美国
UNIT 3 1.What is an American?
He is either a European, or the descendant of a European, hence that strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country. He is an American, who leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds. ... Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labors and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world. ... The American is a new man, who acts new principles; he must therefore entertain new ideas, and form new opinions. 4 . In what way did Puritanism influence American culture? A. Today, Puritans are no longer in existence. But their legacies are still felt in American society and culture. For example, the Puritans hoped to build a city upon hill an ideal community. Since that time, Americans have viewed their country as a great experiment, a worthy model for other nations. This sense of mission has been very strong in the minds of many Americans. B. The Puritans also have left rich cultural heritage to future Americans. The American values such as individualism, hard work, respect of education owe very much to the Puritan beliefs.
UNIT 4 1 Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
Was it necessary to change the Articles of Confederation and write a new constitution for the new nation of the United States at the time? The Articles of Confederation failed because the states did not cooperate with the Congress or with each other. When the Congress needed money to pay the national army or to pay debts owed to France and other nations, some states refused to contribute. The Congress had been given no authority to force any state to do anything. It could not tax any citizen. Only the state in which a citizen lived could do that. 2. What is a federal system? What are some of the major differences between a federal system and a confederation? The Constitution set up a federal system with a strong central government. A federal system is one in which power is shared between a central authority and its constituent parts, with some rights reserved to each. The Constitution also called for the election of a national leader, or president. It provided that federal laws would be made only by a Congress made up of representatives elected by the people. It also provided for a national court system headed by a Supreme Court. 3. What are some of the major powers of each of the three branches of the U.S. government? How are the three branches supposed to check and balance each other? If Congress proposes a law that the president thinks is unwise, the president can veto it. That means the proposal does not become law. Congress can enact the law despite the president's views only if two-thirds of the members of both houses vote in favor of it. If Congress passes a law which is then challenged in the courts as unconstitutional, the Supreme Court has the power to declare the law unconstitutional and therefore no longer in effect. The president has the power to make treaties with other nations and to make all appointments to federal positions, including the position of Supreme Court justice. The Senate, however, must approve
all treaties and confirm all appointments before they become official. In this way the Congress can prevent the president from making unwise appointments 4．What is the
Bill of Rights? Do you think that it was necessary to write the Bill of Rights explicitly into the U.S. Constitution? The Bill of Rights: the first 10 amendments, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, were added within two years of the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. These amendments remain intact today, as they were written two centuries ago. The first guarantees freedom of worship, speech and press, the right of peaceful assembly, and the right to petition the government to correct wrongs. The Bill of Rights and subsequent constitutional amendments guarantee the American people the fullest possible opportunity to enjoy fundamental human rights.
5 What are the two political parties in the United States? Do you think they are fundamentally different? The United States has two major political parties. One is the Democratic Party, which evolved out of Thomas Jefferson's party, formed before 1800. The symbol of the party is the donkey. The other is the Republican Party, which was formed in the 1850s, by people in the states of the North and West, such as Abraham Lincoln, who wanted the government to prevent the expansion of slavery into new states then being admitted to the union. The symbol of the Republican Party is the elephant.
UNIT 6 1. In what way do you think that religious freedom was a historical necessity in the United States?
1. By the middle of the 18th century, many different kinds of Protestants lived in America.
2. The Great Awakening of the 1740s, a
evival movement that sought to
breathe new feeling and strength into religion, cut across the lines of Protestant religious groups, or denominations. 3. A few Americans were so influenced by the new science and new ideas of the Enlightenment in Europe that they became deists, believing that reason teaches that God exists but leaves man free to settle his own affairs. 4. The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States forbade the new federal government to give special favors to any religion or to hinder the free practice, or exercise, of religion. 3 What promotes the diversity in American religion?
1. The United States has always been a fertile ground for the growth of new religious movements. Frontier America provided plenty of room to set up a new church or found a new community.
2. Many religious communities and secular utopias, or experiments in new forms of social living, were founded in 18th and 19th century America.
3. Americans with different religions live together under the same law.
4. The religious beliefs of Americans continue to be strong with social progress.
5. In the United States every church is a completely independent organization, and concerned with its own finance and its own building.
6. Continuous immigration.
UNIT 8 1. What is the goal of education in the United States? Discuss the similarities and differences in Great Britain, the United States and China concerning the goals of
education. 答：The goal is—and has been since the early decades of the republic—to achieve universal literacy and to provide individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote both their own individual welfare as well as that of the general public. Though this goal has not yet been fully achieved, it remains an ideal toward which the American educational system is directed. The progress which has been made is notable both for its scope and for the educational methods which have been developed in the process of achieving it. 2. How did American education begin to develop? In 1634, they opened a “lateen grammar”school, a school for those who wanted to prepare for college. In 1636, Harvard College was founded for the training of religious ministers. In 1634 and 1638, the Puritans passed laws declaring that all property could be taxed for the common good, which included the support of school. In 1642 and 1647, the Bay Colony passed laws requiring all parents to provide reading
educating for their children. At the end of the 18th century, elementary education throughout the United States was in local hands. 3. What are the major characteristics of education in America? (1)Different education laws for different states. (2)Several levels of schooling：Elementary Schooling，Secondary Schooling and High Schooling. (3)curricula for students: there is no national curriculum in the United States. (3)Compulsory education for all students. (4)Equal education opportunities for minority groups. (5)Strong demand for higher education. (6)The complex system of higher education. Some states play a strong role in the selection of learning material for their students. Schools were asked not only to teach this new information, but to help students ask their own questions about it. The “inquiry”method of learning , focusing on solving problems rather than memorizing facts, became popular.
或者3.What do you think some of the characteristics of education in America? 1. About 85% of American students attend public schools (schools supported by American taxpayers). The other 15% attend private schools, for which their families choose to pay special attendance fees. Four out of five private schools in the United States are run by churches, synagogues or other religious groups. In such schools, religious teachings are a part of the curriculum. 2. Each of the 50 states in the United States has its own laws regulating education. From state to state, some laws are similar; others are not. Education in the United States was to remain in the hands of state and local governments. 3. Americans have a strong tendency to educate their children about major public concerns—problems such as environmental pollution, nuclear issues, neighborhood crime and drugs.
Unit9 1, what were the major social movement of the 1960s? And what was the historical background of the social movements of that decade? 一（1）the Civil Rights Movement, the Youth Movement, the Anti-War Movement, Free Speech Movement, Counter Culture, Women's Liberation Movement. （2）1. During World War Two, many American Negroes had a taste of life outside the South. They knew that life in the segregated South, where Negroes were prevented from working at good jobs and getting good education, was not the American way of life. 2. Women earned less money and had fewer opportunities to advance than men working in the same jobs,
or they became housewives, isolated at home with their children. 3. Many young people resented traditional white male values in US society. 4. When the US army began to fight in Vietnam, many people thought the war was wrong. They did not understand why US troops were fighting in Asia.
大学英语拓展课《美国社会与文化》教学大纲课程名称：美国社会与文化 课程代码： 学分/总学时：3.5/72 开课单位：外国语学院 授课对象：非英语专业大二本科生 一、课程的性质、任务和特色 美国社会与文化是大学英语拓展课程，本课程面向二年级已经通过四级或六级的学生开设，旨在满足学生更高的学习需求。已经过了四、六级的大学生，原有的教材和教学模式已经不能满足他们的需求。大学英语拓展课程的开设已经成为必然，拓展课程包括英语国家社会与文化、奥斯卡影视欣赏、外贸口语、翻译、写作等等，美国社会与文化课程是整个拓展课程群的重要组成部分。本课程的主要内容涵盖美国地理、历史、政治、经济、文化、教育等多层面内容，既有表面现象的了解，又有内在原因的分析。本课程以教师自制教材为主，补充电影报刊及网络资源等多媒体材料，旨在通过阅读英语文字材料和观看英文影像资料，然后讨论并解决问题的方式让学生对美国的社会历史、生活习俗和风土人情有一个直观的印象。使学生在欣赏了解的同时，联系社会历史原因进行分析，培养兴趣，开拓视野，提高英语和跨文化学习水平。 本课程教学任务为：了解美国社会与文化的基本特点；掌握美国概况的基础知识；理解中美文化差异和不同的文化价值观念；掌握相关社会历史背景知识；提高英语语言技能；培养跨文化言语交际和非言语交际意识。 本课程的特色：（１）拓展学生的英语知识。本课程配合全新版大学英语三、四册使用，基于整个大学英语教学大纲和课程要求。学生阅读英语文字书面及网络材料和观看英文影像资料，是一个资源输入的过程，通过讨论来解决问题，和中间及最后的考查和考试就是资源输出的过程。前一个过程重点培养学生的英语阅读能力，而后一过程可帮助学生提高说、听、写和译的能力，这与大学英语整个课程要求不谋而合。（２）拓展学生思维，培养学生跨文化交际意识，帮助学生更好适应全球一体化这一大形势。文化是语言的来源和基础，没有文化背景的语言是没有生命的。美国是全球最有影响力的国家之一，同时也是英语语言的主要载体国家。所以了解一定的美国社会与文化知识，不但可以激发学生学习英语的兴趣，提供更多的英语学习背景资料，更重要的是可以培养学生的跨文化交际能力，帮助学生更好地适应新形势下社会对复合型英语人才的需求。 二、学习本课程学生应掌握的前设课程知识 因为涉及到英文授课及各种课堂讨论，要求学生有一定的英语听说能力；授课过程中会有相关文献阅读，要求学生有一定的英语读写能力。要求学生最低通过英语四级，或具有英语四级相当水平。 三、学时分配
判断题 第一单元 1、Britain is no longer an imperial（帝国）country(T) 2、The Commonwealth（英联邦）of Nations includes all European countries(F) 3、1 in 10 of the British population are of non-European ethnicity（种族）(F) 4、The stereotype（刻板印象）of the English gentleman never applied to the majority of the British people(T) 5、When people outside the UK talk about England, they mistake it as Britain sometimes(T) 6、The Scots and Welsh（苏格兰和威尔士）have a strong sense of being British(F) 7、Scotland（苏格兰）was never conquered by the Romans（罗马人）(T) 8、Most people in Scotland speak the Celtic（凯尔特）language, called “Gaelic” (F) 9、Scotland was unified with England through peaceful means(T) 10、Wales（威尔士）is rich in coal（煤炭）deposits（存款）(T) 11、Cardiff（卡迪夫）, the capital of Wales, is a large city(F) 12、The title of Prince（王子）of Wales is held by a held by a Welsh according to tradition(F) 第二单元 1、Ireland is part of Great Britain(F) 2、“Ulster（阿尔斯特）”, referring to Northern Ireland, was once an ancient Irish Kingdom（王国）(T) 3、The capital of Belfast（贝尔法斯特）is a large city with half a million people(F) 4、Northern Ireland is significant（重要的）because of its manufacturing（制造业）industry(F) 5、The majority of Irish people were descendants（后代）of the original Celtic（凯尔特）people who inhabited British Isles（群岛）before the Romans arrived 2000 years ago(T) 6、Most British people are Protestants（新教徒）while most Irish people are Catholics（天主教徒）(T) 7、The British government does not have direct rule from London over Northern Ireland(T) 8、Sinn Fein（新芬党）is a legal political party in Northern Ireland(T) 9、The Anglo-Irish（岗格鲁-爱尔兰）Agreement of 1985 guaranteed the loyalist （政府军）Protestant community（社区）their to decide their future in Northern Ireland(T) 10、The Good Friday Agreement（协议）was approved on 10 April 1998(T) 11、Northern Ireland today is governed by separate jurisdictions（司法管辖区）: thatf Republic（共和国）of Ireland that of Great Britain(F) 第三单元 1、It is no doubt that Britain is the oldest representative democracy（民主）in the world(F) 2、In Britain, the process of state-building（国家建设）has been one of evolution rather than revolution, contrast to France and the US（与法国和美国相比）(T)
A Brief Introduction to the United Kingdom 该国，我们正在研究的全称是大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国。这是一个什么在许多方面 是一个复杂的国家复杂的名字。大多数人都知道做些什么，因为它的庞大的海外帝国给它一个重要的国际作用，只是来到一个在未来数年年底，之后第二次世界大战。然而，一些市民对英国知道（他们可能会呼吁干脆英国或错误，英格兰）可能不大如何最真实的英国人今天过自己的生活。 一方面，帝国的日子已经足够长的时间以前，只有老人记得他们的任何东西是生活中的 重要性。英国不再是一个帝国的国家，尽管其帝国的影响可能常常在遇到的各种方式，而不是在与50或更多曾是这个帝国的一部分，和国家之间的密切关系，至少它通过一个松散的 维持（自愿）组织的联系称为英联邦国家。但更重要的英国国际关系今天是欧洲联盟，其中英国1973年以来的成员，这是在考虑更有用现代英国强调它的作用作为一个欧洲国家，而 不是其英联邦成员资格。它仍然是一个相对富裕的国家，是7国集团成员的大型发达经济体。另外一个旧帝国的作用明显成效在于弥补的英国人口本身。从这些英联邦国家，这在20世纪50年代和60年代鼓励一些移民，已制作了其中1人在20个非欧洲种族。他们自己或其父母或祖父母，出生在印度或巴基斯坦，加勒比国家，这些只是最常见的。 这将引入什么是对英国的章节关键主题：因为是大多数情况下，或所有，国家是不可能 总结了一些简单的对话英国人民。英国认为谁，很多人认为的英国绅士。但是，这仅仅是一个旧有的从未适用于英国绝大多数人来说，没有什么真正的有效性今天。英国是一个国家，一个单一的护照，和一个政府及对其所有的主权，但作为国家的大力顾名思义，它是由不同的元素组成。它包括4一个国家内的部分国家：大不列颠岛是由英格兰，苏格兰和威尔士，北爱尔兰，一份关于爱尔兰邻近的岛屿省份，完成设置。因此，在讨论英国和英国的一些考虑，必须使这些分歧，例如：一个来自苏格兰的女人不会高兴，如果我们打电话给她的英国绅士？她是苏格兰和女性，并认为她的身份从不同的男人和不同的英语。 但是，这4个组成部分之间的区别的国家只有一个，也许是最简单的，不同的是分裂联 合王国。有人已经指出，英国现在是一个多种族社会，这些移民是最近才集团带来了自己的文化，这与他们并肩坐在一起，与生活更加传统的英国方式方方面，例如，许多穆斯林，而大多数（名英国人至少）是基督教徒。并明确在我的苏格兰妇女的例子涉及的是事实，男人和女人没有生活在英国同样的经历。此外，英国经济分为：它是一个阶级结构的社会。很可能夸大了这个阶级的重要性，因为结构的过程中，大多数国家有一些一流的一种制度，但它确实可以说，对英国社会的阶级结构是比较明显的。一名工厂工人，他的父亲是工厂的工人很可能会从股票经纪，父亲是一名股票经纪人，不同的文化：他们将倾向于读不同的报纸，看不同的电视节目，用不同的说话口音，在做不同的事情他们的自由时间，对自己的孩子有不同的期望。 另一个不同之处，这标志着英国社会就是区域。即使在四个国家，每个地区的不同：高 地之间的差异和低地苏格兰有着悠久的历史意义，例如：北部和南部英格兰队也被认为是文化不同，但它们之间的边界上没有标记任何地图，只存在一个比较笼统的精神风貌。然而，有一些是在经济方面的区别的基础，南部平均较富裕的北方。 部分之间的北部和南部的另一个区别，这标志着英国社会，一个可以看到在许多社会中， 但有可能尤其明显，在英国，也就是资本之间的区别和不同的经济差别的原因找到了省份。伦敦是在该国南部，并在英国占主导地位的各种方式。这是迄今为止该国最大的城市，约占全国人口的七分之一，它是政府的所在地，它是文化中心，这里是所有的主要报纸，电视台，与遥遥领先的最广泛选择画廊，剧院和博物馆。此外它是商业中心，在英国大公司总部的绝大多数，是国家的金融中心，三个主要的国际金融中心之一。因此，它结合了北京，上海，广州，还是纽约，华盛顿和洛杉矶的职能，在一个城市。并鉴于其长期在英国的历史作用，也许西安呢！伦敦是英国的经济和文化生活的巨大影响力，并在一定程度上在其阴影的国家
《英美概况》教学大纲 一、课程说明. 1. 课程代码：107013841 2. 课程中文名称：英美概况 3. 课程英文名称：The Society and Culture of Major English Speaking Countries — an Introduction 4. 课程总学时数：32 5. 课程学分数：2 6. 授课对象: 英语专业二年级学生 7.本课程的性质、地位和作用 《英美概况》是英语专业本科的一门专业任选课。本课程以英语为媒介，比较系统地向学生阐述世界主要英语国家的社会与文化背景，如地理、历史、政治、经济、社会生活和文化传统等方面的基本知识。它是英语专业学生学习英语专业其它语言基础课和在高年级阶段学习英语文学和翻译等课程的基础。本课程的教学可以提高学生在跨文化语言运用过程中对文化差异的敏感性、宽容性和处理文化差异的灵活性，从而改善学生的跨文化语言运用能力。 二、教学基本要求 1.本课程的目的、任务 本课程的教学目的在于让英语专业学生了解和熟悉主要英语国家的社会与文化概貌，掌握其地理、历史、政治、经济、社会生活与文化传统等方面的基本知识，扩大知识面，丰富文化修修养，加深对英语国家语言、文化和文学的理解，提高分析判断能力。 2.本课程的教学要求 本课程的基本要求是让学生掌握英美两个典型英语语言国家的历史与社会文化背景、民族特点、当前现状及发展前景。通过本课程的学习，学生除掌握有关英美两国的社会基本构成、文化传统、经济科技发展等基本知识外，同时也提高自身对英文社科类书籍的阅读能力，从而进一步提高自己的英语水平。 在课程的教学过程中，教师也可适当向学生推荐一些反映英美国家文化的优
学习了美国社会与文化后，我对美国的传统价值观有了更深更好的理解一般而言，美国的传统价值观共包括六个方面，即：individual freedom, equality of opportunity, material wealth 和self-reliance, competition, hard work. 其中，前三个方面集中代表了世界各地的人们移民到美国的原因，亦即我们通常所讲的“美国之梦”所包含的主要内容；而后三个方面则是为了实现这些梦想所应付出的代价。在美国人看来，individual freedom 和self-reliance, equality of opportunity 和competition, material wealth 和hard work 是一一对应的。你要想实现前一个梦想，就必须付出后边那个代价。 个性自由起源于美国祖先追求宗教信仰自由的传统。包括自主动机，自主抉择，自力更生，尊重他人，个性自由，尊重隐私等层面。美国的自由观"不仅指免除对肉体的约束，而且指个人有权签订契约；有权从事任何一种普通谋生职业；有权获取有用的知识；有权结婚、建立家庭和抚养孩子；受自己良心的支配崇拜上帝，以及普遍地享有历来被认为是自由和平等地追求幸福所必不可少的那些特权 自力更生每一个人生下来就是自由的，但要真正享受自由就必须要靠自己。这种观念体现在语言上就是在与美国人交谈时，他们很少通过炫耀自己的家庭或社会关系来抬高自己；如果你要那么做了只能让别人觉得你是个孩子，一个没有自己生活的人永远只能是个孩子。 机会平等美国人永远愿意倾听别人的意见，给别人机会；一个人在一方面犯了错误，并不剥夺他在其他方面出色的权利。美国人认为在大自然面前，人人有生存权利，只要有力气，有能力，谁都可以获得自然，谁都可以发财当富翁；在政治上，他们主张投票箱面前人人平等，也就是说，人人有选举权；在受教育上，资产阶级进步思想家提倡人人有受教育的机会，公立学校人人均可上学；运动场上，美国人也有他们的标准，只要有体育才能和技术的人，都可以参加竞争；在社交场合，美国人喜欢平等待人，也喜欢被别人平等相待，摆架子、高人一等的表现为人们所不取；在官兵关系方面，美国人认为，官兵之间应该是平等的，指挥官不能向士兵摆资格，不能把权威当宝杖使用；在宗教方面，美国人认为人人有信仰宗教的权利，只要是新教徒，不要经任何神职人员作中介，都可以与上帝相通。 竞争意识竞争是永恒的，也是一个人证明他在社会中地位的手段，但同时他也许要与同事的合作。但请注意，美国人所理解的“竞争”中的胜利并不是“惟我独尊”，而是得到别人的理解和认可；另外，美国人清楚的认识到依次的胜利只能说明过去，明天会有更多的挑战，要乐观的面对挑战，参加竞争。 追求财富美国人的祖先大多来自于贫民，追求财富，改善生活成为绝大多数移民的梦想。时至今日现在的美国人对于财富的理解远远超出了他们的祖先，时间、健康、能力、信息等都超出了纸币本身的价值，金钱成为了一种代表符号。总而言之，在美国人看来，一个人要有追求，这是你个人前进的动力。 敬业进取多数美国人都会把“敬业、进取”当作自己获得财富和保持财富的手段。在美国的各大商场里，有一种“DIY”的商品最为畅销。很多美国人已经把工作，当成一种人生的乐趣。在竞争面前，只有敬业并不断进取，才能保持自己在竞争中不败！ 下面有一些列子可以帮组我们了解我在前面提到过的美国的传统价值观。 1、美国商业上强调“自由市场” ,这与美国一直以来的自由价值观有着密切联系。 美国人的价值体系是和经济的改革相联系的。准确地说，是和“自由市场”的产生联系在一起的，自由市场是美国人生活中各种基本矛盾的根源：经济为效率服务、政治为平等服务、文化为自我实现服务的三准则形成了美国社会中的三种最重要的相互制约的价值观。一个半世纪以来，这三种不同的价值定向之间常常会发生紧张和冲突。 2、美国公共教育以实现美国社会机会均等、社会流动和经济公平方面平等主义为目标。 美国教育中，自力更生和责任精神，是对子女教育的出发点。让孩子从小学会独立 历代美国总统认为道德教育在建立民主国家中将会起相当重要的作用。发展教育能够帮助同
一、Fill in the following information gaps(20%)(1 point each) 1. In England more than ___1__ of its population living in cities ,and about 2% of the population working in agriculture, so England is a highly urbanized country . 2. In the year of ____2_____,the first permanent settlement in North America was established, in today's Virginia . 3.Ralph Waldo Emerson, a American transcendentalist, published a startling book called __3__,he claimed by studying and respecting to nature individual could reach a higher spiritual state without form religion . 4.The U.S. federal government consist of the following three branches the executive , _____4_____and the judicial. 5.One advantage of 5 over sole proprietorship and partnership is that it has limited liability, so investors risked only the amount of their investment and not their entire assets 6.The best -known stock exchange is New York Stock Exchange located in _____6_____area of New York City 7.WASP stands for _______7______. 8.The majority of the Catholics in the U.S. are descendants of immigrants from Ireland,_______8_______and Poland. 9.The Letherstocking Tales, they refer to the five novels written by9. 10.A collection of poems written by Walt Whitman , it is a ground-breaking book. That is 10 11.An jazz music ensemble of musicians consists of two sections: ________11________ and the percussion. 12. G.R.E and M.B.A. stand for Graduate Record Examination and __________12________ in U.S education. 13.In the U.S., B.A. and B.S. stand for ________13_________and Bachelor of Science in higher education. 14.The two most well known computer companies are ______14_______ and Apple in the United States. 15.Now the largest software company is _____15___________whose director is Bill Gates in the United States. 16.Two Scottish cities which have a ancient and internationally respected universities, they are Edinburgh and _______16____________. 17.The Britain, the official head of state is now ________17_______ while the real center of political life is in the House of Commons .
当代美国社会与文化 细读王恩铭老师的《当代美国社会与文化》确实收获很多，惊叹于作者对全书系统有序且相当全面的介绍了美国的民族构成、政治制度、经济发展、教育体系、大众传媒、劳工组织、企业管理、社会保障、电影艺术和体育活动，并对美国的宗教信仰、区域文化、价值观念、家庭婚姻、妇女运动和社会矛盾等问题。 和其他书籍来比，譬如我以前读过的《纽约地标》、《裸视美国》等，该书作者的逻辑更加清晰，篇章安排也比较合理。比如说就整体结构而言，本书分为十九个篇章，分别从美国社会的各个层面出发板块式分别叙述了诸如地理、人口、区域划分，历史，民族构成，政治制度，经济概貌，教育概貌，宗教价值观，大众传播媒介，美国劳工及劳工运动，美国工业组织及企业管理，妇女与妇女运动，家庭与婚姻，美国社会保障制度，美国社会问题，以及美国人的娱乐活动，主要节日等。条理清晰，分类严谨，给人以清新，简单的印象。 而就每一个篇章来说，作者在一开始都会有一个概括性的引言。这样的引言简明扼要，提纲挈领性的告诉我们这一章将要讲的内容，使读者对作者的思路有了一个简明的了解。然后在下文的叙述中，不同于有些书籍的是作者分了好多小标题，又一次简明的作为提示性的关键词放在显著位置，使得读者读起来更加方便，也调动了读者的积极性。其实如此学术性的书籍常常会失于乏味，但是读这本书时，每每看完作者的引言和小标题，我常常会想象作者接下了会怎样写，如
果是我会怎样写，就这一方面我已经了解了哪些问题等等，这样就提高了我阅读的积极性。我想分类明了，思路严谨，行文脉络清晰是本书最大的特征之一。就是利用这种方法，作者很明白的把整个美国社会的组成以文化现象说的很清楚。这种行文方式，也是我们以后写作时应该效仿学习的。 给我印象最深的一节是关于美利坚民族构成的介绍，和以前看过的书相比，作者明了的分类方式，抓住纲领的行文可见一斑。该章开始，作者用简短不足一千字的六小段，简单的介绍了这个多民族的移民国家的形成，组成，文化特征勾勒出了美利坚民族的基本特色。然后作者又利用他的分类特长分别介绍了北美土著居民，来自欧洲的居民，来自亚洲的居民，来自非洲的居民，来自拉丁美洲的美国人，这样的分类系统简单明了，易于接受。然后作者又按同样的结构在每个小节分别叙述了这些居民主要来自这些大洲的哪些国家，这些国家的移民在当今美国所占的比例，以及他们的移民史，他们第一代移民的从事的职业，社会地位以及第二代，第三代……的移民的职业特征，社会地位，和与其他国家移民相比，各个国家的移民的不同点。比起以前所读过的《裸视美国》，这样的叙述更清晰，思路更简单，更易为读者所接受。 通观全书，我对美国社会有了更系统的了解。其实对于书上的有些知识我以前零星点点的略知皮毛，但是在作者引领下我有了更清楚的认识。还有一些知识是以前在别的书上很少读过的，比如说以前我只知道美国白人的奴隶制度和他们对黑人的残酷剥削，但是不明白白
PEP小学英语文化知识汇总 一、饮食文化 1、西餐礼仪 the knife is on the right . 刀放置于右边 the fork is on the left. 叉置于左边 The spoon is beside the knife. 勺子置于刀的旁边 The plate is in the middle.盘子放在中间 2、饭后甜点dessert 的介绍 It's something sweet, like pudding, fruit or ice-cream…饭后吃一些甜食，比如布丁、水果、冰激凌等等 3、Traditional Chinese food中国传统食品 sweet dumplings汤圆zongzi粽子mooncake月饼dumplings饺子 二、节日文化 1、Women's Day妇女节 2、Children's Day儿童节 3、Christmas 圣诞节 Merry Christmas圣诞快乐 Father Christmas圣诞老人 Christmas Tree 圣诞树turkey火鸡gifts礼物 4、西方节日 Mother's Day is the second Sunday in May.母亲节在五月份第二个星期天 Father's Day is the third Sunday in June.父亲节在六月份第三个星期天 In America Thanksgiving Day is the fourth Thursday in November. 在美国，感恩节在十一月份的第四个星期四 In Canada Thanksgiving Day is the second Monday in October. 在加拿大，感恩节在十月份的第二个星期一 三、生活常识及日常标志的认识 1、出口、入口和卫生间标志： entrance入口exit出口women's女卫生间men's男卫生间 2、不同国家的紧急求救码emergency number 3、水零度结冰膨胀
American Family 1.The middle-aged people and elderly people generally live with their married children in America(F) 2.The nuclear family is the fundamental family pattern in the United States now(T) 3.In the post-civil war period,the African American family in the South was not only more nuclear,but also more male dominated(T) 4.In America,The pre-industrial family is a kind of Democratic family(F) 5.Mother and Father equally have the final say on family matters in most modern American families(T) 6.Upper-class families don’t aspire to be upwardly mobile because they are always there(T) 7.What does a nuclear family consist of (B) A.parents and family kin or other members of the community B.it consists of parents and their dependent or minor children only C.it consists of two parents and their children 8.Who takes care of the dependent children in a one-parent family in America?(C) A.The grandparents B.The government C.mother and father 9.Many American children must develop self-dependent to adjust themselves to (C) A.their parent’s unhappy marriage B.the new lifestyle of American family C.dramatic social and economic change in new century 10.Which of the following is not the effects of the Women’s Liberation movement in the 1960’s(B) A.women should have the same social and economic rights and priviledges as men B.women should go out to start their own business instead of staying at home to take care of their children C.women should obtained many political and legal rights previously open to men 11.Which of the following statements is not ture?(C) A.In America,individuals freely contracted marriage based on love in modern family pattern B.In 19th century,children were largely used as labor force, making children earn a living was seen not onl y as economically necessary but also morally sound C.In African American family,the slave can choose their husbands and wives by themselves American Education 1 The expenditure in American public schools is guided or decided by (D) A.Teachers B. Students C. headmasters D. boards of education 2 In the US school systems, which of the follow decision is true?(C) A.Elementary school, grammar school B.Elementary school, junior high school C.Elementary school, secondary school D.unior high school, senior high school 3 Three of the following universities have large endowments from wealthy benefactors . which is the exception?(B) A.Harvard university B.The state university of New Y ork C.Y ale university D.Princeton university 4 Both public and private universities depend on the following sources of income except(A) A.Investment B. student tuition C endowments D government funding 5 How many percent of American students go to public schools? (A) 85% B. 65% C 50% D 25% 6 American middle school system is consist if middle school and high school, the high school is divided into junior high scho ol and senior high school. (T) 7 The basic classes of middle school are math, English, PE, history, and health (T) 8 Children start school when they are six years old, in some states they must stay in school until they are fifteen.(F) 9.Parent do not have to pay for education of the public school, because the schools receive many from the government(T) 10. It’s false that most people stereotype the American middle school is easy to pass.(T) American labour 1.From what we know of the original African families from which many black Americans came.(T) 2.The Japanese worked hard for low pay and without complaining.(T) 3.In the nineteenth century in Mexican American families Husbands raised cattle and wives tended the housework!(T) 4.It was not until in the 1850s that working men's societies made a comeback.(T) Reason: Before 1860, union members never exceeded 1% of total labor force. From then on , labors has risen up 5.In the United States, the balance of power is different from other advanced industrial nations. It's true?(T) Reason: in the US, the power is clearly in favor of the employers. So, most of them l ook after business interests first, welfare of labor. 6.The AFL-CIO is especially connected with global trade issue.(T) 7.National Labor Relations Board isn't an independent federal agency.(F) 8.What did the workers want to gain in the labor movement? A: material status and social status 9.Which law became the first law to prohibit racial discrimination?(B) A. Taft-Hartley Act B. Fair Employment Act C. National Labor or Relations Act 10.Which one is not American national trade union organizations?(D) A. AFL-CIO B. IWW (Industrial Workers of the World C. Ctw (Change to Win Federation) D. ILD (International Labor Organization) American values and characteristics Question: true or false for American values and characteristics 1 In 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued the famous Emancipation Proclamation to ablish the slavery。（T） 2 Abraham Lincoln was the 15th president of the United States.(F)
1.The first permanent settlement in North America was established in today’s ______ in 1607. A. Florida B. Georgia C. Virginia D. Arkansas 2.The following drafted Declaration of Independence EXCEPT ______. A. George W ashington B. Thomas Jefferson C. John Adams D. Benjamin Franklin 3.Which of the following is the only branch of the U.S. Federal government that can make federal laws, and levy federal taxes? A. The executive. B. The legislative. C. The Judicial. D. The president. 4.The Three Faiths in the U.S. refer to _______. A.Protestant, Catholic, Jewish B.Protestant, Christian, Hindus C.Puritan, Catholic, Jewish D.Puritan, Christian, Islam 5.Which of the following novelists does NOT belong to “the Lost Generation”? A.F. Scott Fitzgerald. B.John Dos Passos. C.Ernest Hemingway.
第一章美国地理、人口和区域划分 两种说法： America，还包括美洲的意思； the United states of America，使用第二种表述更为确切。历史变迁： 18世纪时期，独立前后的美国是政治上和宗教上受迫害的欧洲移民的庇护所，是清教 徒们的美国。“山巅之城”（the City upon the Hill）是寻求政治自由人士的向往之地。 19世纪时期，美国西部开发，西海岸金矿发现，使美国在欧亚两洲成为“发财”（make a fortune）的代名词，吸引无数人去体验“淘金梦”。 （旧金山－中国人取名，市政府建筑上镶嵌72吨黄金） 20世纪时期，美国的政治、经济、科技和军事力量跃居世界超级大国地位，国际形 象在“世界警察”、“金元帝国”、“西方盟主”和“世界领袖’等诨名间变幻。 在21世纪的当今，美国依然保持其超强地位。主张单极世界 地理变化： 1776年7月4日独立之初．美国只拥有北美洲沿大西洋一边的一块狭长地带。 经近二百年西扩、战争攫取和低价购买，现横跨北美大陆，延伸至北美洲西北角的阿拉斯加(Alaska)和地处北太平洋的夏威夷（Hawaii），国土总面积达936万平方公里，居世界第四。（俄罗斯、加拿大、中国） 首都、国旗、国歌、国玺： 首都是华盛顿，即华盛顿.哥伦比亚特区（Washington D.C.）。 国旗由红白相间条纹和蓝底白色的星星组成．1777.7.4国会通过，通常称“星条旗’（Stars and Stripes）。13道条纹代表最早独立13个州；1814年决定增加一州加1星，50颗星星表示美国现有50个州。。（贝特西·罗斯（1752—1836），美国民间女英雄，据说是星条旗的第一个制作者。） １
美国社会与文化期末复习参考 1.How has Protestantism shaped basic American values? 2.What is the essence of the Protestant heritage? 3.What is the protestant heritage? Protestantism gives American people the value of self-improvement, the belief of gaining material success through hard work and self-discipline,and the idea of volunteerism and humanitarianism. 4.What are the three branches of the federal government and their responsibilities? 5.What are the three branches of the U.S. Government? What are the responsibilities of each branch? Congress is the legislativebranch and responsible for making laws.The president heads on the executive branch and carrying out the laws. The Supreme Court and lower national courts make up the judicial branch, which interpret the laws. 6.What is the Electoral College? How does it work? It is a system for indirectly electing the president. The winner of the highest number of each state’s popular votes gets all of that state’s electoral votes. A person getting the highest number of electoral votes will become president. 7.Why are Americans suspicious of a strong government? Because they think government is the natural enemy of individual freedom. 8.Why did the American Constitution adopt the policy of “separation of church and state”? Because the government was forbidden to establish a national church, in order that no denomination was to be favored over the others. 9.What are the two major political parties in the United States? What is the main difference in their beliefs? Republican Party believe in free enterprise system which favor little or no government regulation. Democratic Party believe in government regulatedbusinessesto protect consumers and workers. 10.What are interest groups? What do interest groups do? They are some groups of Americans with similar interests and often called lobbying groups. They demand new or protect existing government programs, regulationsand benefits for their members’ interests. 11.What are the three values that are traditionally associated with the frontier heritage? They are individualism, self-relianceand equality of opportunity. 12.How do you understand the saying “What’s above the ground is more important than what is beneath the ground?”