英语国家概况

New Zealand Maori:1、Who are the Maori and what are some distinctive features of Maori culture? ——Maori people are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand (Aotearoa).——Maoritanga means “Maori culture”, and embraces the language, customs and traditions that make up the rich heritage of the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand. Maori oral traditions and history explain the place of the Maori people in the world and in Aotearoa. There are many legends about Maui. The best known internationally of all Maori traditions is the haka, a dance often performed to terrify the enemy and to prepare warriors for battle. Aspects of Maori culture are including Poi, Tattoos and moko.Every piece carved tells a story, which can be read by those who know how. Dance and song are often using as a welcome on the marae.2、What have Maori people done to preserve their culture and keep it alive? ——Established multi-tribal meeting places, called marae. There people can perform ceremonies, like weddings, funerals, etc, and learn the language, culture and customs.——They have learn how to use the law in order to protect their rights.——They have fought for the rights to their land (as given in the Treaty of Waitangi).——They have established “language nests”– kindergartens that teach children the language at a young age.——They encourage young people to learn more about the language through pop music etc.——They use tourism as a way to earn money while being faithful to their culture.——They use the abundant natural resources for food and trade, oral traditions, handed down through generations, continued this.3、What has the government done to encourage Maori culture and support the Maori?——Has set up the Waitangi Tribunal in order to give land and money back to some Maori people, in order to make up for past wrongs.——Has encouraged the study of Maori language with national “Maori Language Year”, and through special TV and radio channels.——Has made sure that there are at least 6 Maori MPs who represent Maori only in parliament.——The Ministry of Maori Development works to facilitate and support Maori achievement in key areas of health, education, training and economic resource development.——Maori is the second official language, and it is recognized in Parliament and in courts of law.4、Why do the Maori find it difficult to preserve their culture?——For a long time, white New Zealanders encouraged Maori to forget their culture and take on white culture, because white people tended to look down on Maori culture(they thought it was backwards underdeveloped etc) and some Maori maybe started to think the same. So the older generations can’t teach younger generations anymore. Also, the economic legal, social and political environment is based on white culture. It’s a shame because Maori culture has plenty of things to teach us, ideas, stories, values, custom and more. If there is no-one to pass these on, the world and Maori especially will lose something very valuable.——Cultural globalization means that many cultures are being challenged by other, often more dominant cultures, like America’s.——Young people want things that are fashionable and not old-fashioned. ——Some aspects of white NZ culture are maybe superior to Maori culture. ——It’s not practical and doesn’t match with modern society.——There’s no real written language. So it’s difficult for people to learn the culture (and the song and dance and other cultural forms are difficult to understand.——Many Maori have moved to the cities and lost touch with their tribes or cultural roots.American Beginnings——particularly the early settlers in AmericaEurope in the 16th and 17th centuries:Before Change- Feudal system- Serfdom – working on the land for the Lord/landowner- Few rights, little economic independence - Growth of capitalism- Emergence of new classes who wanted more economic freedom, political power and status in society- Authority of the Bible - God-centered world - Growth in science and technology- Challenging the Bible- New ways of thinking, more questioning- Single authority of the Roman Catholic Church (with the Pope as leader, based in the Vatican).- Corruption and greed in the Church (selling forgiveness and salvation 拯救)- Interference in national politics- Indirect relationship with God: You –Church/Priest – Pope - God - Protestant Reformation (=protest and reform)- Different religious movements emerged- Direct relationship with God: You – Bible –God- Emphasis on individual faith and interpretation- Reflected desire of people to be more freeThe settlers:Virginia Settlement Puritan New England Quaker PennsylvaniaExperiences & Beliefs- First settlement (1607) - Grew tobacco for profit - Fights with local Native Americans Experiences & Beliefs- Protestant, wanted to purify(=clean) the church- Only 'God's elect' (=alreadychosen people) will go toHeaven- If you are successful in your'calling' (=God's special job foryou) you are one of the 'elect'- Belief in working hard- Persecution in the UK –Holland – poverty – America- Aim in America to build a'Holy Land', an ideal (religious)community- The government must haveconsent (=agreement) of thegoverned.Experiences & Beliefs- Protestant- Believe that God is like a lightin everyone's soul- Believe everyone is equal- Direct relationship with God– You – God- Religion a private business- Don't believe in churches orpriests, just a meeting house- Simple, plain buthard-working, money-saving,productive lives- Suffered persecution inEngland- William Penn (hencePennsylvania) planned thecolony – cheap land, openimmigration, equalityLegacy- First elected (therefore representative) law-making assembly- Slavery – the use of slaves and oppression to make profit - Contradiction –representation and equality but only for rich white men. Legacy- Sense of mission,- New society as greatexperiment and worth model- Intolerant moralism- Individualism- Hard work ethic- Respect for educationLegacy- Open immigration policy –melting pot- Equality- Representative government- Separation of church andstate- Religious freedom- Liberal self-government1、What kind of groups settled America? Where did they come from and why did they go to America?——America was settled by British and other religious groups escaping government persecution in Europe.——The point is that the settlers left Europe influenced by these changes. They wanted to put these new ideas into practice, and build a better society based on science, free thinking, capitalism and religious diversity.2、What legacy did the early settles in America leave for later generations? ——The early settler’s legacy includes the first example of self-government in the New Virginia settlement the sense of mission from the Puntans, as well as individualism, hard work and respect for education. The Quakers also left a legacy of religious freedom, separation of church and state and the idea of the “melting pot”. They shared values like religious freedom, democracy,individualism, a sense of mission and the pursuit of happiness.The American political system1、What does “checks and balances” mean, and why is it central to the American political system? Give an example.——“Checks and balances”means each of the 3 branches of government (executive, legislative, Judicial) can limit the power of the others. Each branch checks the powers of the others to make sure that power balanced between them. It’s central to the American political system because it keeps serious mistakes from being made by one branch another and it can avoid, one branch being too powerful.2、The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States (the head of state and head of government), Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments. Federal and state elections generally take place within a two-party system, although this is not enshrined in law.The executive branch is headed by President and is independent of the legislature. Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The judicial branch (or judiciary), composed of the Supreme Court and lower federal courts, exercises judicial power (or judiciary). The judiciary's function is to interpret the United States Constitution and federal laws and regulations. This includes resolving disputes between the executive and legislative branches. The federal government of the United States was established by the Constitution. Two parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, have dominated American politics since the American Civil War, although other parties have also existed.There are major differences between the political system of the United States and that of most other developed democracies. These include increased power of the upper house of the legislature, a wider scope of power held by the Supreme Court, the separation of powers between the legislature and the executive, and the dominance of only two main parties. The United States is one of the world's developed democracies where third parties have the least political influence.The federal entity created by the Constitution is the dominant feature of the American governmental system. However, some people are also subject to a state government, and all are subject to various units of local government. The latter include counties, municipalities, and special districts.This multiplicity of jurisdictions reflects the country's history. The federal government was created by the states, which as colonies were establishedseparately and governed themselves independently of the others. Units of local government were created by the colonies to efficiently carry out various state functions. As the country expanded, it admitted new states modeled on the existing ones.3、Democrats美国民主党:✧Active in providing social and economic programs✧Govt should decrease inequality & help the poor e.g. affirmative action✧Favour worker's interests✧ E.g. Franklin Roosevelt & the “New Deal”✧Social security, medicaid and medicare✧Progressive on moralityRepublicans美国共和党:✧Social programs too expensive, discourages hard work and private enterprise ✧People should pay less tax, encourages them to work hard & create wealth ✧Too many laws, harm individual initiative✧Favour business interests✧Conservative social morals✧Christian Right●Religion in the US1、Religious Freedom and Separation of Church and State：- No special treatment for any religion- Cannot inhibit the free practice and exercise of religion- no-one is required to believe in religion- but support for all religions –no taxes, chaplains etc.- No limits on what you believe, but some limits on what you do.2、Religion attractive as offers a community; a pressure to conform to dominant values; not associated with dominant political class or institutions.3、3 features of religion in America that are unique：The Unites States would have no state-supported religion. First of all, Americans with different religions live together under the same law. That means that the government has no right to interfere in people’s religious affairs. The freedom of religion and the separation of state and church guaranteed in the Constitution is believed to be the basic principles against religious persecution. 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.4、Religion in the United States is remarkable both for its high adherence level, compared to other developed countries, as well as for its diversity. The First Amendment to the country's Constitution prevents the government from having any authority in religion, and guarantees the free exercise of religion. A majority of Americans report that religion plays a "very important" role in their lives, a proportion unusual among developed nations, although similar to the othernations of the Americas. Many faiths have flourished in the United States, including both later imports spanning the country's multicultural immigrant heritage, as well as those founded within the country; these have led the United States to become the most religiously diverse country in the world.The majority of Americans (76%) identify themselves as Christians, mostly with Protestant denominations. Non-Christian religions (including Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism), collectively make up about 4% to 5% of the adult population. Another 15% of the adult population identifies as having no religious belief or no religious affiliation. According to the American Religious Identification Survey, religious belief varies considerably across the country: 59% of Americans living in Western states (the "Unchurched Belt") report a belief in God, yet in the South (the "Bible Belt") the figure is as high as 86%.Literature1、Transcententalists：A belief in an ideal spiritual state that 'transcends' the physical and empirical and is only realized through the individual's intuition. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) Nature 1836：•Champion of the individual•Critic of the pressures of society•Great public speaker, supported abolition of slavery•“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”•He claimed that by studying and responding to nature individuals could reach a higher spiritual state without formal religion. He developed a free-form, natural style, using symbols and imagery drawn from nature. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) Walden 1845：•Classic work that explores natural simplicity, harmony, and beauty as models for just social and cultural conditions.•Contains early environmentalism•Civil Disobedience is a famous essay: it's an argument for individual resistance to civil government in moral opposition to an unjust state.•Influenced Ghandi, JFK, Martin Luther King and more2、Transcendentalism was a group of new ideas in literature, religion, culture, and philosophy that emerged in New England in the early to middle 19th century. It is sometimes called American transcendentalism to distinguish it from other uses of the word transcendental. Transcendentalism began as a protest against the general state of culture and society, and in particular, the state of intellectualism at Harvard and the doctrine of the Unitarian church taught at Harvard Divinity School. Among transcendentalists' core beliefs was an ideal spiritual state that 'transcends' the physical and empirical and is realized only through the individual's intuition, rather than through the doctrines of established religions. Prominent transcendentalists included Ralph WaldoEmerson, Henry David Thoreau.●Social Movements——particularly segregation and theblack civil rights movement1、What is a social movement?——A large number of people come together to change institutions and establish a new order of life. Both spontaneous and organised.- a social base of people who can communicate and share the same problems- have a message or ideology that names and problem and shows how to solve it - ability to spread the message and get more supporters- ideas, collective action, and organisation2、Segregation laws in Southern states in the US prevented black and white people from sitting together in movie theaters, eating in the same restaurants etc.. The civil rights movement began when black people spontaneously protested segregation laws and created organizations to make the protests successful. The spontaneous action of one woman, Rosa Parks, was believed to be the true beginning of the civil rights movement, 5 years before the Greensboro students “sit-in”.Civil rights activists first used “sit-in” tactics to fight segregation and later, “freedom rides”. Black and white CORE members traveling together on buses to challenge segregation laws were badly beaten by white mobs in South Carolina and Alabama.The next important direct action of the three civil rights organizations was voter registration. In 1964, violence against civil rights workers increased.3、Black Panther Party for Self-Defence•Formed to protect communities from police brutality and racism –citizen patrols•Provided services to children and communities –Breakfast for children program.•Marxist/socialist/communist –black nationalist•Carried guns and reputation for violence•Later gave up ideas of racial exclusivity and focused on socialism.●Sports in America1、棒球Baseball：What are the most important games, and who plays in them? Ans: The World Series–played between the winners of the American League and National League (decided by winners of the League Championship Series).The New York Yankees (American League) have won it 27 times.Invented in the United States, it has now become their national sport. The most popular baseball league in the U.S. is Major League Baseball. The World Series is the championship series of Major League Baseball, the culmination of the sport's postseason each October. It is played between the winner of each of the two leagues, the American League and the National League and the winner is determined through a best-of-seven playoff.2、橄榄球Football：Which league should you follow –professional NFL (National Football League) or NCAA (National College Athletic Association). Both popular –even 5 College stadiums can seat more than 100,000 people. Football, also known as gridiron or American football outside the U.S. and Canada, attracts more television viewers than baseball (although baseball attracts significantly more ticket sales due to its much longer schedule) and is considered the most popular sport in the United States by most. Despite being almost entirely male, it has the most participants of any sport at both high school[2]and college (NCAA) levels. The National Football League (NFL) is the preeminent professional league in the United States.3、Bowling：The most popular competitive sport (by number of players in the US).4、The National Basketball Association, more popularly known as the NBA, is the world's premier men's professional basketball league and one of the major professional sports leagues of North America.5、Major League Soccer is the premier soccer league in the United States.6、Sports in the United States are an important part of the United States culture. However, the sporting culture of the U.S. is different from that of many other countries. Compared to any other nation, Americans prefer a unique set of sports. For example, soccer, the most popular sport in the world, is not as popular in the U.S. compared to the four most popular team sports —namely baseball, American football, basketball, and ice hockey. Also, unlike many other countries, schools and colleges and universities sports competitions play an important role in the American sporting culture.●Canadian identity1、Most of us already know in our hearts. We are against the idea that people should be treated differently because of their skin colour, language, religion, or background. We are for the idea that all Canadians should be treated as full citizens. We are against the idea that any person is more purely Canadian than another, no matter how far back his or her Canadian ancestry goes. We are for the idea that everyone should have an equal chance to succeed on his or her merit. We are against ethnic nationalism, in which people of common ethnicity rule themselves-masters in their own house. We are for civic nationalism, in which people of different backgrounds come together under the umbrella of common citizenship to form a community of equals.Ours is a modern nationalism: liberal, decent, tolerant, and colour-blind. That is what Canada represents to the millions of people whome here from other countries. That is the idea of Canada. (Globe and Mail, November 4, 1995, p. D6)✧Canada has a political system with many similarities to the UK.✧However, it is a federal system.联邦制系统✧Compared to America, they focus less on individual freedom and moreon community and society.✧Canadians see their political system as uniting them together, and areproud of their left-wing policies.✧However, they must deal with the geographical and linguistic divides. Buteveryone can find a place in their political system.2、Canadian identity refers to the set of characteristics and symbols that many Canadians regard as expressing their unique place and role in the world.The question of Canadian identity was traditionally dominated by three fundamental themes: first, the often conflicted relations between English Canadians and French Canadians stemming from the French Canadian imperative for cultural and linguistic survival; secondly, the generally close ties between English Canadians and the British Empire, resulting in a gradual political process towards complete independence from the imperial power, and, finally, the close proximity of English-speaking Canadians to the military, economic and cultural powerhouse of the United States. Today, Canada has a diverse makeup of nationalities and cultures and constitutional protection for policies that promote multiculturalism rather than a single national myth.3、As Canada matures, its cultural make-up becomes more varied and the question of what a Canadian actually is becomes more, rather than less, complicated. Now, its policy of actively encouraging immigration and assisting different cultures to maintain their distinctive languages and identities in Canada means that the forging(锻造) of a “Canadian”identity that applies to everybody.。