濒危鸟类珩科鸟在马萨诸塞州繁衍兴旺

Jorge J. Ayub scanned the public beach north of Boston on a hot summer weekend, already crowded with what was predicted to be 1 million people drawn to the annual sand sculpture festival. And on the sand were four pairs of tiny shorebirds, brooding over chicks which were still too young to fly–those chicks are a precious addition to the national effort to save a bird once down to 139 pairs in Massachusetts. It was Mr. Ayub’s job to help protect the plovers. “Everyone made it,” Ayub, an ecologist for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, reported at the end of the long weekend watching over the birds. 
Plovers are shorebirds that migrate from the southern US and the Caribbean in the spring. They nest on the Atlantic shore from South Carolina to Newfoundland. Once common, they were hunted and then squeezed out of their habitats by coastal development until, in 1986, the federal government listed the Atlantic Coast birds as threatened. 
The bird’s recovery has been slow and halting. After three decades, the Atlantic population stands just under the 2,000-pair goal set by federal law. But the star has been Massachusetts, which has seen plovers increase to a high of 687 pairs from 139 pairs in 1986. One reason for that: intensive “chick-sitting,” in which conservationists sometimes spend all day watching over the birds. Plover chicks lead a risky existence. They cannot fly for about four weeks. As they scamper down to the water’s edge to feed on small insects and worms in seaweed washed ashore, they are easily hurt and to children who cannot resist chasing them. “We’ve rescued them from kids,” says Ayub. 
The plovers are surrounded in much smaller areas by “symbolic” fencing. “If we put up too much fencing, people will be upset, and they are going to walk right through the nesting areas,” Ayub says. Ayub added the fencing has taken only 14 percent of Revere Beach–even less at low tide–and is removed as soon as the chicks take flight.

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1.Why did Jorge J. Ayub scan the public beach?

A He wanted to teach the shorebirds how to fly.

B He wanted to have a look at the sand sculpture.

C He wanted to predict the exact number of people.

D He wanted to observe four pairs of tiny shorebirds.

解析：选D。细节理解题。根据第一段最后一句“Everyone made it,” Ayub, an ecologist for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, reported at the end of the long weekend watching over the birds可知他扫视海滩是为了观察珩科鸟，故选D。

2.How did plovers become endangered?

A They migrated from the southern US.

B Their nests were made on the Atlantic shore.

C Many of them had been killed by people.

D The government didn’t set the federal law.

解析：选C。推理判断题。根据第二段第三句的Once common, they were hunted and then squeezed out of their habitats by coastal development可知由于人类猎杀珩科鸟以及开发海岸侵占了它们的栖息地这些原因而使珩科鸟陷入了濒临灭绝的境地，故选C。

3.What made Massachusetts the star in protecting the plovers?

A They tried to protect the baby plovers.

B They collected seaweed washed ashore.

C They taught children to protect plovers.

D They made them fly for about four weeks.

解析：选A。细节理解题。根据第三段第四句One reason for that: intensive “chick-sitting,” in which conservationists sometimes spend all day watching over the birds.可知是马萨诸塞州的生态环境保护者们对幼鸟的悉心看护才使得那里的保护工作富有成效的，故选A。

4.What should be taken into consideration when building fence according to Ayub?

A The fence should take much place.

B The fence won’t upset the people.

C The fence can make chicks fly.

D The fence will be used as nests.

解析：选B。推理判断题。根据最后一段第二句中的If we put up too much fencing, people will be upset可知在设置隔离的篱笆的时候，他们要考虑到不让人们觉得反感，故选B。