美国国家地理趣味记忆

Geography

1. 美国的地理位置：

The continental United States lies in central North America with Canada to its north, Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico to its south, the Atlantic Ocean to its east and the Pacific Ocean to its west. 

2. 识记：

The two newest states Alaska and Hawaii are separated from the continental United States.

3. 简答：

Why does the United States have an ideal location for trade?

The United State has an ideal location for trade. Its Atlantic coast faces the developed countries of Western Europe and its Pacific coast and Hawaii give the nation an approach to the Far East and Australasia. 

(澳大拉西亚: 一个不明确的地理名词,一般指澳大利亚,新西兰及附近南太平洋诸岛,有时也泛指大洋洲和太平洋岛屿)

4. 美国最大和最小的州：

Of all the states Alaska is the largest in area and Rhode Island is the smallest, but on the mainland Texas is the largest state of the country.

5. 美国两大主要山系：

the Appalachian Mountains and the Rocky mountains

6. 落基山脉的最高峰：the Elbert

7. 落基山脉--大陆分水岭：

The Rockies, the backbone of the North American continent, is also known as the Continental Divide.

8. 名词解释：the Continental Divide (金鸡落下[落基]，座北朝南[north-south line]，东边的翅膀沾满蜂蜜[密西西比]和墨水[墨西哥湾]；西边的翅膀挥舞着和太平洋边上的加州旅馆say “Hello”!)

----- The Rockies, the backbone of the North American continent, is also known as the Continental Divide, it is an imaginary north-south line that separates the major river systems of the United States. The rivers that descend

from the eastern slopes of the Rockies flow into the Mississippi and Gulf of Mexico. Those that begin on the western slopes of the Rockies flow to the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California.

9. 有关 the Mississippi 的重点：(记密西西比的发源地：想象：秘密[密西西比]地从湖里舀了杯苏打[明尼苏达]水喝下去，嘻嘻地笑了)

Lying between the Appalachian Mountains and the Rocky Mountains is one of the world’s great continental rivers—the Mississippi. The Mississippi proper rises in the lake region in North Minnesota and flows south to the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi has been called “father of waters” or “old man river”. （英语里father=old man）

10. The Ohio River的别称：(鹅害鹅[Ohio]，鹅害怕，骑着鹿儿[Ruhr]，逃跑了。)

The Ohio River has been called the American Ruhr (after the Ruhr River in Germany). 

11. 太平洋沿岸的河流：

On the Pacific side there are two great rivers: the Colorado in the south, and the Columbia, which rises in Canada. (科学家和一哥们[科：科罗拉多；哥：哥伦比亚]在太平洋岸边信口开河，开出了两条大河。)

12. 美国的大湖区：

The most important lakes in the United States are the Great Lakes. They are Lake superior, which is the largest fresh water lake in the world, Lake Michigan (the only one entirely in the U.S.), Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

注：可以用Homes 这个单词来帮助同学们记忆美国 的五大湖，H 代表 Lake Huron, O 代表Lake Ontario, M代表Lake Michigan, E代表Lake Erie, S代表Lake Superior. 其中Lake Superior是世界上最大的淡水湖, Lake Michigan完全在美国境内[为什么Lake Michigan完全在美国境内呢，因为它和America一样有个M字！]

13. 五大湖的重要性：

The Great Lakes are the economic lifeline of the Midwest, they provide cheap transportation for materials 

14. 简答：

What are the benefits of the lakes, rivers and seacoasts of the United States? （想象：字头H-N-H是不是都很象河流的形状呢，它们代表三个单词，Harbor-Network-Hydroelectric!）

----- The long and irregular seacoasts provide many excellent harbors. A large network of lakes and the Atlantic and Gulf rivers links the interior of the country with the coastal cities. Many swift rivers provide good sources of hydroelectric power. 

15. 论述：(这道题可以理解后记忆。四个因素，纬度/水/流(currents)/山. 谐音+想象：一根芦苇顺着水流到了山上。)

What are the factors which influence the climate of the United States?

(1). The United States is located in the middle latitudes north of the equator. Like China many seasonal changes are found there.

(2). The cilmate of the United States is influenced by the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Great Lakes. These large bodies of water help keep temperatures moderate in the regions bordering them.

(3). Ocean currents（水流） influence the climate over wide regions. The southeastern coast is warmed by the Gulf Stream. New England is cooled by the waters of the Labrador Current, which enters the Gulf of Maine.

(4). The western mountain ranges have an important effect on the climate of the Far East. The Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges prevent westerly winds from bringing moisture to the intermountain region of the West. The Interior Plains of the Midwest, on the other land, are exposed to both the cold northern winds from Canada and the tropical winds from the Gulf of Mexico.

16. 有关 New England 的重点：（字头+小故事记忆新英格兰：新英格兰是这么个小孩，一出生就和爸妈闹独立，自己上了三个大学，然后去打工，赚了很多钱，到处去旅游，洋洋得意，后来人们都叫他“扬基佬”）

---New England is sometimes called the birthplace of America. It was the chief center of the American War of Independence of 1776 and was also the nation’s first industrial area.

---New England is also well-known for its position in education. Yale, Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are located here. (字头+谐音记这三个大学：雅[Yale]马[马萨诸塞]哈[哈佛] ！) 

---Because of New England’s cool climate, beautiful scenery, and places of historic interest, tourism is quite developed here and is one of the most profitable industries.

---New Englanders were originally known as Yankees, which came to stand for all Americans.

17. 为什么Midwest 的农业比较发达？(Midwest, 种田方法中西[Midwest]结合，农业当然发达！)

----- Midwest is a low area. Many parts are flat. The climate is humid continental. The soil is rich, the rain usually plentiful and the growing season long. These factors make the Midwest America’s most important agricultural area.

18. 关于 Chicago：

Chicago, the largest and busiest port on the Great Lakes, is the largest industrial and commercial center of the area. Chicago is also the cultural capital of the Midwest.

19.

Omaha, known as the agricultural capital of the United States. （在美国的农业之都，人们每天都用白色的，香喷喷的藕[O]喂给马[ma]吃，马吃得很开心，哈哈[ha]大笑！）

20.

The South now contains 90% of the American textile industry.

21. The West 被分为三部分：

The West can be divided into three parts: the Great Plains; the Rocky Mountains; the Intermountain Basin and Plateaus. （想象：太阳下山了[暗指美国西部]，无数的公鸡落在[落基]一望无际的大草原上，在盆子[盆地]里啄着高高的原子弹[高原]。）

22. 

Colorado has been called the steel city of the west. 

23. 美国著名的国家公园：(好记啊：一只落汤鸡飞到一条冰河上，饿晕了，拼命啄着黄石，以为是黄色的谷子呢。)

Yellowstone National Park / Rocky Mountain National Park / Glacier National Park

24. 胡佛水坝（留着白胡子的大佛站在高高的水坝上，一脚踩在花[内华达]上，一脚踩在鸭梨[亚利桑那]上。）

Hoover Dam built on the border between Nevada and Arizona is one of the highest dams in the United States. 

25. 科罗拉多大峡谷

The Grand Canyon in north-western Arizona is one of nature’s most impressive sights. The bright colors of the canyon walls are a wonderful sight. 

26. The Intermountain area 的各大城市及其特点：

--- Phoenix is the largest city in this area. It is famous as a health resort and vacation spot. （凤凰是山里面最大的鸟，人们从四面八方跑来问它长生不老的秘密，然后在这里度假。）

--- Tucson is a well-known winter resort （Tucson=图生，谐音+想象：冬天用一大堆花花绿绿的图书生火取暖，所以是个Winter resort, 不怕冷啊，哈！）

--- Albuquerque is a centre for touring the lands of Native American Peoples and is the site of New Mexico’s state university. 

--- Salt Lake City is the centre of transportation and trade for a large part of the area. The largest groups of Native Americans are found on the Colorado Plateau.

27. 关于 the region of the Pacific Coast 的重点：

The region of the Pacific Coast is characterized by a series of mountain ranges and fertile river valleys.

California’s Imperial Valley is one of the world’s most famous irrigated areas.

28. 关于Hawaii：（记Mauna Loa谐音：快告诉大家，夏[夏威夷]天很热的时候，火山爆发喷出无数“玛瑙喽”！）

Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano, is located on Hawaii and erupts from time to time.

Tourism is Hawaii’s most important industry.

Honolulu is the capital of Hawaii. 

Population, Race and Ethnic Groups

1. 关于美国人口：

The United States of America, with a population of 255.5 million in July1992, is the third most population country in the world after China and India.

Immigration accounts for a major source of population growth.

2. *The United States had a more or less open-door policy to immigrants from independence until the 1960s.

*Ellis Island of New York was an important immigration reception spot in the 1890s and at the turn of the century.（Ellis, [Elton的妹妹]你想移民美国吗，很简单，1。你的托福要60分及格；2。你要经济独立）

3. 简答：

Why the United States has long been known as a nation of immigrants?

----- The United States has long been known as a nation of immigrants because many of its people descend from settlers who came from all over the world to make their homes in the new land then populated by native American tribes.

4. The first immigrants in American history came from England and the Netherlands.

5. 名词解释：indentured servants (indenture: 契约) [理解记忆：为别人打工做为路费去新大陆淘金。]

----- In early settlement in America, some came to the new Continent as indentured servants. These were poor people in Europe who wanted to seek better life in America yet had no money to pay the cross-Atlantic fare. They signed contracts with companies or individuals, committing to work for their masters a specified term in exchange for the journey’s expenses to America.

6. the largest immigration movement took place in 1815 （谐音+想象：1815=尾巴，一，舞。无数的移民挂在一条无比巨大的尾巴上一路欢歌跳舞，进入了美国。）

7. 论述题：

Say something about the three immigration waves. （三次移民潮[用衣，鹅，山代表一二三][大灰狼的故事：大灰狼是一个移民，刚到美国的时候穿了一件彩色的棒球衣，用尾巴（18）打棒球（10），它那不三不四(1830s and 1840s)的怪样子居然拿到了最高分（highest point），结果人们尊称它为“尾巴师父”（1845）;后来大灰狼骑在一头鹅的背上，尾巴象柳枝（1860）一样摇摇摆摆的，象是喝醉酒（1890）；然后它跑到一座最大的山上用尾巴猜酒令（1890），喝得烂醉如泥，要死（14=1914）要活的发酒疯。。] 

----- The first immigration wave began in the mid 1810s, grew steadily during the 1830s and 40s and reached the highest point in1845. The second wave covered the period between 1860 and 1890. The third wave was the largest of he three, it happened between 1890 and 1914.

8.Mobility is considered to be one of the characteristics of the American people.

9. 论述题：

Describe the 4 population movements in the U.S. （美国人口四次国内迁移）

答题要点：（关键字+想象：西进/城市化/黑人/阳光地带。西城区黑压压一大片乌云把太阳遮住了。1。内战的时候，战争这个巨人把人们象干草一样一把把拎[1880]到了西部。2。城里人都喜欢用尾巴行酒令[1890]，谁输了就要喝蚂蚁酒[19]，举哑铃[20，2象个小鸭子吧，嘿嘿]。3。数以万计的黑人，排成一条长龙，整齐地喊着拍子，2-4-6，2-4-6！[20，40，60年代]从南方移到其他地方。4。阳光地带，其实就是加州旅馆那里，在西部和南部，东北和中北的人们怕冷，都去了阳光地带。时间是60年代到现在，记住了第三点，自然就记住了60年代！）

*the first movement: from the end of the Civil War to 1880 --- westward movement 

*the second movement: from 1890 to 1920 --- from rural areas to cities

*the third movement: from 1920 to 1960, with the 1940s, the war years, as the peak --- a large number of black people move out of the South to other areas

*the forth movement: from the end of the 1960s till now --- from the Northeast and Central North to the West and the South, that is, to the sunbelt areas

10. 有关 The blacks 的重点：

*The largest of the racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. is the blacks.

*The first blacks were brought to North America as slaves in 1619 （谐音+想象：第一批几百个黑奴们骑在一头巨大的黑牛[16]上，每人喝着一瓶黑色的蚂蚁酒[19]，来到了北美.）

*In order to keep the black slaves under control, the slave-owners resorted to brutal methods.

*"Uncle Tom’s Cabin" and "Roots" are two novels giving a vivid description of the miserable life of the black slaves.

*The slave system was formally ended by Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. （林肯撑着一把老伞[1863]，保护着无数的黑奴，扇了两下雨伞[指两年后的第13（雨伞）次修改]，把宪法给改了。）

*The poverty rate of the blacks is the highest among all racial and ethnic groups.

11. 简答或名词解释：

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 added protections for the blacks for the right to vote, to use public facilities and to enjoy the same education as white people. It also contained provisions guaranteeing equal employment opportunities. （1964：姨舅很老实，所以享有公民权利）

12. 识记：

The Vote Rights Act of 1965 was meant to guarantee the blacks and others the right to vote

（姨舅流下激动的眼泪，呜呜地哭，因为他终于有选举权了。。）

13. 名词解释：Hispanics

----- Hispanics refer to the Spanish-speaking population of the United States, who is large, diverse and rapidly growing one.

14. Three major Hispanic groups historically have had the greatest influence on the United States, Mexican-Americans, or Chicanos, make up the largest group; the Puerto Ricans and the Cuban-Americans.

（美丽的西班牙女郎把一滴巨大的墨[墨西哥裔]水滴在玻璃[玻多黎格]上，敲着腰鼓[古巴后裔]在玻璃上跳舞。）

15.The most important obstacle to Hispanic success in the labor market is their low education.

16. 有关 the Asian-Americans 的重点：

*The Asian-Americans are the fastest-growing racial and ethnic group in the United States.

*Experts say three Asian traditions best explain the success of Asian-Americans: education, hard work, and family.

*The largest group of Asian-Americans are the Chinese-Americans.

*Most of the Chinese settled in California.

17. 名词解释：powwow（谐音+想象：印第安人爱吃泡泡[pow]糖，哇哇[wow]乱叫，喜欢唱歌跳舞打鼓）

----- The American Indians are making efforts to keep and develop their cultures, one example is the reappearance of the “powwow”, a community celebration including crafts, food, dance, song and the playing of drums.

18. 名词解释：WASPs

----- Traditionally, the mainstream Americans were called WASPs, that is, White Anglo-Saxon Protestants.