英语国家概况复习资料.doc

AMERICAName: The official name: the United States of America Other names: the U.S, the U.S.A. Uncle Sam, the States, America, Brother Jonathan, Yank, Yankee, Usian, Americana National Flag: 50 stars = 50 states; 13 stripes= 13 colonies The Star-Spangled Banner or the Stars and stripesNational Anthem: The Star-Spangled BannerThe official Seal: dominant figure-the American eagleSize and location: 9.3 million km2 , 4th largest country, RussiaCanadaChinaU.S.AStates: Alaska is the largest state. Texas is the largest continental state. Rhode Island is the smallest continental state. New England includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, which is known as Yankees.Mountains: the Appalachian Mountains & the Rocky Mountains. They are the backbone of the North American Continent. “The Continental Divide”大陆分水岭Rivers and Lakes: the Mississippi River is also known as Old Man River & Father of Rivers. The Hudson River meets the Atlantic Ocean at New York. The only lake in the U.S is Michigan. Major Cities: Washington D.C (Capital), New York (Financial Centre), Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco (China Town)Climate: various, range from tropical climate in Hawaii to rigid climate in Alaska. Population, Ethnicity & Race: A nation of immigrants, the Melting Pot, a Salad Bowl, the Nation on the wheel They advocate cultural pluralism rather than one single WASP culture. WASP: White Anglo-Saxon Protestant There are over 100 ethnic groups in the U.S and the core is WASP.Native Americans: the originally inhabitants of the continentAfrican Americans: The Blacks is the largest ethnic minority group in the U.S, which is the descendents of the slaves imported from Africa.Hispanics: their mother tongue is Spanish. They are also the fastest-growing minority group.Most of them live in the south-western states such as Texas, California & New Mexico. Asian Americans: Chinese Americans constitutes the largest Asian subgroup. The 1st China Americans arrived in California in the late 1840s for the gold rush. They contributed to the construction of the transcontinental railroad.American History: Historic periods: Pre-colonial America-English colonial America 1493-1776-forming of the U.S.A 1776-1849-the Civil War 1861-1865-Rapid growth of Economy 1865-1940- World War 2 1940-1945Pre-colonial America: Originally populated by people migrating from Asia via the Bering land bridge These people became the indigenous people- Native Americans.Discovery of the new world:The “1st Americans” were the American Indians- Native Americans.In 1492, Christopher Columbus wished to reach India by sailing west. However, he reached some small islands in now West India. He thought he had reached Asia. Later, Amerigo Vespucci proved that the land was not Asia.The colonial Period:The 1st English colony in America was founded at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607.The 2nd colony was founded in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620.Mayflower Compact五月花号公约Between 1607 and 1733, the British established 13 colonies along the coast of North America.Why did the early settlers come to America? Land of opportunities The early settlers consisted of a) English nobles-new estates, b) skilled workmen-job opportunities, c) the poor and the homeless from Europe- a chance to live a better life. Religious Freedom -the Pilgrims: In 1620, 102 pilgrims sailed to the New World in a ship called Mayflower. They arrived in Plymouth and built colony mentioned above. The 1st Thanksgiving celebration happened there. -the Puritans: the puritans were wealthy, well-educated gentlemen. They wanted to purify the Church of England. Their leaders saw the New World of refugee. The Puritans Beliefs: Religious intolerance, Material success and high position-“Gods eternal grace” and Respect for learning.The War of Independence Causes of the war: 1. The British Governments unfair price policies and severer taxes 2. People in colonies wanted more power to determine their own business. 3. Boston Tea Party in 1733 The 1st Continental Congress was held in Philadelphia. It encouraged Americans to refuse to buy British goods. Colonial militia units were organized The shots at Concord and Lexington in Apr. 19, 1775 British soldiers were sent from Boston to seize military supplies of the militia stored in Concord. Paul Revere, a patriot, got the news and rode off on the horseback to arouse the villages. When the British soldiers arrived at Lexington, they met several dozen armed militiamen. A shot was fired and then others followed. The shots at Concord and Lexington started the Independent War. The 2nd Continental Congress was also held in Philadelphia. A continental Army and Navy were founded under the command of George Washington. It also appointed a committee to draft a formal declaration. Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence. (Political theory by John Locke)l Human beings are born with rights such as liberty, life and pursuit of happiness.l The government is only a kind of social contrast set up to protect the rights of people.l It proves that to break away from Britain and to be independent are justified. The Process of the war: In 1776, Saratoga, the turning point of the war, the alliance between the US and France defeated the British.A new form of Government In May, 1787, the Constitutional Conventionall of the 13 states except Rhode Island were represented. The first 10 amendments of the US Constitution & the Bill of Rights in 1791The Last War between US & UK The Second Britain-America WarConflicts: territories, trade, British blockade of all ships bound for France.America in the 19th century President Jefferson 1801-1809: Peaceful transition of political power between parties Literalism: The best government is the least government, informal but pragmatic style Capital moved to Washington D.CTerritorial Expansion: After the war of Independence, the Americans: Forced England to give up the Old Northwest; Forced Spain to open the Mississippi River; persuaded Napoleon to sell the Louisiana Territory at 15 million dollars, which doubled the American territories. Alaska from Russia in1867 Hawaii in Aug, 21st, 1959The Civil War 1861-1865: conflicts between the North and the Southl In the 19th century, white Americans of the North and the South were unable to reconcile fundamental difference in: their approach to government; economics; society; African American slavery.l Slavery: slave trade from 1619 “Nigger” or “Negroes”l Jefferson Davis was 1st and last president of the Confederate States. (tragedy)l When Abraham Lincoln was elected President, the Southern states broke away and established a rebel government, the Confederate States of America on Feb 9th, 1861.l The Civil War broke out on Apr 12th, 1861.l President Lincoln won support for the Union at home and abroad by making the war a just war against slavery. He issued the famous Emancipation Proclamation & the Homestead Act (free title to land of 50 acres outside of the original 13 colonies)l England and France stood by the Unions side, and many blacks joined the Union army.l On Nov.19th, 1863, Lincoln made another famous speech at Gettysburg. “ and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”l After a series of battles, the Confederate army led by General Lee surrended on Apr. 9th, 1865l 5 days later, Lincoln was shot. (another tragedy)l In Dec, the 13th Amendment, which banned slavery, passed. Effects of the warl End of Slavery; Not the end of racial discrimination; National unity maintainedAmerica in the 20th century 1900-1945 The 3 features in the growth of American economy during this period: large corporation; urbanization; new technology Monopolies: -Oil (Rockfeller); -Iron and steel (Carnegie); -Communication (WU & Bell); -Railroad; -Light industry; -Finance (Rockfeller and Morgan) Foreign expansion:l The war with Spain in 1898 for Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam Island; the Philippinesl Panama Canal in 1914l Aggression against China: Open door doctrine; 1900 Eight-Power Alliance (Boxers Movement); IndemnityProgressivism and social form The Muckrakers: a group of reform-minded journalists made investigations and exposed various dark side of the seemingly prosperous society. The progressive movement: a movement demanding government; regulation of the economy and social conditions; a number of diverse efforts at political, social reform. Social reformGovernment policies: Woodrow Wilsons “new freedom” programme/ adoption of the 19th Amendment of voting right for women in 1920.The 1st World War: Cause: the fierce struggle between 2 imperialist power groups for colonies, markets and spheres of influence and of an intense arms control. US claimed to take a neutral stance, but pursued a policy of pro-ally partiality. The Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria, Italy The Triple Entente (the Allies): Russia, France, England The end of the war: Nov.11.1918 The Peace conference in Paris President Wilsons 14 points and the proposals of the establishment of the League of the Nations.Social life after WW1 (the 1920s)l A period of material success and spiritual frustration.l Woman suffrage (1920, 19th Amendment)l Materialisml 1919, prohibition Law 禁酒令l Sense of disillusionment “Lost Generation”l “Red Scare”l Darwinism and the Monkey Trial (1925)The Great Depression (1929)l Overproduction after WW1l 1929 New York stock exchange crash (Black Thursday)l Banks, factories, agriculturel Large unemploymentl The rise of Franklin D. RooseveltRoosevelts New Deall Emergency Banking Act and other financial measuresl Measures to increase consumption and create jobsl Repeal the Prohibition Lawl Civilian conservation corps 民间资源保护队l Works Progress Administration 公共事业振兴署l Agriculture Adjustment Administration Programl Deduce productionResults and influence of New Deall Economy revitalized l Roosevelt became a hero and a patriotl Increase government interference in national economic lifel Works organization enhancedl Social welfare systemThe WW2 (Omitted)The Civil Rights Movement (the 1950s) The attack on segregation won a big victory in May 1954 in the Supreme Courts decision in Brown VS Board of Education of Topeka. In Clinton, Tennessee, a violent outburst of a thousand whites when the courts ordered 12 black students admitted to the local high school and National Guards had to be called in to keep order. In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger. It started the black boycott of the bus company led by Martin Luther King Jr. In 1956 Dec, the Supreme Court declared Alabamas segregation laws unconstitutional. This ended segregation in public transportation in Alabama. The Constitution The constitution of the US is the supreme law of the land. It is the oldest written constitution in the world. A single political document in 1787 7 articles Follow 3 principles: 1) Federal system 2) Checks and Balances 3) Respect for the constitutionThe federal System Definition: Power is shared between the central Gov. and the state Gov. (以下用Gov.代替政府) Americans are under 2 Govs.- the State Gov. and the Federal Gov. Power of the Federal Gov.: to declare war/ to tax/ to borrow or coin money and to regulate business and trade.Checks and Balances 制衡制度 3 parts of the Gov.: the legislative/ the executive/ the judicial Function: limits the powers of the 3 branches Belief: if any one part or branch of Gov. has all the power, it will become a threat to the freedom of the citizens. Checks & Balances: each has part of the powers but not all the branches. Each branch can check, or block the action of the other branches to keep them in balance. How does C&B works? : 1) Congress may pass a law, but the president can veto, or cancel it. 2) Congress may pass the law again. This time by a 2/3 vote and the president cannot veto it. 3) But the law may still be cancelled if the Supreme Court decides that it goes against Congress.The Legislative Branch law making branch The Congress: the supreme legislative, which is a similar function to the Parliament of UK. -2 parts: the Senate/ the House of Representatives. SenatorRepresentativesElection2 members from each stateBased on populationTotal num.100435/436AgeAt least 30At least 25Term6 years2 yearsCitizenshipFor 9 yearsFor 7 yearsThe Executive Branchl The head of the Executive Branch is the President l Consists of 15 departments and many independent agenciesl The Presidents function = both the British Prime Minister and the MonarchThe President the 1st citizen of the US chief executive, the most important figure of the governmentl The head of the government l Negotiates foreign treatiesl Appoint Gov. officials, ambassadors, judges and the department headsl Command the armed forcesl Sends and receives diplomatic officialsl Seed to it that laws are carried outl The leader of his political partyl Submits a State of the Union Message, budget messagel Introduce legislative bills to Congressl The Constitution requires the President to be a natural-born American citizen at least 35 years oldl Presidential election is held every 4 yearsl Salary: $200,000/yearl Work- related expenses: $50,000/yearl Tax-free travel: $40,000/yearl Started to live in the White House in 1894The Judicial Branch Consists of a series of courts: the Supreme Court/the Court of Appeals/District Courts The power of the Supreme Court is limited by: 1)the President appoints judges 2)Congress approves or not.Political Parties Republican DemocraticSymbolElephantDonkeyIdeasConservativeLiberalEconomic ideasFree marketGovernment interventionSocial issuesOppose large governmental social security programsSupport a strong social security systemPolitical supportBusiness groupsThe less-privileged American Economy General Surveyl The biggest industrial country in the worldl Less than 6% of the worlds population produce over 25% of the worlds outputl It is 1st in such advanced fields as computers, space, nuclear energy, electronicsThe economic system of the USl It has a free-market economy with a dominant private sector.l The Gov. has always been an important rolel The Gov. involvement in the economy increased during the Great Depression 1929-1937l The Keynesian theory (postwar years)l Monetarist policies (the 1980s, the Reagon administration)John Maynard Keynesl A British economistl Gov. should use public money to control the level of employmentl By spending money on public works l To provide more jobs in periods of high unemploymentMonetarisml The belief that the best way to manage a countrys economy is for the Gov. to control and limit the amount of money that is available and being used.l It is characterized by a high degree of monopoly（高度垄断）l In the automobile industry: General Motors/ Ford/ Chryslerl In computers: IBMl In recent years many corporations have chosen to become conglomerates(跨行业大公司)Natural Resourcesl Fertile soil of the interior plains: wheat and cornl Forest resources: white pine in the east/ redwood trees and Douglas firs along the Pacificl Water: rainfall/ the Mississippi River-inland water routesl Rich mineral resources: 1848 California Gold RushAmerican Agriculturel America is the worlds leading exporter of agriculture productsl It ranks 1st in the production and exports of cornl The Corn Belt is in the Midwest, the most important agriculture region in USl Iowa is the leading state of products of cornl Its agriculture is highly mechanized l Wheat is its most important crop, which second only to corn productionl Cotton is a leading commercial crop in the south.l The worlds biggest producer and user of tobaccol The Great Plains are a great animal farming areaAmerican Industryl The Midwest is the leading centre of heavy industry.l Chicago, Detroit are located on the Great Lakesl The Middle Atlantic states are highly industrializedl Texas is the leading states in oil & natural gas deposits.l Houston is the chemical capital of the world and the home of the space centre.l Los Angeles is the biggest commercial city in the west coastForeign trade: Canada is the largest single source of goods imported by US. Europe排第二Problems in US economy: unemployment/ inflation/financial deficit/ trade deficitEducation 6 traditional values concerning education: 1) public education should be free 2) Schooling should be equal and open to all 3) the public school should be free of any creed or religion 4) public schools are controlled by the state and the local Gov. within which they are located 5) Attendance at school is compulsory 6) Schooling should be enriched and not just confined to the fundamentals. Character Formal character in US consists of 1) elementary 2) secondary 3) higher (1,2 are free and compulsory) Public Schoolsl 85% of Americans go tol Supported by taxpayersl Created by states or communitiesl Guided by boards of educationPrivate Schoolsl Are not supported by public fundsl Rely on private sources and student tuition feel Run by religious groups/ private organizations/ individualsElementary (Grade1-8) and Secondary (Grade 9-12) education in the US covers 6 to 18, 12 years. FREE & COMPULSORYThe typical organization is graded school. Higher Ed