Generalintroduction课程.ppt

Contents Part I General Introduction Part II American History Part III American Economy Part IV American Politics Part V American Education Part VI American Religion Part VII American Sports and Entertainment Part VIII American Holidays and Festivals Part I General Introduction I. Name and Location II. Geography III. Population, Race and Ethnic minorities IV. Tips of USA I. Name and Location Full name: The United States of America （美利坚合众国） Shorten / abbreviated names: The United States The U.S. The U.S.A. Nickname: Uncle Sam 山姆大叔 Uncle Sam During the War of 1812,Sam Wilson was in the business of slaughtering and packing meat. He provided large shipments of meat to the US Army, in barrels that were stamped with the initials U.S. Supposedly, someone who saw the U.S. stamp suggested -- perhaps as a joke -- that the initials stood for Uncle Sam Wilson. I. Name and Location Map of U.S.A. Location II. Geography 1. Three geographical divisions 2. The three major river systems 3. Natural resources 4. Territory 5. Climate 3) The great central plain in between It occupies ? of America’s landmass; It stretches from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico 2. The three major river systems a. The system of the Gulf 墨西哥湾水系 b. The system of the Atlantic 大西洋水系 c. The system of the Pacific 太平洋水系 Continental divide （分水岭）between b and c: The Rocky Mountains 落基山脉 d. The five Great Lakes a. The system of the Gulf The Mississippi River: The longest and the most important river in the system of the Gulf; It flows from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico; Length: 6,262kms and drainage area of 3,225 square kilometers; It has many tributaries: the Missouri and the Ohio. Significance of the Mississippi River? The Mississippi and its tributaries forms an important inland navigation and irrigation system, a 19,000 km2 system of waterways that are connected to the Great Lakes in the north by canals. It serves as a source of fertility to the soil,