Culture and Societies of English-Speaking Countries

QUESTIONS FOR THE READING

Read pages 262, 264, 272, 274, 275, 276, 277, 278 from Smithsonian American Visual History and answer the
following questions.

1. How would you translate this sentence and explain it to a Spaniard: “Even
though Gore had led the popular vote—more people had across the country
had voted for him—Bush had more electoral votes and won the election”
(262).

Aunque Gore lideraba el voto popular,

mucha gente en todo el país había votado
por él, Bush tenía más votos electorales y
ganó las elecciones.

2. Describe the events of September 11th, and

its impact in American society.

On the morning of September 11, 2001,

Americans were shocked because a hijacked airliner crashed into the north
tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. Minutes later, a second
hijacked airliner crashed into the south tower. A third hijacked plane plowed
into the Pentagon, which was the nerve center of the US military and there
was a fourth plane, but the passenger fought back against the hijackers.
This killed a lot of people, and the firefighters and policemen were heroes to
people that could be saved. This launched America into a war against
terrorism.

3. Hurricane Katrina started the concerns for nature and the environment in the
US. Elaborate.

The Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, causing damage from central
Florida to Texas. It affected more than ninety thousand square miles, with
water surging twelve miles inland. In New Orleans, despite a mandatory
evacuation, many thousand were trapped and a lot of people died from the
storm. The Federal Emergency Management Agency was criticized for failing
to prepare for the aftermath, and Bush was also criticized for not realizing
how bad the situation was.

4. What have been the effects of climate change and which president
introduced laws about it?

Climate change brought more intense hurricanes and droughts, and an

increase in extreme weather patterns. The first president to introduce
environmental laws to regulate carbon pollution from power plants and
provided investments for renewable energy, was Barack Obama. Also the
 wildfires are a huge problem in the US. Also, nowadays there are more
endangered species such as the polar bears found in parts of Alaska.

5. Cite some green initiatives in the US.

In 2015, the Us and many countries agreed to join to combat the climate
change and bring about low carbon future by signing the United Nation’s
Paris Agreement. Green energy rather than fossil fuels, and biofuels made
from sustainable sources such as animal or food waste. Americans started to
recycle. However, Trump announced in 2017 that the US would withdraw
from this agreement. But Americans continue to put on more green
initiatives, such as the electric cars, with an electric motor and batteries.

6. Describe Obama´s presidency and the economic collapse.

Barack Obama was the first African American president of the United States.
He inspired confidence with his campaign messages. His presidency was
very difficult because he had to govern a country that was polarized.
In 2007, economist began to worry about the increasing number of
Americans who were struggling with their mortgage payments. The banks
responded by limiting the amount of money that could be borrowed, creating
a credit crunch. This led to an economic slowdown, and Lehman Brothers,
one of the most powerful banks of America, collapsed. The economy went
into a big recession, the worst since the Great Depression. During this time
many people lost their homes, their works and food banks became a
common place.

7. What/who does the Tea Party Movement attack?

The Tea Party was a populist, anti- Washington movement that believed the
federal government had become too powerful. It had evangelical values and
they believed that Obama was not fully committed to the US, and they also
attacked well-established Republicans who they felt needed to do a better
job.

8. What is the Cuban Thaw?

In December 2015, Barack Obama and the president of Cuba announced

that Cuba ad America would begin to normalize relations, ending 54 years of
hostility. Obama became the first president of America to visit Cuba since
1928.

9. Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton 2016 Elections: who won the popular vote
and the Electoral College?

Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, but Donald trump won in the Electoral
College.

10. Find information on Joe Biden. Do you think he will be reelected?

 Before he became the president of the United States, he represented
Delaware for 36 years in the Senate. People vote for him because they
thought Biden could give America the lead of the world and that he would
rebuild the Americans communities better. He wanted to function as only
one nation. This message was immensely powerful at a time that people
were divided fighting with the pandemic and with racist injustices. He is
presenting himself for the reelection in 2024, and if he does the right thing
now, he would be reelected.

TRANSLATE into SPANISH (bearing in mind its Spanish audience):

 Gore had a narrow lead (262) : Gore tenía una estrecha ventaja.
 Found the ballot confusing (262) : Encontró la papeleta confuse.
 A hijacked airliner crashed (264): Un avión secuestrado se estrelló.
 Many different geographical features (272): Muchos accidents geográficos
diferentes.
 Droughts and wildfires (274): Sequías e incendios forestales.
 Freshwater fish and bumblebees (275): Peces de agua dulce y abejorros.
 Drilling rig (275) : Plataforma de perforación.
 Within two years, the Democrats would lose control of the House (276): En
dos años, los demócratas perderían el control de la Cámara.
 Mortgage payment (276): Pago de la hipoteca.
 Though his exact net worth is unclear, Trump claims he is a billionaire
(278): Aunque su patrimonio neto no está claro, Trump afirma que es
billonario.