1、12Ryzsard Kapuscinski Born in 1932 in eastern Poland, Ryszard Kapuscinski has spent most of the post World War II years reporting on war and revolution in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. He has written a trilogy (三部劇三部劇) on dictators that covers Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia, Idi Amin of

2、Uganda, and the last Shah of Iran. Being away from the United States frequently and being acquainted with social, ethnic, and racial conflicts in many cultures has given Kapuscinski a broader perspective on the social pressures facing the United States in the future. In this essay, commissioned (被委任

3、被委任) by The New Perspectives Quarterly (季刊季刊), Kapuscinski finds the changing composition of the American melting pot not a source of social problems but a sign of positive future and of the continuing vitality (活力活力) of the democratic experiment represented by the people and the government of the U

4、nited States.34 The USA is situated in the central part of _with its two youngest states-_ in the northwestern part of north America and _in the central Pacific. The country is bounded by _on the north and by _on the south with _on the east and _ on the west. North AmericaAlaskaHawaiiCanadaMexicoPac

5、ific oceanAtlantic ocean56the Stars and Stripes 7In December 1620, a group of English puritans sailed aboard the May Flower to the new land where they could enjoy their religious freedom to the full, and they became the dominant group in the colony.89 THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE Torch Statue of

6、Liberty 10American societyAfrican AmericansIndiansAfrican AmericansHispanicsEuropean immigrantsEuropean immigrantsHispanicsAsian Americans11Los Angeles is the second largest city in the Unite States, and is the largest city in the state of California and the Western United States. Often known by its

7、 initials, L.A., and nicknamed the City of Angels”. Los Angeles is a world center of business, international trade, entertainment,culture, media, fashion, science, technology, and education. 12As the home base of Hollywood it is known as the “Entertainment Capital of the World”. 13According to the 2000 censusL.A.s population:white 46.9%Black 11.2%Asian 10%Native Americans