王恩铭Geography-of-the-USA上课讲义

SurveyofMajorEnglish-SpeakingCountriesbyNaHongweiIntroductiontotheCourseAbouttheBookMajorEnglish-SpeakingCountries:ASurvey《英语国家概况》王恩铭参考教材：《英美概况》来安方《英美概况》张奎武《欧美国家社会与文化入门》朱永涛AboutMeMyName:那洪伟（Ivy）MyOffice:II-313MyE-mail:na_hongwei@GeneralIntroduction参考书目K712-3《为什么偏偏是美国》K712.4《追梦美国人》K712.6-1《美国史话》K971.21《外国习俗丛书——美国》K971.29/10《美国州市大观》K971.229《美国》K971.216《美国城市史》K971.225《纽约》K971.228《我们必须了解的美国》PartITheCountryGeneralABCsNationalAnthem:TheStarSpangledBannerNationalFlower:RoseNationalBird:BaldEagleOfficialLanguageCurrencyCapitalCity:The44thpresident:AgeneralintroductiontogeographyLocation:TheUnitedStatesissituatedinthecentralpartof______withitstwoyoungeststates------_____inthenorthwesternpartofNorthAmericaand____inthecentralPacific.Thecountryisboundedby_____onthenorthandby___andtheGulfof_____onthesouthwiththe____Oceanontheeastandthe____Oceanonthewest.Totalarea:________squarekilometers(4th)Territory:Thewholecountryincludes___statesandafederaldistrict,theDistrictof___,whichistheseatoftheFederalGovernment.

Question:whatisthemostpronouncedfeatureofAmericaintermsofitsgeography?WhatdoyouknowaboutthePhysicalfeaturesofAmerica?II.PhysicalfeaturesThreeGeographicalDivisionsThegreatcentralplaininbetweenTheeasternpartThewesternpart1.TheGreatCentralPlain“MiddleAmerica”CentrallowlandsThemostimportantagriculturalareaintheUnitedStatesStretchingfromcentralTexastotheCanadianborder1200milesinlengthand300milesinwidth2.Theeasternpart(1)GeneralintroductionItismadeupofthehighlandsformedbytheAppalachianrange.Itholdsonesixthofthenationalterritoryonthecontinent.TherangebeginsfromnorthMaineandreachestocentralAlabama.(2)HistoricalimportanceTheAppalachianMountainsTheAppalachianMountains3.TheWesternPart(1)Generalintroduction:ThewesternpartconsistsofhighplateausandmountainsformedbytheGreatCordilleraRange,extendingfromCanadathroughthewesternpartoftheUnitedStatestoMexicoandfurthersouth.Thewholeareaofthispartholdsonethirdofthecountry’sterritoryonthecontinent.2.TheWesternPart(2)Structure:Fromwesttoeast,thismountainssystemiscomposedoftheCoastRange,theCascadesandtheRockyMountains.(3)RockyMountainsTheRockyMountainsreachfromtheCanadianborderinMontanaandIdaho,throughWyoming,UtahandColorado,intoNewMexicohavinganaveragealtitudeofmorethan3000metersabovesealevel.

3.TheWesternPartRockyMountainRockyMountainYellowstoneNationalParkInthenorthwesternpartofWyomingEstablishedin1872TheoldestnationalparkintheworldThelargestwildlifepreserveintheUnitedStatesCovering2219,785acresTheparkgotitsnamefromtheyellowrocksliningtheYellowstoneRiversectionnorthofit.Yellowstonehasthousandsofhotspringsandover200geysers.OldfaithfulTheWesternPartYellowstoneNationalParkYellowstoneNationalParkYellowstoneNationalParkYellowstoneNationalParkColoradoPlateausThreadedbymanydeepvalleysorcanyonsamongwhichthebestisknownisColoradoValleyinthenorthernArizonaItisoneofthegreatnaturalwondersoftheworld.Itmeasuresabout277mileslong,upto18mileswide,andmorethanamiledeep.ThewallsoftheGrandCanyonshowlayersthattellthestoryoftheformationoftheearth.coloradoriver_raftingTheWesternPartColoradoPlateausIII.ClimateGeneralintroductionTheclimateintheUnitedStatesvariesfromcoasttocoast.Temperatureschangefrom20degreescentigradebelowzeroinwintertonearly25degreescentigradeabovezeroinsummer.Takingthecountryasawhole,wemayclassifytheclimateinthecountryasoneofcontinentalorasoneofmildsubtropicalzoneswithonlythesouthernpartofFloridabeingtropical.climateIngeneralTheeastis__humid___.Thewestis__arid___.Question:whatisa“Mediterraneanclimate”?IV.CulturalgeographyCulturalgeographersdividetheUnitedStatesinto____majorregions,theyare:NortheastSouthMidwestwestV.NaturalResourcesRichinnaturalresourcesDepositsForestryWaterpowerWaterpowerTheGulfThesystemoftheAtlanticThesystemofthePacific1.TheMississippiRiverThegulf

2.ThesystemoftheAtlanticNolongriversTheHudsonRiverTheDelawareRiverTheSt.LawrenceRiver3.ThesystemofthePacificTwomajorriversThefiveGreatLakesNiagarafallGreatSaltLake(1)TwoMajorRiversTheColumbiaRiverandtheColoradoRiverFlowingthroughthewesternplateausRichinpotentialwaterpowerresourcesTheColumbiaRiver(2)TheFiveGreatLakesBetweentheboundaryofCanadaandtheUnitedStatesLakeMichigan,LakeSuperior,LakeErie,LakeHuron,LakeOntario(HOMES)Superioristhelargestfreshwaterlakeofitskindintheworld.LakeMichiganiswhollywithintheUnitedStateswhiletheotherfourrunalongthenationalboundarybetweentheU.S.AandCanadaThefiveGreatLakesareopentonavigationbylargesteamers.(3)TheNiagaraFallWorldfamousLocatedontheU.S.A.CanadianboundarybetweenLakeErieandLakeOntarioWidth:1240meters;thedropaverage49meters(4)TheGreatSaltLak