美国背景backgroundtoamerica129122.pptx

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1、Unit 2 Background to AmericaEngland and America are two countries separated by the same language.-George Bernard Shaw,Readers Digest,November 1942 Warm up the United States positive negativeExpressing your opinionIf you ask me,I thinkThe way I see it,To my mind,What I reckon is You know what I think

2、?I think I should think I suppose it could beI think it or something like that Hard to tell,it could be Land of promise and opportunityLand of miracles and achievementsThe Statue of LibertyThe Statue of Liberty,once one of the first sights to welcome immigrants arriving in the United States,continue

3、s to be a symbol of freedom and a favorite New York City tourist attraction.Liberty stands more than 93 m tall on Liberty Island in New York Harbor.The statue,designed by French sculptor Frdric Bartholdi,was presented to the United States as a gift from France for the first centennial of the U.S.ind

4、ependence from Britain.DisneylandNamed for its creator,Walt Disney,an American cartoonist and film producer,Disneyland attracts millions of visitors each year.The theme park opened in Anaheim,California,in 1955.Sleeping Beauty Castle is pictured here.The Gate Way of St.Louise The skyline of the city

5、 of St.Louis,Missouri,is dominated by the stainless steel Gateway Arch,rising 192 m high.It was designed by Eero Saarinen and completed in 1965,after the famed architects death.St.Louis lies on the banks of the Mississippi River.The Golden Gate Bridge The Golden Gate Bridge links the city of San Fra

6、ncisco with Marin County to the north.Since the suspension bridge opened in 1937,it has been one of the principal landmarks of both San Francisco and California.Hoover Dam The Hoover Dam is an arch-gravity dam on the Colorado River.As an arch-gravity dam,it depends on its shape and its own weight fo

7、r stability.Hoover Dam,a 221-meter-high arch-gravity dam,blocks the flow of the Colorado River in Black Canyon.The dam created Lake Mead,one of the worlds largest human-made lakes,which stretches 180 km upstream.Hoover Dam controls flooding,produces electric power,and provides water for use by agric

8、ulture,private homes,and industry.Manned Space Craft Center The Lyndon B.Johnson Space Center near Houston,Texas operates the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations manned space flight program.Scientists and aerospace engineers at the centers mission control supervised the first astronaut la

9、nding on the moon in 1969.Since then,they have controlled dozens of space missions from the 656-hectare(1620-acre)complex.Barbie DollThe large wardrobe of the Barbie doll is reminiscent of the extensive wardrobes of fashion dolls popular in Europe in the late 19th century.However,while clothes desig

10、ners in the past used fashion dolls to showcase their new creations,Barbie dolls,created in 1959,function mainly as toys.Manufacturers now more commonly produce ethnically diverse dolls,like this black Barbie.Land of oddities and absurditiesLand of inequality and injusticeLas VegasBright neon lights

11、 shine through the night in Las Vegas,Nevada,advertising casinos,hotels,clubs,bars,and other businesses.Las Vegas was a small town until gangster Benjamin“Bugsy”Siegel changed the citys character forever by constructing its first lavish hotel-casino in 1945.Now known as the“Entertainment Capital of

12、the World,”Las Vegas attracts tourists from all over the world.Please Listen to-Another Day in ParadiseFlag of the United StatesFlag of the United States consists of 13 horizontal stripes,7 red alternating with 6 white,and in the upper corner near the staff,a rectangular blue field,containing 50 fiv

13、e-pointed white stars.The stripes symbolize the 13 colonies that originally constituted the United States of America.The stars represent the 50 states of the Union.White signifies Purity and Innocence;Red,Hardiness and Valor;and Blue,Vigilance,Perseverance and Justice.The essential design of the Ame

14、rican flag can be traced to a resolution passed by the Continental Congress on June 14,1777.This resolution stated that the flag should represent the 13 original states with 13 alternating red and white stripes and 13 stars on a blue field.From 1795 to 1818 additional stars and stripes were added to

15、 the flag to represent Vermont and Kentucky.In 1818 the U.S.Congress reduced the number of stripes to 13 and established the policy of adding an additional star for every new state.The design was not standardized until 1912,and many variations of the flag were common during the 19th century.The curr

16、ent flag dates from 1960,when a 50th star was added for Hawaii,the 50th state.Bald EagleThe bald eagle was designated as the national bird of the United States in 1782.Its name does not imply a lack of feathers,but instead is derived from the word piebald,meaning“marked with white.”The bald eagle re

17、igns as the second-largest bird of prey in North America.Rose more than a symbol of love White HouseWhite House,official residence of the president of the U.S.,built in its original form between 1792 and 1800,and situated at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.in Washington,D.C.This designation became official in

18、 1901,when Theodore Roosevelt had the name engraved on his stationery.It has been the home of every president in American history with the exception of George Washington,who approved the act that led to its construction.The White House is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the United Sta

19、tes.The White House contains 132 rooms,but only 5 of thesethe Blue Room,East Room,Green Room,Red Room,and State Dining Roomare open to public visitation.Uncle SamUncle Sam,nickname and cartoon image used to personify the U.S.government.It is derived from the initials U.S.The first visual representat

20、ion or caricature of an Uncle Sam figure,attired in stars and stripes,appeared in political cartoons in 1832.In the 20th century Uncle Sam has usually been depicted with a short beard,high hat,and tailed coat.In 1961 the U.S.Congress adopted the figure as a national symbol.Great Seal of the United S

21、tatesofficial seal of the United States government.It is two-sided,having both an obverse and a reverse.The dominant figure on the obverse of the seal is an American eagle,shown with wings spread.On its breast the eagle bears a shield.The eagle holds an olive branch in its right talon,a cluster of 1

22、3 arrows in its left.A cluster of 13 five-pointed stars,surrounded by a glory,appears above the eagle.Great Seal of the United StatesA pyramid is the central figure of the reverse side.The base of the pyramid is inscribed with the date 1776 in Roman numerals:MDCCLXXVI.The designing of a seal of the

23、U.S.was first commissioned by the Continental Congress immediately after the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4,1776.Great Seal of the United StatesThe Great Seal now appears on a wide variety of documents,including presidential proclamations,the commissions of cabinet officers,ambassadors,and other foreign service officers.The U.S.presidential seal is similar to the Great Seal,but differs from it in the border inscription“The Seal of the President of the United States.”Each U.S.state has a seal of its own.