英语国家概况

TheUnitedStatesofAmerica,Unit8GeographyandPeople,Contents,WatchthemapofU.S.Acarefullyandfindcluestothefollowingitemslocation(borderingneighbors)States(thesmallestCanadaonthenorthMexicoandtheGulfofMexicoonthesouthAtlanticOceanontheeastPacificOceanonthewesttotalarea9,5millionsquarekilometers;50statesandthefederaldistrictofColumbiatheseatoftheFederalGovernment.,States,original48statesAlaskaandHawaii,separatedfromthecontinent,becamethe49thand50thstatesin1959.AlaskabordersonnorthwesternCanadaHawaiiliesinthecentralPacificOceanAlaskathelargestRhodeIslandthesmallestTexasthelargestonthemainland,1.ThreeGeographicDivisions,TheEasternPart,TheeasternpartthehighlandsformedbytheAppalachianRange(阿巴拉挈亚山脉).,onesixthoftheterritoryrelativelylow,withanaveragealtitudeof800metersabovesealevel,TheWesternPart,Highplateaus(高原)andmountainsextendingfromCanadathroughthewesternpartoftheUnitedStatestoMexicoandfurthersouth.OnethirdofthecountrysterritoryRockymountains,TheGreatCentralPlain,BetweentheAppalachiansintheeastandtheRockyMountainsinthewest.,halfofAmericaslandmassonthecontinentstretchfromtheGreatLakesinthenorthtotheGulfofMexicointhesouthdrainedbytheMississippianditstributariesfivegreatlakesandNiagaraFalls,LakeErie,2.MainGeographicalRegions,TheWest,NewEngland,includingsixstatesinthenortheasterncorner.longhistorytheEuropeansfirstsettlementfeaturedwithmountains,valleysandrivers,andcitiesandtownswithhistoricsitestop-rankinguniversitiesHarvardYaleMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology(MIT),NewENGLAND,TheSouthRegion,including13stateswithplentifulrainfallandamildtowarmclimatefavorableclimateforagriculturefastgrowingindustryandpopulationinrecentyearsgreatsizewithfewlargecitiesNewOrleansMiamiMemphisAtlantaBirmingham,AmericanSouthernArea,TheWesternRegion,including11states,likeWashington,OregonandCalifornia,etc.Oregon-wealthofbeautifulforestsandstreamsCaliforniastrikingnaturalfeatures-centralvalley,highmountains,andhotdrydeserts.notablecitiesSanFranciscoLosAngelesSanDiego14percentofAmericangrossdomesticproductpredominantagricultureyieldinghigh-techindustrycentre,Oregoninthewestmuchlessrain(lessthan50cm.ayear)withtheexceptionofthecoastalareasalongthePacific.,NaturalResources,richinmineralresourcesamongthecountrieswiththegreatestreservesofcoal,ironoreandoil.aboundsinlead,copper,zinc,aluminum,phosphaterock,silver,andgold.onefourthoftheterritorycoveredwithforestswhichmainlyconcentrateuponthreeareas:theareaalongthenorthwesterncoastofthePacifictheareainthesouththeareainthenorth,richinoiloncethelargestoilproducingcountry.oilreservealongthecoastoftheGulfofMexico,Texas,Louisiana,andOklahoma.EnergycrisisGulfWarfoughtinearly1991betweenIraqandacoalitionof39countriesorganizedbytheU.S.,mostofwhichrelyonKuwaitandSaudiArabiaasprimarysourceofpetroleum.,MajorCities,WhentalkingaboutAmerica,isthereanycitythatyouarefamiliarwith?Andwhy?Tips:NewYorkcommercialandfinancialcenteroftheUnitedStatesWashingtonD.C.seatofthefederalgovernmentLosAnglessecondlargestcityChicagothewindycitySeattle;Philadelphia;SanFrancisco;etc.,NewYork,SituatedonthreeislandsManhattanIsland,LongIslandandStatenIslandatthemouthofHudsonRiver.FiveboroughsManhattan,Brooklyn,Bronx,RichmondandQueens.theheadquarteroftheUnitedNations,TimeSquarefourtimeslargerthanSanFrancisco.importantelectroniccenterknownforthemanufactureoftires,automobilesandaircraft.centerofatomicresearch,Hollywoodtheheartofworldsmotionpicturesindustry,TheworldfamousDisneylandattractsmillionsoftouristseveryyear.,Chicago,thewindycity;secondmostpopulouscityafterNewYork.Foundedintheearly1800smainconnectionbetweentheeastcoastcitiesandtheWest.thelargestindustrialcityinthecountry,withhighlydevelopedheavyandlightindustriesthecenterofindustry,transportation,commerceandfinanceintheMidwestarea,alsoaculturecenter,SearsTower,Chicagobecamehometotheworldstallestbuildingin1973whenthe110-storySearsTowerwastoppedoff.TheSearsTowerremainedthetallestbuildingintheworlduntilFebruary13,1996.TheSearsTowercontinuestobethetallestbuildinginNorthAmerica.,People,TheUnitedStatesisthethirdmostpopulousnationintheworld,rankingbehindChinaandIndia.AccordingtotheU.S.CensusBureau,theresidentpopulationreachedamilestoneonOct.17,2006,hitting300million.,Population,UnevendistributionThemostdenselypopulatedregionthenortheasternpartAboutonequarterofthetotallandarea,abouthalfofthetotalpopulation.TheGreatPlainsacomparativelysmallpopulation.TheSouthapopulationofalmost57.5millionpeople.TheWestnotdenselypopulated;20%ofthepopulationexceptforsomemetropolitancenterslikeLosAngels,andSanFrancisco.,NationofImmigrants,RaceandethnicgroupsTheIndiansTheWhiteAnglo-SaxonsProtestants(WASP)TheBlackTheHispanicsTheAsian-Americans,Indians,About10millionIndiansinNorthAmericaWhenColumbusarrived.WestwardmovementthedestructionoftheIndians.Todayabout2.4millionIndiansAboutone-thirdofthemliveonreservations,landthatwasset-asideforthem.Therestlivesincities.Povertyandunemploymentaremajorproblems,especiallyonthereservations.,WASPs,EuropeandescendantsPilgrimFathersWhiteAnglo-SaxonProtestantswhowerelargelyresponsibleforthewinningofAmericasindependence.Englishofficiallanguage,TheBlack,About8millionblackpeoplewerebroughttoAmericafromAfricaasslavesfrom1620to1820.workonplantationsorlargefarmsoftheSouth.poorandsufferfrompovertyTodaytheblackaccountforabout12%ofthepopulationManyofthemliveintheSouthandinthecitiesofNortheastandMidwest.,CivilRightsMovement,Segregationlaws(隔离法)inSouthernstatesintheUSpreventedblackandwhitepeoplefromsittingtogetherinmovietheatres,eatinginthesamerestaurants,drinkingfromthesamewaterfountain,etc.AlthoughthesearenotAmendment(补充法案）totheUSConstitution,theUSgovernmentwouldnotdeclaretheSouthernlawsunconstitutionaluntiltherewerecasesbroughtinthefederalcourts.Thecivilrightsmovementsbeganwhenblackpeoplespontaneouslyprotestedsegregationlawsandcreatedorganizationstomaketheprotestssuccessful.,MartinLutherKing,MartinLutherKingwasablackminister,whowasagreatpoliticalandreligiousleaderofthenon-violentcivilrightsmovementin1950s.,OnAugust28,1963,heledover250,000AmericansonamarchinWashingtonD.C.tofightfortheCivilRightsLawtoguaranteeequalityforallpeople,anddeliveredhisbest-knownspeech“IHaveaDream”beforetheLincolnMemorial.ThushewasawardedtheNobelPrizeforpeacein1964.Buthewastragicallymurderedfouryearslater.ByvoteofCongressin1968,thethirdMondayofeveryJanuaryisnowafederalholidayinMartinLutherKingshonor.,IHaveaDream,Ihaveadreamthatonedaythisnationwillriseupandliveoutthetruemeaningofitscreed:Weholdthesetruthstobeself-evidentthatallmenarecreatedequal.IhaveadreamthatonedayontheredhillsofGeorgiathesonsofformerslavesandthesonsofformerslaveownerswillbeabletositdowntogetheratthetableofbrotherhood.IhaveadreamthatonedayeventhestateofMississippi,astateswelteringwiththeheatofinjustice,swelteringwiththeheatofoppression,willbetransformedintoanoasisoffreedomandjustice.Ihaveadreamthatmyfourlittlechildrenwillonedayliveinanationwheretheywillnotbejudgedbythecoloroftheirskinbutbythecontentoftheircharacter.Ihaveadreamtoday!Ihaveadreamthatoneday,downinAlabama,withitsviciousracists,withitsgovernorhavinghislipsdrippingwiththewordsofinterpositionandnullification;onedayrightdowninAlabamalittleblackboysandblackgirlswillbeabletojoinhandswithlittlewhiteboysandwhitegirlsassistersandbrothers.Ihaveadreamtoday!Ihaveadreamthatonedayeveryvalleyshallbeexalted,andeveryhillandmountainshallbemadelow,theroughplaceswillbemadeplain,andthecrookedplaceswillbemadestraight,andthegloryoftheLordshallberevealedandallfleshshallseeittogether.,HispanicstheSpanish-speakingpopulationoftheUnitedStates,ThreemajorHispanicgroups:,PuertoRicansTheislandofPuertoRicohasbeenanAmericanpossessionsincetheSpanish-Americanwarof1899andPuertoRicanshavebeenAmericancitizenssince1917.BetterjobopportunitiesintheU.S.havedrawnalargenumberofPuertoRicanstotheU.S.,themajorityofwhomhavesettledinthelargecitiesintheeasternseaboard.,CubanAmericansTheCuban-AmericanswhogotawayfromCubaaftertheCubanRevolutionin1959andarenowgatheredintheMiamiarea.Ingeneral,theCuban-Americanshavedonethebesteconomically.TheyleftCubaintheearly60sand,overthepast40years,theyhavecreatedaprosperous“littleCuba”intheMiamiarea.,AsianimmigrantsChinese,AmongtheAsianimmigrants,theChinesewerethefirstAsianstocometotheUnitedStates.Beginningin1847,whenyoungmalepeasantscametoworkinAmericainmines,onrailroads,andinagriculturalfields,theChinesegraduallyranintoeconomicandculturalfearsofthewhitemajority.Facingthis,theChinesedidnottrytoassimilatebutinsteadgravitatedto“Chinatowns(Audio)”.,Discriminatoryimmigrationandnaturalizationretractions,imposedbeginningin1882,werenotremoveduntiltheendofWorldWarII.SincethattimetheChinesehasmovedintothemainstreamofAmericansociety,andtheyarebeginningtomoveintopolitics.NowtheChinese-Americansareabout800,000.Theyhaveprovedtobeindustriousandintelligent.Manyofthemhavefoundhigh-in-comepositions.TheemploymentrateandaverageincomeofChinese-Americanfamiliesarenowhigherthanthenationalaverage.Theyhavecometobeviewedasamodelmi