英语国家社会与文化(美2).ppt

1、The USA - The Political System,Preface,Hello, class! In todays class, we are going to read a chapter on U.S. political system. I am sure that you know the United States is at once a very new nation and a very old nation. It is a new nation in the sense that it is constantly renewed by the additional

2、 elements of population and of new States. But in other senses, it is old. It has the oldest written constitution, the oldest continuous federal system, and the oldest practice of self-government of any nation. But, before we begin, lets take the time to preview some of the questions regarding the h

3、istory and the working of the U.S. government. Please see if you can answer the following questions. Please put down the correct answers, if you happen to know them, in the space bellow.,Part I Warm-up questions,1. Do you happen to know of the name of George Washington? Is he(a) one of the founding

4、fathers of the United States?(b) the first Governor of the State of New York?(c) the author of the Declaration of Independence? 2. The U.S. government consists of three branches: (a) the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch, (b) the State Department, the Department of De

5、fense, and the Energy Department (c) the White House, the Senate, and the Supreme Court,3. Who is Abraham Lincoln? What was he famous for? (a) Uncle Toms Cabin, (b) The Federalist Papers, (c) the Emancipation Proclamation 4. What is the idea behind checks and balances?(a) to help the president get m

6、ore power,(b) to restrict governmental power and prevent its abuse,(c) to help the Congress to derive more authorities. 5. Which of the following political parties is American in origin?(a) the Republican Party, (b) the Green Party, (c) the Labor Party,Warm-up 1. Which legal document decides the org

7、anization of the United States government? The Constitution 2. Who is the present President of the United States? Which party does he or she stand for? Barack Obama, the Democratic Party 3. What are the two major political parties in the United States? The Republican and the Democratic Party,Part II

8、 Focal points,1. The Articles of Confederation (联邦条款 ) 2. The making of the U.S. Constitution (制定美国宪法) 3. The three branches of the federal government 4. Checks and balances ( 制约与平衡 ) 5. The Bill of Rights (权利法案) 6. Political parties (政党),Part III Words they have the right to a speedy trial if accus

9、ed of a crime. * There were 16 other amendments to the Constitution as of 1991. So, there are 26 amendments to the U.S Constitution.,James Madison, Father of the Constitution and first author of the Bill of Rights,On June 5, 1788, Patrick Henry spoke before Virginias ratification convention in oppos

10、ition to the Constitution: Is it necessary for your liberty that you should abandon those great rights by the adoption of this system? Liberty, the greatest of all earthly blessingsgive us that precious jewel, and you may take every thing else!,Bill of Rights,A list of 10 amendments in 1791 Rights g

11、uaranteed Freedom of religion Freedom of speech Freedom of the press Freedom to assemble peaceably in public places Freedom to own weapons Significance A fundamental symbol of the freedoms and culture of the nation,The Democratic Party - Logo: donkey,The Republican Party - Logo: elephant,Political P

12、arties,VI. Two major Political Parties - the Democratic Party, which is thought to be more liberal and the symbol of which is the donkey (Under President Franklin Roosevelts “New Deal”, Democrats set up government programs that provided paid employment for people building dams and roads and public b

13、uildings and Social Security 社会保障制度, which ensures that those who are retired or disabled receive monthly payments from the government ),The Democratic Party,The more liberal party Idea Government should do more for all classes of Americans. They favor a strong social security system. Supporters Poo

14、rer and less-privileged Americans,- the Republican Party, which is believed to be more conservative and the symbol of which is the elephant.（Republicans place more emphasis on private enterprise and often accuse the Democrats of making the government too expensive and of creating too many laws that

15、harm individual initiative.） * Americans do not have to join a political party in order to vote or to be a candidate for public office. However, running for office without the money and campaign workers a party can provide is difficult. (若没有钱和政党所能提供的选举活动者们，想要竞选职位是很难的),* One concern many Americans ha

16、ve about their political system is the high cost of campaigning for public office. Another concern is that much of the money to fund political campaigns comes from organized interest groups rather than individuals.,The Republican Party,The second largest party More conservative Ideology A small gove

17、rnment and free market Letting business compete with little or no government regulation in the marketplace Advocates strong national defense,Barack Obama,The 44th president American story Hard work and education as the means of getting ahead A life so blessed should be lived in service to others.,El

18、ephant,liberal,market,Government,Support,Summary about political Parties,American Presidents,Part V Class Exercises,Exercises I. Decide whether the following statements are true or false:,1. When the War of Independence was over, the United States was one unified nation as it is today. ( ) 2. The ag

19、reement that set this plan of cooperation among different states after the War of American Independence was called the Constitution of the United States. ( ) 3. The U.S. Constitution set up a federal system with a strong central government. ( ) 4. The main duty of the Congress is to make laws, inclu

20、ding those which levy taxes that pay for the work of the federal government. ( ),F,F,T,T,5. Under a Constitutional Amendment passed in 1951, a president can be elected to only one term. ( ) 6. The president has the authority to appoint federal judges, and all such court appointments are subject to c

21、onfirmation by the House of Representatives. ( ) 7. The 10 very short paragraphs which guarantee freedom and individual rights and forbid interference with lives of individuals by the government are called the Bill of Rights. ( ) 8. The idea of checks and balances as a way of restricting governmenta

22、l power and preventing its abuse was first provided in the Federalist Papers. ( ),F,F,T,T,9. Today, the United States has two major political parties. One is the Democratic Party, formed before 1800. The other is the Republican Party, which was formed in the 1850s, by people in the states of the Nor

23、th and West. ( ) 10. Americans have to join a political party in order to vote or to be a candidate for public office. ( ),T,F,II. Choose the correct answer to each of the following.,1. Which of the following statements was NOT correct? When the War of Independence was over, (a) each new state had i

24、ts own government. (b) each new state made its own laws and handled all of its internal affairs. (c) the national government was called the Congress with little power. (d) the relationships between the states and the national government were clearly defined. 2. According to the author, the Articles

25、of Confederation failed because of the following reasons. Which is not true? (a) The new states did not cooperate with the Congress or with each other. (b) Some new states wanted to be free from the Union. (c) The Congress could not raise money to pay the national army and to pay debts owed to Franc

26、e and other nations. (d) The Congress had no power to tax any citizen.,3. Which of the following states refused to participate in the Constitutional Convention? (a) Virginia. (b) Rhode Island. (c) New York. (d) Maryland. 4. Which of the following statements was NOT correct? When the Constitution was

27、 written, there was a Bill of Rights in the Constitution. (b) there was no Bill of Rights. (c) The Constitution did not have any words guaranteeing the freedoms or the basic rights and privileges of citizens. (d) a Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution 4 years after the Constitution was made.

28、,5. Which of the following is the only branch that can make federal laws, and levy federal taxes? The executive. (b) The legislative. (c) The Judicial. (d) The president. 6. Which of the following is NOT a power of the president? (a) The president can veto any bill passed by Congress. (b) The president has the authority to appoint federal judges when vacancies occur. (c) The president can make laws. (d) The president has broad powers, with the executiv