答案美国文化American_Culture
Chapter 1 Geography
I. Location and Size
1. The full name of the United States is the United States of America. The continental United States lies in central North America with Canada to its north, Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico to its south, the Atlantic Ocean to its east and the Pacific Ocean to its west.
2. The U.S. has a land area of 9.3 million square kilometers. It is the forth largest country in the world in size after Russia, Canada and China.
3. The U.S. is a federal republic with many states.
1) For a long time there were 48 states, then in 1959 Alaska and Hawaii became the forty-ninth and fiftieth states. Alaska borders on northwestern Canada, and Hawaii lies in the central Pacific.
2) Of all the states, Alaska is the largest in area and Rhode Island is the smallest. But on the mainland Texas is the largest sate of the country.
II. Mountains, Rivers and Lakes
1. Mountains:1) The Rockies (落基山脉), the backbone of the North American Continent, is also known as the Continental Divide.2) The two main mountain ranges in American are the Appalachian mountains and the Rocky mountains. The Appalachians run slightly from the northeast to southwest and the Rocky Mountains run slightly from the northwest to southeast.
2. Rivers
1) The Mississippi River is the largest river in American, over 6000 kilometers. The Mississippi has been called “father of waters” or “Old Man River”.
2) The Ohio River has been called the American Ruhr. The area along the river is rich in valuable deposits of high-grade coking coal and is well known for its steel industry. The river provides cheap water transportation for raw materials.
3) On the Pacific side there are two great rivers: the Colorado in the south and the Columbia, which rises in Canada.
4) The Rio Grande River forms a natural boundary between Mexico and the United States.
3. Lakes: The most important lakes in the United States are the Great Lakes. They are Lake Superior, which is the largest fresh water lake in the world, Lake Michigan ,the only entirely in the U.S., Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. They are located between Canada and the United States except Lake Michigan.
III. Climate
Region 4Region 2
Region 1
Region 3
Chapter 2 Population, Race and Ethnic Groups
I. Population: The United States of America is the third most populous county in the world after China and India.
II. Immigration
III. Racial and Ethnic Minorities
1. Blacks
A large number of blank people move out of the south to other areas during the period between 1920 and 1960.
The largest of the racial and ethnic minorities in the United States is the blacks who number about 12.1% of the population. The first blacks were brought to North America as slaves in 1619.
2. Hispanics (拉丁人种，西班牙语移民)
The Hispanics usually are Spanish-speaking person of Latin-American origin who live in the United States. Three major Hispanic groups historically have had the greatest influence on the United States. They are Mexico-Americans of Chicanos, the Puerto Ricans and the
Cuban-Americans.
3. The Asian-Americans are the fastest-growing racial and ethnic group in the United States. The largest groups of Asian-Americans are the Chinese-Americans. Experts say three Asian traditions best explain the success of Asian-American: education, hard work, and family.
4. Traditionally, the mainstream American was called WASPs, that is, White Anglo-Saxon Protestants.The term originated in reference to White Americans of Anglo-Saxon descent(英国新教徒白人), who were Protestant in religious affiliation. However, the term does not have a precise definition, and can be used to describe greatly differing groups. It initially applied to people with histories in the upper class Northeastern establishment, who were alleged to form powerful elite.
Chapter 3 American History (I) (1600-1900)
I. The Colonial Period
1. The “first American” were the Indians. The first English colony in America was founded at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. Between 1607 and 1733 the British established 13 colonies along the east coast of North American.
In 1620, 201 of Pilgrims sailed to the New World in a ship called Mayflower. They arrived at Plymouth and built the Plymouth colony.
From 1630 to 1643, some 200 ships transported over 20000 Englishmen to the Massachusetts Bay colony. The colonists were building a new way of life in the New World. There were a number of features which would play a role in forming the American character. They were: representative from of government, rule of law, respect of individual rights, religious tolerance and a strong spirit of individual enterprise.
II. The War of Independence
In September 1744, the First Continental Congress was held in Philadelphia which encouraged American to refuse to buy British goods.
The Declaration of Independence (1776) was drafted by Thomas Jefferson of Virginia. The Declaration is a clear explanation of the political theory behind the revolution and this theory came from the British philosopher John Locke.
On the Christmas Day of 1776, the Americans defeated the British troops at Trenton, New Jersey. Not long afterwards, the Americans troops defeated the British at Saratoga in Northern New York. This was a great turning point of the War of Independence, leading directly to an alliance between the U.S and France.
In September, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed, Britain recognized the independence of the U.S.
III. The Civil War
American slavery existed before the War of Independence. During the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and again in the drawing up of the Constitution, opposition to slavery was put aside for a greater objective.
In the early 1800’s, the Northern States turned from farming to manufacturing. But, conditions were different in the South. To meet a rising world-wide demand for cotton and tobacco, the planters farmed large areas of land. Slave labor seemed best suited for producing these crops.
With the territorial expansion towards the west, the problem of whether slavery should be allowed to spread into these areas arose again. When Abraham Lincoln was elected president, the southern states broke away and formed a new nation, the Confederate States of America. The war broke out on April 12, 1861.
In the Civil war, Lincoln realized that he could win support for the Union at home and abroad by making the war a just war against slavery. So he issued the famous Emancipation Proclamation.
On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln made a short speech on the occasion of dedicating the national cemetery at Gettysburg. He ended his speech with these memorable words: “That government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Chapter 4 American History (II) (1900-1945)
I. Economic Development
In 1880, the U.S ranked first in the world in the production of steel; in 1900,the U.S. produced 245 million tons of coal, ranking first in the world. Coal was produced mostly in 6 states: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, West Virginia and Colorado.
Large Corporation, urbanization and new technology were the three features in the growth of American economy at the beginning of the 20th century.
In 1903, the Wright brothers flew a plane for a brief 12 seconds at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. This was the beginning of the appearance of the plane. In 1911, Glenn E. Curiss designed and flew a successful plane.
II. Progressive (进步运动)
It was a movement at the turn of the 20th century which demanded government regulation of the economy and social conditions, spread quickly with the support of large number of people across the country. The Progressive Movement was not an organized campaign with clearly defined goals. Rather, it was a number of diverse efforts at political, social and economic reforms.
In 1920s, the U.S. has been described by many historians as a period of material success and spiritual frustration or confusion and purposelessness.
III. The Great Depression and The New Deal
The stock market crash was the beginning of long economic depression in the late 1920S and 1930S.
The aim of President Roosevelt’s new measures was to save American democracy and the capitalist system.
The New Deal: It was put forward by American President Roosevelt who wanted to do something to deal with the Great Depression at that time. It passed a lot of New Deal laws and set up some efficient social security systems. The New Deal helped to “save American democracy” and to overcome the most serious economic crisis of the capitalist system up to that time.
Chapter 5 American History (III)(1945-1980s)
I. The Origin of Cold War
The conflicts between Soviet Union and the United States arose basically from their separate concepts of postwar world orders.
1. The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan
The open declaration of the containment policy was made by President Truman on March 12, 1949 in a speech to the joint session of congress.
2. Improve your knowledge
The Truman Doctrine in March 1947 promised that the USA “would support free peoples who are resisting subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures”. It signalled the end of “isolationism” policies.
In order to protect Western Europe from possible Soviet expansion, the U.S. decided to offer Western European countries economic aid. This later came to be called the Marshall plan.
3. The Founding of the NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty, which was signed on April 4, 1949, marked the beginning of U.S. efforts in setting up a military alliance around the Soviet Union and its allies.
II. The Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s
The Montgomery boycott was led by Martin Luther King, Jr., a young black clergyman who later became a national leader of the Civil Rights movement.
The Civil Rights Movement in the United States refers in part to a set of noted events and reform movements in that country aimed at abolishing public and private acts of racial discrimination and racism against African Americans between 1954 to 1968, particularly in the southern United States.
III. American Society During the Postwar Boom (1945-1960s)
1. Since 1945 the United States had entered a twenty-five-year economic boom. The cornerstones were the automobile, housing, and defense industries.
2. Between 1946 and 1961, more than 6
3.5 million babies were born in the U.S, making the
baby-boom generation the largest by far in the American history.
IV. The Vietnam War
The policy of containment of Communism led the United States into the War in Vietnam which turned out to be the longest war it fought (1950-1975). By 1969, 543,400 American troops were fighting in South Vietnam.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s the U.S began to look for a way to improve relations with China so as to get China’s help for its withdrawal from South Vietnam and to work with China against Soviet expansion.
In February 1972, President Nixon visited China and met Mao Zedong and the two countries issued the Shanhai Communique. This visit ended twenty-three years of hostility and led to the establishment of diplomatic relations in January 1979.
The Impact of Vietnam War：1）The United States was weakened as a result of the long war; 2）American society had never been so divided since the Civil War; 3）There are serious disagreement within the ruling circle. 4）The image of the United States, especially the image of the American armed forces, was discredited.
Chapter 6 Political Institutions
I. Constitution
The American Constitution is the oldest written constitution in the world. It was drawn up in 1787 and went into effect in 1789. It is the basic instrument of American Government and the Supreme law of the land.
Separation of powers: checks and balances 制约和平衡
The government is divided into three branched: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. Each branch has part of the powers but not all the power.
II. The Executive Branch
The President of the U.S is the head of the executive branch and the head of the state elected by the whole nation. The Constitution requires the President to be a natural-born American citizen at least 35 years of age. The president election was held every 4 years.
Presidency Election
1) In American, the “winner-take-all” system applies in all states expect Maine.
2) The electors of all fifty states and the District of Columbia-a total of 538 persons-comprise what is known as the Electoral College. To be successful, a candidate for the Presidency must receive 270 votes.
3) The presidential term of 4 years begin on Jan 20 following the November election, the president publicly takes an oath of office, which is administered by the Chief Justice of the U.S. A president can be elected to office only twice.
The Presidential Powers
legislative powers；Executive powers: the highest duty；Powers in foreign affairs；Judiciary powers: give reprieves(缓刑) and pardons (赦免) in federal criminal cases.
III. The Legislative Branch
1. A Two-chamber Congress (国会)
Article I of the Constitution grants all legislative power of the federal government to a Congress composed of two chambers, a Senate and a House of Representatives.
Every 2 years one-third of the Senate stands for re-election. Today, the House is composed of 435 members.
The Senate is composed of 2 members from each state, Membership in the House is based on population and its size is therefore not specified in the Constitution.
1) Each house of the Congress has the power to introduce legislation on any subject, except revenue bills，which must first come from the House of Representatives.
2) The Constitution provides that the Vice president shall be president of the Senate. He has no vote, except in a case of a tie. The House of Representatives choose its own presiding officer-the Speaker of the House.
IV. The Judiciary Branch
1. According to the Constitution, the judicial power of the U.S shall be vested in one Supreme Court. The judicial system has evolved into the present structure: the Supreme Court, 11 court of appeals, 91 district courts, and 3 courts of special jurisdiction. U.S. judges are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
2. The Supreme Court is the highest court of the U.S and is the only organ which has the power to interpret the Constitution. The Supreme Court at present consists of a Chief Justice and 8 Associate Justices.
III. Political Parties
In general, American has a two-party system. There are two major political parties in America: the Democrats and the Republicans. There have been four periods in the history of political parties in American.
Chapter 7 Education
Under the Tenth Amendment to the U.S Constitution, education was included among the respon sibilities which were “reserved to the states or the people”.
It is a general view that every American has the right and obligation to become educated. American believe that, through education, an individual acquires the knowledge, skill, attitudes and abilities which will enable him to fit into society and improve his social status. Education helps to shape the society and develop the national strength.
Characteristics of American Education
1. In American, there are more public elementary and secondary schools that private ones, while private colleges and universities outnumber public ones.
2. Formal education in the U.S consists of elementary, secondary and higher education, Elementary and secondary education, which forms public education, is free and compulsory.
3. Each local school district of American has a governing board (管理委员会) whose major responsibilities are：1) The hiring of professional and support staff, 2) determining the most suitable local curriculum, 3) developing and approving a budget to carry out educational programs. Usually the board of education employs a superintendent of school, who is the chief executive officer at the local level.
4. There is not a national system of education in the United States, It is the state that establishes policies for the education within its boundary, and so many variations can be found in the education system of the 50 states.
Higher Education
The system of higher education in the U.S has three principal functions: teaching, research and public service.
In American, there are the best research universities such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia and MIT in the east, as well as Stanford and Berkeley on the west coast.