英语国家社会与文化三版下册

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________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,HarvardCollegewasfoundedforthetrainingofreligiousministers.In1634and1638,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,industrialpollution,taxevasionandsoon.YetthestatisticsprovidedbytheFBItendtooverlookwhite-collarcrimes.Infact,white-collarcrimesareoftenignoredbylawenforcementagencies.Somesociologistsarguethatthehigherclassesmayactuallyhaveahigherrateofcrimethanthelowerclasses.7.TheabuseofpowerbygovernmentPeoplebelievethatpublicorganizationsintheUnitedStatessometimesworkinconcerttoadvancetheirowninterestsratherthanthoseofthepeople.GovernmentinAmericaiswidelydistrustedforthelackofanswerability.AmericanswereconvincedthattheJohnsonandNixonadministrationsweredeliberatelyandsystematicallylyingtothepeopleinthewaragainstVietnamandintheWatergatescandal.TheFBIandtheCIAareresponsibleforthousandsofillegalacts.Alltheseactsshowtheabuseofpowerbygovernment.8.TheabuseofpowerbycorporationsTheabuseofpowerbycorporationsisshowninthefactthatthesecorporationsareconcernedwiththeirownprofitsthanwithsocialresponsibility,thequalityorpriceoftheirproducts,orthetruthoftheiradvertising.TheymaintainprofessionallobbyistsinWashingtontoinfluencepublicofficialsbehindthescenes.Theyargueforlegislationtoservetheirownends,influencetheappointmentofofficials,blockreformstheyconsiderundesirable,andoftenseemtohavemoresayinthecouncilsofgovernmentthantheordinaryvoters.ManyAmericansbelievethat"bigbusinesshastakenthereinsofgovernmentawayfromCongressandtheAdministration",andthat"governmentisrunbyafewbyinterestgroupslookingafterthemselves."WelcomeToDownload!!!欢迎您的下载，资料仅供参考！精品资料