高中英语选修八课文及翻译.pdf

选修 8 Unit 1 A land of diversity-Reading CALIFORNIA California is the third largest state in the USA but has the largest population. It also has the distinction of being the most multicultural state in the USA, having attracted people from all over the world. The customs and languages of the immigrants live on in their new home. This diversity of culture is not surprising when you know the history of California. Unit1 加利福尼亚 加利福尼亚是美国的第三大州，而且是人口最多的州。加州与众 不同之处在于它也是美国最具多元文化的一个州，它吸引了来自世界 各地的人们。 这些移民的风俗习惯以及语言在他们的新家都得以延续。 当你了解了加利福尼亚的历史后，你就不会对此感到惊讶了。 NATIVE AMERCANS Exactly when the first people arrived in what we now know as California, no one really knows. However, it is likely that Native Americans were living in California at least fifteen thousand years ago. Scientists believe that these settlers crossed the Bering Strait in the Arctic to America by means of a land bridge which existed in prehistoric times. In the 16th century, after the arrival of the Europeans, the native people suffered greatly. Thousands were killed or forced into slavery. In addition, many died from the diseasesbrought by the Europeans. However, some survived these terrible times, and today there are more Native Americans living in California than in any other state. 美洲土著人 最早的一批人具体是在什么时候来到我们现在所知道的加利福尼 亚地区的，谁也说不清楚。然而，很可能至少在 15 ,000年以前美洲土 著人就住在加利福尼亚了。科学家们认为，这些迁居者通过一条史前 时代曾经存在的大陆桥穿越北极地区的白令海峡到达美洲。欧洲人在 16 世纪来到这儿后，土著人遭受了极大的苦难，成千上万的人被杀害 或被迫成为奴隶。此外，欧洲人带来了疾病，使许多人染病而死，不 过，还是有一些人在经历了这些恐怖时期后活下来了。今天住在加利 福尼亚的美洲土著人比任何其他州的都要多。 THE SPANISH In the 18th century California was ruled by Spain. Spanish soldiers first arrived in South America in the early 16th century, when they fought against the native people and took their land. Two centuries later, the Spanish had settled in most pa