Introduction 1
Unit 1 On Culture—Basic Concepts for the Study of Societies 1
1．Basic Concepts of Culture 2
2．Culture 7
Unit 2 Basic Facts about the U.S.A. 15
3．The Land，the People，Natural Resources 16
4．America：A Look at the People 21
5．Here They Come！ 24
Unit 3 American Values and Characteristics 31
6．Basic American Values and Beliefs 32
7．Values and Social Problems：A Consensus View 37
8．American Values at the Crossroads 42
9．Americans—as Other People See Them 47
Unit 4 Social Classes 55
10．A Classless Society？ 56
11．Inequality in the United States 62
12．The New-Collar Class 69
Unit 5 The Economy—Overview and Historical Perspectives 77
13．How the United States Economy Works：an Overview 78
14．The World of American Business 84
15．Some Historical Perspectives on the American Economy：1830—1930 89
16．From Riches to Rags 93
Unit 6 Corporations，Big Business 101
17．The Development of Giant Corporations 102
18．Corporations，Profits and Advertising 109
19．Corporate Power and Military Corruption 110
20．The Stock Market 114
Unit 7 Labor and the Workers 121
21．Labor’s Contribution 122
22．Labor Day and the American Worker 125
23．Work and Alienation 128
24．Work on the Auto Assembly Line 133
Unit 8 Agriculture and the Farmers 137
25．Agriculture：An Overview 138
26．The New American Farmer 143
27．Hard Pressed Farmers 147
Unit 9 The Family 153
28．American Family Life 154
29．The Changing American Family（Ⅰ） 157
30．The Changing American Family（Ⅱ） 160
31．One-Parent Family：The Troubles and the Joys 167
32．Violent Families 173
Unit 10 Education 177
33．American Education：Philosophy，Methods，Problems，Goals 178
34．Education and Equality 182
35．The Classroom Computers 187
36．Advice That Can Help You Succeed on Campus 189
Unit 11 Religion 195
37．Religion 196
38．Religion in American Life 200
39．The Strange World of Cults 204
Unit 12 Mass Media 211
40．News and Entertainment Media 212
41．Spreading the News 216
42．A Disturbing Journalistic Trend 228
Appendix Ⅰ The United States of America 233
Appendix Ⅱ Regions of the United States 234
Appendix Ⅲ Products of the United States 235
Appendix Ⅳ The States 236