【Exercises】
A.Read the following statements carefully and choose the word or phrase that best completes the sentence.
1.In 1920，women voted in the presidential election for the first time in history because the________Amendment to the Constitution gave them the right to vote in that year.
A.16th B.17th C.18th D.19th
2.In order to provide greater economic security for the public，the Social Security Act established three major programs：a retirement fund，________and welfare grants to the states.
A.a children’s grant B.women’s fund
C.unemployment insurance D.minority aid
3.In August 1941，Roosevelt and Churchill issued a joint declaration，known as________，expressing common principles that they intended to follow after the war.
A.the Treaty of Versailles B.the Atlantic Charter
C.the Emancipation Proclamation D.the Gettysburg Address
4.Although it was________which pushed the U.S.into the Second World War，the
Americans and British decided that they should defeat Germany first.
A.Italy B.France C.Japan D.China
5.The GI Bill passed in 1944 provided millions of________with free education and loans to purchase farms，start businesses，or buy homes.
A.farmers B.women
C.bankrupt businessmen D.demobilized soldiers
6.The U.S.Supreme Court ruled in________in 1953 that segregation in education was illegal.
A.Marbury v.Madison
B.Brown v.the Board of Education
C.Regents of the University of California v.Bakke
D.Ruth v.Gore
7.In March 1963，Martin Luther King，Jr.delivered the greatest speech of his life：________.
A.Inauguration Speech B.Gettysburg Speech
C.I Have a Dream D.The American Scholar
8.________War was the longest war the Americans fought and the first war they completely lost.
A.The Korean B.The Mexican C.The Spanish D.The Vietnam
9.________was the first American President to visit China and started talks in 1972 that finally led to the establishment of formal relationship between the two countries.
A.Richard Nixon B.Ronald Reagan C.Gerald Ford D.James Carter
10.The most troublesome spot in the world for the United States in its foreign policy now is________.
A.East Europe B.the Middle East C.North Korea D.the Soviet Union
B.Read the following statements carefully and tell whether they are true or false.
（ ）1.After World WarⅠ，the American Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles which President Wilson had worked hard to negotiate.
（ ）2.For the first time in American history，the Hoover government deliberately practiced deficit spending in order to pull the nation out of the Great Depression.
（ ）3.While the U.S.tried to turn back to isolationism after the First World War，it actively participated in international affairs after the Second World War.
（ ）4.President Eisenhower had to deploy federal troops in the 1950s to enforce the Supreme Court’s ruling that racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional.
（ ）5.Both the Supreme Court and the nation as a whole remain divided on the issue of affirmative action.
【Supplementary Reading】
John F.Kennedy was the youngest U.S.president.and the first Catholic to be elected to that position.His inaugural speech on January 20，1961 inspired many young people.The following are excerpts from the speech.
Vice President Johnson，Mr.Speaker，Mr.Chief Justice，President Eisenhower，Vice President Nixon，President Truman，Reverend Clergy，fellow citizens：
We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom—symbolizing an end as well as a beginning—signifying renewal as well as change.For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three⁃quarters ago.
The world is very different now.For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life.And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe—the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.
……
In your hands，my fellow citizens，more than mine，will rest the final success or failure of our course.Since this country was founded，each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty.The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe.
Now the trumpet summons us again—not as a call to bear arms，though arms we need—not as a call to battle，though embattled we are—but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle，year in and year out，“rejoicing in hope，patient in tribulation”—a struggle against the common enemies of man：tyranny，poverty，disease and war itself.
Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance，North and South，East and West，that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind?Will you join in that historic effort?
In the long history of the world，only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger.I do not shrink from this responsibility—I welcome it.I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation.The energy，the faith，the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it—and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
And so，my fellow Americans：ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world：ask not what America will do for you，but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
Finally，whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world，ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you.With a good conscience our only sure reward，with history the final judge of our deeds，let us go forth to lead the land we love，asking His blessing and His help，but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.