B

Passenger pigeons(旅鸽) once flew over much of the United States in unbelievable numbers. Written accounts from the 18^th and 19^th centuries described flocks(群) so large that they darkened the sky for hours.

It was calculated that when its population reached 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 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 19^th century, the hardwood forests where passenger pigeons nested had been damaged by Americans’ need for wood, which scattered (驱散) 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 on September 1, 1914.

24. In the 18^th and early 19^th 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.

A

The Cambridge Science Festival Curiosity Challenge

Dare to Take the Curiosity Challenge!

The Cambridge Science Festival (CSF) is pleased to inform you of the sixth annual Curiosity Challenge. The challenge invites, even dares school students between the ages of 5 and 14 to create artwork or a piece of writing that shows their curiosity and how it inspires them to explore their world.

Students are being dared to draw a picture, write an article, take a photo or write a poem that shows what they are curious about. To enter the challenge, all artwork or pieces of writing should be sent to the Cambridge Science Festival, MIT Museum, 265 Mass Avenue, Cambridge 02139 by Friday, February 8^th.

Students who enter the Curiosity Challenge and are selected as winners will be honored at a special ceremony during the CSF on Sunday, April 21^st. Guest speakers will also present prizes to the students. Winning entries will be published in a book. Student entries will be exhibited and prizes will be given. Families of those who take part will be included in the celebration and brunch will be served.

Between March 10^th and March 15^th, each winner will be given the specifics of the closing ceremony and the Curiosity Challenge celebration. The program guidelines and other related information are available at: http://cambridgesciencefestival.org.

21. Who can take part in the Curiosity Challenge?

A. School students.　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Cambridge locals.　　　　　　　　　 C. CSF winners.　　　　　　 D. MIT artists.

22. When will the prize-giving ceremony be held?

A. On February 8^th.　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. On March 10^th.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. On April 21^st.　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. On March 15^th.

23. What type of writing is this text?

A. An exhibition guide.　　　　　　　　　　 B. An art show review.　　　　　　　　 C. An announcement.　　　 D. An official report.

第二节 书面表达　 (25分)

一家英语报社向中学生征文，主题是“十年后的我”、请根据下列要求和你的想象完成短文、

1、　　 家庭

2、　　 工作

3、　　 业余生活

注意：1、次数100左右；2、可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；3. 开头语已为你写好

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 　　I often imagine what my life will be like in the future.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2014年普通高等学校招生全国统一考试新课标II卷

第四部分：写作

　　 第一节短文改错(共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分)

　　 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共

有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

　　 增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(Λ)，并在其下面写出该加的词。

　　 删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。

　　 修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：

　　 1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

　　 2．只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。

My dream school starts at 8:30 a.m and ends at 3:30 p.m. They are threezxxk 　lesson in the morning and two in the afternoon. We didn’t need to do so many homework. Therefore , we have more time with after-school activities. For example, we can do reading for one and a half hour and play sport for one hour every day.

My dream school look like a big garden. There are all kinds of the flowers and trees around the classroom, buildings. We can lie on the grass for a rest, sat by the lake listening music. The teachers here are kind and helpfully. They are not only our teachers but also our friends.

第二节(共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分)

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

　　　　　 Tips for cooking on a Tight Schedule

From my experience, there are three main reasons why people don’t cook more often: ability, money and time, ____36__Money is a topic I’ll save for another day. So today I want to give you some wisdom about how to make the most of the time you spend in the kitchen. Here are three tips for great cooking on a tight schedule:

1.　　　 Think ahead. The moments when I think cooking is a pain are when I’m already hungry and there is nothing ready to eat. So think about of the coming week. When will you have time to cook? Do you have the right materials ready?_____37___

2.　　　 Make your time worth it. When you do find time to cook a meal, make the most of it and save yourself time later on. Are you making one loaf of bread? ___38___ it takes around the same amount of time to make more of something. So save yourself the effort for a future meal.

3.　　　 ­­­____39­­­____ This may surprise you, but one of the best tools for making cooking worth your time is experimentation. It gives you the chance to hit upon new ideas and recipes that can work well with your appetite and schedule. The more you learn and the more you try, the more ability you have to take control of your food and your schedule.

Hopefully that gives you a good start. ____40___ and don’t let a busy schedule discourage you from making some great changes in the way you eat and live!

A. Try new things. zxxk

B. Ability is easily improved.

C. Make three or four instead.

D. Understand your food better.

E. Cooking is a burden for many people.

F. Let cooking and living simply be a joy rather than a burden.

G. A little time planning ahead can save a lot of work later on.