-
Lecture one: Geography and People
Location :
Situated in the central part of North
America with Canada on the north ,Mexico and
the Gulf of Mexico on the south ,the
United States is on the east coast of Pacific and
west coast of Atlantic.
Territorial area:
9.5million
square kilometers
50states
and seat of government is Washington D.C
Largest state---Alaska
Largest on the continent---Texas
Smallest-----Rhode
Island(
罗德岛州
)
Newest---Hawaii
Three geographical
divisions
（三大地形区）
:
Western ,central and eastern part .
Land forms and region:
Eastern part:
Highlands
formed by Appalachian range
Western part:
High plateaus
and mountains(Rockies are called as the back bone
of the continent).
Great central plain:
A large plain between the eastern
Appalachian and western Rockies
Main geographical regions:
New England
(6,northeast,
longest history
featured
with mountains ,valleys and rivers ,and cities
and towns with historic sites ,top-
ranking universities )
The
Mid-Atlantic States
The
West
(11,a
wealth
of
forests
and
stream
notable
cities,
high-tech
industry
predominant
agricultural yielding,14% of GDP )
The
Mid-West
The South
(13,plenty
of
rainfall
and
mild
climate
are
favorable
for
agriculture,
fast
growing
industry and
population recent years, great size with few large
cities
The Southwest
Hawaii:
Tourism is the
largest source of income
Tropical
climate
Rivers and Lakes:
Mississippi River---largess and most
important river in the system of Gulf
Known as the river to American Indians.
Hudson River:
Flow through New York.
The Great Lakes:
Lake
Superior,
Lake Michigan,
Lake Ontario, Lake Huron and Lake Erie.
The most important system of inland
waterways in the world.
Lake Michigan
is wholly within the United States
Part
of the boundary runs through these lakes
Niagara Fall is located on the
U.S-Canada border between Lake Erie and Lake
Ontario.
Climate:
Mainly temperate
and
some
mild
subtropical
areas
with only
southern Florida
and
Hawaii being tropical.
Natural resources:
Abounds in mineral resources
Population:
The
third most populous country in the world
Uneven distribution :most densely
populated
Nation of
Immigrants :
White Anglo-Saxon
protestant
The Black :
The Civil Rights Movements:
The Civil Rights Movements began when
the black people spontaneously oppose the
Segregation Law and establish
organizations to make the protest successful.
Martin Luther King:
The
political and religious leaders of non-violent
civil rights movement
Nobel peace
prize.
Hispanics:
Spanish-speaking Americans
Mexican-Americans,
Puerto
Ricans,
Cuban-Americans(best
economic
achievements )Miami
Asian Immigrants :
The Chinese were the first Asians to
come to the U.S,
”
model
minority
”
.
Racial Assimilation:
America
is
a
nation
of
many
ethnic
groups,
making
it
a
”
Melting
Pot
”
and
a
Multi-
Cultural Society
Speak the same
language
Have the same habits and
manner.
Lecture2:government and
political system
American constitution
:
Set down the basic framework of
American government.
Basic concept :
Separation of power ,check and
balances.
Functions :
Founding the American rule of law.
Creating the federal system with a
supreme national government.
Having
great flexibility
Building
up the Republican form of
government(
共和制政体
).
Defining and limiting the
power of the national government.
Defining
the
relationship
between
national
government
and
individual(
个别
)state
governments.
Guaranteeing the rights of the citizens
of America.
Supreme law, authority
derived from people.
Significance :
Taking
precedence over
（为
…
开创先例）
all state constitutions and law.
First of its kind in the world, it has
inspired dozens of other
countries to seek for
political reform.
Federal system
and government
:
The
definition of
Federalism(
联邦制
):
The states are united into a
federation.
Federal government has the
delegated power
（委托权）
.
Both federal government and
state government are Supreme power in their
spheres
of authority.
Significance of federalism :
Unify the states in their pursuit of
common goals without completely deprive them
of their independence.
Federal government
:
Established
by
a
federalism,
there
is
a
federal
republic
of
50
U.S
states,
District
of
Colombia and many other
insular(
岛屿的
) areas.
Branches of the government :
Legislative ,executive and judicial
branch.
Separate but equally important
,checked and balanced by each other.
The legislative branch :Congress
:
Briefing :
Conference
venue
（会议场所）
：
The
capitol(
国会大厦
)with Senate in
the north wing
and the house of
representatives in the south wing.
Law
making and supreme legislative body.
Monitor /supervise and influence
aspects of the executive branch
(congress
’
s
responsibility :ensure ,comply with the law)
Two chambers
----Senate
（参议院）
and the House
of representatives
（众议院）
.
Senate:
Two
members
from
each
state
as
required
by
the
Constitution
with
current
membership 100.
More important, consent to
president
’
s proposal.
The house of representatives:
Each congressional district elect a
representative.
Each state is
represented on the basis of population.
More partisan that the Senate.
The function:
Pass the laws for the Union.
The revenue bills must be originated in
the house of representatives.
The
executive
branch:
comprises
14
branches
and
other
independent agencies.
Cabinet :formed by
department
’
s heads
----secretaries.
President:
the
chief
of
executive
branch
of
the
federal
government.
state
and
commander-in-chief of
the military.
Presidential
residence: White House ,presidential term
：
Serve one or two successive
terms.
Responsibility:
taking care of the laws be faithfully executed.
Executive
Departments :
Functions:
The day-to-day enforcement and
administration of federal laws.
Head of
the departments are chosen by president and
approved by the Senate .
Cabinet :
A part of the executive branches of the
U.S government and consists of the heads of
the executive departments.
Secretary of the state:
Head
of the Department of State, foreign affairs.
Judicial branch:
Definition:
consist of a series of courts:
supreme court (highest),court of appeal
and district court.
What it
applies to ?
In most criminal cases and
some civil cases.
Function:
Finders of fact
Decide on
whether the defendant committed the crime.
Unanimous decision.
Political parties
Democratic party and Republican party
Donkey and Elephant
The Democratic Party(donkey):
Liberal.
Anti
–
federalists southwest
cotton plantation owners
Emphasizing the governmental
interference in economy.
The Republican
Party(GOP
, elephant):
Conservative (more assertive in
international affairs)
Difference and
similarity:
With regard to economy, the
Democrats favor the governmental intervention
while
the Republicans stress the role
of the market.
On
social
issues,
the
Democrats
support
a
strong
social
security
system
while
the
Republican oppose a large social
security programs.
Presidential
election:
Only
the
candidates
nominated
by
the
two
Parties
have
the
chance
to
win
a
Presidential election.
Presidential election has 4
stages
：
The first
stage: choosing the candidates