英语国家概况PPT-美国.ppt

1、The United States of America,Geography and People,Contents,Watch the following map carefully and find clues to the following items location (bordering neighbors ) States (the smallest The whole country includes 50 states and a federal district, the District of Columbiathe seat of the Federal Governm

2、ent.,States,original 48 states Alaska and Hawaii became the 49th in 1867 and 50th states in 1959. Alaska borders on northwestern Canada Hawaii lies in the central Pacific Ocean Alaskathe largest (1717,854 sq km) Rhode Islandthe smallest Texasthe largest on the mainland (695,621 sq km),1. Three Geogr

3、aphical Divisions,The Eastern Part,The eastern partthe highlands formed by the Appalachian Range (阿巴拉挈亚山系). one sixth of the national territory relatively low, with an average altitude of 800 meters above sea level,The Western Part,High plateaus (高原) and mountainsformed by the Great Cordillera Range

4、（科迪勒拉山系）, extending from Canada through the western part of the United States to Mexico and further south. One third of the countrys territory Rocky mountains with an average altitude of more than 3000 meters above sea levels.,The Great Central Plain（中部大平原）,Between the Appalachians in the east and t

5、he Rocky Mountains in the west half of Americas landmass on the continent stretch from the Great Lakes in the north to the Gulf of Mexico in the south five great lakes and Niagara Falls,The five Great Lakes: Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario. Lake Superior: the larges

6、t freshwater lake of its kind Lake Michigan: wholly within United States Niagara Falls(尼亚加拉大瀑布),Niagara Falls-located on the U.S.Canadian border between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.,Niagara Falls,2. Main Geographical Regions,The West Region（西部地区）,Alaska (阿拉斯加地区),Hawaii (夏威夷地区),New England,including s

7、ix states in the northeastern corner featured with mountains, valleys and rivers Massachusetts: the largest population Rhode Island: the smallest in size, the most densely populated state Not a farming area, poor soil Earliest settlers: English Protestants,New ENGLAND,The Middle Atlantic Region,Six

8、states north: New England south: the south region Important: a. population b. 1/3 products Marked by its industry, “Industrial Northeast”, many large factories Rich in minerals good soil + temperate climate= agriculture is important Many important cities: New York, Philadelphia,The South Region,a la

9、rge section of US, including 11 states favorable climate agriculture, great profits by raising and selling cotton and tobacco The north: industrial (工业的) the south: agrarian (农业的，土地的) great size with few large cities New Orleans Miami Atlanta Birmingham,American Southern Area,The Midwest Region,Incl

10、udes 8 states Fertile soil abundant crops known as the countrys “breadbasket” Center: Chicago, Illinois, the third largest city Sears Tower: at 443 meters, one of worlds tallest buildings,The Region of the Great Plains,Include 6 states Marked by a. the smallest population b. few large cities c. vast

11、ness of flat land d. poor soil e. little rains in many parts Indians are natives here. 1/5 of the countrys Indians are now living in the state of Oklahoma.,The West Region,Occupy a vast area, including 11 states The area of the Rocky Mountains + all territory west to the Rocky Mountains as far as to

12、 the Pacific Ocean Mountainous area: much of the land, can not be cultivated too high and mountainous too low and dry California dominates the whole region Principle cities: San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle,Oregon in the westmuch less rain (less than 50 cm. a year) with the exception of the co

13、astal areas along the Pacific.,Natural Resources,rich in mineral resources among the countries with the greatest reserves of coal, iron ore and oil. abounds in lead, copper, zinc, aluminum, rock, silver, and gold. one fourth of the territorycovered with forests which mainly concentrate upon three ar

14、eas: the area along the north western coast of the Pacific the area in the south the area in the north,Major Cities,When talking about America, is there any city that you are familiar with? And why?,Tips: New Yorkcommercial and financial center of the United States Washington D.C.seat of the federal

15、 government Los Anglessecond largest city Chicagothe windy city Seattle; Philadelphia; San Francisco; etc.,1. New York,Located in New York State, is the largest city and the chief port of the United States. Five boroughsManhattan(曼哈顿), Brooklyn(布鲁克林), Bronx(布朗克斯), Richmond(里士满) and Queens(昆斯). the h

16、eadquarter of the United Nations Became an important city early in the last century. A large portion of the national exports passed through New York harbor. New York has become one of the worlds busiest ports and also the financial, manufacturing, and travel center of the country.,1.1 Wall Street,Am

17、ericas financial center The world famous New York Stock Exchange(纽约证券交易所) is across the street The symbol of American monopoly capitalism.,1.2 World Trade Center,The tallest building in the U.S. and the world composed of two buildings, twin structures, each rising 110 stories above the citys streets

18、 second most populous city after New York. Founded in the early 1800smain connection between the east coast cities and the West. the largest industrial city in the country, with highly developed heavy and light industries the center of industry, transportation, commerce and finance in the Midwest ar

19、ea, also a culture center,Sears Tower (西尔斯大厦),Willis Tower, still commonly referred to as Sears Tower Completion in1973, the tallest building in the world, surpassing the World Trade Center towers in New York Held this rank for 25 years Tallest building in United States One of the most popular touri

20、st attractions in Chicago Renamed Willis Tower in 2009,People,The United States is the third most populous nation in the world, ranking behind China and India. According to the U. S. Census Bureau(美国人口普查局), the resident population reached a milestone on Oct. 17, 2006, hitting 300 million.,Population

21、,Uneven distribution The most densely populated regionthe northeastern part About one quarter of the total land area, about half of the total population. The Great Plainsa comparatively small population. The Southa population of almost 57.5 million people. The Westnot densely populated; 20% of the p

22、opulation except for some metropolitan centers like Los Angels, and San Francisco.,Nation of Immigrants,Race and ethnic groups The Indians The White Anglo-Saxons Protestants (WASP) The Black The Hispanics The Asian-Americans,Indians,About 10 million Indians in North America When Columbus arrived. We

23、stward movementthe destruction of the Indians. Today about 2.4 million Indians About one-third of them live on reservations, land that was set-aside for them. The rest lives in cities. Poverty and unemployment are major problems, especially on the reservations.,WASPs,European descendants White Anglo

24、-Saxon Protestants who were largely responsible for the winning of Americas independence. Englishofficial language,The Black,About 8 million black people were brought to America from Africa as slaves from 1620 to 1820. work on plantations or large farms of the South. poor and suffer from poverty Tod

25、ay the black account for about 12% of the population Many of them live in the South and in the cities of Northeast and Midwest.,Civil Rights Movement,Segregation laws (隔离法) in Southern states in the US prevented black and white people from sitting together in movie theatres, eating in the same resta

26、urants, drinking from the same water fountain, etc. Although these are not Amendment (补充法案）to the US Constitution, the US government would not declare the Southern laws unconstitutional until there were cases brought in the federal courts. The civil rights movements began when black people spontaneo

27、usly protested segregation laws and created organizations to make the protests successful.,Martin Luther King,a black minister a great political and religious leader of the non-violent civil rights movement in 1950s.,On August 28, 1963, he led over 250,000 Americans on a march in Washington D. C. to

28、 fight for the Civil Rights Law to guarantee equality for all people, and delivered his best-known speech “I Have a Dream” before the Lincoln Memorial . Thus he was awarded the Nobel Prize for peace in 1964. But he was tragically murdered four years later. By vote of Congress in 1968, the third Mond

29、ay of every January is now a federal holiday in Martin Luther Kings honor.,I Have a Dream,I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day on the red hi

30、lls of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transf

31、ormed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today! I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious r

32、acists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right down in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today! I have a dream that o

33、ne day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.,Hispanicsthe Spanish-speaking population of the Uni

34、ted States,Three major Hispanic groups:,Puerto Ricans The island of Puerto Rico(波多黎各) has been an American possession since the Spanish-American war of 1899 and Puerto Ricans have been American citizens since 1917. Better job opportunities in the U.S. have drawn a large number of Puerto Ricans to th

35、e U.S., the majority of whom have settled in the large cities in the eastern seaboard.,Cuban Americans The Cuban-Americans who got away from Cuba after the Cuban Revolution in 1959 and are now gathered in the Miami area. In general, the Cuban-Americans have done the best economically. They left Cuba

36、 in the early 60s and, over the past 40 years, they have created a prosperous “little Cuba” in the Miami area.,Asian immigrantsChinese,Among the Asian immigrants, the Chinese were the first Asians to come to the United States. Beginning in 1847, when young male peasants came to work in America in mi

37、nes, on railroads, and in agricultural fields.,Exclusion Act of 1882 which restricted further immigration of Chinese nationals was not removed until the end of World War II. Since that time the Chinese has moved into the mainstream of American society, and they are beginning to move into politics. Now the Chinese-Americans are abo