新托福阅读背景知识.doc

文档超经典 下载后可编辑 关于美国的?历史 The conti?nents first? inhab?itant?s walke?d into North? Ameri?ca acros?s what is now the Berin?g Strai?t from Asia. For the next 20,000 years? these? pione?ering? settl?ers were essen?tiall?y left alone? to devel?op disti?nct and dynam?ic cultu?res. In the moder?n US, their? desce?ndant?s inclu?de the Puebl?o peopl?e in what is now New Mexic?o; Apach?e in Texas?; Navaj?o in Arizo?na, Color?ado and Utah; Hopi in Arizo?na; Crow in Monta?na; Chero?kee in North? Carol?ina; and Mohaw?k and Iroqu?ois in New York State?. The Norwe?gian explo?rer Leif Eriks?son was the first? Europ?ean to reach? North? Ameri?ca, some 500 years? befor?e a disor?iente?d Colum?bus accid?ental?ly disco?vered? India?ns in Hispa?niola? (now the Domin?ican Repub?lic and Haiti?) in 1492. By the mid-1550s?, much of the Ameri?cas had been poked? and prodd?ed by a parad?e of explo?rers from Spain?, Portu?gal, Engla?nd and Franc?e. The first? colon?ies attra?cted immig?rants? looki?ng to get rich quick?ly and retur?n home, but they were soon follo?wed by migra?nts whose? prima?ry goal was to colon?ize. The Spani?sh found?ed the first? perma?nent Europ?ean settl?ement? in St Augus?tine, Flori?da, in 1565; the Frenc?h moved? in on Maine? in 1602, and James?town, Virgi?nia, becam?e the first? Briti?sh settl?ement? in 1607. The first? Afric?ans arriv?ed as inden?tured? labor?ers with the Brits? a year prior? to Engli?sh Purit?an pilgr?ims escap?e of relig?ious perse?cutio?n. The pilgr?ims found?ed a colon?y at Plymo?uth Rock, Massa?chuse?tts, in 1620 and signe?d the famou?s Mayfl?ower Compa?ct - a decla?ratio?n of self-gover?nment? that would? later? be echoe?d in the Decla?ratio?n of Indep?enden?ce and the US Const?ituti?on. Briti?sh attem?pts to asser?t autho?rity in its 13 North? Ameri?can colon?ies led to the Frenc?h and India?n War (1757-63). The Briti?sh were victo?rious? but were left with a nasty? war debt, which? they tried? to recou?p by impos?ing new taxes?. The ra