Unit 1 Geography and People

GeographyandPeople KeyfactsGeographicalfeaturesPeopleofEthnicGroups KeyfactsaboutAmericaFullnameofthecountryHowmanystatesarethereinAmerica Whichoneisthelargestandwhichonethesmallest 50states AlaskaisthelargestinareaandRhodeIslandthesmallest ButTexasisthelargestonthemainland 3 WhatisthecapitalofAmerica WashingtonDC 4 WhatarethereintheAmericanFlag Andwhatdotheystandfor 13stripsand50stars 13standsfortheearliest13statesofAmericaand50starsrepresentthe50states 5 WhatisthenationalanthemofAmerica StarSpangledBanner Geographicalfeatures location TheUSAliesincentralAmerica except withtoitsnorth toitssouth thetoitseastandtoitswest TheU Shasalandareaofsquarekms Itisthelargestcountryintheworldinsizeafter AlaskaandHawaii Canada MexicoandGulfofMexico AtlanticOcean PacificOcean 9 5million Fourth Russia CanadaandChina Otherterritories theVirginIslandintheCaribbeanSea theIslandsofSamoaandinthePacificOcean PuertoRico Guam Geographicalfeatures Easterpart highlandsbytheAppalachianRangeWesternpart highplateausandmountains theRockymountains TheGreatPlainsinbetween Mountains TheRockies thebackboneoftheNorthAmericanContinent isalsoknownastheContinentalDivide 大陆分水岭 TheAppalachians runslightlyfromthenortheasttosouthwest Theriversandlakes WhatisthelongestriverintheStates Andwhatisitknownas TheMississippiRiver Thefatherofwaters or oldmanriver Thefivegreatlakes LakeSuperior LakeMichigan LakeHuron LakeErieandLakeMichiganTheRioGrandeRiverformsanaturalboundarybetweenMexicoandtheUnitedStates SIXgeographicalregions ismadeupofsixstatesandfamousforitslonghistoryandtopuniversitiesandcollegessuchasYale Harvard andMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology MIT NewEnglanderswereoriginallyknowsasYankees whichcametostandforallAmerican NewEngland 2 TheMidwestAmericaismostimportantagriculturalarea Itisalsoamajormanufacturingregionandthenation sleadingcenterofheavyindustry Chicago thelargestandbusiestportontheGreatLakes isthelargestindustrialandcommercialcenterofthearea Detroitisknownastheautomobilecapitaloftheworld OmahaisknownastheagriculturalcapitaloftheUnitedstates 3 Dryfarming irrigation farmingandthehusbandry 畜牧业 arethemainactivitiesoftheGreatPlainsoftheAmericanWest Coloradohasbeencalledthesteelcityofthewest DenvoristhelargestcityoftheGreatPlainsthelargestgroupsofNativeAmericansarefoundontheColoradoPlateau haveaboutonefifthofthetotalpopulationoftheunitedstates mainlyreferstoCalifornia Ittakesup14 ofAmericangrossdomesticproduct duetoitsabundantagriculturalproduction hightechindustry theSiliconValley wherealotofmulti internationalcompaniessuchas etc andwell knownuniversities suchasStanford CaliforniaUniversityBerkeley CaliforniaInstituteofTechnology etc isnaturallygoodforcrops butrecentlyitdevelopsquicklyinaerospace medicine etc KennedySpaceCenterinHouston TheSouthWest TheSouthRegion Themid AtlanticStates Majorcities 1 WhatisthelargestcityoftheUSA Howmanyboroughsdoesithaveandwhatarethey Whyisthecitysoimportant A NewYork Fiveboroughs Manhattan Brooklyn theBronx StatenIslandandQueens ItisthecommercialandfinancialcenterofAmerica 2 AfterwhomistheWashingtonDCnamed AndafterwhomisthecityofWashingtonnamedWhatisitfamousfor A ChristopherColumbusandGeorgeWashington GovernmentbuildingssuchasWhiteHouse andmuseumsandhistoricalmemorialssuchasWashingtonMonument LincolnMemorial theJeffersonMemorial etc 3 InwhichcitydoesthelargestChinaTownlocate A SanFranciso 4 WhichisthesecondlargestcityintheStates Whatisitwell knownfor A LA ForitsfilmindustryinHollywoodandtouristplacesuchasDisneyland 5 Whichcityiscalled thewindycity Whatisitfamousfor Chicago SearsTower6 Whichis thespacecity intheStates Why Houston ItiswheretheKennedySpacecenterlocates People TheUnitedStatesoftheAmericanisthemostpopulouscountyintheworldafter Distribution Mostdenselypopulatedarea northeastern itoccupies ofthetotalareabut populationlivesthere ThePlainsareasparselypopulatedTheSouthandWesthaverelativelysmallerpopulation exceptsomelargecitiessuchasLA SacFrancisco etc third ChinaandIndia Almost20millionpeopleor7 8 ofthetotalpopulationwereimmigrantsin1992 80 and90 ofimmigrationtotheUnitedStatesnowisfromAsianandHispanic 西班牙的 countries ThefirstimmigrantsintheAmericanhistorycamefromEnglandandNetherlands Immigrants Threemajorimmigrationwaves 1 1820 1860About5million mainlyfromwesternandnorthernEurope andblackslavesfromAfrica2 1860 1880About5million mainlyfromEurope skilledworkersastheCivilWarended thecountryexperiencingindustrializationandrequiremorelaborforce3 1880 1920thelargestoneinAmericanhistoryAbout23 5million thepeakwasin1907with1 285millioninthatsingleyear fromEuropeandAsia 在美国西进步运动中 中国劳工用血汗和生命为代价 在极其艰苦恶劣的条件下 出色地完成了横贯美国东西的太平洋铁路西段工程的建设 至今 在加利福尼亚州的铁路沿线还可以看到一个中文题字的金属牌匾 上书 加州铁路 南北贯通 华裔精神 血肉献功 诚如招募华工的倡议者克罗克尔所说的那样 这条铁路能及时完成 在很大程度上要归功于贫穷而受鄙视的中国劳动阶级 归功于他们的忠诚和勤劳 这句话后来成为美国移民史上著名的 一句话历史 二战结束后 随着美国民众对移民态度的理性化 移民对美国的贡献逐渐被大多数美国人所承认 正如美国劳工部长赵小兰所说 美国要感谢移民的贡献 巨大的移民浪潮给美国带来了丰富的文化遗产 也给美国的发展提供了动力 19世纪70年代 大量华工来到美国加利福尼亚州修筑铁路 图为加州民众树立的铜雕 开路先锋 以纪念华工对经济繁荣做出的贡献 EthnicGroupsTraditionally themainstreamAmericanwerecalledWASPs thatis WhiteAnglo SaxonProtestants 传统上 美国人的主流是祖先为英国新教徒的白人ThelargestoftheracialandethnicminoritiesintheUnitedStatesistheblackswhonumberabout12 1 ofthepopulation ThefirstblackswerebroughttoNorthAmericaasslavesin1619 美国人口最多的少数民族是黑人 大约占总人口的12 1 第一批黑人作为奴隶于1619年运抵北美 TheAsian Americansarethefastest growingracialandethnicgroupintheUnitedStates ThelargestgroupofAsian AmericansaretheChinese Americans ExpertssaythreeAsiantraditionsbestexplai