英语国家社会与文化三版下册

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________精品资料UNIT31.whatisanAmerican?Commentontheanswertothequestionbycrevecoeur?(1)AmericaniseitheraEuropean,orthedescendantofaEuropean,hencethatstrangemixtureofblood,whichyouwillfindinnoothercountry.HeisanAmerican,wholeavingbehindhimallhisancientprejudicesandmanners,receivesnewonesfromthenewmodeoflifehehasembraced,thenewgovernmentheobeys,andthenewrankheholdsTheAmericanisanewman,whoactsuponnewprinciples.Hemustthereforeentertainnewideasandformnewopinions...thisisanAmerican.(2)AccordingtoCrevecoeur,TheAmericaninthosedayshadthemixedbloodofEuropeansortheirdescendantswithouttakingintoconsiderationothernationalitiessuchasAmericanIndiansansblacks.Buttoday,thepictureofanAmericanismorecomplex.4InwhatwaydidPuritanisminfluenceAmericanculture?ThePuritansbelievedthatgovernmentsshouldenforceGod'smorality.Theystrictlypunisheddrunks,adulterers,violatorsoftheSabbathandotherreligiousbelieversdifferentfromthemselves.RogerWilliams,oneofthePuritanswhoprotestedthatthestateshouldnotinterferewithreligion,wasdrivenoutofMassachusetts.In1635,hesetupRhodeIslandcolony,whichguaranteedreligiousfreedomandtheseparationofchurchandstate.ThePuritansalsohaveleftrichculturalheritagetofutureAmericans.TheAmericanvaluessuchasindividualism,hardwork,respectofeducationoweverymuchtothePuritanbeliefs.5.whatweresomecausesoftheAmericanRevolutionLong-termsocial,economic,andpoliticalchangesinthecoloniesbefore1750providedthebasisforanindependentnationwithrepresentativespoliticalinstitutions.Moreimmediately,theFrenchandIndianWar(1754-1763)changedtherelationshipbetweenthecoloniesandtheirmothercountry.Finally,adecadeofconflictsbetweentheBritishgovernmentandthecolonist,beginningwiththeStampActcrisisin1765,ledtotheoutbreakofwarin1775andtheDeclarationofIndependenceinUnit43.

What

are

some

of

the

major

powers

of

each

of

the

three

branches

of

the

US

government?

How

are

the

three

branches

supposed

to

check

and

balance

each

other?

The

legislative

branch

can

make

federal

laws,

levy

federal

taxes,

declare

war

or

put

foreign

treaties

into

effect.

The

centre

of

the

executive

branch

is

the

president.

The

president

can

propose

legislation

to

Congress,

can

issue

regulations

and

directives

regarding

the

work

of

the

federal

government’s

many

departments

and

agencies,

can

veto

bills

passed

by

Congress,

appoint

federal

judges,

the

heads

and

senior

officials

of

the

executive

branch

agencies

as

well

as

ambassadors

and

other

officials.

He

also

is

commander-in-chief

of

the

armed

forces.

The

judicial

branch

applies

and

explains

the

laws.

Federal

courts

have

jurisdiction

over

cases

arising

out

of

the

Constitution,

laws

and

treaties

of

the

US;

maritime

case;

issues

involving

foreign

citizens

or

governments;

and

cases

in

which

the

federal

government

itself

is

a

party.

The

Supreme

Court

determines

whether

congressional

legislation

or

executive

action

violates

the

Constitution.

The

Supreme

Court

can

declare

a

law

passed

by

the

Congress

or

an

action

by

the

President

to

be

unconstitutional.

The

President

can

veto

a

law

passed

by

Congress.

Congress

can

pass

a

law

overriding

the

President's

veto.

The

President

appoints

Supreme

Court

justices.

Congress

can

refuse

to

confirm

appointments

and

ratify

treaties

made

by

the

President4.

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

writtentwo

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.legislation

to

Congress,

can

issue

regulations

and

directives

regarding

the

work

of

the

federal

government’s

many

departments

and

agencies,

can

veto

bills

passed

by

Congress,

appoint

federal

judges,

the

heads

and

senior

officials

of

the

executive

branch

agencies

as

well

as

ambassadors

and

other

officials.

He

also

is

commander-in-chief

of

the

armed

forces.

The

judicial

branch

applies

and

explains

the

laws.

Federal

courts

have

jurisdiction

over

cases

arising

out

of

the

Constitution,

laws

and

treaties

of

the

US;

maritime

case;

issues

involving

foreign

citizens

or

governments;

and

cases

in

which

the

federal

government

itself

is

a

party.

The

Supreme

Court

determines

whether

congressional

legislation

or

executive

action

violates

the

Constitution.

The

Supreme

Court

can

declare

a

law

passed

by

the

Congress

or

an

action

by

the

President

to

be

unconstitutional.

The

President

can

veto

a

law

passed

by

Congress.

Congress

can

pass

a

law

overriding

the

President's

veto.

The

President

appoints

Supreme

Court

justices.

Congress

can

refuse

to

confirm

appointments

and

ratify

treaties

made

by

the

President

5.

What

are

the

two

political

parties

in

the

united

states？

Do

you

think

they

are

fundamentally

different?

The

Democratic

Party

and

the

Republican

Party.

They

are

different

in

some

specific

policies,

but

they’re

not

fundamentally

different.

(1)

It

is

general

considered

that

the

Democratic

Party

is

more

liberal

and

more

center-left;

The

Republican

Party

is

more

conservative

and

center-right.

For

example:

in

economic

policies,

the

Democrats

believe

that

the

government

should

be

active

in

alleviating

poverty

and

social

injustice,

and

it

also

supports

progressive

taxation

and

social

service;

the

Republican

Party

places

more

emphasis

on

private

enterprise

and

individual

initiative,

and

it

supports

tax

cuts.

In

social

policies,

the

Democratic

Party

is

divided

on

the

subject

of

same-sex

marriage

and

focus

on

methods

crime

prevention;

The

Republican

Party,

however,

opposes

the

legislation

of

same

sex

marriage

and

favor

capital

punishment.

（可适当删减）

（2）Despite

those

differences,

they

are

not

fundamentally

different.

Firstly,

both

of

them

advocate

the

basic

American

values

like

individualism

and

capitalism

and

are

on

behalf

of

the

bourgeoisies.

Secondly,

both

of

them

advocate

the

political

party

system.

Neither

of

them

wants

to

change

this

political

system.

Thirdly,

the

aims

of

both

parties

are

the

same

.

They

all

want

to

win

the

president

election

and

to

form

a

majority

in

the

congress.

In

this

regard,

the

two

parties

are

tools

for

election.

Finally,

as

new

conservatism

and

new

liberalism

emerge

in

recent

decades,

the

parties

tend

to

be

more

and

more

alike

in

their

ideology.

They

keep

absorbing

new

ideals

from

each

other

which

they

think

are

beneficial

to

the

whole

country.

So,

fundamentally

speaking,

they

are

the

same.UNIT61InwhatwaydoyouthinkthatreligiousfreedomwasahistoricalnecessityintheUnitedStates?AfewAmericansweresoinfluencedbythenewscienceandnewideasoftheEnlightenmentinEuropethattheybecamedeists,believingthatreasonteachesthatGodexistsbutleavesmanfreetosettlehisownaffairs.ManytraditionalProtestantsanddeistscouldagree,however,"allmenarecreatedequal,thattheyareendowedbytheircreatorwithcertainunalienablerights,"andthat"thelawsofNatureandNature'sGod"entitledthemtoformanewnation.Amongtherightsthatthenewnationguaranteed,asapoliticalnecessityinareligiouslydiversesociety,wasfreedomofreligion.TheFirstAmendmentinsuredthatAmericangovernmentwouldnotmeddleinreligiousaffairsorrequireanyreligiousbeliefsofitscitizens.2WhatistherelationshipbetweengovernmentandreligioninAmerica?Insomeways,thegovernmentsupportsallreligions.ReligiousgroupsdonotpaytaxesintheUnitedStates.Butgovernmentdoesnotpayministers'salariesorrequireanybelief—notevenabeliefinGod—asaconditionofholdingpublicoffice.Oathsareadministered,butthosewho,likeQuakers,objecttothem,canmakeasolemnaffirmation,ordeclaration,instead4.WhataresomeofthefeaturesinreligionthatareparticularlyAmerican?WhataresomeofthemajordifferencesbetweenAmericanreligionandreligioninEurope?Firstofall,Americanswithdifferentreligionslivetogetherunderthesamelaw.Secondly,thereligiousbeliefsofAmericanscontinuetobestrongwithsocialprogress.InEurope,scientificandeconomicadvanceandrisingmaterialprosperityhaveaccompaniedbyadeclineinreligiousobservancebuintheUS,thishasnothappened.Thirdly,intheUnitedStateseverychurchisacompletelyindependentorganization,andconcernedwithitsownfinanceanditsownbuilding.TherehasbeenlittleconcentrationondoctrineorreligiousargumentsuchasinEuropeanhistory,UNIT81.WhatisthegoalofeducationintheUnitedStates?DiscussthesimilaritiesanddifferencesinGreatBritain,theUnitedStatesandChinaconcerningthegoalsofeducation.Thegoalis—andhasbeensincetheearlydecadesoftherepublic—toachieveuniversalliteracyandtoprovideindividualswiththeknowledgeandskillsnecessarytopromoteboththeirownindividualwelfareaswellasthatofthegeneralpublic.Thoughthisgoalhasnotyetbeenfullyachieved,itremainsanidealtowardwhichtheAmericaneducationalsystemisdirected.Theprogresswhichhasbeenmadeisnotablebothforitsscopeandfortheeducationalmethodswhichhavebeendevelopedintheprocessofachievingit.2.HowdidAmericaneducationbegintodevelop?In1634,theyopeneda“lateengrammar”school,aschoolforthosewhowantedtoprepareforcollege.In1636,HarvardIn1634and1638,thePuritanspassedlawsdeclaringthatallpropertycouldbetaxedforthecommongood,whichincludedthesupportofschool.In1642and1647,theBayColonypassedlawsrequiringallparentstoprovidereadingeducatingfortheirchildren.Attheendofthe18thcentury,elementaryeducationthroughouttheUnitedStateswasinlocalhands.3.WhatarethemajorcharacteristicsofeducationinAmerica?(1)Differenteducationlawsfordifferentstates.(2)Severallevelsofschooling：ElementarySchooling，SecondarySchoolingandHighSchooling.(3)curriculaforstudents:thereisnonationalcurriculumintheUnitedStates.(3)Compulsoryeducationforallstudents.(4)Equaleducationopportunitiesforminoritygroups.(5)Strongdemandforhighereducation.(6)Thecomplexsystemofhighereducation.Somestatesplayastrongroleintheselectionoflearningmaterialfortheirstudents.Schoolswereaskednotonlytoteachthisnewinformation,buttohelpstudentsasktheirownquestionsaboutit.The“inquiry”methodoflearning,focusingonsolvingproblemsratherthanmemorizingfacts,becamepopular.Unit101.The

author

says

that

the

United

States

was

founded

on

the

principle

of

human

equality,

but

in

practice

the

nation

has

fallen

far

short

of

that

ideal.

Illustrate

this

point

with

what

you

have

learned

from

this

book.For

example,

the

racial

discrimination,

sex

discrimination,

class

structure,

etc.1.Theblack"underclass"Themajorityoftheblackstodayhavefailedtoshareinthegeneralgainsofprogressmaderecently.Theurbanghettosnowcontainapermanentlyimpoverished"underclass"ofhabituallyunemployedorunderemployedblackpeople.Mayofthemareyoungandunskilled.Theyliveincitieswheretheunemploymentrateforteen-ageblackworkersrunsashighas%orabout8timestheratefortheAmericanworkforceasawhole.This"underclass"couldcontinuetopersist,everintheabsenceofracialdiscrimination,inmuchthesamewayasotherpocketsofpovertypersist-thatis,forreasonsofsocial-classinequality.Livinginanenvironmentofpoverty.Decay,crime,drugaddiction,joblessness,andhopelessness,thisghettounderclassoffersanexplosivepotentialforthefuture.2.PovertyasasocialproblemTheUnitedStatesisoneofthemostwealthycountriesintheworld.Yetover24millionpeopleorabout10%ofthepopulationarelivingatorbelowtheofficialpovertyline,inincomesthatthefederalgovernmentconsidersinsufficienttomeetbasicrequirementoffood,clothing,andshelter.Therearemillionsmore.Livingslightlyabovethepovertyline,whoseplightisnotmuchbetter.Also,thesocialservicesintheUnitedStatescompareunfavorablywiththoseinmostindustrializedsocieties.Furthermore,theaffluentmajorityseemsindifferenttotheproblemsofthepoor.Thisraisessomeseriousmoralproblemsandinevitablycreatesfierceconflictsofinterestandmanypoliticalcontroversies.Therefore,povertyintheUnitedStatesbecomesasocialproblem.3.SociallystratifiedAmericansocietyAmericansocietyisastratifiedoneinwhichpower;wealthandprestigeareunequallydistributed.Itisdividedintosocialclassesthathavevaryingdegreesofaccesstotherewardthesocietyoffers.Forexample,therichestfifthofAmericanindividualsandfamiliesownsmorethanthree-quartersofthewealthintheUnitedStates,whereasthelowestfifthownsonly0.2%ofthewealth.TherichestfifthofAmericanfamiliesreceivesover40%ofthenationalincome,whereasthepoorestfifthreceivesonly5.2%.4.DrugabuseDrugabuseintheUnitedStateshascometoberegardedasoneofthemostchallengingsocialproblemsfacingthenation,ThedrugissuealwaysexcitesstrongemotionsofAmericansbecausedrugabuseisperceivedasamajorthreattoAmericansociety,particularlytoitsyoungermembers.Drugabuseisasocialproblembecauseithasawiderangeofsocialcosts.Forexample,drugiscloselyrelatedwithcrime,automobileaccidents.Ithasseriouseffectsonindividualsphysicallyandmentally.Andtheeconomiclossescausedbydrugabusearegreat.5.TheprofileofatypicalcriminalAccordingtothereportsgivenbytheFBI,thosearrestedforcrimesaredisproportionatelylikelytobemale,young,amemberofaracialminority,andacityresident.Forexample,moreblacksarearrestedforcrimethanwhitepeoplebecauseahigherproportionoftheblackpopulationspoororunemployedandtherearehighcorrelationsbetweenpovertyandthetypesofcrimeclassifiedbytheFBIasmostserious.Also,racialdiscriminationintheenforcementoflawcausesmorearrestsofracialminoritypeople.Butifthewhite-collarcrimesareincludedandiftheauthoritiesaremorevigorousintheirenforcement,theprofileofatypicalcriminalwouldbeolder,wealthier,whiterandmoresuburbanthansuggestedbytheFBI.6.White-collarcrimesWhite-collarcrimesarethosecommittedbyhigherincomegroupssuchasthecrimesoffraud,falseadvertising,corporatepricefixing,bribery,embezzlement,industrial