美概笔记.docx

美概笔记.docx

《美概笔记.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《美概笔记.docx（25页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

美概笔记

AmericanCulture

andSociety

XiánFanYiUniversity

Lessonone：

IntroductionontheUnitedStatesofAmerica

一、TheNationandPeople

U.S.A.General

ØFullname:

TheUnitedStatesofAmerica

ØShortenedform:

U.S.A.

ØCapital:

WashingtonD.C.

ØTheNationalflag:

TheStarsandStripes

ØTheNationalAnthem:

TheStarSpangledBanner

Ø

TheNationalbird:

TheBaldEagle

ØTheNationalflower:

Rose

ØTheNationalemblem:

二、GeographyofU.S.A.

TheUnitedStatesis9,372,614k㎡insize,withitscontinentextending4,505kmeasttowest,2574kmnorthtosouth.It’sthefourthlargestcountryintheworld.

AflightfromNewYorktoSanFranciscotakesfiveandahalfhours.Atripbycarfromcoasttocoasttakesfivetosixdays

TheTopList:

ØThelargeststate:

Alaska

ØThesmalleststate:

RhodeIsland

ØThemostpopulousstate:

California

ØTheleastpopulousstate:

Wyoming

ØThelargestcities:

NewYorkCity,LosAngeles,Chicago,SanFrancisco,andPhiladelphia

三、AmericanPopulation

ØIthasapopulationof305,529,000（Jan.1st,2009）

ØEthnicgroups（MeltingPot）（大熔炉）

四、NationalLanguage?

ØIsEnglishtheofficiallanguage?

－“Nope”.

ØThereisnoofficiallanguage,butEnglishispopularandpredominant.

ØPeoplespeakSpanish,French,Germany,Chinese,Japaneseetc.athomeoratwork.

ØEnglishfluencyisimportantinsociallifeandisrequiredtogaincitizenship.

五、AmericanCities

ØTheUSAischaracterizedbyit’scitiesandurbanareas

ØTheUSAishighlyurbanizedwhencomparedtomostothercountries

Ø3、81%ofAmericansliveincitiesorsuburbs,whiletheworldaverageis49%.

ØPeopleareattractedbysomefamouscities,suchasNewYork,LosAngeles,Chicago,SanFranciscoandBoston.

LessonTwo：

AmericanBeginnings

Twoimmigrationmovements

ØFromAsia---AmericanIndians

ØFromEurope---ChristopherColumbus

AmerigoVespucci（亚美利哥•韦斯普奇）

HeprovedthatthelanddiscoveredbyColumbuswasnotIndia,butanewcontinent.Therefore,thelandwasnamedAmericaafterhim.

IITheColonialPeriod（1607-1776）

EarlySettlement

ØJamestown

ØPuritanNewEngland

ØQuakerPennsylvania

1、Jamestown---FirstSettlement

◆In1607theEnglishestablishedtheirfirstcolonyinAmerica,atJamestown,Virginia.

◆VirginiaisnamedinhonorofQueenElizabeth,theVirginQueen.

◆Jamestownwasnamedfortheruler,KingJames.

◆144EnglishmentoVirginia,100survived

◆Huntforgoldandwealth

TwothingsinVirginia

✧TransplantingtobaccointothecolonyofVirginia.In1619

✧ThefirstblackswerebroughttoVirginiain1619

2、PuritanNewEngland—TheSecondSettlement

Puritans（清教徒）

agroupofpeoplethoughtthattheChurchofEnglandwastoocatholicandwantedtopurifythechurch,separatedthemselvesfromtheChurchofEngland

PilgrimJourney

thePilgrimFathers（清教徒先驱）whosailedintheMayflowerin1620,Insearchofreligiousfreedom,settledatPlymouth,Massachusetts.

MayflowerCompact（五月花公约）

◆Thefirstgoverningdocumentofthecolony

◆Formtheirownreligiouscommunityandsetupacivilgovernment

◆Forthegeneralgoodofthecolony

CulturalHeritageofPuritans

✧Hardwork

✧Respectofeducation

✧Thanksgiving

3、QuakerPennsylvania（贵格派）

◆QuakersweresofaithfultoGodthatwhentheyspokeofGod,theytrembled（quake）

◆believethatallpeoplearecreatedequalintheeyesofGod.

Pennsylvania（宾夕法尼亚）

◆FoundedbyWilliamPenn

◆GrantedfromKingCharlesII

◆Named"Penn'swoods".

◆Philadelphia:

QuakerCity

Penn’sHolyExperiment

◆Religiousfreedom

◆EasytermsforLand（getsomelandfornothing）

◆self-government

◆AmericanfoundingfatherssuchasThomasJeffersonandBenjaminFranklinwereinspiredbyPenn’sexperiment

TheIndependenceWarofAmerica（1763-1783）

TheFirst13Colonies

佐治亚,南卡罗来纳,北卡罗来纳,弗吉尼亚,马里兰,特拉华,宾夕法尼亚,新泽西,康涅狄格,新罕布什尔,纽约,马萨诸塞,罗得岛

CausesofWar

✧TheEnglishpeopleandEuropeansinthe13EnglishcolonieswerereadytoseparatethemselvesfromtheOldWorld.

✧Britishgovernmentbegantochargenewtaxes（TheStampTax印花税）（TheTeaTax茶税）

BostonTeaParty

DuringtheBostonTeaPartyin1773,AmericancolonistssnuckonboardthreeBritishtradeshipsanddumpedmorethan300chestsofteaintoBostonHarbor.TheythrewtheteaoverboardtoprotestGreatBritain’staxontea.

BattlesofLexingtonandConcord

ThefirstfightingoftheAmericanRevolutiontookplaceinApril1775atLexingtonandConcord,Massachusetts.AmericancolonistsshotatBritishsoldiers,whohadcometotakeawaythecolonists’weapons.

TheAmericanWarofIndependenceBegan.

TheDeclarationofIndependence

OnJuly4,1776,theContinentalCongressadoptedaDeclarationofIndependence,draftedbyThomasJefferson,JohnAdamsandBenjaminFranklin.

TheWarofIndependenceofficiallyBegan.July4th,TheNationalday

TheBritishSurrenderatYorktown

InOctober1781,BritishgeneralGeorgeCornwallissurrenderedtoAmericangeneralGeorgeWashingtonatYorktown,Virginia.TheTreatyofParis

In1783,BritishrecognizedtheindependenceoftheUnitedStates.Anewnationwasborn

FoundingFathersoftheUnitedStates

ThomasJefferson（1743–1826）

◆oneofthemostinfluentialFoundersoftheUnitedStates

◆principleauthoroftheDeclarationofIndependence.

◆thethirdUSApresident

GeorgeWashington（1732–1799）

◆thefirstPresidentoftheUnitedStates（1789–97）

◆the"FatherofhisCountry".

BenjaminFranklin（1706-1790）

◆oneofthemostprominentoftheFounders

◆writingtheDeclarationofIndependenceandmakingtheU.S.Constitution.

LessonThree：

ThePoliticalSysteminTheUnitedStates

ArticlesofConfederation（联邦条例）

◆Congress:

aweaknationalgovernment

◆Eachstatehaditsowngovernment,madeitsownlawsandhandleditsinternalaffairs.

◆TheCongresshadonlylimitedpower

◆theArticlesofConfederationfailed.

TheU.S.Constitution（美国宪法）

◆TheConstitutionoftheUnitedStatesofAmericaisthesupremelawoftheUnitedStates.

◆ItprovidestheframeworkfortheorganizationoftheUnitedStatesGovernment.

◆In1787,inPhiladelphia,Thedelegatesfrom12states（ExceptRhodeIsland）,holdaconstitutionalconventiontorevisetheArticlesofConfederation.

◆anewconstitution

◆afederalsystemwithastrongcentralgovernment.

UnitedStatesGovernment

TheConstitutionoftheUnitedStatesdescribeshowthecountryshouldbegoverned.Itdividesthenationalgovernmentintothreebranches.

Thestructureofthefederalgovernment

1、Legislativebranch（立法机构）

◆TheU.S.Congress（国会）isthelegislativebranch.Itistheonlybranchmakeslaws.

◆TheCongresscontainstwoparts:

theHouseofRepresentatives（众议院）andtheSenate（参议院）.

LegislativeBranch

theHouseoftheSenate

Representatives

◆TheHouseofRepresentativesconsistsof435votingmembers,andservesfortwoyears.

◆100senators（2fromeachstate）,serveforsixyears

Howtomakelaws?

2、ExecutiveBranch（行政机构）

ThePresident

✧ThechiefexecutiveofU.S.A.

✧Iselectedtoafour-yearterm

✧Canbeelectedtoonlytwoterms

ThePowerofPresident?

◆Appointfederaljudges

◆Thecommanderinchiefofthearmy

◆Runningthegovernmentdepartments

◆Handlingforeignrelations

3、JudicialBranch（司法机构）

◆TheSupremeCourtisthehighestcourtinthefederalcourtsystem

◆Ithas1Chiefjudgeand8associatejudges

◆Itcandeclarethelawunconstitutional

4、ChecksandBalances（权利制衡）

Thepowersofonelimitthoseoftheother

e.g.“Impeachment”弹劾（TheHouseofRepresentatives）

BillofRights（权利法案）

◆Consistsofthefirst10amendments（修正案）whichwereaddedtotheConstitutionin1791

◆Guaranteefreedomandindividualrights

◆Suchasfreedomofspeech,therighttoassembleinpublicplaces,therighttoownweaponsandsoon.

◆Therewere16otheramendmentstotheConstitutionin1991.

◆So,thereare26amendmentstotheU.SConstitution.

TwoPoliticalParties

✧DemocraticParty---WillofPeople

✧RepublicParty---Ruleoflaw

DemocraticParty

◆In1828,AndrewJacksonbecamethefirstPresidentfromDemocraticParty

◆Bemoreliberal

◆Thesymbolisthedonkey

RepublicParty

◆In1861,AbrahamLincolnbecamethefirstPresidentfromRepublicParty

◆Bemoreconservative

◆Thesymbolistheelephant

RepublicParty

DemocraticParty

Smallgovernment

Privateenterprise

Donotsupportabortion,same-sexmarriage

Biggovernment

Helpingthepoor,provideemployment,socialsecurity

Same-sexmarriage,cloning

AbrahamLincoln（1861-65）

RichardM.Nixon（1969-1974）

GeorgeW.Bush（2001-09）

AndrewJackson（1828-1836）

BillClinton（1993-2001）

BarackObama（2009-）

LessonFour：

EconomyintheUnitedStatesofAmerica

I、OverviewofU.S.Economy

vWhentheUnitedStatesSneezes,therestoftheworldcatchesacold.----aneconomists’proverb

II、IndustrialRevolution

vTheIndustrialRevolutioninEnglandduringthe18thcenturybrought

manychangestoAmericanindustrybetween1776and1860.

Changes:

v1、Factorysystem

v2、MassProduction

v3、Newtechnologies

v4、Newformsofbusinessorganization

1、IntroductionofFactorySystem

vThesuccessofhisfactoryturnedthenortheasternregionoftheUnitedStatesintoanimportantmanufacturingcenter.

vIn1793,SamuelSlater（塞缪尔·斯莱特）builtthefirstfactoryintheU.S---acottonclothfactoryinPawtucket,RhodeIsland.

2、AmericanSystemofMassProduction

vEliWhitney（埃尔·惠特尼）inventedthecottongin（轧棉机）,whichmaderemovingtheseedsfromthebolls（棉桃）ofcottonmucheasier.

vHealsobeganmanufacturingrifleswithmachinery,usinginterchangeable（可互换的）part.

3、NewTechnologies

SewingMachine、Television、Telegraph、Telephone

4、NewFormsofBusinessOrganization

vThebankandthecorporation

vThe