《美国社会与文化》分为15个独立但又相互联系的模块。每个模块（Modules）都围绕着美国文化、经济、社会背景、生活方式等中国学生感兴趣的主题（Themes）展开。每个独立模块下设的三大任务（Tasks），其中的主题故事、话题、人物、电影等旨在深入浅出地引领英语学习者成为探究式学习的主体，摆脱对教师的习惯性依赖。
冷慧、董广才主编这本《美国社会与文化》的目的在于使学习英语的中国学生不仅能讲英语，更能通晓美国社会规范、文化习俗、生活方式、思维方式、交际方式，能有的放矢地与美国人进行交流，避免由于不同文化差异带来不必要的冲突与碰撞。 全书分为15个独立但又相互联系的模块。每个模块都围绕着美国文化、经济、社会背景、生活方式等中国学生感兴趣的主题展开。每个独立模块下设的三大任务，其中的主题故事、话题、人物、电影等旨在深入浅出地引领英语学习者成为探究式学习的主体，摆脱对教师的习惯性依赖。 本书的读者为大学本科生、研究生、英语教师及广大从事跨文化交际工作的涉外人员。本书也很适合即将奔赴美国和其他国家留学和工作的朋友们。
1 Fast Facts about the Unlted States of America
2 American Indian History
3 Colonization,Independence and the Westward Expansion
4 Selected American History Topics
5 Blacks in America
6 American Economy
7 American Government
8 Religion in America
9 Education in America
10 Chinese in America
11 Sports in America
12 American Lifestyle
13 American Transitions:From Cradle to Grave
14 American Film, Music,and Literature
15 American Media
Cattle often wandered many miles over the open range in search of food， so thecattle owners used "branding" or the burning of markings into the hide of each cow toidentify their property. Each ranch had its own distinctive brand. The ranchers guardedtheir proprietary brands and men were sometimes shot or hanged for stealing cattleand altering the brands.
Most of the year， the cattle wandered over the open rangeland and required littlecare. Each spring， after the cows gave birth， it was necessary to find all the new calveswhile they were still with their mothers， and to brand each of them to establish theirproper ownership.
During the mid-nineteenth century， very few railroads extended into the westernterritories， and none reached the open rangelands. At least once a year， the cowhandson a ranch rounded up all of the cattle ready for market and herded them overmountains and across deserts to the nearest railroad terminal. Sometimes， the cowhandsdrove several thousand cattle hundreds of miles to the railhead.
Today， four-wheel-drive vehicles have replaced most of the horses， and cattle drivesare done with eighteen-wheel trucks. There are still a few working cowboys out west，but not nearly as many. Working cowboys usually wear plain work jeans， a beat-up pairof work boots and a dusty， well-worn hat with a wide brim to keep sun and rain out oftheir eyes.
Today， some people enjoy taking a vacation on a "Dude Ranch" where they can livethe life of a cowboy for a week， riding horses， using a rope to lasso calves， doing ranchwork， etc. City Slickers is a famous movie about that kind of vacation.
Today's cowboys like to compete in a sport known as rodeo， which is based onthe skills required of the cowboys. Events that involve horses and other livestockare designed to test the skill and speed of the cowboy and cowgirl athletes whoparticipate. Rodeo， particularly popular today within the Canadian province of Albertand throughout the western United States， is the official state sport of Wyoming， SouthDakota， and Texas.
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