《英语国家社会与文化入门》(简称英美概况)美国答案

美国UNIT 3 1。What is an American? He is either a European, or the descendant of a European，

hence that strange mixture of blood， which you will find in no other country。 He is an American，

who leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new

mode of life he has embraced， the new government he obeys， and the new rank he holds. .。。

Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men， whose labors and posterity

will one day cause great changes in the world。 .。。 The American is a new man， who acts new

principles； he must therefore entertain new ideas， and form new opinions。 4 。 In what way

did Puritanism influence American culture？ A. Today, Puritans are no longer in existence. But

their legacies are still felt in American society and culture。 For example， the Puritans hoped to

build ”a city upon hill” an ideal community. Since that time, Americans have viewed their country

as a great experiment， a worthy model for other nations. This sense of mission has been very

strong in the minds of many Americans。 B. The Puritans also have left rich cultural heritage to

future Americans。 The American values such as individualism, hard work, respect of education

owe very much to the Puritan beliefs.

UNIT 4 1 Why did the Articles of Confederation fail? Was it necessary to change the Articles of

Confederation and write a new constitution for the new nation of the United States at the time？

The Articles of Confederation failed because the states did not cooperate with the Congress or

with each other。 When the Congress needed money to pay the national army or to pay debts

owed to France and other nations， some states refused to contribute. The Congress had been

given no authority to force any state to do anything. It could not tax any citizen. Only the state in

which a citizen lived could do that. 2。 What is a federal system？ What are some of the major

differences between a federal system and a confederation? The Constitution set up a federal

system with a strong central government. A federal system is one in which power is shared

between a central authority and its constituent parts, with some rights reserved to each。 The

Constitution also called for the election of a national leader, or president. It provided that federal

laws would be made only by a Congress made up of representatives elected by the people。 It

also provided for a national court system headed by a Supreme Court. 3. What are some of the

major powers of each of the three branches of the U.S。 government？ How are the three

branches supposed to check and balance each other？ If Congress proposes a law that the

president thinks is unwise， the president can veto it. That means the proposal does not become

law。 Congress can enact the law despite the president’s views only if two-thirds of the members

of both houses vote in favor of it. If Congress passes a law which is then challenged in the courts

as unconstitutional, the Supreme Court has the power to declare the law unconstitutional and

therefore no longer in effect. The president has the power to make treaties with other nations

and to make all appointments to federal positions， including the position of Supreme Court

justice. The Senate, however， must approve all treaties and confirm all appointments before

they become official。 In this way the Congress can prevent the president from making unwise

appointments 4．What is the Bill of Rights？ Do you think that it was necessary to write the Bill

of Rights explicitly into the U。S. Constitution? The Bill of Rights: the first 10 amendments,

collectively known as the Bill of Rights, were added within two years of the adoption of the U。S。

Constitution。 These amendments remain intact today, as they were written two centuries ago。

The first guarantees freedom of worship， speech and press， the right of peaceful assembly, and

the right to petition the government to correct wrongs. The Bill of Rights and subsequent

constitutional amendments guarantee the American people the fullest possible opportunity to enjoy fundamental human rights。 5 What are the two political parties in the United States？ Do

you think they are fundamentally different？ The United States has two major political parties.

One is the Democratic Party， which evolved out of Thomas Jefferson’s party， formed before

1800。 The symbol of the party is the donkey。 The other is the Republican Party, which was

formed in the 1850s， by people in the states of the North and West, such as Abraham Lincoln,

who wanted the government to prevent the expansion of slavery into new states then being

admitted to the union。 The symbol of the Republican Party is the elephant。

UNIT 6 1. In what way do you think that religious freedom was a historical necessity in the United

States? 1. By the middle of the 18th century， many different kinds of Protestants lived in