英语六级(CET6)阅读理解模拟练习题及答案(1)_大学英语阅读

英语六级(CET6)阅读理解模拟练习题及答案(1)

　　A Short History of the Big Apple

　　No discussion about New York would be complete without asking why New York is referred to as the Big Apple. Like many things about New York, youll probably get a different answer depending on who you ask. According to the Museum of the City of New York , it is believed that in the 1920s, a sportswriter overheard stable （马房） hands in New Orleans refer to New York Citys racetracks （赛马场） as the Big Apple. The phrase was most widely used by jazz musicians during the 1930s and 40s. They adopted the term to refer to New York City, and especially Harlem, as the jazz capital of the world.

　　The Italian navigator Giovanni da Verrazano may have been the first European to explore the New York region in 1524. More than 80 years later, Englishman Henry Hudson sailed up the river that now bears his name. But it was Dutch settlements that truly started the city. In 1624, the town of New Amsterdam was established on lower Manhattan. Two years later, according to local legend, Dutchman Peter Minuit purchased the island of Manhattan from the local Native Americans for 60 guilders （about $24） worth of goods.

　　Few people realize that New York was briefly the US capital from 1789 to 1790 and was the capital of New York State until 1797. By 1790, it was the largest US city. In 1825, the opening of the Erie Canal, which linked New York with the Great Lakes, led to continued expansion. A charter was adopted in 1898 incorporating all five boroughs into Greater New York.