高考英语（译林版）总复习真题研练72 含解析.docVIP

Task1：阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

(2014·新课标全国Ⅰ，B)Passengerpigeons(旅鸽)onceflewovermuchoftheUnitedStatesinunbelievablenumbers.Writtenaccountsfromthe18thand19thcenturiesdescribedflocks(群)solargethattheydarkenedtheskyforhours.

Itwascalculatedthatwhenitspopulationreacheditshighestpoint，thereweremorethan3billionpassengerpigeons－anumberequalto24to40percentofthetotalbirdpopulationintheUnitedStates，makingitperhapsthemostabundantbirdintheworld.Evenaslateas1870whentheirnumbershadalreadybecomesmaller，aflockbelievedtobe1milewideand320miles(about515kilometers)longwasseennearCincinnati.

Sadly，theabundanceofpassengerpigeonsmayhavebeentheirundoing.Wherethebirdsweremostabundant，peoplebelievedtherewasaneverlastingsupplyandkilledthembythethousands.Commercialhuntersattractedthemtosmallclearingswithgrain，waituntilpigeonshadsettledtofeed，thenthrewlargenetsoverthem，takinghundredsatatime.Thebirdswereshippedtolargecitiesandsoldinrestaurants.

Bytheclosingdecadesofthe19thcentury，thehardwoodforestswherepassengerpigeonsnestedhadbeendamagedbyAmericansneedforwood，whichscattered(驱散)theflocksandforcedthebirdstogofarthernorth，wherecoldtemperaturesandspringstormscontributedtotheirdecline.Soonthegreatflocksweregone，nevertobeseenagain.

In1897，thestateofMichiganpassedalawprohibitingthekillingofpassengerpigeons，butbythen，nosizableflockshadbeenseeninthestatefor10years.ThelastconfirmedwildpigeonintheUnitedStateswasshotbyaboyinPikeCounty，Ohio，in1900.Foratime，afewbirdssurvivedunderhumancare.Thelastofthem，knownaffectionatelyasMartha，diedattheCincinnatiZoologicalGardenonSeptember1,1914.

【语篇解读】本文叙述了旅鸽逐渐消失的过程。

1．Inthe18thandearly19thcenturies，passengerpigeons________.

A．werethebiggestbirdintheworld

B．livedmainlyinthe