本书旨在提高中小学英语教师对英语国家文化与国情的了解。主要包括几个主要的英语国家的社会、历史、地理、政治、经济、文化等的概况，通过学习进一步提高在岗教师的对所教语言国家的了解，从而可以进一步提高教学质量。

本册为《读懂加拿大一本就够了》，由黄建滨主编。

I. Geography and People 1

 1.1 Size and Location 1

 1.2 Topology 3

 1.3 Geographic Features 6

 1.4 Climate 12

 1.5 Population and Population Centers 17

 1.6 Principal Cities 23

II. History 28

 2.1 Discovery of Canada 28

 2.2 Rediscovery and Exploration 32

 2.3 The Founding of New France 34

 2.4 Colonial Wars between Britain and France 36

 2.5 British Canada 39

 2.6 Self-government and Confederation 42

 2.7 World Wars 44

 2.8 The Canadian Nation 46

 2.9 The Separatist Issue in Quebec 51

III. Government and Politics 65

 3.1 The Canadian Government 65

3.1.1 Legislative Power 65

3.1.2 Executive Power 69

3.1.3 The Constitution 70

 3.2 The Provincial Government and Territories 72

 3.3 Laws and Courts 73

 3.4 Political Parties 78

IV. Economy 80

 4.1 Economy in General 80

 4.2 Natural Resources 80

4.2.1 Water 82

4.2.2 Fishing 83

4.2.3 Forest 87

4.2.4 Mineral Resources 87

 4.3 Agriculture 90

 4.4 Manufacturing 92

 4.5 The Economy Today 93

 4.6 Regional Imbalances 96

 4.7 Relations with the US 98

V. Canadian Society 101

 5.1 Bilingualism 101

 5.2 Urbanization 102

 5.3 Aging Problems 103

 5.4 Religion 104

 5.5 Health Care 107

 5.6 Social Security 109

VI. Canadian Culture 110

 6.1 Multiculturalism 110

 6.2 Influence of American Culture 114

 6.3 Art 116

 6.4 Literature 118

 6.5 Theatre 121

 6.6 Comedy 124

 6.7 Music 125

 6.8 Film and Television 126

VII. Education in Canada 129

 7.1 Education in General 129

 7.2 Compulsory Education 131

 7.3 Higher Education 133

VIII. Characteristics of Canadian English 138

 8.1 History 139

 8.2 Spelling 141

 8.3 Pronunciation 145

 8.4 Canadian Raising 148

IX. Folklore and Holidays 152

 9.1 Canadian Folklore 152

 9.2 Public Holidays in Canada 157

References 166

Postscript 168