NarratorListen to part of a lecture in a history class.Now get ready to answer

Narrator
Listen to part of a lecture in a history class.
Professor
Ok, calm down, please... It’s time to get started. You can continue your chitchat after class. Today we’re going to talk about one of the most important events in American history. That is the Louisiana Purchase. You may be surprised to learn how large America became after this purchase. Today, we will be centering our discussion on the following questions: How did this purchase take place? Which European country controlled this territory before the purchase? OK, now, let’s first discuss some general facts about this purchase.
    In 1803, the United States paid France $ 15 000 000 for the Louisiana Territory. Do you know how large this territory is? This area is more than four times the size of France. It included everything between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River except Texas. At that time, few realized the value of this purchase. You know, it included the vast forests of Arkansas and Minnesota, the oil...oil deposits of Oklahoma, the cornfields of Iowa, the wheat lands of the Dakotas. What’s more, it also included the copper, silver and gold of Colorado and Montana and the rice and sugar of Louisiana. Now, you know how valuable and precious this purchase is. No wonder it was one of the greatest events in American history. Because of this purchase, the U. S. , a third-class nation at that time, in fact, doubled its size, united its states and population, and became a great power in the world.
    Now, I’d like to talk about how this purchase happened. You know, in 1803, Europe was ruled by Napoleon. He wanted to be the master of the world. At that time, half a million Americans were living...west...west of Allegheny Mountains. The settlers in the towns and villages there needed trade. In order to get trade, they had to send their flour, tobacco, and whisky by water. So, the Ohio River and the Mississippi served as direct highways. The entire Mississippi, at that time, was open to the settlers except its mouth at New Orleans, which was...um... ruled by Spain. The west settlers solved this problem by obtaining the "right of deposit" from Spain. That is to say, the settlers had the right to unload their freight at New Orleans.
    However, Spain took the "right of deposit" away from American citizens. Uh...by the way, Spain was forced to turn over Louisiana to Napoleon through a secret treaty in 1800. So, Louisiana actually was in the hand of France instead of Spain. OK, let’s go back to Americans’ loss of the "right of deposit". When American knew the news, many of them prepared to fight with French. This made President Jefferson in a difficult situation, since he didn’t want to go to war. But, he knew that New Orleans was important both to the Westerners and to the entire national economy. So, what shall he do? Here comes the interesting part.
    OK, now let’s see what happened. Livingston...he was the American minister to France...he had a talk with Talleyrand, who was Napoleon’s Foreign Minister. During the talk, Talleyrand asked an amazing question. "What will you give us for the whole Louisiana Territory. " Of course, Livingston was shocked. He had the authority to buy only a little city. However, he decided to buy the whole territory. Napoleon wanted $ 15 000 000 for the territory. He signed the agreement with Napoleon and America got the whole territory. OK, let’s stop for a moment and make sure it’s all clear so far. What happened in the Louisiana Purchase was that France intended to sell Louisiana Territory...and...America was eager to buy it. So, America got the whole territory without going into any war. Isn’t this amazing and interesting?
    Hmmm... Well. After the purchase, a great celebration was held in Washington. You know, before the purchase, Jefferson had always followed the Constitution strictly. However, he knew this was the greatest bargain in history even though the Constitution did not give the government the power...the power to get more territory. Of course, some people objected loudly, but the vast majority of the population supported Jefferson.
Now get ready to answer the questions. You may use your notes to help you answer.
1. What is the talk mainly about?
2. In the lecture, the professor talks about the benefits of the Louisiana Purchase. Indicate whether each of the following is a benefit in the purchase. Tick the correct box for each benefit.
3. Why does the professor mention Spain?
4. Which of the following statements best expresses the benefit the U. S. gained from the Louisiana Purchase?
5. What does the professor mean when he says this?
Professor
Ok, let’s stop for a moment and make sure it’s all clear so far.
6. Why does the professor say this?
Professor
Ok, calm down, please...It’s time to get started.You can continue your chitchat after class.