American History
I. America in the colonial era
II. The War of Independence
III. The Civil War
IV. America during the two World Wars
I. America in the colonial era
Who were the very first Americans?
Who was the first one discovering the new continent?
After whom was the new continent named?
I. America in the colonial era
1.The very first Americans were Indians.
●They created their civilization, known as Maya civilization, dominating Mexico and Central America from 4th to the 10th centuries.
●They were the descendants of the Mongoloid (蒙古人种的) people in Asia.
●About 20,000 years ago, they traveled to the North American continent across the Bering Strait (白令海峡).
2. Christopher Columbus is believed to have discovered America.
●In 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered America. However, he believed he had reached India and called the natives Indians.
In 1500, Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian navigator, also under the Spanish flag, drew the conclusion that what he found was a new continent.
3. The establishment of colonies
Since the America was found, the Spanish established many colonies: Florida, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
In 1588, the Spanish Armada was defeated by the English navy，which put England in a better position to provide support for its New World colonies.
3. The establishment of colonies
Between 1607 and 1733 the British established 13 colonies along the east coast of North America.
These 13 colonies were established in different patterns:
●crown colonies ( 直辖殖民地),
●proprietary colonies ( 业主殖民地),
●charter colonies ( 特许公司殖民地),
●self-governing or compact colonies ( 自治殖民地或契约殖民地).
1) The first successful English colony in North America was founded at Jamestown, Virginia , in 1607.
2) In 1620, a group of Pilgrims sailed to the New World in a ship called Mayflower. They arrived at Plymouth, and built the New Plymouth colony in New England. These Pilgrims drew up the epoch-making Mayflower Compact (五月花契约), which was signed by all adult males on the ship.
3. The establishment of colonies
3) From 1630 to 1643, some 200 ships transported over 20,000 Englishmen to the Massachusetts Bay colony. Plymouth remained a separate colony until 1691 when it was combined with Massachusetts Bay colony. Puritans
People who criticized or wished to "purify" the Church of England.
"Puritan" refers to two distinct groups:
"separating" Puritans, radical Protestants, such as the Plymouth colonists, the pilgrims, who believed that the Church of England was corrupt and that true Christians must separate themselves from it; and
“non-separating” Puritans, such as the colonists who settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony, who believed in
reform but not separation.
Puritans
(1) Puritans believed that God had set special duties for everyone to carry out.
(2) These puritans were well known for their spirit of enterprise and high standard of morality.
(3) Puritans advocated thriftiness in doing things and rejected all church rituals. They demanded equality and opposed all priestly hierarchy.
Puritans
(4) They believed it was noble to protect human rights in their pursuit of wealth.
(5) Puritans placed great importance on education and founded Harvard College in 1636. Most of the Puritans were well-educated and wealthy.
Puritans
3. The establishment of colonies
4) The Rhode Island Colony was founded by dissenters pushed out of Massachusetts.
5) The other four colonies: the Connecticut Colony, the New Hampshire colony, Maine, V ermont comprises the region, known as New England.
3. The establishment of colonies
The New Englanders, despite their differences, mostly belong to the Puritan group in religion. Their values include the belief in hard work, thriftiness, accumulation of wealth, self-government, acquisitiveness, and Puritanic morality. Their culture laid the foundation of American values and became the American mainstream culture. And New England has been regarded as the cradle of American democracy.
3. The establishment of colonies
6) New Y ork and New Jersey were first colonized by the Dutch while Delaware was founded by the Swedish. These three colonies were later taken over by the English Crown as crown colonies.
3. The establishment of colonies
7) Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn. Pen n set up a colony, Pennsylvania, meaning “Penn’s wood”. He adopted a tolerant policy which welcomed any settlers who read the Bible and believed in God. Pennsylvania later played an active role in fighting for America’s independence and against the slave s ystem in the South.
3. The establishment of colonies
8) The other colonies were Maryland, South and North Carolinas, and Georgia.
So, by 1773, English settlers had occupied 13 colonies along the Atlantic coast.
4. Features of American culture:
1) a blending of European cultures under new circumstances in the New World
2) less formal but more pragmatic, less conservative and more outspoken;
3) hard-work, diligence, religious tolerance, respect of individual rights
●(people of different national origi ns required social life to show toleration; not interfering in others’ privacy; problems concerning belief became a private affair)
4) attaching great importance to education
●founding Harvard College in Massachusetts 1636 by the Puritans with the original idea of enabling people to read Bible and communicate with God.
Who were the very first Americans?
Who is believed to have discovered America?
After whom America was named?
Which was the first successful English colony in North America?
Which was New England comprised of?
Which were the first 13 colonies along the Atlantic coast?
II. The War of Independence
1. Background
1) The French and Indian War (The Seven Y ears’ War, 1756-1763)
●The war first broke out in America between French and England, both of which claimed the Ohio River valley.
●In 1754, the English colonists started to attack the French troops in this region and this touched off the French and Indian War.
●The War, officially declared in Europe in 1756, was also known in Europe as the Seven Y ears’ War. Many countries in Europe were involved in the war.
●Finally, France failed. The French had to sign the 1763 T reaty of Paris and ceded Canada to Britain.
2) Conflict between England and its colonies:
●England imposed new taxes partly in order to defray the cost of fighting the Seven Y ears’ War, and expected Americans to lodge British soldiers in their homes. The colonists resented the taxes and resisted the quartering of soldiers.
●In 1765, the Stamp Act was passed by the English Parliament.
●The Act was aiming to collect more taxes from the colonists, which made many colonists unhappy because they were not given a single seat to voice their feelings in the English Parliament at that time, so they raised the slogan of “no taxation without representation”.
The direct cause: The Boston T ea Party
●Because of import duties on tea, many merchants smuggled tea from Holland, instead of importing from England.
●In order to deal with the rotting tea in the London warehouses and make more profits, the East India Company,
a vital source of British wealth, was allowed by the British Government to sell its tea to the colonies free of import duty.
●Colonial merchants were enraged and protested against the unequal treatment. On December 16, 1773, a band of
50 men disguised as Indians and led by Samuel Adams dumped 90,000 pounds tea of three British tea-bearing ships lying at anchor in Boston Harbor, worth 90,000 pounds.
3) the First Continental Congress
●In September 1774
●held in Philadelphia which encouraged Americans to refuse to buy British goods
2. process
1) the first shots
●On April 19, 1775, 700 British soldiers were sent to Concord to search for weapons and “rebellious” colonists. When the troops reached Lexington at dawn, they encountered militiamen.
●Fighting broke out and the first shots in the American War of Independence were fired.
2) the Second Continental Congress
In May, 1775
held in Philadelphia and began to assume the functions of a national government.
It founded the Continental Army and Navy under the command of George Washington.
Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence, which the Congress adopted on July 4, 1776.
The Declaration of Independence
presenting a public defense of the American War of Independence
a clear explanation of the political theory behind the revolution and this theory came from the British philosopher John Locke:
●men have a natural right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”; government can rule only with “the
consent of the governed”; any government may be dissolved when it fails to protect the rights of the people.
●This theory is central to the western political tradition.
3. Results
●At first, the war went badly for the Americans.
●After endless hard fighting, in October 1777, the Americans defeated the British troops at Saratoga 萨拉托加in Northern New Y ork.
●This was the turning point of the War, leading directly to an alliance between the U.S and France. (statue of liberty, 1886)
●Finally, in 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed, with which, the America won its independence.
4. After the War of Independence
1) problem
How to convert the Confederation into Federation became a big problem for Americans.
Because of different backgrounds and economic conditions, the 13 states were not closely united.
●There were conflicts between radicals and moderates.
●Moderates advocated a political economy based on a strong national government that would actively advance commerce and protect private property.
●Radicals favoured a different political economy, based on a weaker central government, a more localized democracy, and a hand-off economic policy.
2) the Constitutional Convention
●On May 25, 1787
●held in Philadelphia
●Fifty-five delegates from all the states except Rhode Island attended the Convention.
●These delegates were advocates of a united nation and had been active in the Revolution.
●George Washington was elected chairman of the Convention.
●James Madison from Virginia took the lead in the work to write a new constitution and he became known as “Father of the U. S. Constitution.”
3) Federalist Papers 联邦文集
●Prominent Federalists such as Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote 85 letters to the newspapers of New Y ork, which were known as the Federalist Papers.
●the best explanation of the constitution as well as one of the most important works on political theory
4) the Bill of Rights人权法案
The first ten amendments to the U.S Constitution, which was called the Bill of Rights, adopted in 1791 which promise to protect individuals' rights.
●Freedom of religion, speech and the press;
●The right to keep and bear arms;
●The right against unreasonable searches and seizures;
●The right against self-incrimination ( 自证其罪).
英语国家概况美国部分精讲系列 Chapter: 13 geography 地理位置 1.Alaska and Hawaii are the two newest states in American.Alaska northwestern Can ada,and Hawaii lies in the central Pacific. 阿拉斯加和夏威夷是最近加入美国的两个新州.阿拉斯加在加拿大的西北部，夏威夷位邻中太平洋.（本细节还有考“一句话简答”的可能） 2.The U.S has a land area of 9.3 million square kilometres.It is the fourth largest co untry in the world in size after Russia,Canada and China. 就面积而言，美国是世界第四大国，就人口而言，美国是世界是第三大国. 3.Of all states of American,Alaska is the lagest in area and Rhode Island the smalles t.But on the mainland Texas is the largest sate of the country. 所有州中，阿拉斯加是面积最大的州，罗得岛最小，在美国大陆，最大的州是得克萨斯州. 4.The Rockies,the backbone of the North American Continent,is also known as the C ontinental Divide. 落基山脉是北美大陆的脊梁，也被成为大陆分水岭. 5.The two main mountain ranges in American are the Appalachian mountains and the Rocky mountains. The Appalachians run slightly from the northeast to southwest and the Rocky mountains run slightly from the northwest to southeast. 阿巴拉契亚山脉和落基山脉是美国的两座大山脉.（本细节有考“一句话简答题”的可能）
American History ?I. America in the colonial era ?II. The War of Independence ?III. The Civil War ?IV. America during the two World Wars I. America in the colonial era ?Who were the very first Americans? ?Who was the first one discovering the new continent? ?After whom was the new continent named? I. America in the colonial era ?1.The very first Americans were Indians. ●They created their civilization, known as Maya civilization, dominating Mexico and Central America from 4th to the 10th centuries. ●They were the descendants of the Mongoloid (蒙古人种的) people in Asia. ●About 20,000 years ago, they traveled to the North American continent across the Bering Strait (白令海峡). ?2. Christopher Columbus is believed to have discovered America. ●In 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered America. However, he believed he had reached India and called the natives Indians. ?In 1500, Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian navigator, also under the Spanish flag, drew the conclusion that what he found was a new continent. 3. The establishment of colonies ?Since the America was found, the Spanish established many colonies: Florida, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. ?In 1588, the Spanish Armada was defeated by the English navy，which put England in a better position to provide support for its New World colonies. 3. The establishment of colonies ?Between 1607 and 1733 the British established 13 colonies along the east coast of North America. ?These 13 colonies were established in different patterns: ●crown colonies ( 直辖殖民地), ●proprietary colonies ( 业主殖民地), ●charter colonies ( 特许公司殖民地), ●self-governing or compact colonies ( 自治殖民地或契约殖民地). ?1) The first successful English colony in North America was founded at Jamestown, Virginia , in 1607. ?2) In 1620, a group of Pilgrims sailed to the New World in a ship called Mayflower. They arrived at Plymouth, and built the New Plymouth colony in New England. These Pilgrims drew up the epoch-making Mayflower Compact (五月花契约), which was signed by all adult males on the ship. 3. The establishment of colonies ?3) From 1630 to 1643, some 200 ships transported over 20,000 Englishmen to the Massachusetts Bay colony. ?Plymouth remained a separate colony until 1691 when it was combined with Massachusetts Bay colony. Puritans ?People who criticized or wished to "purify" the Church of England. ?"Puritan" refers to two distinct groups: ?"separating" Puritans, radical Protestants, such as the Plymouth colonists, the pilgrims, who believed that the Church of England was corrupt and that true Christians must separate themselves from it; and ?“non-separating” Puritans, such as the colonists who settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony, who believed in
一、原住民 加拿大的历史可追逆至二万七千年前的冰川期结束的时候。育空地区出土的文物显示，当时已有人类通过因为冰川退缩而显露出来的陆桥，从亚洲迁徙到此地。 这些人是否就是加拿大的原住民因纽特人或印第安人的祖先，目前还没有足够的证据可以作出判断。但是对因纽特人语言的研究指出，他们的语言是古代亚洲语的一种，学术界称之为古亚细亚语系爱斯基摩-阿留申语族。 在卑诗省的的史基纳河谷有证据表明，印第安人至少已经在那里连续居住了五千年。 欧洲人到来之前，印第安人和因纽特人在加拿大的土地上长期靠采集、农耕或渔猎为生。 二、加拿大的发现 写于十三世纪的北欧传奇声称，"红人"艾力克于公元九百八十五年左右到达格陵兰，他的儿子在纽芬壮大的北端建立了一个短暂的定居点。 显然，斯堪的纳维亚的怀金人曾经多次横渡大西洋前往加拿大，随后欧洲的渔民也曾偶尔漂流到此地。但是，有正式文献记载的发现则到十五世纪末才开始。 一四九四年，英国的探险家约翰.卡波特（John Cabot）到达了纽芬兰岛。他发现，这里有些地方鱼群竟稠密到足以降低他的船速的地步。 一五三四年，法国人杰克。卡第艾（Jacques Cartier）到达了对罗伦斯湾。他发现此地盛产珍贵的毛皮。十六世纪上半期，法国航海家多次到达加拿大东海岸，他们把这一带称?quot;新法兰西"。 直到詹姆士.库克（James Cook）船长一七七六至一七七九年的航行探险之后，基督教世界才得知在洛基山脉以西还有大片土地存在。 从一七九二至一七九四年，乔志.温哥华（George Vancouver）在测绘西北海岸线时，以蒙特利乐为基地的西北毛皮公司也在对加拿大西北的内陆进行勘察。 一七九三年，亚历山大.麦肯锡(Alexander Mackenzie)横穿了整个大陆。 一八O八年，西门。弗雷泽（Simon Fletcher）也克服了重重困难，翻越洛基山，发现弗雷泽河，并顺流通到达太平洋的岸边。 一七九八至一八O二年，大卫.汤姆森（David Thomson）花了四年时间，从头到尾勘测了哥伦比亚河。
America The Founding of Colonies殖民地的建立 First Inhabitants：American Indians Discovery of the New World： 1492 Christopher Columbus →the discoverer of America (Italian)Spanish Queen’ s support 1501-2 Amerigo Vespucci →the new land was name after him as America. reached the mouth of Amazon River America—the New World Europe—the Old World 13 colonies： New England Colonies: Mid Atlantic Colonies: Southern Colonies: Massachusetts →（2nd colony，1620）New York Maryland New Hampshire Pennsylvania Virginia →（1st colony，1607）Rhode Island Delaware North Carolina Connecticut South Carolina Georgia →（the last colony，1733）New England Region（6个）: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont 建立原因： Virginia, 1607 Virginia Company For foreign expansion as a way of easing religious dispute and economic distress in England 105 men (no women) Jamestown in honor of the king Massachusetts In 1620 102 Puritans (“Pilgrim Fathers”), in Mayflower, from Plymouth in England to America First in Plymouth (today’s Massachusetts); and then Boston Seek religious freedom Mayflower Compact <五月花号公约>：self-government Hardships when arrived the help of the Indians Thanksgiving Day to thank the Indians and the God for protection The next three colonies Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire Reasons: 1. religious disputes and struggles in Massachusetts intensified 2. more immigrants
英语国家概况复习 The Republic of Ireland Geography and History 本章概论： 1. 爱尔兰共和国的地理特征 --- the Emerald Isle --- The Central Lowland --- bogs --- the Shannon River 2. 爱尔兰共和国的气候 --- mild, moist and changeable --- excessive rainfall 3. 爱尔兰共和国的人口和宗教 --- the Great Famine --- one of the most Catholic countries of Europe 4. 爱尔兰共和国历史 --- The arrival of St. Patrick in AD 432 5. 爱尔兰共和国的外交政策 --- neutrality and nonalignment 1. 简答题： Why Ireland is also called the Emerald Isle? ----- Ireland is also called the Emerald Isle because of its rich green countryside. 爱尔兰也因其乡村绿荫葱葱而被称为绿宝石岛 第一部分：Geographical Features 1. 识记要点： Why Ireland has been geographically compared to a basin？ ----- Ireland has been compared to a basin in which a limestone plateau is rimmed by coastal highlands. 2. 识记要点： The central plain area is characterized by many lakes, bogs (wet areas) and low ridges. Variety is the main feature of the lowlands. The Central Lowland is the heart of Ireland. 3. 简答题： What is the largest river in Ireland? Why is it very important? ----- The largest river in Ireland is the Shannon River. It is very important because it
一、概况 1.50 States Its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Caribbean and Pacific. 2.Races and Population 在东部时间2006年10月17日早晨7点46分，美国人口总数突破三亿大关，这是美国人口史上具有里程碑意义的一刻。3.06188亿（2009年，世界国家和地区第3名，次于中国、印度） 3.The Composition of American Population 1)The Majority:the descendants of immigrants from European countries, such as France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, and Spain;“Pilgrim Fathers”;Potato famine 2)The Minorities:The African Americans: black slaves from Africa;Indians: the number of native Americans has been falling, no more than a million;The Hispanics: immigrants or descendents of immigrants from Latin America, such as Cuba and Mexico (Mexicans are the most numerous among them);Asian-Americans, from China, Japan and Korea;More than a million Chinese-Americans, most of whom live in Hawaii, on the West Coast and in some big cities;5 million Jews in America, many of whom went there during the Second World War and achieved great success in America. 3)“The Melting Pot”:It means immigrants from different nations all over the world have mixed to make up the American nation.“old immigrants”: came to America before 1860;“new immigrants”, after 1860.The Immigration Quota Law was passed by the American government in 1924. 二、Early History 1.Columbus：1492 Christopher Columbus arrived at Salvador Island, thus discovered the “New World”.(Amerigo V espucci: named “America”) 2.The first English permanent settlement:1607 The first group of English colonies came to America and built their settlement of Charleston which later was expanded into the first English colony known as Virginia. 3.Pilgrim Fathers:1620 Some English immigrants (Puritans) sailed into Plymouth on a ship called the “Mayflower”.102 Puritans, 60 days.Mayflower Compact, “one man one vote”, “one-man rule” 4.The values of Puritans:hard work; commercial success; the importance of education 5.Thanksgiving:1621 Thanksgiving Day was first celebrated by the pilgrims of the Plymouth Colony. 三、American Revolutionary
1. The longest river in Britain is ____. A. Severn B. Tees C. Thames D. Clyde 2. The British Isles is made up of ____. A. Three large islands and hundreds of small ones B. Two large islands and hundreds of small ones C. Three large islands and dozens of small ones D. Two large islands and dozens of small ones 3. There are three political divisions ____ on the island of Great Britain. A. England, Scotland, and Ireland B. England, Scotland, and Wales C. England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland D. Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland 4. The Tower of London, located in the centre of London, was built by ____. A. King Harold B. William the Conqueror C. Robin Hood D. Oliver Cromwell 5. St. Paul’s Cathedral is in ____. A. Liverpool B. London C. Glasgow D. Birmingham 6. The largest lake in Britain is ___. A. Ullswater B. Loch Lomond C. Windermere D. The Lough Neagh 7. The Romans led by Julius Caesar launched their first invasion on Britain in ____. A. 200 B. C. B. 55 A. D. C. 55 B.C. D. 410 A.D. 8. The capital of Northern Ireland is ____. A. Belfast B. Birmingham C. Edinburgh D. Cardiff 9. Between 1337 and 1453 the ____ took place in Britain. A. Wars of Roses B. Black Death C. Hundred Year’s War D. Peasants Uprising 10. The first Civil War in Britain lasted from ____ to ____. A. 1600—1604 B. 1640—1644 C. 1642—1646 D. 1646—1650 11. James Watt created a ____ in 1769. A. Spinning Mule B. Steam Engine C. Power Loom D. Spinning Jenny 12. In English individualistic culture, one should not bother Englishmen without a good reason and making appointment beforehand seems to be important. It is best reflected by an English proverb____. A. as welcome as a storm B. an Englishman’s house is his castle C. do not wear out your welcome D. outstay one’s welcome 13. ____ is the first weekday after Christmas, a legal holiday in English, Wales, Northern Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. A. Thanksgiving Day B. Anzac Day C. St. Valentine’s Day D. Boxing Day 14. The Bible was originally written in ____. C A. Latin B. English C. Hebrew D. Arabic 15. Which of the following king was executed in the civil war? A. James I B. Charles I C. James II D. Charles II 16. From 1649 to 1658 English was called a Commonwealth. It was ruled first by Oliver Cromwell as ____ .
Chapter 2 1.The British history before 55BC is basically undocumented.(T) 2.The Celts became the dominant group in Britain between the 8th and 5th centuries BC.(T) 3.The name of Britain came from a Celtic tribe--- the Britons.(T) 4.The Anglo--Saxons came to Britain in the mid--5th century.(T) 5.The chief or king of the Anglo--Saxon tribes exercised power at their own will.(F) 6.The Vikings began to attack the English coast in the 8th century.(T) 7.Henry II built up a large empire which included England and most of France.(T) 8.The Magna Carta was designed to protect the rights of both the privileged class and the townspeople.(F) 9.The Hundred Years' War was a series of wars fought between England and Normans foe trade and territory.(F) 10.In an effort to make a compromise between different religious factions,Queen Elizabeth I actually defended the fruit of the Religious Reformation.(T) 1. The D attack on Rome ended the Roman occupation in Britain in 410. A. Norman B. Danish C. Celtic D. Germanic 2.By the late 7th century, D became the dominant religion in England. A. Celtic Christianity B. Anglo-Saxon Christianity C. Germanic Christianity D. Roman Christianity
Chapter 13 geography 地理位置 I. Location and size 1. The full name of the United States is the United States of America. The continental United States lies in central North America with Canada to its north, Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico to its south, the Atlantic Ocean to its east and the Pacific Ocean to its west. Alaska and Hawaii are the two newest states in America. Alaska borders on northwestern Canada and Hawaii lies in the central Pacific. 阿拉斯加和夏威夷是最近加入美国的两个新州。阿拉斯加在加拿大的西北部，夏威夷位邻中太平洋。 2. The U.S has a land area of 9.3 million square kilometers. It is the fourth largest country in the world in size after Russia, Canada and China.就面积而言，美国是世界第四大国，就人口而言，美国是世界是第三大国。 3. Of all states of American, Alaska is the largest in area and Rhode Island the smallest. But on the mainland Texas is the largest sate of the country. 所有州中，阿拉斯加是面积最大的州，罗得岛最小，在美国大陆，最大的州是得克萨斯州。 II.Topography 1. Mountains (1)The two main mountain ranges in American are the Appalachian mountains and the Rocky mountains. The Appalachians run slightly from the northeast to southwest and the Rocky mountains run slightly from the northwest to southeast. 阿巴拉契亚山脉和落基山脉是美国的两座大山脉。（本细节有考―一句话简答题‖的可能）
1.Alaska and Hawaii are the two newest states in American.Alaska northwestern Canada,and Hawaii lies in the central Pacific. 阿拉斯加和夏威夷是最近加入美国的两个新州。阿拉斯加在加拿大的西北部，夏威夷位邻中太平洋。（本细节还有考"一句话简答"的可能） 2.The U.S has a land area of 9.3 million square kilometres.It is the fourth largest country in the world in size after Russia,Canada and China. 就面积而言，美国是世界第四大国，就人口而言，美国是世界是第三大国。 3.Of all states of American,Alaska is the lagest in area and Rhode Island the smallest.But on the mainland Texas is the largest sate of the country. 所有州中，阿拉斯加是面积最大的州，罗得岛最小，在美国大陆，最大的州是得克萨斯州。 4.The Rockies,the backbone of the North American Continent,is also known as the Continental Divide. 落基山脉是北美大陆的脊梁，也被成为大陆分水岭。 5.The two main mountain ranges in American are the Appalachian mountains and the Rocky mountains. The Appalachians run slightly from the northeast to southwest and the Rocky mountains run slightly from the northwest to southeast. 阿巴拉契亚山脉和落基山脉是美国的两座大山脉。（本细节有考"一句话简答题"的可能） 6.The Mississippi River is the largest river in American,over 6000 kilometers.The Mississippi has been called "father of waters"or "old man river" 密西西比河是美国最长河流，有被称作"众水之父"或"老人河"。 7.The Ohio river has been called the American Ruhr,As in Germany, the area along the river is rich in valuable deposits of high-grade coking coal and is well known for its steel industry.The river provides cheap water transportation for raw materials. 俄亥俄河被称作美国的鲁尔河，就像德国一样，沿河有丰富的高品千周的焦煤，并且因其钢铁而著名。另外，该河还为原材料提供了廉价的水路运输。 8.On the Pacific side there are two great rivers:the Colorado in the south and the Columbia ,which rises in Canada. 太平洋沿岸有两大河：科罗拉多河及哥伦比亚河。 9。The Rio Grande River forms a natural boundary between Mexico and the United States. 格兰德河是美国和墨西哥之间的开然界河（本细节考选择和简答可能性大）10.the most important lakes in the United States are the Great Lakes. They are Lake Superior,which is the largest fresh water lake in the world, Lake Michigan ,the only entirely in the U.S.,Lake Huron,Lake Eire and Lake Ontario.They are located between Canada and the United States except Lake Michigan. 美国最重要的湖泊是五大湖：苏必利尔湖，密歇根湖，休伦湖，伊利湖和安大略湖，其中，苏必利尔湖为世界最大淡水湖，密歇根湖完全是美国境地内。
PART TWO The United States of American 1. Population, race and ethnic groups 人口和种族 1) introduction 概要 ①the third most populous country in the world,with 255.5 million people. ② a nation of immigrants.Immigration accounts for a major source of population growth.There are many racial and ethnic groups. Between 80% and 90% of immigration ot the United States now is from Asian and Hispanic counties.The first immigrants in American history came from England and Netherlands. Population movements are common in America. 移民是人口增长的一个主要原因。到目前80%-90%的移民来自亚洲和西班牙语国家。 美国历史上最早的移民来自于英格兰和荷兰。人口迁徙在美国很普遍。 2) Black people and the Civil Rights Movement ①blacks and slavery the largest of the racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S., which 12.1 per cent of the population; the first blacks were brought to North America as slaves in 1619. 美国最大的少数人种是黑人，占人口的12。1%；1619 年最早的黑人作为奴隶被运至美国。 ②The slave system was formally ended by Lincoln ‘ s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and the Thirteenth Amendment to the Consititution in 1865.the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s demanded desegregation and equal right. 1863 年林肯总统的《解放宣言》和1865 年的《宪法第13 修正案》使奴隶制度正式瓦解。废除种族隔离和人 权平等导致了1960 年的民权运动。 2. American History 1) The —discovery II of the New World 发现新大陆 ①The ——first America ns II were the In dia ns 最早的美国人是印第安人 ②In the late 15th cen tury, Christopher Columbus, an Italia n n avigator, supported by the Spanish queen, he led his men to sail across the vast ocean in 1492 and reached some small islands in the now west Indies.He thought he had reached Asia and didn ‘ t know he had disvovered a New Continent. 15 世纪后期，意大利航海家克里斯多弗.哥伦布，在西班牙女王的支持下,于1492 年率领船队穿越浩瀚的大西洋，抵达了现在西印度群岛的一些小岛。他误以为到达了亚洲，并不知道自己已经发现了一个新大陆。 ③Ameriga Vespucci proved that the land was a new continent.Therefore, the land was named America after him. 阿美利歌。韦斯普奇证明了这是新大陆，因此，以他的名字命名。 2) Causes of the colonization of the New World Opportunity was a magic word. ①The new World drew English nobles (who dreamed of getting more land and establish ing great new estates.). ② Drew other people who could not find jobs in En gla nd. ③ Most of all , it drew the poor and the homeless from the farmla nds and villages of Europe. ④ Many settlers came to the English colonies in search of religious freedom because they had been persecuted in England. 机遇是一个神奇的词。 1 )他吸引了英国的贵族 (那些梦想在荒原上创建庞大的新地产的) 2) 吸引那些在英国无法找到工作的人。3)尤其是吸引了欧洲农场和乡村的穷人和无家可归的 人。4)许多人为寻求宗教自由而在这英国殖民地定居下来，因为他们在英国受到宗教迫害。 3) The first English colony in the Americas was founded at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. Between 1607 and 1733 the British established 13 colonies along the east coast of North America. They were Virginia,