When the explorers first set foot upon the continent of North America, the skies and lands were alive with an astonishing variety of wildlife. Native Americans had taken care of these precious natural resources wisely. Unfortunately, it took the explorers and the settlers who followed only a few decades to decimate a large part of these resources. Millions of waterfowl(水禽) were killed at the hands of market hunters and a handful of overly ambitious sportsmen. Millions of acres of wetlands were dried to feed and house the ever-increasing populations, greatly reducing waterfowl habitat.

In 1934, with the passage of the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act (Act), an increasingly concerned nation took firm action to stop the destruction of migratory(迁徙的) waterfowl and the wetlands so vital to their survival. Under this Act, all waterfowl hunters 16 years of age and over must annually purchase and carry a Federal Duck Stamp. The very first Federal Duck Stamp was designed by J.N. “Ding” Darling, a political cartoonist from Des Moines, Iowa, who at that time was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt as Director of the Bureau of Biological Survey. Hunters willingly pay the stamp price to ensure the survival of our natural resources.

About 98 cents of every duck stamp dollar goes directly into the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund to purchase wetlands and wildlife habitat for inclusion into the National Wildlife Refuge System—a fact that ensures this land will be protected and available for all generations to come. Since 1934, better than half a billion dollars has gone into that Fund to purchase more than 5 million acres of habitat. Little wonder the Federal Duck Stamp Program has been called one of the most successful conservation programs ever initiated.

1.What was a cause of the waterfowl population decline in North America?

A Loss of wetlands.

B Popularity of water sports.

C Pollution of rivers.

D Arrival of other wild animals.

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。根据第一段的“Millions of acres of wetlands were dried to feed and house the ever- increasing populations, greatly reducing waterfowl habitat.”可知，上百万公顷的湿地被抽干用作农地或者修建住房，极大地减少了水禽的栖息地。由此可知，栖息地的减少导致了水禽数量的下降，故选A。

2.What does the underlined word “decimate” mean in the first paragraph?

A Acquire.

B Export.

C Destroy.

D Distribute.

解析：选C。C 词义猜测题。根据前一句“Native Americans had taken care of these precious natural resources wisely.” 可知，北美的土著人把这些珍贵的自然资源保护得很合理；由本句中的“Unfortunately”可知本句与上一句形成了转折，前一句陈述北美土著人做得好的地方，由此可知，本句阐述移民做的不好的地方，即移民破坏了这些自然资源，即画线词的意思是“破坏”。 Acquire获得; Export出口; Destroy破坏; Distribute分配。故选C。

3.What is a direct result of the Act passed in 1934?

A The stamp price has gone down.

B The migratory birds have flown away.

C The hunters have stopped hunting.

D The government has collected money.

解析：选D。D 推理判断题。根据最后一段的“Since 1934, better than half a billion dollars has gone into that Fund to purchase more than 5 million acres of habitat.”可知，自1934年起，超过5亿美元的资金进入到了这个基金，购买了超过500万公顷的水禽栖息地，故可以推断出，通过发行“鸭子邮票”，美国政府获得了大量的资金。故选D。

4.Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A The Federal Duck Stamp Story

B The National Wildlife Refuge System

C The Benefits of Saving Waterfowl

D The History of Migratory Bird Hunting

解析：选A。A 主旨大意题。根据全文内容可知，由于之前不恰当的发展导致美国水禽骤减，因此美国发行了“鸭子邮票”，狩猎者只有购买了“鸭子邮票”才能狩猎，而“鸭子邮票”的部分收入进入到了用于购买水禽栖息地的基金，从而保护了水禽。由此可知，本文讲述美国“鸭子邮票”的故事。故选A。