Easy Ride in a Taxi 背景知识(background info)

1. South America
For an overall view of South America and detailed information about the countries on this continent, please visit http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/samerica/sa.htm or http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Regions/South_America/.


2. Mexico City
Before Christopher Columbus set sail for the New World, the Valley of Mexico was already a bustling center of life and commerce. Known for being the longest continuously inhabited citys in the Western Hemisphere (it was founded in 1325), Mexico City now ranks as one of the largest citys in the world. It is not only the capital of Mexico, but also Mexico’s commercial center. For more information, please visit http://www.mexicocity.com.mx/mexcity.html.


3. Mexico
The site of advanced Amerindian civilizations, Mexico came under Spanish rule for three centuries before achieving independence early in the 19th century. A devaluation of the peso in late 1994 threw Mexico into economic turmoil, triggering the worst recession in over half a century. The nation continues to make an impressive recovery. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely Amerindian population in the impoverished southern states. Mexico borders the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico (between Belize and the U.S.) and the North Pacific Ocean (between Guatemala and the U.S.), and has an area of 1,972,550 sq km. Basic facts about Mexico can be found at http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/mx.html. Check out the websites at http://www.presidencia.gob.mx/?NLang=en and http://www.visitmexico.com for more extensive information about the country and its people.


4. Russia
The defeat of the Russian Empire in World War I led to the seizure of power by the communists and the formation of the USSR. In 1985-1991 General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an attempt to modernize communism, but his initiatives inadvertently released forces that by December 1991 splintered the USSR into 15 independent republics. For more information, please visit http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/rs.html for basic facts about Russia. Check out the website at http://www.russia.com for more extensive information about the country.


5. Australia
Australia became a commonwealth of the British Empire in 1901. It was able to take advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop its agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. Long-term concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef. A referendum to change Australia’s status, from a commonwealth headed by the British monarch to an independent republic, was defeated in 1999. For more information, please visit http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/as.html. The website at http://www.csu.edu.au/australia/ provides extensive links to online resources about Australia.


6. Singapore
Founded as a British trading colony in 1819, Singapore joined Malaysia in 1963, but withdrew two years later and became independent. It subsequently became one of the world’s most prosperous countries, with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world’s busiest) and with per capita GDP above that of the leading nations of Western Europe. For more information, please visit http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sn.html.


7. Thailand
A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century; it was known as Siam until 1939. Thailand is the only southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a U.S. ally following the conflict. For basic facts about Thailand, check out the web page at http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/th.html. Extensive information about the country can be found at http://www.nectec.or.th/WWW-VL-Thailand.html.