田纳西州小档案：
人口：约50万
面积：约109，411平方公里，第34位
州府：纳什维尔Nashville
田纳西州，名称来自印第安语，因查拉几族最大之村田纳西Tanasi而得名。
1757年，英国人来此地殖民。1796年6月1日成为美国第16州。以鸢尾花Iris为州花。本州别名叫做“志愿之州”Volunteer State，本州箴言：“农业和商业”Agricultrue and Commerce。
州府是纳什维尔Nashville，位于中北部。大商业都市是孟菲斯Memphis，位于本州西境密西西比河左岸，是本州大商港。
本州大专学院有50多所。其中最著名的是田纳西大学，创于1794年，位于诺克斯维尔Knoxville。
本州特征有二：第一，它是美国实施多目标水利计划最成功之一州。1933年，由于本州甚多水旱之灾，农业不振，工业又落后，乃创立田纳西流域管理局Tennessee Valey Authority，简称TVA。兴建水闸及多座水库，各大湖均成为狭长之湖，用以防洪、灌溉、发电、供给工业用水，附近六个州均蒙其利。第二，它是美国制造原子弹最早之州。第二次世界大战期内，在本州橡岭Oak Ridge制成第一枚原子弹。现今此地设有美国原子能博物馆American Museum of Atomic Energy。
本州地势，由东向西降低。可分三区：（A）东部是大烟山山地西坡。虽然是山地，但由于水电丰富，工业振兴，人口尚多。由此向西，是昆布兰山地东坡，人口也多。以上两区都属于阿帕拉契山区的范围。（B）中部是纳什维尔盆地，钙质土，很肥沃，农业很发达，与肯塔基州中北部之青草盆地，同样著名。（C）西部介于田纳西河下游与密西西比河之间，冲积平原很宽广，为大农业区。本州多丘陵及山地，林区约占本州面积二分之一，本州有多种工业，其中以化学工业著名。
Introduction简介
Tennessee’s great diversity（差异，多样性）in land，climate，rivers，and plant and animal life is mirrored by a rich and colorful past．For all of the last 200years or so that this country has been inhabited，the story of Tennessee is the story of its native peoples．The fact that Tennessee and many of the places in it still carry Native American names serves as a lasting reminder of the significance of its native inhabitants．Much of Tennessee’s appeal for her ancient people and for later pioneer settlers lay with the richness and beauty of the land．
Tennessee divides naturally into three“grand divisions”，East Tennessee，Middle Tennessee with its foothills and basin（盆地），and the low plain of West Tennessee．Travelers coming to the state from the east encounter first the lofty Unaka［残丘（块）］and Smoky Mountains，flanked on their western slope（斜坡）by the Great Valley of East Tennessee．Moving across the Valley floor，they next face the Cumberland Plateau which historically presented a barrier to westward migration．West of the Plateau，one decends into the Central Basin of Middle Tennessee with its rolling fertile countryside．The Central Basin is surrounded on all sides by the Highland Rim，the western ridge of which drops into the Tennessee River Valley．Across the river begin the low hills and plain of West Tennessee．these geographical“grand divisions”correspond to（相应，符合）the distinctive political and economic cultures of the state’s three regions．
Tennessee possesses a climate advantageous for people and agriculture，with abundant rainfall（降雨）and a long，temperate growing season．The area generally is free from long droughts（干旱）and freezes of more extreme climates．The three major rivers that flow around and across Tennessee are the Mississippi，Tennessee，and Cumberland Rivers．These rivers have creates watersheds（分水岭）which cover most of the state．These rivers and their tributary（支流的）streams have played a significant role from the earliest times by yielding fish and game，by serving as major transportation routes，and by creating the fertile bottom lands．
Governor州长
Phil Bredesen 2003年就职为田纳西州第48任州长，他向本州人许诺：“办实事，不浮夸”。在他上台的头一年里，他就使政府的公正、公开和责任程度上一个新的台阶。他实行行政预算听证会，让纳税人看到自己所交纳的税收决定怎样使用。透明化和公开化的领导风范为他在本州赢得了声誉。
Phil Bredesen，the 48th governor of Tennessee，took office January 18，2003，with a promise to“focus energy on real results by leaving behind predictable and stale（陈腐的，陈旧的）political debates”．
During his first year in office，Bredesen brought a new level of candor（公正），openness（宽阔，公开）and accountability to state government．In one of his first acts as Governor，he opened the door to administrative budget（行政预算）hearings，allowing taxpayers（纳税人）to see for the first time the decisions that are made on how their money is spent．His first three executive orders established the toughest ethics rules in the history of Tennessee’s executive branch．He managed the State through a fiscal crisis（财政危机）without raising taxes or cutting funding for education．Most of all，he instilled a renewed confidence that government can work on behalf of its citizens for the betterment（改良）of the entire state．
Years Two and Three brought more progress．Bredesen pushed measures to improve education，including raising teacher pay above the Southeastern average and expanding Tennessee’s pre－kindergarten program as part of a statewide（遍及全州的，全州范围的）initiative．To recruit new industry and jobs，he worked with the General Assembly to reform Tennessee’s workers’compensation system and invest in retraining programs to help laid－off employees develop new skills in the rapidly changing economy．He launched Tennessee’s war on methamphetamine abuse by focusing on treatment，prevention and public awareness as well as enhanced criminal penalties（处罚）and resources for law enforcement．
Most importantly，Bredesen took control of TennCare－the state’s financially troubled Medicaid－expansion program－by preserving full enrollment for children and pursuing innovating care and disease－management initiatives．Even after necessary reductions in adult enrollment to maintain TennCare’s fiscal balance，the program remains one of the most generous and comprehensive state healthcare plans in the nation．
Before serving as Tennessee’s governor，Bredesen built a reputation for effective leadership as the mayor of Nashville from 1991to 1999，charting a course that made Music City U．S．A．one of the best places in America to live，work and raise a family．Among other accomplishments，he invested nearly 500million to build new schools and hire new teachers．He developed a state－of－the－art library system，oversaw downtown redevelopment，expanded the city’s park system and drove down the crime rate．Under his leadership，Nashville saw record economic growth by recruiting high－quality jobs and companies such as Dell Computer Corp．and HCA Inc．Bredesen also brought two professional sports teams to Nashville：the NFL’s Tennessee Titans and the NHL’s Nashville Predators．