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1、选修8Unit1Alandofdiversity-ReadingCALIFORNIACaliforniaisthethirdlargeststateintheUSAbuthasthelargestpopulation.ItalsohasthedistinctionofbeingthemostmulticulturalstateintheUSA,havingattractedpeoplefromallovertheworld.Thecustomsandlanguagesoftheimmigrant
2、sliveonintheirnewhome.ThisdiversityofcultureisnotsurprisingwhenyouknowthehistoryofCalifornia.NATIVEAMERCANSExactlywhenthefirstpeoplearrivedinwhatwenowknowasCalifornia,noonereallyknows.However,itislikelythatNativeAmericanswerelivinginCaliforniaatleast
3、fifteenthousandyearsago.ScientistsbelievethatthesesettlerscrossedtheBeringStraitintheArctictoAmericabymeansofalandbridgewhichexistedinprehistorictimes.Inthe16thcentury,afterthearrivaloftheEuropeans,thenativepeoplesufferedgreatly.Thousandswerekilledor
4、forcedintoslavery.Inaddition,manydiedfromthediseasesbroughtbytheEuropeans.However,somesurvivedtheseterribletimes,andtodaytherearemoreNativeAmericanslivinginCaliforniathaninanyotherstate.THESPANISHInthe18thcenturyCaliforniawasruledbySpain.Spanishsoldi
5、ersfirstarrivedinSouthAmericaintheearly16thcentury,whentheyfoughtagainstthenativepeopleandtooktheirland.Twocenturieslater,theSpanishhadsettledinmostpartsofSouthAmericaandalongthenorthwestcoastofwhatwenowcalltheUnitedStates.OfthefirstSpanishtogotoCali
6、fornia,themajoritywerereligiousmen,whoseministrywastoteachtheCatholicreligiontothenatives.In1821,thepeopleofMexicogainedtheirindependencefromSpain.CaliforniathenbecamepartofMexico.In1846theUnitedStatesdeclaredwaronMexico,andafterthewarwonbytheUSA,Mex
7、icohadtogiveCaliforniatotheUSA.However,thereisstillastrongSpanishinfluenceinthestate.Thatiswhytodayover40ofCaliforniansspeakSpanishasafirstorsecondlanguage.RUSSIANSIntheearly1800s,Russianhunters,whohadoriginallygonetoAlaska,begansettlinginCalifornia.
8、Todaythereareabout25,000Russian-AmericanslivinginandaroundSanFrancisco.GOLDMINERSIn1848,notlongaftertheAmerican-Mexicanwar,goldwasdiscoveredinCalifornia.Thedreamofbecomingrichquicklyattractedpeoplefromallovertheworld.Thenearest,andthereforethefirstto
