题目内容
Before Alaska became part of the U.S., it had been owned by Russia. Trading posts and small settlements were scattered along the coast. The rest of land was left unexplored. The Russians were mainly interested in the wealth of furs from the vast herds of seals they found there.
By the mid-1800’s, most of the seal herds had been wiped out, and Russia no longer wanted to keep Alaska. William Seward, Secretary of State for President Johnson, believed the United States should buy Alaska from Russia. President Johnson wasn’t so sure it was a wise way to spend U.S. money, but he agreed to let Seward discuss it with the Russians. Acting quickly, Seward made a deal. On March 30, 1867, he signed an agreement for the U.S. to pay seven million dollars for the land.
Many people thought it was a foolish waste of America’s money. They called the deal “Seward’s folly”. Then gold was discovered in Alaska and public opinion changed quickly.
Seward did not live to see the true value of Alaska. He died in 1872, five years after making the purchase (购买). Each year, Alaska’s natural resources(资源) have brought in many times the $7,000,000 paid for it. Natural gas, coal, oil, lumber, seafood and other minerals, besides the gold first found, have made it a valuable addition to the United States. In 1959, Alaska be-came the 49th state of the United States.
【小题1】The Russians wanted to sell Alaska because ______.
| A．they thought it wasn’t a good place |
| B．they thought it didn’t belong to Russia |
| C．they couldn’t find enough seals there |
| D．they wanted to earn more money from the U.S. |
| A．it was a successful deal | B．it had its true value |
| C．he wasted U.S. money | D．he was clever |
| A．Gas. | B．Coal. | C．Oil. | D．Gold. |
| A．Alaska, a beautiful place | B．Alaska with natural resources |
| C．Alaska, the 49th state of the U.S. | D．Alaska, home to seals |
【小题1】C
【小题2】C
【小题3】D
【小题4】C
解析
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Bexley Middle School eighth-graders won the grand prize at the 2009 National Engineers Week Future City Competition (TM) on Feb. 18 in Washington, D.C. They competed with 37 other schools across the country.
The students qualified for the national competition by winning a regional competition on Jan. 17 in Columbus. By winning the national event, the students earned an all-expenses paid trip to Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala., according to a Bexley school district news report.
Future City aims to stir (激发) interest in science, technology, engineering and math among young people. Bexley team members were Tom Krajnak, Abby Sharp, Wyatt Peery, Elizabeth Maher, Aaron Hutchinson and Truman Haycock. They work in teams under the guidance of a teacher, Margaret Englehardt, and a volunteer engineer, Mark Sherman, design and build a city of tomorrow. Mayor John Brennan presented the students during a recent Bexley City Council meeting. Each team in the Future City competition plans its city using Sim City software and creates a model to show a physical representation of one section of the city. Team members must write both an essay about the yearly theme and an abstract about their city. They also must make a presentation to judges.
Focusing on eco-responsibility, the Bexley team built “Novo-Mondum,” an Icelandic city in the year 2171. Krajnak said the team’s project included a new water system for each resident unit and a 500-word essay on using bacteria to purify water. “We used our essay and abstract (摘要) to build a model,” he said. “It was hard to organize which building would go where, what each building does and how to make it look good.”
Englehardt said her students did a good job answering impromptu (即席) questions during the regional competition. “They can think on their feet,” she said. Principal Harley Williams said the school is very proud of the students’ performance.
【小题1】.. From the passage we can learn that the grand prize winners will _________.
A．receive scholarship for further studies  |
| B．get a free trip to Space Camp in Huntsville |
| C．earn a large sum of money for their designs |
| D．be admitted to universities without exams |
| A．make the Sim City software popular |
| B．test the students’ knowledge of city planning |
| C．select future engineers from young students |
| D．make students become interested in engineering |
| A．write brief abstracts describing their city |
| B．present and defend their designs before judges |
| C．build a future city in Iceland by themselves |
| D．create model cities using the Sim City software |
ehardt, the students _________.| A．always stand still in the competition |
| B．react very quickly to the questions |
| C．prepare for the questions in advance |
| D．take pride in the advisers’ performance |
Bexley Middle School eighth-graders won the grand prize at the 2009 National Engineers Week Future City Competition(TM) on Feb. 18 in Washington, D.C．They competed with 37 other schools across the country.
The students qualified for the national competition by winning a regional competition on Jan. 17 in Columbus. By winning the national event, the students earned an all-expenses paid trip to Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala., according to a Bexley school district news release.
Future City aims to arouse interest in science, technology, engineering and math among young people. Bexley team members were Tom Krajnak, Abby Sharp, Wyatt Peery, Elizabeth Maher, Aaron Hutchinson and Truman Haycock. They work in teams under the guidance of a teacher, Margaret Englehardt, and a volunteer engineer, Mark Sherman, design and build a city of tomorrow. Mayor John Brennan presented the students during a recent Bexley City Council meeting.
Each team in the Future City competition plans its city using Sim City software and creates a model to show a physical representation of one section of the city. Team members must write both an essay about the yearly theme and an abstract about their city. They also must make a presentation to judges.
Focusing on eco-responsibility, the Bexley team built “Novo-Mondum,” an Icelandic city in the year 2171．Krajnak said the team’s project included a new water system for each resident unit and a 500-word essay on using bacteria to purify water. “We used our essay and abstract to build a model,” he said. “It was hard to organize which building would go where, what each building does and how to make it look good.”
Englehardt said her students did a good job answering impromptu（即席） questions during the regional competition. “They can think on their feet,” she said. Principal Harley Williams said the school is very proud of the students’ performance.
1．The grand prize winners will ______________.
A．receive scholarship for further studies
B．get a free trip to Space Camp in Huntsville
C．earn a large sum of money for their designs
D．be admitted to universities without exams
2．The goal of the Future City competition is to _______________
A．make the Sim City Deluxe software popular
B．test the students’ knowledge of city planning
|
D．make students become interested in engineering
3．Each team must do the following EXCEPT _____________.
A．write brief abstracts describing their city
B．present and defend their designs before judges
C．build a future city in Iceland by themselves
D．create model cities using the Sim City software
4．According to Margaret Englehardt, the students ________________.
A．always stand still in the competition
B．react very quickly to the questions
C．prepare for the questions in advance
D．take pride in the advisers’ performance
5．It can be inferred from the passage that ______________.
A．The creativity and teamwork are essential for their success
B．local government paid little attention to the competition
C．38 schools took part in the national Future City competition
D．the participants designed a future city without consulting others