英美文化

Us3In1782,thefrenchwhosettledinpennsyfirstaskedthequestionwhatisanAmericaninhisbookLettersfromAnAmericanFarmer.TheNewworldofamericawaspeopledasaresultoftwolong-continuingimmigrationmovements,thefirstonefromAsiaandthesecondfromEuropeandAfrica.AmericanindianshaddevelopedthreebrilliantcivilizationsbeforetheEuropeansarrived.ThesethreecivilizationsweretheAztecs,theIncasandtheMayas.Columbusdiscoveredthenewworldintheyearof1492TheEnglishkingclaimedtheterritoryofNorthAmericabasedonthevoyageofJohnCabot.MartinlutherwasthefirsttostarttheReligiousreformationandthenextimportantleaderofthereformationwasJohnCalvin.Thefirstpermanentsettlementinnorthamericawasestablishedintoday'sVirginiaintheyearof1607.Thecroptobaccothatwastransplantedfromthewestindiansavedvirginia.lordBaltimorewhosetupthecolonyofMarylandwasCatholicsinreligion.NewenglandwasfoundedbyagroupofreligiousbelieverscalledPuritanswhilepennsylvaniawasplantedbyWilliamPennwhowasaQuakevinreligion.Us4Afterthewarofindependencewaswon,thenationalgovernmentwascalledthecongressandtheagreementthatguidedthegovernmentwastheArticlesofConfederation.ThecitywherethedeclarationofindependencewassignedandwheretheUSconstitutionwasmadeisPhiladelphia.Theconstitutionalconventionwasheldintheyearof1787andthepresidentoftheconventionwasGeorgeWashington.Theconstitutionsetupafederalsystemwithastrongcentralgovernment.Afederalsystemisoneinwhichpowerissharedbetweenacentralauthorityanditsconstitutionwithsomerightsreservedtoeach.TheUSfederalgovernmentconsistsofthefollowingthreebranches:theexecutive,thelegislativeandthejudicial.ThecongressisdividedintotheHouseofRepresentativeswith435memberswhoservetwoyearterms,andtheSenatewith100lawmakerswhoservesixyearterms.Groupwhotrytopersuadecongressmentovotefororagainstabillareknownaslobbies.Thesupremecourtiscomposedof1chiefjusticeand8associatejustice.Thesupremecourthasthefunctionofdeterminingwhethercongressionallegislativeorexecutiveactionviolatestheconstitution.thispoweriscalledjudicialreview.Thereare26amendmentstotheUSconstitutionThetwomajorpoliticalpartiesarethedemocraticparty,whichisthoughttobemoreliberal,andtherepublicanparty,whichisbelievedtobemoreconservative.USunit61.WASPstandsforWhiteAnglo-SaxonProtestant.2.TheGreatAwakeningofthe1740striedtobreathenewfeelingandstrengthintoreligion,andcutacrossthethelinesofprotestantreligiousgroup.3.AccordingtoJohnLocke,therighttogoverncomesfromanagreementorsocialcontractvoluntarilyenteredintobyfreepeople.4.DeistsbelievesthatreasonteachesthatGodexistsbutleavesmanfreetosettlehisownaffairs5.ThemajorityoftheCatholicsintheUSaredescendantsofimmigrantsfromIreland,ItalyandPoland.6.PrayerandBiblereadinginpublicschoolsintheUSareunconstutional.7.TheThreeFaithsintheUSrefertoProtestant,CathonlicandJewish.8.Accordingtothetext,inEngland,four-fifthsofthepeopleexceptCatholicsgotochurchlessthanonceamonth;inSwedenthemajorityhardlyevergotochurchatall.YethalfofAmericanProtestantsareactivechurchmembers.9.Freedomofreligiousbeliefornon-beliefisprovidedintheTheFirstAmendmentintheUSConstitution.10.ThefirstCatholicpresidentintheUSwasJ.F.Kennedy.USunit71.WashingtonlrvingandJamesFenimoreCooperarethetwomajorwritersofthepost-Revolutionaryperiod.2.TheMasqueoftheRedDeathandTheFalloftheHouseofusherwerestorieswritten3.In1852,aNewEnglandwomannamedHarrietBeecherStowewroteanoveltitledUncleTom'Cabin,whichintensifiedthepoliticaldebateonslavery.4.MarkTwain'sTheAdenturesofHuckleberryFinnisconsideredthegreatestnovelinAmericanliterature.5.UptonSinclair'snovelTheJungleexposedthehorriblelivesofmeat-packingfactoryworkers.6.EzraPound'spoetryisfamousforimagism,theuseofstrong,concreteimages.7.T.S.Eliot'slongpoemTheWasteLandrevealedapessimisticviewofpost-WorldWarIsociety.Hedominatedtheso-called“Modern”movementinpoetry.8.AfterWorldWarI,manynovelistsproducedliteraryworksofdisillusionment.Someofthemlivedabroadandwereknownasthe“LostGerneration”.9.F.ScottFitzgerald'snovelTheGreatGatsbywasaboutyouth'sgoldendreamturningtodisappointment.10.Thefollowingthreenovelswerethebest-knownwrittenbyErnestHemingway:TheSunAlsoRises,AFarewelltoArms.11.WilliamFaulknereffectivelyusesthestreamofconsciousness,multiplepointsofview,symbolismandimageryinhisnovels.12.EugeneO'NeilisagreatAmericanplaywright,whoseplaysincludeDesireUndertheElmsandLongDay'sJourneyintoNight.13.JohnSteinbeck'sTheGrapesofWrathwasaportraitofapoorfamilyduringtheperiodoftheDepression.14.RichardWrightwrotethenovelTheNativeSon,andRalphEllisonwrotethenovelInvisibleMan.Bothwereblackwriters.15.TherepresentativeworkoftheBeatGenerationwasAlanGinsberg'spoemHowl.16.ToniMorrisonwontheNobelprizeforLiteraturein1993,thefirstAfro-Americanwritertoreceivethishonor.UKunit11.ThefullnameofUnitedkingdomistheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland.2.TheislandofGreatBritainismadeupofEngland,ScotlandandWales.3.TheUnitedKinghasbeenamemberoftheEuropeanUnionsince1973.4.Britainisnowamultiralcialsocietywhichproducesapopulationofwhich1in20areofnon-Europeanethnicity.5.LondonplaysasignificantroleinBritain'seconomicandculturallife,it'snotonlythefinancia