People have used pigeons to carry messages to one another for hundreds of years.

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People have used pigeons to carry messages to one another for hundreds of years. In the 12th century, the royal palaces of Iraq and Syria included pigeon houses so the kings could be kept informed of their generals’ victories and defeats on the battlefield. In fact, pigeons were a common way to send messages right up through World War II.
Many countries, such as the United States, England, France, Germany, and Italy, in both World War I and World War II, used carrier pigeons. Not only were the birds often the fastest, most reliable way to send messages, they could also be used to reach soldiers far behind enemy lines, where radios and field telephone lines were useless. Since they could easily be released (释放) from airplanes or ships, every branch of the armed services used the birds. In World War II, more than 3,000 soldiers and 150 officers were needed to care for and train the tens of thousands of birds in the U.S. Pigeon Service.
Carrying messages could be a dangerous job. Some pigeons performed with such bravery that they became famous and were even awarded medals, such as England’s Dicken Medal of Gallantry. In a few cases, pigeons even became prisoners of war. In 1918 American forces captured a pigeon named Kaiser, which had been trained to fly special missions for Germany during battle. He was taken to America, where he lived to the age of 32. The most famous pigeon of all may have been Cher Ami. Stationed in France during World War I, he carried twelve important messages for American forces. On his last mission, though wounded, he carried a message that saved the lives of 194 American soldiers. For his extraordinary service, he was awarded the French “Croix de Guerre.”
Carrier pigeons are a slightly different breed (品种) from the kind of pigeons you see on city streets. They are much thinner and taller, with longer legs. Many people find carrier pigeons ugly because of their big wattle, a bent buildup of skin on the beak（鸟嘴）; however, people who raise pigeons often enjoy this strange appearance and consider carriers the best of their breed.
Today, modern communication methods can carry information from one place to another hundreds of times faster than a pigeon could do. However, few people would argue with the fact that carrier pigeons—especially those that served in the military—have earned their place in history. Stories about brave pigeons such as Cher Ami, President Wilson, and Colonel’s Lady have the power to inspire us as no fax machine or high-speed Internet connection could ever do.
小题1:Many countries used carrier pigeons in the war because_______.

A．they could be believed in

B．they were easily raised

C．they could reach the enemy lines

D．they could hardly be found by airplanes

小题2:Which is the best example to show the bravery of carrier pigeons?

A．Carrier pigeons could fly to places where radios and telephone lines were useless.

B．For his extraordinary service, Cher Ami was awarded the French “Croix de Guerre”.

C．In World War II, more than 3,000 soldiers were needed to care for and train the pigeons.

D．In the 12th century, kings in Iraq were kept informed of the victories and defeats by pigeons.

小题3:From the passage, we can learn _________.

A．how carrier pigeons developed in history

B．how to train carrier pigeons to get victory

C．carrier pigeons played an important role in the wars in the old days

D．pigeons inspired soldiers to fight before high-speed Internet invented

答案

小题1:A
小题2:B
小题3:C

解析

试题分析：这篇短文重点介绍了信鸽在过去战争中扮演的重要角色，并详细介绍了二战中的几只著名的信鸽。
小题1:根据短文第二段Not only were the birds often the fastest, most reliable way to send messages, they could also be used to reach soldiers far behind enemy lines, where radios and field telephone lines were useless.描述,可知许多国家在战争中使用信鸽主要是因为它的可信度,故选A.
小题2:根据第三段The most famous pigeon of all may have been Cher Ami. …… For his extraordinary service, he was awarded the French “Croix de Guerre.”描述,可知选B.
小题3:这篇短文重点描述了信鸽在二战中发挥的重大作用，由此可见过去信鸽在战争中扮演了重要的角色，故选C。
点评：本文难度较大，个别小题需要根据相关内容进行推理总结。首先要认真阅读短文，注意前后联系，掌握短文大意，然后带着问题再读短文，找出相关段落，分析总结，判断出正确选项。文章所设试题主要考察细节查找，做题关键是找出原文的根据，认真核查小题和原文的异同。