《英语国家社会与文化入门》(简称英美概况美国答案

美国UNIT 3 1.What is an American? He is either a European, or the descendant of a European, hence that strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country. He is an American, who leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds. ... Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labors and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world. ... The American is a new man, who acts new principles; he must therefore entertain new ideas, and form new opinions. 2 How did modern development in Europe influence the settlement of North American colonies? With the fast development of commerce and trade, the bourgeoisie became increasingly powerful in politics as well as in economy. They wanted to share power with feudal lords and in some countries such as England they wanted to have more power from the king so that they could have free development. The English Revolution was the result of this growth of capitalism. 4 . In what way did Puritanism influence American culture? A. Today, Puritans are no longer in existence. But their legacies are still felt in American society and culture. For example, the Puritans hoped to build "a city upon hill" an ideal community. Since that time, Americans have viewed their country as a great experiment, a worthy model for other nations. This sense of mission has been very strong in the minds of many Americans. B. The Puritans also have left rich cultural heritage to future Americans. The American values such as individualism, hard work, respect of education owe very much to the Puritan beliefs. UNIT 4 1. Why did the Articles of Confederation fail? Was it necessary to change the Articles of Confederation and write a new constitution for the new nation of the United States at the time? The Articles of Confederation failed because the states did not cooperate with the Congress or with each other. When the Congress needed money to pay the national army or to pay debts owed to France and other nations, some states refused to contribute. The Congress had been given no authority to force any state to do anything. It could not tax any citizen. Only the state in which a citizen lived could do that. 2. What is a federal system? What are some of the major differences between a federal system and a confederation? The Constitution set up a federal system with a strong central government. A federal system is one in which power is shared between a central authority and its constituent parts, with some rights reserved to each. The Constitution also called for the election of a national leader, or president. It provided that federal laws would be made only by a Congress made up of representatives elected by the people. It also provided for a national court system headed by a Supreme Court. 3. What are some of the major powers of each of the three branches of the U.S. government? How are the three branches supposed to check and balance each other? If Congress proposes a law that the president thinks is unwise, the president can veto it. That means the proposal does not become law. Congress can enact the law despite the president's views only if two-thirds of the members of both houses vote in favor of it. If Congress passes a law which is then challenged in the courts as unconstitutional, the Supreme Court has the power to declare the law unconstitutional and therefore no longer in effect. The president has the power to make treaties with other nations and to make all appointments to federal positions, including the position of Supreme Court justice. The Senate, however, must approve all treaties and confirm all appointments before they become official. In this way the Congress can prevent the president from making unwise appointments 4．What is the Bill of Rights? Do you think that it was necessary to write the Bill of Rights explicitly into the U.S. Constitution? The Bill of Rights: the first 10 amendments, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, were added within two years of the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. These amendments remain intact today, as they were written two centuries ago. The first guarantees freedom of worship, speech and press, the right of peaceful assembly, and the right to petition the government to correct wrongs. The Bill of Rights and subsequent constitutional amendments guarantee the American people the fullest possible opportunity to enjoy fundamental human rights. 5. What are the two political parties in the United States? Do you think they are fundamentally different? The United States has two major political parties. One is the Democratic Party, which evolved out of Thomas Jefferson's party, formed before 1800. The symbol of the party is the donkey. The other is the Republican Party, which was formed in the 1850s, by people in the states of the North and West, such as Abraham Lincoln, who wanted the government to prevent the expansion of slavery into new states then being admitted to the union. The symbol of the Republican Party is the elephant. UNIT 5 1. do you agree that cultivators of the earth are most valuable citizen Yes, I do agree the point that “cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens”. My reasons for my agreement can be illustrated as follows: Firstly, though outward forms have changed, the vital importance of agriculture has not. Agriculture provides the sustenance that meets people’s most basic needs. Agriculture and its related industries serve as the foundation of American economic life, accounting for a larger portion of the United States’ GNP than any other endeavor. Besides, agriculture represents a bond of continuity between present and past. Therefore, cultivators of the earth who contribute a lot to agriculture are important and valuable. Secondly, cultivators of the earth are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous. They have shown a spirit of individualism and egalitarianism that the rest of society has admired. To a large extent, agricultural values have been adopted and celebrated by the society as a whole. Thirdly, American agriculture is big business. It provides the rest world with lots of food. So as the main body of agriculture, cultivators of the earth contribute a lot to American’s economic. 2. It is known to all that buying and selling stocks is a risky business. Why do you think there are still so many people involved in it? In order to invest, individuals do not have to have a great deal of money: they can buy just a small portion of a business—called a share. The business of buying and selling shares in enterprises has become so big that offices have had to be set up where the selling of shares, or stock , can take place. These places, located in many cities in the United States and around the world, are called stock exchanges. The best-known is perhaps the New York Stock Exchange, located in the Wall Street area of New York City, the nation's largest city and a major business center. 3.Give examples of industries which are declining, and industries which are fast developing in the US. Generally speaking, declining industries would be industries where labor cost is high and its growth potential is limited. The Auto industry is in a declining state but of course if they reinvent their automobiles things could pick up for them. Developing industries would be the hi tech sector. Especially in companies that are developing new types of technology to help our environment by developing new types of technology in many areas. Especially energy conservation technology and new types of alternative energies. Also, new types of technology where we would be using fewer resources for our daily usage. From 1922 to 1929, the economic of America is prosperous, the car industry, the electrical industry and construction, developing rapidly and become a national industry. In 1920s the economic boomed and wealth is just possessed by a few people ,the gap between rich and poor continued to expand. At first, the construction industry became in recession, then the steel industry and the automobile get into trouble. Roosevelt defeated Hoover in the 1932 election. during the march of the president of the United States, the "new policy" is carried on, the intervention of the state finance, agriculture, industry and social relief, the project and financial aspects became more and more, which made the United States government undertake to ensure economic stability and development of responsibility. Social security system is established initially. After World War II, the US economy enters a period of rapid growth. On the one hand, the United States began to develop world's advanced scientific and technological achievements. It caused a new industrial technology revolution, with the atom, computers and the extensive application of space technology for the main, involving information technology, new energy technology, new materials technology, biotechnology and space technology and the marine technology. The tertiary industry is booming UNIT 6 1. In what way do you think that religious freedom was a historical necessity in the United States? 1). By the middle of the 18th century, many different kinds of Protestants lived in America. 2). The Great Awakening of the 1740s, a "revival" movement that sought to breathe new feeling and strength into religion, cut across the lines of Protestant religious groups, or denominations. 3). A few Americans were so influenced by the new science and new ideas of the Enlightenment in Europe that they became deists, believing that reason teaches that God exists but leaves man free to settle his own affairs. 4). The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States forbade the new federal government to give special favors to any religion or to hinder the free practice, or exercise, of religion. 2 What is the relationship between government and religion in America? In some ways, the government supports all religions. Religious groups do not pay taxes in the United States. But government does not pay ministers' salaries or require any belief—not even a belief in God—as a condition of holding public office. Oaths are administered, but those who, like Quakers, object to them, can make a solemn affirmation, or declaration, instead 3 What promotes the diversity in American religion? 1). The United States has always been a fertile ground for the growth of new religious movements. Frontier America provided plenty of room to set up a new church or found a new community. 2). Many religious communities and secular utopias, or experiments in new forms of social living, were founded in 18th and 19th century America. 3). Americans with different religions live together under the same law. 4). The religious beliefs of Americans continue to be strong with social progress. 5). In the United States every church is a completely independent organization, and concerned with its own finance and its own building. 6). Continuous immigration. 4. What are some of the features in religion that are particularly American? What are some of the major differences between American religion and religion in Europe? First of all, Americans with different religions live together under the same law. Secondly, the religious beliefs of Americans continue to be strong with social progress. Thirdly, in the United States every church is a completely independent organization, and concerned with its own finance and its own building. UNIT 7 American literature 1．What is the main theme in American literature according to the author? How does the author illustrate his point? The questing of the American people has indeed been a drama of many parts. In one way or another, however, it has always been a "pursuit of happiness". American literature is the continuous narrative of that pursuit. 2. what theories does Ralph Emerson explain in his essays? In the essay Emerson clearly expresses the main principles of his Transcendentalist pursuit and his love for nature. Emerson develops his concept of "Over-Soul" Or "Universal Mind". Last but not the leas, it affirms the divinity of the human beings 5．Why did Mark Twain win so many readers both at home and abroad? Mark Twain was the first major American writer to be born away from the East Coast. He grew up in a small town on the banks of the Mississippi River and received only a basic public school education. He began working in a printer's shop when he was still a boy, and this experience led to a series of newspaper jobs in the Midwest and the West. Twain was a new voice, an original genius, a man of the people, and he quickly won readers. 6. What are some of the major themes in novels written by the "Lost Generation"? The "Lost Generation" is a term used to describe the generation of young men and women who came to maturity in the 20s. Some of them fought in World War I. They became disgusted with war and disillusioned with the post-war society. They shared the same sense of dislocation, rootlessness and disillusionment. UNIT 8 1. What is the goal of education in the United States? Discuss the similarities and differences in Great Britain, the United States and China concerning the goals of education. The goal is—and has been since the early decades of the republic—to achieve universal literacy and to provide individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote both their own individual welfare as well as that of the general public. Though this goal has not yet been fully achieved, it remains an ideal toward which the American educational system is directed. The progress which has been made is notable both for its scope and for the educational methods which have been developed in the process of achieving it. 2. How did American education begin to develop? In 1634, they opened a “lateen grammar” school, a school for those who wanted to prepare for college. In 1636, Harvard College was founded for the training of religious ministers. In 1634 and 1638, the Puritans passed laws declaring that all property could be taxed for the common good, which included the support of school. In 1642 and 1647, the Bay Colony passed laws requiring all parents to provide reading educating for their children. At the end of the 18th century, elementary education throughout the United States was in local hands. 3.What do you think some of the characteristics of education in America? 1). About 85% of American students attend public schools (schools supported by American taxpayers). The other 15% attend private schools, for which their families choose to pay special attendance fees. Four out of five private schools in the United States are run by churches, synagogues or other religious groups. In such schools, religious teachings are a part of the curriculum. 2). Each of the 50 states in the United States has its own laws regulating education. From state to state, some laws are similar; others are not. Education in the United States was to remain in the hands of state and local governments. 3). Americans have a strong tendency to educate their children about major public concerns—problems such as environmental pollution, nuclear issues, neighborhood crime and drugs. Unit9 1, what were the major social movement of the 1960s? And what was the historical background of the social movements of that decade? （1）the Civil Rights Movement, the Youth Movement, the Anti-War Movement, Free Speech Movement, Counter Culture, Women's Liberation Movement. （2） 1). During World War Two, many American Negroes had a taste of life outside the South. They knew that life in the segregated South, where Negroes were prevented from working at good jobs and getting good education, was not the American way of life. 2). Women earned less money and had fewer opportunities to advance than men working in the same jobs, or they became housewives, isolated at home with their children. 3). Many young people resented traditional white male values in US society. 4). When the US army began to fight in Vietnam, many people thought the war was wrong. They did not understand why US troops were fighting in Asia.