I.A complicated country with a complicated name:
II. The effects of its imperial past
* The days of empire ended after World War II
1.The effects were mainly encountered in the close relationships which exist
with the 50 or more colonies of that empire, and which maintain links through Commonwealth of Nations. But more important international relation is its
membership in the European Union since 1973.
2.The makeup of the British population
--- immigration from India, Pakistan, or Caribbean (西印度群岛与中南美洲海域) countries in the 1950s and1960s. 1/20 are non-European ethnicity.
III. Racial, gender, class, regional and economic differences in the society
1. a multi-racial society: most are Christians and because of immigration, many
are Muslims;
2.gender difference: male and female live different lives
3.class difference: the class structure of UK society is relatively obvious (A
white-collar worker’s lives are very different from a blue-collar worker’s.)
4.economic and regional difference within each of the 4 countries:
-- difference between highland and lowland Scots
-- difference between north and south England (South is on average more wealthy than the north)
IV. A significant role of London
1.capital city
2.in the south; largest city in the country; 1/7 of the nation’s population
3.culture center
4.business center
5.financial center, one of the 3 major international financial centers in the world
(another two are New York and Hong Kong )
6.long-standing historical role in the UK
England
I. A cultural and economic dominance of England
1.London dominant in the UK in government, finance and culture
2.England’s dominance in size --- largest of the 4 nations with largest
population is reflected in a cultural and economic dominance
-- result: people in foreign countries and English people sometimes mistake
England for U.K in their talks.
II. The conquest of Britain (Before AD. 1st C., made up of many tribal kingdoms of Celtic people)
III. Legends
1. King Arthur and his Round Table, giving knights equal precedence and showing
knights’ demand for a more democratic system (During Ang lo-Saxon’s invasion) 2. Robin Hood hid in the forest, rebelled against Normans and robbed from the rich
to give to the poor (During the period of Norman rule)
--a clue to the English Character: a richly unconventional interior life hidden by an external conformity (体现英国人个性的迹象:表面上似乎一致,但实际上保持着一种强烈的独特的生活方式)
IV. Parliament’s dominance over the throne
1.The next few hundred years following the Norman invasion: join together
the various parts of the British Isle under English Rule, unite the kingdom
internally and externally
2.Power gradually transferred from the monarch to the parliament
a)1649, Charles the First was executed. Then England was ruled by
parliament’s leader, Oliver Cromwell for 11 years.
b)In 1660, the son of Charles I restored the monarchy and was called
Charles II (ruled 1660-1685)
c)Further conflicts between parliament and the king led to removal of the
Scottish house of Stuart and the final establishment of parliament’s
dominance over the throne in 1689.
* James II (1685-1689) was the younger brother of Charles II. After James II
was overthrown, his daughter and daughter’s husband Mary and William
were imported from Holland to take the throne. This is the “Glorious
Revolution.”
Scotland
I. Physical features of Scotland
1.the 2nd largest of the 4 nations
2.most rugged part of UK, the most confident of its own identity
3.in the north ---- the Highlands mountains and
in the south ---- the Southern Uplands lakes
in the middle --- the lowland zone with 3/4 of the population
4.capital: Edinburgh--- east coast, famous for its beauty, dominated by its great
castle on a high rock
largest city: Glasgow --- in the west of Lowland zone
Both cities have ancient and internationally respected universities dating from 15th century
II. Cultural division between highland and lowland
1.Scotland was neither conquered by the Romans nor by the Anglo-Saxons
2.Around the AD 6th C, people from Northern Ireland invaded the South-west ---
the lowland zone. They were called Scots and gave the modern country of
Scotland its name
3.The original Scottish Celts, called the Picts (皮克特人) were left with the
non-productive highland zone, where in addition to English, some people
speak the old Celtic language—Gaelic.
* The division between highland and lowland Scotland remains a cultural divide today, in much the same way as north and south England see themselves as
different from each other.
III. the Battle of Bannockburn (班诺克本战役)
Time: 24th June, 1314
Who: Scots under the leadership of Robert Bruce and English army
Result: Scots were victorious, leading to 300 years of full independence
IV. Union with England in 1707
1. In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I of England died. James the 6th of Scotland took the
throne, called James the First of England; uniting the two thrones
2. Scotland maintained its separate political identity.
3. In 1707, Scotland joined the Union by agreement of the English and
ScottisHParliaments
4. Scotland sends 72 representatives to the London Parliament. In 1922, only 3
were from the Scottish Nationalist Party, wanting an independent Scotland; 49 was from the Labour Party, wanting to set up a regional parliament for Scotland to manage its own internal affairs within the UK.
V. Strong Scottish identity
Scotland has a great tradition of innovation in the arts, philosophy and science.
-- Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous novel Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde《吉基尔医生与海德先生》shows that: Scotland was superficially fully integrated into the UK, but concealed beneath this is a still-strong Scottish identity.
Wales
I. A brief introduction of Wales
1.capital: Cardiff, on the south coast
2.rich coal deposits
3.attract foreign investment from Japan and U.S, etc.
-- new industries to replace coal and steel
4.smallest on the British mainland; close to central England; hilly and rugged
5.retains a powerful sense of difference from England
6.retains its own language; 19% population speaking Gaelic
II. A history of Invasion
Roman empire
Norman conquest
Under pressure from its English neighbours
III. Campaigns for independence of UK --- resist the English
1.1267, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd(卢埃林·阿普·格鲁菲德), forced the English to
acknowledge him as Prince of Wales by a military campaign, and unified
Wales as an independent nation.
2.1282, he was killed. The English King Edward I named his son the Prince of
Wales, trying to bring Wales into the British nation.
3.1400, Owain Glyndwr(欧文·格林道瓦尔) led an unsuccessful rising against
the English.
4.1536, Wales was brought legally into the UK by an act of the British
Parliament.
5.Wales sends 38 representatives to the London Parliament. 4 are from the
Nationalist Party.
I. Population and physical features of Northern Ireland
1.often called Ulster, smallest of the 4 (in area $ population)
2. 1.5 million people, smaller than many Chinese cities
3.capital: Belfast, the biggest city in the province, east coast
4.mostly rural, low hills, beautiful lake district in the south-west, rugged
coastline, including its most famous landmark, the Giant’s Causeway(巨型长堤) II. Political problems
1.Ordinary life continues, and troubles are an addition.
2.Crime is very low.
3.Problems are mainly concentrated in particular areas.
III. Active cultural life
--- theatres, restaurants, pubs and museums
IV. Economy
1.has problems: 1) partly because the troubles discouraging investment 2)
partly because of its peripherality (周边) in relation to the UK
2.wealth per head is the lowest of UK
3.living costs are comparatively low
4.Industrial companies include the aircraft manufacturers.
V. Home Rule Bill (自治法案)
From 1801 to 1921, the full name of UK wa s “The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland”, because the whole island of Ireland was politically integrated with Great Britain. But due to Irish desires for an independent Irish state, a
campaign in parliament for “Home-rule” was launched, and the Home Rule Bill was finally passed in 1914.
VI. Guerilla or terrorist activities against the British institutions and the British military forces
1.The Easter Rising of 1916 (复活节起义)
---the rebels occupied Dublin’s Post Office and forced the British to take it back by military force. The leaders of the rebellion were executed by the British
authorities.
2. the Sinn Fein Party
--- a legal political par ty, supporters of the Irish terrorists; support the IRA’s right to fight by a twin campaign, both political and military which they call the
policy of “the Bullet and the Ballot Box” (暴力和民主手段)
VII. the religious conflicts between the Irish and the British
--- Ireland was not invaded by the Romans or the Anglo-Saxons
--- most Irish are Catholics; most Britain are Protestants
--- In the 17th C., people emigrated from Scotland and Northern England to the north of Ireland. The peoples of this part thought of themselves as British, and wished to remain a part of the British state. They were Protestants.
VIII. A partition of Ireland in 1921
A compromise: the Southern 26 counties--- an independent “free state” (the
Republic of Ireland)The 6 north-eastern
counties--- a part of the UK.
* End 700 years of British rule in southern Ireland
Northern Ireland was given its own Parliament to deal with Northern Irish internal affairs, based at Stormont. (斯多蒙特)
IX. Troubles and solutions
The majority, the Protestants controlled the local democratically- elected
parliament and used that power to support their own economic and social
dominance in the province. 40% of the population were Catholic Irish, who
found it harder to get jobs, or to benefit from social programmes such as public housing. The armed conflict “troubles” developed.
1. a Civil Rights Movement (北爱民权运动)
In 1960s, Catholics often marched in the streets and fought for equality.
2.the presence of British soldiers on Northern Ireland since 1969
--- first to protect the Catholic people, later were seen as the symbol of British
rule in Northern Ireland.
3.IRA’s violence in the 1970s (IRA: Irish Republic Army爱尔兰共和军，
unofficially paramilitary force)
1) set up in 1919,
Official IRA(正式派): concentrate on a political process, run candidates
2) split in 1969 for election
Provisional IRA(临时派): felt armed force was the only way
3) IRA bombed and shot security forces and city-centers in 1970s. Protestants
took revenge on Catholics
*Result: Northern Irish cities were divided into exclusively Protestant and
exclusively Catholic areas. Two communities hardly mix at all.
4.Bloody Sunday (血腥星期日，1972/1/30)
In 1972, 468 people were killed in Northern Ireland, of whom 13 were Catholics who had been taking part in a peaceful civil rights march. It is an important
symbol of British oppression.
*Result: strengthen Catholic opposition to the British presence.
X.Political solutions to the conflicts
1. power-sharing mechanism 权利分治----- to allow the
minority Catholics population political influence, but the mechanism
collapsed by strike of the Protestant workforce.
2.Direct-rule from London------ the local government was suspended by
the British government.------- the conflict is continued but the level
is reduced.
XI. cooperation between the British and Irish governments
⑴Sinn Fein’s policy--The Bullet and the Ballot Box
⑵ The Anglo-Irish agreement
In 1985, the Anglo-Irish agreement was signed between the two governments, giving the Irish a right to consultation on Northern Irish matters.
⑶ Downing-Street Declaration
It was issued on August 29, 1969 by British government. It authorized
British military commander in chief to directly interfere into political
affairs in Northern Ireland.
⑷ In August 1994, the IRA declared a ceasefire
A: John Hume
B:Gerry Adams
III.The Good Friday Agreement
1),It was approved on 10 April 1998 as s result of multi-part megotiations.
2),This agreement assures the loyalist community that Northern Ireland
remains part of the United Kingdom and it won’t change its politocal status
unless the majority of the people of Northern Ireland agree.
3),Northern Ireland should be governed by three separate jurisdictions: that of
the Republic of Ireland,that of Great Britain and that of its own elected
executive government of ten ministers.
英语国家概况美国部分精讲系列 Chapter: 13 geography 地理位置 1.Alaska and Hawaii are the two newest states in American.Alaska northwestern Can ada,and Hawaii lies in the central Pacific. 阿拉斯加和夏威夷是最近加入美国的两个新州.阿拉斯加在加拿大的西北部，夏威夷位邻中太平洋.（本细节还有考“一句话简答”的可能） 2.The U.S has a land area of 9.3 million square kilometres.It is the fourth largest co untry in the world in size after Russia,Canada and China. 就面积而言，美国是世界第四大国，就人口而言，美国是世界是第三大国. 3.Of all states of American,Alaska is the lagest in area and Rhode Island the smalles t.But on the mainland Texas is the largest sate of the country. 所有州中，阿拉斯加是面积最大的州，罗得岛最小，在美国大陆，最大的州是得克萨斯州. 4.The Rockies,the backbone of the North American Continent,is also known as the C ontinental Divide. 落基山脉是北美大陆的脊梁，也被成为大陆分水岭. 5.The two main mountain ranges in American are the Appalachian mountains and the Rocky mountains. The Appalachians run slightly from the northeast to southwest and the Rocky mountains run slightly from the northwest to southeast. 阿巴拉契亚山脉和落基山脉是美国的两座大山脉.（本细节有考“一句话简答题”的可能）
American History ?I. America in the colonial era ?II. The War of Independence ?III. The Civil War ?IV. America during the two World Wars I. America in the colonial era ?Who were the very first Americans? ?Who was the first one discovering the new continent? ?After whom was the new continent named? I. America in the colonial era ?1.The very first Americans were Indians. ●They created their civilization, known as Maya civilization, dominating Mexico and Central America from 4th to the 10th centuries. ●They were the descendants of the Mongoloid (蒙古人种的) people in Asia. ●About 20,000 years ago, they traveled to the North American continent across the Bering Strait (白令海峡). ?2. Christopher Columbus is believed to have discovered America. ●In 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered America. However, he believed he had reached India and called the natives Indians. ?In 1500, Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian navigator, also under the Spanish flag, drew the conclusion that what he found was a new continent. 3. The establishment of colonies ?Since the America was found, the Spanish established many colonies: Florida, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. ?In 1588, the Spanish Armada was defeated by the English navy，which put England in a better position to provide support for its New World colonies. 3. The establishment of colonies ?Between 1607 and 1733 the British established 13 colonies along the east coast of North America. ?These 13 colonies were established in different patterns: ●crown colonies ( 直辖殖民地), ●proprietary colonies ( 业主殖民地), ●charter colonies ( 特许公司殖民地), ●self-governing or compact colonies ( 自治殖民地或契约殖民地). ?1) The first successful English colony in North America was founded at Jamestown, Virginia , in 1607. ?2) In 1620, a group of Pilgrims sailed to the New World in a ship called Mayflower. They arrived at Plymouth, and built the New Plymouth colony in New England. These Pilgrims drew up the epoch-making Mayflower Compact (五月花契约), which was signed by all adult males on the ship. 3. The establishment of colonies ?3) From 1630 to 1643, some 200 ships transported over 20,000 Englishmen to the Massachusetts Bay colony. ?Plymouth remained a separate colony until 1691 when it was combined with Massachusetts Bay colony. Puritans ?People who criticized or wished to "purify" the Church of England. ?"Puritan" refers to two distinct groups: ?"separating" Puritans, radical Protestants, such as the Plymouth colonists, the pilgrims, who believed that the Church of England was corrupt and that true Christians must separate themselves from it; and ?“non-separating” Puritans, such as the colonists who settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony, who believed in
I. Different Names for Britain and its Parts 英国的不同名称及其各组成部分 1.Geographical names: the British Isles, Great Britain and England. 地理名称：不列颠群岛，大不列颠和英格兰。 2.Official name: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. 官方正式名称：大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国。 3.The British Isles are made up of two large islands-Great Britain (the larger one) and Ireland, and hundreds of small ones. 不列颠群岛由两个大岛-大不列颠岛（较大的一个）和爱尔兰岛，及成千上万个小岛组成。 4.Three political divisions on the island of Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales. 大不列颠岛上有三个政治区：英格兰、苏格兰和威尔士。 (1) England is in the southern part of Great Britain. It is the largest, most populous section. 英格兰位于大不列颠岛南部，是最大，人口最稠密的地区。 (2) Scotland is in the north of Great Britain. It has three natural zones (the Highlands in the north; the Central lowlands; the south Uplands) Capital: Edinburgh 苏格兰位于大不列颠的北部。它有三大自然区：北部高地，中部低地及南部山陵。首府：爱丁堡。 (3) Wales is in the west of Great Britain. Capital: Cardiff 威尔士位于大不列颠的西部。首府：加的夫 (4) Northern Ireland is the fourth region of the UK. Capital: Belfast. 北爱尔兰是英国第四个区域。首府：贝尔法斯特。 5.The Commonwealth (of nations) is a free association of independent countries that were once colonies of Britain. It was founded in 1931, and has 50 member countries until 1991. 英联邦是曾为英国殖民地的、但现已独立国家所构成的自由联合体。它成立于1931年，至1990年止已有50个成员国。 II. Geographical Features 英国的地理特征 1.Geographical position of Britain: 英国的地理位置： Britain is an island country surrounded by the sea. It lies in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north coast of Europe. It is separated from the rest of Europe by the English Channel in the south and the North Sea in the east. 英国是一个岛国。它位于大西洋北部，与欧洲大陆的北海岸隔海相望。南面的英吉利海峡和东面的北海将它与欧洲其它部分隔开。 2.The north and west of Britain are mainly highlands; and the east and southeast are mostly lowlands. 英国的西部和北部主要是高地，东部和东南部主要是低地。 III. Rivers and Lakes 河流与湖泊
英美概况 Unit1-2 A Brief Introduction to the United Kingdom 1. It is an island country by the sea. Northwest Atlantic Ocean off the north coast of Europe. English Channel in the south and the North Sea in the east. 2. Geographical NAMES the British Isles Great Britain England the United Kingdom (UK) 3.The British Isles: the island of Great Britain the island of Ireland surrounding isles UK=Great Britain + Northern Ireland Great Britain =England +Scotland + Wales 4.Official name: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 5. Other names: the British Empire (大不列颠帝国) British Commonwealth of Nations（英联邦国家）England 6.London 1) Capital city Largest city Largest port
2) Largest population (one seventh of the nation’s population) 3) Financial and Commercial centre 4) Culture (host the Olympic Games in 1908 ,1948, 2012) 7.Political centre 1) Westminster central government administrative area 2)Palace of Westminster Houses of parliament (Big Ben) 3)Westminster Abbey ancient church 4)Whitehall (street) 8.Downing street, the house of No.10 official residence of the Prime Minster 9. Buckingham palace royal residence of the Queen 10.A complicated country 1) imperial country 2)Commonwealth of Nations 3) member of European Union 4) a member of Group of Seven 5) multiracial 6) a society with a class structure 7) region difference (just like China) 11 The people 1) Total population : about 60 million 2) unevenly distributed
America The Founding of Colonies殖民地的建立 First Inhabitants：American Indians Discovery of the New World： 1492 Christopher Columbus →the discoverer of America (Italian)Spanish Queen’ s support 1501-2 Amerigo Vespucci →the new land was name after him as America. reached the mouth of Amazon River America—the New World Europe—the Old World 13 colonies： New England Colonies: Mid Atlantic Colonies: Southern Colonies: Massachusetts →（2nd colony，1620）New York Maryland New Hampshire Pennsylvania Virginia →（1st colony，1607）Rhode Island Delaware North Carolina Connecticut South Carolina Georgia →（the last colony，1733）New England Region（6个）: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont 建立原因： Virginia, 1607 Virginia Company For foreign expansion as a way of easing religious dispute and economic distress in England 105 men (no women) Jamestown in honor of the king Massachusetts In 1620 102 Puritans (“Pilgrim Fathers”), in Mayflower, from Plymouth in England to America First in Plymouth (today’s Massachusetts); and then Boston Seek religious freedom Mayflower Compact <五月花号公约>：self-government Hardships when arrived the help of the Indians Thanksgiving Day to thank the Indians and the God for protection The next three colonies Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire Reasons: 1. religious disputes and struggles in Massachusetts intensified 2. more immigrants
英美概况（二）19春在线作业2-0003 试卷总分:100 得分:100 一、单选题 (共 20 道试题,共 60 分) 1.()is the second largest US city in terms of population in the United States of America and the largest industrial city in the country. A.Los Angeles B.Philadelphia C.Chicago D.California 答案:C 2.() has the power to interpret the constitution. A.The President B.The Congress C.The Supreme Court D.The House of Representatives 答案:C 3.() serve as the media between producers and retailers, or producers and wholesalers. A.Producers B.Retailers C.Wholesalers D.The government 答案:C 4.The symbol of the Republican Party is (). A.a monkey B.an elephant C.a horse D.a donkey 答案:B 5.(), the steel capital of the country, is the oldest and largest steel making center. A.Chicago B.Detroit C.Pittsburge D.Birmingham 答案:C 6.America occupies the leading position in the modern technology in the following areas except (). A.atomic energy https://www.doczj.com/doc/ae17239426.html,puters C.space
一、概况 1.50 States Its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Caribbean and Pacific. 2.Races and Population 在东部时间2006年10月17日早晨7点46分，美国人口总数突破三亿大关，这是美国人口史上具有里程碑意义的一刻。3.06188亿（2009年，世界国家和地区第3名，次于中国、印度） 3.The Composition of American Population 1)The Majority:the descendants of immigrants from European countries, such as France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, and Spain;“Pilgrim Fathers”;Potato famine 2)The Minorities:The African Americans: black slaves from Africa;Indians: the number of native Americans has been falling, no more than a million;The Hispanics: immigrants or descendents of immigrants from Latin America, such as Cuba and Mexico (Mexicans are the most numerous among them);Asian-Americans, from China, Japan and Korea;More than a million Chinese-Americans, most of whom live in Hawaii, on the West Coast and in some big cities;5 million Jews in America, many of whom went there during the Second World War and achieved great success in America. 3)“The Melting Pot”:It means immigrants from different nations all over the world have mixed to make up the American nation.“old immigrants”: came to America before 1860;“new immigrants”, after 1860.The Immigration Quota Law was passed by the American government in 1924. 二、Early History 1.Columbus：1492 Christopher Columbus arrived at Salvador Island, thus discovered the “New World”.(Amerigo V espucci: named “America”) 2.The first English permanent settlement:1607 The first group of English colonies came to America and built their settlement of Charleston which later was expanded into the first English colony known as Virginia. 3.Pilgrim Fathers:1620 Some English immigrants (Puritans) sailed into Plymouth on a ship called the “Mayflower”.102 Puritans, 60 days.Mayflower Compact, “one man one vote”, “one-man rule” 4.The values of Puritans:hard work; commercial success; the importance of education 5.Thanksgiving:1621 Thanksgiving Day was first celebrated by the pilgrims of the Plymouth Colony. 三、American Revolutionary
Unit 3-4 I. Multiple Choice 1. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of British government? A. It offers the Queen high political status and supreme power. B. It is both a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. C. It has no written form of constitution. D. It is the oldest representative democracy in the world. 2. Which of the following kings believed the “Divine Right”to govern, and was condemned to death during the English Civil War? A. James I B. Charles I C. King John D. James II 3. Which of the following succeeded to the throne when James I died in 1625? A. Charles I B. James II C. Richard I D. William III 4.The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is reigned over by , but ruled by . A. the government/the Monarch B. the Monarch/the government C. the Parliament/Constitutional monarch D. the Cabinet/Queen Elizabeth 5. The executive power is in the hands of . A. Parliament B. The House of Commons C. The Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister D. The Queen 6. Which of the following is not correct? A. The Queen holds meetings of the Privy Council. B. The Queen receives reports of Cabinet meetings in her weekly sessions with the Prime Minister. C. The Queen must take sides when a dispute arises in the Cabinet D. The Queen is informed of, and consulted on every aspect of national life, 7. The real power of the House of Lords lies in . A. helping to pass Money Bills B. delaying bills C. discussing bills D. being Supreme Court
Lecture 2：History of Britain 2.1 T h e O r i g i n s o f a N a t i o n The Origins of a Nation (5000B C-1066) ?I. Early Settlers ?II. Roman Britain ?III. The Anglo-Saxons ?IV. The Viking and Danish Invasions ?V. The Norman Conquest I. Early Settlers ?1. The Iberians ?2.The Beaker Folk ?3. The Celts I. Early Settlers (5000BC-55BC) Stonehenge ?Stonehenge is surely Britain's greatest national icon, symbolizing mystery, power and endurance. Its original purpose is unclear to us, but some have speculated that it was a temple made for the worship of ancient earth deities. It has been called an astronomical observatory for marking significant events on the prehistoric calendar. Others claim that it was a sacred site for the burial of high-ranking citizens from the societies of long ago. ?While we can't say with any degree of certainty what it was for, we can say that it wasn't constructed for any casual purpose. Only something very important to the ancients would have been worth the effort and investment that it took to construct Stonehenge. Stonehenge ?The stones are great And magic power they have Men that are sick
Chapter 13 geography 地理位置 I. Location and size 1. The full name of the United States is the United States of America. The continental United States lies in central North America with Canada to its north, Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico to its south, the Atlantic Ocean to its east and the Pacific Ocean to its west. Alaska and Hawaii are the two newest states in America. Alaska borders on northwestern Canada and Hawaii lies in the central Pacific. 阿拉斯加和夏威夷是最近加入美国的两个新州。阿拉斯加在加拿大的西北部，夏威夷位邻中太平洋。 2. The U.S has a land area of 9.3 million square kilometers. It is the fourth largest country in the world in size after Russia, Canada and China.就面积而言，美国是世界第四大国，就人口而言，美国是世界是第三大国。 3. Of all states of American, Alaska is the largest in area and Rhode Island the smallest. But on the mainland Texas is the largest sate of the country. 所有州中，阿拉斯加是面积最大的州，罗得岛最小，在美国大陆，最大的州是得克萨斯州。 II.Topography 1. Mountains (1)The two main mountain ranges in American are the Appalachian mountains and the Rocky mountains. The Appalachians run slightly from the northeast to southwest and the Rocky mountains run slightly from the northwest to southeast. 阿巴拉契亚山脉和落基山脉是美国的两座大山脉。（本细节有考―一句话简答题‖的可能）
1.Alaska and Hawaii are the two newest states in American.Alaska northwestern Canada,and Hawaii lies in the central Pacific. 阿拉斯加和夏威夷是最近加入美国的两个新州。阿拉斯加在加拿大的西北部，夏威夷位邻中太平洋。（本细节还有考"一句话简答"的可能） 2.The U.S has a land area of 9.3 million square kilometres.It is the fourth largest country in the world in size after Russia,Canada and China. 就面积而言，美国是世界第四大国，就人口而言，美国是世界是第三大国。 3.Of all states of American,Alaska is the lagest in area and Rhode Island the smallest.But on the mainland Texas is the largest sate of the country. 所有州中，阿拉斯加是面积最大的州，罗得岛最小，在美国大陆，最大的州是得克萨斯州。 4.The Rockies,the backbone of the North American Continent,is also known as the Continental Divide. 落基山脉是北美大陆的脊梁，也被成为大陆分水岭。 5.The two main mountain ranges in American are the Appalachian mountains and the Rocky mountains. The Appalachians run slightly from the northeast to southwest and the Rocky mountains run slightly from the northwest to southeast. 阿巴拉契亚山脉和落基山脉是美国的两座大山脉。（本细节有考"一句话简答题"的可能） 6.The Mississippi River is the largest river in American,over 6000 kilometers.The Mississippi has been called "father of waters"or "old man river" 密西西比河是美国最长河流，有被称作"众水之父"或"老人河"。 7.The Ohio river has been called the American Ruhr,As in Germany, the area along the river is rich in valuable deposits of high-grade coking coal and is well known for its steel industry.The river provides cheap water transportation for raw materials. 俄亥俄河被称作美国的鲁尔河，就像德国一样，沿河有丰富的高品千周的焦煤，并且因其钢铁而著名。另外，该河还为原材料提供了廉价的水路运输。 8.On the Pacific side there are two great rivers:the Colorado in the south and the Columbia ,which rises in Canada. 太平洋沿岸有两大河：科罗拉多河及哥伦比亚河。 9。The Rio Grande River forms a natural boundary between Mexico and the United States. 格兰德河是美国和墨西哥之间的开然界河（本细节考选择和简答可能性大）10.the most important lakes in the United States are the Great Lakes. They are Lake Superior,which is the largest fresh water lake in the world, Lake Michigan ,the only entirely in the U.S.,Lake Huron,Lake Eire and Lake Ontario.They are located between Canada and the United States except Lake Michigan. 美国最重要的湖泊是五大湖：苏必利尔湖，密歇根湖，休伦湖，伊利湖和安大略湖，其中，苏必利尔湖为世界最大淡水湖，密歇根湖完全是美国境地内。
Lecture one: Geography and People Location : Situated in the central part of North America with Canada on the north ,Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico on the south ,the United States is on the east coast of Pacific and west coast of Atlantic. Territorial area: 9.5million square kilometers 50states and seat of government is Washington D.C Largest state---Alaska Largest on the continent---Texas Smallest-----Rhode Island(罗德岛州) Newest---Hawaii Three geographical divisions（三大地形区）: Western ,central and eastern part . Land forms and region: Eastern part: Highlands formed by Appalachian range Western part: High plateaus and mountains(Rockies are called as the back bone of the continent). Great central plain: A large plain between the eastern Appalachian and western Rockies Main geographical regions: New England (6,northeast, longest history featured with mountains ,valleys and rivers ,and cities and towns with historic sites ,top-ranking universities ) The Mid-Atlantic States The West (11,a wealth of forests and stream notable cities, high-tech industry predominant agricultural yielding,14% of GDP ) The Mid-West The South (13,plenty of rainfall and mild climate are favorable for agriculture, fast growing industry and population recent years, great size with few large cities The Southwest Hawaii: Tourism is the largest source of income Tropical climate