Question

You may have heard the term “the American Dream”. In 1848, James W. Marshall found gold in California and people began having golden dreams. That 19th century “American Dream" motivated(激發(fā)) the Gold Rush and gave California its nickname of the "Golden State".

The American Dream drove not only 1800s gold-rush prospectors(采礦者) but also waves of immigrants throughout that century and the next. People from Europe, and a large number of Chinese, arrived in the US in the 19th century hoping that in America they would find gold there. But most, instead, worked as railroad laborers. They created the oldest Chinatown, in San Francisco, and gave the city a Chinese name "the old gold hill".

In the 20th century, some critics said that it was no longer possible to become prosperous through determination and hard work. Unfair education for students from poor families and racial discrimination almost made the American Dream a nightmare(噩夢).

Then, in the 1990s, California saw a new wave of dreamers in Silicon Valley. People poured their energy into the Internet. This new chapter of the American Dream attracted many business people and young talents from China and India to form start-ups and seek fortune in America.

Better pay, a nice house, and a rising standard of living will always be attractive. However, the new American Dream is no longer just about money. It encourages Americans to consume wisely to protect the environment, improve the quality of life, and promote social justice（正義）.

The Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger has become the model of the new American Dream. After

years of hard work, he grew from a poor young man from Austria into a super movie star and then a governor.

Many people hope his story can save the American Dream and give California a brighter future.

1.It can be inferred that_________.

A. America’s golden dream could never be realized

B. America’s golden dream had bought great fortune to Chinese immigrants

C. different times have different themes of the American dream

D. determination and hard work are the best way to realize the American dream

2.Why did most of the early immigrants work as railroad laborers?

A. Because they could earn more money as railroad laborers.

B. Because they had to make a living by working as railroad laborers．

C. Because they thought railroad was the first step to find gold.

D. Because railroad laborers were greatly honored at that time.

3.The underlined sentence “his story can save the American Dream” (in the last paragraph) indicates that________．

A. the dream of seeking fortunate in America is easy to realize

B. most of the immigrants to America don’t reach their previous goals

C. the success of Arnold Schwarzenegger is among the common examples of the immigrants

D. the immigrants have made great contributions to California

4.What’s the best title of the passage?

A. Wave of Immigrants to America

B. Make Fortunes Abroad

C. Hard Work Leads to Success

D. Changes of America’s Golden Dream

 

Answer 1

1.C

2.B

3.B

4.D

【解析】

試題分析：文章主要講述了不同時期的“美國夢”。十八世紀(jì)的時候，人們在加利福尼亞發(fā)現(xiàn)黃金，由此引發(fā)淘金熱潮，并引起了大規(guī)模的移民潮。后來，隨著互聯(lián)網(wǎng)的興起，大批商務(wù)人士和科技人才涌入美國，開始逐夢之旅。

1.But most, instead, worked as railroad laborers.”可知，B項(xiàng)錯誤；根據(jù)第三段“ it was no longer possible to become prosperous through determination and hard work.”可知，D項(xiàng)錯誤，故選C。

2.hoping that in America they would find gold there. But most, instead, worked as railroad laborers.”可知，“黃金熱”引發(fā)了移民潮，大批歐洲人、中國人涌入美國淘金，然而，實(shí)際情況卻是，美國并非遍地黃金。然而，為了生存下去，大批移民不得不自謀生計，故選B。

3.After years of hard work,...”可知，施瓦辛格經(jīng)過了刻苦磨練才成為電影明星和加

州州長，像施瓦辛格這樣的成功人士知識少數(shù)，排除A、C，D項(xiàng)與題意無關(guān)，故選B。

4.

考點(diǎn)：歷史類短文閱讀