美国文化考试题库.docx

美国文化考试题库.docx

《美国文化考试题库.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《美国文化考试题库.docx（19页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

美国文化考试题库

1.WhatisthenameofAmericannationalflag?

Whatdoesitconsistof?

Andwhatdoeseachpartrepresent?

ThenationalflagoftheUnitedStatesofAmerica,oftensimplyreferredtoastheAmericanflag,ornicknamedas"StarsandStripes","TheStar-SpangledBanner",consistsofthirteenequalhorizontalstripesofred（topandbottom）alternatingwithwhite,withabluerectangleinthecanton（referredtospecificallyasthe"union"）bearingfiftysmall,white,five-pointedstarsarrangedinnineoffsethorizontalrowsofsixstars（topandbottom）alternatingwithrowsoffivestars.The50starsontheflagrepresentthe50statesoftheUnitedStatesofAmericaandthe13stripesrepresentthethirteenBritishcoloniesthatdeclaredindependencefromtheKingdomofGreatBritainandbecamethefirststatesintheUnion.

2.Beinganationofimmigrants,theUnitedStateshasbeencomparedto,metaphorically,a“meltingpot,”a“saladbowl,”orevena“mosaic.”DothesemetaphorshelpusunderstandthecomplexnatureoftheUnitedStates?

Andhow?

Yes,theydo.

ThepopulationoftheUnitedStatesincludesalargevarietyofethnicgroupscomingfrommanyraces,nationalities,andreligions.Theprocessbywhichthesemanygroupshavebeenmadeapartofacommonculturallifewithcommonlysharedvaluesiscalledassimilation.ScholarsdisagreeastotheextenttowhichassimilationhasoccurredintheUnitedStates.SomehavedescribedtheUnitedStatesasa"meltingpot"wherevariousracialandethnicgroupshavebeencombinedintooneculture.OthersareinclinedtoseetheUnitedStatesasa"saladbowl"wherethevariousgroupshaveremainedsomewhatdistinctanddifferentfromoneanother,creatingarichlydiversecountry.

PerhapstheUnitedStateswillbedescribednotasa"meltingpot"ora"saladbowl"butasa"mosaic"—apicturemadeupofmanytinypiecesofdifferentcolors.Ifonelookscloselyatthenation,theindividualsofdifferentcolorsandethnicgroupsarestilldistinctandrecognizable,buttogethertheycreateapicturethatisuniquelyAmerican.Asanationwhichiscomposedofmany,themottooftheUnitedStatesis"Outofmany,one."

3.ThreeprimarycharacteristicsoftheAmericanlandscapeareitsinsulationfromEuropeandAsia（bytheAtlanticandPacificoceans）,itsexpanseandvarietyofresources,anditsnaturalnetworkofwaterways.Untilthe20thcentury,thesefactorseliminatedtheneedforlargestandingarmies,offeredeconomicself-sufficiency,andprovidedinternalmobility.TowhatextenthavetheseandotherphysicalfeaturesencouragednationalintegrationoftheU.S.?

American’sinsulationfromEuropeandAsiamadethecountryfarawayfromtheWWIandWW2andprotecteditfromthedangerofthewars,whichgaveittheworldsupremacywhilealloftheEuropeancountriesdeclinedafterthewars.Ontheotherhand,itsexpanseandvarietyofresourcesanditsnaturalnetworkofwaterwaysoffereconomicself-sufficiency,andprovideinternalmobility.AllofthecharacteristicsoftheAmericanlandscapehaveguaranteedthesafetyofthecountryandtheeconomicandthetechnologicalgrowth.

4.TheregionalcultureoftheUnitedStatesisvariedanddistinctive.Describe,briefly,thethreeorfourregionsintheU.S.,givingparticularattentiontotheirimportance,respectively,toAmericanculture.

TheUnitedStatescanbetraditionallydividedintosevengeographicalregions.TheyareNewEngland,theMiddleAtlanticStates,theMidwest,theSouth,theGreatPlains,RockiesandIntermountainregionortheAmericanWest,thePacificCoast,andtheNewStates.

Thenortheast（theNewEngland）isassociatedwithcoreAmericanvalues.MostoftheprominentsymbolsofAmericannationalismareconcentratedhere.It’sthefinancialcenterofAmerican.There’remanybankinghouseshere,suchasJ.P.Morgan,ChaseManhattan.TheNewYorkStockExchangeisalsointhisregion.Ingeneral,theNewEnglandersarefamousfortheirserious&self-reliantcharacter.Today,NewEnglandistheleastreligiouspartoftheU.S.

Whilethesouth,isfamousforitspastimage,whichiscalledslowtalkingandslowthinking.Inmostpeople’smind,thepeopleinsouthlivealifebasedonlegaciesofslaveryandracism.Itistheso-called“Themostreligious,leasteducated,andlowestpaidareainthecountry”.Butthesouthernersarewellknownfortheirhospitality.

ThepeopleinMidwestareknownfortheirhonestyanddown-to-earthdirectness.Itisinterestingthattheregionproducesfarmorebig-timebasketballplayerspercapitathanthenationalaverage.Itistheagriculturalbreadbasket,meatpacking,anddairylandofthenation.Itisalsoaregionofgreatindustrialandmanufacturingcities,includingChicago,Detroit,Cleveland,Cincinnati,St.Louis,andMilwaukee.MidwesternersaremoreconservativethanCaliforniansandlesssophisticatedthanNewYorkers.

Westhasthebigstatesandsmallpopulation.TherearethegreatplainsandthegreatAmericandesertintheregion.Itisaregionofscenicbeautyonagrandscale,suchastheGrandCanyon,MesaVerdeCliffDwellings,HooverDam,etc.Californiancitiesareknownfortheirtolerance.Asaruleinterpersonalrelationsaremarkedbyalive-and-let-liveattitude.SoCaliforniansareeagertotrynewfads.

5.WhatarethegeneralcharactersoftheRockyMountains?

TheRockiesarethebackboneofthecontinent.ComparedtotheothermountainsinAmerican,theyareveryyoung.TheyaremorethantwiceashighastheAppalachiansandhighenoughtoreceivemoreprecipitationthanthesurroundingplainsandplateaus.Consequently,theyaremostlyforested.ThestrikingandvariedsceneryoftheRockieshasgivenrisetotheestablishmentofmanynationalparkshere.Themountainsaresohigh,roughandirregularthatmakethesceneryimpressive.ThemostfamousoneistheYellowstoneNationalParkwhichcoversanareaofabout9,000squarekilometers.ItisinthenorthwestcornerofWyoming,butalsotakesuppartofMontanaandIdaho.Yellowstonehasabout3,000geysersandhotsprings.Italsohasmudvolcanoes,fossilforests,andvolcanicglass.

6.WhatweresomeofthecausesoftheAmericanRevolution?

书上答案：

In1763,theBritishgovernmentbegantotaxitsAmericancoloniesmoreheavilyandalsotriedtoincreaseitscontroloverthecolonies.Englandwantedtosellthecoloniesallthemanufacturedgoodsthecolonists’tradewithothercountries.EnglandalsoprohibitedwestwardexpansionintoAmericanterritoriesreservedfortheIndians.Buttheincreasedtaxationcausedthemosttrouble.Eventually,thecolonistsrefusedtopaythenewtaxesonstamps,tea,andotherimports.Asaresult,relationsbetweenthemothercountryanditscolonieswentfrombadtoworse.

其实下面这个答案也蛮不错~

（1）Potentialsourceofconflict:

Increasingdifferences

Bytheearly1760s,the13EnglishcoloniesinNorthAmericahaddevelopedasimilarAmericanpatterninpolitics,economyandculturallifeandenjoyedthesamefrontierenvironment.BecausetheEnglishpeopleandEuropeanshadbecomeAmericansandtheyhadformedanewidentity.Sotheywerereadytoseparatethemselvesfromtheoldworld.

Political:

“notaxationwithoutrepresentation.”

Economic:

Britishmercantilistpoliciesvs.thegrowthofAmericaneconomy.Theyfearedthatnewtaxeswouldmaketradingdifficult,andtheBritishtroopsstationedinthecoloniesmightbeusedtocrushthecivillibertieswhichtheyhadenjoyed.

（2）Directconflict

AftertheFrenchandIndianwar,theBritishgovernmentbegantochargenewtaxesonsugar,coffee,textilesandotherimportedgood.TheAmericanthoughtthat“Taxationwithoutrepresentationistyranny."ThecolonistsrefusedtoobeytheBritishlaw,soBritishsoldiersweresenttoBoston.

（3）Fuse:

In1773,agroupofpatriotsrespondedtotheteataxbystagingtheBostonTeaParty,whichdirectlyledtotherevolution.

7.WhatwerethecontradictionsbetweentheFederalistsandtheRepublicans?

（没时间的话只抄横线部分）

TheFederalistswereapowerfulandwealthyparty,madeupmostlyofnortheasternmerchantsandentrepreneursfromtheuppercalss.WhiletheRepublicans,knownasthe"partyofthecommonman,"weremadeupofsouthernplanters.

TheFederalistswereinfluentialinNewEnglandandthenorthernpartoftheUnitedStateswherebigbusinessthrived.Intermsofpoliticalthought,theFederalistsbelievedinstronggovernmentleadershipandalooseconstructionistinterpretationoftheConstitution,meaningthatkeyphilosophieswereimpliedbyorsimplyunderstoodbythewordingoftheConstitution,andthuscouldbeadaptedtotheday-to-dayrunningofthegovernment.TheyalsosupportedimprovedrelationswithEnglandoverFrance.

Incontrast,theRepublicans,knownasthe"partyofthecommonman,"weremadeupoffarmers,smallbusinessmen,andlaborers,andinfluencedthesouthernandwesternpartsoftheUnitedStates,whereagriculturewasstrong.TheRepublicansadoptedastrictconstructionistinterpretationoftheConstitution,meaningthatifanissuewasn'twrittenorreferredtodirectlyintheConstitutionthenthefederalgovernmenthadnoauthoritytoregulateormanagethoseaffairs.

8.WhataretheresultsoftheLouisianaPurchase?

TheLouisianaPurchase（French:

VentedelaLouisiane"SaleofLouisiana"）wastheacquisitionbytheUnitedStatesofAmericaof828,800squaremiles（2,147,000km2）ofFrance'sclaimtotheterritoryofLouisianain1803.TheU.S.paid60millionfrancs（$11,250,000）pluscancellationofdebtsworth18millionfrancs（$3,750,000）,foratotalcostof15milliondollarsfortheLouisianaterritory（$217millionintoday'scurrency）.[1][2][3]

TheLouisianaPurchaseencompassedallorpartof14currentU.S.statesand