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1、1关于美国的历史Thecontinent'sfirstinhabitantswalkedintoNorthAmericaacrosswhatisnowtheBeringStraitfromAsia.Forthenext20,000yearsthesepioneeringsettlerswereessentiallyleftalonetodevelopdistinctanddynamiccultures.InthemodernUS,theirdescendantsincludethePueblopeopleinw
2、hatisnowNewMexico;ApacheinTexas;NavajoinArizona,ColoradoandUtah;HopiinArizona;CrowinMontana;CherokeeinNorthCarolina;andMohawkandIroquoisinNewYorkState.TheNorwegianexplorerLeifErikssonwasthefirstEuropeantoreachNorthAmerica,some500yearsbeforeadisorientedColumb
3、usaccidentallydiscovered'Indians'inHispaniola(nowtheDominicanRepublicandHaiti)in1492.Bythemid-1550s,muchoftheAmericashadbeenpokedandproddedbyaparadeofexplorersfromSpain,Portugal,EnglandandFrance.Thefirstcoloniesattractedimmigrantslookingtogetrichquicklyandre
4、turnhome,buttheyweresoonfollowedbymigrantswhoseprimarygoalwastocolonize.TheSpanishfoundedthefirstpermanentEuropeansettlementinStAugustine,Florida,in1565;theFrenchmovedinonMainein1602,andJamestown,Virginia,becamethefirstBritishsettlementin1607.ThefirstAfrican
5、sarrivedas'indentured（合同的，契约的）laborers'withtheBritsayearpriortoEnglishPuritanpilgrims'escapeofreligiouspersecution（迫害）.ThepilgrimsfoundedacolonyatPlymouthRock,Massachusetts,in1620andsignedthefamousMayflowerCompact-adeclarationofself-governmentthatwouldlaterb
6、eechoedintheDeclarationofIndependenceandtheUSConstitution.Britishattemptstoassertauthorityinits13NorthAmericancoloniesledtotheFrenchandIndianWar(1757-63).TheBritishwerevictoriousbutwereleftwithanastywardebt,whichtheytriedtorecoup（赔偿，付还）byimposingnewtaxes.The
7、rallyingcry'notaxationwithoutrepresentation'unitedthecolonies,whoceremoniouslydumpedcaffeinatedcargooverboardduringtheBostonTeaParty.BesiegedBritishgeneralCornwallissurrenderedtoAmericancommanderGeorgeWashingtonfiveyearslateratYorktown,Virginia,in1781.Inthe1
8、9thcentury,America'smantrawas'ManifestDestiny.'Acombinationoflandpurchases,diplomacyandoutrightwarsofconquesthadby1850giventheUSroughlyitspresentshape.In1803,NapoleondumpedtheentireGreatPlainsfo
