英语国家概况-英国--课后问答题[1]

英语国家概况课后问答题

Book 1

Chapter 1 Questions for Thought:

1.What was the British Empire? What do you know about it? In what way is the “Empire” still felt in Britain and

in the international field?

Key points:

1. Before the end of WWII, the British Empire was one of the most powerful empires; it enjoyed the name of “an empire on which the sun never set” due to its overseas colonies on the world.

2. People of the British Empire are descendents of the Anglo-Saxons.

3. A system of monarchy was observed still on today’s Britain, which went through the history. The Queen is still the Head of the Commonwealth.

4. the “Empire” still can be felt in the following ways:

a. there are still close relationships between the UK and the fifty or more countries which used to be its former colonies, and which maintain links through a loose organization called the Commonwealth of Nations.

b. it became one member of the European Union since 1973.

c. the effect also lies in the makeup of the British population itself. Newly immigrants mainly came from the former colonies, specially from India and Caribbean area.

d. today the Monarch represents the country in many occasions.

e. class exists and lords and peers are obvious evident of the imperial past.

2.Why does the author say that it is not possible to sum up the British people with a few simple phrases?

Key points:

Reasons: 1. regional differences---England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland 2. racial differences 3. class differences 4. cultural differences---Highland vs Lowland 5. religious differences---protestants vs Catholics (main in Northern Ireland)

3.“British history has been a history of invasion”. Please illustrate this point with the examples from the text.

How did each of the invasions influence English culture?

Key points:

4.What are some general characteristics of Scotland? How did Scotland become part of the union of Great Britain? Key points:

1.The Celts originally lived on Scotland, they kept their own culture and language—the Gealic.

2.Around the AD 6th C, people from Northern Ireland invaded the South-west --- the lowland zone. They were called Scots and gave the modern country of Scotland its name.

3.The Scottish people have a strong sense of nationality and desire for cultural independence. They observed some old customs and tradition, like the Highland tradition. Today, bagpipe, and tartan are considered as the souvenir of the Scottish history.

4.The division between highland and lowland Scotland remains a cultural divide today, in much the same way as north and south England see themselves as different from each other.

5.Scotland has a great tradition of innovation in the arts, philosophy and science.

Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous novel Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 《吉基尔医生与海德先生》shows that: Scotland was superficially fully integrated into the UK, but concealed beneath this is a still-strong Scottish identity.

Union with England in 1707

1. In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I of England died. James the 6th of Scotland took the throne, called James the First of England; uniting the two thrones

2. Scotland maintained its separate political identity.

3. In 1707, Scotland joined the Union by agreement of the English and Scottish Parliaments

4. Scotland sends 72 representatives to the London Parliament.

5.Describe characteristics of Wales and Wales’ unification with Great Britain.

Characteristics:

1. capital: Cardiff, on the south coast

2. rich coal deposits

3. attract foreign investment from Japan and U.S, etc.

-- new industries to replace coal and steel

4. smallest on the British mainland; close to central England; hilly and rugged

5. retains a powerful sense of difference from England

6. retains its own language; 19% population speaking Gaelic

Unification with Great Britain

1. 1267, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd(卢埃林·阿普·格鲁菲德), forced the English to

acknowledge him as Prince of Wales by a military campaign, and unified Wales as an independent nation.

2. 1282, he was killed. The English King Edward I named his son the Prince of Wales, trying to bring Wales into the British nation.

3. 1400, Owain Glyndwr(欧文·格林道瓦尔) led an unsuccessful rising against the English.

4. 1536, Wales was brought legally into the UK by an act of the British Parliament.

5. Wales sends 38 representatives to the London Parliament. 4 are from the Nationalist Party.

6.Are there any differences between England, Scotland and Wales in terms of cultural tradition?

Chapter 2 Northern Ireland Questions for Thought:

1.Why is Northern Ireland so significant in the UK? What is the political problem there?

Keys:

1. it is significant because of the political troubles there.

2. the political trouble

Original inhabitants were mainly descents of Celts; they believed in Catholics. The immigrants from Scotland and north England in the 17th c, sent by the English king for the sake of better control over Ireland, were mainly Protestants. Their arrival aroused local people’s hostility. They were pressured.

In 1921 the Ireland got independence while in Northern Ireland, the majority was Protestant and loyalists to the British government, wanted to be separated from the rest parts of Ireland.

Now in Northern Ireland, the minority—the Catholics found it difficult for them to find job. The conflicts between Protestants and Catholics got increased.

To protect the local Catholics, the British soldiers stationed Northern Ireland in 1969, which later accelerated the conflicts between the local people and the British government.

2.What are some of the factors in Irish and English history that affect the situation in Northern Ireland today? Keys:

1. racial,

2. religious

3. immigration in 17th c.

4. the British solders’ station in 1969

Chapter 3 The Government of the United Kingdom

Questions for Thought:

1.What are some of the characteristics of the British constitutional monarchy? How has the English monarchy

evolved gradually to the present constitutional monarchy?

1. the oldest institution of government

2. King Egbert (埃格伯特国王): the ancestor of the present Queen Elizabeth II. United England under his rule in 829.

3. divine right of kings (君权神授)

---The ancient doctrine held that the sovereign derived his authority from God, not from his subjects. This was used by the kings as an excuse for abusing power. And the dispute over the power of the king and the parliament led to the civil war.

4. the Civil war set the rights of the Parliament. The monarch was kept but his power was limited. The constitution was set up to guarantee rights of people. Monarch became a symbol of the country.

2.How did the doctrine of the “divine right of kings”, according to the author, lead to the English Civil War?

What do you know about the causes of the English Revolution in the 17th century?

King James I believed the divine right of kings, so did his descent---Charles I.

Charles I called his t Parliament only when he needed to collect money.

The Civil War was caused by a dispute over the power of the king against Parliament in the 17th C. The Republican “roundheads”, led by Oliver Cromwell, wanted to abolish the monarchy and to reassert the ri ghts of Parliament. In 1642, the royalists were defeated and King Charles I was executed in 1649.

The English Civil War not only overthrew feudal in England but also shook the foundation of the feudal rule in Europe. It is generally regarded as the beginning of modern world history. The Civil War was in essence a capitalist revolution because capitalism paved its way of development after the war.

3. What is the history of English parliament? What role did the parliament play in the Civil War?

In medieval times, a group of leading, wealthy barons who were summoned by the king several times a year to give the king some extra money. This was the Great Council. By the 13th C., representatives of counties, towns and cities were also included in order to raise more money. This was the beginning of what we know as Parliament today.

In the Civil War, the parliament was opposite to the monarchy in their dispute over the power. The Republican “roundheads”, led by Oliver Cromwell, wanted to abolish the monarchy and to reassert the rights of Parliament.

4. Discuss the major characteristics and the main content of the British constitution.

Britain, like Israel, has no written Constitution. The foundations of the British State are laid out in statute law(成文法), which are laws passed by Parliament; the common laws(普通法,判例法), which are laws established through common practice in the courts; and conventions(习惯法), which are rules and practices not existing legally, but regarded as vital to the workings of government.

5. Why the parliament is supreme in the British sate? What function does parliament have? What role does the Queen and the Prime Minister play in British government?

Parliament is supreme in the British state because it alone had the power to change the terms of the Constitution. There are no legal restraints upon Parliament. It can make or change laws,

functions:

1) passes laws

2) provides the means of carrying on the work of government by voting for taxation

3) scrutinize government policy, administration and expenditure and to debate the major issues of the day.

the roles of the Queen/King

1. symbolize the tradition and unity of the British State

2. legally head of the executive, (行政部)

3. an integral part of the legislature(立法机关)

4. head of the judiciary(司法部)

5. commander in chief of the armed forces

6. “supreme governor” of the Church of England

--- most Britons felt the Queen’s important jobs were:

1. represent Britain at home and abroad

2. set standards of good citizenship and family life

3. a confidante(知己的女友) to the Prime Minister, offering valuable observations on the running of government

Role of the Prime Minister

King George I was “imported” from Germany in 1714 and was not interested in politics, so he l eft the job of chairing cabinet meetings to one of his cabinet ministers, called the prime minister. Later in 1832, elections replaced

appointment. The party with the most supporters in the Commons forms the government and the leader of that party becomes Prime Minister.

Today Prime Minister and his cabinet compose of the entity of the government.

6. What kind of institution is the House of Lords? What role does it play in British government?

It’s one house of the Parliament, but the power of making law and collecting taxes mainly resides on the House of Commons. The House of Lords consists of the Lords Spiritual(上议院的神职议员), who are the Archbishops and most prominent bishops of the Church of England; and the Lords Temporal(上议院的世俗议员), which refers to those lords who either have inherited the seat from their forefathers(called hereditary peers) or they have been appointed(by the sovereign, at the suggestion of the Prime Minister and were called life peers(终身贵族). The lords mainly represent themselves instead of the interests of the public

Chapter 4 Politics

Questions for Thought:

1.Who can stand for election as an MP in the UK? Why are small parties and independent candidates powerless in

the election campaign for the formation of a government?

Anyone who is eligible to vote can stand as an MP. It is necessary only to make a deposit of 500 pounds which is lost if the candidate does not receive at least 5% of the vote.

Because even they were to win the seat they would be powerless in parliament against the big parties’ representatives (p54, para1)

2.What are three big parties in the UK? What are some of the similarities and dissimilarities between the three

parties?

They are the Labor party, the Conservative party and the Liberal Democratic party.

the Labour party--- one of the 2 biggest parties in the UK. It is also the newest party, created by the trade union movement at the end of the 19th century. It is a socialist party, believing that a society should be relatively equal in economic terms, and that the government should redistribute the wealth between the rich and the poor. It also thinks that the government should provide a range of public services for all the people.

the Conservative party --- one of the 2 biggest parties in the UK. It is basically the party of the individual, protecting the individual’ s right to acquire wealth and to spend it as he/she wants. It advocates economic policies which are favourable to businessmen, such as low taxes. From 1979 to 1997, the Conservative party won 4 consecutive elections and was in power for quite a long period of time.

the Liberal Democrats--- the 3rd biggest party and often seen as a party of the “middle”, occupying the ideological ground between the two major parties. They are comparatively flexible and pragmatic in their balance of the individual and the social. They emphasize the need to change the Britain’s constitutional arrangements to make the government more democratic and accountable.

Similarities:

1. they all support the capitalist system

2. generally speaking, they all are the active participants and supporters of representative democracy

3. they share some similar beliefs in their political and socioeconomic ideology

Dissimilarities:

1. they represent the interests of different social groups

2. they have different opinions on the government’s role in social economy and they each take different economic policies during their administration

3.What are some of the recent political trends in the UK? Are these trends more democratic or undemocratic?

What is the author’s opinion?

recent political trends

--- The 1970s were a decade of problems in the UK. The economy did badly, with high inflation and low growth. Big private companies started to go bankrupt, and the nationalized industries were seen as inefficient.

--- In 1979, the Labour government faced a vote of no confidence, which it lost, causing a general election. This was won by the Conservative under their leader Margaret Thatcher, who became the UK’s first woman Prime Minister

--- the policies of the Conservative:

1. privatise nationalized industry (successful, companies become efficient and profitable * negative consequences of the policy: 1) Unemployment went up 2) Poverty increased 3) Government welfare payments have become less generous. So the society became less equal---a time of “private affluence and public squalor”一部分个人富裕起来,而大部分百姓的生活却贫困化, 公众福利制度也处于困境)

2. cut tax rates (a less re-distributive taxation system削弱再分配性质的税收制度)

Summary of the political trend in the 1980s:

British politics move to t he “right”, away from the “public” and toward the “private”; away from the “social”, and toward the “individual”.

Chapter 5 The UK Economy

Questions for Thought:

1. Define “absolute decline and relative decline” in the UK economy. How does the author explain the reason for absolute decline and relative decline?

To be brief, absolute decline refers to all kinds of the indexes indicate economy declines, for example, the GDP and GNP declines, the currency devalued, unemployment increased, the economy retrogresses, the country’s economic status ranks behind its former rank. People’s living standard become lowered, and the comprehensive national strength falls behind others’. While relative decline refers to economy develops in a relatively low speed. Compared to its former economic strength and the index of GNP,GDP, the present economic development is relatively slower. Absolute and relative decline of the British Economy

1. By the 1880s, dominant in the world--- 1/3 of the world’s manufactured goods; 1/2 of the world’s coal, iron and cotton; shipping greater than the sum of the rest of the world

2. By 1900, overtaken by the U.S and Germany

3. From 1945(the year when WWII ended) until present, thought of as relative decline because of steady economic growth and rapidly increasing living standards and still remaining one of the Group of Seven industrial economies(七大工业国:US, UK. Germany, France, Japan, Italy and Canada), but other countries developed more rapidly, so it slip from being the 2nd largest economy to being the 6th.

4. causes for the relative decline

1) gone into heavy debt to finance the war(selling many accumulated overseas assets, borrowing large amounts from the US and Canada)

2) British colonies which used to provide raw materials and big markets gained independence —the end of the era of empire

*Supplementary note: In the 17th C., trade between Britain and India started, which was undertaken by a trading company called the East India Company. In 1813, Britain took over the company. At that time, the company controlled nearly all the official and administrative work in the whole sub-continent of India. Then the British Empire’s rule began. In 1947, India, “The Jewel in the Crown” of the British Empire, gained its independence. So the UK lost the largest resource of raw materials and a big market for its goods.

3) Britain was heavily burdened with the huge military expenditure during the process of decolonisation. [It was still forced to maintain a substantial and expensive military presence in many overseas locations until the process was completed (mostly by the end of the 1960s). And as one of the shapers of the post-war world required substantial military contributions (member of NATO and UN Security Council).]

4) lacked the inve stment in modern equipment and new products (Britain’s industry survived comparatively unaffected. It continued with its older factories and pre-war products. While the main losers in the war, Germany and Japan, had to start from nothing, so they could invest in the most modern equipment and new products, which was sufficient.)

* low rates of domestic industrial investment; high rate of overseas investment

* lack of a close relationship between industry and banks because the UK was the 1st economy to industrialise, and industrial firms grew used to financing their own development, without need to borrow from banks. So banks looked overseas for investment opportunities.

Summary of the decline:

---The UK has experienced an economic decline since 1945. but this is a relative decline rather than an absolute one. Britain is wealthier and more productive than it was in 1945, but since other countries developed more rapidly, it has slid from being the 2nd largest economy to being the 6th.

2. What did the Conservative party under Margret Thatcher promise to do to the UK national economy in 1979? What was her radical reform programmer? Was the program successful?

the Conservative party under Margret Thatcher promise to launch a radical program of reform.

Tha tcher’s radical reform:

1. Reduce bureaucracy---limited government

2. privatization

The British economy went through a particularly bad period in the 1970s, with high rates of inflation and devaluation of he currency.(forced the Labour government to borrow money from IMF) Therefore, in the 1980s, when the Conservative party under Margaret Thatcher was in power, an extensive programme of privatization was carried out. Many state-owned businesses(such as steel, telecom, gas, aerospace) were turned into private companies. The author thinks that privatization was successful in controlling inflation but at the same time unemployment rate increased rapidly.

* After the recession 1990-1992, the economy had a steady growth. The UK is the 2nd only to the U.S as a destination for international direct investment.

3. what are the three main areas of national economies? Describe the development of each of the three areas in the UK economy.

1. primary industries, such as agriculture (crop and grazing)(small in relation to national health—1.4%, but efficient—producing 58% of the food need with 2% of the workforce; 3/4 of the land for agriculture—1/4 of that for crops, the rest for grazing animals of which sheep are the most numerous livestock), fishing(渔业), and mining [energy production: oil, gas, nuclear energy, coal mining etc. *3 of the 10 biggest companies in Britain: Shell(half Dutch), British Petroleum (BP), and British Gas英国三大能源公司:壳牌公司(与荷兰合资),英国石油公司,英国煤气天然气公司]; the world’s largest mining company, RTZ, is a UK c ompany]

2. secondary industries, which manufacture complex goods from those primary products (producing 22% of the national wealth, particularly strong in pharmaceuticals药品—the British company Glaxo-Wellcome is the biggest drug company in the world; chemicals化工产品—ICI is the 2n largest paint manufacturer in the world; aerospace—the 3rd largest in the world inferior to the U.S and Russia, producing the full range of aerospace products from civil and

military aircrafts to missiles, satellites and jet engines, producing 2% of UK national output, accounting for 8% of manufactured export goods; when an Englishman Frank Whittle developed the world’s first practical jet engine in 1937, the foundations had been laid for the 3 major branches of the aviation industry: aircraft, engines and aviation electronics, with British companies prominent in each field; The Comet was the world’s first jet- powered civil airliner; Lynx holds the world speed record for helicopters; and food and drink. Big electronics industry: the 4th largest in the world, but foreign-owned like car industry. High-technology engineering industry. British Steel is the world’s 4th largest steel company)

3. tertiary industries (or service, producing 65% of the national health), such as banking, insurance, tourism, advertising and the selling of goods (financial sector is important with London as one of the top 3 financial centers in the world; the world’s largest foreign exchange market; one of the busiest share-dealing centers股票交易中心in the world— the London Stock Exchange )

Chapter 7 British Education System

Questions for Thought:

1.What are the purposes of the British education system? Please comment on these purposes. What are the main

purposes of the Chinese education system? Are there any differences or similarities in the education of the two nations?

---“the three R’s” (“reading, ’riting and ’rithmetic”) — to provide children with literacy and the other basic skills they will need to become active members of society and also to socilise children, teaching them rules and values needed to become good citizens, to participate in the community, an to contribute to the economic prosperity of an advanced industrial economy.

2. How does the British education system reflect social class?

Class inequality can be erased or continued according to educational policy.

Children from the lower-class families may have less chance of receiving education than those from middle-class or upper-class families. They may leave school for their families could not afford their tuition fees or for they have to work to support their families. They could not enjoy as excellent education as those from middle-class families, either. The unequal chances of education brought by social class may further influence one’s social bonds and opportunities of finding good jobs or getting rapid promotion on the social ladder.

3. What are the major changes that have taken place since WWII? Is British education moving towards more progress or more equality? Rick up some examples from the text to support your points.

Major changes---to raise enrollment and ensure more equal opportunities of education(p105)

1. 1944 education act

2. 1960 comprehensive school---entrance examination abolished

3. great education debate---1989 national curriculum established

5. what is the open university in Britain? What do you think of this system?

Keys (p115)

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