首页
登录
职称英语
The Purchase of Alaska, a Real DealA)Alaska is the largest
The Purchase of Alaska, a Real DealA)Alaska is the largest
游客
2023-06-23
35
管理
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. [br] Because of construction of military bases, population of some Alaskan cities grows larger.
选项
答案
G
解析
题干关键词为construction of military bases。文中G段提到,The construction of military bases contributed to the population growth of some Alaskancities,与题干意思一致,故选G。
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/2774892.html
相关试题推荐
[originaltext](22)Skinisthelargestorganofthebody.Itisthebody’s
[originaltext](22)Skinisthelargestorganofthebody.Itisthebody’s
[originaltext](22)Skinisthelargestorganofthebody.Itisthebody’sf
[originaltext](22)Skinisthelargestorganofthebody.Itisthebody’sf
[originaltext](22)Skinisthelargestorganofthebody.Itisthebody’sf
[originaltext]Kenyaisthethird-largestteaproducerintheworld.Almostall
[originaltext]Kenyaisthethird-largestteaproducerintheworld.Almostall
[originaltext]Kenyaisthethird-largestteaproducerintheworld.Almostall
ThePurchaseofAlaska,aRealDealA)Alaskaisthelargest
ThePurchaseofAlaska,aRealDealA)Alaskaisthelargest
随机试题
[originaltext][11]Theeconomiccostsofnoisetosocietyareseveral.[9]
Tidesarccreatedmainlybythepullofthemoonontheearth.Themoon’spullc
下列四首歌曲有哪首不是施光南创作的歌曲?()A.《在希望的田野上》 B.《打
下列各项中,不符合内部牵制的要求的是()。A、出纳人员管票据 B、出纳人员
某幢住宅楼中一套住房的下列面积中,面积最大的是( )。A:居住面积 B:使用
下列关于期货结算机构的表述,正确的有()。A.当期货交易成交后,买卖双方缴
调节居民个人收入水平的财政手段有()。A:财产税 B:社会保障支出 C:财政
某县一化工厂有生产科、技术科、销售科、安全科和工会等。2006年5月3日,该厂氨
水利水电工程施工准备阶段的主要工作内容包括()等。A、办理土地使用权批准手续B
路面工程施工中,相邻结构层之间的速度决定了相邻结构层之间的搭接类型,前道工序的速
最新回复
(
0
)