【英美概况】【课堂笔记】美国宗教religion in United States
RELIGION in the UNITED STATES
Religious Liberty
?“Among the rights which the new nation guaranteed, as a
political necessity in a religiously diverse society, was
freedom of religion” (p. 86)
?The Constitution forbade the government to give special
favours to any religion, nor were they allowed to stop or
interfere with religion. The USA was determined it would
have no state-supported religion.
?When there is a disagreement between the government and
any religion, the American courts must settle it. Protestants in the United States
?60% of Americans are Protestant believers. The Baptists are the largest Protestant group.* The largest concentration of
Baptists live in the Southern States of America and, although some Southern Baptists have liberal attitudes to black
Americans, many believe and practice racial discrimination and prejudice towards them.
?Most black Americans are Baptists too, but they go to
different churches than the white Americans. Church is a
major social and community centre for the black churchgoers. ?There are over a 100 Protestant sects in America. They
express variety on a theme, rather than major differences in
belief. In recent decades there has been an increase in the
number of fundamentalist churches, which often use the
medium of television to communicate with citizens. These
fundamentalists are sometimes extreme in their views. Catholics
?The largest single religious group is the Roman Catholics.
More than 25% of Americans identify themselves as Catholics.
The increase in the number of Catholics is mainly due to later
immigration waves of Irish, Polish and Italians. For instance, over a million Irish Catholics left Ireland, due to a famine there that saw many suffer starvation.
?There was significant prejudice against the Catholics by the Protestants. *
?In the 1950s, many Catholics began to question the idea of the separation of Church and State. The Catholic Church had developed many social institutions, including schools, to preserve their faith. The Church wanted the government to help fund the cost of these schools. The Supreme Court was asked to rule whether this would be unconstitutional. The
Court ruled that it was unconstitutional, and that the
government could not help religious schools.
Three Faiths
?By the 1950s, a kind of “three faiths” model of USA had
developed. All Americans were considered to come in one of three basic varieties: Protestant, Catholic and Jewish.
?The Jews were a small minority in the first years of the
American republic. Later, many Jews came to the USA and became successful. There are now many Jews in the various professions and in the academic world.
Anti-Semitism appeared as the numbers of Jews grew. In response to prejudice and discrimination, Jews formed organisations to fight this. These organisations attempted to educate Americans about the injustice of prejudice.
“People are complicated. They are the combinations of good and evil, beauty and ugliness, truth and falsehood, wisdom and stupidity.”
He Manzi (1919- ), Chinese writer.
Religious Diversity
The USA has seen the growth of many new religious
movements. There were many experiments, both religious and otherwise, in alternative living. Sometimes communities
developed with people who wanted to …opt out? of mainstream society because they considered mainstream society, corrupt or lacking in moral virtue. One the most well-known is the
Amish communities of Pennsylvania.
?Sometimes the beliefs and practices of these sects conflict with American law. Two instances are: the Jehovah?s Witnesses who want to refuse to allow blood transfusions when they have medical treatment, and the Mormons who believe that a man can have more than one wife.
?The Supreme Court has been asked to make decisions about whether these practices can be allowed or not. In both cases the Supreme Court said no they are not allowable. Another decision that is very well-known was the 1973 decision which
made abortion legal, even though many Catholics and Jews
campaigned strongly against it being legalised. There still exists a strong emotional reaction to the issue of abortion.*
Other world religions have been increasing their numbers in America for example Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism due to immigration trends.
American Character of Religion
There are 3 unique aspects to American religion:
?All Americans of different religions live together under the
same law. There is no stat e interference with people?s
religious beliefs. There is no state religion. The various
religious groups have coexisted more harmoniously in
America than in the Old World.
?Religious beliefs of Americans have a strong social element to them. Half of all Protestants are active church-members, and even more Catholics attend church regularly. Many attend
church not only for religious reasons but also to make friends
and to become a part of the community. In contrast, 80% of
England?s Protestants go to church le ss than once a month and in Sweden most citizens do not go to church at all.
?Every church is a completely independent organisation. Apart from having responsibility for finance and the buildings, the
preacher preaches what he/she thinks is important rather than instilling doctrine (church teachings) into the churchgoers. Why do so many Americans attend church?
?In American history, religion has not been associated with
oppression or domination by other powerful institutions.
?Generally speaking, Americans have experienced greater
religious freedom than Europeans.
?Churchgoing in America is seen as an opportunity to
become a part of the community and to develop friendships.
Key Points
?The American government guarantees religious freedom.
?The American Protestants have a very diverse range of
churches and sects even though they have the same basic
beliefs.
?The Catholic Church is the single largest church in the USA.
When immigrants from predominately Catholic countries, like Poland, Italy and Ireland, brought their religion with them.
?There was prejudice and discrimination against the Catholics and the Jews.
?Many Americans go to church for social as well as religious
reasons.
?Attendance at church in the USA is relatively high compared with many European countries.
RESULTS OF SURVEY (1995-1997)
It polls a statistically valid sample of adults from a total of 60 nations. Some of their findings from their 1995-1997 survey: The United States has a higher level of church attendance than any other country which is "at a comparable level of development."
53% of Americans consider religion to be very important in their lives. This compares with 16% in Britain, 14% in France and 13% in Germany.
The importance of religion has been declining in developed countries.
In those countries which are "experiencing economic stagnation and political uncertainty," the importance of religion is high.
宗教对美国社会的影响
宗教对美国社会的影响 梁子毓英语学院英语137班 摘要：美国是当今世界上最发达的资本主义国家，同时又是发达国家中最具宗教色彩的国家，可以说美国的发展与宗教有着密不可分的关系。宗教从美国建国伊始至今对人们思想的影响是根本性的，这种影响绝不仅仅只是停留在道德方面，在政体的确立、民主制度的促进等方面都有着同样深远的作用。如今，宗教在美国的影响力有增无减，信仰上帝的人越来越多了，宗教在美国国家社会生活中的作用也越来越大。因此，研究宗教对美国发展的影响更有助于我们了解美国的社会现实和文化特征，可以使我们对宗教在美国社会的影响有更深刻的认识。 关键词：宗教美国社会影响 引言 美国文化的一大特征就是其宗教性。来自世界各地不同国家不同种族的移民带来了他们自己的宗教，使美国成为多宗教的国家。各种不同的宗教必然会对美国的社会产生影响，同样也融入了美国的文化。在众多宗教中，影响最大的是新教众多教派中的清教，清教在发展过程中，其影响超越了宗教领域，渐渐渗透到了美国宗教以外的政治、经济、文化领域，使美国政治、经济、文化都带有明显的清教主义特征。清教主义因而成为美国文化和社会形成过程中的重要因素。美国的文明都刻有明显的清教主义印记，清教主义文化也造就了独特的美利坚精神与文化。 一、基督教新教对美国历史的影响 美国虽然只有四百多年的历史，但却从一个英属殖民地逐渐成为世界上的头号强国。在这片土地上诞生了世界上第一部成文宪法，产生了世界上第一个民选总统，建立了三权分立的民主政体，这些都对世界历史产生了深远的影响。然而这些都与基督新教及其伦理道德有着密不可分的关系，这种关系甚至是决定性的。 早期殖民北美的新教1徒的新教信仰，构成了北美早期社会思想风潮的主调，也构成了以后美利坚的民族精神以及国家意识形态的基础。美国独立战争的发生，是因为早期移民北美的多数人都是新教教徒的缘故。由逃亡的清教徒们建立的美洲殖民地，在宗教上，一直与英国本土的宗教处于对立状态。美洲大陆的宗教主流为清教徒，英国的国教则为天主教与新教的混合体圣公会安力甘宗，安力甘宗作为英国国教一直是清教徒改革的对象。在美国独立战争及18世纪二十年代，英国本土和美洲殖民地发生了一场轰轰烈烈的宗教“伟大复兴”运动，这场运动在美国是新教教义的普及和强化运动，是一场彻头彻尾的新教教义在新大陆被强化的运动，这场运动最后导致了新教的进一步振兴，从而在思想上与英国国教彻底脱离了关系。宗教运动进一步促进了北美殖民地人群的主体意识，进一步加强了殖民地与英国本土的在宗教上和政治上的离心力，为独立战争做了思想和意识形态的准备。北美殖民地与英国本土上的宗教对立，对美国独立战争的爆发有着深远的影响。 对美国近代发展奠定基础的南北战争，实际上也有着深刻的宗教原因——美国清教对南方奴隶制的憎恶而引起的南北方对立。废奴主义一直是基督教教义的传统。在新教中这被理解为上帝爱世上的每一个人。这种思想成为西方人权思想的源头。既然上帝爱每一个人，个 1新教：新教（Protestantism）是由16世纪宗教改革运动中脱离罗马天主教的一系列新教派的统称，主流教派有路德宗、加尔文宗和圣公会。
英语国家概况美国部分精讲系列
英语国家概况美国部分精讲系列 Chapter: 13 geography 地理位置 1.Alaska and Hawaii are the two newest states in American.Alaska northwestern Can ada,and Hawaii lies in the central Pacific. 阿拉斯加和夏威夷是最近加入美国的两个新州.阿拉斯加在加拿大的西北部，夏威夷位邻中太平洋.（本细节还有考“一句话简答”的可能） 2.The U.S has a land area of 9.3 million square kilometres.It is the fourth largest co untry in the world in size after Russia,Canada and China. 就面积而言，美国是世界第四大国，就人口而言，美国是世界是第三大国. 3.Of all states of American,Alaska is the lagest in area and Rhode Island the smalles t.But on the mainland Texas is the largest sate of the country. 所有州中，阿拉斯加是面积最大的州，罗得岛最小，在美国大陆，最大的州是得克萨斯州. 4.The Rockies,the backbone of the North American Continent,is also known as the C ontinental Divide. 落基山脉是北美大陆的脊梁，也被成为大陆分水岭. 5.The two main mountain ranges in American are the Appalachian mountains and the Rocky mountains. The Appalachians run slightly from the northeast to southwest and the Rocky mountains run slightly from the northwest to southeast. 阿巴拉契亚山脉和落基山脉是美国的两座大山脉.（本细节有考“一句话简答题”的可能）
American History 英美概况美国历史
American History ?I. America in the colonial era ?II. The War of Independence ?III. The Civil War ?IV. America during the two World Wars I. America in the colonial era ?Who were the very first Americans? ?Who was the first one discovering the new continent? ?After whom was the new continent named? I. America in the colonial era ?1.The very first Americans were Indians. ●They created their civilization, known as Maya civilization, dominating Mexico and Central America from 4th to the 10th centuries. ●They were the descendants of the Mongoloid (蒙古人种的) people in Asia. ●About 20,000 years ago, they traveled to the North American continent across the Bering Strait (白令海峡). ?2. Christopher Columbus is believed to have discovered America. ●In 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered America. However, he believed he had reached India and called the natives Indians. ?In 1500, Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian navigator, also under the Spanish flag, drew the conclusion that what he found was a new continent. 3. The establishment of colonies ?Since the America was found, the Spanish established many colonies: Florida, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. ?In 1588, the Spanish Armada was defeated by the English navy，which put England in a better position to provide support for its New World colonies. 3. The establishment of colonies ?Between 1607 and 1733 the British established 13 colonies along the east coast of North America. ?These 13 colonies were established in different patterns: ●crown colonies ( 直辖殖民地), ●proprietary colonies ( 业主殖民地), ●charter colonies ( 特许公司殖民地), ●self-governing or compact colonies ( 自治殖民地或契约殖民地). ?1) The first successful English colony in North America was founded at Jamestown, Virginia , in 1607. ?2) In 1620, a group of Pilgrims sailed to the New World in a ship called Mayflower. They arrived at Plymouth, and built the New Plymouth colony in New England. These Pilgrims drew up the epoch-making Mayflower Compact (五月花契约), which was signed by all adult males on the ship. 3. The establishment of colonies ?3) From 1630 to 1643, some 200 ships transported over 20,000 Englishmen to the Massachusetts Bay colony. ?Plymouth remained a separate colony until 1691 when it was combined with Massachusetts Bay colony. Puritans ?People who criticized or wished to "purify" the Church of England. ?"Puritan" refers to two distinct groups: ?"separating" Puritans, radical Protestants, such as the Plymouth colonists, the pilgrims, who believed that the Church of England was corrupt and that true Christians must separate themselves from it; and ?“non-separating” Puritans, such as the colonists who settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony, who believed in
《最新英美概况》练习参考答案(美国部分)
《最新英美概况》 练习参考答案 （本答案不包括练习中的开放性习题、思考题和讨论题） ==================================================== PART TWO The United States Chapter Eight The Land P. 209—210 I Fill in the blanks with proper words or expressions. 1. the Star-Spangled Banner, Defense of Fort McHenry, 181 2. 2. the Stars and the Stripes, Old Glory, the Star-Spangled Banner. 3. The White House, The Capitol, The Pentagon. 4. June, 14th, June 14th. 5. the Potomac, no state, the Federal government. 6. 36, 36 states. 7. Amerigo Vespucci, American War of Independence. 8. Pierre L’Enfant, light, service. II Choose the answer that best completes the sentence. 1. C 2. D 3. C 4. A B C D 5. C D III Decide which of the following statements is TRUE: 1. F 2. F 3. T 4. F 5. T IV Answer the following questions. 1. (1) At first the Continent was named as “America” after explorer Amerigo Vespucci. (2) During the American War of Independence, the former British colonies first used “the thirteen united States of America” in the Declaration of Independence. (3) The official name of America was adopted on November 15, 1777, when the Second Continental Congress passed the Articles of Confederation. 2. The 50 stars represent the 50 States, while the 13 stripes represent the original thirteen colonies. White indicates purity and innocence; red indicates valour and bravery, and blue symbolizes vigilance, perseverance and justice; it is also a symbol of respect to God. 3. The stars and strips have different meanings. Each star represents each state in America, while strips represent the original thirteen colonies before the independence of America.
4-美国宗教 练习题
Chapter 4 Religion 一、Tell whether each of the following statements is true or false. 1、__________ Most American people are Christians. 2、__________ Christianity, Islam and Jewish are the three major religions in the world. 3、__________ The Protestant Church is the state church of the U.S. 4、__________ There are more Protestants than Catholics in the U.S. 5、__________ The U.S. was founded in 1790. 6、__________ Easter is a Christian festival on which Christians celebrate Jesus’rising from the dead. 7、__________ In the American Congress, the first thing to do is to pray. 8、__________ Competition results in the original accumulation of capital in early America. 9、__________ For doctors, “confidentiality”is a basic rule to protect patients’personal information. 10、__________ If you do volunteer work, you don’t need to pay tax in the U.S. 二、Fill in the blanks with the correct information. 1、America is called a “________”, which means it is a multinational country. 2、Because of ________ and ________ to all the faith, America is a country with religious diversity. 3、________, the Eastern Orthodox Church and ________ make up the three major Christian groups of Christianity in the world. 4、“WASP” refers to __________________. 5、________ was the only President who was not a protestant. 6、Christmas is a Christian festival, on which people celebrate ________. 7、One of the most popular Christmas carols is ________. 8、The worldwide famous painting ________ depicts the last meal before Jesus died. 9、In ________, Americans limited the power of the government as to the rights of individual religion. 10、________ is one of the most important values mainly held by Protestants. Scanning for Specific Information 三、Choose the correct answer on the basis of what is stated in the text. 1、Which of the following religions has the biggest number of believers in the U.S.? (a)Buddhism (b)Judaism (c)Christianity (d)Islam 2、Which of the following is NOT regarded as one of the three basic religious beliefs? (a) Protestant (b) Catholic (c) Judaism
英美概况美国部分整理
America The Founding of Colonies殖民地的建立 First Inhabitants：American Indians Discovery of the New World： 1492 Christopher Columbus →the discoverer of America (Italian)Spanish Queen’ s support 1501-2 Amerigo Vespucci →the new land was name after him as America. reached the mouth of Amazon River America—the New World Europe—the Old World 13 colonies： New England Colonies: Mid Atlantic Colonies: Southern Colonies: Massachusetts →（2nd colony，1620）New York Maryland New Hampshire Pennsylvania Virginia →（1st colony，1607）Rhode Island Delaware North Carolina Connecticut South Carolina Georgia →（the last colony，1733）New England Region（6个）: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont 建立原因： Virginia, 1607 Virginia Company For foreign expansion as a way of easing religious dispute and economic distress in England 105 men (no women) Jamestown in honor of the king Massachusetts In 1620 102 Puritans (“Pilgrim Fathers”), in Mayflower, from Plymouth in England to America First in Plymouth (today’s Massachusetts); and then Boston Seek religious freedom Mayflower Compact <五月花号公约>：self-government Hardships when arrived the help of the Indians Thanksgiving Day to thank the Indians and the God for protection The next three colonies Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire Reasons: 1. religious disputes and struggles in Massachusetts intensified 2. more immigrants
英美概况 美国篇
一、概况 1.50 States Its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Caribbean and Pacific. 2.Races and Population 在东部时间2006年10月17日早晨7点46分，美国人口总数突破三亿大关，这是美国人口史上具有里程碑意义的一刻。3.06188亿（2009年，世界国家和地区第3名，次于中国、印度） 3.The Composition of American Population 1)The Majority:the descendants of immigrants from European countries, such as France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, and Spain;“Pilgrim Fathers”;Potato famine 2)The Minorities:The African Americans: black slaves from Africa;Indians: the number of native Americans has been falling, no more than a million;The Hispanics: immigrants or descendents of immigrants from Latin America, such as Cuba and Mexico (Mexicans are the most numerous among them);Asian-Americans, from China, Japan and Korea;More than a million Chinese-Americans, most of whom live in Hawaii, on the West Coast and in some big cities;5 million Jews in America, many of whom went there during the Second World War and achieved great success in America. 3)“The Melting Pot”:It means immigrants from different nations all over the world have mixed to make up the American nation.“old immigrants”: came to America before 1860;“new immigrants”, after 1860.The Immigration Quota Law was passed by the American government in 1924. 二、Early History 1.Columbus：1492 Christopher Columbus arrived at Salvador Island, thus discovered the “New World”.(Amerigo V espucci: named “America”) 2.The first English permanent settlement:1607 The first group of English colonies came to America and built their settlement of Charleston which later was expanded into the first English colony known as Virginia. 3.Pilgrim Fathers:1620 Some English immigrants (Puritans) sailed into Plymouth on a ship called the “Mayflower”.102 Puritans, 60 days.Mayflower Compact, “one man one vote”, “one-man rule” 4.The values of Puritans:hard work; commercial success; the importance of education 5.Thanksgiving:1621 Thanksgiving Day was first celebrated by the pilgrims of the Plymouth Colony. 三、American Revolutionary
美国人的宗教情结
美国人的宗教情结 姜守明 提要: 在美国这个由移民及移民后代组成的社会里,以信仰上帝为核心的各派基督教,形成为一种不能忽视的重要社会力量。虽然政教分离是美国的一项基本国策,但是,美国人的宗教情结非常浓厚,基督教意识根深蒂固,基督教的影响已经渗入到社会生活的每一个角落。教会对教育的介入是以传播宗教思想、宗教信仰为目的的,许多宗教信念,如基督教的仁爱与平等的主张,与人类的企求相吻合,与社会文明的前进方向相吻合。教会对美国国家事务和社会生活的介入,既有积极意义又有消极作用。 关键词: 宗教情结 政教分离 信仰自由 美国人 作者姜守明,男,1959年生,南京师范大学历史系教授。(南京 210097) 基督教产生于古代东方,可是自从西方人接受以后,他们对基督教的信仰始终忠贞不二。作为欧洲人后代的美国人,他们对基督教的信念也坚定不移。在这个由移民及移民后代组成的国度里,宗教情结非常浓厚,基督教意识根深蒂固,基督教的影响已经渗入到社会生活的每一个角落。可以毫不夸张地说,今天的美国人是一个信奉基督教的宗教民族,今天的美国是一个无国教的宗教国家。 一、美国人的基督教情结 2002年6月26日,加州旧金山第九巡回上诉法院作出裁决,要求美国公立中小学生面对国旗唱诵“忠诚宣言”———向一个“在上帝治理下的”国家宣誓效忠的做法违反了美国宪法(修正案)所确定的信仰自由精神和政教分离原则。“9?11”事件之后,纽约市教委也曾下令,要求纽约学生必须每天朗读一次“忠诚宣言”,以示对美国的效忠,但这一形式主义的教条立即遭到抵制。纽约市第三学区的学校委员会认为,根据联邦最高法院1943年在西弗吉尼亚州教委对伯纳特一案中作出的判决,宣布学生有权拒绝在课堂上起立作效忠宣誓,告诫人们不应把爱国主义和对美国的忠诚与信仰变成一种宗教信条。1962年联邦高等法院曾经裁定,教会在公立学校举行祈祷的做法是违宪行为。现在,旧金山第九巡回上诉法院的裁决,又推翻了1954年经艾森豪威尔总统提议、由美国国会批准的一项法案,该法案决定在“忠诚宣言”誓词中添加了“在上帝治理下的”几个字。 既然政教分离是美国的一项基本国策,信仰自由是美国人拥有的一项基本人权,为什么关于中小学生的“忠诚宣言”誓词问题会引起轩然大波?为什么美国人偏爱上帝、具有浓厚的基督教情结呢?透过美国人与宗教的关系,或许可以寻找到问题的答案: 第一,对国家表示效忠的“忠诚宣言”誓词涉及到政教分离的基本立国原则。美利坚合众国的缔造者乔治?华盛顿、托马斯?杰佛逊、本杰明?富兰克林都不是基督教徒,他们不仅与教会不睦,藐视《圣经》和基督教权威,而且为新生的合众国确定了三权分立、联邦—
英美概况资料
1. The longest river in Britain is ____. A. Severn B. Tees C. Thames D. Clyde 2. The British Isles is made up of ____. A. Three large islands and hundreds of small ones B. Two large islands and hundreds of small ones C. Three large islands and dozens of small ones D. Two large islands and dozens of small ones 3. There are three political divisions ____ on the island of Great Britain. A. England, Scotland, and Ireland B. England, Scotland, and Wales C. England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland D. Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland 4. The Tower of London, located in the centre of London, was built by ____. A. King Harold B. William the Conqueror C. Robin Hood D. Oliver Cromwell 5. St. Paul’s Cathedral is in ____. A. Liverpool B. London C. Glasgow D. Birmingham 6. The largest lake in Britain is ___. A. Ullswater B. Loch Lomond C. Windermere D. The Lough Neagh 7. The Romans led by Julius Caesar launched their first invasion on Britain in ____. A. 200 B. C. B. 55 A. D. C. 55 B.C. D. 410 A.D. 8. The capital of Northern Ireland is ____. A. Belfast B. Birmingham C. Edinburgh D. Cardiff 9. Between 1337 and 1453 the ____ took place in Britain. A. Wars of Roses B. Black Death C. Hundred Year’s War D. Peasants Uprising 10. The first Civil War in Britain lasted from ____ to ____. A. 1600—1604 B. 1640—1644 C. 1642—1646 D. 1646—1650 11. James Watt created a ____ in 1769. A. Spinning Mule B. Steam Engine C. Power Loom D. Spinning Jenny 12. In English individualistic culture, one should not bother Englishmen without a good reason and making appointment beforehand seems to be important. It is best reflected by an English proverb____. A. as welcome as a storm B. an Englishman’s house is his castle C. do not wear out your welcome D. outstay one’s welcome 13. ____ is the first weekday after Christmas, a legal holiday in English, Wales, Northern Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. A. Thanksgiving Day B. Anzac Day C. St. Valentine’s Day D. Boxing Day 14. The Bible was originally written in ____. C A. Latin B. English C. Hebrew D. Arabic 15. Which of the following king was executed in the civil war? A. James I B. Charles I C. James II D. Charles II 16. From 1649 to 1658 English was called a Commonwealth. It was ruled first by Oliver Cromwell as ____ .
英美概况美国部分复习.docx
Melting Pot: Immigrants from different regions and cultures came to live in the United States, their old ways of life melt away and they became part of the American culture? WASPs: WASPS are the mainstream Americans, referring to the white Anglo-Saxon Protestants The Hispanics: The Hispanics are Spanish-speaking people from Latin America, which was once dominated by the Spanish Empire?American Indians: The Indian peoples are known as the first Americans. When Columbus landed in the New World in 1492, he thought he had reached India and called the natives Indians? Separation of powers: Under the federalist system, the federal and the state governments have separate and distinct powers laid down in the Constitutio n. ^Winner-take-air5principle: The party that wins most votes (simple majority) in a state wins all the electoral votes for the state and the defeated party gets none? Federalism: Federalism in the United States is the evolving relationship between U.S. state governments and the federal government of the United States? Since the founding of the country, and particularly with the end of the American Civil War, power shifted away from the states and towards the national government. Thanksgiving Day: It's on the fourth Thursday of Novembe匚It is a typical
英语国家概况-美国部分【清晰完整版】
Chapter 13 geography 地理位置 I. Location and size 1. The full name of the United States is the United States of America. The continental United States lies in central North America with Canada to its north, Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico to its south, the Atlantic Ocean to its east and the Pacific Ocean to its west. Alaska and Hawaii are the two newest states in America. Alaska borders on northwestern Canada and Hawaii lies in the central Pacific. 阿拉斯加和夏威夷是最近加入美国的两个新州。阿拉斯加在加拿大的西北部，夏威夷位邻中太平洋。 2. The U.S has a land area of 9.3 million square kilometers. It is the fourth largest country in the world in size after Russia, Canada and China.就面积而言，美国是世界第四大国，就人口而言，美国是世界是第三大国。 3. Of all states of American, Alaska is the largest in area and Rhode Island the smallest. But on the mainland Texas is the largest sate of the country. 所有州中，阿拉斯加是面积最大的州，罗得岛最小，在美国大陆，最大的州是得克萨斯州。 II.Topography 1. Mountains (1)The two main mountain ranges in American are the Appalachian mountains and the Rocky mountains. The Appalachians run slightly from the northeast to southwest and the Rocky mountains run slightly from the northwest to southeast. 阿巴拉契亚山脉和落基山脉是美国的两座大山脉。（本细节有考―一句话简答题‖的可能）