英美国家概括 名词解释 英国部分

英美国家概括名词解释The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Unit 11.LondonLondon is the largest city located in the south of the country. It is dominant in Britain in all sorts of ways. It is the cultural and business center and the headquarters of the vast majority of Britain’s big companies. It is not only the financial center of the nation, but also one of the three major international financial centers in the world.2.Robin Hood罗宾汉，英国传说中的一位著名绿林好汉，在森林里盘踞，以劫富济贫杀贪官污吏为宗旨。

Robin Hood was a Saxon nobleman. As he could no longer put up with oppressions压迫from the Normans, he became an outlaw反叛者and hid himself with his band of “merry men” in the forest. From this secret place, he went out to rob from the rich to give the poor.3.Anglo-Saxons盎格鲁-撒克逊They were two groups of Germanic日耳曼peoples who settled down in England from the 5th century. They were regarded as the ancestors of the English and the founders of England.4.King Arthur 亚瑟国王，6世纪时英格兰统治者，圆桌骑士的领袖，有关他的传说很多。

It is said that he was the King of England in the 5th century and united the British and drove the Saxons back with his magical sword, Excalibur. His real existence is in doubt. He is the central figure of many legends.5.King Harold哈罗德国王，英格兰最后一位撒克逊民族的国王，1066年诺曼底法国入侵英格兰时，在关键的Hastings 战斗中被杀。

从此英格兰被征服，诺曼底统治者当了英国国王，即威廉一世。

He was the Saxon King whose army was defeated in the Battle of Hastings in 1066, when William the Conqueror invaded England from France.Unit 21.The Easter Rising复活节起义。

1916年复活节清晨（4月26日，星期一）“爱尔兰共和兄弟”和共和军的战士们在帕尔斯和康纳利领导下，发动了一次反英的武装起义，占领了都伯林总邮局，宣布成立爱尔兰共和国。

但是，由于时机不成熟和筹划不周，五天后就被镇压下去了。

16名领导人被处死，160人受到军事审判，122人被判处有期徒刑。

In order to gain independence, different Irish groups hadbeen fighting against the British institutions and the British military forces. One such activity was the Easter Rising which took place in 1916. The rebels造反者，反叛者occupied Dublin’s Post Office and forced the British to take it back by military force. The leaders of the rebellion were executed by the British authorities.2.The Provisional IRA 爱尔兰共和军的“临时派”，主张使用暴力，坚持“不承认、不参加现政府机构”的政策，但也未完全放弃政治斗争。

In 1919, a group calling itself the IRA (Irish Republic Army) expended fighting for Irish freedom and independence. The Provisional IRA is the radical faction基本的派别of the IRA. They prefer the use of force and believe that armed force is the only way to get the British out and to have a unified Ireland.3.Sinn Fein 新芬党，北爱政党之一，成立于1905年，该党主张英国政府从北爱撤走，使南北统一。

该党的宗旨是确保国际上承认爱尔兰是一个独立的共和国国家。

1970年分裂为“正式派”和“临时派”。

Sinn Fein is a legal political party in Northern Ireland which supports the IRA to fight for the union of Ireland. The leaders of Sinn Fein prefer union with Ireland by a twincampaign运动，战役，竞选活动, both military and political which they call the policy of “the Bullet and the Ballot Box”暴力和民主手段，他们主张用政治或军事手段解决爱尔兰的统一. It believes that without the participation of Sinn Fein the political problem of Northern Ireland cannot be thoroughly solved.4.Home Rule自治法案。

1912年在下议院提出自治法案，遇到北爱尔兰统一派和保守党的强烈反对。

该法案搁置至1914年才被乔治五世国王签署成为法律。

由于第一次世界大战爆发，北爱尔兰自治问题未觉，随后发生了1916年复活节起义，改变了南爱公众的看法，南爱不接受北爱自治法案。

Ireland had long been dominated统治by Britain, but Irish desire for an independent Irish state was never lost. “Home Rule” refers to a campaign for Irish control of Irish affairs. The Home Rule Bill was finally passed in 1914, but the process was overtaken压倒，搁置by the First World War and was suspended for the duration of the war.5.The Good Friday Agreement《北爱和平协议》。

1998年4月10日在美国参议员乔治·米歇尔的斡旋下，英爱两国政府与参加北爱多党谈判的各党派之间达成的和平协议。

该协议于1998年5月22日在北爱和爱尔兰全民公决中获得通过。

该协议规定只有在北爱大多数人赞同的情况下才能改变北爱目前的政治地位。

目前北爱由爱尔兰政府，英国政府及北爱执行委员会三方共同参与管理。

Good Friday 是每年复活节礼拜天前一周的周五。

As a result of multi-party negotiations, the Good Friday Agreement was approved on 10 April 1998. This agreement assures the loyalist亲英派community共同体，公众that Northern Ireland remains保持，仍是part of the United Kingdom and it won’t change its political status unless the majority of the people of Northern Ireland agree. Under the terms条款of the agreement, Northern Ireland should be governed by three separate jurisdictions管辖权: that of Republic of Ireland, that of Great Britain and that of its own elected executive行政上的，行政部门的government of ten minister执行者，部长，大臣.Unit 3 The Government of the United Kingdom1.The Bill of Rights of 1689《权利法案》，英国议会通过的限制国王权力，确立英国君主立宪制的宪法性文件。

In 1689, King James II’s daughter and her husband William were invited by the politicians and church authorities to take the throne, on condition that they would respect the rights of Parliament. The Bill of Rights was passed in 1689 to ensure that the King would never be able to ignore Parliament.2.The ConstitutionBritain has no written Constitution. The foundations of the British state are laid out in statue 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.3.The functions of ParliamentThe functions of Parliament are: to pass laws, to vote for taxation, to scrutinize government policy, administration and expenditure and to debate the major issues of the day.4.The House of Lords上议院The House of Lords consists of the Lord Spiritual, who are the Archbishops and most prominent bishops of the Church of England; and the Lords Temporal, which refers to those lords who either have inherited the seat from their forefathers or they have been appointed. The lords mainly represent themselves instead of the interests of the public.5.The House of CommonsThe House of Commons is 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 andshould represent the interests of the people who vote for them.Unit 4 Politics, Class and Race1.The importance of general electionsGeneral elections are very important in western democracy. According to the author, they provide opportunities for people to influence future government policies and to replace those incompetent没能力的political leaders.2.The formation of the government651 members of parliament are elected in the general election representing 651 constituencies in the UK. The party which holds a majority of those “seats”in parliament forms the government, with its party leader as the Prime Minister.3.The electoral campaignsBefore 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 leaflet and “party electoral broadcasts”on the television. The parties also try to attack and criticize the opponents’policies. Therefore, these campaignssometimes can be quite aggressive and critical.4.Class system in British societyThe class system does exist in British society. Most of the 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 differ in the kind of newspapers 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.Ethnic relations in the UKThe coming of immigrant groups from other parts of the world has greatly enriched British culture. But ethnic relations are also sometimes tense: the local people view the newcomers as a threat to their way of living; and despite much official actions to minimize racism, both subtle and overt oppression remains. The immigrant population is not well-off economically. They face problems of unemployment, under-representation in politics and unfair treatment by police and by the justice system.Unit 5 The UK Economy1.Relative decline of the UK economyThe 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 sixth.2.Privatization in the 1980sThe British economy went through a particularly had period in the 1970s, with high rates of inflation and devaluation of the Pound. 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 business (such as steel, telecom, gas, aerospace) were turned into private companies. Privatisation was successful in controlling inflation but at the same time unemployment rate increased rapidly.3.Main sectors of the UK economyThe UK national economy can be divided into three main areas: primary industries, such as agriculture, fishing and mining; secondary industries which manufacture complex goods fromthose primary products; and tertiary (or service) industries such as banking, insurance, tourism and retailing.4.“The City”“The City “refers to the historic area at the center of London. It is one of the biggest financial centers in the world with the greatest concentration of banks, insurance companies and business dealing in commodities. At the heart of the city is the London Stock Exchange.5.The aerospace industry in the UKThe UK’s aerospace industry is the third-largest in the world, producing the full range of aerospace products form civil and military aircrafts to missiles, satellites and jet engines. It produces 2% of the UK nation output, accounting for 8% of manufactured export goods.Unit 6 British Literature1.Elizabethan DramaThe general flowering of cultural and intellectual life in Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries is known as the Renaissance. In British culture, one of the most successful and long-lasting expressions of this development lay in drama. That was the period of the reign of Queen Elizabeth(1558-1603). The first professional theatre in London opened in 1576, and the others followed, performing the plays of many notable playwrights, including Christopher Marlowe, Ben Johnson and William Shakespeare.2.The Canterbury TalesThe Canterbury Tales written by Geoffrey Chaucer is the most important work in Middle English literature. It is made up of a series of stories told by 31 pilgrims to entertain each other on their way to the Christian Church at Canterbury in southeast England. It’ quite noticeable for its diversity, not only in the range of social status among the pilgrims, but also in style or the stories they tell.3.The King James BibleKing James I ordered the translation of the Holy Scripture, which came to known as the King James Bible. It appeared in 1611. Although it was not the first English translationrond there have been many translations since, the King James Version will probably never be matched for majesty of language. For many generations it has had a greater influence on style and standards of taste than other single work in English literature.4.RomanticismRoughly the first third of the 19th century makes up English Literature’s romantic period. Writers of romantic literature are more concerned with imagination and feeling than with the power of reason. A volume of poems called Lyrical Ballads written by William Words worth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge is regarded as the romantic poetry’s “Declarati on 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.5.The Bronte sisterPerhaps the most famous literary family in British history are the Bronte sisters, who were influenced by the Romantic Movement. Charlotte, Emily and Ann were daughters of the vicar of a village church in Yorkshire. Although they were poor, they were educated and respectable. In their short lives, they didn’t produce much, but their works are among the best-loved novels in English: Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and Emily’s Wuthering Heights.6.ModernismModernism refers to a form of literature mainly written before WW II. It is characterized by a high degree of experimentation. It can be seen as a reaction against the 19thcentury forms of Realism. Modernist writers express the difficulty they see in understanding and communicating how the world works. Often, Modernist writing seems disorganized, hard to understand. It often portrays the action form the viewpoint of a single confused individual, rather than from the viewpoint of an all-knowing impersonal narrator outside the action. One of the most famous English Modernist writers is Virginia Woolf.Unit 7 British Education Systemprehensive schoolsComprehensive 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 form academic subjects like literature to more practical subjects like cooking.2.Grammar schoolsIt is a type of secondary school in Britain. Grammar school select children at the age 11, through and examination called “the 11-plus”. Those children with the highest marks go to grammar school. These schools lay emphasis on advancedacademic subjects rather than the more general curriculum of the comprehensive schools and expect many of their pupils to go on to universities.3.Independence schoolsIndependent 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 assistance. 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.4.The Open UniversityThe Open University was founded in Britain in the 1960’s for people who might not get the opportunity for highest education for economic and social reasons. It’s open to everybody and does not demand the same formal education qualifications as the other universities. University courses are followed through TV, radio, correspondence, videos and a net of work of study centers. At the end of their studies at the Open University, successful students are awarded a university degree.Unit 8 British Foreign Relations1.The foundations of British foreign policyThe contemporary foreign police of the UK is greatly influenced by its imperial history and also by its geopolitical traits. As Britain lost its empire so recently, British policy-makers frequently forget that Britain is not as influential as it used to be in world affairs. Another decisive influence upon the way Britain handles its external affairs is geopolitical attitude to Europe.2.The making of Britain’s foreign policyThe general direction of Britain’s foreign policy is mainly decided by the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the main government department, plays a significant role in the making of Britain’s foreign policy. Many other government ministries such as the Ministry of Defense also play a part in formulating and carrying out the government’s decisions. But an extremely influential player in Britain’s foreign policy is the Treasury. The Treasury makes decisions on how much money other departments can have each year.3.Britain and the EUBritain joined the European Economic Community in 1973 which is now called the EU. Britain’s participation in the EU remains controversial. At the center of the controversy is the fact that it is not clear about what the EU is and what is will become. The UK has always been interested in encouraging free trade between countries and is therefore very supportive of the EU as a free trade area. Britain like to regard the EU as a place where economic cooperation is possible and where a flow of trained personnel and goods are possible. But Britain has always been less enthusiastic giving up its national sovereignty to a European government.统治权4.Britain and the United StatesThe Britain foreign policy is also affected by its relationship with the United States. During World II, the two countries were closely allied and continued to work together closely in the postwar years, because they had many things in common about the past and the world situation. Even today, Britain and American policy-makers share the general ideas in many respects. However, Britain’s “special relationship”with the United States has gone through many ups and downs. The Britain are beginning to realized that their own foreign policy actions can be limited by the United States. But both sideshave worked hard to maintain the “special relationship”.5.The Commonwealth 英联邦In the author’s opinion, the Commonwealth is a voluntary association of states which is made up mostly of former British colonies. There are 50 members of the Commonwealth: many of these are developing countries like India and Cyprus; others are developed nations like Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The Commonwealth was set up as a forum for continued cooperation and as a sort of support network.Unit 9 The British Media1.Quality paperThey belong to one of the categories of the national dailies. The quality papers carry more serious and in-depth articles of particular political and social importance. They also carry reviews, such as book reviews, and feature articles about high culture. These papers are also referred to as “the broadsheets” because they are printed on large size paper. The readers of such newspaper are generally a well-educated middle class audience.2.TabloidsA tabloid is a small format newspaper with color photos andcatchy headlines. Tabloids are interested in scandals and gossip usually about famous people. They also carry lots of crime, sports and sensational human interest stories so as to attract readers. Stories are short, easy to read and often rely more on opinions than fact. They belong to a category of national papers different form qualities paper.3.The TimesThe Times began publishing in 1785 and it is the United Kingdom’s oldest daily newspaper.4.The BBCThe full name is the British Broadcasting Corporation. It was founded in 1926 as a public service radio station and later moved into television. It had been Britain’s main public service broadcaster. It currently has two TV channels. BBC 1 specializes in shows with a broad appeal while BBC 2 supplies viewers with documentaries and shows aimed at particular social groups. The BBC also provides the World Service which broadcasts in English and 42 other languages throughout the world.Unit 10 Sports, Holidays and Festivals in Britain1.Football hooligans2.Cricket and “fair play”3.Wimbledon4.The three traditions of Christmas in BritainThere are three Christmas traditions which are particularly British: 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 ugly woman called “the Dame,” is played by a man. Another British Christmas tradition is to hear the Queen give her Christmas message to her realm over the television and radio. A third British tradition 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 decoration, food, cards and gift items at low prices.5.Orange Marches6.Eisteddfod。