文化Unit 3-An Introduction of America(文本).doc

Unit 3 The Introduction of the United States I. A Brief Introduction The USA is the short of the United States of America. The USA is made up of 50 states. It is in the North America. It lies between Canada and Mexico. The total area of America is about 9.5 million square Kilometers. It is the fourth largest country in the world. There are over 300 million people living there now. The capital of the USA is Washington, D.C. New York is the biggest city. The official language is English. Its National Day is on July 4th. America is a very young country. It only has about 200 years history. It is the most powerful country in the world today. II. The American flag Names: The American flag, The Stars and Stripes; Red, White and Blue; Old Glory; The Star-Spangled Banner Use: National flag and ensign Proportion: 10:19 Adopted: June 14, 1777 (original 13-star version) July 4, 1960 (current 50-star version) Design: Thirteen horizontal stripes alternating red and white; in the canton, 50 white stars of alternating numbers of six and five per row on a blue field III. Great Seal of the United States The Great Seal of the United States is used to authenticate certain documents issued by the United States federal government. The phrase is used both for the physical seal itself (which is kept by the United States Secretary of State), and more generally for the design impressed upon it. The Great Seal was first used publicly in 1782. The obverse of the great seal is used as the national coat of arms of the United States. It is officially used on documents such as United States passports, military insignia, embassy placards, and various flags. As a coat of arms, the design has official colors; the physical Great Seal itself, as affixed to paper, is monochrome. IV. American Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from Defence of Fort MHenry,[1] a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Franci