补充阅读B1U8-9.docVIP

Unit 8 Native People American culture American culture has been influenced by the democratization民主化of American society. The people who came to the United States brought their culture with them and once here, they borrowed from each other. As the United States became the favored destination of people leaving their homelands in search of a new country, American culture became a rich and complex blending混和of cultures from around the world. Generation by generation, decade by decade, American culture has received infusions注入 of new elements from Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. African Americans, for instance, brought forth the improvisational即兴的music and rhythms节奏 of blues and jazz that became the nation’s most globally popular cultural form. An American can savor尽情享受the flavors and foods of many parts of the world and can hardly read a novel that does not partake带有of regional culture or immigrant移民backgrounds. Democracy has also influenced American culture, as indicated by the gradual merging聚合of elite精英and popular cultures. Nowhere has this merging had greater importance than in education. Before World War II, only a minority少数民族of Americans completed high school, and very few graduated from college. Today, graduation from high school is nearly universal, and a majority of young Americans intend to go to college. With the dramatic increase in the amount of education they receive, Americans have become enormous consumers of books, museums, and concerts. Never have so many people known so much about literature and the arts. (I) Family life：Marriage Many Indians married at an early age-the girls between 13 and 15 and the boys between 15 and 20. In some Indian tribes, the parents or other relatives chose the marriage partners for the young people. In other tribes, especially those of North America, a young man could select his own mate配偶. He had to convince the girl and her parents that he would make a suitable husband. In many cases, he offered them valuabl