1、Chapter3AmericanEconoChapter3AmericanEconomymy 美国经济I. Industrial Revolution in AmericaI. Industrial Revolution in America-After independence, America was principally an agricultural country, which remained for another century. But some early decisions by American social and political leaders planted
2、 the seeds of industrial growth.(*eg. the first Secretary of the Treasury,财政部长 Alexander Hamilton亚历山大汉密尔顿, persuaded the Congress to establish a protective tariff, which and other Hamiltonian measures encouraged business in general. )The Industrial Revolution in England during the 18th century broug
3、ht many changes to American industry between 1776 and 1860. One key development was the introduction of the factory system. A second development was the “American systems” of mass production, which first was used in firearms(火器，轻武器) industry. A third development was the application of new technologi
4、es to industrial tasks. A fourth development was the emergence of new forms of business organization - the bank and the corporation（美：股份（有限）公司）.-1. In 1793, Samuel Slater(塞缪尔斯莱特) built the first factory in the U.S - a cotton cloth factory in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. He built the factory from memory,
5、 because it was a crime to carry factory plant out of England. The success of his factory started a process of change that turned the northeastern region of the United States into an important manufacturing center and helped the nation become a major cotton producer.I. Industrial Revolution in I. In
6、dustrial Revolution in AmericaAmerica-2. Eli Whitney（埃尔惠特尼） is an American inventor who invented the cotton gin(轧棉机), which made removing the seeds from the bolls（棉桃） of cotton much easier. He also began manufacturing rifles with machinery, using interchangeable（可互换的） part. This contributed to the A
7、merican system of mass production.-3.the first American commercial bank appeared in the 1780s. Not until 1863 did the US create a truly national banking system with a standard paper currency.-4.corporation is a form of business organization. Compared with the sole proprietorship(个体经营) and the partne
8、rship（合伙经营）, the corporation may survive the death of its founder or founders（股份（有限）公司在其创业者去世后仍然可以继续下去）. Because it could draw on a pool of investor, it is a much more efficient tool for raising the large amounts of capital needed by expanding business.（由于它可以吸引众多投资者，可以很有效地在业务发展时筹到资金。） And it enjoys
9、limited liability, so inventors only risk the amount of their investment and not their entire assets.（它具有债务有限的特点，这样投资者的风险仅限于其投资的数额，不涉及其全部财产）-finally, the construction of railroads beginning in the 1830s, marked the start of a new era for the United States.II. service industriesII. service industries
10、 industries that sell a service rather than make a product，which now dominate the economy. Service industries range from banking to telecommunications to the provision of meals in restaurants. As more and more people are employed in service industries in the US, it is sometimes said the US has moved
11、 into a “post-industrial era”(后工业时代)III. free enterpriseIII. free enterprise自由经济自由经济(lack of (lack of government oversightgovernment oversight政府不干预政府不干预) ) The story of American economic growth is a story of people inventing new devices and process, starting new businesses and launching new ventures
12、. When starting new businesses and launching new ventures money is needed. That money is known as capital (资本)- people in the United States made money by lending it to those who wanted to start of expand a business, which led to the creation of an important part of the current economic scene（经济环境）:
13、the selling of stock(买卖股票), or shares, in a business.-stock - When starting or expanding business, corporations need to borrow money. They may issue stocks for people to buy. When people buy stock, they become part owner of the company. If the company makes a profit, they receive a share of it. Like
14、wise, if the company loses money, the stockholders will not make a profit or the value of their shares will dropthey lose money. Therefore buying stock is a risk. * The best-known stock exchange is the New York Stock Exchange(纽约证券交易所), located in the Wall Street area of New York City, the nations la
15、rgest city and a major business center.IV. the roots of Americas IV. the roots of Americas affluenceaffluence - bountiful resources, the geographical size of the country and population trend (US is the 4th in the world in terms of land area and size of population ) - religious, social and political
16、traditions (eg. The Constitution of the US bars all kinds of internal tariffs, so manufactures do not have to worry about tariff barriers when shipping goods from one part of the country to another); the institutional structures of government and business; and the courage, hard work and determinatio
17、n of countless entrepreneurs and workers V. agribusiness V. agribusiness 农业产业农业产业 Because American agriculture is big business, people coined the term “agribusiness” to reflect the large-scale nature of agricultural enterprises in the modern US economy. The term covers the entire complex of farm-rel
18、ated business, from the individual farmer to the multinational maker of farm chemicals. It also includes farmer cooperatives, rural banks, shippers of farm products, commodity dealers, firms that manufacture farm equipment, food-processing industries, grocery chains and many other businesses.VI. mig
19、rant workersVI. migrant workers Many big farms hire temporary workers only for a specific choresuch as picking crops. Many of these seasonal workers travel from farm to farm, staying only until the crops are picked. They are known as migrant workers. VII. the success of American VII. the success of
20、American agricultureagriculture- American farmers are virtually unrivaled(无敌的) in producing crops cheaply and in quantity. The U.S produces as much as half of the worlds soybeans and corn and grain.- About 1/3 of the cropland in the US is planted in crops destined for export. Agricultural imports la
21、gs far behind export, leaving a surplus in the agricultural balance of trade (在农业贸易上有顺差)- The standard of living of American farmers is generally high.-The readiness of many farmers to adopt new technology has been one of the strengths of American agriculture. Yet farmers preserve a deep conservatis
22、m and respect for tradition that has helped to lend stability to rural communities in times of rapid change.(农民保留了深刻的保守主义和对传统的尊重，这使得他们在多变的时期保持了稳定.)VIII. the problems of American VIII. the problems of American agricultureagriculture - High productivity keeping food prices low, the rise of cost of the
23、 products, and high interest rates have made it hard for farmers to make a profit. - A period of economic difficulty began in the early 1980s. Agricultural exports declined, partly due to the high value of the US dollar (which raised the cost of American products to foreign buyers.) - Critics accuse both corporate and family farmers of damaging the environment. Since 1940s, American farmers have multiplied their use of artificial fertilizer and chemicals designed to kill weeds and insect pest and to protect against crop diseases.
