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CUỘC THI VẬN DỤNG KIẾN THỨC LIÊN MÔN
ÐỂ GIẢI QUYẾT CÁC TÌNH HUỐNG THỰC TIỄN
Tên tình huống: tìm hiểu về đất nước Mĩ
(Learn about the United States of America)
Môn học chính được sử dụng để giải quyết tình huông:
Môn Tiếng Anh
Các môn học tích hợp:
Địa lý, lịch sử
Thông tin về học sinh (hoặc nhóm học sinh không quá 2 người)
1. Đỗ Trung Hiếu
Ngày sinh: 10/2/1999
2. Lương Anh Phương
Ngày sinh: 30/8/1999
Lớp: 10A4
Lớp: 10A4
The united states of America
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Population: 307,212,123 (July 2009 estimate)
Capital: Washington D.C.
Area: 3,794,100 square miles (9,826,675 sq km)
Bordering Countries:Canada and Mexico
Coastline: 12,380 miles (19,924 km)
The United States of America is the third largest country in the world based on
population and . The United States also has the world's largest economy and is one
of the most influential nations in the world.
Flag of The United States of America
50 Stars = 50 States
I.Geography:
General characteristics
The United States shares land borders with Canada (to the north) and Mexico (to the south),
and a territorial water border with Russia in the northwest, and two territorial water borders in
the southeast between Florida and Cuba, and Florida and the Bahamas. The contiguous
forty-eight states are otherwise bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Atlantic
Ocean on the east, and the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast. Alaska borders the Pacific
Ocean to the south, the Bering Strait to the west, and the Arctic Ocean to the north, while
Hawaii lies far to the southwest of the mainland in the Pacific Ocean.
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Forty-eight of the states are in the single region between Canada and Mexico; this group is
referred to, with varying precision and formality, as thecontinental or contiguous United
States, and as the Lower 48. Alaska, which is not included in the term contiguous United
States, is at the northwestern end of North America, separated from the Lower 48 by
Canada.
The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. The capital city, Washington,
District of Columbia, is a federal district located on land donated by the state of Maryland.
(Virginia had also donated land, but it was returned in 1847.) The United States also
has overseas territories with varying levels of independence and organization.
Government of the United States
The U.S. government is a representative democracy with two legislative bodies. These
bodies are the Senate and House of Representatives. The Senate consists of 100 seats with
two representatives from each of the 50 states. The House of Representatives consists of
435 seats and are elected by the people from the 50 states. The executive branch consists
of the President who is also the head of government and chief of state. On November 4,
2008 Barack Obama was elected as the first African American U.S. president.
The U.S. also has a judicial branch of government that is made up of the Supreme Court,
the U.S. Court of Appeals, U.S. District Courts and State and County Courts. The U.S. is
comprised of 50 states and one district (Washington D.C.).
Economics and Land Use in the United States
The U.S. has the largest and most technologically advanced economy in the world. It mainly
consists of the industrial and service sectors. The main industries include petroleum, steel,
motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing,
consumer goods, lumber and mining. Agricultural production, though only a small part of the
economy, includes: wheat, corn, other grains, fruits, vegetables, cotton, beef, pork, poultry,
dairy products, fish and forest products.
Geography and Climate of the United States
The U.S. borders both the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans and is bordered by
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Canada and Mexico. It is the third largest country in the world by area and has a varied
topography. The eastern regions consist of hills and low mountains while the central interior
is a vast plain (called the Great Plains region) and the west has high rugged mountain
ranges (some of which are volcanic in the Pacific Northwest). Alaska also features rugged
mountains as well as river valleys. Hawaii's landscape varies but is dominated by volcanic
topography.
Like its topography, the climate of the U.S. also varies depending on location. It is
considered mostly temperate but is tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid
in the plains west of the Mississippi River and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest.
Mount McKinley, Alaska, the highest point in North America at 6,168 m.
The eastern United States has a varied topography. A broad, flat coastal plain lines the
Atlantic and Gulf shores from the Texas-Mexico border to New York City, and includes the
Florida peninsula.
The Great Plains lie west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains. A large
portion of the country's agricultural products are grown in the Great Plains.The Great Plains
come to an abrupt end at the Rocky Mountains. The Rocky Mountains form a large portion of
the Western U.S., entering fromCanada and stretching nearly to Mexico. The Rocky
Mountain region is the highest region of the United States by average elevation. The Rocky
Mountains generally contain fairly mild slopes and wider peaks compared to some of the
other great mountain ranges. The highest peaks of the Rockies are found in Colorado, the
tallest peak being Mount Elbert at 14,440 ft (4,400 m). The Rocky Mountains contain some
of the most spectacular, and well known scenery in the world.
West of the Rocky Mountains lies the Intermontane Plateaus (also known as
the Intermountain West), a large, arid desert lying between the Rockies and
the Cascades and Sierra Nevada ranges. The large southern portion, known as the Great
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Basin, consists of salt flats, drainage basins, and many small north-south mountain ranges.
The Southwest is predominantly a low-lying desert region. A portion known as the Colorado
Plateau, centered around the Four Corners region, is considered to have some of the most
spectacular scenery in the world. It is accentuated in such national parks asGrand
Canyon, Arches, Mesa Verde National Park and Bryce Canyon, among others.
The Grand Canyon from Moran Point. The Grand Canyon is among the most famous
locations in the country.
The Intermontane Plateaus come to an end at the Cascade Range and the Sierra Nevada.
The Cascades consist of largely intermittent, volcanic mountains, many rising prominently
from the surrounding landscape. The Sierra Nevada, further south, is a high, rugged, and
dense mountain range. It contains the highest point in the contiguous 48 states, Mount
Whitney (14,505 ft or 4,421 m)[1] It is located at the boundary between California's Inyo and
Tulare counties, just 84.6 mi or 136.2 km west-northwest of the lowest point in North
America at Badwater in Death Valley National Park, at 282 ft or 86 m below sea level.
These areas contain some spectacular scenery as well, as evidenced by such national parks
as Yosemite and Mount Rainier. West of the Cascades and Sierra Nevada is a series of
valleys, such as the Central Valley in California and the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Along
the coast is a series of low mountain ranges known as the Pacific Coast Ranges. Much of
the Pacific Northwest coast is inhabited by some of the densest vegetation outside of
the Tropics, and also the tallest trees in the world (the Redwoods).
Alaska contains some of the most dramatic and untapped scenery in the country. Tall,
prominent mountain ranges rise up sharply from broad, flat tundra plains. On the islands off
the south and southwest coast are many volcanoes. Hawaii, far to the south of Alaska in the
Pacific Ocean, is a chain of tropical, volcanic islands, popular as a tourist destination for
many from East Asia and the mainland United States.
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The Atlantic coast of the United States is low, with minor exceptions. The Appalachian
Highland owes its oblique northeast-southwest trend to crustal deformations which in very
early geological time gave a beginning to what later came to be the Appalachian mountain
system. This system had its climax of deformation so long ago (probably in Permian time)
that it has since then been very generally reduced to moderate or low relief. It owes its
present day altitude either to renewed elevations along the earlier lines or to the survival of
the most resistant rocks as residual mountains. The oblique trend of this coast would be
even more pronounced but for a comparatively modern crustal movement, causing a
depression in the northeast resulting in an encroachment of the sea upon the land.
Additionally, the southeastern section has undergone an elevation resulting in the advance
of the land upon the sea.
While the Atlantic coast is relatively low, the Pacific coast is, with few exceptions, hilly or
mountainous. This coast has been defined chiefly by geologically recent crustal
deformations, and hence still preserves a greater relief than that of the Atlantic. The low
Atlantic coast and the hilly or mountainous Pacific coast foreshadow the leading features in
the distribution of mountains within the United States.
The east coast Appalachian system, originally forest covered, is relatively low and narrow
and is bordered on the southeast and south by an important coastal plain. The Cordilleran
system on the western side of the continent is lofty, broad and complicated having two
branches, the Rocky Mountain System and the Pacific Mountain System. In between these
mountain systems lie the Intermontaine Plateaus. Both the Columbia River and Colorado
River rise far inland near the easternmost members of the Cordilleran system, and flow
through plateaus and intermontaine basins to the ocean. Heavy forests cover the northwest
coast, but elsewhere trees are found only on the higher ranges below the Alpine region.
The intermontane valleys, plateaus and basins range from treeless to desert with the most
arid region being in the southwest.
Elevation extremes:
Lowest point: Death Valley, Inyo County, California −282 ft (−86 m) below sea level
Highest point: Mount McKinley, Denali Borough, Alaska +20,237 ft (6,168 m) above
sea level.
II.History:
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By 1640 England had founded 6 of the 13 colonies that would become the original United
States. In 1660, Charles II was crowned king of England. Charles founded or took over six
more colonies: New York (taken from the Dutch in 1664), New Jersey, Pennsylvania
(including what became Delaware), and North and South Carolina. All were proprietary
colonies—huge land grants to individuals or small groups who had been loyal to the king
during the civil war.
Charles II
These colonies shared other similarities as well. None of them was well–funded; they could
ill afford to import colonists from overseas. Thus they tried to attract settlers from other
colonies as much as from the Old World. These colonies made it easy to own land, and they
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tended to grant religious toleration to all Christians. The result (even though Pennsylvania
began as a Quaker colony under the wealthy proprietor William Penn) was a more ethnically
mixed and religiously pluralistic European .
Colonial Society
The colonies over which the English were beginning to exercise control were growing
rapidly. In 1700 approximately 250,000 Europeans and Africans were living in what would
become the United States. In 1775 there were approximately 2.5 million. Much of the
increase was due to immigration: the forced migration of enslaved Africans, and the willing
migration of English, Scots-Irish, and Germans.
American Revolution
During the 18th century, tensions between the American colonies and the British
government began to arise as the American colonists were subject to British taxation but
had no representation in the British Parliament.
These tensions eventually led to the American Revolution which was fought from 1775
1781. On July 4, 1776, the colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence and
following the American victory over the British in the war, the U.S. was recognized as
independent of England. In 1788, the U.S. Constitution was adopted and in 1789, the
first president, George Washington, took office.
Following its independence, the U.S. grew rapidly and the Louisiana Purchase in 1803
nearly doubled the nation's size. The early to mid1800s also saw growth on the west
coast as the California Gold Rush of 18481849 spurred western migration and
the Oregon Treaty of 1846 gave the U.S. control of the Pacific Northwest.
Slavery
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Despite its growth, the U.S. also had severe racial tensions in the mid1800s as African
slaves were used as laborers in some states. Tensions between the slave states and
nonslave states led to the Civil War and eleven states declared their secession from the
union and formed the Confederate States of America in 1860. The Civil War lasted from
18611865 when the Confederate States were defeated.
The 20th Century
Following the Civil War, racial tensions remained through the 20th century. Throughout
the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the U.S. continued to grow and remained neutral
at the beginning of World War I in 1914. It later joined the Allies in 1917.
The 1920s were a time of economic growth in the U.S. and the country began to grow
into a world power. In 1929 however the Great Depression began and the economy
suffered until World War II. The U.S. also remained neutral during this war until Japan
attackedPearl Harbor in 1941, at which time the U.S. joined the Allies.
US Soldier uniform in WW2 and Vietnam War
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Following WWII, the U.S. economy again began to improve. The Cold War followed
shortly thereafter as did the Korean War from 19501953 and the Vietnam War from
19641975. Following these wars, the U.S. economy for the most part grew industrially
and the nation became a world superpower concerned with its domestic affairs because
public support waivered during previous wars.
Wall Street – Symbol of The US Financial
III. Culture:
The culture of the United States is primarily Western, but is influenced by African, Native
American, Asian, Polynesian, and Latin American cultures. The United States of America
has its own unique social and cultural characteristics such as dialect, music, arts, social
habits, cuisine, and folklore. The United States of America is an ethnically and
racially diverse country as a result of large-scale migration from many ethnically and racially
different countries throughout its history as well as differing birth and death rates among
natives, settlers, and immigrants.
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Architecture
Architecture in the United States is regionally diverse and has been shaped by many
external forces, not only English. U.S. architecture can therefore be said to be eclectic,
something unsurprising in such a multicultural society. In the absence of a single large-scale
architectural influence from indigenous peoples such as those in Mexico or Peru,
generations of designers have incorporated influences from around the world. Currently, the
overriding theme of American Architecture is modernity, as manifest in the skyscrapers of the
20th century.
Early Neoclassicism accompanied the Founding Father's idealization of European
Enlightenment, making it the predominant architectural style for public buildings and large
manors. However, in recent years, suburbanization and mass migration to the Sun Belt has
allowed architecture to reflect a Mediterranean style as well.
Media and Entertainment
The U.S. media and entertainment (M&E) industry is comprised of businesses that
produce and distribute motion pictures, television programs and commercials along
with music and audio recordings, radio, games and publishing. The U.S. M&E
market, which represents a third of the global industry, and is the largest M&E
market worldwide, is expected to reach about $546 billion in 2014.
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The Social Media
Literature
The right to freedom of expression in the American constitution can be traced to German
immigrant John Peter Zenger and his legal fight to make truthful publications in the Colonies
a protected legal right, ultimately paving the way for the protected rights of American
authors.
In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, American art and literature took most of its
cues from Europe. During its early history, America was a series ofBritish colonies on the
eastern coast of the present-day United States. Therefore, its literary tradition begins as
linked to the broader tradition of English literature. However, unique American characteristics
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and the breadth of its production usually now cause it to be considered a separate path and
tradition.
America's first internationally popular writers were James Fenimore Cooper and Washington
Irving in the early nineteenth century. They painted an American literary landscape full of
humor and adventure. These were followed by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan
Poe, Herman Melville, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Henry
David Thoreau who established a distinctive American literary voice in the middle of the
nineteenth century.
Mark Twain
Mark Twain, Henry James, and poet Walt Whitman were major figures in the century's
second half; Emily Dickinson, virtually unknown during her lifetime, would be recognized as
America's other essential poet. Eleven U.S. citizens have won the Nobel Prize in Literature,
including John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, Eugene O'Neill, Pearl S. Buck, T. S.
Eliot and Sinclair Lewis. Ernest Hemingway, the 1954 Nobel laureate, is often named as one
of the most influential writers of the twentieth century.[16]
A work seen as capturing fundamental aspects of the national experience and character—
such as Herman Melville's Moby-Dick (1851), Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn (1885), and F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (1925)—may be dubbed the "Great
American Novel". Popular literary genres such as theWestern and hardboiled crime
fiction were developed in the United States.
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