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1、高考真题周周练（8）阅读理解APassengerpigeons(旅鸽)onceflewovermuchoftheUnitedStatesinunbelievablenumbers.Writtenaccountsfromthe18thand19thcenturiesdescribedflocks(群)solargethattheydarkenedtheskyforhours.Itwascalculatedthatwhenitspopulationreacheditshighestpoint,thereweremorethan3billionpassengerpigeons—anumber
2、equalto24to40percentofthetotalbirdpopulationintheUnitedStates,makingitperhapsthemostabundantbirdintheworld.Evenaslateas1870whentheirnumbershadalreadybecomesmaller,aflockbelievedtobe1milewideand320miles(about515kilometers)longwasseennearCincinnati.Sadly,theabundanceofpassengerpigeonsmayhavebeenth
3、eirundoing.Wherethebirdsweremostabundant,peoplebelievedtherewasanever-lastingsupplyandkilledthembythethousands.Commercialhuntersattractedthemtosmallclearingswithgrain,waiteduntilpigeonshadsettledtofeed,thenthrewlargenetsoverthem,takinghundredsatatime.Thebirdswereshippedtolargecitiesandsoldinrest
4、aurants.Bytheclosingdecadesofthe19thcentury,thehardwoodforestswherepassengerpigeonsnestedhadbeendamagedbyAmericans’needforwood,whichscattered(驱散)theflocksandforcedthebirdstogofarthernorth,wherecoldtemperaturesandspringstormscontributedtotheirdecline.Soonthegreatflocksweregone,nevertobeseenagain.
5、In1897,thestateofMichiganpassedalawprohibitingthekillingofpassengerpigeonsbutbythen,nosizableflockshadbeenseeninthestatefor10years.ThelastconfirmedwildpigeonintheUnitedStateswasshotbyaboyinPikeCounty,Ohio,in1900.Foratime,afewbirdssurvivedunderhumancare.Thelastofthem,knownaffectionatelyasMartha,d
6、iedattheCincinnatiZoologicalGardenonSeptember1,1914.21.Inthe18thandearly19thcenturies,passengerpigeons______.A.werethebiggestbirdintheworldB.livedmainlyinthesouthofAmericaC.didgreatharmtothenaturalenvironmentD.werethelargestbirdpopulationintheUS22.Theunderlinedword“undoing”probablyreferstothepig
7、eons'______.A.escapeB.ruinC.liberationD.evolution23.Whatwasthemainreasonforpeopletokillpassengerpigeons?A.Toseekpleasure.B.Tosaveotherbirds.C.Tomakemoney.D.Toprotectcrops.24.WhatcanweinferaboutthelawpassedinMichigan?A.Itwasi
