英语国家概况美国篇？美国被视为“移民国家”是因为拥有众多多样化的民族群体汇聚并融合，是除了自身之外的众多国家的集合体。移民浪潮包括欧洲人、非洲人和亚洲人，因此被称为“移民国家”。美国主导文化是英语、西方欧洲、新教和中产阶级特征。首批移民形成了土地的基本文化价值，包括自由、平等和努力工作以提高生活水平。那么，英语国家概况美国篇？一起来了解一下吧。
美国政治制度主要包括以下几个方面：
美国宪法：
基础法律：美国宪法是美国政府的基本工具，也是美国的最高法律。它起草于1787年，并于1789年生效，是世界上最早的成文宪法。
历史背景：独立战争胜利后，最早的十三个殖民地选择了建立一个由各州组成的松散的联合体，即《邦联宪法》。但随着时间的推移，《邦联宪法》的缺点愈发明显，于是1787年在费城召开了制宪会议，制定了新的宪法。
联邦制：
治理层：美国宪法建立了联邦制政府，包括全国的中央或联邦政府和州及地方政府两个治理层。
权力分配：两个政府各拥有宪法分别规定的不同权力，确保政府权力既集中又分散，以适应不同层级的需求。
分权制：制约与平衡：
政府结构：政府被分为立法、行政和司法三部分，每个部门只有部分权力而非全部。
制衡机制：每个政府部门都可以制约或阻止其他部门的行为，以确保政府权力不被滥用。
Culture of the United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from American culture)
This article serves as an overview of the customs and culture of the United States; for the "popular (pop) culture" of the United States, see arts and entertainment in the United States.
American culture is a Western culture, with influences from Europe, the Native American peoples, African Americans and to a lesser extent Asian Americans and other young groups of immigrants. The United States has traditionally been known as a melting pot, with a trend towards cultural diversity. [1] Due to the extent of American culture there are many integrated but unique subcultures within the United States.
Further information: Cultural history of the United States
Attitudes
The DeclarationThe formative years of the United States were the late 18th century when the country was founded, and a great deal of American culture is couched in the ideals of The Enlightenment. The Declaration of Independence's mission statement about securing life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; the French Revolution's ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity; and the national motto, E pluribus unum ("From many, one"), reflect the country's values and social development. Another primary influence on American culture is the constant stream of new immigrants, many of whom have fled persecution or oppression in their home countries, and are seeking freedom (including religious freedom) and economic opportunity, leading them to reject totalitarian practices.
By and large, Americans value the ideals of individual liberty, individualism, self-sufficiency, altruism, equality, Judeo-Christian morals, free markets, a republican form of government, democracy, populism, pluralism, feminism, and patriotism. (Americans often believe that their patriotism has nuances that differentiate it from nationalism and nationalism's negative connotations.)
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Society and economic attitudes
There is a close relationship between America's political and economic traditions. It is widely believed that the individual pursuit of self-interest leads to the best result both for the individual and for society as a whole. It has been a successful formula for both economic success and optimal political function for many. The precise amount of individual economic freedom that Americans should have is often debated, with the (usually relatively slight) differences in opinion marking the major differences between political parties. The end result, however, is that the U.S. economy has become the largest on earth, with most of its citizens enjoying comparatively high living standards.
The fact that the United States is the largest English-speaking marketplace allows firms to compete across the country and to enjoy economies of scale (cost reductions that arise from the huge scale of manufacturing) that reduce prices and benefit consumers. The relatively uniform commercial culture—with many large stores or "chains" operating nationwide—produces a commercial atmosphere that is relatively homogeneous throughout the country.
The population of the United States tends to be centered in large cities, in marked contrast to the demographics of a century ago, when the country was quite agrarian.
The United States is generally skeptical or hostile toward socialist and communist ideologies, but some of the related movements, such as the labor movement, became a defining part of America's heritage after the New Deal. The American process of Judicial Review caused the United States to be less affected by socialist ideas and policies in the 20th century than was Europe, because the Supreme Court overturned much labor legislation which in the Europen countries remained law[1]. The McCarthy Era and the Cold War as a whole demonstrated a deeply felt hostility to communism, which, especially at that time, was perceived as anti-individualist, undemocratic, and essentially anti-American. They are also evidenced in aspects of social policy (for example, the absence of a national health care system and the constant controversy about the size and role of the government, especially the federal government, in individuals' lives and in states' laws).
The American tradition of free-market capitalism has led the populace (and their leaders) to generally accept the vicissitudes of the free market and the continuous alterations to society that a changing economy implies, although social and economic displacement are common. The result is a flexible, profit-oriented socioeconomic system.
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Relationship to other countries/cultures
Some Americans exhibit ethnocentric or insular outlooks, with little interest in the culture or political developments of other countries. For example, as a possible result of this trait, comparatively few books from European countries or Japan are translated for sale in the United States and sales of those that are translated tend to be slow. Imported films are generally less successful than domestic productions. Likewise, imported television shows are also rarely successful, except on PBS, although remakes of foreign shows are increasingly common (though there are of course exceptions, such as anime and Monty Python). This is emphasized in the Americanization of such television shows as The Office, Queer as Folk, Red Dwarf and even Dad's Army. In this process, the show is often rewritten and localized with American actors cast in the place of their British counterparts. By contrast, in many other countries, films and television programs produced abroad are broadcast unchanged (except for dubbing/subtitling).
Americans also tend to travel to other countries less than citizens of European countries, for example, partly because international travel from the United States typically entails much further distances than for Europeans resulting in much higher costs. The average American worker has fewer vacation days than the average European (10-15 rather than the European average of around 20). America's vast size also enables its citizens to go great distances, and see a variety of places, without leaving the country. For example, one can travel within the continental United States from a near-tropical region (e.g. Southern Texas) to a frigid region (Minnesota). Lifestyles, food, and culture also tend to differ within the different regions.
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Body contact and expression
In most regions of the U.S., public display of affection, as well as significant expression of emotion, was historically disapproved of and discouraged, prior to the mid-20th century. Such attitudes have seen considerable change, however, with the cultural revolutions of the 1960s and 1970s. There is considerable variation with respect to attitudes, mostly generational in nature, and while Americans are not generally as demonstrative of their affections as, say, Latin Americans or Southern Europeans, they are considerably more so than, for instance, the Northern Europeans or the Japanese, have been historically. Noticeable regional differences in norms of social expression also exist. For example, it is generally acceptable in the egalitarian Northeast (especially among younger Americans) for a female candidly to discuss sexuality and certain aspects of sexual behavior in conversation among friends, while such expression is usually recognized as socially taboo in the more genteel South.
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Names
The citizens and many other residents of the United States refer to themselves and each other as Americans, and to their country as the United States or as America. Non-Hispanic Americans understand, and may say, "the Americas" with the meaning of the two major continents of the Western hemisphere, but generally will resist using "America" in that sense, despite that designation's familiarity to Spanish speakers. While to many foreigners "Yankees" is synonymous with the American people, Americans almost always use the term for the sports team, for New Englanders, New Yorkers, or with reference to those living in the northeastern U.S. in contrast to Southerners. The major exception to that is Americans' occasional ironic usage of "Yankee" (or especially "Yank", construed by Americans as a British usage), in attempting to convey either striving to transcend American parochialism, or resignation to the failure of any such striving. "The States" is a term generally used when referring to the country from an overseas or Canadian vantage point. "The US" or "The U.S." is a casual, short-hand term.
When discussing the American Civil War, Americans use the phrase "the Union" to refer to the states that remained under the control of the federal government in Washington and did not secede to join the Confederacy. The phrase is also occasionally used in contemporary discussions of American federalism and states' rights.
Fairly formal terms, still short-hand, evoking patriotic observances (possibly with irony) are "U.S.A." (with or without the periods, and usually with "the"); a more marked version is "the U. S. of A." In the nineteenth century it was fairly common for Americans to refer to their nation simply as "the Republic," an appellation which has since fallen out of use. The official name of the nation, the "United States of America," is very formal and is most often used in formal government documents, pledges, or ceremonies, but not in colloquial conversations.
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Intra-national allegiances
San Francisco's ChinatownBecause of the size and large population of the country, America is often described as a nation of joiners who tend to self-associate with non-familial groups. Individuals tend to perceive themselves as "free agents" rather than bound by family or clan ties.
Group allegiances are sometimes regional, but can also be related to a professional or fraternal organization. For example, residents of North Carolina are proud to be "Tar Heels," Indiana residents are "Hoosiers" and Texans are notorious for an especially prominent state pride often compared to nationalism. Many cities have a strong sense of civic identity, often reinforced by an innocuous but deeply felt rivalry with another local city. An example of such a rivalry exists between the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. A strong rivalry that continues to this day involves the cities of Boston and New York, which is centered around the historic rivalry in the sport of baseball between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.
Recent immigrants tend to congregate with other immigrants from their country of origin, often establishing neighborhoods (sometimes called ethnic enclaves) in cities with popular names like "Chinatown", "Poletown", or "Little Saigon." Second- and third-generation descendants of immigrants tend to have looser affiliations with their ethnic groups.
America has tens of thousands of clubs and organizations, and if a group has a charitable or service orientation, Americans may volunteer their time through those groups. Examples of these groups include the Rotary Club, the Boy Scouts of America, Little League, etc.
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Food
A hamburger is a famous food in the United States.Main article: Cuisine of the United States
The types of food served at home vary greatly and depend upon the region of the country and the family's own cultural heritage. Americanized versions of these cultural foods, such as American Chinese cuisine, sometimes appear. Recent immigrants tend to eat food similar to that of their country of origin. Families that have lived for a few generations in the U.S. tend to eat some combination of that and the food common to the region they live in or grew up in, such as New England cuisine, Midwestern cuisine, Southern cuisine, Tex-Mex cuisine, and Californian cuisine.
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Popular culture
Main Article: Arts and entertainment in the United States
The United States is known around the world for the films, shows, and musical performances that it produces. The biggest centers of popular American culture are New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Florida, and Las Vegas. Smaller venues such as Branson, Missouri and Nashville have become popular, but most cities host travelling productions of popular Broadway shows.
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Technology and gadgets
Main articles: Technological innovations of the United States
Americans, by and large, are often fascinated by new technology and new gadgets. Many of the new technological innovations in the modern world were either first invented in the United States and/or first widely adopted by Americans. Examples include: the lightbulb, automobiles, the airplane, the transistor, nuclear power, personal computers, the Internet and online shopping. There are also many within the United States that share the attitude that through technology many of the evils in the society can be solved.
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Tobacco
Use of tobacco has decreased sharply among Americans; there is a strong correlation with education, with use at only 10 percent among the college educated, while continuing at 40 percent among high school dropouts. Users smoke cigarettes; a fraction smoke cigars or pipes. Fewer and fewer public places, or business places, permit smoking. Often smokers are forced outside the building. Some cities and even some states, such as California, New York, New Jersey, Utah, Washington, and Florida, and Rhode Island, prohibit smoking inside public places.
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Sports
Main article: Sports in the United States
An Army-Navy basketball game in 1992American sports are quite distinct from those played elsewhere in the world. The "big three" are baseball, american football and basketball, which are all popular on both the college and professional levels. Baseball has a huge following and is referred to as the "national pastime"; Major League Baseball teams play almost every day from April to October. American football (known simply as "football" in the U.S.) attracts more viewers within the country than baseball nowadays; however, National Football League teams play only 16 regular-season games each year, so baseball is the runaway leader in ticket sales. Basketball, invented in Massachusetts by the Canadian-born James Naismith, is another popular sport, represented professionally by the National Basketball Association.
NASCAR has also grown from a mainly Southern sport to the second-most-watched sport in America behind football. Less popular, but still considered a major spectator sport, is hockey. Hockey, always a mainstay of Great Lakes and New England area culture, gained tenuous footholds in regions like the Carolinas and Tampa Bay, Florida in recent years, as the National Hockey League pursued a policy of expansion.
Unlike in Europe, Africa, and Latin America, soccer has a relatively small following, and is mostly popular in the more international cities with large immigrant populations, like New York and Los Angeles. Generally few non-Hispanic American adults appear to be attracted to soccer as spectators, but the sport is widely played by children of all backgrounds.
The extent in America to which sports are associated with secondary and tertiary education is unique among nations. Particularly notable in basketball and football, high school and particularly college sports are followed with a fervor equalling or exceeding that felt for professional sports; college football games can draw six-digit crowds, the college basketball championship tournament played in March draws enormous attention, and for upper-tier schools, sports are a significant source of revenue. Though student athletes may be held to significantly lower academic requirements than non-athletes at universities, a minimum standard does exist.
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Fashion
An "aloha shirt," popular in Hawaii and temperate western statesDress was moderately formal until the 1960s, when a revolution took place that stressed casual and informal, and in the Western tradition of pants and a shirt. Exceptions are major cities such as New York and Los Angeles, where many residents embrace a more expensive and "stylish" approach to fashion. Social and business situations may call for tailored suits or other more elegant outfits. Tuxedos and evening dress occasions have become much less common since 1960. The top hat vanished in 1960--along with most millinery. Skirts and dresses are usually exclusively reserved for females. Men wear kilts only as part of celebrations such as parades, or as part of a family reunion tradition. Jeans, a T-shirt and athletic shoes come close to being a "national uniform".
Types of clothing worn often have something to do with which region of the country people live in. Some Texans and residents of the Southwest dress in boots and hats in a style typically associated with traditional cowboys. In the region from New England to New Jersey, preppy style clothing is popular. In the South, people sometimes dress more casually, although formality in certain contexts is valued some parts of the region, a trend which may also influence ethnic groups outside the South, including African Americans.
The greatest variations in dress are related to climate. Easterners generally tend to dress more formally than Westerners, though this is also closely connected with cultural history as well. Residents of northern states wear heavy sweaters, warm, water-resistant boots, stocking caps and heavy coats or down parkas in the cold season. In Hawaii, the Hawaiian shirt as an acceptable item of wear by men has received formal approval by the state legislature. In beach areas and places with relatively warm and consistent climates, especially California, Hawaii, and Florida, "skimpy" clothing is considered acceptable in all but the most formal settings. Cowboy hats, Western boots and large silver belt buckles are found in southwestern and western regions of the United States, particularly Texas and Arizona. However, many from the Southern United States dress in the aforementioned jeans and t-shirt.
The trend toward informality has increased among many segments of society. For instance, students at colleges and universities are often noted for wearing flip flops or thong sandals as well as pajamas to class.
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Education
Main article: Education in the United States
In the American educational system children are generally required to attend school from the age of five or six until age 16, with the majority continuing until they are at least 17 or 18, or have graduated from high school. The public education systems vary from one state to another but generally are organized as follows:
Age five: Kindergarten
Ages 6-11: Elementary school. Children start in grade 1 and advance to grade 5 or 6.
Ages 12-14 or 11-14: Junior high school or middle school (usually grades 7-8 or grades 6-8, respectively).
Ages 14-18: High school (usually grades 9-12 or 10-12, depending on whether the community uses middle schools or junior high schools).
A system also becoming more popular is 4-year schooling segments. Such as:
Ages 6-9 (Grades 1-4) Elementary.
Ages 10-13 (Grades 5-8) Middle.
Ages 14-17 (Grades 9-12) High/secondary.
The entire span of primary and secondary education, from Kindergarten to grade 12, is often abbrieved in the US as K-12 or K12, which in spoken American English is rendered as "K through 12" or "K 12."
Additionally, many children attend schools before they reach the age of five. These pre-schools are often private and not part of the public educational system although some public school systems include pre-schools.
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Public education
Public education in the United States is provided by the individual states, not by the federal government (except in the limited
美国位于北美洲中部，领土还包括北美洲西北部的阿拉斯加和太平洋中部的夏威夷群岛。北与加拿大接壤，南靠墨西哥湾，西临太平洋，东濒大西洋。海岸线22680公里。大部分地区属于大陆性气候，南部属亚热带气候。中北部平原温差很大，芝加哥1月平均气温－3℃，7月24℃；墨西哥湾沿岸1月平均气温11℃，7月28℃。
气候 美国几乎有着世界上所有的气候类型，在主要农业地带少有严重的干旱发生、洪水泛滥也并不常见，并且有着温和而又能取得足够降雨量的气温。影响美国气候的主要是北极气流，每年从太平洋带来了大规模的低气压，这些低气压在通过内华达山脉、洛矶山脉、和喀斯喀特山脉时夹带了大量水分，当这些气压到达中部大平原时便能进行重组，导致主要的气团相遇而带来激烈的大雷雨，尤其是在春季和夏季。有时这些暴雨可能与其他的低气压会合，继续前往东海岸和大西洋，并会演变为更激烈的东北风暴（Nor'easter），在美国东北的中大西洋区域和新英格兰形成广泛而沉重的降雪。
大平原广阔无比的草原也形成了许多世界上最极端的气候转变现象。这种多变的气候不仅影响着美国的农业生产，也对当地人们的日常生活造成了巨大影响。美国的气候类型多样，从热带雨林到寒带冰原，从干旱沙漠到湿润雨林，几乎涵盖了地球上所有的气候类型。
1、美利坚合众国（英语：The United States of America，United States，简称“美国”），是由华盛顿哥伦比亚特区、50个州和关岛等众多海外领土组成的联邦共和立宪制国家。其主体部分位于北美洲中部，美国中央情报局《世界概况》1989年至1996年初始版美国总面积是937.3万平方公里，人口3.33亿，通用英语，是一个移民国家。
2、美国原为印第安人的聚居地，15世纪末，西班牙、荷兰、法国、英国等相继移民至此。18世纪前，英国在美国大西洋沿岸建立了13个英属北美殖民地。1775年，爆发了美国人民反抗大英帝国殖民统治的独立战争。1776年7月4日，在费城召开了第二次大陆会议，由乔治华盛顿任大陆军总司令，发表《独立宣言》，宣布美利坚合众国正式成立。1783年独立战争结束，英国承认13个殖民地独立。1787年通过美国宪法，成立联邦制国家
3、1861年—1865年，美国爆发了南北战争。亚伯拉罕林肯领导北方的自由州战胜了南方的蓄奴州。美国从此结束了“半奴隶半自由的状态”，开始全面实行自由资本主义，走上了快速发展的道路。1803年—1959年间，通过购买和战争的手段，领土不断扩张。
写在前面：根据学校期末考试情况，不同学校可能有所差异，仅供参考。
期末试题组成：20道判断题（每题1分）+ 30道选择题（每题0.5分）+ 10个短语汉译英（每题1分）+ 5个简答（每题3分）+ 1篇作文（15分）
参考书目：《英语国家概况》. 谢福之. 外研社
第二部分 美国
美国地理分为东部、西部和大平原三个区域。东部以阿巴拉契亚山脉形成的高地为主，西部由高原和山脉构成，大平原位于阿巴拉契亚山脉与西部山脉之间。
美国五大湖包括五大湖泊：苏必利尔湖、密歇根湖、休伦湖、安大略湖和伊利湖。它们是美国与加拿大的国家边界的一部分，也是世界上最重要的内陆水系。
洛杉矶是美国第二大城市，是电子中心和原子研究的重要中心，以轮胎、汽车和飞机制造闻名，好莱坞位于洛杉矶。
美国被视为“移民国家”是因为拥有众多多样化的民族群体汇聚并融合，是除了自身之外的众多国家的集合体。移民浪潮包括欧洲人、非洲人和亚洲人，因此被称为“移民国家”。
美国主导文化是英语、西方欧洲、新教和中产阶级特征。首批移民形成了土地的基本文化价值，包括自由、平等和努力工作以提高生活水平。
美国被称为“熔炉”是因为不同种族和民族群体被同化为美国文化，被称为“沙拉碗”则是因为人们和谐地混合在一起，同时保持各自的文化和传统。
以上就是英语国家概况美国篇的全部内容，第一章：一片荒野 描述美国的初始面貌，一片几乎被人们遗忘的土地。第二章：白人入侵 揭开美国历史的序幕，白人殖民者开始在这片荒野上建立家园。第三章：十三个殖民地 展示美国早期社会的多元性与多样性，十三个殖民地各自独特的文化和生活习惯。第四章：子与父的冲突 反映美国社会内部的矛盾，内容来源于互联网，信息真伪需自行辨别。如有侵权请联系删除。
