美國(guó)概況--英文介紹

AGeneralSurveyofUSAPart1GeneralIntroductionofUSNationalFlagNationalFlag:Thenumberofthestars50starsrepresentthe50statesofAmerica.13stripesrepresentthefirst13statesthatusedtobethecolonies.ImportantFactsAboutUSAFullcountryname:TheUnitedStatesofAmerica(USA)Population:275,000,000Area:3,618,000sqmiles(9,370,000sqkm).The4thlargestintheworld.Capitalcity:Washington,DC(pop:607,000)People:Caucasian（高加索人，白種人）(74%),AfricanAmerican(12%),Latino(9%),Asian(3%),NativeAmerican(0.8%)Languages:English(officiallanguage),plusmanysecondarylanguage,chieflySpanishReligion:Protestant(56%),RomanCatholic(28%),Jewish(2%),Muslim(1%)Government:Federalrepublicof50statesPresident:Obama

GDP:US$9trillionGDPperhead:US$25,850Annualgrowth:4.1%Inflation:2.6%Majorindustries:Oil,electronics,computers,automobilemanufacturing,aerospaceindustries,agriculture.

Majortradingpartners:Canada,Japan,theEUThelongestriver:MississippiRiver,thelongestintheworld.TheGreatLakes:(fromwesttoeast)LakeSuperior,LakeMichigan,LakeHuron,LakeErie,&LakeOntario.LakeMichiganbelongstoUSA.Theother4belongtobothUSA&Canada.ThefamousNiagaraFalls.

Thethreemostfamousnationalparksare1.TheRockyMountain&YellowstoneNationalPark2.TheGreatCanyonofColoradoinArizona3.YosemiteintheSierraNevadaWashingtonD.C.ThecapitaloftheU.S.WashingtonMonumentJeffersonMemorialLincolnMemorialTheWhiteHouseTheCapitolLibraryofCongressBoston—theStateofMassachusettsItistheearliestcityestablishedintheUnitedStates.Ithasmanyfamousuniversities,suchasHarvardUniversity,MassachusettsInstituteofTechnologyandUniversityofBoston.ItisfullofEuropeanatmosphere.NewYork(theBigApple)—theStateofNewYorkThelargestcityinboththeU.S.andtheworldSkyscrapersEmpireStateBuildingTheUnitedNationsHeadquartersChinatownWallStreetGreenwichVillageCentralParkPhiladelphia—theStateofPennsylvaniaIndependenceHallBetsyRossHousePennsylvaniaAcademyoftheFineArtsFranklinInstituteChicago—theStateofIllinoisThethirdlargestcityintheU.S.Ithasanickname—“TheSupermarketofAmerica”SearsTowerLincolnParkHouston—theStateofTexasNationalAeronauticsandSpaceAdministrationMannedSpacecraftTherearemanyfamouscorporationsaroundthecity,suchasGeneralElectric(GE)andInternationalBusinessMachines(IBM).SanFrancisco—theStateofCaliforniaIntheearlydaysitwastheplacewhereChinesepeopleconcentrated.GoldenGateBridgeThelargestChinatownoutsideofAsiaLosAngeles(theBigOrange)—theStateofCaliforniaThesecondlargestcityintheU.S.HollywoodBeverlyHillsDisneylandUniversityofCalifornia,LosAngeles(UCLA)DifferentPartsofUSTheAtlanticCoastThecentralnorth-eastThecentralareaFurtherwestThesouth-westTheWestCoastImportantMountainsTherearethreemajormountainranges:theAppalachiansintheeast,theRockyMountainsinthewest,andtheSierraNevadaalongtheborderofNevadaandCalifornia.AppalachianMts阿巴拉契亞山脈RockyMts落基山脈SierraNevada內(nèi)華達(dá)山脈ImportantRivers(NationalRivers)1*HudsonRiver2*MississippiRiver3*MissouriRiver4*OhioRiver(InternationalRivers)1*ColoradoRiver2*ColumbiaRiver3*RioGranda4*St.LawrenceRiverPart2PoliticalSystemofUSAGeneralPrinciplesFederalismtheseparationofpowersrespectfortheConstitution&theruleoflaw.TheTwoGovernmentsThestategovernmentTheFederalgovernmentPoliticalPartiesDemocrats

RepublicansSeparationofPowersexecutive(thePresident)legislature(Congress)judicialThePresidentThePresidentistheeffectiveheadoftheexecutivebranchofgovernmentaswellasheadofstate.WiththePresident,aVice-Presidentiselected,&ifthePresidentdiestheVice-PresidentbecomesPresidentfortheunexpiredpartofthe4year.TheCongresstheSenate(electedevery6years)theHouseofRepresentatives(2years)ThePartyPoliciesSimple-majorityelectoralsystem,liketheAmericanone,tendtocauseanation’spoliticstobedominatedbycompetitionbetween2parties.The2greatAmericanpartiesareRepublicParty&DemocraticParty.FamousPresidents:

GeorgeWashington(1732-1799)Commander-in-chiefoftheContinentalArmyduringtheAmericanRevolution&1stPresidentoftheU.S.1789-1797)ThomasJefferson(1743-1826)3rdPresidentoftheU.S(1801-1809)&authoroftheDeclarationofIndependence.BenjaminFranklinBenjaminFranklin(1706—1790),Americanstatesman,diplomat,scientistandwriter.HewasbornintoapoorfamilyinMassachusetts,andworkedasprinterapprenticeinhisyouth.AbrahamLincoln(1809-1865)16thPresidentoftheU.S.(1861-1865)FamousandadmiredbecauseofhisleadershipduringthedifficultperiodoftheAmericanCivilWarandtheliberationofNegroesfromslavery.Part3AmericanHistoryTheEarliestInhabitants20,000yearsago,AmericanIndiansColumbusfoundthenewcontinent10,000yearsago,thelaterEskimostheyear1000,theearliestEuropeansDiscoveryInlate15th-centuryEurope,therewasagreatdemandforspices,textilesanddyesfromAsia.ChristopherColumbus,amarinerfromItaly,mistakenlybelievedthathecouldreachtheFarEastbysailing6,400kilometerswestfromEurope.EnglishSettlementsThefirstsuccessfulEnglishcolonyinAmericawasfoundedatJamestown,Virginiain1607.Ofthefirst105colonists,73diedofhungeranddiseasewithinsevenmonthsoftheirarrival.OnegroupofEnglishPuritanscrossedtheAtlanticintheshipMayflowerandsettledatPlymouth,Massachusettsin1620.AmuchlargerPuritancolonywasestablishedintheBostonareain1630.ColonialEraBy1733Englishsettlershadoccupied13coloniesalongtheAtlanticcoast,namely,Connecticut,NewHshire,NewYork,NewJersey,Massachusetts,Pennsylvania,Delaware,Virginia,NorthCarolina,SouthCarolina,Georgia,RhodeIsland,andMaryland.WarofIndependenceApril19,1775,theAmericanWarofIndependencebegan.May1775,asecondContinentalCongressmetinPhiladelphia.ThomasJeffersondraftedaDeclarationofIndependence,TheTreatyofPariswassignedinSeptember1783,inwhichBritainrecognizedtheindependenceoftheUnitedStates.

TheDeclarationofIndependenceTheConstitutionCivilWarTime:1861--1865Participants:theSouth(Democratic)andtheNorth(Republican)Cause:AbrahamLincolnwaselectedaspresidentThePreface:LincolnwaselectedasPresident---1860年11月SouthCarolinavotedtoleavetheUnion---thesignalofthewarTheelevensouthernstatesformanindependentnation—theConfederateStatesofAmerica(beginning)TheprocessoftheCivilWar

Thefirststage(186i-1862夏)FailureafterfailurecametotheNorth.(seethecontrast)Thesecondstage：（1862，9—1865，4）

TheEmancipationProclamation---1863,1,1HomesteadBill—1862,5BattleofGettysburg---1863,7.1,turningpointThethirdstage:thevictory.1865,4,2Richmondwasabandon.

TheNorthTheSouthPopulation2234萬(wàn)910萬(wàn)IndustryDevelopedFewrailroadsmanyNearlyzeroMilitaryNotwellequippedFullyarmed

InfluenceofthewarTwoachievements:realizetheunificationoftheAmericannationEndtheslaverysystemWesternMovementTime:theyearsfollowingtheendofthecivilwarin1965People:minersPurpose:seekforgoldandsilverPlace:RockymountainregionFamousfigures:hiredhorsemen-cowboysResults:IndiansarewithdrewandbuffaloweredestroyedProgressivemovementCause:economybooming+prosperityspreadingbutpovertycoexistMeasures:changepolicybefore1900:laissez-faireafter1900:progressivismAchievements:passinglawsrestrictingchildlabor,protectingwomenworkers,limitingworkhoursandprovidingworkermencompensation

letthesleepingdoglieNewDealEconomycircle:lowestpoint—recovery---recession—prosperity—recession---lowestpoint1929,10,24BlackThursday,GreatDepressionbrokeout.HooverFranklinD.RooselveltNewDealPart4AmericanEducationStructureofAmericanEducationEarlychildhoodeducationGrammarschoolorelementaryschool(primary)Highschool(secondary)Collegeanduniversity(higher/tertiaryeducation)Part5AmericanHolidaysJanuary

1

NewYear'sDay(新年）

15

MartinLutherKingJr.'sBirthday

19

MartinLutherKingJr.'sBirthdayObserved

February

12

Lincoln'sBirthday

14

Valentine'sDay（情人節(jié)）

16

President'sDay

22

Washington'sBirthday

25

AshWednesdayMarch

8

InternationalWomen'sDay（國(guó)際婦女節(jié)）

17

St.Patrick'sDayApril

1

AprilFoolsDay（愚人節(jié)）

5

PalmSunday

10

GoodFriday

ArborDay（植樹(shù)節(jié)）

11

Passover

12

Easter（復(fù)活節(jié)）

17

OrthodoxHolyFriday

19

OrthodoxEaster

22

SecretariesDay

22

EarthDayMay

6

Nurses’Day

7

NationalDayofPrayer

10

Mother'sDay（母親節(jié)）

16

ArmedForcesDay

25

MemorialDayObserved

30

MemorialDayJune

14

FlagDay（美國(guó)國(guó)旗紀(jì)念日）

21

Father'sDayJuly

4

IndependenceDay

（美國(guó)獨(dú)立日）August2

FriendshipDaySeptember

7

LaborDay

GrandparentsDay

17

CitizenshipDay

21

RoshHashanah

30

YomKippurOctober

11

NationalChildren'sDay

12

ColumbusDay

16

NationalBossDay

17

SweetestDay

24

UnitedNationsDay

31

Halloween（萬(wàn)圣節(jié)前夜）November

3

ElectionDay

11

VeteransDay（退伍軍人節(jié)）

26

ThanksgivingDecember

14

F