美国边境展让人深入了解西部

美国边境展让人深入了解西部自美国独立后到19世纪末，对西部地区进行了大规模的开发建设，这激发了美国人的创造力和经济活力，极大地促进了美国整个国民经济的腾飞。在短短一百年左右的时间里，先后出现了3次巨大的移民高潮，不仅大大扩展了耕地面积，而且由于地处宜耕的气候带，农业迅速发展起来；西部的开拓带动了大规模铁路的修建和大批移民的流入，使美国形成了广大的国内市场。最终，美国由一个地处一隅的小邦发展成一个举世公认的泱泱大国，工农业生产总值超过英、法、德而跃居世界首位，这不能不说是世界经济史上的一个奇迹。

News Background新闻背景Hollywood has shaped our perception of the American West. Images of cowboys in saloons,American Indians in feather headdresses, and outlaws robbing trains at gunpoint come to mind.

But visitors to the “Faces of the Frontier” exhibition organized by the National Portrait Galleryhere in Washington can learn more about the real personalities who helped shape the West.

(Faces of the Frontier)Some faces and names are familiar, like Sitting Bull, the Dakota Indian chief whose warriorsdefeated and massacred George. Other faces and names are not as well remembered. CuratorFrank Goodyear included them among the portraits of 115 men and women he chose for theexhibit. Some of those people had a huge impact, like Joseph Glidden, whose invention of barbedwire transformed the open landscape of the West into cattle ranches.

News Item2News Transcript VOA  

新闻梗概

5Part 1Listening Comprehension

听力理解

1 the National Portrait Gallery; the real personalities2. D 3. D Key(Western Voices)There are explorers like John Wesley Powell, the fi rst white man to navigatethe entire length of the Colorado River. Artists like Thomas Moran and AlbertBierstadt, who painted sweeping landscapes and photographer EadweardMuybridge, who used his camera to capture more authentic images of the West.

“Faces of the Frontier” shows the people behind those changes.

1. But visitors to the “Faces of the Frontier” exhibition organized byhere in Washington can learn more about whohelped shape the West.

2. Which statement about the “Faces of the Frontier” is right? ( )A. “Faces of the Frontier” exhibition is organized by the National PortraitGallery.

B. “Faces of the Frontier” exhibition is held in New York.

C. Visitors to the “Faces of the Frontier” exhibition can learn more about thereal personalities who helped shape the West.

D. All of the above are right.

3 Which one of the followings is mentioned in the article? ( )A. Some faces and names are familiar, like Sitting Bull, the Dakota Indian chiefwhose warriors defeated and massacred George.

B. Some of those people had a huge impact, like Joseph Glidden, whoseinvention of barbed wire transformed the open landscape of the West intocattle ranches.

C. There are explorers like John Wesley Powell, the fi rst white man to navigatethe entire length of the Colorado River.

D. All of the above are mentioned.

outlaw n.

逃犯，歹徒portrait n.

肖像，画像warrior n.

战士massacre v.

大屠杀transform v.

改变ranch n.

牧场navigate v.

横渡authentic a.

真实的