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
Somehow California is always at the cutting edge, be it in the flower-power days of the 1960s or the dotcom boom of the 1990s. A
Somehow California is always at the cutting edge, be it in the flower-power days of the 1960s or the dotcom boom of the 1990s. A
admin
2010-03-19
94
问题
Somehow California is always at the cutting edge, be it in the flower-power days of the 1960s or the dotcom boom of the 1990s. As Kevin Starr points out in his history of the state, California has long been "one of the prisms through which the American people, for better and for worse, could glimpse their future".
Mr. Starr is too good a historian to offer any pat explanation; instead, he concentrates on the extraordinary array of people and events that have led from the mythical land of Queen Calafia, through the rule of Spain and Mexico, and on to the governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, an iron-pumping film star with an Austrian accent①. Moreover, he does so with such elegance and humor that his book is a joy to read.
What emerges is not all Californian sunshine and light. Think back to the savage violence that accompanied the 1849 Gold Rush; or to the exclusion orders against the Chinese; or to the riots that regularly marked industrial and social relations in San Francisco. California was very much the Wild West, having to wait until 1850 before it could force its way to statehood.
So what tamed it? Mr. Starr’s answer is a combination of great men, great ideas and great projects. He emphasizes the development of California’s infrastructure, the development of agriculture; the spread of the railroads and freeways; and, perhaps the most important factor for today’s hi-tech California, the creation of a superb set of public universities.
All this, he writes, "began with water, the sine qua non of any civilization." He goes on cheerfully to note the "monumental damage to the environment" caused by irrigation projects that were "plagued by claims of deception, double-dealing and conflict of interest".
One virtue of this book is its structure. Mr. Start is never trapped by his chronological framework. In stead, when the subject demands it, he manages deftly to flit back and forth among the decades. Less satisfying is his account of California’s cultural progress in the 19th and 20th centuries: does he really need to invoke so many long-forgotten writers to accompany such names as Jack London, Frank Norris, Mark Twain or Raymond Chandler?
But that is a minor criticism for a book that will become a California classic. The regret is that Mr. Start, doubtless pressed for space, leaves so little room—just a brief final chapter—for the implications of the past for California’s future. He poses the question that most Americans prefer to gloss over: is California governable? "For all its impressive growth, there remains a volatility in the politics and governance of California, which became perfectly clear to the rest of the nation in the fall of 2003 when the voters of California recalled one governor and elected another②."
Indeed so, and Mr. Starr wisely avoids making any premature judgment on their choice. Ills such as soaring house prices, grid locked freeways and "embattled" public schools, combined with the budgetary problems that stem from the tax revolt of 1978 would test to the limit any governor, even the Terminator③. As Mr. Starr notes, no one should cite California as an unambiguous triumph: "There has always been something slightly bipolar about California. It was either utopia or dystopia, a dream or a nightmare, a hope or a broken promise—and too infrequently anything in between."
The phrase "sine qua non" in Para. 5, Line 1 possibly means ______.
选项
A、the essential elements
B、the premise
C、the contribution
D、the advantage
答案
A
解析
词义理解题。Mr.Stair把这一切(第四段第二句:基础设施的建设,农业的发展,铁路公路的建设,学校的建立等等),归结为源于水,水是任何文明产生的必不可少的条件。选项C 和D 不合题意,予以排除。而选项B 是干扰项:水是这一切文明的前提,属过度推理,所以选项 A ”水是这些文明的必要条件“为正确答案。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/Y49K777K
0
专业英语四级
相关试题推荐
Whypeoplework?Undoubtedlyyouhaveperiodicallyaskedyourselfthesamequestion,perhapsfocusedonwhyyouhavetowork."S
Whypeoplework?Undoubtedlyyouhaveperiodicallyaskedyourselfthesamequestion,perhapsfocusedonwhyyouhavetowork."S
1 Traditionally,thewomanhasheldalowpositioninmarriagepartnerships.Whileherhusbandwenthiswayshehadtowash,st
Asthedirectorcan’tcometothereception,I’mrepresentingthecompany__________.
Educatortodayaremoreandmoreoften【C1】______tosaythatcomputerliteracyisabsolutelynecessaryforcollegestudents.Ma
______canmakeanimmensecontributiontothecreationofpeaceandplentyintheworldbytakingcaretounderstandothernati
Duringrecentyearswehaveheardmuchabout"race":howthisracedoescertainthingsandthatracebelievescertainthingsand
InMexico,PresidentVicenteFoxismakinganefforttocalmprotestsinthefarmingsectorthroughadialoguewiththegovernme
Whenyouthinkofthetremendoustechnologicalprogresswehavemade,it’samazinghowlittlewehavedevelopedinotherrespect
WorldEnvironmentDayPubliceventsforWorldEnvironmentDay/aretakingplacefromJunefirstthroughJunefifth,jevent
随机试题
用来选拔较高层次的管理人员和技术人员的测评方法是【】
Thisyeartheworld’spopulationtickedoverto7billion.【R1】______Theyforecastdramaticchangesunlesssignificantstepsare
A.二陈汤合三子养亲汤B.桑白皮汤C.麻杏甘石汤D.麻黄汤合华盖散E.五磨饮子实喘痰热郁肺证治以
场景某工厂三台工业锅炉的砌筑工程由某专业承包公司承包。为确保工程施工的安全质量,在锅炉砌筑前进行了工序交接,并签订了工序交接证明书;制订了工程安全技术措施并进行了安全技术交底,组织施工人员学习安全生产制度、安全用电及高处作业安全措施,了解工程中的劳动保护
条形基础一般宜()连续浇筑,每段间混凝土浇筑长度为2000~3000mm。
万威微型电机大连有限公司(2102245678)进口料件塑料垫圈一批,货物到港后持C09033401543号手册向口岸海关申请办理进口报关手续。料件塑料垫圈位列手册第一项,为非法检商品,法定计量单位为千克。大连海关部分关区代码如下表:
某有限责任公司股东会决定解散该公司,该公司下列行为符合法律规定的是()。
根据所给图表、文字资料,回答96-100题2009年度全国旅行社营业收入为1806.53亿元,同比增长8.64%;毛利润总额为134.36亿元,毛利率为7.44%;净利润总额为11.48亿元,净利润为0.64%。2009年度全国旅行社的旅游
执行下面的语句后,表达式*(p[0]+1)+**(q+2)的值为______。inta[]={5,4,3,2,1},*p[]={a+3,a+2,a+1,a},**q=p;
E-R图中用来表示实体的图形是()。
最新回复
(
0
)