英语专业国家概况期末复习总结

英语国家概况

名词解释

1. The civil rights movement

(1955–1968) refers to the reform movements in the United States aimed at abolishing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring suffrage in Southern states.

2. A federal system

A federal system is one in which power is shared between a central authority and its constituent parts with some rights reserved to each.

3. King Arthur

It is said that he was the King of England in the 5th century and united the British and drove the Saxons back with his magical sword, Excalibur. His real existence is in doubt. He is the central figure of many legends.

4. The Anglo-Saxons

They were two groups of Germanic peoples who settled down in England from the 5th century. They were regarded as the ancestors of the English and the founders of England.

5. Riverdance

Riverdance is a very popular form of dancing based on I reland’s intricate folk dances which are rearranged and modernized and adapted onto current stage performance. Dancing is traditionally part of Irish culture. It is usually accompanied by the Irish pipe and fiddle. The music usually sounds fast and furious. Most of the action is from the waist down, with the arms held rigidly at the sides.

6. The House of Commons

The House of Commons is the real centre of British political life because it is the place where about 650 elected representatives (Members of Parliament) make and debate policy. These MPs are elected in the General Elections and should represent the interests of people who vote for them.

7. The Commonwealth

It is a voluntary association of states which is made up of Britain and mostly of former British colonies. There are 54 members of the Commonwealth including one currently suspended member: many of these are developing countries like India and Cyprus; others are developed nations like Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The Commonwealth was set up as a forum for continued cooperation and as a sort of support network.

8. Maoritanga

Maoritanga means ―Maori culture‖. It refers to all the elements of the rich cultural heritage of the indigenous people in New Zealand, including their language, customs and traditions.

9. The “Washminster” form polity

The ―Washminster‖form of polity is adopted by the Australian government. It is a mixture of the US Washington system of government and the British Westminster system. This means that the political

structure of the government is based on a Federation of States with a three-tier system of government. However, the chief executive is a Prime Minster, instead of a President as in the US system.

10 Martin Luther King, Jr.

A black Baptist minister, he was the leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. To promote his philosophy of nonviolent protest against segregation and other kinds of social injustice, King organized a series of "marches", including the March on Washington of August 1963, when King delivered his famous "I have a dream" speech. As a civil rights leader, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He was assassinated in the city of Memphis in April 1968.

简答题

1. Explain your understanding of how the United States is governed according to its constitution, including its polity and the check and balance mechanism of governing.

In the course of the Convention, the delegates designed a new form of government for the United States. He plan for the government was written in very simple language in a document called the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution set up a federal system with a strong central government. A federal system is one in which power is shared between a central authority and its constituent parts, with some rights reserved to each. The Constitution also called for the election of a national leader, or president. It provided that federal laws would be made only by a Congress made up of representatives elected by the people. It also provided for a national court system headed by a Supreme Court. There are three branches of the federal government: legislative branch, executive branch and judicial branch. The legislative Branch is made up of elected representatives from all of the states and is the only branch that can make federal laws, levy federal taxes, declare war or put foreign treaties into effect. It consists of a Congress that is divided into two houses: The House of Representatives and The Senate.

The chief executive of the United States is the president, who, together with the vice president, is elected to a four-year term. Under a Constitutional Amendment passed in 1951, a president can be elected to only two terms. The power of the presidency are formidable, but not without limitations. And the president has the authority to appoint federal judges as vacancies occur, including members of the Supreme Court. Under the Constitution, the president is primarily responsible for foreign relations with other nations.

The judicial branch is headed by the Supreme Court, which is the only court specifically created by the Constitution. Federal judges are appointed for life or voluntary retirement, and can only be removed from office through the process of impeachment and trail in the Congress. The Supreme Court today consists of a chief justice and eight associate justices.

When Americans talk about their three-part national government, they often refer to what they call its system of "checks and balances". This system works in many ways to keep serious mistakes from being made by

one branch or another. But sometimes they do not work the way as they are supposed to work. Here are a example of checks and balances:

If Congress proposes a law that the president thinks is unwise, the president can veto it. And the Senate must approve all treaties and confirm all appointments before they become official. In this way the Congress can prevent the president from making unwise appointments.

2. How do you understand the saying:” British history has been a history of invasion.”?

British history has been a history of invasions. Before the 1st century AD Britain was made up of tribal kingdoms of Celtic people. They brought the central European culture to Britain. Then in 43AD, Roman Empire invaded Britain and controlled it for slave society but also disseminated their Catholicism.

However, in the 5th century, the Roman Empire rapidly waned in power and Britain was conquered by the Angles and the Saxons. In order to defend the Saxons, a great leader—King Arthur appeared. He created the "round table" to satisfy all the knights' requirement of having equal precedence. Thus it gradually formed the monarchy in Britain as a more democratic system. Whether Arthur's a real person in the history or not, Anglo-Saxons did succeed in invading Britain and they were the forefathers of the English.

In the 8th century, the Vikings from Denmark controlled the northern and eastern England. A Anglo-Saxon hero, king Alfred the Great fought against the Vikings with the truly English. And that's why there's a certain cultural difference between northerners and southerners in England. Later, the Normans from northern France, under the leading of William of Normandy, killed the king and William became the First of England. They imported a ruling class that French-speaking Norman aristocracy ruled Saxon and English-speaking population. In this condition, there weren't a lot of rebellions among the English people. That directly formed an English unique character: a richly unconventional interior life hidden by an external conformity. Even today, we can still find this personality from the British people through their lifestyles.

In fact, such invasion is a peaceful history of joining together the various parts of the British Isles and the power gradually transferred from the monarch to the parliament. So the constitutional monarchy has been established in Britain.

3. Which foreign festival do you like best and why?

Among all those foreign festivals, Christmas is my favorite. and I believe it's also the biggest and best loved holiday in many western countries.

There are plenty of reasons for me to love Christmas. In western countries, schools close for the holiday period, as do shops and offices, so people can spend time at home with their families. While Christmas has a

Christian meaning--it commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ--celebrations of the Winter Solstice have taken place since ancient times and some "Christian" traditions such as decorating the house with evergreen plants like holly and ivy, or kissing under a twig of mistletoe, are actually Celtic or pagan traditions. Nowadays, Christmas is celebrated by most Britons by exchanging gifts and Christmas cards, preparing holiday foods, and decorating homes and workplaces with coloured lights, Christmas trees and ornaments.

There are three Christmas traditions which are particularly funny.

One is the Christmas Pantomime, a comical musical play. The "panto " is usually based on a version of a traditional children's story like Cinderella, written to include songs and jokes which can be enjoyed by adults and children. The main man character--the "principal boy"--is played by a young woman. In the days when women wore long skirts, it was considered rather naughty to see a woman appear in an outfit which revealed the shape of her legs. The main female character is a middle-aged, often ugly woman called "the Dame." The Dame is played by a man, often a famous actor or sportsman. When he appears in heavy make up, skirts and woman's shoes, it is considered very humorous. The audience is encouraged to cheer the hero on and boo when the villain appears.

Another Christmas tradition in British is to hear the Queen give her Christmas message to her realm over the television and radio. The British Queen is also the Queen of other nations, like Canada and Australia, and so her message is broadcast to her millions of subjects throughout the world. She usually talks about the year that has passed and expresses her hopes for the future.

The third funny tradition, which is also celebrated in countries with British heritages, is Boxing Day, which falls on the day after Christmas. Traditionally, it was on Boxing Day that people gave Christmas gifts or money to their staff or servants. Now that most British people do not have servants, this custom is no longer observed and most people cannot even tell you what one is supposed to do on Boxing Day. Some think it involves the sport of boxing and others think it has something to do with the Boxer uprising in China. However, a new Boxing Day custom has emerged, in the cities at least: shopping. Shops open up to sell off all their Christmas stock decorations, food, cards and gift items at low prices. But for most people, however, Boxing Day is a day for visiting, eating and relaxing.

英语国家概况的复习资料

英语国家概况考试题型如下： 1.选择题（30 X 1’） 2.填空题（20 X 1’） 3.简答（10 X 2’）--必须回答完整的句子 4.分析题（6 X 5’）-- 必须回答完整的句子 总分100 分 主要内容包括： 一．U.S. Geography 1.Full name of U.S.. 2.Number of States: 50 states. 3.After President Jefferson brought the Louisiana territory from France there was a desire for territorial expansion among many frontier men. 4.The U.S. has a land area of 9.3 million square kilometers. The fourth largest countries. 5.Taxas is the largest mainland state of the U.S.. Alaska is the largest state of the U.S.. 6.Hawaii is in the Pacific Ocean. 7.America’s movies are mostly made in Hollywood near the city of Los Angeles in south California. 二．U.S. People 1.The largest of the racial and ethnic minorities in the US is the Blacks (Afriican-Americans). 2.The “first Americans” were the Indians. 3.The Asian-Americans are the fastest-growing racial and ethnic group in the United States. 4.The first permanent settlement in North America was established in today’s V erginia in the year of 1607. 5.The “Three Faiths” in the U.S. refer to: ?Protestan ?Catholic ?Jewish 6.The majority of the Catholics in the U.S. are descendants of immigrants from Ireland, Italy and Poland. 7.American society is a stratified one in which power, wealth and pestige are unequally distributed among the population. 8.WASP stands for White Anglo-Saxon Protestant.

英语国家概况课后题总结和答案

Chapter 1 land and people are the differences between Britain and the British Isles, Great Britain,England,the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth The British Isles,Greant Britina and England are geographical names, no the official names of the country,while the official name is the United Kingdom,but the full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern British Commonwealth is a free association of independent countries that were once colonies of Britian. the geographical position of Britian Britain is an island country. It lies in the north Atlantic Ocean off the north coast of is separated from the rest of Europe by the English channel in the south and the North Sea in the east. in Great Britain are mostly highland and lowland The north and west of Britain are mainly highland, while the south and south-east are mostly lowlands. Britain have a favourable climate why Yes,it has a favourable climate, because it has a maritime type of climate---winters are mild,not too cold and summers are cool, not too has a steady reliable rainfall throughout the whole has a small range of temperature,too. are the factors which influence the climate in Britain Which part of Britain has the most rainfall and which part is the driest

英语国家概况_习题集(含答案)

《英语国家概况》课程习题集西南科技大学成人、网络教育学院版权所有 习题 【说明】：本课程《英语国家概况》（编号为12010）共有单选题,名词解释题,简答题,填空题2等多种试题类型，其中，本习题集中有[简答题]等试题类型未进入。 一、单选题 1. Celts were different groups of ancient people who came originally from________ A. France B. Denmark C. Ireland D. Germany 2. Who invaded and conquered Britain for the first time in 55 BC? A. Emperor Claudius B. Julius Caesar C. King Alfred D. King Ethelred 3. Who is the author of Murder in the Cathedral? A. Christopher Marlowe B. T. S. Eliot C. Ben Johnson D. Thomas Becket 4.When Oliver Cromwell died in 1658, and was succeeded by his son, ______, the regime began immediately to collapse. A. Henry B. Hamilton C. Richard D. Charles 5. The 18th century saw selective breeding of cattle, sheep and houses by _________. A. Jethro Tull B. Thomas Coke C. George III D. Robert Bakewell 6. Which of the following is not one of the members of the Lords Temporal? A. all hereditary peers and peeresses of the England, Scotland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom (but not peers of Ireland) B. lire peers created to assist the House in its judicial duties C. senior bishops of the Church of England D. all other life peers 7. Two years after the ending of the Hundred Years’ War with France, England was thrown into another series of civil wars, ________. A. the War of the Celts

英语国家概况—英国

Part One: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Chapter 1 Land and People Chapter 2 The Origins of a Nation (500BC~AD1066) Chapter 3 The Shape of the Nation (1066~1381) Chapter 4 Transition to the Modern Age (1455~1688) Chapter 5 The Rise and Fall of the British Empire (1688~1990) Chapter 6 The Economy Chapter 7 Government and Administration Chapter 8 Justice the Law Chapter 9 Social Affairs Chapter 10 Cultural Affairs Chapter 1 Land, People and Language ?1 Different Names for Britain and its Parts The official name of Britain is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.The geographical names are the British Isles, Great Britain and England. People just say Britain, the United Kingdom or simply U.K. ?People England is the largest and most populous, almost a quarter of the people lives in England’s prosperous and fertile southeast, with over 7 million in the capital. The majority of the population are descendants of the Anglo-Saxons, a Germanic people from Europe who went to England between the 5th and 7th centuries.These people settled in England and drove the native Celtic people to the mountainous areas of Wales and Scotland. Their language became the official language of the country. Most people in W ales and Scotland are descendants of the Celtic people who were the earliest known inhabitants of Britain. The Irish people were also of Celtic origin. About a hundred years ago, as a result of its imperialist expansion, Britain ruled an empire that had one fourth of the world’s people and a quarter of the world’s land area. ?Geographical Features There are 3 political divisions on the island of Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales. The island of Ireland is divided into 2 parts: Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Britain has, for centuries, been slowly tilting with the North-W est slowly rising and the South-East slowly sinking. The north and west of Britain are mainly highlands; the east and south-east are mostly lowlands. There are 3 natural zones of Scotland: the Highlands in the north, the central Lowlands, and the southern Uplands.

英语国家概况

英语国家概况》期末复习题（含答案） （第I卷客观题共45分） 1. 选择题（共30 分; 每题1 分） U.K. 1. The importance of the British monarchy can be seen in its effect on ___ . D A. passing the bills B. advising the government C. political parties D. public attitude 2. The policies of the Conservative Party in Great Britain are characterized by pragmatism and . D A. government intervention B. nationalization of enterprises C. social reform D. a belief in individualism 3. Oxford University is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. 4. Cabinet members are chosen by ___ in Britain. B A. the monarch B. the Prime Minister C. the Archbishop D. the Lord Chancellor 5. English belongs to the Germanic group of Indo-European family of languages. 6. The Severn River is the longest river in Britain. 7. The following Christmas traditions are particularly British except ___ . A A. Trooping the Color B. Queen 's Christmas message C. Boxing Day D. Christmas pantomime 8. Among Britain q'uaslity press, the following newspapers are regarded as the “ BigThree with the exception of The Observer. 9. In 2012, Britain had a population of about 63 million. 10. The two main islands of the British Isles are Great Britain and Ireland. 11. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once said that, “ Britain and tht e dUSntiates will stand side by side ”. 12. The Labor Party affected the British society greatly in that it ___ . A A. set up the National Health Services B. improved public transportation C. abolished the old tax system D. enhanced the economic development 13. Margaret Thatcher go'v s ernment introduced the biggest changes in British economic policy since World War II. 14. Charles Dickens is a representative of English Critical Realism at the turn of the 19 th century. 15. The three principle features of the climate of Britain are the following EXCEPT ___ . C A. the frequent fog in winter B. the large number of rainy days C. extreme coldness even in summer D. changeability all the year round 16. Samuel Johnson 'dsictionary was influential in establishing a standard form of spelling in English. 17. The introduction of Christianity to Britain added the first element of Latin and Greek words to English. 18. __ was not among the four self-governing dominions in the British Empire. C A. Australia B. Canada C. India D. the Union of South Africa 19. Of the following sectors in Britain, service industry has experienced spectacular growth si nee the end of World War II. 20. Cambridge has more Nobel Prize winners than any other institution in Britain.

《英语国家概况》模拟试卷(二)及答案

《英语国家概况》模拟试卷（二） (考试时间150分钟) (英语专业) I. Direction: Read the following unfinished statements of questions carefully. For each unfinished statement of question four suggested answers A; B, C and D are given. Choose the one you think best completes the statement or answers the question. Write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space on your answer sheet (25%) 1. There are ______ political divisions on the island of Great Britain. A. one B. two C. three D. four 2. Magna Carta had altogether 63 clauses of which the most important matters could be seen in three of the following except _______. A. no tax should be made without the approval of the Grand Council; B. no serf should be arrested, imprisoned or deprived of his property except by the law of the land C. London and other towns should retain their ancient rights and privileges D. There should be the same weights and measures through - out the country. 3. The first steam engine was devised by Thomas Newcomer at the end of the 17th century, and the Scottish inventor ________ modified and improved the design in 1765. A. Abraham Darby B. James Watt C. John Kay D. Richard Arkwright 4. In some areas factory farming methods are used, particularly for ________. A. growing crop B. producing milk C. catching fish D. rearing poultry 5. By tradition, the leader of the majority party is appointed ______ by the Sovereign in the United Kingdom. A. Prime Minister B. Member of Parliament C. Lord of Appeal D. Speaker of the House 6. Under the Anglo - Irish Treaty, Britain established _______ with dominion status in Ireland in 1921. A. the Anglican Church of Ireland B. the Irish Free State C. the Irish Republican Army

英语专业国家概况期末复习总结

英语国家概况 名词解释 1. The civil rights movement (1955–1968) refers to the reform movements in the United States aimed at abolishing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring suffrage in Southern states. 2. A federal system A federal system is one in which power is shared between a central authority and its constituent parts with some rights reserved to each. 3. King Arthur It is said that he was the King of England in the 5th century and united the British and drove the Saxons back with his magical sword, Excalibur. His real existence is in doubt. He is the central figure of many legends. 4. The Anglo-Saxons They were two groups of Germanic peoples who settled down in England from the 5th century. They were regarded as the ancestors of the English and the founders of England. 5. Riverdance Riverdance is a very popular form of dancing based on I reland’s intricate folk dances which are rearranged and modernized and adapted onto current stage performance. Dancing is traditionally part of Irish culture. It is usually accompanied by the Irish pipe and fiddle. The music usually sounds fast and furious. Most of the action is from the waist down, with the arms held rigidly at the sides. 6. The House of Commons The House of Commons is the real centre of British political life because it is the place where about 650 elected representatives (Members of Parliament) make and debate policy. These MPs are elected in the General Elections and should represent the interests of people who vote for them. 7. The Commonwealth It is a voluntary association of states which is made up of Britain and mostly of former British colonies. There are 54 members of the Commonwealth including one currently suspended member: many of these are developing countries like India and Cyprus; others are developed nations like Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The Commonwealth was set up as a forum for continued cooperation and as a sort of support network. 8. Maoritanga Maoritanga means ―Maori culture‖. It refers to all the elements of the rich cultural heritage of the indigenous people in New Zealand, including their language, customs and traditions. 9. The “Washminster” form polity The ―Washminster‖form of polity is adopted by the Australian government. It is a mixture of the US Washington system of government and the British Westminster system. This means that the political

英语国家概况总结资料全

Unit1 A Brief Introduction to the United Kingdom 1.The flag of Britain : Union Jack （英国国旗中没有显示出Welsh旗） 2. The basic information of each country: Count ry Capital Area Memo Englan d London 最大 1.最不会把自己的 “英格兰文化区 别于其他文化” 2.一个高度城市化

3.The time joining the British parliament: However, in 1707 by agreement of the English and Scottish parliaments, Scotland joined the Union. 4.Difference between the British Isles ,UK, Great Britain , and England: British Isles: the island of Great Britain the island of Ireland

surrounding isles ●UK=Great Britain + Northern Ireland ●Great Britain =England +Scotland + Wales 5.The four major invasions in the history of Great Britain : At first, England was occupied by Celtic people. Then in 43AD Britain was invaded by the Roman Empire. Result: England and Wales became a part of the Roman Empire for nearly 400 years. the Angle-Saxon invaded. Result: The land they lived became" Angle-land", later changed into England, the language they spoken became English. PS：One of the best-known English legends derives from this time. In 5 century AD, King Author(亚瑟王) united the British, and with his magical sword, Excalibur（被称为“王者之剑”的圣剑）,

英语国家概况期末考整理

Unit 1 UK 著名景点 Big Ben 大本钟2、Tower Bridge(crosses the River Thames; close to the Tower of London; symbol of London ) 3、Westminster Abbey ( Gothic church in the City of Westminster,London; Coronation and burial site for British monarchs.) 4、Red Double Decker Bus (mass transit) 英国基本知识 1、constituent parts ? England/ Scotland/ Northern Ireland/ Wales(国旗) 2、the national anthem(国歌)? God save the queen 3、The national Emblem? 4、National flower? Rose (Wars of the Roses - civil wars (1455-1485) between the royal house of Lancaster ( red rose) and the royal house of York (white rose).) 5、地理位置 6、Full name?The "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".（The British Isles不列颠岛; Great Britain; UK ; Commonwealth） 7、Three political divisions（行政区域）: England, Scotland, and Wales. 8、Commonwealth? A free association of sovereign states comprising Great Britain and a number of its former dependencies ; united as ?free and equal members‘. 9、Capital England(London); Scotland(Edinburgh); Wales(Cardiff); Northern Ireland(Belfast) 10、Backbone of England? Pennine 11、Ben Nevis? the highest mountain in UK. 1343m 12、North Ireland? National flower: Irish clover (三叶草)；Lough Neagh (the largest lake in UK) ; industrious; agricultural 13、Rivers and lakes?1. The Severn River(longest river; from the mountain of Wales to the Bristol Channel) 2. The Thames River (Main source of London‘s water supply;Second longest river in Britain; Costwold Hills--North Sea)3. The Clyde River (The most important river in Scotland)4. Lake District 5. Lough Neagh（The largest lake in Britain (396 square kilometers), Northern Ireland.） 14、The climate in Britain?pea souper 超级浓雾 Unit2 UK 1、the first settler? The Iberian(伊比利亚人) 2、Stonehenge(巨石阵)?was a place of healing center；The most important monument left by Iberian；There are about 80 stones, and each is five meters tall. 3、The Celtic language? the basis of both Welsh and Gaelic(盖尔语) (Irish,Scotish). 4、Hadrian ‘s Wall 5、7th century Heptarchy（七国联盟）?(Wessex; Sussex; Kent; Essex; East Anglia; Mercia; Northumbria) 6、Viking pirates(维京海盗) ? Vikings from Denmark；established some small kingdoms；Northern and eastern England 7、The Norman Conquest(1066)? The Normans that invaded England in 1066 came from Normandy in Northern France.

英语国家概况学习手册选择题

第一章British the republic of ireland became independent in the year(1949) the british empire was replaced by the british commonwealth in(1931) the English people and the English language were born from the union of(norman conquerors an the defeated anglo-sax ons the first known settlers of Britain were (the iberians) about 80000 scots speak gaelic which is an ancient (celtic language) the ancestors of the welsh were the ancient(celts) the average population density in Britain is(250)people per square kilo in 1066 harold and his troops fought against William on Senlac field near(hastlings) the Plantagenet dynasty was found by(henry 2) english reformation was carried out by(henry8) simon de Montfort reform beginning of English (parliament) from 1649 to 1658,it was ruled first by oliver Cromwell as(lord protector) it was during the reign of(anne)the the name great Britain came into being in 1707 the 1851 london great exposition was held in the crystal palace designed by queen(victoria)husband albert. the house of commons has(650)members of parliament british conservative party(tory)party in the 18th century the house of common is headed by（the speaker） the economic policy in the 1950s and 1960s was based on(john maynard keynes) in Britain less than(2/)are farmers britain became a net exporter of oil in the(1980s) the following financial institutions have their headquarters in London except(royal bank of scotland) to stimulate economic recovery, the thacher polcies but(interventionism) britain is the(sixth)largest trading nation british oil fields were discovered on the(north sea) the national health service was established in(1948) (central government)is directly responsible for the nhs children up to the age of (16) can receive family allowance for children (the baptists)is not among the anglican churches (the Methodist church)is the largest of the free churches the principal non-Christian communities in Britain are(the jews) the church of scotland is a(Presbyterian) (the free churches)in Britain have also been known as dissenters (7) roman catholic provinces in great Britain the church of english has two provinces, they are(Canterbury and york) there are some (90)universities the universities of oxford and cambridge date from the (12th and 13th) (public schools)are independent schools secondary education in(northern ireland) is selective harrow school is a(public school) higher education is usually defined as advanced course of a standard higher(gce a level) the following universities belong to red brick except(glasgow) the leading scientific society in Britain is(the royal society) the times is a (quality daily) the daily mirror is a popular daily