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 (栖息地).
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, lowa, 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.
28.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.
29.What does the underlined word “decimate” mean in the first paragraph?
A、Acquire.
B、Export.
C、Destroy.
D、Distribute.
30.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.
31.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
答案
ACDA
解析
翻译：
当探险家们第一次踏上北美洲大陆时，天空和大地上充满了各种各样的野生动物。美洲土著人明智地保护了这些宝贵的自然资源。不幸的是，仅仅跟随几十年的探险家和定居者们就摧毁了这些资源的大部分。数以百万计的水禽水 禽 ) 在市场猎人和一些野心勃勃的运动员手中被杀。成百上千万英亩的湿地被干涸，用来喂养和居住不断增加的水禽种群，大大减少了水禽的栖息地(栖息地).
1934年，随着《候鸟捕猎邮票法》的通过，越来越受到关注的国家采取了坚定的行动，阻止对候鸟的破坏迁徙的) 水禽和湿地对它们的生存至关重要。根据该法案，所有16岁及以上的水禽猎手每年都必须购买并携带联邦鸭章。第一张联邦鸭子邮票是由J.N.“丁”达林设计的，他是一位来自洛瓦州得梅因的政治漫画家，当时被富兰克林·罗斯福总统任命为生物调查局局长。猎人愿意支付邮票价格，以确保我们的自然资源的生存。
每枚鸭邮票中约98美分直接进入候鸟保护基金，购买湿地和野生动物栖息地，纳入国家野生动物保护区系统——这一事实确保了这片土地将得到保护，并为子孙后代提供。自1934年以来，已有超过5亿美元的资金投入该基金，用于购买超过500万英亩的栖息地。难怪联邦鸭邮票计划被称为有史以来最成功的保护计划之一。