美国背景backgroundtoamerica1

Unit2BackgroundtoAmericaEnglandandAmericaaretwocountriesseparatedbythesamelanguage.-GeorgeBernardShaw,Reader'sDigest,November1942Warm–uptheUnitedStatespositivenegativeExpressingyouropinionIfyouaskme,Ithink…ThewayIseeit,…Tomymind,…WhatIreckonis…YouknowwhatIthink?Ithink…Ishouldthink…Isupposeitcouldbe…Ithinkit…orsomethinglikethat…Hardtotell,itcouldbe…LandofpromiseandopportunityLandofmiraclesandachievementsTheStatueofLibertyTheStatueofLiberty,onceoneofthefirstsightstowelcomeimmigrantsarrivingintheUnitedStates,continuestobeasymboloffreedomandafavoriteNewYorkCitytouristattraction.Libertystandsmorethan93mtallonLibertyIslandinNewYorkHarbor.Thestatue,designedbyFrenchsculptorFrédéricBartholdi,waspresentedtotheUnitedStatesasagiftfromFranceforthefirstcentennialoftheU.S.independencefromBritain.DisneylandNamedforitscreator,WaltDisney,anAmericancartoonistandfilmproducer,Disneylandattractsmillionsofvisitorseachyear.ThethemeparkopenedinAnaheim,California,in1955.SleepingBeautyCastleispicturedhere.TheGateWayofSt.LouiseTheskylineofthecityofSt.Louis,Missouri,isdominatedbythestainlesssteelGatewayArch,rising192mhigh.ItwasdesignedbyEeroSaarinenandcompletedin1965,afterthefamedarchitect’sdeath.St.LouisliesonthebanksoftheMississippiRiver.TheGoldenGateBridgeTheGoldenGateBridgelinksthecityofSanFranciscowithMarinCountytothenorth.Sincethesuspensionbridgeopenedin1937,ithasbeenoneoftheprincipallandmarksofbothSanFranciscoandCalifornia.HooverDamTheHooverDamisanarch-gravitydamontheColoradoRiver.Asanarch-gravitydam,itdependsonitsshapeanditsownweightforstability.HooverDam,a221-meter-higharch-gravitydam,blockstheflowoftheColoradoRiverinBlackCanyon.ThedamcreatedLakeMead,oneoftheworld'slargesthuman-madelakes,whichstretches180kmupstream.HooverDamcontrolsflooding,produceselectricpower,andprovideswaterforusebyagriculture,privatehomes,andindustry.MannedSpace–CraftCenterTheLyndonB.JohnsonSpaceCenternearHouston,TexasoperatestheNationalAeronauticsandSpaceAdministration’smannedspaceflightprogram.Scientistsandaerospaceengineersatthecenter’smissioncontrolsupervisedthefirstastronautlandingonthemoonin1969.Sincethen,theyhavecontrolleddozensofspacemissionsfromthe656-hectare(1620-acre)complex.BarbieDollThelargewardrobeoftheBarbiedollisreminiscentoftheextensivewardrobesoffashiondollspopularinEuropeinthelate19thcentury.However,whileclothesdesignersinthepastusedfashiondollstoshowcasetheirnewcreations,Barbiedolls,createdin1959,functionmainlyastoys.Manufacturersnowmorecommonlyproduceethnicallydiversedolls,likethisblackBarbie.LandofodditiesandabsurditiesLandofinequalityandinjusticeLasVegasBrightneonlightsshinethroughthenightinLasVegas,Nevada,advertisingcasinos,hotels,clubs,bars,andotherbusinesses.LasVegaswasasmalltownuntilgangsterBenjamin“Bugsy”Siegelchangedthecity’scharacterforeverbyconstructingitsfirstlavishhotel-casinoin1945.Nowknownasthe“EntertainmentCapitaloftheWorld,”LasVegasattractstouristsfromallovertheworld.PleaseListento---AnotherDayinParadiseFlagoftheUnitedStatesFlagoftheUnitedStatesconsistsof13horizontalstripes,7redalternatingwith6white,andintheuppercornernearthestaff,arectangularbluefield,containing50five-pointedwhitestars.Thestripessymbolizethe13coloniesthatoriginallyconstitutedtheUnitedStatesofAmerica.Thestarsrepresentthe50statesoftheUnion.WhitesignifiesPurityandInnocence;Red,HardinessandValor;andBlue,Vigilance,PerseveranceandJustice.TheessentialdesignoftheAmericanflagcanbetracedtoaresolutionpassedbytheContinentalCongressonJune14,1777.Thisresolutionstatedthattheflagshouldrepresentthe13originalstateswith13alternatingredandwhitestripesand13starsonabluefield.From1795to1818additionalstarsandstripeswereaddedtotheflagtorepresentVermontandKentucky.In1818theU.S.Congressreducedthenumberofstripesto13andestablishedthepolicyofaddinganadditionalstarforeverynewstate.Thedesignwasnotstandardizeduntil1912,andmanyvariationsoftheflagwerecommonduringthe19thcentury.Thecurrentflagdatesfrom1960,whena50thstarwasaddedforHawaii,the50thstate.BaldEagleThebaldeaglewasdesignatedasthenationalbirdoftheUnitedStatesin1782.Itsnamedoesnotimplyalackoffeathers,butinsteadisderivedfromthewordpiebald,meaning“markedwithwhite.”Thebaldeaglereignsasthesecond-largestbirdofpreyinNorthAmerica.Rose–morethanasymbolofloveWhiteHouseWhiteHouse,officialresidenceofthepresidentoftheU.S.,builtinitsoriginalformbetween1792and1800,andsituatedat1600PennsylvaniaAve.inWashington,D.C.Thisdesignationbecameofficialin1901,whenTheodoreRoosevelthadthenameengravedonhisstationery.IthasbeenthehomeofeverypresidentinAmericanhistorywiththeexceptionofGeorgeWashington,whoapprovedtheactthatledtoitsconstruction.TheWhiteHouseisoneofthemostpopulartouristattractionsintheUnitedStates.TheWhiteHousecontains132rooms,butonly5ofthese—theBlueRoom,EastRoom,GreenRoom,RedRoom,andStateDiningRoom—areopentopublicvisitation.UncleSamUncleSam,nicknameandcartoonimageusedtopersonifytheU.S.government.ItisderivedfromtheinitialsU.S.ThefirstvisualrepresentationorcaricatureofanUncleSamfigure,attiredinstarsandstripes,appearedinpoliticalcartoonsin1832.Inthe2