导读：大海雀又称大海燕，是一种不会飞的鸟，曾广泛存在于大西洋周边的各个岛屿上，但由于人类的大量捕杀而灭绝。
对应考题：2010.01.15北美托福阅读题
Great Auk 大海雀
Great auks were once prevalent, but they were hunted to extinction in the 1800s.
Believe it or not, great auks were once called penguins before the modern bird took the title. But great auks and penguins aren’t closely related, despite their similar appearance. Great auks were the last surviving species of the genus Pinguinus, a group that once included many large, flightless birds. At one point, great auks were prevalent on many Northern Atlantic islands, including Greenland. They also wintered as far south as Florida!
Auks were always hunted for food and down by native people; they were evidently a valuable part of life for indigenous tribes, as multiple archeological items have been found made of their skins. It wasn’t until greater numbers of people moved to Scandinavia that they were sought out in large numbers for meat, eggs, skins, and feather down. The egg snatching was what sent the auks on the path to extinction; not only would hunters kill adult birds, but they would also collect the eggs for food. The last great auks lived in the 1850s.
中文背景：
大海雀是大西洋中不能飞的大型海雀中最后的一种，一直生存到很近的现代，但现在也已告灭绝。它又叫大海燕或企鹅。
大海雀是所有海雀中体积最大者，身高75厘米(合30-34英寸)，体重约5公斤，皮毛白黑色，平滑而有光泽，不能飞。过去，大海雀数目众多，生活在加拿大东部群岛、格陵兰岛、冰岛、挪威、爱尔兰和英国，最终也因捕猎而告灭绝。
令人奇怪的是，14世纪时曾有佛罗里达居民在家中垃圾箱中发现过大海雀的遗体，这说明，鸟类至少偶尔也会在冬季南飞冒险。
