填空题The Purchase of Alaska, a Real Deal A. Alaska is the largest state of the United States of America by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait. As of 2007, Alaska remains the least densely populated state, with a population of 683,478. B. The area that became Alaska was purchased from the Russian Empire after Western Union discontinued construction of its first electric telegraph line which ran from California, up the coast of North America, across the Bering Strait, continuing to Moscow and into the European telegraph network. Despite $3 million in U.S. investment for the Russian-American telegraph expedition, work ceased upon the completion of the competing transatlantic telegraph cable. The U.S. realized the potential of continuing the line to Moscow and sent Secretary of State William H. Seward to negotiate with the Russian Ambassador to fund the remaining phases of the telegraph line. Russia did not see the potential in funding, so Alaska was offered in exchange for the value of the Russian-American telegraph. The Russians feared that if they did not sell Russian North America, it would be taken from them by the westward expansion of the United States and Canada. They tried to play one potential purchaser off against the other to start a bidding war, but this was largely unsuccessful. C. The U.S. Senate approved the purchase of Alaska from the Russian Empire on March 30, 1867, for $7.2 million at 2 cents per acre, about 5 cents per hectare. When adjusted for inflation, the total sum paid equates to approximately $111 million in today"s dollars. The land went through several administrative changes before becoming an organized territory on May 11, 1912 and the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3, 1959. The name "Alaska" was already introduced in the Russian colonial time, when it was only used for the peninsula and is derived from the Aleut alaxsxaq, meaning "the mainland", or more literally, "the object towards which the action of the sea is directed". It is also known as Alyeska, the "great land", an Aleut word derived from the same root. D. The first European contact with Alaska occurred in the year 1741, when Virus Bering led an expedition for the Russian Navy aboard the St. Peter. After his crew returned to Russia bearing the finest fur in the world, small associations of fur traders began to sail from the shores of Siberia towards the Aleutian Islands. The first permanent European settlement was founded in 1784, and the Russian-American Company carried out an expanded colonization program during the early to mid-1800s. New Archangel on Kodiak Island was Alaska"s first capital, but for a century under both Russia and the U.S. Sitka was the capital. The Russians never fully colonized Alaska, and the colony was never very profitable. William H. Seward, the U.S. Secretary of State, negotiated the Alaskan purchase in 1867 for $7.2 million. Alaska was loosely governed by the military for years, and was unofficially a territory of the United States from 1884 on. E. In the 1890s, gold rushes in Alaska and the nearby Yukon Territory brought thousands of miners and settlers to Alaska. Alaska was granted official territorial status in 1912. At this time the capital was moved to Juneau. F. During World War II, the Aleutian Islands Campaign focused on the three outer Aleutian Islands—Attu, Agattu and Kiska—that were invaded by Japanese troops and occupied between June 1942 and August 1943. Unalaska Harbor became a significant base for the U.S. Army Air Corps and Navy submariners. G. The U.S. Lend-Lease program involved flying American warplanes through Canada to Fairbanks and thence Nome; Russian pilots took possession of these aircraft, ferrying them to fight the German invasion of Russia. The construction of military bases contributed to the population growth of some Alaskan cities. H. Statehood was approved in 1958. Alaska was officially proclaimed a state on January 3, 1959. In 1964, the massive "Good Friday Earthquake" killed 131 people and destroyed several villages, many by the resultant tsunamis. It was the second most powerful earthquake in the recorded history of the world, with a moment magnitude of 9.2. It was 100 times more powerful than the 1989 San Francisco earthquake. Luckily, the center of the earthquake was in an unpopulated area or thousands more would have been killed. I. The 1968 discovery of oil at Prudhoe Bay and the 1977 completion of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline led to an oil boom. In 1989, the Exxon Valdez hit a reef in the Prince William Sound, spilling over 11 million US gallons of crude oil over 1,100 miles (1,600km) of coastline. Today, the battle between philosophies of development and conservation is seen in the contentious debate over oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. J. The 2005 gross state product of Alaska was $39.9 billion, 45th in the nation. Its per-capita GSP for 2006 was $43,748, 7th in the nation. The oil and gas industry dominates the Alaskan economy, with more than 80% of the state"s revenues derived from petroleum extraction. Alaska"s main export product (excluding oil and natural gas) is seafood, primarily salmon, cod and crab. Agriculture represents only a fraction of the Alaskan economy. K. Agricultural production is primarily for consumption within the state and includes dairy products, vegetables, and livestock. Manufacturing is limited, with most foodstuffs and general goods imported from elsewhere. Employment is primarily in government and industries such as natural resource extraction, shipping, and transportation. Military bases are a significant component of the economy in both Fairbanks and Anchorage. Federal subsidies are also an important part of the economy, allowing the state to keep taxes low. Its industrial outputs are crude petroleum, natural gas, coal, gold, precious metals, zinc and other mining, seafood processing, timber and wood products. There is also a growing service and tourism sector. Tourists have contributed to the economy by supporting local lodging.

填空题Compared with property insurance, liability insurance get more protection against possible financial losses.

填空题In many countries, such as France, Greece

填空题Now, many Americans are not so willing to learn foreign languages.

填空题The proposal that ______(我们将项目进行下去) was finally approved by the board.

填空题Banks, credit card companies, and investment' firms are especially sensitive about revealing their vulnerabilities because they place too much reliance on ______.

填空题"The world is progressing and resources are becoming more abundant." said Bill Gates. " ______________________ (我宁可去一家今天的杂货店而不出席一百年前的王家盛宴).\

填空题Most insurers' customer service reps are doctors acting as case managers to help patients.

填空题Australia's education system is equal to any in the world in the opinion of most educationists.

填空题The more she explains,______(我越糊涂).

填空题 While popular in the U. S. , the April Fool's Day tradition is even more prevalent (流行的) in European countries, such as France and Great Britain. Although the roots of the traditional tricking are unclear, the French and the British both have{{U}} (47) {{/U}}on the origin of the celebration. The English story about the day holds that it began sometime during the 1200s. At the time, King John of England was in the habit of making a road out of nearby every path he walked{{U}} (48) {{/U}}The citizens of one particular farm village were{{U}} (49) {{/U}}of this. To avoid having their green meadows and pastures{{U}} (50) {{/U}}with one of the king's roads, they built a fence that prevented the king from walking through their countryside. The king sent a group of messengers to{{U}} (51) {{/U}}the villagers that they must remove the{{U}} (52) {{/U}}Upon hearing that the king was planning to do this, however, the villagers{{U}} (53) {{/U}}a plan of their own. When the messengers arrived, they found what appeared to be a{{U}} (54) {{/U}}of lunatics (疯子) with people behaving in a{{U}} (55) {{/U}}manner, throwing things and running around wildly. The messengers, {{U}}(56) {{/U}}at what they have found, reported to King John that these people were so mad as to be beyond punishment. So, the villagers saved their farmland by tricking the King. A) alarmed F) amused K) especially B) combination G) community L) disturbed C) peculiar H) available M) inform D) regularly I) barrier N) distribute E) developed J) aware O) claims

填空题After finishing the task, the little boy stood there _________________ (好像在等别人对他说“谢谢”).