You may have heard the term "the American Dream". In 1848, James W. Marshall fou

题文

You may have heard the term "the American Dream". In 1848, James W. Marshall found gold in California and people began having golden dreams. That 19th century "American Dream" motivated (激发起) the Gold Rush and gave California its nickname of the "Golden State".
The American Dream drove not only 1800s gold-rush prospectors but also waves of immigrants throughout that century and the next. People from Europe, and a large number of Chinese, arrived in the US in the 19th century hoping that in America they would find gold in the streets. But most, instead, worked as railroad labourers. They created the oldest Chinatown, in San Francisco, and gave the city a Chinese name "the old gold hill".
In the 20th century, some critics said that it was no longer possible to become prosperous through determination and hard work. Unfair education for students from poor families and racial discrimination almost made the American Dream a nightmare.
Then, in the 1990s, California saw a new wave of dreamers in Silicon Valley. People poured their energy into the Internet. This new chapter of the American Dream attracted many business people and young talents from China and India to form start-ups and seek fortunes in America.
Better pay, a nice house, and a rising standard of living will always be attractive. However, the new American Dream is no longer just about money. It encourages Americans to consume wisely to protect the environment, improve the quality of life, and promote social justice.
The Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has become the model of the new American Dream. After years of hard work, he grew from a poor young man from Austria into a movie superstar and then governor. Many people hope his story can save the American Dream and give California a brighter future.  
小题1: It can be inferred that _____. A．America’s golden dream could never be realized B．America’s golden dream had bought great fortunes to Chinese immigrantsC．each period of time has its own taste of the American dreamD．determination and hard work are the best way to realize the American dream小题2:Why did most of the early immigrants work as railroad laborers?A．Because they could earn more money as railroad laborers.B．Because they had to make a living by working as railroad laborers.C．Because they thought railroad was the first step to find gold.D．Because railroad laborers were greatly honored at that time.小题3:The underlined sentence “his story can save the American Dream” (in the last paragraph) indicates that _____. A．the dream of seeking fortunate in America is easy to realize B．most of the immigrants to America don’t reach their previous goalC．the success of Arnold Schwarzenegger is among the common examples of the immigrantsD．the immigrants have made great contributions to California小题4:What’s the best title of the passage?A．Wave of Immigrants to America B．Make Fortunes AbroadC．Hard Work Leads to SuccessD．Changes of America’s Golden Dream 题型：未知难度：其他题型

答案

小题1:C
小题2:B
小题3:B
小题4:D

解析

小题1:短文中提到：19世纪的“美国梦”激发起的是淘金热；在20世纪90年代，加利福尼亚的硅谷涌现出了新的梦想家。新的美国梦却不仅仅只关乎金钱。它还促使美国人进行理性的消费，注重环保，提高生活质量及促进社会公正。由此推断可知：不同时期美国梦的主题不同。
小题2:第二段提到：19世纪，欧洲人以及大批中国人涌入美国。在他们的心目中，美国是一个遍地黄金的国度。但现实并非如此，很多人并没有找到黄金，为了生计，大部分移民最终只能做铁路劳工。
小题3:短文第三段提到：贫困生得不到公平的受教育机会，种族歧视盛行，美国梦几乎沦为一场噩梦。加利福尼亚州的州长阿诺·施瓦辛格的成功只是移民中实现了美国梦的典范，使移民们看到了一线希望。此句的表面意思是“很多人希望他的故事能够挽救美国梦”。由此推测可知：绝大多数移民并没有达到他们预期的目标。
小题4:通读全文可知，1848年，马歇尔在加利福尼亚州发现了金子，于是人们开始做起了寻金梦。19世纪的“美国梦”激发起的是淘金热。到了20世纪，很多评论家指出，光凭坚强意志和勤奋工作已经不可能发大财。在20世纪90年代，人们对因特网激情高涨，美国梦新的篇章由此揭开。中国和印度的很多商界人士以及年轻精英来此创业，寻求发财致富之路。这场新的美国梦更关注生活质量。由此可知全文的标题是：美国梦的演变。

考点

据考高分专家说，试题“You may have heard t.....”主要考查你对 [历史文化类阅读 ]考点的理解。

历史文化类阅读

什么是历史文化类阅读：

本类题型常用的方式是夹叙夹议。叙述的目的是为了议，所以要把握其议才是主要方面。阅读这类文章，先弄清其引入的话题，再弄清里面人物对其不同的看法，然后理解作者本身对话题的观点看法或思考。

历史文化类阅读技巧：

【题型说明】历史文化类阅读理解文章属高考常选材料之一。这类文章常涉及历史、文化、法制、宗教等方面的文学艺术、发明创造、文化遗产保护、宗教与文化、风俗与习惯、道德与法制、中外文学名著节选、等等。这类材料的命题点往往落在主旨大意题、事实细节题上。
【答题方法】在做这类阅读理解题时，我们应注意以下几个方面：
1、采用先题后文：先读题目，再带着问题读文章。这类阅读理解文章相对来说事实细节题稍多一点，如果带着问题读文章，有利于我们抓细节。
2、先做细节题。因为做完了局部性的事实细节题后，自然会加深我们对文章的理解，这样更有利于做主旨大意题。
3、重点敲定主旨题。主旨大意题提问的形式主要有两大类：一类是Main idea型；一类是Topic或Title型。
在解答这类试题时应注意以下几点：
a．读首句抓大意。
文化教育类阅读理解文章多采用说明文、议论文体裁，而这类文章大都采用文章段落的中心，即主题句在文章开头。因此，要寻找这类文章的主旨大意就需要研究文章的首句。
b．读尾句抓大意。
有时这类文章的主题句安排在文章的结尾，作为对全篇的总结。
c．读首段抓大意。
有些文章或段落的开头和结尾部分都有主题句。这种结构是为了突出主题思想而使用两次点题的写作方法。这两个主题句在句子结构和用词上有所不同，而且在内容上前句和后句也不重复。
d．从段落中抓大意。
有些文章或段落的主题句在文章中，这种文章或段落往往以一句话或几句话引出要表达的主题，在主题句出现后，再举例子陈述细节或继续论证。
e．归纳要点抓大意。
有些文章或段落无明显的主题句，只是暗示性地体现主题。这就要求同学们在阅读过程中根据文中所叙述的事实或线索来概括总结主旨大意。