TheUnitedStatesofAmericanChapter8Geographyandpeople1ContentsGeographyClimateMajorCitiesPeople2WhereistheAmerica？34Location:TheUnitedStatesislocatedinthecentralpartofNorthAmerica,exceptAlaskaandHawaii.ThecountryisborderedbyCanadatothenorth,MexicoandtheGulfofMexicotothesouth,theAtlanticOceantotheeastandthePacificOceantothewes.Thetotalareaofthecountryis9.6millionsquarekilometers.Thecountryincludes50statesandafederaldistrictofColumbia.OnthemainlandTexasisthelargeststate.

Geographyicdivisions:theeastenpartthewesternparttheGreatPlainsinbetween.5AppalachianRange

(阿巴拉契亞山脈）Theeasternpart:

consistsofthehighlandsformedbytheAppalachianRange.6Thewesternpart:Itconsistsofhighplateausandmountains,whichextendfromCanadathroughthewesternpartoftheUnitedStatestoMexicoandfurthersouth.Thewholeareaofthispartholdsone-thirdofthecountry'sterritoryonthecontinent.TheRockyMountainsareaspectacularscene.7RockyMountains(落基山脈）8TheGreatPlains:LiebetweentheAppalachiansintheeastandtheRockyMountainsinthewest.TheGreatPlainsoccupyalmostone-thirdofAmerica'slandmassonthecontinent.TheystretchfromtheGreatLakesinthenorthtotheGulfofMexicointhesouth.ThefamousNiagaraFallsislocatedontheU.S.-CanadianborderbetweenLakeErieandLakeOntario.9NiagaraFalls(尼亞加拉瀑布）10Mississippi11Sixgeographicalregions:NewEnglandtheMid-AtlanticStatestheSouththeMidwesttheSouthwesttheWest.Theseregionsareformedbyhistoryandgeographyandareshapedbytheeconomy,literatureandfolkwaysthatallthepartsoftheregionsshare.12NewEngland:NewEnglandisfamousforitslonghistory.TheEuropeansmadetheirfirstsettlementshere.Geographicallyitfeaturesmountains,valleysandrivers,withmanyhistoriccitiesandrankinguniversitiesandcolleges,includingHarvard,YaleandMassachusettsInstituteofTechnolgy(MIT).1314Eskimos(愛斯基摩人）15Macadamianuts(夏威夷果）16Hawaii(夏威夷）ClimateTakingthecountryasawhole,theclimateoftheUnitedStatescanbeclassifiedastemperate,withsomemildsubtropicalzones.ThesouthernFloridaandHawaiiaretropical.Almostthroughthemiddleofthecountry,northtosouth,runsawell-known50-centimeterrainfallline,totheeastofwhichthereiscomparativelymorerain.Tothewestthereismuchlessrain(lessthan50centimetersayear)withtheexceptionofthecoastalareasalongthePacific.17氣候分布圖18MajorCity19NewYork：isthecommercialandfinancialcenteroftheUnitedStates.紐約大橋紐約世貿(mào)雙塔2021TimesSquare紐約時(shí)代廣場22Manhattan(曼哈頓）23Washington

isinWashingtonD.C.Itisgoverneddirectlybythefederalgovernment.24SanFrancisco

isacenterofoil-refining,chemicals,commerce,financeandtheshippingindustry.25LosAngeles

(thesecondlargestcityinAmerican)Itisanimportantelectroniccenter.Itisknownforthemanufactureoftires,automobilesandaircrafts,andisalsothecenterofatomicresearch.Hollywood,locatedinLosAngeles,isregardesastheheartofworld'smotionpictureindustryanddrawsalotofambitiousyoungpeopleseekingtheirdreamofstardom.2627Chicago

(theWindyCity)isthenation'sthirdlargestcity.Foundedintheearly1800s,ChicagoservedasthemainconnectionbetweentheeasterncoastcitiesandtheWest.Thecityisoneofthecountry'sleadingindustrialcitieswherebothheavyandlightindustriesarehighlydeveloped.Itisnowconsideredacenterofindustry,transportation,commerceandfinanceintheMidwestRegion.Itisalsoaculturalcenter,forithasoneoftheworld'sbestcollectionsofmodernarchitecture,suchasthe110-storyWillisTowerandtheArtInstituteofChicago.28Population：Itisthethirdmostpopulousnationintheworld,rankingbehindChinaandIndia.29Nationofimmigrant:

1.TheIndians2.Europeanimmigrants3.TheBlack4.TheAsian-Americans30WestwardMovement

西進(jìn)運(yùn)動(dòng)3132五月花號(hào)33ImmigrationAct(移民法）34RacialAssimilation:ThedominantAmericancultureisEnglish-speaking,WesternEuropean,Protestantandmiddle-classincharacter.InitsearlyyearstheUnitedStateswasasuccessful”meltingpot”.Astimewenton,thecharacteristicsofthedominantmajoritygotsolidifiedanddeterminedtowhatextentothergroupswereaccepted.VariousAmericanagencies,publicandprivate,offeredEnglishinstructionandcitizenshipclassestonewimmigrantstoassistintheirassimilationandbecomingAmericancitizens.Throughnewopportunitiesandnewrewards,theimmigrantscametoacceptmostofthevaluesofthedominantAmericancultur