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议论题

1. What is Puritanism? How was American culture influenced by Puritanism? Illustrate your point with examples.

(1). Puritanism refers to the movement arising within the Church of England in the latter part of the 16th century that sought to purify, or reform, that church and establish a middle course between Roman Catholicism and the ideas of the Protestant reformers.

(2). The term Puritanism is also used in a broader sense to refer to attitudes and values considered characteristic of the Puritans. Working hard and living a moral life were their ethics. They regarded Bible to be the authority of their doctrine. To be able to read the Bible and understand God's will, education was essential for Puritans.

(3). Puritanism in New England (Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Rhode Island) made a great influence on American culture. The Puritans hoped to build "a city upon hill"—an ideal community. Since that time, Americans have viewed their country as a great experiment, a worthy model for other nations. New England also established another American tradition—a strain of often intolerant moralism. The Puritans believed that government should enforce God's morality. They strictly punished drunks, adulterers, violators of the Sabbath(安息日)and other religious believers different from themselves. The American values such as individualism, hard work, and respect of education owe very much to the Puritan beliefs.

2. Compare the education systems in Britain and America. Which one do you think is better? Why? What are the purposes of the British education system? What is the goal of education in the United States? Discuss the similarities and differences of the goals of education in Britain and the US.

American Education

1). Educational Goal is to achieve universal literacy and provide individuals with knowledge and skill necessary to promote the welfare for individuals and the general public.

2). An outstanding feature: Unlike the nationally regulated and financed education systems of many other industrialized societies, American public education is primarily the responsibility of the states and individual school districts.

3). Compulsory Education: Every child in America is guaranteed up to 13 years of education.

4). American schools both public and private consist of 12 years of grades-----basically 8 years of elementary school and 4 years of secondary or high school. The public schools are administered by local school boards. The board appoints the superintendent and sometimes participates in choosing the teachers, decides how school funds are to be allocated, and has some voice in establishing the curriculum. Local funds for the schools come largely from property taxes paid by residents of the local school districts.

5). Higher Education: Many colleges and universities are privately supported. Many have church affiliations. In each state, however, there is at least one university and often several colleges that receive support from state funds. Students in these schools, however, as well as those in private colleges, must pay tuition, but the state schools are much less expensive than private ones, particularly for students who are residents of the state.

British Education

1) Education Goal: Not only provide children with literacy and the other basic skills but also socialize children.

2) Compulsory Education: The 11-year compulsory education is provided by private schools (actually called public schools)and state schools.

3) Outstanding Feature: State interference is the outstand feature of British education. The state government is heavily involved in deciding when, where, how and what children are taught. Among secondary schools there are comprehensive schools and grammar schools, which are quite different. Comprehensive schools(90%) ―admit children without reference to their academic abilities; provide general education. Those children with the highest marks go to grammar schools.

4) Another enduring feature is the continuing debate over how “equal” educational opportunity should be. There are a lot of famous private schools such as Harrow School and Eton College where students’ tuitions are too high for the children from the ordinary families.

5) Higher Education: All the universities are state universities except the University of Buckingham.

3. “British history has been a history of invasion.” Please illustrate this point with examples. How did each of the invasions influence English culture?

British history is a history of invasion.

Early Settlement ( …-- 43, AD)

Before the 1st century AD, it was made up of tribal kingdoms of Celtic people/ the Celt (凯尔特人). Four Invasions

1). The Roman Occupation

In 43 AD, it was invaded by the Roman Empire, and England and Wales (though not Scotland and Ireland) became a part of the Roman Empire for nearly 400 years (till the 5th century AD)

2). Anglo-Saxon Times (410-871)

After Roman withdrew from Britain, Britain was divided into small kingdoms and was under threat from the Anglos and the Saxon (the Germanic people).

The Anglo-Saxons succeeded in invading Britain, and either absorbed the Celtic people, or pushed them to the western or northern edges of Britain.

By the end of 7th century, they regarded themselves as the nation of the English. The Anglo-Saxon invaders were the forefathers of the English, the founders of Anglo-land or England as it has become known.

3). The Invasion of Vikings and the Danish Rule

In the late 8th century, the Vikings, from Scandinavia, mainly from Denmark, threatened Britain’s shores. Northern and eastern England were under their control.

4). The Norman Conquest

In 1066, the Normans, under Duke William of Normandy (William, the Conqueror征服者威廉一世) crossed the English Channel, and in the Battle of Hastings, defeated an English army under King Harold(英格兰最后一位撒克逊民族的国王). William took the English throne (加冕为国王) and became William the First of England.

The next few hundred years following the Norman invasion was a process of joining together the various parts of the British Isles under English rule; at the same time, power was gradually transferred from the monarch (君主) to parliament (议会).

4. What are the some of the major powers of each of the three branches of the US government? How are the three branches supposed to check and balance each other.

1) The three branches of the U.S federal government are the Executive, headed by the president; the Legislative, including both houses of Congress (the Senate and the House of Representative) and

the Judicial, headed by the Supreme Court. The idea of checks and balances as a way of restricting governmental power and preventing its abuse was first provided in the Federalist Papers.

2) When Americans talk about their three-part national government, they often refer to what they call its system of System “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.

IV. Three Branches

3) (描述一下下面的图表)

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