英语国家概况14topic及期末名词解释
英语国家概况精讲系列chapter 14~22
chapter 14(14章）population.Race and Ethnic groups 必背细节1.The United States of the American is the third most populous county in the world after Chind and India.美国是世界人口第三大国，仅次于中国和印度。
2.Immigration accounts for a major source of population growth,The United States has a more or less open-door policy to immigtants from independence until 1960s.Ellis Island of New York was an important immigration recep tion spot in the 1890s and at the turn of the century.19世纪末20世纪初，纽约的埃利斯岛是一个重要的移民入境接待点。
3.Almost 20 million people or 7.8% of the total population were immigrants in 1992.Between 80% and 90% of immig ration to the United States now is from Asian and Hispanic countries.如今美国移民的80%到90%主要来源于亚洲和拉美国家。
4.Arizona,Nevada,and Florida have been the fastest growing states in population for the last 20 years.在过去的二十年里，亚利桑那，内华达和佛罗里达是人口增长最快的州。
英语国家概况(名词解释)
英语国家概况(名词解释)第一部分英国概况1 the Commonwealth:It is a free association of independent countries that were once colonies of Britain. Member nations are joined together economically and have certain trading arrangements. The Commonwealth has no special powers. The decision to become a member of the Commonwealth is left to each nation.2. British Empire:Britain has been one of the most important countries in the world. 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 one fourth of the world’s land area. It had colonies ont only in North America, but also I Asia, Africa and Australia. However, the two world wars greatly weakened Britain. The British colonies became independent one after another . The British Empire gradually disappeared and it was replaced by the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1931.3 Alfred the Great: Alfred was the King of Wessex, who was strong enough to defeat the invading Danes and reached a friendly agreement with them. He founded a strong fleet and is known as ‘the father of the British navy.’He also reorganized the Saxon army, making it more efficient. He encouraged learning in others, established schools and formulated a legal system. He translated a Latin book into English. All these make him worthy of his title ‘ Alfred the Great’4Heptarchy:During the Anglo-Saxon’s time, Britain was divided into many kingdoms. These seven principal kingdoms of Kent, Essex, Sussex, Wessex, East Anglia,Mercia and Nothumbria have beengiven the name of Heptarchy.5the Witan: The Witnam was thecouncil or meeting of the wisemen. Itwas created by the Anglo-Saxons toadvise the king. It’s the basis of thePrivy Council which still exists today.6 English feudal system: In thissystem, the King owned all the landpersonally, who gave his barons largeestates in England in return for apromise of lilitary service and aproportion of the land’s produce.7 the Black Death: It was the modernname given to the deadly bubonicplague, an epidemic disease spread byrat fleas through Europe in the 14thcentury, particularly in 1347-1350. Itswept through England in the summerof 1348 without warning, and withoutany cure. It killed between one half andone third of the population of England,causing far-reaching economicconsequences.8 Oliver Cromwell: He was the leaderof the Parliamentary Army during theEnglish Civil War in the revolutionaryperiod of the 17th century. He defeatedKing Charles I and condemned him todeath in 1649. After that, he establishedthe Commonwealth in England andbecame the Lord Protector of thecountry. The Commonwealth endedwith the Restoration of Charles II in1660.9 Blood Mary: It is the nicknamegiven to Mary I , the English Queenwho succeeded to the throne afterEdward VI. She was a devout Catholicand had so many protestants burnt todeath that she is remembered less byher official title Mary I that by hernickname Blood Mary.10 the Industrial Revolution :It referto the mechanization of industry andthe consequent changes in social andeconomic organization in Britain in thelate 18th and early 19th centuries.Britain was the first country toindustrialize in Europe.11 Whigs(in Britain):The name ofWhigs originated with the GloriousRevolution. It was known by thenickname. It was a derogatory name forcattle drivers. Loosely speaking, theWhigs were those who opposedabsolute monarchy and supported theright to religious freedom forNonconformists.12 Tories (in Britain) : The name ofTories originated with the GloriousRevolution . It was known by thenickname. It was an Irish wordmeaning thugs. The Tories were thosewho supported hereditary monarchyand were reluctant to remove kings.The Tories were the forerunners of theConservative Party, which still bearsthe nickname today.13 the House of Lords: The House ofLords is a part of Parliament . It ismade up of the Lords Spiritual and theLords Temporal. The main function ofthe House of Lords is to bring the wideexperience of its members into theprocess of law-making.14 the House of Commons:TheHouse of Commons is a part ofparliament , and its members areelected by universal adult suffrage. Itconsists of 651 Members of Parliament(MPs). It has the ultimate authority inmaking laws.15 constitutional monarchy : It is aform of government in which themonarch’s power is limited byParliament. The United Kingdom is aconstitutional monarchy: the head of State is a king or a queen. In practice, the Sovereigh reigns, but does not rule. The United Kingdom is governed, in the name of the Sovereign, by His or Her majestry’s Government.16 the Cabinet:The Cabinet consists of usually 20 most senior ministers. Ministers are appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. Ministers are responsible collectively to Parliament for all Cabinet decisions; individual Ministers are responsibl to Parliament for the work of their departments.17 the Privy Council:The Privy Council is a consultative body of the British monarch. Its origin can be traced back to the times of the Norman Kings. After the Gloious Revolution of 1688, its importance was gradually diminished and replaced by the Cabinet. Today, it is still a consultation body of the British monarch. Its membership is about 400, and includes all Cabinet ministers, the speaker of the House of Commons, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and senior British and Commonwealth statesmen.18 the Metropolitan Police Force:The police service for the United Kingdom is organized and controlled on a local basis under the Home Secretary and the Scottish and Northern Ireland Secretaries. London’s Metropolitan Police Force is directly under the control of the Home Secretary.19NHS:The full name of NHS is National Health Service. The National Health Service provides for every resident, regardless of income, a full range of medical service. The service was established in the United Kingdom in 1948. 20 bank holidays:Official publicholidays are also called ‘bank holidays’.The term ‘Bank Holidays’ goes back tothe Bank Holidays Act of 1871, whichowes its name to the fact that banks areclosed on the days specified.21Remembrance Sunday:The onlyreally important patriotic festival isRemembrance Sunday. It is also calledArmistice Day, which is the Sundaynearest to November 11. On thisSunday the dead of both world wars areremembered in special church servicesand civic ceremonies, the chief ofwhich is the laying of wreathes at theCenotaph, London by members of theroyal family in the presence of leadingstatesmen and politicians.22 Church of England:Church ofEngland is the most importantestablished church in Britain. It islegally recognized as official church ofthe State. It is uniquely related to theCrown in that the Sovereign must be amember of that Church and mustpromise to uphold it. The Church isalso linked with the State through theHouse of Lords, in which the twoarchbishops and some other bishopshave seats.23 Boxing Day:In Britain December26th is called Boxing Day because itwas formerly the custom to give‘Christmas boxes’, or gifts of money ,to servants and tradesmen on this day.24Open University:The OpenUniversity is a non-residentialuniversity. It is so named because it isopen to all to become students. TheUniversity was founded in 1969 andbegan its first courses in 1970. TheUniversity offers degree and othercourses for adult students of all ages inBritain and the other member countriesof the European Union. It uses acombination of specially producedprinted texts, correspondence tuition ,television and radio broadcasts andaudio/ video cassettes.25IRA :The full name for IRA is IrishRepublic Army. It is a nationalistorganization formed by MichaelCollins after the Easter Uprising of1916. The IRA opposed the separationof Northern Ireland from the Republicof Ireland in the 1920s by terroristmethods. It has been responsible formany raids and bomb explosions inEngland and in Northern Ireland.26the Anglo-Irish Treaty: In 1921 theBritish signed the Anglo-Irish Treatyestablishing an Irish Free State withdominion status with a separategovernment in theProtestant-dominated Northern Ireland.27the Great Famine:The GreatFaminine began in Ireland in 1845. Itwas caused by the failure of potatocrop. One of the most dramatic,large-scale sociological consequencesof the Great Famine was a significantpopulation decline in Ireland. Manypeople died of hunger. There was also abig flow of emigration from Ireland.About 6 million people left Irelandeither for Britain, the United States orCanada in the century following theGreat Famine.第二部分美国部分1Ellis Island: Ellis Island of New Yorkas an important immigration receptionspot in the 1890s and at the turn of thecentury.2baby boom: Baby boom refers to thegreat increase of birth ratebetween1946 and 1964. Nearly 80million Americans were born in thisperiod . People born in this period arecalled baby boomers.3 ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’:The first blacks were brought to North America as slaves in 1619. For a long period of time they were concentrated in the agricultural South, working on plantations growing cotton and tobacco. Their life was no better than that of cattle. In order to keep the black slaves under control, the slave-owners resorted to brutal methods. Uncle Tom’s Cabin is the novel giving a vivid description of the miserable life of the black slaves.4the Civil Rights Act of 1964: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is considered to be the most far-reaching act on civil rights in modern times, forbidding discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, gender and national origin. It’s the result of a strong Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. The act added protections for the rights to vote, to use public facilities and to enjoy the same education as white people. It also contained provisions guaranteeing equal employment opportunities.5 the Puritans: The Puritans were wealthy, well-educated gentlemen. They wanted to purify the Church of England. Dissatisfied with the political corruption in England and threatened with religious persecution, the Puritan leaders saw the New World as a refuge provided by God for those he meant to save.6 ‘No taxation without representation’:This was the slogan of the people in the colonies before the War of Independence. They opposed the British policies toward the colonies. By the slogan they declared that, without their representatives taking part in decision-making, they had no obligation to pay taxes.7the Bill of Rights:In 1789, JamesMadison introduced in the House ofRepresentatives a series ofamendments which later were draftedinto twelve proposed amendents andsent to the states for ratification. Ten ofthem were ratified in 1791 and this firstten amendments to the constitutionwere called the Bill of Rights.8 abolitionists:They were people,mostly Northern humanitarians, whostrongly opposed slavery and aimed toabolish the system.9 the Gettysburg Address:TheGettysburg Address refers to the shortspeech made by President Lincolnwhen he dedicated the nationalcemetery at Gettysburg. He ended hisspeech with ‘the government of thepeopled, by the people, for the people,shall not perish from the earth’10 the Emancipation Proclamation:After the Civil War began, Lincolnissued the Emancipation Proclamationto win more support at home andabroad. It granted freedom to all slavesin areas still controlled by theConfederacy.11 the First Bontinental Congress: In1774, the First Continental Congresswas held in Philadelphia, whichencouraged Americans to refuse to buyBritish goods, and organized colonialmilitia units.12 the New Deal: The program wasput forward by President Franklin D.Roosevelt in 1932 to deal with theGreat Depression. Roosevelt madeCongress pass a large number of NewDeal acts and helped to set up manyefficient social economical andfinancial systems. The New Deal didhelp overcome the most seriouseconomic crisis of the capitalist systemup to that time.13 the Muchrakers: At the turn of the20th century in the United States, thereemerged a group of reform-mindedjournalists, who made investigationsand exposed various dark sides of theseemingly prosperous society.President Theodore Roosevelt calledthem Muchrakers.14 The stock market crash of 1929:On October24, 1929, the New Yorkstock market crashed. It was calledBlack Thursday, because it was thebeginning of a long economicdepression. The Great Depression hadfar-reaching consequences. It sweptthrough the globe quickly. The rate ofunemployment increased rapidly. Agreat deal of companies and businessesclosed and went into bankruptcy.American economy didn’t recover untilthe New Deal was put forward.15 the Ku Klux Klan: The Ku KluxKlan was the first organized in 1866and then reformed in 1867. The KuKlux Klan terrorized and attacked notonly blacks, but also progressives,labor union organizers ,Communist orsocialist party members.16. McCarthyism:Joseph R.McCarthy was a senator. He started acampain of wild accusation and arrestsin 1950. His full-scale anti-Communisthysteria in American history was calledMcCarthyism . In December 1954,theSenate condemned him for certainimproper, extreme behavior andMcCarthysim ended.17 Richard Nixon: Richard Nixon wasthe former President of the UnitedStates of America. In the early 1970s,he was involved in the Watergatescandal, for which he was forced toresign from the presidency.18Truman Doctrine:On March 20, 1949, President Truman put forward the Truman Doctrine in his speech to the joint session of Congress. The Doctrine meant to support any country which said it was fighting communism.19 monetarist policies:Since the American economy was plagued by stagflation, in the early 1980s, the traditional Keynesian approach was replaced by new monetarist policies, which sought to fight inflation by increasing supply and reducing demand. On the one hand, taxes were cut to increase economic dynamism. On the other hand, interest rates were raised to reduce the supply of money.20 the US Federal system:It is a system of government in which has two layers of rule. There is central or federal government for the nation which alone has the power to answer questions that affect the nation as a whole. There are also state and local governments . Each layer of government has separate and distinct powers laid down in the Constitution. 21 separation of power:It refers to the principle that the national government is divided into three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. In the legislative branch, power is divided further nto two houses. Each branch has part of the powers but not all the power.22 US presidential inauguration: In the US the presidential term of four years begins on January 20. The President starts his official duties with an inauguraton ceremony, traditionally held on the steps of the US Capitol. The President publicly takes an oath of office, which is administered by the Chief Justice of the United States. Theoath-taking ceremony is usuallyfollowed by an inauguration address.23 public school: Public schoolsusually larger in size, are operated bypublicly elected or appointed schooloffcials. The program and activities ofthe schools are under the control ofthese officials. The schools aresupported mainly by public funds.24 private school: Private schools arecontrolled by an individual or by anagency other than a state, a subdivisionof a state or the federal government .They are usually supported by fundswhich are not public funds and theoperation of the school’s program restswith people who are not publiclyelected or appointed officials.25 school districts: They aresubdivisions of the states.Currently,there are some 15,500 operating localpublic school districts. Each localschool district has a governing boardwhich is usually elected by thevoters.Its major responsibilities are thehiring of professional and support staff,determining the most suitable localcurriculum, and developing andapproving a budget to carry outeducational program.26 Easter Sunday:Easter Sunday isthe second of the two most importantreligious holidays for Christians. It’s onthe first Sunday after the full moon thatoccurs on or after March 21, and it’sfor celebrating the rising of JesusChrist from his tomb, where he hadlain for three days following his death.On the Easter morning, millions ofpeople gather together to salute anotherEaster dawn. The Easter Parade is verypopular in the United States. There areseveral symbols for Easter. The eggand the hare are those most frequentlyassociated with Easter.27 Halloween:Halloween is anight-time children’s day and a time forfrightening costumes, masks , parties,games and tricks--- all for fun.Children with curious masks fo fromhouse to house to frighten friends orneighbours and threaten them with‘Trick or treat’.第三部分加拿大，澳大利亚28the Canadian Shield : Almost halfof Canada is covered by the CanadianShield. It is a semicircular band ofrocky highlands and plateaus aroundHudson Bay from the northern shoresof Quebec to the Artic shores of theNorthwest Territories. It is a region ofrounded hills, tens of thousands oflakes and swamp. The Shield containsa wealth of minerals , much water andgreat forests.29 the Statute of Westminster: By theStatute of Westminster in 1931 theBritish Dominions, including Canada,were formally declared to be partnernations with Britain and ‘equal instatus, in no way subordinate to eachother’, and bound together only bytheir loyalty to a common Crown.Since then, Canada became a memberof the Commonwealth of Nations.30 Bilingualism in Canada:Bilingualism means having twolanguages. In Canada the officialLanguage Act went into effect in 1969.The Act made English and French theofficial languages of Canada. Theyhave equal status and rights in allinstituations of Parliament and theFederal Government.31 Multiculturalism:For a long timethe Canadian Government pursued apolicy of assimilation , that is toassimilate different minority groups into the mainstream Canadian culture. But immigrants from different countries still kept their own cultures, religious, languages, and ways of life. So in 1976, the Canadian Government adopted a policy of multiculturalism. Accordingly immigrants may be instructed in at least one official language to help them become full participants in Canadian society and, at the same time, are encouraged to maintain their particular cultural heritage.32 school of air :children learn their lessons through a radio educational system called School of the Air. Lessons are transmitted by radio. Homework is now exchanged by fax.33 the Flying Doctors:It is a special health service which provides medical care for people living in isolated areas in Australia. Doctors travel by plane from their base and keep in touch with their patients by radio.34 Maoritanga:In New Zealand, Maoritanga in Maori culture, the Maori way of life and view of the world. Maori views of the world, of nature, of education, of spirituality and of death, are becoming more and more part of the New Zealand way of life.35 Kiwi:The kiwi is a noctural bird that can’t fly in New Zealand. The kiwi is a national symbol an New Zealanders refer to themselves as Kiwis.36 the Treaty of Waitangi:The Treaty of Waitangi was an agreement between the chiefs of the Maori people and the British Crown in 1840.37 Waitangi Day:In 1840, the first official governor, William Hobson, was sent to negotiate with Maori leaders. In 1840 Hobson, representng QueenVictoria, and some Maori chiefs,signed the Treaty of Waitangi. ModernNew Zealand was founded. Theanniversary of the signing, February 6,is celebrated as New Zealand NationalDay, Waitangi Day, and is a nationalholiday.38Mark Twain: Mark Twain’s realname was Samuel Langhorne Clemens.He gained a wide knowledge ofhumanity through his life experience.In 1865, he became nationally famouswith his short story The CelebratedJumping Frog. The Adventures of TomSawyer was an immediate success as‘a boy book’, and The Adventures ofHuckleberry Finn became his masterbook. All stories of his novels aresimple and he presented Americansocial life through portrayal of localplaces he knew best and through hiscolloquial style. His other famousbooks are: A Tramp Abroad, Life on theMississippi, The Gilded Age andInnocents Abroad.39Walt Whitman:Walt Whitman is anAmerican poet. He broke free from theconvention of the poetic rhymeexhibiting a freedom in form unknownbefore. In his masterpiece Leaves ofGrass, he praised the ideas of equalityand democracy and celebrated thedignity, the self-reliant spirit and thejoy of the common man. He was thefirst to explore fully the possibilities offree verse. He invented a completelynew and completely American form ofpoetic expression.40knicherbockers era: In the early partof the nineteenth century, New YorkCity was the centre of Americanwriting. Its writers were called‘Knickerbockers’and the period from1810 to 1840 is known as the‘knickerbockers era’of Americanliterature. The name comes from AHistory of New York, by DiedrickKnickerbocker written by WashingtonIrving.41 Ernest Hemingway:ErnestHemingway was one of the mostimportant American writers in the 20th ,and was the spokensman for the ‘LostGeneration’ of young intellectuals whobecame disappointed and bitter afterWorld War I. He was awarded theNobel Prize for Literature in 1954. Hisfirst important novel The Sun AlsoRises is a description of young peoplein the post-war era.He wrote a lot ofother novels and short stories. AFarewell to Arms and For Whom theBell Tolls are two novels about the Firstand Second World Wars. The Old Manand the Sea is considered to be hisrepresentative work . He is also famousfor his simple style and carefulstructuring of his fiction.42 Theodore Dreiser:TheodoreDreiser was one of the naturalists whoin their works reported truthfully andobjectively the life in the slums. Hisfirst novel Sister Carrie traces thematerial rise of Carrie Meeber and thetragic decline of Hurstwood. Hispursue was to describe the actual stateof things in the United States. Hisdescription of the sharp contrast ofwealth and poverty in Chicago andNew York was another example. Hewas also famous for his Trilogy ofDesire and An American Tragedy ,which is considered to be his best.。
英语国家概况名词解释(新)
英语国家概况名词解释1、The Constitution:Britain has no written Constitution.The foundations of the British state are laid out in statute law,which are laws passed by Parliament; the common laws, which are laws established through commom practice in courts;and conventions.2、The house of Common: It’s the real center 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 the people who vote for them.3、The electoral campaign:Before a general election,the political parties would start their electoral campaigns in order to make their ideologies and policies known to the public.The campaign involves advertisements in newspapers, door-to-door campaigning,postal deliveries of leaflets and ‘party electoral broadcasts” on the television.The parties also try to attack and critisise the opponents’ policies.Therefore,these campaigns sometimes can be quite aggressive and critical.4、Class system in British society:The class system does exist in British society.Most of British population would claim themselves to be either of middle-class or working-class,though some people would actually belong to the upper middle-class or lower middle-class.Class divisions are not simply economic,they are cultural as well.People of different classes may defferent may differ in the kind of newspaper they read,in the way they speak and in the kind of education they receive.One of the distinctive features about the British class system is that aristocratic titles can still be inherited.5、Relative decline of the UK economy: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 second largest economy to being the six.6、Comprehensive schools:are the most popular secondary schools in Britain today.Such schools admit children without reference to their academic abilities and provide a general education.Pupils can study everything from academic subjects like literature to more practical subjects like cooking7、Grammar school s:it’s a type of secondary schools in Britain.Grammar schools select children at the age 11,through an examination called “the 11-plus”.Those children with the highest marks go to grammar schools.These schools lay emphasis on advanced academic subjects rather than the more general curriculum of the comprehensive schools and expect many of their pupils to go on to universities.8、Independent schools:are commonly called public schools which are actually private schools that receive their funding through the private sector and tuition rates,with some government assitance.Independent schools are not part of national education system,but the quality of instruction and standards are maintained through visits from Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools.These schools are restricted to the students whose parents are comparatively rich.9、the first English settle in North America:The first English permanent settlement was organized in 1607 by the London Company with a charter from the English King.The colonists settled in Virginia and survived by imposing strict discipline on themselves and by transplanting tobacco into the colony of Virginia.In 1619,the settlers elected their delegates and set up the House of Burgesses,and the same time they bought and enslaved black servants.These two events greatly influenced the political and social development of the United States later.10、Puritanism:were those who followes the doctrine of John Calvin and wanted to purify the Church of England.They believe that human beings were predestined by God before they were born.Some were God’s chosen people while others were damned to hell.No church nor good works could save people.The sign of being God’s elect was the success in his work or the prosperity in his calling.They also argued that everyone must read the Bible in order to find God’s will and establish a direct contact with God.These beliefs had great impact on American culture.11、George Washington:was one of the founding fathers of the American Republic.He was the Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in War of Independence against the British colonial rule and the first President of the United States.12、The executive:The chief executive is the President,who is elected to a four-year term.A president can be elected to only two terms according to an amendment passed in 1951.The president can propose legislation to Congress.He can veto any bill passed by Congress.The veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both houses.The president can appoint federal judges as vacancies occur.He is the commander in chief of the armed forced.The president has other broad authorities in running the government departments and handling foreign relations.13、The Bill of Rights:consists of the first 10 amendments which were added to the Constitution in 1791.The Bill of Rights was passed to guarantee freedom and individual rights such as freedom of speech,the right to assemble in public places,the right to own weapons and so on.14、Industrial Revolution in America:After independence,American was principally an agricultural country.The Industrial Revolution in England brought many changes to American industry between 1776 and 1860.One key development was the introduction of the factory system.A second development was the “American system” of mass production.A third development was the application of new technologies to industrial tasks.Afourth development was the emergence of new forms of business organization---the bank and the corporation.15、Agribusiness:Because American agricuiture is big business,people coined the term “agribusiness” to reflect the large-scale nature of agricultural enterprises in the modern US economy.The term covers the entire complex of farm-related business,from the individual farmer to the multinational maker of farm chemicals.It also includes farmer cooperatives,ruralbanks,shippers of farm products,commodity dealers,firms that manufacture farmequipment,food-processing industries,grocery chains and many other business.16、Higher education:In America,higher education refers to education on the college level.American higher education includes four categories of institutions.They are the university,the four-year undergraduate institution(the college) the technical training institution and the two-year or community college.Some are supported by public funds and some by private funds.Many universities and colleges have won reputations for providing their students with a higher quality of education.The great majority are generally regarded as quite satisfatory.17、NBA:stands for National Basketball Association.Founded in 1950,it’s the association of professional teams in the United States.It has two divisions:the Eastern Division and the Western Division.NBA is very popular not only in the US.but all over the world.The best NBA star in NBA history is Mcchiael Jordan.18、Yellowstone Nationa Park:is the oldest and one of the largest national park in the US.It’s named after the Yellowstone River that flows through the area.It is known for its geysers and hot springs among other natural wonders.19、Football hooligans:reflect the violence associated with football.While all social classes used to join in the local football march,it was regarded as being not at all suitable for gentlemen.Visitors from abroad sometimes complained about stumbling into the midst of a rough and dangerous game when walking the streets of London,while local householders and merchants were troubled by having their windows broken by stray footballs.Dringking hard went along with playing hard.Today,violence is still associated with football.They are supporters of rival teams.They sometimes clash before,during and after matches and occationally run riot through the town,breaking windows and beating each other up.20、Winbledon:is the name of a London suburb.In Winbledon the world’s best players gather to compete on grass courts.It’s one of the major events of the British sporting calendar and probably the most famous tennis event in the world.Besides actually watching the tennis matches,other activies closely associated with the Winbledon fortnight are eating strawberries andcream,drinking champagne and hoping that it doesn’t rain.21、The three traditions of Chrismas in Britain:one is the Christmas Pantomime,a comical musical play.The main male character is played by a young woman while the main female character,often an ugly woman called ‘the Dame,’ is played by a man.Another is to hear the Queen give her Christmas message to her realm over the televition and radio.A third 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.However,a new Boxing Day custom has emerged,in thecities:shopping.Shops open up to sell off all their Christmas stock decorations,food,cards and gift items at low prices.。
英语国家概况名词解释新
英语国家概况名词解释新Document number【980KGB-6898YT-769T8CB-246UT-18GG08】英语国家概况名词解释1、The Constitution:Britain has no written Constitution.The foundations of the British state are laid out in statute law,which are laws passed by Parliament; the common laws, which are laws established through commom practice in courts;and conventions.2、The house of Common: It’s the real center 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 the people who vote for them.3、The electoral campaign:Before a general election,the political parties would start their electoral campaigns in order to make their ideologies and policies known to the public.The campaign involves advertisements in newspapers, door-to-door campaigning,postal deliveries of leaflets and ‘party electoral broadcasts” on the television.The parties also try to attack and critisise the opponents’ policies.Therefore,these campaigns sometimes can be quiteaggressive and critical.4、Class system in British society:The class system does exist in British society.Most of British population would claim themselves to be either of middle-class or working-class,though some people would actually belong to the upper middle-class or lower middle-class.Class divisions are not simply economic,they are cultural as well.People of different classes may defferent may differ in the kind of newspaper they read,in the way they speak and in the kind of education they receive.One of the distinctive features about the British class system is that aristocratic titles can still be inherited.5、Relative decline of the UK economy:The UK has experienced an economic decline since 1945.But this is a relative decline ratherthan 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 second largest economy to being the six.6、Comprehensive schools:are the most popular secondary schools in Britain today.Such schools admit children without reference to their academic abilities and provide a general education.Pupils can study everything from academic subjects like literature to more practical subjects like cooking7、Grammar schools:it’s a type of secondary schools inBritain.Grammar schools select children at the age 11,through an examination called “the 11-plus”.Those children with the highest marks go to grammar schools.These schools lay emphasis on advanced academic subjects rather than the more general curriculum of the comprehensive schools and expect many of their pupils to go on to universities.8、Independent schools:are commonly called public schools which are actually private schools that receive their funding through theprivate sector and tuition rates,with some governmentassitance.Independent schools are not part of national education system,but the quality of instruction and standards are maintained through visits from Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools.These schools are restricted to the students whose parents are comparatively rich.9、the first English settle in North America:The first English permanent settlement was organized in 1607 by the London Company with a charter from the English King.The colonists settled in Virginia and survived by imposing strict discipline on themselves and by transplanting tobacco into the colony of Virginia.In 1619,the settlers elected their delegates and set up the House of Burgesses,and the same time they bought and enslaved black servants.These two events greatly influenced the political and social development of the United States later.10、Puritanism:were those who followes the doctrine of John Calvin and wanted to purify the Church of England.They believe that human beings were predestined by God before they were born.Some were God’s chosen people while others were damned to hell.No church nor good works could save people.The sign of being God’s elect was the success in his work or the prosperity in his calling.They also argued that everyone must read the Bible in order to find God’s will and establish a direct contact with God.These beliefs had great impact on American culture.11、George Washington:was one of the founding fathers of the American Republic.He was the Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in War of Independence against the British colonial rule and the first President of the United States.12、The executive:The chief executive is the President,who is elected to a four-year term.A president can be elected to only two terms according to an amendment passed in 1951.The president can propose legislation to Congress.He can veto any bill passed by Congress.The veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both houses.The president can appoint federal judges as vacancies occur.He is the commander in chief of the armed forced.The president has other broad authorities in running the government departments and handling foreign relations.13、The Bill of Rights:consists of the first 10 amendments which were added to the Constitution in 1791.The Bill of Rights was passed to guarantee freedom and individual rights such as freedom of speech,the right to assemble in public places,the right to own weapons and so on.14、Industrial Revolution in America:After independence,American was principally an agricultural country.The Industrial Revolution in England brought many changes to American industry between 1776 and 1860.One key development was the introduction of the factory system.A second development was the “American system” of mass production.A third development was theapplication of new technologies to industrial tasks.Afourth development was the emergence of new forms of business organization---the bank and the corporation.15、Agribusiness:Because American agricuiture is big business,people coined the term “agribusiness” to reflect the large-scale nature of agricultural enterprises in the modern US economy.The term covers the entire complex offarm-related business,from the individual farmer to the multinational maker of farm chemicals.It also includes farmer cooperatives,rural banks,shippers of farm products,commodity dealers,firms that manufacture farm equipment,food-processing industries,grocery chains and many other business.16、Higher education:In America,higher education refers to education on the college level.American higher education includes four categories of institutions.They are the university,the four-year undergraduateinstitution(the college) the technical training institution and the two-year or community college.Some are supported by public funds and some by private funds.Many universities and colleges have won reputations for providing their students with a higher quality of education.The great majority are generally regarded as quite satisfatory.17、NBA:stands for National Basketball Association.Founded in 1950,it’s the association of professional teams in the United States.It has two divisions:the Eastern Division and the Western Division.NBA is very popular not only in the US.but all over the world.The best NBA star in NBA history is Mcchiael Jordan.18、Yellowstone Nationa Park:is the oldest and one of the largest national park in the US.It’s named after the Yellowstone River that flows through the area.It is known for its geysers and hot springs among other natural wonders. 19、Football hooligans:reflect the violence associated with football.While all social classes used to join in the local football march,it was regarded as being not at all suitable for gentlemen.Visitors from abroad sometimes complained about stumbling into the midst of a rough and dangerous game when walking the streets of London,while local householders and merchants were troubled by having their windows broken by stray footballs.Dringking hard went along with playing hard.Today,violence is still associated with football.They are supporters of rival teams.They sometimes clash before,during and after matches and occationally run riot through the town,breaking windows and beating each other up.20、Winbledon:is the name of a London suburb.In Winbledon the world’s best players gather to compete on grass courts.It’s one of the major events of the British sporting calendar and probably the most famous tennis event in the world.Besides actually watching the tennis matches,other activies closely associated with the Winbledon fortnight are eating strawberries andcream,drinking champagne and hoping that it doesn’t rain.21、The three traditions of Chrismas in Britain:one is the Christmas Pantomime,a comical musical play.The main male character is played by a young woman while the main female character,often an ugly woman called ‘the Dame,’is played by a man.Another is to hear the Queen give her Christmas message toher realm over the televition and radio.A third 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.However,a new Boxing Day custom has emerged,in the cities:shopping.Shops open up to sell off all their Christmas stock decorations,food,cards and gift items at low prices.。
自考英语国家概况名词解释
⾃考英语国家概况名词解释英语国家概况名词解释1 The British Empire ⼤英帝国About a hundred years ago, as result of its imperialist expansion, Britain ruled and empire that had one fourth of the world’s people and one fourth of the world’s land area. The two world wars greatly weakened Britain. The British Empire gradually disappeared and it was replaced by the British Commonwealth or the Commonwealth of Nation in 1931.2.Stonehenge-It is a group of huge monuments of grant rock Slabs on salisbury plain in Southwest England built as long ago as the New Stone Age. It is generally believed that stonehenge served some sort of religious purposes. The Celts----The Celts came to Britain in three main waves. The first wave were the Gales, the second wave were the Brythons and the Belgae came about 150BC. The Celts were practised farmers. The Celtic tribes are ancestors of the Highland Scots, the Irish and the Welsh, And their languages are the basis of both Welsh and Gaelic. They religion was Druidism.3.The British Commonwealth 英联邦The British Empire was replaced by the British Commonwealth or the Commonwealth of Nations in 1931.It is a free association of independent countries that were once colonies of Britain. Member nations are joined together economically and have certain trading arrangements. The Commonwealth has no special powers. The decision to become a member of the Commonwealth is left to each member nation. At present there are 50 members counties whit in the commonwealth (1991). 是曾为英国殖民地，但现在已经独⽴构成的⾃由联合体。
英语国家概况名词解释复习范围
英语国家概况名词解释复习范围1. Puritanism: 清教徒主义Puritans were those who followed the doctrine of Jonh Calvin and wantedto purify the Church of England. They believe that human beings werepredestined by God before they were born. Some were God’s chosen peoplewhile others were damned to hell. No church nor good works could savepeople. The sign of being God’s elect was the success in his work orthe prosperity in his calling. They also argued that everyone must readthe Bible in order to find God’s will and establish a direct contactwith God. These beliefs had great impact on American culture.2. The Declaration of Independence : 独立宣言The Declaration of Independence was mainly drafted by Thomas Jeffersonand adopted by the Congress on July 4, 1776, where the people of 13English colonies in North America were fighting for their freedom andindependence from the British colonial rule. The document declaredthat all men were equal and that they were entitled to have someunalienable rights such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.It also explained the philosophy of government: the powers ofgovernments came from the consent of the governed and the purpose ofgovernments were to secure the rights mentioned above. The theory ofpolities and the guiding principles of the American Revolution mainlycame from John Lock.3. George Washington :George Washington was one of the founding fathers of the AmericanRepublic. He was the Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in theWar of Independence against the British colonial rule and the firstPresident of the United States.4. WASP: The early immigrants were generally known as the White Anglo-SaxonProtestants because most of them believed in the protestant church. Theyplayed the main role in the founding of the 13 colonies and establishedthe ruling position of their English language. They transplanted Englishvalues and traditions to the colonies and played the decisive role inwinning independence from England. Today it is estimated that about 33%of Americans are of British origin.5. Three Faiths in the US : By the 1950's,the three faiths model of American religionhad developed. American were considered to come in three basic varieties:protestants, Catholic and Jewish. In terms of numbers, the Protestantsare the strongest, the Catholica are next to the Protestants and theJewish are the smallest among the three groups.6. Religious liberty in the US : The Declaration of Independence guaranteed thebasic right of religious freedom and this right was a political necessity.The First Amendment to the US Constitution explicitly forbade the federalgovernment to give special favors to any religion or to hinder the freepractice, or exercise, of religion. When desputes about the relationshipbetween government and religion arise, American courts must settle them.But American institutions presuppose a Supreme Being, thereforeChristianity is often, in practice, more favored than other religions.7. The “Lost Generation”: 迷惘的一代In the aftermath of World War Ⅰ, manynovelists produced a literature of disillusionment. Some lived in Europe.They were known as the “Lost Generation.” Two of the mostrepresentative writers of the The “Lost Generation” were Hemingway andFitzgerald.8.Hemingway : 海明威 an American writer of fiction who won the Nobel Prize forliterature in 1954 (1899-1961). Among his best booiks were The Sun AlsoRises, A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls.9. High education in the USIn America, higher education refers to education on the college level.America higher education includes four categories of institution .They are the university , the four-year undergraduateinstitution( the college) the technical training institution and thetwo-year or community college. Some are supported by public funds andsome by private funds. Many universities and colleges have wonreputations for providing their students with a higher quality ofeducation. The great majority are generally regarded as quitesatisfactory.10 The civil rights movementIt is one of the most important of all social movements in the 1960sin America. Rose Parks’ spontaneous action in 1955 was believed tobe true beginning of the civil rights movement. The black students’sit-in at a department lunch counter in the North Carolina touchedoff the nationwide civil rights movement. During the first half ofthe decade, civil rights organizations like the SNCC,CORE,and SCLCstruggled for racial integration by providing leadership, tactics,network and the people. In the latter half of the decade, some blackorganizations changed their nonviolent tactics, and emphasized onmore radical means to end discrimination and raised the self-imageof the blacks. The civil rights movement produced such great leadersas Martin Luther King.Jr., and Malcolm X, who inspired a generationof both blacks and whites to devote their lives to fighting for racialequality in the US.11. Martin Luther King.Jr.A black Baptist minister, he was the leader of the Southern ChristianLeadership Conference during the civil rights movement of the 1960s.To promote his philosophy of nonviolent protest against segregationand other kinds of social injustice,King organized a series of“marches”, including the march on Washington of August, 1963, whenKing delivered his famous” I Have aDream”speech.As a civil rights leader, King worked ont only to endracial discrimination and poverty , but also to raise the self imageof the blacks.Due to his strong belief in non-violent peacefulprotest,King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.He wasassassinated in the city of Memphis in April 1968.12. The House of Lords and Commons in the UKThe House of LordsThe House of Lords consists of the Lords Spiritual, who are theArchbishops and most prominent bishops of the Church of England; andthe Lords Temporal , which regers to those lords who either haveinherited the seat from their forefathers or they have beenappointed .The lords mainly represent themselves instead of theinterests of the pubilc.The House of CommonsThe House of Commons is the real center of British life because itis the place where about 650 elected representatives(Members ofParliament) make and debate policy. These MPs are elected in theGeneral Elections and should represent the interests of the peoplewho vote for them.13. RomanticismRoughly the first third of the 19th century makes up Englishliterat ure’s romantic period. Writers of romantic literature aremore concerned with imagination and feeling than with the power ofreason. A volume of poems called Lyrical Ballads written by WilliamWordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge is regard as the romanticpoetry’s “Declaration of Independence.” Keats, Byron and Shelly,the three great poets, brought the Romantic Movement to its height.The spirit of Romanticism also occurred in the novel.14. ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare (1561-1616) was a famous dramatist and poet. Hecreated a large number of masterpieces, including comedy, tragedy andhistorical dramas. Shakespeare’s plays fall into categories, orclasses. He excels in each kind. The tragedies include Romeo andJuliet, Hamlet , Othello, King lear, and Macbeth. Among the comediesare The Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twlfth Night ,and The Tempest.His history plays, based on English history, includeRichard III, Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V.16. Terra NulliusTerra Nullius is from Latin. It means a land that is owned by no one. The British declared the Australian continent Terra Nullius tojustify their invasion of the indigenous people’s land. It servedto legitimize their taking possession of the land and devalue theindigenous people as uncivilized and not fully human.17. The “Washminster” form policy in AustraliaThe “Washminster” form of polity is adopted by the Australian government. It is a mixture of the US Washington system of governmentand the British Westminster system. This means that the politicalstructure of the government is based on a Federation of States witha three-tire system of government. However, the chief executive isa Prime Minister, instead of a President as in the US system.18. The Bloc QuebecoisThe Bloc Quebecois was founded in 1990 by a former Conservative cabinet minister and later separatist Lucien Bouchard. It is a Quebecseparatist party intended to complement the provincial PartiQuebecois (PQ) on the federal level. Its main concern is only to dothe best for Quebec, and wants to separate entirely from the federalgovernment. In the 1993 elections the party became the second largestin the Canadian parliament, and the charismatic Bouchard becameleader of the opposition.19. The Cold WarBy the end of World War II, the United States, which had not suffered as much as other allied countries, became the strongestcountry in the world. As the possessor of atomic tombs and much ofthe world’s gold reserv e and industrial production in his hand, thepolicy-makers of the US wanted a world order dominated by the US, aworld market free and open to American goods and services. In pursuingthis gold, the US encountered determined resistance from the SovietUnion. Gradually the two wartime allies fell apart and the Cold Warbegan.20. Unilateralism (the US)When George W. Bush became president in 2001, he and his topadvisers pursued a strategy that has significantly changed some ofthe principles that have been practiced in American foreign policyfor years. This strategy has two prominent elements: unilateralismand faith in military strength. The review policies and internationalagreements from the point of view of American national interests. Ifthey think any international agreement is not in line with Americannational interests, they will not hesitate to discard it.20. London : London is the largest city located in the south of the country. It isdominant in Britain in all sorts of ways. It is not only the financialcenter of the nation, but also one of the three major internationalfinancial centers in the world.21. Percy Bysshe Shelley : 雪莱His writing has a wide range. The lovely musicalquality of his work appears in the fine verses of “Ode to the West Wind”and “To a Skylark.” “The Revolt of Islam,” renamed as “The Rise ofIslam,” preaches revolution, and Defense of Poetry upholds the placeof imagination and love in the arts. The long poem Adonais is a beautifullament written on the death of Keats. A month before his 30th birthdayhe drowned while sailing in the Mediterranean. His ashes lie in the sameRoman cemetery where Keats is buried.22. the relationship between the UK and the US :The British foreign policy is alsoaffected by its relationship with the United States. During World War2, the two countries were closely allied and continued to work togetherclosely in the postwar years, because they had many things in common aboutthe past and the world situation. Even today, British and Americanpolicy-makers share the general ideas in many respects. However,Britain’s “special relationship” with the United Stated has gonethrough many ups and downs. The British are beginning to realize thattheir own foreign policy actions can be limited by the United States.But both sides have worked hard to maintain the “special relationship.”23. the Great Barrier Reef : 大堡礁The Great Barrier Reef, the largest coralstructure in the world, extends for over 2000 kilometers along the coastof Queensland, Australia. It is an important part of the marineecosystems, and abounds a lot of rare marine plants and animals in someof the island and coral reef. Great Barrier Reef has been listed as theWorld Natural Heritage.24. the Dreaming (Australia) : 创梦信仰The Dreaming is the belief system fromancient times that has bound indigenous groups together. The centralprinciple of the Dreaming is that the people who live on the continenthave special responsibilities to the land. The people don’t own the land;instead the land owns the people. The stories of the Dreaming provideprinciples of how people should live and interact with each other. Theyalso provide knowledge of the land so that the indigenous people cansurvive in the life-threatening environment.25. James Joyce : 詹姆士乔伊斯The novelist James Joyce is famous s the writer whochanged the nature of the novel forever. In common with many of thewriters before him, Joyce was extraordinarily self-conscious about thelanguage in which he was writing. As he has his hero say in The Portraitof the Artist as a Young Man, he didn’t feel that the English was hisnative tongue: it was a foreign language, even although it pretended tobe the same as the one he had learned himself, which was in fact a regionalvariant, knows as Hiberno-English.。
英语国家概况名词解释复习范围
英语国家概况名词解释复习范围英语国家概况名词解释复习范围1. Puritanism: 清教徒主义Puritans were those who followed the doctrine of Jonh Calvin and wantedto purify the Church of England. They believe that human beings werepredestined by God before they were born. Some were God’s chosen peoplewhile others were damned to hell. No church nor good works could savepeople. The sign of being God’s elect was the success in his work orthe prosperity in his calling. They also argued that everyone must readthe Bible in order to find God’s will and establish a direct contactwith God. These beliefs had great impact on American culture.2. The Declaration of Independence : 独立宣言The Declaration of Independence was mainly drafted by Thomas Jeffersonand adopted by the Congress on July 4, 1776, where the people of 13English colonies in North America were fighting for their freedom andindependence from the British colonial rule. The document declaredthat all men were equal and that they were entitled to havesomeunalienable rights such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.It also explained the philosophy of government: the powers ofgovernments came from the consent of the governed and the purpose ofgovernments were to secure the rights mentioned above. The theory ofpolities and the guiding principles of the American Revolution mainlycame from John Lock.3. George Washington :George Washington was one of the founding fathers of the AmericanRepublic. He was the Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in theWar of Independence against the British colonial rule and the firstPresident of the United States.4. WASP: The early immigrants were generally known as the White Anglo-SaxonProtestants because most of them believed in the protestant church. Theyplayed the main role in the founding of the 13 colonies and establishedthe ruling position of their English language. They transplanted Englishvalues and traditions to the colonies and played the decisive role inwinning independence from England. Today it is estimated that about 33%of Americans are of British origin.5. Three Faiths in the US : By the 1950's,the three faiths model of American religionhad developed. American were considered to come in three basic varieties:protestants, Catholic and Jewish. In terms of numbers, the Protestantsare the strongest, the Catholica are next to the Protestants and theJewish are the smallest among the three groups.6. Religious liberty in the US : The Declaration of Independence guaranteed thebasic right of religious freedom and this right was a political necessity.The First Amendment to the US Constitution explicitly forbade the federalgovernment to give special favors to any religion or to hinder the freepractice, or exercise, of religion. When desputes about the relationshipbetween government and religion arise, American courts must settle them.But American institutions presuppose a Supreme Being, thereforeChristianity is often, in practice, more favored than other religions.7. The “Lost Generation”: 迷惘的一代In the aftermath of World War Ⅰ, manynovelists produced a literature of disillusionment. Some lived in Europe.They were known as the “Lost Generation.” Two of the mostrepresent ative writers of the The “Lost Generation” were Hemingway andFitzgerald.8.Hemingway : 海明威 an American writer of fiction who won the Nobel Prize forliterature in 1954 (1899-1961). Among his best booiks were The Sun AlsoRises, A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls.9. High education in the USIn America, higher education refers to education on the college level.America higher education includes four categories of institution .They are the university , the four-year undergraduateinstitution( the college) the technical training institution and thetwo-year or community college. Some are supported by public funds andsome by private funds. Many universities and colleges have wonreputations for providing their students with a higher quality ofeducation. The great majority are generally regarded as quite satisfactory.10 The civil rights movementIt is one of the most important of all social movements in the1960sin America. Rose Parks’ spontaneous action in 1955 was believed tobe true beginning of the civil rights movement. The black students’sit-in at a department lunch counter in the North Carolina touchedoff the nationwide civil rights movement. During the first half ofthe decade, civil rights organizations like the SNCC,CORE,and SCLCstruggled for racial integration by providing leadership, tactics,network and the people. In the latter half of the decade, some blackorganizations changed their nonviolent tactics, and emphasized onmore radical means to end discrimination and raised the self-imageof the blacks. The civil rights movement produced such great leadersas Martin Luther King.Jr., and Malcolm X, who inspired a generationof both blacks and whites to devote their lives to fighting for racialequality in the US.11. Martin Luther King.Jr.A black Baptist minister, he was the leader of the Southern ChristianLeadership Conference during the civil rights movement ofthe 1960s.To promote his philosophy of nonviolent protest against segregationand other kinds of social injustice,King organized a series of “marches”, including the march on Washington of August, 1963, whenKing delivered his famous” I Have aDream”speech.As a civil rights leader, King worked ont only to endracial discrimination and poverty , but also to raise the self imageof the blacks.Due to his strong belief in non-violent peaceful protest,King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.He wasassassinated in the city of Memphis in April 1968.12. The House of Lords and Commons in the UKThe House of LordsThe House of Lords consists of the Lords Spiritual, who are theArchbishops and most prominent bishops of the Church of England; andthe Lords Temporal , which regers to those lords who either haveinherited the seat from their forefathers or they have been appointed .The lords mainly represent themselves instead of theinterests of the pubilc.The House of CommonsThe House of Commons is the real center of British life because itis the place where about 650 elected representatives(Members ofParliament) make and debate policy. These MPs are elected in theGeneral Elections and should represent the interests of the peoplewho vote for them.13. RomanticismRoughly the first third of the 19th century makes up English literat ure’s romantic period. Writers of r omantic literature aremore concerned with imagination and feeling than with the power ofreason. A volume of poems called Lyrical Ballads written by WilliamWordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge is regard as the romanticpoetry’s “Declaration of Independence.” Keats, Byron and Shelly,the three great poets, brought the Romantic Movement to its height.The spirit of Romanticism also occurred in the novel.14. ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare (1561-1616) was a famous dramatist and poet. Hecreated a large number of masterpieces, including comedy, tragedy andhistorical dramas. Shakespeare’s plays fall into categories, orclasses. He excels in each kind. The tragedies include RomeoandJuliet, Hamlet , Othello, King lear, and Macbeth. Among the comediesare Th e Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twlfth Night ,and The Tempest.His history plays, based on English history, includeRichard III, Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V.16. Terra NulliusTerra Nullius is from Latin. It means a land that is owned by no one. The British declared the Australian continent Terra Nullius tojustify their invasion of the indigenous people’s land. It servedto legitimize their taking possession of the land and devalue theindigenous people as uncivilized and not fully human.17. The “Washminster” form policy in AustraliaThe “Washminster” form of polity is adopted by the Australian government. It is a mixture of the US Washington system of governmentand the British Westminster system. This means that the politicalstructure of the government is based on a Federation of States witha three-tire system of government. However, the chief executive isa Prime Minister, instead of a President as in the US system.18. The Bloc QuebecoisThe Bloc Quebecois was founded in 1990 by a formerConservative cabinet minister and later separatist Lucien Bouchard. It is a Quebecseparatist party intended to complement the provincial Parti Quebecois (PQ) on the federal level. Its main concern is only to dothe best for Quebec, and wants to separate entirely from the federalgovernment. In the 1993 elections the party became the second largestin the Canadian parliament, and the charismatic Bouchard becameleader of the opposition.19. The Cold WarBy the end of World War II, the United States, which had not suffered as much as other allied countries, became the strongest country in the world. As the possessor of atomic tombs and much ofthe world’s gold reserv e and industrial production in his hand, thepolicy-makers of the US wanted a world order dominated by the US, aworld market free and open to American goods and services. In pursuingthis gold, the US encountered determined resistance from the SovietUnion. Gradually the two wartime allies fell apart and the Cold Warbegan.20. Unilateralism (the US)When George W. Bush became president in 2001, he and histopadvisers pursued a strategy that has significantly changed some ofthe principles that have been practiced in American foreign policyfor years. This strategy has two prominent elements: unilateralismand faith in military strength. The review policies and internationalagreements from the point of view of American national interests. Ifthey think any international agreement is not in line with Americannational interests, they will not hesitate to discard it.20. London : London is the largest city located in the south of the country. It isdominant in Britain in all sorts of ways. It is not only the financialcenter of the nation, but also one of the three major internationalfinancial centers in the world.21. Percy Bysshe Shelley : 雪莱His writing has a wide range. The lovely musicalquality of his work appears in the fine verses of “Ode to the West Wind”and “To a Skylark.” “The Revolt of Islam,” renamed as “The Rise ofIs lam,” preaches revolution, and Defense of Poetry upholds the placeof imagination and love in the arts. The long poem Adonaisis a beautifullament written on the death of Keats. A month before his 30th birthdayhe drowned while sailing in the Mediterranean. His ashes lie in the sameRoman cemetery where Keats is buried.22. the relationship between the UK and the US :The British foreign policy is alsoaffected by its relationship with the United States. During World War2, the two countries were closely allied and continued to work togetherclosely in the postwar years, because they had many things in common aboutthe past and the world situation. Even today, British and Americanpolicy-makers share the general ideas in many respects. However,Britain’s “special relationship” with the United Stated has gonethrough many ups and downs. The British are beginning to realize thattheir own foreign policy actions can be limited by the United States.But both sides have worked hard to maintain the “special rela tionship.”23. the Great Barrier Reef : 大堡礁The Great Barrier Reef, the largest coralstructure in the world, extends for over 2000 kilometers along the coastof Queensland, Australia. It is an important part of the marine ecosystems, and abounds a lot of rare marine plants and animals in someof the island and coral reef. Great Barrier Reef has been listed as theWorld Natural Heritage.24. the Dreaming (Australia) : 创梦信仰The Dreaming is the belief system fromancient times that has bound indigenous groups together. The centralprinciple of the Dreaming is that the people who live on the continenthave special responsibilities to the land. The people don’t own the land;instead the land owns the people. The stories of the Dreaming provideprinciples of how people should live and interact with each other. Theyalso provide knowledge of the land so that the indigenous people cansurvive in the life-threatening environment.25. James Joyce : 詹姆士乔伊斯The novelist James Joyce is famous s the writer whochanged the nature of the novel forever. In common with many of thewriters before him, Joyce was extraordinarily self-conscious about thelanguage in which he was writing. As he has his hero say in The Portraitof the Artist as a Young Man, he didn’t feel that the Engl ishwas hisnative tongue: it was a foreign language, even although it pretended tobe the same as the one he had learned himself, which was in fact a regionalvariant, knows as Hiberno-English.。
(完整word版)英美概况名词解释复习范围兼答案
英语国家概况名词解释复习范围1.Puritanism : the beliefs and practices characteristic of Puritans (most of whom were Calvinistswho wished to purify the Church of England of its Catholic aspects) and that self-control and hard work are important and that pleasure is wrong or unnecessary2. The Declaration of Independence: is a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain were now independent states, and thus no longer a part of the British Empire.3. George Washington: served as the first President of the United States from 1789 to 1797 and as the commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1783. Because of his significant role in the revolution and in the formation of the United States, he is highly revered by Americans as the "Father of Our Country".4. WASP: stands for White Anglo-Saxon Protestant. It is an informal term used in the United States and Canada[1] in reference to an ethnic elite with high social status and presumed power.5. Three Faiths in the US: Americans were considered to come in 3 basic varieties : Protestant,Catholic and Jewish,the order reflecting the strength in numbers of each group.6. Religious liberty in the US: freedom of religion is a constitutionally guaranteed right provided in the religion clauses of the First Amendment. Freedom of religion is also closely associated with separation of church and state7. The “Lost Generation”: in the aftermath of ww1,many novelists produced a literature of disillusionment.Some lived abroad and known as the lost generation.8.Hemingway :one of the great US writers of the 20th century, who won the Nobel prize for literature in 1954. He wrote many novels and short stories in a simple and direct style, and his books are often about typically male activities like war and hunting. His novels include A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Old Man and the Sea. He died by shooting himself.9. High education in the US :10 The civil rights movement: refers to the movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring Suffrage in Southern states.11. Martin Luther King.Jr. : United States charismatic civil rights leader and Baptist minister who campaigned against the segregation of Blacks (1929-1968)12. The House of Lords and Commons in the UK : British Parliament has two parts: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The House of Lords is made up of the Lords Spiritual and the Lords Temporal. the House of Commons, whose members are each elected to represent a particular official area of the country, or its members or the place where it meets13. Romanticism : a movement in literature and art during the late 18th and early 19th centuries that celebrated nature rather than civilization; "Romanticism valued imagination and emotion over rationality"representative persons include keats,byron and shelley.14. Shakespeare : English playwright and poet whose body of works is considered the greatest in English literature. His plays, include the famous four comedies and four tragedies.15. the British Commonwealth : is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states. All but two of these countries were formerly part of the British Empire.16. Terra Nullius : in Australia, the legal idea that when the first Europeans arrived in Australia the land was owned by no one and therefore they were free to live there.17. The “Washminster” form policy in Australia : washington and westminster as britain andamerican political system.based on a federation of states and has a three-tier system of government but the chief executive is a prime minister.18. The Bloc Quebecois: a coalition of MPs from the main French-speaking province of Quebec who were dedicated to the task of winning important concessions from the rest of Canada.19. the Cold War (1947–1991) was the continuing state of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition existing after World War II, primarily between the Soviet Union and its satellite states, and the powers of the Western world, particularly the United States.20. Unilateralism (the US) : Unilateralism is used to refer to a policy in which one country or group involved in a situation takes a decision or action on its own, without the agreement of the other countries or groups involved.20. London : the capital and largest city of England,the country’s governmental, financial and and cultural center.21. Percy Bysshe Shelley : was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded among the finest lyric poets in the English language. "Ode to the West Wind”22. the relationship between the UK and the US: close during and after ww2,and today agree on many issues…23. the Great Barrier Reef : is the world's largest reef system, stretching for over 2,000 kilometres along the coast of Queensland in north-east Australia.24. the Dreaming (Australia) : the most enduring religion in Australia ,is over 10,000 years old.25. James Joyce : Irish ,was one of the greatest writers in the twentieth century, whose works and“ stream of consciousness” had an important effect on the whole world.。
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1、What different ethnic groups are there in UK? Why are there so many? Where do they live? How are they different from the majority of people: language? Clothing? Music? What effects do different ethnic groups have on a country?英国有哪些不同的民族？为什么有这么多？他们住在哪里？他们与大多数人有什么不同：语言？服装？音乐？不同民族对一个国家有什么影响？Englander, Welsh, Scottish, Irish。
（England，Wales,Scotland,Ireland）The majority of the population is descendants后裔of the Anglo-Saxons, a Germanic people from Europe. Most people in Wales and Scotland are descendants of the Celtic people, including the Irish people. They merged through ethnic invasions and immigrationIn terms of language, Some Scottish people like to use Scottish. Irish people speak English and Gaelic.In terms of clothing, Scottish men wear kilts(a kind of skirt) is most prominent representative, they think that it is a symbol of identity.In music, Scottish bagpipes have become one of the representatives of its culture.In terms of culture, many ethnic groups contribute to cultural exchange and development. But on the other hand, it may make it difficult for the country to manage it.2、How would you describe the traits of the people in Britain? Do you think people all over the world are basically the same or basically different? How are the British people different from Chinese?你如何描述英国人的特点？你认为世界各地的人基本上是相同的还是基本不同的？英国人和中国人有什么不同？For me personally, first, most Brits are very polite. It can be seen from their conversation. For example, “I don’t really like to ask you, but…”. Second, most Britons are humorous. This can be seen from their TV shows.As a famous going says, “You can’t find two leaves which are exactly the same in the world.” That is like you and me. Neither the same nor very different, people are similar in some ways and different to some extent. Just like people with the same name and gender, their personalities may be different.In terms of eating habits, The Chinese mainly eat noodles and rice, while the British mainly eat bread and noodles. In terms of character, the Chinese are more euphemistic and the British are more direct.3、How religious are the British? What major religious beliefs are there in Britain? Historically, what role has religion played in bringing about what the country is now?英国人有多信仰？英国有哪些主要的宗教信仰？从历史上看，宗教在实现该国现在所扮演的角色是什么？1、Their beliefs are diverse and popular. In the UK, more than 60% of people are religious. They gradually developed into a multi-faith country through national invasion and immigration.2、The major religious beliefs are Christianity and Islam.3、Historically, religion played an indispensable role in British history. Before the Reformation, the rights of the church were far greater than those of the king. Therefore, it affected the direction of the country’s development. After the reform of the religion, it made the national consciousness begin to awaken. This laid the foundation for the United Kingdom becoming a developed country4、People say that a history of Britain is a history of invasion. Do you agree or disagree? Find evidence to support your view. Please be specific and go down to the details.人们说英国的历史就是入侵的历史。
你同意还是不同意？找到证据来支持你的观点。
请具体说明并详细说明。
1、I claim that the invasion includes being invaded and invasion. So, from this angle, I agree with the view that a history of Britain is a history of invasion.2.1、Being invaded:Before the English Bourgeois Revolution(英国资产阶级革命), Britain had been invaded by other countries for a long time. For example, first，the Celtics invaded the United Kingdom. Second, The Romans managed to conquer Britain by its army. Including German Conquest、Norman Conquest(诺曼征服) and so on.2.2、Invasion: In 1600，The British invaded India. In 1840 the British launched the first Opium War.(第一次鸦片战争）In 1854, the Crimean War（克里米亚战争）. 1856-1860 the British launched the second Opium War. and it join in the world war 1.5、Sun-never-setting empire: how it started, proceeded, and declined, and its impact on world civilization. Try to make it specific. You can view the empire from a special perspective, for example, you can talk about the topic in terms of tea. Of course, this is just a suggestion.日不落的帝国：它如何开始，继续和衰落，及其对世界文明的影响。
尝试使其具体。
你可以从一个特殊的角度来看帝国，例如，你可以谈论茶的话题。
当然，这只是一个建议。
1、Start:because of the defeating successfully Spanish invincible armada in 1588、gaining victory in the war with the Dutch in the 16th century and the 7-year war with France in the 17th century. So they started to expand to foreign countries.2、Proceed: The Britain became the Sun-never-setting Empire in the middle of 18century. This empire is becoming more and more powerful3、Decline:After the end of 19th century, the British began to go downhill. Britain did not catch the opportunity of the second industrial revolution. At this time, other countries developed rapidly and their strength has gradually surpassed Britain, such as Germany and the United States. The impacts of the two world wars and Hong Kong return to China in 1997, indicates the funeral of the empire.(marks the decline of the empire)4、On the positive side：The first industrial revolution brought advanced technology to the development of world, which promote the development of world science and technologyOn the negative side：It undermines the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other nations and controls their politics.它破坏了其他国家的主权和领土完整，并控制了其政治。