选修八课文.docx

Unit1CALIFORNIA多样性的土地CaliforniaisthethirdlargeststateintheUSAbuthasthelargestpopulation.ItalsohasthedistinctionofbeingthemostmulticulturalstateintheUSA,havingattractedpeoplefromallovertheworld.Thecustomsandlanguagesoftheimmigrantsliveonintheirnewhome.ThisdiversityofcultureisnotsurprisingwhenyouknowthehistoryofCalifornia.NATIVEAMERCANSExactlywhenthefirstpeoplearrivedinwhatwenowknowasCalifornia,noonereallyknows.However,itislikelythatNativeAmericanswerelivinginCaliforniaatleastfifteenthousandyearsago.ScientistsbelievethatthesesettlerscrossedtheBeringStraitintheArctictoAmericabymeansofalandbridgewhichexistedinprehistorictimes.Inthe16thcentury,afterthearrivaloftheEuropeans,thenativepeoplesufferedgreatly.Thousandswerekilledorforcedintoslavery.Inaddition,manydiedfromthediseasesbroughtbytheEuropeans.However,somesurvivedtheseterribletimes,andtodaytherearemoreNativeAmericanslivinginCaliforniathaninanyotherstate.THESPANISHInthe18thcenturyCaliforniawasruledbySpain.SpanishsoldiersfirstarrivedinSouthAmericaintheearly16thcentury,whentheyfoughtagainstthenativepeopleandtooktheirland.Twocenturieslater,theSpanishhadsettledinmostpartsofSouthAmericaandalongthenorthwestcoastofwhatwenowcalltheUnitedStates.OfthefirstSpanishtogotoCalifornia,themajoritywerereligiousmen,whoseministrywastoteachtheCatholicreligiontothenatives.In1821,thepeopleofMexicogainedtheirindependencefromSpain.CaliforniathenbecamepartofMexico.In1846theUnitedStatesdeclaredwaronMexico,andafterthewarwonbytheUSA,MexicohadtogiveCaliforniatotheUSA.However,thereisstillastrongSpanishinfluenceinthestate.Thatiswhytodayover40ofCaliforniansspeakSpanishasafirstorsecondlanguage.RUSSIANSIntheearly1800s,Russianhunters,whohadoriginallygonetoAlaska,begansettlinginCalifornia.Todaythereareabout25,000Russian-AmericanslivinginandaroundSanFrancisco.GOLDMINERSIn1848,notlongaftertheAmerican-Mexicanwar,goldwasdiscoveredinCalifornia.Thedreamofbecomingrichquicklyattractedpeoplefromallovertheworld.Thenearest,andthereforethefirsttoarrive,wereSouthAmericansandpeoplefromtheUnitedStates.ThenadventurersfromEuropeandAsiasoonfollowed.Infact,fewachievedtheirdreamofbecomingrich.Somediedorreturnedhome,butmostremainedinCaliforniatomakealifeforthemselvesdespitegreathardship.Theysettledinthenewtownsoronfarms.BythetimeCaliforniaelectedtobecomethethirty-firstfederalstateoftheUSAin1850,itwasalreadyamulticulturalsociety.LATERARRIVALSAlthoughChineseimmigrantsbegantoarriveduringtheGoldRushPeriod,itwasthebuildingoftherailnetworkfromthewesttotheeastcoastthatbroughtevenlargernumberstoCaliforniainthe1860s.Today,Chinese-AmericansliveinallpartsofCalifornia,althoughalargepercentagehavechosentostayinthe"Chinatowns"ofLosAngelesandSanFrancisco.OtherimmigrantssuchasItalians,mainlyfishermenbutalsowinemakers,arrivedinCaliforniainthelate19thcentury.In1911immigrantsfromDenmarkestablishedatownoftheirown,whichtodaystillkeepsuptheirDanishculture.Bythe1920sthefilmindustrywaswellestablishedinHollywood,California.TheindustryboomattractedEuropeansincludingmanyJewishpeople.TodayCaliforniahasthesecondlargestJewishpopulationintheUnitedStates.JapanesefarmersbeganarrivinginCaliforniaatthebeginningofthe20thcentury,andsincethe1980salotmorehavesettledthere.PeoplefromAfricahavebeenlivinginCaliforniasincethe1800s,whentheymovednorthfromMexico.However,evenmorearrivedbetween1942and1945toworkintheshipandaircraftindustries.MOSTRECENTARRIVALSInmorerecentdecades,CaliforniahasbecomehometomorepeoplefromAsia,includingKoreans,Cambodians,VietnameseandLaotians.Sinceitsbeginninginthe1970s,thecomputerindustryhasattractedIndiansandPakistanistoCalifornia.THEFUTUREPeoplefromdifferentpartsoftheworld,attractedbytheclimateandthelifestyle,stillimmigratetoCalifornia.Itisbelievedthatbeforelongthemixofnationalitieswillbesogreatthattherewillbenodistinctmajorracialorculturalgroups,butsimplyamixtureofmanyracesandcultures.Unit2CLONING:WHEREISITLEADINGUS?Cloninghasalwaysbeenwithusandisheretostay.Itisawayofmakinganexactcopyofanotheranimalorplant.Ithappensinplantswhengardenerstakecuttingsfromgrowingplantstomakenewones.Italsohappensinanimalswhentwinsidenticalinsexandappearanceareproducedfromthesameoriginalegg.Thefactisthatthesearebothexamplesofnaturalclones.Cloninghastwomajoruses.Firstly,gardenersuseitallthetimetoproducecommercialquantitiesofplants.Secondly,itisvaluableforresearchonnewplantspeciesandformedicalresearchonanimals.Cloningplantsisstraightforwardwhilecloninganimalsisverycomplicated.Itisadifficulttasktoundertake.Manyattemptstoclonemammalsfailed.Butatlastthedeterminationandpatienceofthescientistspaidoffin1996withabreakthrough-thecloningofDollythesheep.Theprocedureworkslikethis:Ontheonehand,thewholescientificworldfollowedtheprogressofthefirstsuccessfulclone,Dollythesheep.Thefactthatsheseemedtodevelopnormallywasveryencouraging.ThencamethedisturbingnewsthatDollyhadbecomeseriouslyill.CloningscientistswerecastdowntofindthatDolly'sillnessesweremoreappropriatetoamucholderanimal.AltogetherDollylivedsixandahalfyears,halfthelengthofthelifeoftheor。