閱讀理解第四篇

注：原文來自于職稱英語教材綜合類概括大意與完成句子第四篇

Alaska

1 In 1959 Americans welcomed Alaska into the Union as the 49th state1, symbolizing a change of attitude from that held in 1867, when the peninsula was purchased from Russia. Then, most Americans had little interest in 1 ,500 ,000 square kilometers "of icebergs and polar bears”一beyond Canada's western borders, far from the settled areas2 of the United States.

2 In those sections of the state which lie above the Arctic Circle, Alaska still is a land of icebergs and polar bears. Ice masses lie buried in the earth3, which is pennanently frozen to a depth of 90 or more meters. From early May until early August, the midnight sun never sets on this flat, treeless region, but the sun cannot melt the icy soil more than two-thirds of a meter down.

3 Alaska is America's largest state, but only about 325,000 people live there. According to estimates, 800,000 hectares of its land area are fit for plowing but only about 640,000 hectares are being cultivated.

4 Arctic AJsi, icsi has been the home of Eskimos for countless centuries. It is believed that the Eskimos moved there from Mongolia or Siberia, probably crossing Bering Strait4, named for Vitus Bering, the Danish sea captain who discovered Alaska on his voyage for Russia in 1741.The Eskimos are the state's earliest known inhabitants5. Russian fur traders established settlements but, by the time Alaska was sold to the United States, most of the traders had departed.

5 In 1896 gold was discovered near the Kiondike River in Canada just across the Alaskan border. Thousands of Americans rushed to the region on their way to Klondike; some never returned. Alaska was never completely cut off again, although even today transportation is a major problem. There are only two motor routes from the US mainland, and within the state, every town has its own airfield. Planes fly passengers, mail and freight to the most distant villages.

6 The gold that changed life so suddenly for Alaska was soon ended, and although many stories about mining camps have become part of American literature, the gold from Alaskan earth contributed less to economic progress than the fish from Alaskan waters. The fish caught in a single year range in value from $80 million to $90 million. Fur-bearing animals are plentiful in the forests and streams, and valuable fur seals inhabit the waters. After fishing, the state's chief industry is lumber and the production of wood pulp. In recent years, Alaska's single most important resource has become oil. The state also has large deposits of coal, copper, gold and other minerals.

詞匯：

symbolize /'simb?laiz/ v.象征

peninsular /pe'ninsjul?/ n.半島

hectare /'hekta:(r)/n.公頃

range/reind?/v.(在一定范圍內(nèi))變化，變動

fur-bearing /f?:'be?ri?/ adj.有毛皮的

lumber/'l?mb? ( r)/n.伐木，木材

pulp /p?lp/ n.木漿

注釋：

1. In 1959 Americans welcomed Alaska into the Union as the 49th state. 1959年美國人歡迎阿拉斯加成為美國的第49個州。the Union指美國南北戰(zhàn)爭時期支持聯(lián)盟政府的各州，此處即指美國。

2. the settled areas：已有人定居的地區(qū)

3. Ice masses lie buried in the earth：地下埋藏著巨大的冰塊。注意這里動詞lie的用法，這里lie作半系動詞用，既有動詞的實義，同時又起系動詞的作用，后面跟的buried是它的補語或稱表語。

4. Bering Strait：白令海峽

5. the earliest known inhabitants：已知的最早的居民，也可說the earliest inhabitants known。

練習：

1. Paragraph 3_________

2. Paragraph 4_________

3. Paragraph 5_________

4. Paragraph 6_________

A Rich Resources of the State

B Connections with the Outside

C Transportation Problem

D The Natives of the Land

E Cold Climate

F Land and Population

5. For as long as three months of a year, the sun_________on the ice-covered land of Alaska.

6. According to statistics，_________ of the total area of Alaska has been used for farming.

7. Alaska was originally part of Russia, but was bought_________.

8. Gold did not bring to Alaska as much wealth_________.

A as fish does

B because of its rich natural resources

C by the United States in the 19th century

D shines day and night

E only a very small percentage

F a limited amount of the gold found there

答案與題解：

1. F 這段不長，但提供了一些有關(guān)阿拉斯加面積和人口的數(shù)字。

2. D 本段介紹了愛斯基摩人最早是怎樣來到阿拉斯加并成為這片土地永久的居民的。

3. C 這一段的開始雖然談了淘金熱的情況，但主要講的還是阿拉斯加和外界的聯(lián)系，以及它的不那么方便的交通情況。

4. A 這段介紹了阿拉斯加的幾種主要的自然資源，包括魚類、木材、裘皮、石油等。

5. D 本句中缺少謂語動詞，在所給的六個選項中只有shines是單數(shù)第三人稱的動詞，后面所跟的狀語day and night符合文中內(nèi)容：the midnight sun never sets.

6. E 本句的主語不完整，of前面缺少一個名詞短語，從內(nèi)容上看應(yīng)填入E。

7. C but后面的被動語態(tài)的句子使我們很自然就想到或許應(yīng)該有一個by短語。

8. A 句中出現(xiàn)as much wealth，后面很可能還會有一個as引導的句子，否則比較的意義不完整。