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1、Officially,itsnameistheUnitedStatesofAmerica.ButpeopleoftencallittheUnitedStates,theUSA,orAmerica.TheUnitedStatesisavastandbeautifulland.Itshometorichfarmland,toweringmountains,hugestandsoftimber,mightyrivers,andvaluablemineraldeposits.ColonistsfromEuropefoundedtheUnitedStatesmorethan200yearsago.The
2、ycreatedanewkindofsocietybasedontheidealsoffreedomandopportunity.TheAmericanpeople,throughtheirambitiousnessandhardwork,builtoneoftheworldsrichestandmostpowerfulnations.FROMSEATOSHININGSEATheUnitedStatesisthethirdlargestcountryinareaintheworld,afterRussiaandCanada.ItcoversthewidthofNorthAmericabetwe
3、enCanadaandMexico.ThatgivestheUnitedStateslongcoastlinesfacingboththeAtlanticandPacificoceans.AbroadcoastalplainlinestheEastCoastoftheUnitedStates.Tothewest,thelandclimbstotheruggedAppalachianMountains.TheAppalachiansareachainofthicklywoodedmountainsthatstretchfromMainetoAlabama.Theycontainrichveins
4、ofcoal.WestoftheAppalachians,thelanddropstothegreatestriverinAmerica,themightyMississippi.WestoftheMississippiisavastopenareacalledtheGreatPlains.TheMississippirollsalongtheeasternedgeofthePlains.WestoftheGreatPlains,theRockyMountainsrisetopeaksofmorethan14,000feet(4,260meters).Theyspanthecountryfro
5、mnorthtosouth.Fartherwest,alongthecoast,standsanothergreatsystemofmountains,theSierraNevadaandCascaderanges.InthenorthwesterncornerofNorthAmericaliesAlaska,stillmostlyaruggedwilderness.About2,400miles(3,680kilometers)acrossthePacificOceanisHawaii,agroupoftropicalislands.AlaskaandHawaiiwerethelasttwo
6、statestojointheUnion.Theywereadmittedin1959.AMERICANDEMOCRACYTheUnitedStatesisademocracy.ThismeansthatAmericancitizenschoosetheirgovernment,ratherthanhavingoneforcedonthem.Americanschoosetheirgovernmentbyvoting.ThecapitaloftheUnitedStatesisWashington,D.C.Thatswherethefederal(national)governmentisbas
7、ed.TheUnitedStatesismadeupof50individualstates.Eachstatehasitsownseparate,democraticallyelectedgovernment.ThefoundationofAmericandemocracyistheU.S.Constitution.Thisdocument,writtenin1787,createdtheAmericansystemofgovernment.Itopenswiththesethreewords:“We,thepeople.”TheConstitutiondefinesthepowersoft
8、heU.S.Congress,president,andfederalcourts.Justasimportant,theConstitutionlaysouttherightsandfreedomsofallAmericancitizensintheBillofRights.LANDOFIMMIGRANTSToday,theUnitedStatesishometoabout304millionpeople.Thatmakesittheworldsthirdmostpopulatedcountry,afterChinaandIndia.ThemottooftheUnitedStatesisEP
9、luribusUnum.Youcanreaditonallthenationscoinsandpapermoney.Butwhatdoesitmean?EPluribusUnumisaLatinphrasethatmeans“frommany,one.”Itwasfirstusedtounifythe13EnglishcoloniesinNorthAmericaduringtheAmericanRevolution(1775-1783).ButthephrasetookonnewmeaningwhenwaveafterwaveofimmigrantscametosettleintheUnite
10、dStates.Overthelast200years,tensofmillionsofpeoplefromotherlandshavecometoliveinAmerica.Whysomany?Therearemanyanswers.TheUnitedStateshadopenspaceforpeopletobuildhomesandtowns.Ithadplentyofjobs.Itwasaplacewherepeoplecouldpracticeareligionoftheirownchoosing.MicrosoftEncarta2009.1993-2008MicrosoftCorpo
11、ration.Allrightsreserved.Formostimmigrants,theUnitedStateswasalandofopportunity.Itwasaplaceforpeoplelookingtomakeanewlife.Today,mostAmericansaredescendedfromimmigrants.MELTINGPOTCULTURETheUnitedStatesisoftencalledthemeltingpot.MostimmigrantsadapttotheAmericanwayoflife.They“melt”togetherinonebigpot.B
12、uttheyalsobringtheirownculturesandtraditionswiththem.ThesedifferenttraditionsoftenblendtogethertoformsomethingnewanduniquelyAmerican.TheblendingofdifferenttraditionsisattheheartofAmericanculture.Youcanseeitinfood,music,clothing,architecture,andmanyotherthings.Americanpizza,forinstance,isadaptedfroma
13、dishmadebyItalianimmigrants.HotdogsarebasedonasausagedishmadebyGermanimmigrants.TheAmericanmusicalstylesofjazzandblueshaverootsinAfrica.Africanimmigrantsbroughttheirmusicaltraditionswiththem.CountrymusichasrootsinthefolkmusiccarriedtoAmericabyimmigrantsfromtheBritishIsles.THEAMERICANEXPERIENCEThehis
14、toryoftheUnitedStateshasnotalwaysbeensimpleoreasy.Americawasfoundedontheidealsoffreedomandopportunityforall.ButmanypeoplehavehadtostruggletogainthebasicfreedomsguaranteedbytheU.S.Constitution.AmericalongtoleratedtheenslavementofmillionsofpeoplefromAfrica.Inthe1860s,theUnitedStatessplitapartovertheissueofslavery.TheCivilWarwasfoughttoholdthecountrytogether.Meanwhile,AmericanpioneerspushedwestwardfromtheAtlanticCoast,buildingsettlementsinthewilderness.Astheydid,newstateswereaddedtotheoriginal13,greatlyexpandingthesizeofthecountry.ButAmericanexpansioncausedconflictwithNative
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