Chapte r ⅡAmerican Population
ⅠComposition of the US composition
A. T otal amount
1. The United States is the third most populous nation in the world. According to the US Census Bureau, 2008, the population was 303,820,000 people.
2. About 211 million were classified as the white, 34.6 million as the black, 32 million as of Hispanics origin, and 10 million as Asians and Pacific Islanders.
B. Immigration
1. The United States is known as a “melting pot”, meaning that it is composed of immigrants from different nations all over the world.
2. Prior to 1875 anyone from any foreign country could enter the US freely and take up permanent residence there. Over the next 60 years after 1875, the US government passed the laws restricting immigration on the basis of morality, race and national origin.
3. The first US census was taken in 1790; over 3 million of the early Americans were mostly of British Ancestry.
C. Immigration Act
1. In 1952 the Immigration and Nationality Act reaffirmed national origin as the chief criterion for eligibility and established a preferential system for skilled workers and for relatives of US citizens.
2. For many years the US restricted the total number of immigrants to 270,000 each year, although the real immigrants numbered much greater than the limit. About 700,000 immigrants were received by the US each year during the 1980s.
3. The 1990 Immigration Act limited the total number of immigrants to 700,000 from 1992 to 1995 and 675,000 thereafter. The 1990 Act also abolished the 1952 immigration law that prohibited communists from visiting the US.
D. Races
1. The White Anglo-Saxon Protestants
(1) The people of the US are predominantly white, accounting for an estimated 80.3% of the total
population in 1990.
(2) The most powerful and influential group is the W ASPs who are the descendents of early
English settlers. They make up 45% of the American population and control most of the national wealth and political power in nation.
2. The black people
(1) The most numerous minority in the US whose forefather were from Africa and estimated
12.4% of the American population. The first blacks arrived in Jamestown in 1619 as
indentured servants but soon after 1619 they were brought to colonies as slaves.
(2) The blacks were formally freed in 1863, but continued to suffer the segregation for about a
century. The official racial segregation continued to be the law of the US until 1954.
(3) Today many blacks still live in the south. Some have entered the middle class, but one third of
all black families still live below the poverty-line.
3. American Indians
(1)In 1990 census, there were about 1.87 million Indians living in the US. About 46% of them
live in the South, 17.8% in the Midwest, only 6.5% in the Northeast. American Indians were the original inhabitants on the continent.
(2)Ever since the discovery of the New World in 1492, they have been cruelly treated and they
were driven to barren desert regions, the so-called “Indian Reservation”.
(3)Congress’ Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) reported in 1986 that American Indians
are in far worse health than the rest of the population, dying earlier and suffering disproportionately from alcoholism, accidents, diabetes and pneumonia.
4. American Hispanics
(1) In 1990 census, there were about 21.1 million living in the US. They are the Spanish-speaking
immigrants from Latin American countries. They are mainly from Mexico, Cuba and Puerto Rico.
(2) The Mexican background people living in the US formed the largest group of Hispanics. Most
of them live in California and Texas.
(3) Puerto Rican are in worst economic conditions than any other Hispanic group who mainly live
in the barrios of New Y ork, Chicago, and other northern cities.
(4) Cuban mainly live in south Florida. Hispanics are one of the fastest growing minorities at
present in the US.
5. Chinese-American
(1) Beginning in 1847, when the young male peasants came to get away from poverty and to work
in America in mines, on railroads, and in agricultural fields, the Chinese ran into economic and cultural fears of the white majority who did not understand them or their culture. Facing this and considering their intentions to return home, the Chinese didn’t try to assimilate but instead gravitated to “Chinatown”.
(2) They have proved to be industrious and intelligent. They are viewed as “model minority” in
the US.
(3) According to 1990 US census, there were over 1.6 million Chinese-Americans living in the US.
This figure was more than twice what it was in 1980.
ⅡPopulation Distribution
1.The most densely populated region is the northeastern part of the country, which includes the
states of New England, the Middle W est and the Middle Atlantic.
2.The West now leads in percentage increase in population. The south leads in numerical
increase in population.
3.T exas is the second most populous state in the US.
ⅢInternal Migration
1.Americans are and have always been a highly mobile people. The desire for economic
betterment is generally the most important force inducing migration
--economic betterment
--geographic differences
--economic opportunities
--climate
--family ties
--racial attitude
2.The trend in migration from cities to suburbs now prevailed in all regions except the south,
where the metropolitan areas had the highest growth rate of population.
--the widespread use of automobiles and the construction of express high ways
--the telephone
--more living space
--lower crime rate
--less population
--superior schools
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/e88727692.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