美国和加拿大阅读背景材料Word文档格式.docx
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ApacheinTexas;
NavajoinArizona,ColoradoandUtah;
HopiinArizona;
CrowinMontana;
CherokeeinNorthCarolina;
andMohawkandIroquoisinNewYorkState.TheNorwegianexplorerLeifErikssonwasthefirstEuropeantoreachNorthAmerica,some500yearsbeforeadisorientedColumbusaccidentallydiscovered'
Indians'
inHispaniola(nowtheDominicanRepublicandHaiti)in1492.Bythemid-1550s,muchoftheAmericashadbeenpokedandproddedbyaparadeofexplorersfromSpain,Portugal,EnglandandFrance.Thefirstcoloniesattractedimmigrantslookingtogetrichquicklyandreturnhome,buttheyweresoonfollowedbymigrantswhoseprimarygoalwastocolonize.TheSpanishfoundedthefirstpermanentEuropeansettlementinStAugustine,Florida,in1565;
theFrenchmovedinonMainein1602,andJamestown,Virginia,becamethefirstBritishsettlementin1607.ThefirstAfricansarrivedas'
indenturedlaborers'
withtheBritsayearpriortoEnglishPuritanpilgrims'
escapeofreligiouspersecution.ThepilgrimsfoundedacolonyatPlymouthRock,Massachusetts,in1620andsignedthefamousMayflowerCompact-adeclarationofself-governmentthatwouldlaterbeechoedintheDeclarationofIndependenceandtheUSConstitution.Britishattemptstoassertauthorityinits13NorthAmericancoloniesledtotheFrenchandIndianWar(1757-63).TheBritishwerevictoriousbutwereleftwithanastywardebt,whichtheytriedtorecoupbyimposingnewtaxes.Therallyingcry'
notaxationwithoutrepresentation'
unitedthecolonies,whoceremoniouslydumpedcaffeinatedcargooverboardduringtheBostonTeaParty.BesiegedBritishgeneralCornwallissurrenderedtoAmericancommanderGeorgeWashingtonfiveyearslateratYorktown,Virginia,in1781.Inthe19thcentury,America'
smantrawas'
ManifestDestiny.'
Acombinationoflandpurchases,diplomacyandoutrightwarsofconquesthadby1850giventheUSroughlyitspresentshape.In1803,NapoleondumpedtheentireGreatPlainsforapittance,andSpainchippedinwithFloridain1819.TheBattleoftheAlamoduringthe1835TexanRevolutionpavedthewayforTexanindependencefromMexico,andthewarwithMexico(1846-48)securedmostofthesouthwest,includingCalifornia.ThesystematicannihilationofthebuffalohuntedbythePlainsIndians,encroachmentontheirlands,andtreatiesnotworththepapertheywerewrittenonledtoNativeAmericansbeingherdedintoreservations,deprivedofboththeirlivelihoodsandtheirspiritualconnectiontotheirland.Nineteenth-centuryimmigrationdrasticallyalteredtheculturallandscapeassettlersofpredominantlyBritishstockwerejoinedbyCentralEuropeansandChinese,manyattractedbythe1849goldrushinCalifornia.TheSouthremainedfirmlycommittedtoanagrarianlifeheavilyreliantonAfricanAmericanslavelabor.TensionswereontherisewhenabolitionistAbrahamLincolnwaselectedpresidentin1860.TheSouthsecededfromtheUnion,andtheCivilWar,byfarthebloodiestwarinAmerica'
shistory,beganthefollowingyear.TheNorthprevailedin1865,freedtheslavesandintroduceduniversaladultmalesuffrage.Lincoln'
svisionforreconstruction,however,diedwithhisassassination.America'
strouncingoftheSpaniardsin1898markedtheUSA'
sascendancyasasuperpowerandwokethecountryoutofitsisolationistslumber.TheUSstilldiditsbestnottogetitsfeetdirtyinWWI'
strenches,butfinallycapitulatedin1917,sendingoveramilliontroopstohelpsortoutthepeskyGermans.PostwarcelebrationswerecutshortbyProhibitionin1920,whichbannedalcoholinthecountry.The1929stock-marketcrashsignaledthestartoftheGreatDepressionandeventuallybroughtaboutFranklinRoosevelt'
sNewDeal,whichsoughttoliftthecountrybacktoprosperity.AftertheJapanesedroppedinuninvitedonPearlHarborin1941,theUSplayedamajorroleindefeatingtheAxispowers.AtomicbombsdroppedonHiroshimaandNagasakiin1945notonlyendedthewarwithJapan,butusheredinthenuclearage.TheendofWWIIseguedintotheColdWar-aperiodofgreatdomesticprosperityandasurfaceuniformitybeliedbyparanoiaandbetrayal.PoliticianslikeSenatorJoeMcCarthytookadvantageoftheclimatetofananticommunistflames,whiletheUSSRandUSAstockpilednuclearweaponsandfoughtwarsbyproxyinKorea,AfricaandSoutheastAsia.Tensionsbetweenthetwocountriesreachedtheirpeakin1962duringtheCubanMissileCrisis.The1960swasadecadeofprofoundsocialchange,thankslargelytotheCivilRightsmovement,VietnamWarprotestsandthediscoveryofsex,drugsandrock&
roll.TheCivilRightsmovementgainedmomentumin1955withabusboycottinMontgomery,Alabama.Asanonviolentmassprotestmovement,itaimedatbreakingdownsegregationandregainingthevotefordisfranchisedSouthernblacks.Themovementpeakedin1963withMartinLutherKingJr'
s'
Ihaveadreamspeech'
inWashington,DC,andthepassageofthelandmark1964CivilRightsActand1965VotingRightsAct.Meanwhile,America'
syouthwererejectingtheconformityofthepreviousdecade,growingtheirhairlongandsmokinglotsofdope.'
Tunein,turnon,dropout'
wasthemantraofagenerationwhoprotestedheavily(andnotdisinterestedly)againstthewarinVietnam.Assassinationsofprominentpoliticalleaders-JohnandRobertKennedy,MalcolmXandMartinLutherKingJr-tookalittleglossofftheparty,andtheAmericantroopsmiredinVietnamtookofftherest.NASA'
smoonlandingin1969didlittletorestorenationalpride.In1974RichardNixonbecamethefirstUSpresidenttoresignfromoffice,duetohisinvolvementinthecover-upoftheWatergateburglaries,bringingAmericanpatriotismtoanewlow.The1970sand'
80swereaperiodoftechnologicaladvancementanddecliningindustrialism.SelfimagetookabatteringatthehandsofIranianAyatollahKhomeni.Aconservativebacklash,symbolizedbytheelectionandpopulartwo-termpresidencyofactorRonaldReagan,soughttoputsomebackboneinthecountry.TheUSthenconcentratedonbullyingitspoorneighborsinCentralAmericaandtheCaribbean,meddlingintheaffairsofElSalvador,Nicaragua,PanamaandGrenada.ThecollapseoftheSovietBloc'
EvilEmpire'
in1991lefttheUSastheworld'
ssolesuperpower,andtheGulfWarin1992gaveGeorgeBushtheopportunitytoleadacoalitionsupposedlyrepresentinga'
newworldorder'
intobattleagainstIraq.Domesticmatters,suchashealthreform,gunownership,drugs,racialtension,gayrights,balancingthebudget,thetenaciousWhitewaterscandalandtheMonicaLewinsky'
Fornigate'
affairtendedtoovershadowinternationalconcernsduringtheClintonadministration.Inabidtokickstartitsthen-ailingeconomy,theUSAsignedNAFTA,afree-tradeagreementwithCanadaandMexico,in1993,invadedHaitiinitsroleofupholderofdemocracyin1994,committedthousandsoftroopstopeacekeepingoperationsinBosniain1995,hostedtheOlympicsin1996andenjoyed,overthepastfewyears,thefruitsofabullmarketonWallSt.The2000presidentialelectionmadehistorybybeingthemosthighlycontestedraceinthenation'
shistory.TheDemocraticcandidate,AlGore,securedthemajorityofthepopularvotebutlosttheelectionwhenallofFlorida'
selectoralcollegevoteswenttoGeorgeWBush,whowasaheadofGoreinthatstatebyonly500votes.Demandsforrecounts,arulingbytheFloridaSupremeCourtinfavorofpartialrecounts,andahandfuloflawsuitsgeneratedbybothpartieswerebroughttoahaltwhentheUSSupremeCourtsplitalongpartylinesandruledthatallrecountsshouldcease.Afterfivetumultuousweeks,Bushwasdeclaredthewinner.TheearlypartofBush'
spresidencysawtheUSfaceinternationaltension,withrenewedviolenceintheMiddleEast,aspy-planestandoffwithChinaandnearlyglobaldisapprovalofUSforeignpolicywithregardtotheenvironment.Onthedomesticfront,aconsiderablyweakenedeconomyprovidedchallengesfornationalpolicymakers.WhethertheUScancontinuetoholdontoitsdominantpositionontheworldstageandrejuvenateitseconomyremainstobeseen.
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料關於美國的文化Givemeyourtired,yourpoor/Yourhuddledmassesyearningtobreathefree,'
readstheinscriptionontheStatueofLiberty.Andtheworlddid,fuelingthedynamismofAmericawithwavesofambitiousimmigrantsfromeverydowntroddencorneroftheglobe.ImmigrationisoneofthedefiningcharacteristicsofAmerica'
snationalidentity,thoughcallingtheUSa'
nationofimmigrants'
neatlysidestepsNativeAmericans(alreadyhere)andAfricanAmericanslaves(broughtagainsttheirwill).Inthepast30years,theoldnotionofAmericaasameltingpot-astewinwhichimmigrants'
individualdifferencesarelostinuniformity-hasgivenwaytothesalad-bowlmodel,inwhichtheindividualpiecesstillretaintheirflavorwhilecontributingtothewhole.Americansareconstitutionallyguaranteedfreedomofworship;
dominantfaithsincludeProtestantism,CatholicismandJudaism,amongothers.Thereareplentyofindigenousfaithsaswell,suchasChristianScientists,Jehovah'
sWitnessesandMormons.AmericanEnglishencompassesamultitudeofregionalaccentsofdifferingdegreesofintelligibility.Spanishhaseffectivedual-languagestatusinpartsofsouthernCalifornia,NewMexico,TexasandMiami