英美概况期末考试答案
American Beginnings
1. What were the new and powerful social forces which led to the awakening of Europe and the discovery of America? P34
The first force was the development of capitalism. The growth of capitalism produced two new classes-the bourgeoisie [?b?r?wɑ?'zi?]and the working class with the development of commerce and trade, the bourgeoisie become increasingly powerful in politics as well as in economy, so they wanted to share more power with feudal lords.
The second force was the Renaissance ['ren?sɑ?ns], which was marked by a changing outlook on life.
The third force was the Religious Reformation, a religious force movement that started from Germany.
2. What was the unique American phenomenon? How did it come into being? Do you think it still exi sts in today’s American society? P36
The enactment [?'n?ktm?nt of laws for the colony and the enslavement of Africans combined constituted a unique American phenomenon..
on the one hand, the English and other Europeans went to North America for seeking freedom. On the other hand, these very white people who were seeking and fighting for their own freedom deprived black Africans of their freedom.
On July 30, 1619, the first meeting of an elected legislature, a representative assembly, was held in Virginia. A month later, still in Virginia, a Dutch ship brought in over 20 Negroes as servants for a term of years to make a start toward the enslavement of Africans within what was to be the American republic.
This phenomenon still exists in today’s American socie ty, such as the racial discrimination. Until now, the black people still receive the unfair prejudice. However, the society in America is full of freedom, especially to the white people. They have a lot of rights in their life.
3. In what way did the pattern of founding of Maryland influence American culture?
In 1648, Lord Baltimore appointed a Protestant governor, and the next year, the Maryland Toleration Act, which assured freedom of worship to all who believed in Jesus Christ, was passed.
Because the protestant majority were capitalistic-minded people and refused to carry out the feudal plan, and because the wilderness of North America provided plenty of land while labor was scarce, it was impossible for Lord Baltimore to have his feudal plan executed. Not long after the founding of his colony, the feudal experimental plan was dropped, and the colony, like other colonies in North America, followed a capitalist development road.
4. In what way did Puritanism influence American culture? P37-38
The Puritans believed that everyone had a calling, which was given by God. Working hard and living a moral life were their ethics, and they concluded that the Bible was the authority of their doctrine, so education was essential for Puritans.
The Puritans hoped t o build ―a city upon hill‖-an ideal community. Since that time, Americans have viewed their country as a great experiment, a worthy model for other nations. This sense of mission has been very strong in the minds of many Americans.
New England also established another American tradition—a strain of often intolerant moralism. The Puritans believed that governments should enforce God's morality. They strictly punished drunks, adulterers, violators of the Sabbath and other religious believers different from themselves. Roger Williams, one of the Puritans who protested that the state should not interfere with religion, was driven out of Massachusetts. In 1635, he set up Rhode Island colony, which guaranteed religious freedom and the separation of Church and state. The Puritans also have left rich cultural heritage to future Americans. The American values such as individualism, hard work, respect of education owe very much to the Puritan beliefs.
The Political System
1. What is a federal system?
A federal system is one in which power is shared between a central authority and its constituent parts, with some rights reserved to each. The Constitution specified exactly what power the central government had and which power was reserved for the states.
2. How did the delegates from the early British colonies design the constitution?
In the course of the Convention, the delegates designed a new form of government for the United States. The plan for the government was written in very simple language in a document called the Constitution of the United States. In writing the Constitution, the delegates had to deal with two main fears shares by most Americans.
3. What were the two main fears shared by Americans while writing the constitution and how did they deal with them? P52-53
One fear was that one person or group, including the majority, might became too powerful or be able to seize control of the country and create a tyranny. To guard against this possibility, the delegates set up a government consisting of three parts, or branches, the executive, the legislative and the judicial. Each branch has a way of counteracting and
limiting any wrongful action by another branch.
Another fear was that the new central government might weaken or taken away the power of the state governments to run their own affairs. To deal with this the Constitution specified exactly what power the central government had and which power was reserved for the states. The states were allowed to run their own governments as they wished, provided that their governments were republican.
4. What is the Executive Branch? P137
The chief executive is the president, who is elected to four-year term. A president can be elected only two terms according to an amendment passed in 1951. The president can propose legislation to Congress and veto any bill passed by Congress. He is the commander in chief of the armed forces. The president has other broad authorities in running the government department and handling foreign relations. Except for the right of success ion to the presidency, the vice president’s only constitutional duties are to serve as the presiding officer of the senate; the vice president may vote in the senate only in the event of a tie.
5. What is the Bill of Rights? Why is it necessary to write the Bill of Rights explicitly into the US Constitution? P56
It’s another basic foundation in Americans’ constitution. It consists of 10 very short paragraphs which guarantee freedom and individual rights and forbid interference with lives of individuals by the government. Each
paragraph is an amendment to the original Constitution. In the Bill of Rights, Americans are guarantee freedom of religion, of speech and of the press. They have the right to assemble in public places, to protest government actions and to demand change. They have the right to own weapons if they wish.
Economy
1. What is the current economic position of America in the world?
◇―superpower‖ in world affairs;
◇dominant position of the dollar ―Bretton Woods system‖
＊the US has the largest and the most technologically powerful economy in the world, with a per capital GDP of $46,000. (ranked No.9 in the world)
＊It is the only superpower in the world. With about 5% of the world’s population, the US produces about 27% of the total world output. (ranked No.1 in total amount in the world)
＊the US firms are at or near the forefront in technological advances, especially in computers and in medical, aerospace, nuclear energy, electronics and the military equipment.
＊the US is still the largest automobile maker of the world. It is a major buyer and the seller in the world market.
＊the US dollar is still used as an international currency and many other
currencies are pegged to it.
2. What are the five stages of industrial development? P65-67 One key development was the introduction of the factory system, which gathered many workers together in one workplace and produced goods for distribution over a wide area.
A second development was the ―American system‖ of mass production which originated in the firearms industry about 1800.
A third development was the application of new technologies to industrial tasks.
A forth development was the emergency of new forms of business organization, notably the bank and the corporation, which facilitated the growth of industry.
Finally, the construction of railroads beginning in the 1830s, marked the start of a new era for the United States
3. What are the roots of affluence in America? P69
1. The vast dimensions and ample natural resources of the United States proved from the first to be a major advantage for national economic development.
2. A population of more than 310 million people provides both workers and consumers for American businesses.
3. A mobility in the American population contributes a useful flexibility to business life.
4. The entrepreneurial spirit finds its outlet in such business activities as manufacturing, transporting, buying and selling.
5. The governmental powers were limited while widening opportunities for individual initiative.
4. What are the main sectors of industry in America? Name some of the important cities representing each sector.
1.Manufacturing industry: Chicago
2. high-tech industry: Los Angeles, California
3. Heavy industry: Pittsburgh
4. Service industry: New York, Seattle
5. Aviation: Houston
6. Car industry: Detroit
Education
1. How did America change the way of education to teach the children to be world citizens? P122
In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that the practice f segregation blacks into separate schools was unconstitutional.
Between 1950 and 1960, more and more new knowledge was developed than in all of the world’s history before 1950.
Schools were asked not only to teach this new information, but to help students ask their own questions about it.
The ―inquiry‖ method of learning, focusing on solving problems rather
than memorizing facts.
More science courses were added to the curriculum
The federal government began to spend millions for the development of new science curricula and for training teachers to use them.
2. How do Americans apply for a university? P123
Their high school records (GPA)
The recommendation from their high school teachers
The scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SATs)
The impression they make during interview at the university
3. What are the categories of higher institutions in America? 1. the university, which may contain:(a)several colleges for undergraduate students seeking a bachelor’s degree and (b)one or more graduate schools for those continuing in specialized studies beyond the bachelor’s degree to obtain a master’s or a doctoral degree;
2. the four-year undergraduate institution-most of which are not part of a university;
3. the technical training institution, at which high school graduates may take courses ranging from six months to four years in duration and learn a wide variety of technical skills, from hair styling through business accounting to computer programming;
4. the two-year, or community college, from which students may
enter many professions or may transfer to four-year colleges or universities.
4. What factors that determine the best prestige of a university? Quality of teaching faculty, quality of research facilities; amount of founding available for libraries, special programs, ect.; and the competence and number of applicants for admission, i.e., how selective the institution can be in choosing its students.
5. How to select a college or a university? Name all the members of the Ivy League. P124-125
What degrees does the school offer? How long does it take to earn one? What curricula does a college or university offer? What are the requirements for earning a degree?
Is the college or university a public institution or a private one?
If it is private, is it a religious school?
How large is the school?
Columbia, Cornell, Brown, Harvard, Yale, Princeton University, Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania,
6. Explain why Americans respect education.
It was influenced by the puritan, who concluded that the Bible was the authority of their doctrine, so every puritan must read the Bible to contact with God. To be able to read the Bible and understand God’s will, education was essential for puritans. So as a tradition, American respect
education.
In American, education is a national concern, a state responsibility, and a local function. Americans believe that it could promote both their own individual welfare as well as that of the general though education.
7. What degrees do undergraduate colleges and graduate schools offer?
undergraduate colleges_ Bachelor’s degree
graduate schools_ master’s degree and Doctor’ s degree.
8. What are the functions of the boards of education?
The Board of Education in each state or district decides the spending, curriculum, teacher standard and certification, and the overall measurement of student progress
American Way of Life
1. What are the stereotypes about the USA?
1. All Americans are rich. The US has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world. Over the last 40 years the percentage officially classified as living in poverty has fluctuated between 11% and 15% of the population.
2. American society is violent. About 25% of Americans own a gun. Crime rates remain notably higher than in China. About 1% of the population is in prison, the highest ratio in the world.
3. American families are in disarray. High divorce rate – 50%. Less than
half of American children today are raised with and by their birth-parents.
4. Americans are all religious. 85% of Americans say they believe in God. The other 15% is mostly divided between those who say they are atheists or agnostics.
5. Americans are optimistic. One of the American value is future orientation. An upbeat expectation of a bright future has been part of the American heritage from the colonial beginnings.
2. What are the metaphors that have been used as the national self-images and why did they lose their credibility? P173-174 ? Melting pot: America is a nation of immigrants. After World War II, the Anglophile W ASPs lost their privileged position.
? Salad Bowl: The metaphor Salad Bowl was understood to be made up of many different components that each retained its characteristic flavor, color and texture.
But salads quickly decay, making this metaphor not very satisfactory as a national self-image.
? Mosaic: A mosaic is made of up small ceramic peices of different colors and shapes.
But a mosaic, once it is made, never changes.
? Kaleidoscope: The patterns in the kaleidoscope were not at all fixed. The different beads reflected the many different groups that have gone into making up the American population.
But the ease with which the kaleidoscopic patterns changed was problematic – too changeable.
3. Why is the Internet an up-to-date metaphor used to encapsulate the USA? P175
The reasons behind this suggestion go far beyond the fact that the WWW [world wide web] originating in the USA, is a central technology for modern life that has now spread all over the world. The Internet has several characteristics that seem consonant with the USA today.
1 .the www has no center.
2. No one is reliably in charge.
3. Each individual must take responsibility for what he or she takes seriously: all of them important features of the American way of life.
4. Why is America said to be a society of violence? What is the NRA?
Americans are aware that certain neighborhoods are likely to be dangerous. Crime rates in the USA, despite sharp declines in recent years, remain notably higher than in China (or in Europe). About 1% of the population is in prison, the highest ratio in the world, partly because the justice system works hard to pursue criminals. Also crimes are associated with guns, which are more freely owned and used in the USA than elsewhere. About 25% of Americans own a gun. Overall, there is more violence in American life than in other industrialized countries, and the
threat of violence is often played up by the news media. Hence many Americans are conscious of the threat of violence and take measures to avoid it.
National Rifle Association is a private organization, makes a great public display of opposing any laws that might restrict gun ownership.
5. What are the reasons for the changing marriage pattern in the USA? What is its effect on USA way of life?
1. World war ii, most families were patriarchal, that is, dominated by the senior male as husband and father.
2. The newer, more egalitarian, kind of family has been described as ―nurturing- power‖ family, in which parents regard themselves more as ―partners‖ and encourage their children to become independent by making their own decision.
3. The ―no-fault‖ divorce laws are introduced in the late 1970s and now realy universal in American states.
The effect of these shifting marriage patterns is to diminish the authority of parents in relation to their children. Many young people listen to their peers more than to their parents. Youth culture flourishes, encouraged by entertainment industrials that have grown up to cater young tastes: pop music, text-messaging. Keep-in-contact websites like Facebook and Twitter. As a long-term result, traditional values do not transmit readily from one generation to the next, reducing the chances for a national
consensus on public issues. -- The End