A根据以下材料，回答36-39题Passage ThreeAlaska, which was called RussianAmerica before it was sold to the United States of America,joined the union asthe forty-ninth state in 1959. Alaska is now the largest of all the 50 statesof the United States. It was in 1867that President A. Johnson′s Secretary of State ( 国务卿),Seward bought Alaska from the Russians at a cost of 7.2million. The buying of the huge northern lmass seemed at first somethingfoolishly done. Not only was Alaska difficult to reach, but it was also hard tolive in, it appeared to have no importance in time of war. Besides, thereare volcanoes there as Alaska lies on the Pacific "ring of fire" ( 火山带 ). In Alaska large treeless areas are covered with snow all the year.For these reasons the buying of Alaska was called "Seward′s Fooly" atthat time. However, in 1896gold was found in Alaska, people poured into the lquickly. Since then otherimportant natural resources were discovered, including oil. Soon people changedtheir thinking about "Seward′s Fooly". But most people visit Alaskain order to see the endless beauty of nature that the northern ldisclosesto them. For instance ,there are about 11,000 islands in Alaska. in acertain area of Alaska the sun does not set for 82 days every year.[单选题] Alaska belonged to __ before1867.A.Russia
