USA-美國英文簡介

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