美国概况.doc

Part One Geography Chapter I A General Introduction to Physical GeographyI. Basic Information about American 1. Official Name: The United States of American 2. The capital: Washington D.C. n 3. The first president: George Washingtonn 4. The 44th president: George W. Bushn 5. National song: the star-spangled banner 星条旗永不落 n 6. Uncle Sam n 7. LocationA. in the central part of North America. B. It is bounded by Canada on the north, and Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico on the south.C. With Atlantic Ocean on the east, Pacific Ocean on the westD. Total area: 9372614km2 E. Three parts: the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii II. Three Geographical Divisions1. The eastern part The highlands formed by the Appalachian Range.2. The western part High plateaus and mountains by the Cordillera Range. 3. The great central plain Landmass between the Rockies and the Appalachians, of AmericaColorado Canyon (科罗拉多大峡谷)n One of the great natural wonders of the world.n The canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, ranges in width from 4 to 18 miles (6.4 to 29 km) and attains a depth of over a mile(1.83 km)n Grand Canyon National Park one of the first national parks in the United States n The walls show layers that tell the story of the formation of the earth.III. The Three Major River Systems1. The system of Gulf: the Mississippi River A. the longest ,the most important river in the system of Gulf B. 6262 kilometers long from Great Lakes to the Gulf of MexicoC. “father of waters” or “old man river”D. its tributaries form an important inland navigation and irrigation system2. The system of the Atlantic: no long riversA. the Hudson River(哈得逊河), linked by canals with the five Great Lakes, a main artery for inland waterway traffic B. St. Lawrence River which serves as an international river forming part of the boundary between U.S.A. and Canada.3. The system of the pacificn Two major riversA. the Columbia River from Canada into Pacific B. the Colorado River（科罗拉多）: into Gulf of California C. They are rich in potential water power.IV. Climate1. On the whole:A. Varies from coast to coastB. Temperature from -20 to 25C. Continental or mild subtropical2. South & southwest: warmer, moist air3. western: days are hot and nights are cool, dry, little rain The West Coast is affected by winds that blow inland from the Pacific, where temperature changes little between winter and summer. 4. northeast: hot in summer, cold in winter, much rain and snow5. Central plain: hot in summer, cold in winter, much snowThe meaning of being an American according to Crevecoeurn Crevecoeur believed that the American was a new man with the mixed blood of Europeans or their descendants. This new man left behind him all the ancient European traditions and received new ones in the New World. In North America, all individuals were melted into a new race of the American. This new man acted upon new principles, entertained new ideas and formed new opinions.Chapter II PopulationI. The Composition of American Population1. The total population of the U.S.A in 2006 is up to about 301 764 0002. The population of the United States is of a very complex composition.3. The Indians are the original inhabitants with the number of 2.3 million.4. Most of the inhabitants are of European origin, holding over 80%.5. America is called “Melting Pot”.The Distribution of PopulationFour densely-populated areas A. The area along the Atlantic seaboardB. The area around the five Great LakesC. The area along the Pacific coastD. The area of the Gulf of MexicoII. The Fifty States1. The New England ( 6 states)l A. Oldest and played an important role in American historyl B. Industries: not a farming area due to the poor soil，fishing centerl C. Massachusetts: the most important &populousl D. Boston, leading port, financial and cultural center2. The Middle Atlantic Region ( 6 states )A. Importancea. of the entire population lives in the section.b. 1/3 of the products are made here.c. of the foreign trade pass through NYC.B. Industrial Northeast: large factories, highly developed transportationD. Agriculture: a. good soil and temperate climateb. Large farmsE. Important cities: New York City3. The South Region (11 states)A. Sunny South: warm climateB. Agriculture: a. Past: cotton & tobacco b. Now: sugar, rice, peanuts, corn, vegetables c. Florida is rich in citrus fruits.C. Industry: New industrial area for the cheap black workers4. The Midwest Region =middle west ( 8 states)A. Richest section: large mineral resources, rich soil, good climate, fertile plains, low rolling hillsB. Excellent means of transportation: a. five Great Lakesb. Rivers: the Mississippi, the Missouri, the OhioE. Important cities: Chicago, Detroit5. The Region of the Great Plains ( 6 states)A. Features: a. Smallest population in the countryb. Few large cities, vastness of flat landc. Different climate from north to southd. Poor soil and little rain 6. The West Region (11 states)A. Three trips: Mountain states (Rocky Mountain) great plateau states, Pacific Coast statesB. Cattle and sheep raising area: Farming is limited due to the mountains.C. Principal cities: Los Angeles, San FranciscoD. The West is at present the most rapidly growing section of the United States.7. AlaskaA. Location: in the northwestern part of North AmericaB. Full of glaciers, waterfallsC. Fishing is the chief economy in Alaska.8. HawaiiA. It comprises eight major islands.B. Climate: comfortable, temperature remains 24 degrees centigrade.C. Hawaii is the largest islandChapter V The Main CitiesWashington D.C.l The capital of the U.S.A.l A modern metropolis with exhibition halls, museum, memorial halls, restaurants, big shopping malls, schools, and churches, but few factories and chimneys.l The headquarters of the American federal system: Congress, the Supreme Court, the Presidencyl There are many places of interests.White Housel The official presidential residencel It was built in 1792, as the oldest public building in the city.l In 1940s President F.D. Roosevelt named it “White House”.l Portraits of the presidents hang on the walls, and china wares and furniture are displayed.The Lincoln Memoriall The memorial honors the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.l Three commemorative features:l a colossal seated of Lincoln l two huge inscribed stone tabletsNew Yorkl The largest city and the chief portl Financial, manufacturing and travel centerl It is often called “The Big Apple”: termed by jazz musicians to describe something that is the ultimate in size.Statue of Libertyl It stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor.l It is National Monument which was presented to the U.S. by France on October 28, 1886 commemorating the alliance between the countries during the American Revolution.World Trade Centerl It was the tallest building in the world.l It comprised of two buildings, twin structures, each rising 110 stories.Exercises l New York is the largest state in the US. (T/F)l Why is the U.S.A. called “Melting Pot”?Answersl F (Alaska) l Because the U.S.A. is country where there are many different races, and these races mixed and assimilated after they immigrated into this country “Melting Pot” just signifies this mixture and assimilation.Chapter IV Attitudes and ViewsI. American Social Relations1. America is characterized by much more informality and less social distinction. 2 . Americans care about equality and seldom show much concern about their personal honor.3. Clothing reflects a persons social position and income, especially attitudes of the young towards the society and themselves.4. Customs by which a man respects for a woman are still popular in America.5. The frankness of admitting certain weakness is another characteristic.II. The American Spirit of “Do-It-Yourself”1. The peculiarity of American history made the American spirit of “do-it-yourself”.2. It may be reflected in many aspects of American life.A. Since manual labor is highly valued, good salaries are given to the manual workers.B. Since America is striving for equality, the servant class has almost disappeared.III. Popular American Belief1. It is encouraged that Americans regard theirs as a classless society, but this is only superficial.2. Move from the bottom of the society to the top by their own efforts other than by birth. Americans have great admiration for the self-made man like Abraham Lincoln.3. The social position is personal rather than related to family or relatives.American Dream n For many immigrants, the Statue of Liberty was their first view of the United States, signifying freedom and personal liberty. The statue is the American Dream icon. The American Dream is belief in the freedom that allows all citizens of the United States to pursue their goals in life through hard work and free choice. One person may place monetary gain as their highest goal, and thus strive for this in a very American way, gaining through ability. Chapter V Religion in the U.S.A.I. General Information1. There are over 3000 religious denominations and 60% of the population has religious beliefs.2. Protestants: A. Over 3/5 of all the religious people are protestants.B. They regard America as a place of greater prosperity.C. They have taken on an American character .How did the Puritan beliefs shape the colonial life?n 1. “In Adams fall, we sinned all.”n 2. God is all. And man is nothing.n 3. Hard work was an ethic, a step toward salvation.n 4. Plain living and hard workingn 5. Simplicity in lifen 6. A plain style of the early writing3. Two major native denominationsA. They are the result of native development.B. Mormonism: founded in 1830 in New York State a. “The book of Mormon” is of equal inspiration with the Bible Mormonism.b. The Mormons mainly spread in the western states.C. Christian Science: Church of Christ, founded in 1866a. Health depends only on right mental attitudes, illness being an illusion of non-existent matter, the mistake of mentality.b. It is popular among the bourgeoisie class.4. Roman Catholics: A. More than of all Americans are of Roman Catholic faith.B. Nearly all American Catholics express loyalty to their church through support for Catholic school and through a hope that their children will marry Catholics.5. The Orthodox Church: five million members: They are less assimilated.6. Jews: 3% of Americans in the eastII. The Characteristics of the Religious Practice1. The wide variety of denominations and the attitude of permissiveness and tolerance that exists among them.Reasons: A. Different colonies and immigrants in history.B. The American environment stimulated the religious independence.C. The different denominations are integrated in the pattern of American life.2. The emphasis on social problems and humanitarian ideals rather than individual sin to improve the present world by doing ones duty toward ones fellow man and less toward winning salvation in the next world through repentance3. Separation of church and stateA. There is no established state religion.B. Religion has much influence over people and education, but the government has nothing to do with this.C. The religious instructions in school lay stress on morals and ethics.III. The Problems in American Religion1. People have fervent religious belief and some small sects are extremely intolerant, such as Peoples Temple.2. In such a highly developed capitalist world, the economic declining, constant unemployment, the disintegration of families make people crazy for religions.Exercisesn The popular American belief is_ A. part-time working B. self-made man C. manual labor D. being extravagantn The largest religious group in America is_ A. Roman Catholics B. Protestants C. Orthodists D. Presbyteriansn the American spirit of “do-it-yourself”: Answersn B Bn the American spirit of “do-it-yourself”: People are proud of doing everything by themselves. Most of the American families seldom hire people to do housework though they are rich. They try to do what they can do, such as housework, gardening and they enjoy doing them.Part Two HistoryChapter I Colonization of North AmericaI. The beginning of American history1. American history generally began in 1607 when the first group of the British colonists went to America and started to build their settlement.2. The Indians: v The name of Indians was given by Columbus.v Most of them lived in Central and south America, with only one million in North America.v They are red-skinned and dark-haired.v They had their own social structure with tribes and clan. Private property was forbidden and everything was shared by all.v They were good at decorative art and lived on hunting and farming.II. The Discovery of America1. Causes that led to the discoveryA. As the result of Renaissance some brave people started their expedition by sailing west across the Atlantic.B. Christopher Columbus discovered the new continent of America.C. Later Amerigo Vespucci confirmed that a new continent rather than Asia had been discovered. So the New World was named “ America” after him .2. The importance of the discoveryA. The discovery of the New World widened peoples horizon and opened fresh ground for the rising bourgeoisie. B. It promoted the development of commerce, sea navigation and industry and provided the way for the rapid development of early capitalism3. The significance of the discoveryA. The discovery of the two continents made people get a better idea of the size of the earth.B. The early explorations laid the foundation for the creation of nations in North & South America.III. Colonization of North America1. The early explorerA. The Spanish explorer: a. Balboa: the first to cross the narrow strip of land joining North and South Americab. Magellan: the first to sail around the earth, proving the earth is roundB. The English explorer: a. Cabot: claimed the first piece of land to be English.b. Francis Drake: got victory over the Spanish Armada. III. Colonization of North America 1. The Founding of the thirteen colonies A. People leaving the Old World to the New World wanted to seek freedom of religious beliefs and better living.B. It took more than a century for Britain to establish the thirteen colonies along the Atlantic coast.2. Colonial Life in GeneralA. Everyday life:a. Roughest sort of shelter: caves, log cabin b. Little furniture: no beds but skinsc. Plentiful food: fish and wild animalsd. Simple and rough clothinge. Hunting, fishing, house races and skating f. Large familyChapter II The American War of Independencev American War of Independence, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen united former British colonies on the North American continent and ended in a global war between several European great powers. I. The Causes of the American War of Independence1. The Sharpening Contradictions between Britain and the Colonies v Britain sped up economic exploitation and plunder, trying to control all the trade in the colonies, so the British rulers became the common enemy of the rich and the poor.A. The Situation Before 1763 a. The colonies depended less and less on England, wanting to take care of themselves.b. England exercised more and more strict policies, trying to take more profits out of colonies.c. Strongly resistance was aroused.B. The Stamp Act and（印花税法） C. The Boston MassacreD. The Boston “Tea Party”2. The Unity of the ColoniesA. The contradiction between England and colonies became more acute, and the colonies began to unite.B. The First Continental Congress in Sep. 1774First Continental CongressResults: v The leading men of colonies became more acquainted with one another.v The representatives draw up a protest against the laws passed by Parliament.v It was agreed that the colonies would buy or send no goods from England until the laws were repealed.Significance: v Some colonies began to make preparations for war with England because they realized that the breakout of the war with England was only a matter of time.II. The Fire of Lexington and the Declaration of Independencev On April 19th, 1775, a small battle took place in Lexington, which was the prelude of the War of Independence.v In May 1775, the Second Continental Congress.v On July 4th, 1776, The Declaration of Independence was passed, and July 4th became the National Day.The Second Continental Congressv It was held in Philadelphia in May 1775.v It decided to take charge of the troops around Boston.v It appointed George Washington as commander to fight for their freedom and independence.Significance of the warA. A new republic emerged and it marked a new beginning of American history.B. It tells the world that a just cause will win while the evil cause will certainly lose.C. It encouraged the people in the colonies ruled by the Spanish and promoted the national liberation struggle of the other colonies in the world.Exercises v The history of the U.S. is generally agreed to have begun in the year of _ A. 1620 B. 1607 C. 1776 D. 1492v The turning point of the War of Independence was the Battle of _in 1777. A. Yorktown B. Saratoga C. Bunker Hill D. Lexingtonv Lexin