首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
The Purchase of Alaska, a Real Deal A)Alaska is the largest state of the United States of America by area; it is situated in the
The Purchase of Alaska, a Real Deal A)Alaska is the largest state of the United States of America by area; it is situated in the
admin
2015-01-31
30
问题
The Purchase of Alaska, a Real Deal
A)Alaska is the largest state of the United States of America by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait. As of 2007, Alaska remains the least densely populated state, with a population of 683,478.
B)The area that became Alaska was purchased from the Russian Empire after Western Union discontinued construction of its first electric telegraph line which ran from California, up the coast of North America, across the Bering Strait, continuing to Moscow and into the European telegraph network. Despite $3 million in U.S. investment for the Russian-American telegraph expedition, work ceased upon the completion of the competing transatlantic telegraph cable. The U.S. realized the potential of continuing the line to Moscow and sent Secretary of State William H. Seward to negotiate with the Russian Ambassador to fund the remaining phases of the telegraph line. Russia did not see the potential in funding, so Alaska was offered in exchange for the value of the Russian-American telegraph. The Russians feared that if they did not sell Russian North America, it would be taken from them by the westward expansion of the United States and Canada. They tried to play one potential purchaser off against the other to start a bidding war, but this was largely unsuccessful.
C)The U.S. Senate approved the purchase of Alaska from the Russian Empire on March 30, 1867, for $7.2 million at 2 cents per acre, about 5 cents per hectare. When adjusted for inflation, the total sum paid equates to approximately $111 million in today’ s dollars. The land went through several administrative changes before becoming an organized territory on May 11, 1912 and the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3, 1959. The name "Alaska" was already introduced in the Russian colonial time, when it was only used for the peninsula and is derived from the Aleut alaxsxaq, meaning "the mainland", or more literally, "the object towards which the action of the sea is directed". It is also known as Alyeska, the "great land", an Aleut word derived from the same root.
D)The first European contact with Alaska occurred in the year 1741, when Vitus Bering led an expedition for the Russian Navy aboard the St. Peter. After his crew returned to Russia bearing the finest fur in the world, small associations of fur traders began to sail from the shores of Siberia towards the Aleutian Islands. The first permanent European settlement was founded in 1784, and the Russian-American Company carried out an expanded colonization program during the early to mid-1800s. New Archangel on Kodiak Island was Alaska’s first capital, but for a century under both Russia and the U.S. Sitka was the capital. The Russians never fully colonized Alaska, and the colony was never very profitable. William H. Seward, the U.S. Secretary of State, negotiated the Alaskan purchase in 1867 for $7.2 million. Alaska was loosely governed by the military for years, and was unofficially a territory of the United States from 1884 on.
E)In the 1890s, gold rushes in Alaska and the nearby Yukon Territory brought thousands of miners and settlers to Alaska. Alaska was granted official territorial status in 1912. At this time the capital was moved to Juneau.
F)During World War II, the Aleutian Islands Campaign focused on the three outer Aleutian Islands—Attu, Agattu and Kiska—that were invaded by Japanese troops and occupied between June 1942 and August 1943. Unalaska Harbor became a significant base for the U.S. Army Air Corps and Navy submariners.
G)The U.S. Lend-Lease program involved flying American warplanes through Canada to Fairbanks and thence Nome; Russian pilots took possession of these aircraft, ferrying them to fight the German invasion of Russia. The construction of military bases contributed to the population growth of some Alaskan cities.
H)Statehood was approved in 1958. Alaska was officially proclaimed a state on January 3,1959. In 1964, the massive "Good Friday Earthquake" killed 131 people and destroyed several villages, many by the resultant tsunamis. It was the second most powerful earthquake in the recorded history of the world, with a moment magnitude of 9.2. It was 100 times more powerful than the 1989 San Francisco earthquake. Luckily, the center of the earthquake was in an unpopulated area or thousands more would have been killed.
I)The 1968 discovery of oil at Prudhoe Bay and the 1977 completion of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline led to an oil boom. In 1989, the Exxon Valdez hit a reef in the Prince William Sound, spilling over 11 million US gallons of crude oil over 1,100 miles(1,600 km)of coastline. Today, the battle between philosophies of development and conservation is seen in the contentious debate over oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
J)The 2005 gross state product of Alaska was $39.9 billion, 45th in the nation. Its per-capita GSP for 2006 was $43,748, 7th in the nation. The oil and gas industry dominates the Alaskan economy, with more than 80% of the state’s revenues derived from petroleum extraction. Alaska’s main export product(excluding oil and natural gas)is seafood, primarily salmon, cod and crab. Agriculture represents only a fraction of the Alaskan economy.
K)Agricultural production is primarily for consumption within the state and includes dairy products, vegetables, and livestock. Manufacturing is limited, with most foodstuffs and general goods imported from elsewhere. Employment is primarily in government and industries such as natural resource extraction, shipping, and transportation. Military bases are a significant component of the economy in both Fairbanks and Anchorage. Federal subsidies are also an important part of the economy, allowing the state to keep taxes low. Its industrial outputs are crude petroleum, natural gas, coal, gold, precious metals, zinc and other mining, seafood processing, timber and wood products. There is also a growing service and tourism sector. Tourists have contributed to the economy by supporting local lodging.
Petroleum extraction has played the main role in the Alaskan economy.
选项
答案
J
解析
题干关键词为Petroleum extraction和main role in the Alaskan economy。文中J段提到,The oil and gas industry dominates the Alaskan economy,with more than80% of the state’s revenues derived from petroleum extraction.与题干意思吻合,故选J。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/1vq7777K
0
大学英语四级
相关试题推荐
A、It’sagoodwaytoknoweachother.B、Peoplecarenobodyexceptthemselves.C、Peoplearenotinterestedinpublicaffairs.D、P
InasurveyconductedbyresearchfirmHarrisInteractive,71%ofAmericanssaidthatspendingextramoneyontravelduringthe
Here’ssomegoodnewsforparentsoftweensandteens:Yourule.Thatmaybehardtobelievesometimes.Andit’struekidsw
Duringthenineteenthcentury,whenlittlewasknownaboutenvironmentalismandconservation,itwascommontohearpeopleinEu
Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessayentitledCollegeStudents’Booklistbasedonthestatisticsprovided
Doctorsaretobeginatrialofadrugtreatmentthatcoulddoublethetimetransplantedorganssurviveinthebody.The20-minu
Doctorsaretobeginatrialofadrugtreatmentthatcoulddoublethetimetransplantedorganssurviveinthebody.The20-minu
FreeSchoolMealsA)MillionsofAmericanschoolchildrenarereceivingfreeorlow-costmealsforthefirsttimeastheirparents
A、Theapplicantsmustconfirmtheapplicationinperson.B、Theapplicantscanapplyitatanytimetheywant.C、Theapplicantsc
随机试题
Howcanforeign-traineddoctorsgetapprovedfromtheEducationalCommissiontocompletearesidencyintheUS?
少占车间的生产面积,合理安排装配工序,提高装配效率是制定装配工艺规程的依据。()
患者男性,47岁,既往十二指肠溃疡病史13年,近20d腹痛加剧,伴恶心呕吐宿食。查体:血压110/70mmHg,脉搏100/min,可见胃型,振水音(+)。应选用哪项治疗
以下处方审核结果可判为不规范处方的是()。
民用建筑工程及室内装修工程应在工程完工至少()以后,工程交付使用前,对室内环境进行质量验收。
下列有关票据的日期,表述正确的是()。
案例三:小崔打算五年后买房,计划购买一套面积在90平方米左右的普通住宅。目前小崔有存款2万元;其2008年的年收入预计约为15万元,每年的储蓄比率为40%,投资报酬率为15%。小崔准备在买房时向银行申请20年期的按揭,预计当时的房贷利率为6%。根据案例三
磨损作为机器设备实体性损耗的主要形式之一,主要表现形式有()。
结算公司向结算参与人计付结算备付金利息的利率是( )。
科室有新同事不安心日常琐事工作,领导让你做他的思想工作,请问你怎么做?
最新回复
(
0
)