《美國社會與文化》分為15個獨立但又相互聯(lián)系的模塊。每個模塊（Modules）都圍繞著美國文化、經(jīng)濟(jì)、社會背景、生活方式等中國學(xué)生感興趣的主題（Themes）展開。每個獨立模塊下設(shè)的三大任務(wù)（Tasks），其中的主題故事、話題、人物、電影等旨在深入淺出地引領(lǐng)英語學(xué)習(xí)者成為探究式學(xué)習(xí)的主體，擺脫對教師的習(xí)慣性依賴。
冷慧、董廣才主編這本《美國社會與文化》的目的在于使學(xué)習(xí)英語的中國學(xué)生不僅能講英語，更能通曉美國社會規(guī)范、文化習(xí)俗、生活方式、思維方式、交際方式，能有的放矢地與美國人進(jìn)行交流，避免由于不同文化差異帶來不必要的沖突與碰撞。 全書分為15個獨立但又相互聯(lián)系的模塊。每個模塊都圍繞著美國文化、經(jīng)濟(jì)、社會背景、生活方式等中國學(xué)生感興趣的主題展開。每個獨立模塊下設(shè)的三大任務(wù)，其中的主題故事、話題、人物、電影等旨在深入淺出地引領(lǐng)英語學(xué)習(xí)者成為探究式學(xué)習(xí)的主體，擺脫對教師的習(xí)慣性依賴。 本書的讀者為大學(xué)本科生、研究生、英語教師及廣大從事跨文化交際工作的涉外人員。本書也很適合即將奔赴美國和其他國家留學(xué)和工作的朋友們。
1 Fast Facts about the Unlted States of America
2 American Indian History
3 Colonization,Independence and the Westward Expansion
4 Selected American History Topics
5 Blacks in America
6 American Economy
7 American Government
8 Religion in America
9 Education in America
10 Chinese in America
11 Sports in America
12 American Lifestyle
13 American Transitions:From Cradle to Grave
14 American Film, Music,and Literature
15 American Media
Cattle often wandered many miles over the open range in search of food， so thecattle owners used "branding" or the burning of markings into the hide of each cow toidentify their property. Each ranch had its own distinctive brand. The ranchers guardedtheir proprietary brands and men were sometimes shot or hanged for stealing cattleand altering the brands.
Most of the year， the cattle wandered over the open rangeland and required littlecare. Each spring， after the cows gave birth， it was necessary to find all the new calveswhile they were still with their mothers， and to brand each of them to establish theirproper ownership.
During the mid-nineteenth century， very few railroads extended into the westernterritories， and none reached the open rangelands. At least once a year， the cowhandson a ranch rounded up all of the cattle ready for market and herded them overmountains and across deserts to the nearest railroad terminal. Sometimes， the cowhandsdrove several thousand cattle hundreds of miles to the railhead.
Today， four-wheel-drive vehicles have replaced most of the horses， and cattle drivesare done with eighteen-wheel trucks. There are still a few working cowboys out west，but not nearly as many. Working cowboys usually wear plain work jeans， a beat-up pairof work boots and a dusty， well-worn hat with a wide brim to keep sun and rain out oftheir eyes.
Today， some people enjoy taking a vacation on a "Dude Ranch" where they can livethe life of a cowboy for a week， riding horses， using a rope to lasso calves， doing ranchwork， etc. City Slickers is a famous movie about that kind of vacation.
Today's cowboys like to compete in a sport known as rodeo， which is based onthe skills required of the cowboys. Events that involve horses and other livestockare designed to test the skill and speed of the cowboy and cowgirl athletes whoparticipate. Rodeo， particularly popular today within the Canadian province of Albertand throughout the western United States， is the official state sport of Wyoming， SouthDakota， and Texas.
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