For many in the United States,Arab-Americans are an invisible part of the population.
Though Arab-Americans as a community have made great contributions to American
society in fields from literature to politics to medicine,many Americans know very little
about Americans of Arab backgrounds．
     Arab history in the United States goes back to the late 1800's when large numbers
of Arab immigrants first began making their journey to a land known simply as"Amreeka"．
     Historians generally describe Arab immigration to America in two waves．The first wave
took place between 1860 and 1924．The first wave consisted of Lebanese and Syrian,and
some Egyptian immigrants．These new immigrants,who were mostly Christian,came to
America in search of better opportunities．Even the doomed Titanic,which set sail for
America in 1912,had close to a hundred Arab passengers aboard．The majority of
Arab-Americans today are descendents of the first wave of immigrants;they are the third
or more generation Americans．
     The second wave of immigrants followed after World War Ⅱ,caused by political unrest
in the Middle East．This second wave of immigrants consists of mainly Arab Muslims(穆斯
林)and continues to this day．
     Arab-Americans make up 3 million of the population in the United States,according to
demographers．And quite different from popular belief,64 percent of them are American-born．
Eighty-two percent of Arab-Americans are US citizens．
     Arab-Americans are beyond the national average in both education and income．Education
is important among Arab-Americans;82 percent have high school diplomas,36 percent have
bachelor's degrees or higher,and 15 percent have graduate degrees．The-median(中位数的)
average income among Arab-Americans is $39 580,which is higher than the US average．