外刊阅读与练习：旧金山成为繁荣城市的原因_大学英语阅读

外刊阅读与练习：旧金山成为繁荣城市的原因

　　备考英语四六级的同学不难发现，阅读是英语四六级考试中非常重要的一部分，阅读理解题想要拿到比较理想的成绩，就要加强练习，不断提高自身的阅读能力。

　　旧金山成为繁荣城市的原因

　　Asked to name their favorite city, many Amerians would select San Francisco which began as a small Spanish outpost located on a magnificent bay.The town was little more than a village serving ranchers when the United States took possession of it in 1846 during the war with Mexico.

　　San Francisco sprang into a city overnight because of the nearby discovery of gold in 1848. A great rush to California took place. Wagon trains plodded their dangerous way across 2000 miles of prairie and mountains, while hundreds of sailing vessels made the equally hazardous trip around the Horn. The vessels disgorged thousands of passengers -- then the crews deserted their ship and hundreds of vessels were left to rot in the bay. Within two years, California had enough population to become a state and San Francisco was for many years the hub of that newly-arrived population.

　　The citys present popularity is due to an excellent climate, an easy style of living , good food, and numerous tourist attractions. The city is famous for its cable cars which clang and bang up the steep hills, and for its excellent seafood stals along the wharf. Most visitors arriving from nations in the Pacific Basin spend several days getting to know the town.