考研英语阅读背景知识解析资料汇编.docx

考研英语阅读背景知识解析资料汇编.docx

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考研英语阅读背景知识解析资料汇编

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关于美国的历史

Thecontinent'sfirstinhabitantswalkedintoNorthAmericaacrosswhatisnowtheBeringStraitfromAsia.Forthenext20,000yearsthesepioneeringsettlerswereessentiallyleftalonetodevelopdistinctanddynamiccultures.InthemodernUS,theirdescendantsincludethePueblopeopleinwhatisnowNewMexico;ApacheinTexas;NavajoinArizona,ColoradoandUtah;HopiinArizona;CrowinMontana;CherokeeinNorthCarolina;andMohawkandIroquoisinNewYorkState.

TheNorwegianexplorerLeifErikssonwasthefirstEuropeantoreachNorthAmerica,some500yearsbeforeadisorientedColumbusaccidentallydiscovered'Indians'inHispaniola（nowtheDominicanRepublicandHaiti）in1492.Bythemid-1550s,muchoftheAmericashadbeenpokedandproddedbyaparadeofexplorersfromSpain,Portugal,EnglandandFrance.

Thefirstcoloniesattractedimmigrantslookingtogetrichquicklyandreturnhome,buttheyweresoonfollowedbymigrantswhoseprimarygoalwastocolonize.TheSpanishfoundedthefirstpermanentEuropeansettlementinStAugustine,Florida,in1565;theFrenchmovedinonMainein1602,andJamestown,Virginia,becamethefirstBritishsettlementin1607.ThefirstAfricansarrivedas'indentured（合同的，契约的）laborers'withtheBritsayearpriortoEnglishPuritanpilgrims'escapeofreligiouspersecution（迫害）.ThepilgrimsfoundedacolonyatPlymouthRock,Massachusetts,in1620andsignedthefamousMayflowerCompact-adeclarationofself-governmentthatwouldlaterbeechoedintheDeclarationofIndependenceandtheUSConstitution.Britishattemptstoassertauthorityinits13NorthAmericancoloniesledtotheFrenchandIndianWar（1757-63）.TheBritishwerevictoriousbutwereleftwithanastywardebt,whichtheytriedtorecoup（赔偿，付还）byimposingnewtaxes.Therallyingcry'notaxationwithoutrepresentation'unitedthecolonies,whoceremoniouslydumpedcaffeinatedcargooverboardduringtheBostonTeaParty.BesiegedBritishgeneralCornwallissurrenderedtoAmericancommanderGeorgeWashingtonfiveyearslateratYorktown,Virginia,in1781.Inthe19thcentury,America'smantrawas'ManifestDestiny.'Acombinationoflandpurchases,diplomacyandoutrightwarsofconquesthadby1850giventheUSroughlyitspresentshape.In1803,NapoleondumpedtheentireGreatPlainsforapittance（微薄收入）,andSpainchippedinwithFloridain1819.TheBattleoftheAlamoduringthe1835TexanRevolutionpavedthewayforTexanindependencefromMexico,andthewarwithMexico（1846-48）securedmostofthesouthwest,includingCalifornia.

Thesystematicannihilation（消灭，歼灭）ofthebuffalohuntedbythePlainsIndians,encroachment（侵犯）ontheirlands,andtreatiesnotworththepapertheywerewrittenonledtoNativeAmericansbeingherdedintoreservations,deprivedofboththeirlivelihoodsandtheirspiritualconnectiontotheirland.Nineteenth-centuryimmigrationdrasticallyalteredtheculturallandscapeassettlersofpredominantlyBritishstockwerejoinedbyCentralEuropeansandChinese,manyattractedbythe1849goldrushinCalifornia.TheSouthremainedfirmlycommittedtoanagrarianlifeheavilyreliantonAfricanAmericanslavelabor.TensionswereontherisewhenabolitionistAbrahamLincolnwaselectedpresidentin1860.TheSouthsecededfrom（脱离）theUnion,andtheCivilWar,byfarthebloodiestwarinAmerica'shistory,beganthefollowingyear.TheNorthprevailed（胜利）in1865,freedtheslavesandintroduceduniversaladultmalesuffrage（选举权）.Lincoln'svisionforreconstruction,however,diedwithhisassassination.America'strouncingoftheSpaniardsin1898markedtheUSA'sascendancyasasuperpowerandwokethecountryoutofitsisolationistslumber.

TheUSstilldiditsbestnottogetitsfeetdirtyinWWI'strenches,butfinallycapitulated（停止抵抗，有条件投降）in1917,sendingoveramilliontroopstohelpsortoutthepesky（讨厌的，棘手的）Germans.PostwarcelebrationswerecutshortbyProhibitionin1920,whichbannedalcoholinthecountry.The1929stock-marketcrashsignaledthestartoftheGreatDepressionandeventuallybroughtaboutFranklinRoosevelt'sNewDeal,whichsoughttoliftthecountrybacktoprosperity.AftertheJapanesedroppedinuninvitedonPearlHarborin1941,theUSplayedamajorroleindefeatingtheAxispowers.AtomicbombsdroppedonHiroshimaandNagasakiin1945notonlyendedthewarwithJapan,butusheredinthenuclearage.TheendofWWIIseguedintotheColdWar-aperiodofgreatdomesticprosperityandasurfaceuniformitybeliedbyparanoiaandbetrayal.PoliticianslikeSenatorJoeMcCarthytookadvantageoftheclimatetofananticommunistflames,whiletheUSSRandUSAstockpilednuclearweaponsandfoughtwarsbyproxyinKorea,AfricaandSoutheastAsia.Tensionsbetweenthetwocountriesreachedtheirpeakin1962duringtheCubanMissileCrisis.

The1960swasade