美国文明史英文教程
2008年
北京大学出版社
魏啸飞,Howard B. Woods
381
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In many ways， A panoramic History of American Civilization by Dr. Wei is a similar attempt in the same direction. As the author indicates in the Postscripts， the textbook， among other things， is also intended to help the Chinese students to acquire and improve their English language skills， not so much through learning of English itself， but through the study of American Civilization. What makes this textbooks stands out among a pile of similar textbooks is not just the subject matter it deals with， but rather the way in which the author approaches his work- singling out the most important historical events and political figures in American history and discussing their contributions to the making of American civilization. The merit of such an approach is， at least， twofold. For one thing， it allows the reader to get the hang of American civilization almost at on go， leading him/her directly to the discovery of America’s glorious but hard-won achievements in its civilization. For another by piecing together all the key events that have helped shape the nation， the textbook manages to present before the reader a vivid pictures of the nation’s evolutionary process almost in its entirely-birth， growth， development and success. Anyone who takes a good look at it is sure to conjure up a clear mental map of American civilization right away.
Chapter 1 The Discovery of America1.1 Native American Civilization1.2 Discovery of America(1492)1.3 Spanish Adventures in the Americas(1500s)1.4 The Spanish American Empire1.5 The English Reformation(1534)1.6 Raleighs Roanoke Venture(1585)1.7 Defeat of the Spanish Armada(1588)Chapter 2 The British American society2.1 The First British American Colony(1607)2.2 Mayflower Compact(1620)2.3 A City Upon a Hill(1630)2.4 Halfway Covenant(1662)2.5 Founding of the Carolinas(1663)2.6 Development of New York(1664)2.7 The Holy Experiment of Pennsylvania(1681)Chapter 3 The American Nationality3.1 Dominion of New England(1686—1689)3.2 Witchcraft Trials in Salem(1692)3.3 The Great Awakening(1730s—1740s)3.4 The French and Indian War(1754—1760)3.5 The Proclamation of 17633.6 Repeal of the Stamp Act(1766)3.7 A Distinctive American NationalityChapter 4 The Declaration of Independence4.1 The Boston Massacre(1770)4.2 The Boston Tea Party(1773)4.3 Benjamin Franklin Dressed Down(1774)4.4 The First Continental Congress(1774)4.5 Common Sense(1776)Chapter 5 The US ConstitutionChapter 6 Manifest DestinyChapter 7 A House DividedChapter 8 The civil WarChapter 9 The Gilded AgeChapter 10 The First World WarChapter 11 The Great DepressionChapter 12 The Second World WarChapter 13 The Cold WarChapter 14 The Vietnam WarChapter 15 The End of The Cold warVocabularyPostscriptBibliographyIndex
Thoughtful， intelligent human beings have a hard time learning language through conventional means of memorization， repetition， and the performance of tedious exercises and drills. The world is full of language-learning books that employ these artificial and mechanical means， but we forgot that we learned our own language by understanding things that we had an interesting understanding， and saying things we felt we need to say. This is how most people actually learn， and they learn best when their imaginations and intellects are engaged， through profound questions， interesting characters， unforgettable stories. We need more language books that draw on the mind’s natural hunger to understand important things. Your book is one of the few that seeks to teach English by filling this hunger， and may it be followed by many such books. It appeals to the reader eager for stories that are both gripping and real， and for a way to understand how part of modern world was made. Who better to write such a book than a scholar of such breadth of interests， boundless enthusiasm for learning， and vivid grasp of English? Hopefully， students will come away from this book not only with larger vocabularies and ability to assimilate complex English sentences， but also inspired to learn more about the whole panorama， to read further， and to find expression for their own thinking. May this book open new doors for her readers. ——Professor Krishnan Venkatesh 美国新墨西哥州圣约翰学院研究生院院长 “German students are facing the same problems which prompted you to embark on this project in the first place： a dearth of good German texts， very bulky and to detailed American ones.” ——Professor(em.)Dr. Knud Krakau， 德国柏林自由大学北美历史研究专家 Matthew， I would like my own students to read your book. ——Professor Amy Kaplan， 美国宾夕法尼亚大学英语学院院长 I enjoy the book. While proofreading it， I have been arguing with Matthew in my mind. ——Professor Howard B. Woods， 加拿大英语语言学家，原加拿大政府英语公共服务署官员 I hope that you will have every good fortune in introducing young people to American history as well as literature. ——Professor Bernard Bailyn， 美国哈佛大学美国历史学家
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