One day in 1848 a carpenter named Marshall, who worked in a saw mill on the American River in California, made a remarkable disc

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问题     One day in 1848 a carpenter named Marshall, who worked in a saw mill on the American River in California, made a remarkable discovery. He noticed some bright yellow particles in the water, bent down to pick them up and took them to his partner, a Mr. Sutter. This was the beginning of the Californian Gold Rush. Sutter was a Swiss who had come to America some years earlier to make his fortune. The governor of California had given him permission to found a settlement in the Sacramento Valley and his determination and energy had made him rich. He had built the mill in partnership with Marshall in order to make use of the abundant natural resources of his land.
    Sutter realized the importance of the discovery and decided to file a claim so that his right to the gold would be established. So he sent a man named Bennet to San Francisco to see the governor. He warned Bennet not to tell anyone in case people came to the valley before his claim was recognized. Bennet could not keep the secret but the people of San Francisco did not believe him at first. Then the editor of a weekly newspaper there, San Brannan, went to Sutter’s mill to make a report. When he came back he ran through the streets of the town shouting "Gold! Gold!" Within a month almost the entire population, then only 800 people, had gone to look for the precious metal. Soldiers deserted the army, sailors left their ships and men gave up their jobs so as not to miss the chance of becoming rich.
    The news spread across America to Europe and thousands of people joined in the search. Those who went by ship had to sail round Cape Horn to reach California but some chose the overland route across America and wagon trains were formed for travelers to make the journey. Even then there were some who were prepared to cross the terrible desert of Death Valley in order to reach the gold a few days before the rest.
    The Gold Rush proved a disaster for Sutter himself. For years he tried to evict (逐出) the prospectors (探矿者, 勘探者) from his property so that his family might enjoy the wealth of his land, but his business was ruined. The prospectors did a great deal of damage and killed one of his sons, and at the end of his life he was a poor man who continually stopped people in the street to tell them that Gold is the devil.  
What is the passage mainly about?

选项 A、How gold was found in California by Marshall.
B、How Sutter became rich and then poor.
C、How people began the Californian Gold Rush.
D、How people went to California for gold.

答案C

解析 本题问文章的主题是什么。文章第一段指出马歇尔发现了金子,拿给萨特看,由此引发了加州淘金热。接着文章介绍了一下萨特的背景。第二段讲述萨特的居留地上有金子的消息不胫而走,引得各行各业的人抛弃了自己的工作来找金子。第三段讲美国、欧洲等各地的人们闻讯纷纷采取各种不同的交通方式来美国加州淘金。第四段总结淘金热对萨特的影响和危害。因此,在四个所给选项中,选项C的概括性、全面性比其他三个选项相对更强些,是全文的主题。
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