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Unit 3. CultureI.1Culture Tips1.The White House Architectural style：NeoclassicalCurrent tenants: Barack ObamaConstruction started: October 13, 1792Design and construction: James HobanWhite House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical style. It has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams. When Thomas Jefferson moved into the house in 1801, he (with architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe) expanded the building outward, creating two colonnades that were meant to conceal stables and storage. In 1814, during the War of 1812, the mansion was set ablaze by the British Army in the Burning of Washington, destroying the interior and charring much of the exterior. Reconstruction began almost immediately, and President James Monroe moved into the partially reconstructed house in October 1817. Construction continued with the addition of the South Portico in 1824 and the North in 1829. Because of crowding within the executive mansion itself, President Theodore Roosevelt had all work offices relocated to the newly constructed West Wing in 1901. Eight years later, President William Howard Taft expanded the West Wing and created the first Oval Office which was eventually moved as the section was expanded. The third-floor attic was converted to living quarters in 1927 by augmenting the existing hip roof with long shed dormers. A newly constructed East Wing was used as a reception area for social events; Jeffersons colonnades connected the new wings. East Wing alterations were completed in 1946, creating additional office space. By 1948, the houses load-bearing exterior walls and internal wood beams were found to be close to failure. Under Harry S. Truman, the interior rooms were completely dismantled and a new internal load-bearing steel frame constructed inside the walls. Once this work was completed, the interior rooms were rebuilt Today, the White House Complex includes the Executive Residence, West Wing, Cabinet Room, Roosevelt Room, East Wing, and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which houses the executive offices of the President and Vice President.The White House is made up of six storiesthe Ground Floor, State Floor, Second Floor, and Third Floor, as well as a two-story basement. The term White House is regularly used as a metonym for the Executive Office of the President of the United States and for the presidents administration and advisers in general. The property is a National Heritage Site owned by the National Park Service and is part of the Presidents Park. In 2007, it was ranked second on the American Institute of Architects list of “Americas Favorite Architecture”.白宫，The White House，直译是“白色的房子”，由于是美国总统的官邸、办公室。供第一家庭成员居住，所以中文译成“白宫”。位于美国华盛顿市区中心宾夕法尼亚大街1600号。地理坐标：385351.33N，77 211.70W，北接拉斐特广场，南邻爱丽普斯公园，与高耸的华盛顿纪念碑相望，是一座白色的二层楼房。美国的白宫是总统和政府办公的场所。1812年英国和美国发生战争，英国军队占领了华盛顿城后，放火烧了包括美国国会大厦和总统府之类的建筑物。过后，为了掩盖被大火烧过的痕迹，1814年总统住宅棕红色的石头墙被涂上了白色。从那以后，人们就把它称为“白宫”。从前并非白色，而被称作“总统大厦”，“总统之宫”。1792年始建时是一栋灰色的沙石建筑。从1800年起，它是美国总统在任期内办公并和家人居住的地方。1814年8月24日英军焚毁了这座建筑物，只留下了一付空架子。1817年重新修复时为了掩饰火烧过的痕迹，总统下令在灰色沙石上漆上了一层白色的油漆。此后这栋总统官邸一直被称为“白宫”。美国总统正式把它命名为“白宫”。对人们来说白宫总是充满了神秘感。根据白宫支出由全体纳税人担负的原则，白宫的一部分在规定时间内向全世界公民开放，因此成了游人观光的热点。在200年岁月中，白宫建筑群也成了历史性建筑，它带有浓厚的英国建筑风格，又在随后的主人更替中一层层融入了美国建筑的风格。朴素、典雅，构成白宫建筑风格的基调。白宫的基址是美国开国元勋、第一任总统华盛顿选定的，始建于1792年，1800年基本完工。有趣的是，第一位入主白宫的总统并不是第一任总统华盛顿，而是第二任总统约翰亚当斯；从此，美国历届总统均以白宫为官邸，使白宫成了美国政府的代名词。白宫的设计者是著名的美籍爱尔兰人建筑师詹姆斯霍本，他根据18世纪末英国乡间别墅的风格，参照当时流行的意大利建筑师柏拉迪的欧式造型设计而成，用弗吉尼亚州所产的一种白色石灰石建造。但当时并不称白宫，“白宫”是1901年西奥多罗斯福总统正式命名的。方案出台之前，华盛顿对未来的美国总统官邸就早有定见：它决不能是一座宫殿，决不能豪华，因为在这里工作的主人是国家仆人。他提出了建造总统官邸的三点要求：宽敞、坚固、典雅，给人一种超越时代的感觉。他相信自己的国家会很快富强起来，扩展疆域，在世界上占有越来越重要的地位，建造总统官邸含糊不得。对于即将开始设计和建造的总统官邸，华盛顿执意认为无须高大，有三层高就足够了。从各地来的设计方案不少，选择余地相当大。一位名叫霍本的年轻人前来费城拜会了华盛顿，告诉总统说，他准备亲自到首都看过地形后再作设计。果然，霍本赶到乔治镇住下，用20天时间画出了设计图，实际上他一定是早有腹稿了。1792年7月16日，华盛顿也来到乔治镇，于次日召集杰弗逊等人选定设计方案。霍本的设计脱颖而出，成为首选。爱尔兰出生的建筑师詹姆斯霍本设计的总统官邸方案是从18世纪英国乡村建筑风格中发展出来的。第三任总统杰斐逊吩咐每天早晨打开总统官邸房门，公民可以在不影响总统办公的前提下参观官邸。这是杰弗逊民主思想的一个具体体现。在欧洲的经历告诉了他，社会公众对政府首脑的办公室都很感兴趣。那时，前来参观的人不少，杰弗逊本人也会在某一休息时刻走出办公室，与素不相识的客人握握手，表示欢迎。消息传开，有更多的人远道赶来，就是为了见见杰弗逊。杰弗逊有时仅凭一封友人的介绍信就会请陌生的来客共进下午茶。英美战争后后大火破坏了官邸，1815年，官邸在原设计师和总监工霍本主持下重修。为了消除大火后的烟痕，霍本吩咐工匠把整座官邸粉饰成白色。从此，总统官邸被人们称做“白宫”（The White House）。“白宫”是中文的雅译，如果按照英文直译的话，应该译作“白房子”。从19世纪中叶始，白宫的名称混乱了起来，有人称“总统官邸”、有人叫“总统府”。1901年，西奥多罗斯福总统正式地定名为“白宫”。随即，白宫进行了始建后的第一次大修，工程于当年即告竣工。白宫共占地7.3万多平方米。由主楼和东、西两翼三部分组成。主楼宽51.51米，进深25.75米，共有底层、一楼和二楼3层。白宫是美国总统办公和居住之地，因而成为美国政府的代称。底层有外交接待大厅、图书室、地图室、瓷器室、金银器室和白宫管理人员办公室等。外交接待大厅呈椭圆形，是总统接待外国元首和使节的地方，铺着天蓝色底、椭圆形的花纹地毯，上绣象征美国50个州的标志，墙上挂有描绘美国风景的巨幅环形油画。 相关影视剧白宫风云， 白宫奇缘， 白宫女总统， 白宫通灵事件， 白宫， 巴克拉.奥巴马：通向白宫之路2. The PentagonOn September 11, 2001, the 60th anniversary of The Pentagons groundbreaking, a team of five al-Qaeda affiliated hijackers took control of American Airlines Flight 77, en route from Washington Dulles International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport, and deliberately crashed into the Western side of the Pentagon at 9:37am EDT as part of the September 11 attacks. All 64 people on the airliner were killed as were 125 people who were in the building. The impact of the plane severely damaged the structure of the building and caused its partial collapse. At the time of the attacks, the Pentagon was under renovation and several offices were unoccupied, resulting in fewer casualties. Only 800 of 4,500 people who would have been in the area were there because of the work. Furthermore the area hit, on the side of the Heliport Entrance facade, was the section best prepared for such an attack. The renovation there, improvements which resulted from the Oklahoma City bombing, had nearly been completed. It was the only area of the Pentagon with a sprinkler system, and it had been reconstructed with a web of steel columns and bars to withstand bomb blasts. The steel reinforcement, bolted together to form a continuous structure through all of the Pentagons five floors, kept that section of the building from collapsing for 30 minutesenough time for hundreds of people to crawl out to safety. The area struck by the plane also had blast-resistant windows2 inches thick and 2,500 pounds eachthat stayed intact during the crash and fire. It had fire doors that opened automatically and newly built exits that allowed people to get out.40Contractors already involved with the renovation were given the added task of rebuilding the sections damaged in the attacks. This additional project was named the Phoenix Project, and was charged with having the outermost offices of the damaged section occupied by September 11, 2002.When the damaged section of the Pentagon was rebuilt, a small indoor memorial and chapel were included, located at the point of impact. For the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, a memorial of 184 beams of light shone up from the center courtyard of the Pentagon, one light for each victim of the attack. In addition, an American flag is hung each year on the side of the Pentagon damaged in the attacks, and the side of the building is illuminated at night with blue lights. After the attacks, plans were developed for an outdoor memorial, with construction underway in 2006. The Pentagon Memorial, which consists of a 2 acres (8,100m2) park with 184 benches, according to the victims ages, from 3 to 71, was opened to the public on September 11, 2008.3. Great Election中新网2012年8月4日电 据台湾联合报4日报道，调查机构发现，今年美国总统和国会选举的总花费预估将达到58亿美元(约合370亿元人民币)，创选举史之最，也显示无论美国经济再怎么疲软，拼选举绝不手软。2012大选4. The SovereignSince Elizabeth rarely gives interviews, little is known of her personal feelings. As a constitutional monarch, she has not expressed her own political opinions in a public forum. She does have a deep sense of religious and civic duty and takes her coronation oath seriously.161 Aside from her official religious role as Supreme Governor of the established Church of England, she personally worships with that church and with the national Church of Scotland.162 She has demonstrated support for inter-faith relations and has met with leaders of other religions, including three popes: John XXIII, John Paul II and Benedict XVI. A personal note about her faith often features in her annual Royal Christmas Message broadcast to the Commonwealth, such as in 2000, when she spoke about the theological significance of the millennium marking the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ:To many of us, our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christs words and example. She is the patron of over 600 organisations and charities. Her main leisure interests include equestrianism and dogs, especially her Pembroke Welsh Corgis. Scenes of a relaxed, informal home life have occasionally been witnessed; she and her family, from time to time, prepare a meal together and do the washing up afterwards. In the 1950s, as a young woman at the start of her reign, Elizabeth was depicted as a glamorous fairytale Queen. After the trauma of the war, it was a time of hope, a period of progress and achievement heralding a new Elizabethan age. Lord Altrinchams accusation in 1957 that her speeches sounded like those of a priggish schoolgirl was an extremely rare criticism. In the late 1960s, attempts to portray a more modern image of monarchy were made in the television documentary Royal Family and by televising Prince Charless investiture as Prince of Wales. She took to wearing in public clothes that consist mostly of solid-colour overcoats and decorative hats, which allow her to be seen easily in a crowd. At her Silver Jubilee in 1977, the crowds and celebrations were genuinely enthusiastic, but in the 1980s public criticism of the royal family increased, as the personal and working lives of Elizabeths children came under media scrutiny. Elizabeths popularity sank to a low point in the 1990s. Under pressure from public opinion, she began to pay income tax for the first time and Buckingham Palace was opened to the public. Discontent with the monarchy reached its peak on the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, though Elizabeths personal popularity and support for the monarchy rebounded after her live broadcast to the world five days after Dianas death. 5. Parliament威斯敏斯特宫（Palace of Westminster），又称国会大厦（Houses of Parliament）是英国国会（包括上议院和下议院）的所在地。I.2. Culture Link1. Federal government in the USWords and Expressions:A system of checks and balancesFederal governmentConstitutionthe executive, the legislative and the judicial.Vice-president Congressthe House of RepresentativesSenateCapitol BuildingTreatiesImpeachCongressional RecordSupreme Courtfederal district courtsspecial courtsChief Justicejudicial reviewKey ponints:1. the system of government defined in the Constitution, which is based on the separation of powers among three branches: the executive, the legislative and the judicial.2. The executive branch consists of the President, the Vice-president and government departments and agencies.3. There are 14 departments of government. The heads of these departments make up the Cabinet,4. The legislative branch of government is the Congress. This has two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives, sometimes called the upper and lower houses. The main job of Congress is to make laws, The most important responsibility for members of Congress is to represent their constituents.5. The judicial branch of government has three levels. The Constitution created the Supreme Court; below it are 13 courts of appeal, and below them are many federal district courts and special courts such as Court of International Trade.Deeper understanding:1. The PresidencyThe president is the central figure in the American political system and the U. S. Constitution defines the presidency in the following manner.He is the head of the state. He is the chief executive of the United States. He is the chief diplomat. He is the commander in chief of the armed forces. He holds the position of chief legislator. He is the head of his political party. He chooses his own vice-president. He has been held responsible for the economic health of the country. Urban renewnal, education, street crime, drug abuse, and family stability have increasingly come to the attention of the president as well. These roles, ald and new, constitute a vast reservoir of power. In fact, given the economic, and war-making strength of the United States, it is not far from truth to say that todays president of the United States may be the most powerful person in the history of the world.2. CongressThe prime duty of Congress is to make laws for the country. Howeveer, the law-making process is a very complicated one, like a labyrinth. Briefly, its procedure can be summaried as follows.1. A bill is introduced. Anyone can draw up a bill a member of Congress, the president, or a student. However, official introduction of a bill can come only from a representative or a senator. In the House, a member puts the bill into a box called hopper or gives it to a claerk. A senator orally introduces a bill to the floor.2. The bill is then referrrd to the committee by leadership in that particular house.3. The committee takes action. If the committee approves the bill, it is reported to the full House. In the House of Representative, the Rules Committee issues a rule of resolution to bring it to the floor.4. The bill goes on a calendar.5. The bill goes to the floor. In the House, members who want to express their views on the proposed bill may debate among themselves within the allotted time, and after that the House resovles itself into formal sesssion and asks its member to cast votes.6. After a bill is passed by one house, it goes to the other, in which frequently a similar bill has been considered, although the bill could be ignored or rejected.7. If there are similar bills from both houses, a conference committee will meet to resolve differences.8. Once the exact wording is agreed upon by both houses, the bill goes to the president for his approval or veto.9. Only when the president signs the bill does it become law. If the bill is rejected by the president, it may be dead or resurface some other time.2. State and local governments in the USWords and Expressions:State government lieutenant governorlegislaturecounty governmentcounty seatBoard of CommissionersBoard of Supervisorssheriffs departmentsheriffs deputies.Prosecuteddistrict attorneymunicipalitiesmunicipalcity councilordinancesschool boardgamblingKey ponints:1. State government is similar in its organization to federal, or national, government. the executive branch is headed by a governor, and the person beneath him or her is the lieutenant governor. State laws are made by a legislature, and The judicial branch usually consists of a state supreme court and several lower courts.2. US states have traditionally had many powers and considerable direct influence on the lives of their citizens.3. The structure of county government varies from state to state, but most have a Board of Commissioners, sometimes called a Board of Supervisors.4. Americas cities, towns, villages and other municipalities vary greatly.Deeper understanding:1. The State GovernmentsThe state governments follow the same pattern as the federal government, with power divided among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. In general, matters which lie entirely within state borders are the concern of state governments. These include internal communications; regulations relating to property, industry, business, and public utilities; the state criminal code; and working conditions within the state. Within this context, the federal government requires that state governments to not adopt laws which contradict or violate the Constitution or laws and treaties of the United States.3. Elections in the USWords and Expressions:the Republicansthe Democratspetitionballotelection campaignralliespressing the fleshconventiondelegatescoat-tail effectturnoutpolling stationprecinctvoting boothleverpollsterKey ponints:1. Elections are held regularly for President of the US, for both houses of Congress and for state and local government offices. During an election campaign candidates try to achieve name recognition by advertising on television, in newspapers, and on posters in public places. Election campaigning is very expensive, and the candidate with most money has a big advantage.2. They have all been white except for the current one, Obama, and no woman had ever been President. Presidential elections are held every four years. 3. Voting proceduresDeeper understanding:1. The Electoral Process in the United StatesThe electoral process begins with the selection of candidates and ends with the casting of votes on Election Day.The nominating process within the political parties officially begins with the first state primaries and caucuses, which usually occur in the month of Feburary of the election year. For many elections, the candidates from one party compete with each other in a primary election to determine who will represent the party. For some elected positions, candidates are chosen by pariy caucuses. A caucus is a gathering of voters from the same party at the local level which has the authority to select the partys candidates. At the national party conventions, traditionally held in the summer, the delegates from the states cast votes to select the partys candidate for president.On election Day the first Tuesday following the first Mnday in November of an election year every citizen of legal age who has taken the steps necessary in his or her state to meet the voting requirements has an opportunity to vote. However, the president is not formally chosen by direct popular vote. The constitution calls for a precess of indirect popular election known aas the Electoral College.The political parties in each state submit to the chief election official a liat of electors pledged to their candidates for president and equal in number to the states electoral vote. Each state is allocated to a number of electors equal to the number of its U. S. senators plus the number of its U. S. representatives.Following election day, on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December, these electors, as the Electoral College, assemble in their state capitals, cast their ballots, and officially select the next president. As a rule, whichever presidential ticket gets the most popular votes in a state wins all of that states slectors.The president-elect and vice president-elect take the oath of office and are inaugurated on January 20th.4. The Party System in the USWords and Expressions:Democratic PartyRepublican PartyFactionThe WhigsRealignmentPartisanBipartisansocial welfareKey ponints:1. The US has two main political parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.2. Party organizations are less important in the US than in countries like Britain which have a parliament.3. Both parties are moderate and close to the political centre, but the Republicans are to the right and the Democrats are to the left of centre. Republicans are sometimes called the GOP, or Grand Old Party, and have an elephant as their symbol. The Democrats symbol is a donkey. Typically, the Democrats support government spending on social welfare programs, while the Republi
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