美国加拿大阅读背景材料Word下载.docx

美国加拿大阅读背景材料Word下载.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.