英美概况1

1. In this first class I stated the objective or goal of studying American Culture. What is that goal?Increase awareness and understanding of the United States of America.2. What are the 5 requirements that I gave you for this class?①You must be present for class and you must arrive ON TIME.②You attitudeduring class will be reflected in your final grade. If you talk or sleep, your grade will suffer. ③ALL MOBILES PHONES MUST BE POWERED OFF DURING CLASS!④You are required to keep a notebook of notes taken during the lectures, and it should include any assignments that you turn in that are returned to you, as well as any handout material.⑤Every paper you hand in MUST have your Chinese name (in Pinyin), your English name, AND your student ID number. If these are not included you will NOT receive a grade.3. Know the “Certain inalienable right” stated in the beginning of the “Declaration of Independence.”独立宣言(3 rights)Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.4. What is the definition of culture? What is “cultural pluralism”?Culture of the way of a group of people developed over time and passed down from generation to generation.Cultural pluralism: accepting more than one culture5. Study and learn the definition of “individual freedom”that most Americans believe in.By freedom, Americans mean the desire and ability of all individuals to control their own destiny without outside interference from the government, ruling noble class, the church or any other recognized authority.6. Be able to name the 6 traditional beliefs and values of Americans and know the “price” for each one.①Individual Freedom ②Self-reliance ③Equal Opportunity ④Competition ⑤Material Wealth ⑥Hard Work7. Be able to list at least 10 tourist of interest and give their location (which state they are in).①Statue of Liberty---New York ②Yellowstone National park---Wyoming ③China Town---Indiana （Chicago）④Hollywood---California⑤The White House---Washington D.C. ⑥Mount Rushmore ---North Dakota⑦The Golden Gate Bridge---California ⑧Niagara Falls---New York⑨Disney Land---California 10 Waikiki （beach）---HawaiiNew York city---New York Las Vegas---California8. Be able to list 6 symbols of America.①Yellowstone National park, ②eagle, ③Statue of Liberty, ④Uncle Sam, ⑤White House, ⑥the Golden Gate Bridge, ⑦The Lincoln Memorial,9. Review the notes on the movie, “The Patriot”. Know the year, the setting, main character, nations fighting and why, purpose of the war and which war. Year: 1763 Setting:Main character: Benjamin Martin, Gabriel Martin, Col. William TavingtonReason:Purpose of the war:Which war: independence war10. Be able to define what is meant by “frontier”.Frontier relatively unsettled regions of a country. The frontier of the U.S. was usually found in the west.11. Be able to give 4 reasons for the importance of the frontier.It played a large role in shaping values.①Though American civilization took over and replaced the frontier over 100 years ago, its heritage is still evident in U.S. culture today.②Provided the space and conditions that helped to strengthen the American ideals of freedom, self-reliance and equality of opportunity.③It provided many inspiring examples of hard work as forests were turned into towns and towns into large cities.④Frontier ideas and customs were passed along to more settled parts during a westward march of settlers that lasted more than two centuries.12. When did the “frontier experience” begin and end?The frontier experience began when the first colonists settled on the east coast in the 1600s. It ended about 1890 when the last western lands were settled.13. What was considered a “tragedy” of the American frontier?For many years, the frontier experience was romanticized in movies and on TV and little attention was given to the tragic story of the Native Americans. The Native Americans were given reservations to control, but the government broke many promises and created much misery for the Indian nations14. Be able to describe the main plot of the movie” Dances With Wolves”.Movie is about a Union soldier in the American Civil War who is eventually adopted by the Sioux Indian tribe.15. Know the causes of the 9 important American wars.①Revolutionary War 1776-1783Causes: Commerce policy and military policy differences between Britain and the Colonies; distance from Britain; “taxation without representation;” fear of France; Lack of faith in Britain‟s ability to defend Colonies from France.②Mexican War 1846-1848Following the Texas Revolution, the US tried negotiations with Mexico to settle on Texas‟ official borders. Mexico refused to acknowledge the Republic of Texas, but the US was considering it for statehood.③Civil War 1861-1865Two differing views on government, lifestyle, and identity; slavery (The South withdrew from the Union because they believed in more personal freedom, less government involvement, and the rights of the individual).④ WWI (World War I) 1917-1918unrestricted submarine warfare; “making the world safe for democracy;” trade relations with the Allies; Germany‟s request for Mexico to enter war against US.⑤WWII (World War II)1941-1945Primarily because Japan declared war on the US and bombed Pearl Harbor⑥Korean War (1950-1953)US wished to stop the spread of Communism⑦Vietnam War 1964-1975(“1st Television War” - 1st significant military defeat)Support for a government friendly to the West; fear of the …domino effect‟ of communism in southern Asia⑧Persian Gulf War (1990-1991)Iran invaded Kuwait in order to control its oil wealth and prepare to do the same in Saudi Arabia⑨Middle-East War (2001-Present)Terrorist attack on the U.S. by an Islamic extremist group called Al-Qaeda16. Learn the countries bordering the US, the 2 oceans and the location of the Gulf of Mexico.Countries: Canada, Mexico,2 oceans: Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic oceanThe location of the Gulf of Mexico: on the east of America17. How many states are in the U.S? Name the last two states to be added to the US.50 statesAlaska, Hawaii18. Is Washington D.C. a state?No, it is the capital of America in the District of Columbia19. Be able to name 10 large U.S. cities and know in which state they are located. California: Los Angeles San Francisco Big Bear City DublinTexas（德克萨斯州）：HoustonIllinois（伊利诺伊州）：ChicagoDetroit: MichiganPhiladelphia (Philly): PennsylvaniaFlorida: Miami 杰克逊维尔(Jacksonville) 坦帕(Tampa)圣彼得堡(St.Petersburg) 奥兰多(Orlando)Seattle: Washington20. Know the purpose of getting a “patent”（专利） on an invention.The purpose of a patent is to provide the inventor of a new product, design, or technology with exclusive rights to the invention. These ex clusive rights prohibit any other individual or business from making, using, or selling the invention without the authorization of the patent holder. The patent holder essentially maintains a monopoly on the invention until the term of the patent expires.21. Be able to list at least 10 inventions and their importance.1.Telegraph: greatly increased the ability of information to move from one location to another.2.Sewing Machine revolutionized the garment industry and made t he Singer corporation one of the first modern industries.3.Telephone allowed communication to extend to individuals. Before the telephone businesses had to rely on the telegraph.4.Phonograph留声机, Incandescent Light Bulb: The light bulbs allow us to stay awake longer and wake up earlier. The invention had a huge impact on America's growth and history5. cotton gin. It enable cotton growers to separate cotton fiber from the seed as 50 people could do the same work by hand.7. steamboat. It is soon became the fastest and most important means of shipping goods.8.Assembly Line are of great importance in the industrial production of high quantity standardizedcommodities9. the transformer(变压器) which allowed electricity to be sent over long distances and the air brake. The latter invention allowed conductors to have the ability to stop a train. Previous to the invention, each car had its own brakeman who manually put on the brakes for that car.10. a rudimentary machine gun（初步的机枪）that was used to a limited degree by the Union in the Civil War. However, they were used extensively in the Spanish-American War.22. Understand the importance of the Industrial Revolution.The Industrial Revolution that occurred in the 19th century was of great importance to the economic future of the United States. Three industrial developments led the way to Industrialization in America: (1) transportation was expanded, (2) electricity was effectively harnessed, and (3) improvem ents were made to industrial processes.23. What is the Constitution of the United States?Basically, the Constitution is the highest law in the United States. All other laws come from the Constitution in some way. The Constitution also provides the framework for the government of the United States. It creates things like the Presidency, the Congress, and the Supreme Court. Each state has its own constitution that is the highest law for the state —but even then, the United States Constitution is higher.24. Learn the purpose of the “amendment process”in trying to change the Constitution.An amendment to the Constitution is a change that can add to the Constitution or change an older part of it.25. The first ten amendments to the Constitution are called the ___Bill_____ of ____Rights___26. Be able to describe the most common way to pass (approve) an amendment.The most common is to pass an amendment through the Congress, on a two-thirds vote. After that, the amendment goes to the states, and if three-quarters of the states pass the amendment, it is considered a part of the Constitution — it has been ratified(批准)..27. Study the three branches of the federal government and learn their purpose.Legislative(立法机构) Branch ~to make the lawExecutive(行政部门) Branch ~ to make sure the law is carried out ( has the responsibility to carry out the laws)Judicial (法庭的) Branch ~ to interpret the law(to settle disputes about the exact meaning of the law)28. For the test I will choose 10 of the 19 words on pages 276~279. The definition and the words will be on the test. You will match the word with the correct definition.30. Know the meaning of “monopoly” in business.It is the control of an industry or service by only one company.With the rapid development of industry, competing firms began to consolidate into large units capable of dominating an entire industry.31. What is a “budget”?It is a financial plan for spending money.32. What are the 2 kinds of education in America?Public schools, Private schools33. How are public schools in the U.S. financed?Public schools are financed by tax money collected from all citizens.34. Remember to study:P218----The importance of western expansion1. It is a historic leap in American history.2. America is a multi-ethnic country. Western expansion is significant for American mainland3. It enlarged the territory of America and enabled America became a big country in the world4. It relieved the labor problems5. It improved the economic strength of America6. The abundant resources are good for the development of AmericaThe New West did not have a great impact on political innovation in America, because state and local governments in the West were usually modeled after the East. Socially and culturally the West also tended to imitate the East. But because of its lack of local traditions, its interior position, and its need for military protection and improved transportation, the West was usually the most nationalistic(名族主义的，国家的) section in America.The problems and hardships that pioneers faced on the raw frontier encouraged them to develop individualism and resourcefulness(足智多谋). The settlers seldom felt the need to obey the rules and traditions which governed social mores in crowded neighborhoods. Among neighbors there might be some mutual(相互的) help and charitable actions; however, the main trend was competitions. Westerners showed great respect for the person who started from “scratch” and achieved success through competition. Relationships among people were rather “cold”, cultivating a desire for self-reliance(自立根生). Though the West did not produce a society of social and economic equals, it did demonstrate to the nation that all artificial barriers to advancement must be removed and that all people must have an equal chance to make their way in the world. This , together with the Puritan tradition of hard work, formed the foundation of the American value system.P282----A chart on the U.S. government structure35. In chapter 11, “The American Society”, read carefully and study the two paragraphs at the bottom of page 305 and top of page 306 which are about individuals in the American society.When discussing the American people, one be kept in mind. Because of multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-religious and varied socioeconomic backgrounds, growth, development, work, lifestyles and social status will differ among individuals from birth to old age. When someone claims, “We Americans thinkquestion is, “Which Americans?” because Americans with different backgrounds usually do things differently.On the other hand, universal education and media exposure have developed some “commonalties(平民) in actions and ideas. Generally, American values include rugged individualism; freedom of speech and religion; democratic ideals; free enterprise; competition, achievement, success orientation; acceptance of other‟s differences;legal social-political rights; respect of private property; welfare of children, the sick or disabled and the elderly; and faith in science and technology. In the United Stated, laws and regulations are made on the basis of these values.36. Consider and study the last statement in your book. (P323)“The economic globalization of the world has moved nations closer to each other. This globalization also has an equalizing element, as the American life style and consumption pattern are adopted by people throughout the world. Why is this happening? One answer could be the America’s multi-cultural heritage, mass media and political and economic policies provide the basis for the world’s people to identify with American society.37. A test question from this paragraph might be: Name 3 reasons that could provide a basis for the world to identify with American society?。