For many years it was common in the United States to associate Chinese Americans with restaurants and laundries. People did not realize that the Chinese had been driven into these occupations by the prejudice and discrimination that faced them in this country.

　　The First Chinese to reach the mainland United States came during the California Gold Rush of 1849. Like most of the other people there, they had come to search for gold. In that largely unoccupied land,the men staked a claim for themselves by placing markers in the ground. However. either because the Chinese were so different from the others or because they worked so patiently that they sometimes succeeded in turning a seemingly worthless mining claim into a profitable one, they became che scapegoats of their envious competitors. They were harassed in many ways. Often they were prevented from working their claims; some localities even passed regulations forbidding them to own claims. The Chinese therefore started to seek out other ways of earning a living. Some of them began to do che laundry for the white miners; others set up small restaurants. (There were almost no women in California in those days,and the Chinese filled a real need by doing this“woman's work”.) Some went to work as farmhands or as fishermen.

　　In the early 1860's many more Chincse arrived in California.This time the men were imported as work crews to construct the first transcontinental railroad.They were sorely needed because the work was so strenuous and dangerous, and it was carried on in such a remote part of the country that the railroad company could not find other laborers for the job. As in the case of their predecessors,these Chinese were almost all males; and like them, too, they encountered a great deal of prejudice. The hostility grew especially strong afrer the railroad project was complete, and the imported laborers returned to California-thousands of them, all out of work. Because there were so many more of them this time,these Chinese drew even more attention than the earlier group did. They were so very different in every respect: in their physical appearance, including a long“pigtail”at the back of their otherwise shaved heads; in the strange, non-Western clothes they wore; in their speech (few had learned English since they planned to go back to China); and in their religion. They were contemptuously called “heathen Chinese” because there were many sacred images in their houses of worship.

　　When times were hard. they were blamed for working for lower wages and taking jobs away from white men. who were in many cases recent immigrants themselves. Anti-Chinese riots broke out in several cities. culminating in arson and bloodshed. Chinese were barred from using the courts and also from becoming American citizens. Californians began to demand that no more Chinese be permitted to enter their state. Finally. in 1882. they persuaded Congress to pass the Chinese Exclusion Act, which stopped the immigration of Chinese laborers. Many Chinese rerurned to their homeland, and their numbers declined sharply in the early part of this century. However. during the World War II,when China was an ally of the United States. the Exclusion laws were ended; a small number of Chinese were allowed to immigrate each year, and Chinese could become American citizens. In 1965, in a general revision of our immigration laws,may more Chinese were permitted to settle here,as discrimination against Asian immigration was abolished.

　　From the start,the Chinese had lived apart in their own separate neighborhoods, which came to be known as “Chinatowns”. In each of them the residents organized an unofficial government to make rules for the community and to settle disputes. Unable to find jobs on the outside, many went into business for themselves-primarily to serve their own neighborhood. As for laundries and restaurants. some of them soon spread to other parts of the city,since such services continued to be in demand among non-Chinese, too. To this day. certain Chinatowns. especially those of San Francisco and New York. are busy. thriving communities, which have become great attractions for tourists and for those who enjoy Chinese food.

　　Most of today's Chincse Americans are the descendants of some of the early miners and railroad workers. Those immigrants had come from the vicinity of Canton in Southeast China. where they had been uneducated farm laborers.The same kind of young men,from the same area and from similar humble origins,migrated to Hawaii in those days. There they fared far better, mainly because they did not encounter hostility. Some married native Hawaiians, and other brought their wives and children over. They were not restricted to Chinatown and many of them soon became successful merchants and active participants in general community affairs.

　　Chinese Americans retain many aspects of their ancient culture. even after having lived here for several generations. For Example, their family ties continue to be remarkably scrong (encompassing grandparents. uncles, aunts, cousins. and others). Members of the family lend each other moral support and also practical help when necessary. From a very young age children are imbued with the old values and attitudes. including respect for their elders and a feeling of responsibility to the family. This helps co explain why there is so little juvenile delinquency (少年犯罪 ) among them.

　　The high regard for education which is deeply imbedded in Chinese culture.and the willingness to work very hard to gain advancement, are other noteworthy characteristics of theirs. This explains why so many descendants of uneducated laborers have succeeded in becoming doctors. lawyers, and other professionals.(Many of the most outstanding Chinese American scholars,scientists, and artists are more recent arrivals, who come from China's former upper class and who represent its high cultural traditions.)

　　Chinese Americans make up only a tiny fraction of our population; there are fewer than half a miilion, living chiefly in California. New York. and Hawaii. As American attitudes toward minorities and toward ethnic differences have changed in recent years, the long-reviled Chinese have gained wide acceptance. Today, they are generally admired for their many remarkable characteristics, and are often held up as an example worth following. And their numerous contributions to their adopted land are much appreciated.

　　閱讀理解練習測試題：

　　1.Most Chinese Americans worked in restaurants and laundries because of______________.

　　A)the skills they acquired at the motherland

　　B)local people's discrimination against them

　　C)their high employment rates

　　D)their comparatively high pay

　　2. During the California Gold Rush.restaurant and laundry were regarded as________________.

　　A)unprofitable work B)comfortable work

　　C)woman's work D)Chinese work

　　3. In the early l860's, more Chinese were shipped to California to work as________________.

　　A)gold miners B)railroad builders C)steelworkers D)farmhands

　　4.Few Chinese learned English at that time because_________________.

　　A)they seldom used Engiish in Chinatown

　　B)they were too old to learn a new tongue

　　C)they couldn't find good English teachers

　　D)they wouldn't stay in America for long

　　5.The Chinese Exclusion Act came to an end_________________.

　　A)by the California governor then B)after a massive bloodshed

　　C)during WWII D)in 1965

　　6.One of the Chinatowns as a busy and thriving community now is located in________________.

　　A)Florida B)Hawaii C)New Jersey D)New York

　　7. Chinese immigrants to Hawaii found that they________________.

　　A)were treated without discrimination

　　B)were provided with fewer job choices

　　C)couldn't travel to mainland America

　　D)could only live or work in Chinatown

　　8.The old values and attitudes imparted into the young Chinese Americans effectively help prevent_______________.

　　9.China's high cultural traditions are represented by the Chinese American_____________.

　　10.The contributions made by Chinese to America had gained much_____________.

　　閱讀理解練習答案詳解：

　　1.[B][定位]根據題干中的restaurants and laundries定位到第2段。

　　解析：第2段首句提到了中國移民被迫到餐廳和洗衣房打工，第2句則揭示了個中的原因，B的內容在第2句中提及，為本題答案。

　　2.[C][定位]根據題干中的California Gold Rush，restaurant和laundry定位到第3段倒數第2、3句。

　　解析：原文該句中的this“woman's work”指的就是前一句提到的laundry和restaurant的工作，可見本題應選C。

　　3.[B][定位]根據題干中的In the early 1860's定位到第4段開頭兩句。

　　解析：原文該段第2句中的work crews to construct the first transcontinental railroad表明那時候華人到美國是為了修建鐵路，可見本題應選B。

　　4.[D][定位]根據題干中的Few和learned English定位到第4段倒數第2句。

　　解析：原文該句中括號里的內容明確表明很少華人學習英語的原因是他們都計劃要回中國，也就是他們沒想過要長久留在美國，因此本題應選D。

　　5.[C][定位]根據題干中的The Chinese Exclusion Act定位到第5段倒數第2句。

　　解析：原文該句中的during the World War II... the Exclusion laws were ended明確表明本題應選C。干擾項D中的1965在原文該段末句提及，但與Chinese Exclusion Act無關，故不能選。

　　6.[D][定位]根據題干中的Chinatowns和busy and thriving community定位到第6段末句。

　　解析：原文該段提到繁榮的Chinatown時，只提到了San Francisco和New York，D正是其中一個，其他選項均未提及。

　　7.[A][定位]根據題干中的immigrants和Hawaii定位到第7段第3、4句。

　　解析：原文該段第4句中because引出的原因從句表明華人在夏威夷“沒有遭到敵視”，A“沒有受到歧視”與原文該句意思一致。所以本題應選A。

　　8.[juvenile delinquency]

　　[定位]根據題干中的old values and attitudes定位到第8段最后兩句。

　　解析：空白處應為名詞(詞組)。原文該段最后兩句表明孩子們從小就被灌輸古代的價值觀與看問題的方法，這使他們在青少年時期很少犯罪，也就是說，這些價值觀與看問題的方法可有助于減少“青少年犯罪”，即juvenile delinquency。

　　9.[scholars,scientists,and artists]

　　[定位]根據題干中的high cultural traditions和represented定位到第9段末句。

　　解析：空白處應為名詞(詞組)。原文該段末尾的who represent its high cultural traditions中的who指的是末句開頭提到的Many of the most outstanding Chinese American scholars，scientists，and artists。題目將段末的定語從句改寫為被動語態，所以who所指的內容就是本題答案，即scholars，scientists and artists。

　　10.[appreciation]

　　[定位]根據題干中的contributions定位到末段末句。

　　解析：空白處應為不可數名詞。題目是對原文該句的同義改寫，所不同的是，原文的謂語部分是are much appreciated.而題目的是had gained much...，作答時要將appreciated改為其名詞形式appreciation，才可作題目中gained的賓語。

　　閱讀理解練習參考譯文：

　　美籍華人的歷史

　　華人已經在美國生活差不多200年了。事實上，在與美國大陸開始商業往來之前，華人就與夏威夷有生意往來。那時，夏威夷還不是美國的一部分，但美國投資者控制著夏威夷的資本。1788年，一艘輪船由廣州開往夏威夷，上面大部分船員是華人。他們被人們看成是夏威夷的開拓者。據移民署稱，1820年首位華人低達美國，1830年有8人，1850年780人。華人數量逐漸增加，到1870年達64199人。

　　[1]多年來，在美國人們普遍將美籍華人與餐館、洗衣房聯系起來。人們沒有認識到，華人是因為在這個國家遭受偏見、歧視才淪落到這些行業的。

　　1849年加利福尼亞淘金熱風靡時，首批華人抵達美國大陸。像大多數其他民族的人一樣，華人原來也是來淘金的。在那片人煙稀少的土地上，人們在地上插上標記，圈出自己的地盤。然而，也許是因為華人與其他民族秉性不同，又或者是因為他們太耐心工作，有時他們會把看似不名一文的地盤變成一塊賺錢的寶地。他們成了爐火中燒的競爭對手眼里的替罪羔羊，在很多事情上受到刁難。人們常常不讓他們在擁有的地盤上淘金;有些地方甚至通過法規禁止他們占據地盤。因此華人開始另辟謀生之路。一些人開始為白人礦工洗衣服;還有一些人開起了小餐館。([2]那時加利福尼亞幾乎沒有女人，華人填補了這一實際需求，干起了“女人活”。)也有些人去當了農場工人或漁夫。

　　[3]19世紀60年代初，更多華人抵達加利福尼亞。這次這些人是作為勞工輸入，來建設首條橫貫美國大陸的鐵路。之所以需要他們這些人，只是因為這項工作太累、太危險，而且工作的地方太偏遠，鐵路公司根本找不到其他的勞工來干這個工作。與他們的前輩一樣，這些華人幾乎都是男性;也像前輩一樣，他們遭遇了許多偏見。鐵路修完后，這些輸入的勞工返加加利福尼亞----幾千人，都沒有工作。這時人們對他們的敵意變得特別強烈。因為這一次數量大幅增加，這些華人比以前引人注目。他們處處與眾不同：外表不同，包括腦門后本應剔掉的長“辮子”;穿著非西式的奇怪服裝;語言不同([4]沒幾個人學習英語，因為他們都計劃要返回中國);還有宗教信仰也不同。他們的廟堂里供奉著眾多神像，所以人們鄙夷地稱他們為“未開化的中國人”。

　　時世艱難的時候，人們怪他們接受低薪工作，搶走白人的飯碗，而這些白人自己也是新移民。幾個城市爆發了反華騷亂，最終引發縱火、流血事件。人們不允許華人訴諸法律手段，也不允許其成為美國公民。加州人開始要求不再允許華人進入該州。1882年，加州人終于說服國會通過《排華法案》，該法案不再允許華人勞工移民美國。許多華人返回家鄉，本世紀初華人數目驟減。[5]但第二次世界大戰期間，當中國成為美國的盟軍后，排華法終止了;每年允許少數華人移民，華人也可以成為美國公民。1965年，在對移民法做了全面修改后，取締了對亞洲移民的歧視，允許更多華人定居美國。

　　華人從一開始就與外界隔離，生活在自己獨立的社區內。這些社區后來被稱為“唐人街”。在每一個這樣的社區內，居民組織一個非正式的政府來制訂社區規則、解決爭端。因為在外面找不到工作，許多人自己做起了生意-----主要是為自己社區的人服務。至于洗衣房和餐館，有些很快開到了城市的其他區域，因為華人以外的人也仍然需要這樣的服務。[6]現在，有些唐人街，特別是舊金山和紐約的唐人街，己成了生意興隆、一片繁忙的社區，深深地吸引著游客和喜歡吃中國菜的人。

　　今天大部分美籍華人是早期礦工和鐵路工人的后代。這些移民來自中國東南部廣州的周邊地區，都是沒受過教育的農民。[7]那時來自相同地區、出身同樣卑微家庭的年輕人移民到夏威夷后，生活過得好很多，主要是因為沒有遭遇敵視。有些人與夏威夷本地人結婚，有些人將妻兒帶過去。他們沒有局限在唐人街里，許多人很快成為成功的商人，積極參加整個地區的事務。

　　即使是在美國生活幾代后，美籍華人仍保留其古代文化的諸多方面。例如，他們的家庭關系還是堅不可摧(包括祖父母、叔伯、姑嬸、堂兄弟和其他親戚)。在需要的時候，家庭成員互相給予道義上的支持和實際的幫助。[8]孩子們從小就被灌輸古代的價值觀與看問題的方法，包括尊敬長者及對家庭的責任感。這可以解釋為什么華人中少年犯罪很少。

　　對教育的推崇在中國文化中根深蒂固，人們也愿意努力打拼、出人頭地。這些是華人另外一些特別令人矚目的特點。這也可以解釋為什么那么多沒文化的勞工的子孫后代卻可以成功地躋身醫學、法律和其他專業領域。([9]許多杰出的美籍華人學者、科學家、藝術家都是新近來美國的，他們來自中國以前的上層階級，代表的是上流文化傳統。)

　　美籍華人只占美國人口中很少的一部分，人數不足50萬，主要生活在加利福尼亞、紐約和夏威夷。近年來，隨著美國人對少數族裔、種族差異態度的轉變，長期以來倍受侮辱的華人得到了人們的廣泛認可?，F在，他們許多不凡之處普遍受到人們的贊美，常常被當作值得仿效的榜樣。[10]人們非常感謝他們為這片接納了他們的土地所做出的貢獻。