高三英語課文
Unit 13 The USA
1 . Around the year 1600 the first horses were brought to the American continent by the Spanish.大約在1600年的時候，西班牙人把第一批馬匹帶來美洲大陸。
2 . They also hunted and killed wild animals.他們還獵殺野獸。
3 . The World Trade Center, an office building for over 1200 firms employing about 50,000 people, is even higher at 411 metres.世界貿易中心要高得多，有411米。它是一座辦公大樓，樓裡有1，200多家公司，大約有5萬僱員。
4 . Now that they could ride horses, it became easier to hunt the bison, a type of cattle which used to exist in huge numbers on the plains of America.當他們從一個營地搬到另一個營地去的時候，他們就可以利用這些野馬來運載貨物。既然土著人會騎馬了，獵取野牛也就容易了。這種野牛以前是成群結隊地生活在美洲平原上的。
5 . The skins were used for making tents and water containers.還可以用野牛皮製作帳蓬和裝水的容器。
6 . There was less food for birds and also for the prairie dog, a kind of animal which lives in holes in the ground.供鳥類吃的食物少了，供草原犬鼠（一種生活在地洞裡的動物）吃的食物也少了。
7 . Officials used to have trouble with the foreign names of people passing through Ellis Island, and because they were so busy, many people's names got changed in the rush.官員們過去總是搞不清埃利斯島過境人員的外國姓名，因為他們非常繁忙，所以在過境的人蜂擁而至的時候，許多人的姓名都被更改了。
8 . There is a zoo, an art museum, a boating lake, a smaller lake for model boats and, in winter, an ice-skating area.還有一個動物園、一座藝術博物館，一個供人划船用的湖。另有一個比較小的湖，供人們玩模型船艇，冬天就成為滑冰場。
9 . In 1892 the age of mass arrivals began, during which 15 million new people passed through Ellis Island into the USA over a period of 62 years.1892年開始了一個國外移民大量湧入的年代，在隨後的62年中，有1，500萬新來的人通過埃利斯島進入美國。
10 . A 55-storey building went up in 1913, and in 1931 the Empire State Building was completed, then the tallest building in the world.1913年一座55層高的大樓拔地而起。1931年帝國大廈竣工，這在當時是世界上最高的大廈。
11 . The underground railway runs 24 hours a day, and there are all-night cinemas, bars and restaurants.地鐵一天24小時不停地運營。還有通宵電影院、酒吧間和餐館。
12 . The building of skyscrapers in New York began around the year 1900.在1900年左右，摩天樓開始在紐約興建。
13 . It is thought that they arrived more than 30,000 years ago by crossing a land bridge from Asia to America.他們被認為是在3萬多年以前從亞洲跨越一座陸橋來到美洲的。
14 . There is space for summer picnics, open-air concerts, plays and games.這兒有空曠的地方，供作夏日野餐、露天音樂會、各種娛樂和競賽之用。
15 . Fierce wars between Native Americans and European settlers broke out.美洲土著人和歐洲殖民者之間發生了激烈的戰爭。
16 . They killed the bison, cut off the skins and left the bodies behind to rot.他們把野牛殺死剝皮，屍體就任其腐爛。
17 . In 1858 an area of poor housing, factories and farm buildings was torn down and Central Park was created, reaching from 59th Street to 110th Street and across three avenues.1858年拆除了一大片破舊的房屋、工廠和農舍，建起了中央公園，這個公園從59街延伸到110街，跨越三條大馬路。
18 . In 1626 the island of Manhattan was bought from local Indians, Native Americans, for a handful of goods worth about $24.曼哈頓島是於1626年從當地的印第安人（即美洲土著人）手中買來的，只花了價值約為24美元的為數不多的貨物
19 . Today Ellis Island is a museum, showing the roots of America's new citizens, who came from all the corners of the earth.今天，埃利斯島成了一座博物館，展示著來自世界各地的美國新公民的根源。
20 . New York is built on a group of islands on the east coast of the USA at a point where several rivers flow into the ocean.紐約市建立在美國東海岸的一群島嶼上，那兒是好幾條河流入海的交匯點。
21 . Bison waste no longer fell on the ground to improve the soil, which as a result became less good for growing plants.地上不再有野牛的糞便來改良土壤，結果對於植物生長土壤變得不夠肥沃了。
22 . This in turn had an effect on the food supply for wolves.這樣又影響了狼的食物供應。
23 . By 1820 the population of New York had grown to about 125,000, making it the largest city in the USA.到1820年，紐約市的人口增長到12。5萬人左右，使它成了當時美國最大的城市。
24 . This is because the surface of the earth is not flat but round.因為地球表面不是平的，而是圓的。
25 . It was also thought that by removing their main supply of food, the Native Americans would be forced to give in.當時還有人認為，斷掉了主要的食物來源，土著人就會被迫屈服。
26 . The ground supported fewer plants, and the insects which lived on these plants died out.地上長的植物少了，生活在這些植物上的昆蟲就消亡了。
27 . The bison skins were sent by rail to cities to be sold.野牛皮用火車運到城裡出售。
28 . The towers are further apart at the top than at the base, but this is no mistake.兩座塔樓的樓頂之間的距離比樓底之間的距離要大一些，但是這並不是錯誤。
29 . From the top of it, you could see up to a distance of 130 kilometres on a clear day.在晴朗的日子裡，從樓的頂層你可以看到130公里遠的地方。
30 . Settlers made agreements with Native American cheifs but always broke them afterwards.殖民者同美洲土著人的首領達成了協議，但是這些協議隨後總是被撕毀。
31 . Thus one simple fact, a change in the number of bison, had an effect on the whole wildlife chain of the plains.因此，出現了這樣一個簡單的事實--野牛數目換的變化對平原的整個野生生物鏈都產生了影響。
32 . Today it is no longer the tallest building in the USA, or even in New York.今天，它不再是美國最高的大廈了，甚至在紐約都排不上號了。
33 . Today Native Americans express their anger over this business deal.今天，美國的土著人對這樁買賣仍然憤憤不平。
34 . The Bison on the Plains of America美洲平原上的野牛
35 . When they objected, they were killed.他們反抗時就被殺害。
36 . The Native Americans caught and trained them and were then able to use them to carry their goods when they travelled from one camping ground to another.美洲土著人捕捉野馬，加以馴服。
37 . Bison were killed for their meat, while their fur provided warm clothing during cold winters.他們殺野牛，吃野牛肉，用野牛毛皮製成冬季御寒的衣服。
38 . After the War of Independence ended, New York became the capital of the USA for a short time (1789-90) before Washington, D.C.獨立戰爭結束以後，在華盛頓成為首都之前，紐約市曾經一度是美國的首都，不過時間很短（1789-90）。
39 . It was an important part of Native American's existence.野牛是美洲土著人賴以生活的重要部分。
40 . It has 102 storeys and 73 lifts.有102層樓，有電梯73部。
41 . It is a city in a hurry, but a very exciting place to be.這是一座熙熙攘攘的城市，但也是一個富於刺激的地方。
42 . While early settlers had killed bison for food, now the killing became more widespread.早期的殖民者只是以殺野牛為食，這時屠宰野牛就更為廣泛了。
43 . The first westerner to discover these islands was an Italian explorer in 1524.首次發現這些島嶼的西方人是一位意大利探險家，時間是1524年。
44 . In this way Native Americans were forced onto poor land that the settlers did not want.就這樣，美洲土著人被趕到殖民者所不要的貧瘠的土地上去了。
45 . New York never sleeps.紐約是一座不眠的城市。
46 . Thus Ellis Island became known as the Island of Tears.想要進入美國的人都必須經過多次的智力測驗和體格檢查，大約有200萬人不准入境。因此，埃利斯島被人們稱為「眼淚島」。
47 . They lived by hunting and by gathering roots, nuts and wild fruits.他們靠狩獵和採集根莖、堅果和野果為生。
48 . Because Manhattan Island is made of solid rock, it is safe to build very tall buildings.曼合頓島是由堅固的岩石構成的，這使得興建大廈非常安全。
49 . The first settlers on the plains of America were Native Americans.美洲平原上的首批定居者是美洲土著人。
50 . The killing of the bison changed the whole wildlife of the plains. With fewer bison, grass shoots were not eaten, so grass did not grow as strongly.屠宰野牛改變了平原的全部野生生物。野牛少了，嫩草沒有牛來吃了，草就長得不粗壯。