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 bee 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 bee 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 mon 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 DreamC
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(答案→)C
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。