(美国部分)

《英美概况》课教案(美国部分)主讲人:许鲁之聊城大学外国语学院二00八年九月1ChapterIGeographicalFeaturesandNaturalResources1.LocationandGeographicalDivisions1.FirstclarifythedifferentnamesoftheUnitedStatesandgiveanexplanationaboutthenicknameofUncleSam.2.Location:NorthAmerica3.TheUnitedStatesconsistsof50states.AlaskaandHawaiiareseparatedfromthecontinentalUS.4.Thetotalarea:9,372610sq.km.4thlargestintheworld.A.TheAtlanticSeacoastWesttotheAppalachiansLandfeatures:(1)NewEngland(hilly,rocky,infertile);(2)MiddleAtlanticStates(flat,fertile,denselypopulated);(3)South(varies,gen.agricultural);(4)Appalachians(old,800m,beautiful,touristresorts)B.TheMississippiRiverBasin•Oneofthethelargestareasofflatlandintheworld/2,000kminwidth•TheMississippiRiver(Ol’ManR./BigWater/GreatR./FatherofWaters/theNileofAmerica):about6,400km(LifeontheMississippibyMarkTwain,1883)•Midwest,southoftheGreatLakes,consistsof8states.(greatmineralresources,richsoil,goodclimate,fertileplains,lowrollinghills,manyrivers)•GreatLakes:245,300sqkm,thelargestgroupoffreshwaterlakesintheworld.(seeNote)•GreatPlains:(6states,open,wide,empty,bare,dry,butfertilesoil;producingwheatandcorn)C.TheRockiesWesttothePacific•TheRockies:thebackboneofthecontinent,GreatDivide•Watershed:theboundarybetweentworiversystem•YellowstoneNationalPark:about9,000sqkm,3,000geysers[Geyser:ajetofhotwaterandsteam,issuingfrombeneaththeearth.Geysersofteneruptatregularintervals.Themostfamousis‘OldFaithful’,inYellowstoneNationalPark,whicherupt,onaverage,every65minutes,toaheightof45m.](buffalo,elk,deer,antelope,sheep,grizzlybear)2IdentifyonthemaptheCascadeMts.,SierraNevadaMts.GreatBasin,DeathValley.CoastRange,theCentralValleyofCalifornia2.ClimateNortherntemperatezoneNewEngland:relativelycoldMiddleAtlanticStates:generallypleasantTheSouth:warm,abundantrainfall,HurricaneMidwest:temperateGreatPlains:varieswidelyThestateswestoftheRockies:sharplydifferentclimaticconditions3.NaturalResourcesGenerallyspeakingtheUSisrichinnaturallyresources.Alargedepositofironore(mainlyinMinnesota&Michigan)Coal:widelydistributed(e.g.intheAppalachians,theCentralPlain,theRockies)Oilandgas:veryrich(fromoffshoreareasofLouisianaandTexasandfromonshoreareasofTexas,OklahomaandCalifornia)Silverandgold:onceveryrich(goldrush),GreatSaltLakeLargesuppliesoffreshwaterandnumerousfertilevalleys30%oftheUSisforested.Farmlandsmakeupabout12%ofthearablelandsintheworld.–OBeautifulforspaciousskies–foramberwavesofgrain,–Forpurplemountainmajesties–Abovethefruitedplain.(fromthesongAmericatheBeautifulbyK.L.Bates)ChapterIIAmericanPopulation1.CompositionoftheUSPopulationThethirdmostpopulousnationintheworldThefirstcensusin1790Thephrase“meltingpot”comesfromtheplayTheMeltingPotbyIsraelZangwill(1908).ItholdsthatAmericaisthegreatMeltingPotwherealltheracesofEuropearemeltingandre-forming.1.WhatwerethechiefcontentsoftheImmigrationandNationalityActof1952?2.InwhichyeardidtheActabolishtheimmigrationlawthatprohibitedcommunistsfromvisitingtheUS?3.WhoarecalledtheWASPs?AretheythedominantraceinAmericanlife?34.Whatweretheindenturedservants?Povertyline/level:theincomebelowwhichapersonorafamilyisofficiallyconsideredtobeverypoorandinneedofhelp.In1990,forexample,thefamilyoffourmemberswhosetotalincomewaslessthan$13,359wasconsideredtolivebelowthepovertyline.5.DoyouthinkthedefactosegregationonincomeandhousingpatternscontinuesintheUS?(defacto:reallyexistingalthoughnotlegallystatedtoexist)AmericanIndians:thewordIndiancomesfromthemostcelebratedmistakebyColumbus.WhenColumbusdiscoveredtheNewWorldhethoughthehadreachedtheIndiesofAsia;hencetheCaribbeanIslandswerecalledtheWestIndiesandtheirinhabitantsIndians.ThewordthenspreadtoincludealltheaboriginalpeoplesoftheAmericas.Indianreservation:anareaoflandkeptfortheNativeAmericanstoliveon.Nowthereare282reservationsintheUSplus150localunits.Hispanics:theSpanish-speakingimmigrantsfromLatinAmericancountries.(e.gMexicans,PuertoRicans,Cubans)Chicano:aUScitizenwhowasborninMexicoorwhosefamilycamefromMexico.(alsocalledMexican-American)Chinese-Americans:the1stgroupofChinesecametotheUSin1847.In1870,123,000ChineseenteredtheUSlargelytoworkaslaborersonthewestcoast.ChinesetraditionsarekeptinChinatowns.Theyareindustriousandintelligent.SixofthemhavewontheNobelPrizes.(李正道、杨振宁、丁肇中、李远哲、朱棣文、崔琦)Accordingtothe1990UScensus,therewere1,645,472Chinese-AmericanintheUS.2.PopulationDistributionNortheasternPart:themostdenselypopulatedregionincludingNewEngland,MiddleAtlanticstates,Midwest.(NewYorkCity,Chicago,WashingtonD.C.seedic.)GreatPlains:sparselypopulated.Texasisnowthe2ndmostpopulatedstateintheUS.TheSouth:Atlanta,Miami(seedic.)TheWest:LosAnglesisnowthe2ndlargestcity.SanFrancisco(the14thlargest)(seedic.).Californiaisthemostpopulousstate.3.InternalMigrationAmericansareknownashighlymobilepeople.1.Movefromplacetoplace.2.Movefromcitiestosuburbs.4ChapterIIIDiscoveryandColonizationtheNewWorld1.AmericanIndiansandGreatDiscoveries…whentherewasalandbridgebetweenAsiaandAlaska.LandbridgeherereferstotheregionofpresentBeringStrait.CapeHorn:(合恩角),thesouthernmosttipofS.America,inChileTheIndiansindifferentplacesintheAme