The USA is a land of immigrants. Between 1815 and 1914, the world witnessed the

The USA is a land of immigrants. Between 1815 and1914, the world witnessed the greatest peaceful migration in its history: 35million people, mostly Europeans, left their homelands to start new lives inAmerica. Why did these people risk everything by leaving their homes andfamilies?

First, what forced emigrants to make the decision toleave? One major cause for European farmers to leave was the rise in populationwhich in turn led to land hunger. Another was politics. There was an increasedtaxation（税收） and the growth of armies, and many youngmen fled eastern Europe to avoid being forced to join the army.

Physical hunger provided another pressing reason.Following the collapse （衰退）of the economy of southern Italy in the1860s, hundreds of thousands decided to start a new life in America. Religionalso encouraged millions to leave the Old World.

In short, people chose to leave their homes forsocial, economic and religious reasons. As a result, by 1890 among a totalpopulation of 63 million, there were more than nine million foreign-bornAmericans.

But what were the attractions? First of all, there wasthe promise of land which was so scarce in Europe. Next, factories were callingfor workers, and pay conditions were much better than back home. Men wereneeded to open up the West and build the long railroads, and new towns neededsettlers to live in and to develop business. There was the space for religiouspeople to practice their faith in peace.

This immigration meant that by around the 1850sAmericans of non-English had started to be more than those of English. As weknow, there were losers. To start with, there were those unwilling immigrants,the slaves who had been used as a source of cheap labour. Nor should we forgetthe equally unlucky American Indians. By 1860 there were 27 million freewhites, four million slaves and a mere 488,000 free blacks.

Nowadays, the USA is still seen by millions as thePromised Land. As always, it remains an attractive place to those who think itwill offer them a second chance.

1.What is not the cause for people to leave theirhomeland?

A. The search for religious freedom.

B. The search for adventure.

C. Unwillingness to join the army.

D. Economics.

2.Why was life of the 19th Century European farmersdifficult?

A. There was no land.

B. There was no peace.

C. The population had gone down.

D. There were too many of them.

3. Which of the following was not an attraction of theUSA?

A. Employment                                                               B.A healthy life

C. freedom of religion                                          D.Business opportunities

4.What is the topic of this passage?

A. The USA is still seen by millions as the PromisedLand.

B. The USA is a land of immigrants.

C. Religion encouraged millions to leave the OldWorld.

D. About one-eighth of non-native born Americans livein the USA in 1890.

5. The American Indians __________.

A. were as fortunate as the slaves    

B. were more unfortunate than the slaves

C. were the most unfortunate  

D. were as unfortunate as the slaves

试题答案

【答案】

1.B

2.D

3.B

4.B

5.D

【解析】

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