Cambridge 15 (General Training) | Test 1 | Section 3

The California Gold Rush of 1849

On January 24, 1848, James Wilson Marshall, a carpenter, found small flakes of gold in the American River near Coloma, California. At the time, Marshall was working to build a water-powered sawmill for businessman John Sutter. As it happens, just days after Marshall’s discovery, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, ending the Mexican-American War and transferring California, with its mineral deposits, into the ownership of the United States. At the time, the population of the territory consisted of 6,500 Californios (people of Spanish or Mexican descent); 700 foreigners (primarily Americans); and 150,000 Native Americans.

carpenter (noun) [countable]

/ˈkɑːrpəntər/

someone whose job is making and repairing wooden objects

e.g., A master carpenter was in charge of teaching the apprentices.

as it happens (idiom)

used to introduce something that is true by chance

e.g., As it happens, I know his brother.

ownership (noun) [uncountable]

/ˈəʊnərʃɪp/

the fact that you own something

e.g., The company is under private ownership.