1. name---the Unite States of America, the United States, America
2. location----Atlantic Ocean on the east ,Pacific Ocean on the west.
3. “melting pot”----people are descended from settlers who came from all over the world
                Nationalities minority : A. the blacks/ African-Americans
                                   B. Hispanics
                                   C. Asians
                                   D. Indians/ American Indians/ Native Indians
                                   Eskimos, Aleuts
4. Regionalism(行政区划)
6 regions:
A. New England---Birthplace
 Smallest, lay historic claim to having played a dominant role in the development of modern America, nation’s pre-eminent region about economics and culture, the town meeting, shipbuilding, pioneers for westward movement
B. the Middle Atlantic Region-----heavy industry
C. the South---- more days free of frost, more rainfall
D. the Midwest-----cultural crossroads, nation’s breadbasket
E. the Southwest  a. drier   b. emptier    c. different ethnic mix
F. the West----- partly mountainous, sparse population
5. Geographical Features
  A. The Atlantic Seacoast and the Appalachian Mountains ( northeast to southwest)
  B. The Great Mississippi River Basin------Barn of America-----the large area walled in by the Appalachian Mountains on the east and the Rocky Mountains on the west
     The large area to the west of the Mississippi valley is also call the Great Plains
  C. The Rockies West to the Pacific Ocean
     To the west of the Great Plains are the Rocky Mountains
5. Climate----northern temperate zone （北温带）
A. New England----northern and oceanic type of climate（海洋性气候）
B. Other states down the Atlantic Coast from New York to Virginia----similar
C. Southeastern part-----warm climate and abundant rainfall
D. States on the upper-reaches（上流河段）of the Mississippi River---- continental                         type of climate（大陆性气候）
E. The 11 Western States of the Rocky Mountains-----sharply different climatic conditions
6. the Federal Government-----the Executive, the Legislative, the Judicial
right of federal government:   A. make war      B. tax     
C. borrow and coin money, and to regulate its value
D. regulate commerce between the states
E. maintain a postal system
A. Executive Branch
  Chief executive---president, four-year term
                     a. proposes legislation to Congress
     b. can veto any bill passed by Congress( overridden by a 2/3 vote in both the Senate （参议院）and House of Representatives（众议院）)
     c. appoint federal justices as vacancies occur(including Supreme Court)
        (confirmation by the Senate)
     d. have broad powers to issue regulations
     e. commander-in-chief of the armed forces
B. The Legislative Branch
  a. make federal laws（立联邦法）
  b. levy federal taxes（征联邦税）
  c. declare war or put foreign treaties into effect（实施与他国签定条约）
-------Congress: 1). The House of Representatives/ congressman/ congresswomen
2 -year term,
435 representatives (determined by the population in state)
            2) The Senate
               6 –year term
               100 senators (2 each state)
C. The Judicial and Legal System----
   a. sole right to interpret the Constitution（解释法律权力）
   b. review ( laws_ Constitution)
   c. declare ( unconstitutional laws/ action)
 -----the Supreme Court联邦最高法院
1. the U.S. Court of Appeals联邦地方法院
     District Court 联邦地区法院（不同州公民）
    2. State Supreme Court 州最高法院
Lower State Court （同州公民）
7． Political Parties and Elections
  A. the Two-Party System（两党制）
    Federalists  Republicans         The Republican Party 共和党
    Anti-Federalists Democratic-Republicians  Democrats  The Democratic Party 民主党
7. the Election Process of the president
1. citizen  electors  electoral college （选举团） vote presidential candidates
            538=435(House)+100(Senate)+3(Washington D.C.)
2. “ winner-take-all” system
8. Education-----have no a national system of education
School boards----citizens elected from each community in each district
             Set school policy , decide what is to be taught
A. Elementary education
a. partnership between teachers and parents
b. different arrangement of the profession in different states
B. Secondary education
a. 11/12~15, junior high school
b. 16~18, senior high school
1. Great breadth------take classes in all kinds of subjects all through the high school period , academic/non-academic
2. Stress “character” or “ social skill”
      C. Higher Education   a. public institutions (most)  b. private institution (10 expensive)
         --fund from endowments, contributions from business, former students

9. Radio----interstate commerce
          In terms of both ownership and operation ,the law favors local control
NBC-------National Broadcasting Company        美国国家广播公司
CBS-------Columbia Broadcasting System         哥伦比亚广播公司
ABC------American Broadcasting Company        美国广播公司
PBS------Public Broadcasting Services(no commercials, high taste, fund-donate by audience）
CNN------Cable News Networks                 有线新闻网
10. Press:  The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post
          Magazine: Newsweek, Time, U.S. News and world Report
11. Travel: automobile, air , trains, freight transport