing of sharks is part of a broader movement to stop the killing of wild animals and the buying and selling of wildlife products. These products come from hunting elephants, tigers and rhinos, besides killing marine life.
Whether it is shark fin soup or ivory piano keys, killing animals is big business. The hunting of elephants in search of ivory tusks for luxury(奢侈的)goods has become a full­scale war. The decrease of African elephant populations is alarming. Together with international partners, the United States is leading the worldwide effort to reduce demand for high­end products that rely on killing animals.
小題1:The underlined word “reverse” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________.
A．showB．keep
C．followD．change
小題2:From the passage, we know ________.
A．Jackie Chan and Ang Lee make fin soup popular
B．a(chǎn) lot of wild animals have been killed for products
C．Steven Spielberg's Jaws inspires us to protect sharks
D．the number of African elephants has been increased
小題3:．What can we infer from the passage?
A．More animals for high­end products will be saved.
B．People have kicked the habit of having shark fin soup.
C．Shark fins will not be available any more in restaurants.
D．Global efforts have succeeded in stopping killing wild animals.

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