The“big land”is rich and most of it is almost uninhabited（无人居住的）．The Russians，who discovered Alaska in 1741，found only a few thousand Eskimos and Indians there．These people made a bare living by hunting and fishing．Russia was therefore，happy to sell the place to the U．S．in 1867 for U．S．$7，200，000．That was about the U．S．2 cents per acre（英亩）but even at that price，many Americans thought Alaska cost too much．They criticized the Secretary of State（国务卿），William Seward for aGREeing to buy this northern wasteland and people called Alaska“Seward's Icebox”．
It is true that Alaska has plenty of ice．In the north and interior（内地）much of the ground is frozen all the year round．Glaciers（冰川）cover as much land as the states of Massachusette and Maryland put together．Alaska has long winters but they are not colder than those of some northern U．S．states．
Americans paid little attention to Alaska until 1897．Then thousands of adventurers rushed to southern Alaska on their way to a newly-discovered gold field in western Canada．Gold was found in Alaska，too，and Alaska's population gradually began growing．
1．According to the passage，Alaska is not ___________．
A．crowded B．rich C．cold D．big
2．When the Russians sold Alaska to the U．S．for U．S．$7，200，000 or about U．S．2 cents per acre，they were ___________．
A．unwilling B．glad C．disappointed D．sad
3．Many Americans thought the price was ___________．
A．very low B．reasonable C．fair D．too high
4．Americans began to consider Alaska important in ___________．
A．1867 B．1876 C．1897 D．1741
5．“Made a bare living”in line three means“___________”．
A．earned just enough to live on B．earned much money
C．made a living like a wild animal D．found it easy to make a living
参考答案：1．A 2．B 3．D 4．C 5．A
