Western country英语国家社会与文化入门下第3-10单元课后简答题

UNIT 3

1.what is an American? Comment on the answer to the question by crevecoeur?

(1)American is either a European, or the descendant of a European , hence that strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country.

He is an American, who leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds

The American is a new man ,who acts upon new principles. He must therefore entertain new ideas and form new opinions...this is an American.

(2)According to Crevecoeur, The American in those days had the mixed blood of Europeans or their descendants without taking into consideration other nationalities such as American Indians and blacks. But today , the picture of an American is more complex.

2 How did modern development in Europe influence the settlement of North American colonies?

Some new and powerful social forces began to emerge which led to the awakening of Europe and the discovery of America.

The first new force was the development of capitalism['k?p?t(?)l.?z?m], and it produced the bourgeois[b?r'?wɑ] class and the working class.

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The second major force was Renaissance [r?'ne?s?ns], which was marked by a changing outlook on life. The third influential force was Religious Reformation, a religious reform movement that started form Germany. 3 What was the unique American phenomenon ? How did it come into being? Do you think it still exists in today's American society?

on the one hand, the English and other Europeans went to North American for seeking freedom. But on the other hand, these very white people who were seeking and fighting for their own freedom deprived black Africans of their freedom

The two events combined constituted a unique American . First one is that on July, 30,1619,the first meeting of an elected legislature ['led??.sle?t??r] took place in North American. The second one is a dutch ship brought in over 20 Negroes ['niɡro?], who were acted as servants for years. Yes, I do.

4 In what way did Puritanism influence American culture?

The Puritans['pj?r?t(?)n] believed that governments should enforce God's morality [m?'r?l?ti]. They strictly punished drunks, adulterers [?'d?lt?r?r], violators ['va??le?t?(r)] of the Sabbath['s?b?θ] and other religious believers different from themselves. Roger [?rɑd??r] Williams, one of the Puritans who protested that the state should not interfere [.?nt?r'f?r] with religion[r?'l?d??n], was driven out of Massachusetts. In

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1635, he set up Rhode Island['a?l?nd] colony, which guaranteed religious freedom and the separation of church [t??rt?] and state. The Puritans also have left rich cultural heritage['her?t?d?] to future Americans. The American values such as individualism[.?nd?'v?d?u?.l?z?m], hard work, respect of education owe very much to the Puritan beliefs.

5.what were some causes of the American Revolution？Explain the Declaration of Independence.

Long-term social, economic, and political changes in the colonies before 1750 provided the basis for an independent nation with representatives political institutions.

More immediately, the French and Indian War (1754-1763) changed the relationship between the colonies['kɑl?ni] and their mother country.

Finally, a decade of conflicts between the British government and the colonist, beginning with the Stamp Act crisis in 1765, led to the outbreak of war in 1775 and the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

In 1776, it was adopted by the Congress. It officially proclaimed the independence of 13 North American colonies. It declared that all men were

created

equal

and

were

endowed

with

such

unalienable[?n'e?li?n?bl] rights as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It explained the philosophy of governments: governments should secure these rights and derive their power from the consent of

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the governed. The theory of American politics and the American Revolution originated mainly from John Locke.

North Americans won the victory in 1781. In 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed and Britain had to recognize the independence of America. UNIT 4

1. Why did the Ariticles of Confederation fail? Was it necessary to change the Articles of Confederation and write a new constitution for the new nation of the United States at the time?

The Articles of Confederation failed because the states did not cooperate with the Congress or with each other. When the Congress needed money to pay the national army or to pay debts owed to France and other nations, some states refused to contribute. The Congress had been given no authority to force any state to do anything. It could not tax any citizen. Only the state in which a citizen lived could do that.

2.What is a federal system? What are some of the major differences between a federal system and a confederation?

The Constitution set up a federal system with a strong central government. A federal system is one in which power is shared between a central authority and its constituent parts, with some rights reserved to each. The Constitution also called for the election of a national leader, or president. It provided that federal laws would be made only by a Congress made up of representatives elected by the people. It also provided for a natio

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nal court system headed by a Supreme Court.

3.What are some of the major powers of each of the three branches of the U.S. government? How are the three branches supposed to check and balance each other?

If Congress proposes a law that the president thinks is unwise, the president can veto it. That means the proposal does not become law. Congress can enact the law despite the president's views only if two-thirds of the members of both houses vote in favor of it. If Congress passes a law which is then challenged in the courts as unconstitutional, the Supreme Court has the power to declare the law unconstitutional and therefore no longer in effect. The president has the power to make treaties with other nations and to make all appointments to federal positions, including the position of Supreme Court justice. The Senate, however, must approve all treaties and confirm all appointments before they become official. In this way the Congress can prevent the president from making unwise appointments

4.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 written two centuries ago. The first guarantees freedom of worship, speech and p

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ress, 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.

5.What are the two political parties in the United States? Do you think they are fundamentally different?

the United States has two major political parties. One is the Democratic Party, which evolved out of Thomas Jefferson's party, formed before 1800. The symbol of the party is the donkey. The other is the Republican Party, which was formed in the 1850s, by people in the states of the North and West, such as Abraham Lincoln, who wanted the government to prevent the expansion of slavery into new states then being admitted to the union. The symbol of the Republican Party is the elephant. UNIT 5

1. do you agree that cultivators of the earth are most valuable citizen?

Yes, I do agree the point that “cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens”. My reasons for my agreement can be illustrated as follows:

Firstly, though outward ['a?tw?rd] forms have changed, the vital importance of agriculture has not. Agriculture provides the sustenance ['s?st?n?ns] that meets people’s most basic needs. Agriculture and its

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related industries serve as the foundation of American economic life Secondly, They have shown a spirit of individualism that the rest of society has admired. To a large extent, agricultural values have been adopted and celebrated by the society as a whole.

Thirdly, American agriculture is big business. It provides the rest world with lots of food. So as the main body of agriculture, cultivators ['k?lt?.ve?t?r] of the earth contribute a lot to American’s economic. 2. It is known to all that buying and selling stocks is a risky business. Why do you think there are still so many people involved in it? In order to invest, individuals do not have to have a great deal of money: they can buy just a small portion ['p?r?(?)n] of a business—called a share. The business of buying and selling shares in enterprises has become so big that offices have had to be set up where the selling of shares, or stock, can take place. These places, located in many cities in the United States and around the world, are called stock exchanges. 3.Give examples of industries which are declining, and industries which are fast developing in the US.

Generally speaking, declining industries would be industries where labor cost is high and its growth potential is limited. The Auto industry is in a declining state but of course if they reinvent[.ri?n'vent] their automobiles things could pick up for them. Developing industries would be the hi tech sector. Especially in companies that are developing new

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types of technology to help our environment by developing new types of technology in many areas. Especially energy conservation technology and new types of alternative energies. Also, new types of technology where we would be using fewer resources for our daily usage['jus?d?]. 4.What is the current economic situation in America? How did the great recession begin?what does it show?

(1) In late 2007 the US economy suffered a severe recession, it was a crisis that began in America but soon turned global. Millions of people in America and all over the world lost their homes and jobs. It has resulted in the collapse [k?'l?ps] of large financial institutions, and downturns in stock markets around the world.

(2) Many economists believe that the problems are revealing [r??vi?l??] defects in the free market system and US government financial policies. (3) Question the soundness of this country's economy and even the appropriate shape of a capitalist system. UNIT 6

1 In what way do you think that religious freedom was a historical necessity in the United States?

A few Americans were so influenced by the new science and new ideas of the Enlightenment in Europe that they became deists['di?st], believing that reason teaches that God exists but leaves man free to settle his own affairs. Many traditional Protestants ['prɑt?st?nt] and

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deists could agree, however,\men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights,\laws of Nature and Nature's God\Among the rights that the new nation guaranteed, as a political necessity[n?'ses?ti] in a religiously diverse society, was freedom of religion. The First Amendment insured that American government would not meddle ['med(?)l] in religious affairs or require any religious beliefs of its citizens.

2 What is the relationship between government and religion in America?

In some ways, the government supports all religions. Religious groups do not pay taxes in theUnited States. But government does not pay ministers' salaries or require any belief—not even a belief in God—as a condition of holding public office. Oaths are administered, but those who, like Quakers, object to them, can make a solemn affirmation, or declaration, instead

3 What promotes the diversity in American religion? Continuous immigration.

The united states has always been a fertile ground for the growth of new religious movements. Frontier American provided plenty of room to set up a new church or found a new community.

Many religious communities and secular utopias [ju'to?pi?], or

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experiments in new forms of social livingwere founded in 18th, and 19th century America.

Other world religions are increasing their numbers and influence in America such as Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism.

4. What are some of the features in religion that are particularly American? What are some of the major differences between American religion and religion in Europe?

First of all, Americans with different religions live together under the same law.

Secondly, the religious beliefs of Americans continue to be strong with social progress.In Europe, scientific and economic advance and rising material prosperity have accompanied by a decline in religious observance bu in the US, this has not happened.

Thirdly, in the United States every church is a completely independent organization, and concerned with its own finance and its own building.There has been little concentration on doctrine or religious argument such as in European history. Unit7

1.What is the main theme in American to the author? How does the author illustrate his point?

1. American literature has recorded the story of a quest. 2.By listing historical factors and examples:

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liberation” group, or “women’s lib”, used radical tactics and received a great deal of bad publicity. This group found strong support among large numbers of young activists from other organizations.

6. What are the legacies of the social movements of the 1960s? What are their effects, positive and negative, upon contemporary US society? The Civil Rights Movement, the Youth Movement, the Anti-War Movement, Free Speech Movement, Counter Culture, Women’s Liberation Movement.

1. During World War Two, many American Negroes had a taste of life outside the South. They knew that life in the segregated South, where Negroes were prevented from working at good jobs and getting good education, was not the American way of life.

2. Women earned less money and had fewer opportunities to advance than men working in the same jobs, or they became housewives, isolated at home with their children.

3. Many young people resented traditional white male values in US society.

4. When the US army began to fight in Vietnam, many people thought the war was wrong. They did not understand why US troops were fighting in Asia. Unit10

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1.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 text. For example, the racial discrimination, sex discrimination, class structure, etc.

2.Use examples from this text to support the author’s argument that American society is a stratified one, in which power, wealth and prestige are unequally distributed among the population.

1.In America, any group other than the dominant white Anglo-Saxon Protestant majority is a minority group. They mainly refer to the blacks, Native Americans or American Indians, the Hispanics, and Asian Americans.

2.After the abolition of slavery, many states passed segregation laws, and institutionalized discrimination kept blacks in the lowest-paid jobs. 3.Literacy tests were a method used to keep blacks off the voters’ rolls and prevent them from voting.

3.Discussthe origins, development and current situation of the black-white relations in the United States.

Unlike most other peoples, Americans are primarily a nation of immigrants.The citizens or their ancestors immigrated from many parts of the globe. Though people all share a common American culture, the

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nation contains many racial and ethnic subcultures with their own distinctive characteristics. These differences might seem trivial or irrelevant to outside observers, but they have contributed to racial conflicts that have been a persistent social problem to American society. The United States was founded on the principle of human equality, but in practice the nation has fallen far short of that ideal. Particularly since the civil rights demonstrations, ghetto riots, and other unrest in the 1960s, race and ethnic relations have been a major preoccupation of social scientists, politicians and the general public.

The 1960s saw the great civil rights movement whose goals were to end segregation laws completely and fight for the equal rights for the colored people.

The current status of black Americans presents a mixed picture. The elimination of legal barriers to their advancement has been a major gain, but institutionalized discrimination is still rife.

Race relations between black and white still leave much to be desired, although there is unmistakable evidence of some improvements in attitudes.

4.Why does poverty mean in the United States? Why is poverty a social problem in America?

Poverty in the United States does not simply mean that the poor do not live quite as well as other citizens. It means many old people eating

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dog and cat food to supplement their diets. It means malnutrition and deprivation for hundreds of thousands of children. It means greater susceptibility to disease, to alcoholism, to victimization by criminals, and to mental disorders. It often means unstable marriages, slum housing, illiteracy, ignorance, inadequate, medical facilities, and shortened life expectancy. Poverty can mean low self-esteem, despair, and stunting of human potential.

Because it occurs in a society in which the overall distribution of wealth( property and other capital) and income( wages, salaries, and other earnings) is very unequal.

5.Why does the drug issue always excite strong emotions among Americans? Why is it perceived as a major threat to American society? Because drug abuse is perceived as a major threat to the society, particularly to its younger members.

1.Drug is closely related to crime and automobile accidents. 2.It has severe effects on individuals physically as well as mentally. 3.Drug abuse has caused great economic losses.

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