After You Read

Knowledge Focus

1．Write down the main points outlined in Text A.

American people have a strong belief in A ，

which has both B and C aspects；

in be sub-divided into two separate parts:

D is closely related to protestant belief, while E encourages each individual to gain as much wealth as possible.

A , B , C , D and E refer to____ ,____ ,____ ,____ and____ .

2．Discuss with your partner and answer the following questions.

1)Why did early settlers emigrate from Europe to America?

2)What does American idealism mean? What is the major cause of this belief?

3)What has produced American materialism?

3．Write T if the statement is true and F if it is false.

1)As a nation of enormous diversity, the United States of America does not have a national identity.____

2)Early settlers came to America for individual freedom.____

3)American idealism makes material wealth undesirable.____

4)Protestant belief of the American people demands their great respect to the churches.____

5)The American belief in materialism partly results from the great material abundance of the U.S.____

Language Focus

1．These are the 10 key words for Text A．Discuss their meanings with your partner.

2．Work with a partner and answer the following questions.

1)What do you think are the basic characteristics Americans share?____

2)Does a person believing in individualism like being helped all the time?____

3)What are the positive and negative sides of this Americans'strong belief in individualism?____

4)Is China a country of great material abundance?____

5)Would a person believing in materialism prefer to own many possessions or few?____

3．Fill in each blank with a suitable preposition.

1)What do Americans believe____ ?

2)These early settlers wanted to be free____ such controls.

3)Americans prefer not to have government solutions____ social problems.

4)Early Americans did not have to belong____ any particular church to have this belief.

5)Each individual should live____ his or her own beliefs.

5)The early settlers found a continent____ great forests, rivers, and fertile farmland ____abundance.

ComprehensiveWork

1．Work in group of four and share ideas with your group members.

1)What may be some of the reasons that make people want to live in the United States?

2)Americans believe strongly in self-reliance and independence of the individual. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being very independent? Which is more important to you, pleasing your family or having the freedom to do what you want?

2．Essay Writing

Do you think wealth and possessions make a person important? If not, what does?