美国英文介绍

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The United States of America

The United States of America (also referred to as the United States, the

U.S., the USA, or America) is a federal constitutional republic comprising

fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central

North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and

Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic

Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The

state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the

east and Russia to the west across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is

an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several

territories in the Caribbean and Pacific.

At 3.79 million square miles and with over 310 million people, the

United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area. It is one

of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the

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product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The

U.S. economy is the world's largest national economy.

The national flag of the United States consists of thirteen equal

horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a

blue rectangle in the canton (referred to specifically as the "union")

bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset

horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five

stars. The fifty stars on the flag represent the 50 states and the 13 stripes

represent the thirteen colonies that rebelled against the British monarchy

and became the first states in the Union. Nicknames for the flag include

the "Stars and Stripes", "Old Glory," and "The Star-Spangled Banner"

(also the name of the national anthem).

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly

referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of

the United States, filled with major museums and monuments, along with

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multi-cultural communities.

New York is the most populous city in the United States and one of the

most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a

significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion,

research, technology, education, and entertainment. As the home of the

United Nations Headquarters, it is an important center for international

affairs and is widely deemed the cultural capital of the world. The city is

also referred to as New York City or the City of New York to distinguish

it from the state of New York, of which it is a part. Many districts and

landmarks in New York City have become well known to outsiders.

Times Square, iconified as "The Crossroads of the World", is the brightly

illuminated hub of the Broadway theater district, one of the world's

busiest pedestrian intersections, and a major center of the world's

entertainment industry. The city hosts many world renowned bridges,

skyscrapers, and parks.

Los Angeles is one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the

world and the second largest in the United States. Nicknamed the City of

Angels, Los Angeles is a world center of business, international trade,

entertainment, culture, media, fashion, science, technology, and education.

As the home base of Hollywood, it is known as the "Entertainment

Capital of the World", leading the world in the creation of motion pictures,

television production, video games, and recorded music.

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The United States is extraordinarily diverse in its array of attractions.

There are various places of interest in the county, such as Niagara Falls,

Yellowstone National Park, Statue of Liberty, Times Square, The White

House, Central Park, Grand Canyon, the Golden Gate Bridge, etc.

Out of all of America's symbols, none has proved more enduring or

evocative than the Statue of Liberty. This giant figure, torch in hand and

clutching a stone tablet, has for a century acted as a figurehead for the

American Dream.

The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden

Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay onto the Pacific Ocean. It

connects the city of San Francisco on the northern tip of the San

Francisco Peninsula to Marin County. It has become an internationally

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recognized symbol of San Francisco and California.

The United States is a multicultural nation, home to a wide variety of

ethnic groups, traditions, and values. Aside from the now small Native

American and Native Hawaiian populations, nearly all Americans or their

ancestors immigrated within the past five centuries. The culture held in

common by most Americans—mainstream American culture—is a

Western culture largely derived from the traditions of European

immigrants with influences from many other sources, such as traditions

brought by slaves from Africa. More recent immigration from Asia and

especially Latin America has added to a cultural mix that has been

described as both a homogenizing melting pot and a heterogeneous salad

bowl in which immigrants and their descendants retain distinctive cultural

characteristics.

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Americans celebrate a variety of federal holidays and other national

observances throughout the year, such as New Year's Day, Easter,

Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and

Christmas. American holidays can be secular, religious, international, or

uniquely American.

Traditional American cuisine uses indigenous ingredients, such as

turkey, venison, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, squash, and maple syrup,

which were consumed by Native Americans and early European settlers.

Characteristic dishes such as apple pie, fried chicken, pizza, hamburgers,

and hot dogs derive from the recipes of various immigrants. French fries,

Mexican dishes such as pasta dishes freely adapted from Italian sources

are widely consumed.

Baseball has been regarded as the national sport since the late 19th

century. Basketball and ice hockey are the country's next two leading

professional team sports. Boxing and horse racing were once the most

watched individual sports, but they have been eclipsed by golf and auto

racing. Soccer is played widely at the youth and amateur levels. Tennis

and many outdoor sports are popular as well.

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