《英美概况》名词解释

《英美概况》名词解释
《英美概况》名词解释
1.backbone of England : It refers to the Pennines in England. The Pennines extend from north to south, from upland to Derbyshire.
2.the act of 1801: In the year of 1801, the parliament passed the act to agree that Ireland joined the kingdom. From then on, Britain got the name: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and Britain includes England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
3.the Bank of England: It is the center of the British financial system. It was founded in 1694 and nationalized in 1946.
4.Invisible Trade: It refers to a kind of unseen and unobvious trade. It includes the profits, dividend and capital investment.
5.Black country: It refers to the industrial area in the west midland and Birmingham is the center. The area is very rich but is heavily polluted.
6.Hadrian’s Wall: In 122AD, the Romans built a wall in order to defend Picts and Scots. The wall is very long, from Solway to Tyne; we call it Hadri an’s Wall.
7.Julius Caesar：The king of Rome. In 55-54BC, he led his army invaded Britain twice.
8. King Alfred: He is the king of Wessex in Britain. In the 8th century, he led the British people defeated the Danes and Vikings, and he was considered the first national hero. He wrote Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. (盎格鲁-撒克逊编年史)
9. William the Conqueror: One the Christmas Day of 1066, French man William defeated the British King Harold at Hastings. In Westminster Abbey, he was crowned the King of Britain, so the Norman Conquest began. He established a strong monarchy in
England, and unified the country. In 1086, he and his officials made a book about the survey of Britain, which is called Doomsday Book.
10. Battle of Hastings: One the Christmas Day of 1066, at Hastings, French man William defeated the British King Harold, and Harold was killed. The battle was called Battle of Hastings. The battle of Hastings paved a way for the Norman Conquest.
11. Henry : In the year of 1154, Henry built the Plantagenet and when he was a king, he made the monarchy stronger than before. He made a set of reformation and in the year of 1181, he issued the Assize of Arms. He died in 1189.
24. O’liver Cromwell: He is a famous man in the British history. During the civil war, he and his “New M odel Army”defeated the King’s army. In 1649, he killed Charles . In 1653, he became Lord Protector and later compressed the Diggers.
25. new model army: It is the new kind of army led by Oliver Cromwell in the civil war. The army includes farmers, craftsman, undermasters (学徒) etc.
26.the Treaty of Paris in 1763: The treaty is between England and France. It includes four points. According to the treaty, France gave up many colonies, for example, it gave up the controlling on India, and Britain became the chief/leading colonial power.
27. the House of Hanover: George began the House of Hanover in the year of 1714, and the Cabinet System was established and monarch was controlled by the Parliament.28.
28. the Treaty of Paris in 1783 : The treaty is between Britain and America. In the treaty the Britain admitted the independence of America.
29. the Corn Laws: It refers to a set of laws to regulate the
corn trade, for example: to increase the price of corn imported in 1815. The Corn Laws were cancelled in 1848.
30. the Peterloo Massacre: In August 1819, a organization was founded in Manchester to demand universal suffrage, and yearly Parliament and the cancellation of Corn Laws. The government suppressed it and 11 died with so many people wounded. This is called the Peterloo Massacre.
31. the Reform Bill: The Bill was brought up by Whig in 1832. It made 3 changes in election system. (1) many “rotten boroughs” are cancelled （2）many new seats (席位) were given to the most populous (人口稠密的) countries. (3) the total elec torates increased to 217000. But working class still didn’t have to right to vote. 32. the Chartist Movement: 1839-1848, the working class in Britain had a movement to realize the “people’s charter” , in fact , they wanted to have the universal suffrage. The chartist had two groups : moral force and physical force. At last, the Chartist Movement failed, but the working class entered the history stage for the first as an independent political force.
33. the Opium War: In 1840, the Chinese government issued
a law to stop the importing opium from Britain, to the Britain launched a war. The Qing Government surrendered (投降) to the Britain and signed the unequal Treaty :Nanjing Treaty in 1842.
34. the Fabian Society ：It was founded in 1883-1884. It included the famous men such as G.B.Shaw and
H.G.Wells, who played an important role in 20th century labour party.
35.the Statute of Westminster: It was passed in 1931 and it gave the legislative recognition to the relation between British Kingdom her dominions. The dominions are independent in all
aspects except the name.
36. NATO: It is the acronym for North Atlantic Treaty Organization, it is founded in 1949.
37. Margaret Thatcher: She was the first woman Prime Minister in British history. She was in power from 1979-1990. She was called “iron lady”because she controlled Britain’s money policy tightly. She made Britain prosperous in the 1980s.
38.Downing Street Declaration: It is a document between Britain and Ireland in 1993. According to the Downing Street Declaration, the future of Northern Ireland shold depend on the wished of majority.
39.BBC: Its full name is British Broadcast Co-operation. It was established in 1922, it has 4 radio channels, and the programs are broadcasted in 39 languages. There is no advertisement in BBC programs, the money is from the people who watch the TV.
40.GCE: Its full name is General Certificate Education. It refers to the exam of the secondary middle school, if the students can pass the exam, he can get the GCE.
41.Reuters: Ruters is one of the 4 news agencies in the West, it was founded in 1851, it has 11000 employees and 1300 photographers and reporters in more than 80 countries.
42. the Royal Society: It is a British organization to study science and one of the most famous scientific organizations in the world. It was founded in 1660 and Issac Newton was its president for 23 years.
43. Whitehall: It is the most important street in London, some of the government offices are in Whitehall, such as: Home Office, Finance Office, etc.
44. St. Paul’s Cathedral: the biggest and most well-known church in London , a typical(典型的) building of Renaissance(文艺
复兴).
45.Westminster Abbey: It is a national shrine. Many famous literary persons or scientific persons are buried here. In 1066, William the Conqueror crowned himself in the Westminster Abbey.
46.John Bull: the nickname of England or a typical English man.
47.Speaker: the presiding officer(leader) of the House of Commons in British.
48.Hollidays:
(1) Christmas Day: It is on 25th, Dec to celebrate the birth of Jesus. On Christmas Day, people will go home from far places, eat Turkey with families, and children will get the present from Christmas Father.
(2) Boxing Day: It is on the first weekday after Christmas. It is
a public holiday in England, Wale and
Northern Ireland. On Boxing Day, household employees or other service workers can receive some gifts.
(3) Guy Fawkes Day: It is a day to celebrate a event in English history. A man Guy Fawkes wanted to blow up(炸平) the parliament in 5th , Nov and he was caught in the House of Commons.
(4) Armistice Day: The day is also called Remembrance Day. It is a patriotic day on 11th, Nov, to remember the British or foreigners who died in World War Two.
49. Protestantism: a main group of Christianity, separated from the Roman Catholic Church by the Reformation in 1534.
50.Salvation Army: one of the main nonconformist denominations, founded in London in 1865,They preach the story of Jesus Christ, and do social work to help the poor and sick.
They are almost military.
51. Parliament : It refers to the legislature(立法机构) in Britain. The parliament has 3 parts: the Crown, the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
52. House of Lords: It is the oldest part in Parliament which comes from the Great Council. The House of Lords doesn’t have real power. Normally speaking, the House of Lords can stop the law passing into the legislation, but after 1949, the House of Lords can not can stop the law passing into the legislation.
53. the House of Commons: The House of Commons has 650 seats. The members of it are not pointed but are elected.. It has the real power. Strong part of the House Commons forms the government, the weak part of the House Commons forms the Opposition. The leader of the House of Commons is called Speaker/President of Chamber.
54. Opposition: The weak part of the House Commons forms the Opposition. They criticize the government or government’s policy, and give their new policies.
55.Scotland Yard: It is the headquarters(总部) of Criminal Investigation Department in London. It has a history of 150 years. It does criminal detection, police training etc.
55.the Mississippi River :It is the longest and most important river in the USA, and one of the greatest river in the world. It has two branches: Missouri and Ohio. It is 6262 km long.
56.the five Great Lakes: the five Great Lakes are in the place between America and Canada. They are: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior.
57.the Niagara Falls: It refers to the Falls between Erie and Ontario in North America, 1240m wide, and 49m deep. Every year, thousands of visitors come here to enjoy it.
58.Yellow Stone National Park: It is located in the northwest of Wyoming. It is the oldest national park in the world. A great number of wildlife live there.
59.Grand Canyon: Grand Canyon lies in Arizonan, it is the one of the wonders（奇迹）in the world. Its wall has many layers, which tells you the story of the earth formation.
60.Old Faithful: It is the most famous geyser（火山）in Yellow Stone National Park. It erupts more than 100 feet in the air every 73min.
61. Pearl Harbor: It is the base of the Pacific Fleet of the USA, near the city Honolulu in Hawaii.
62. Microsoft: It is the most famous computer company founded in 1975 by Bill Gates. Now, it plays an
important role in the world.
63. Christopher Columbus: He was an Italian; he believed that the earth is round. In 1492, he discovered
America and in 1498 he discovered the main land of South America.
64. The Stamp Act: When Britain controlled the America, it issued a law: the stamp paper must be used for
legal documents. It was passed in 1765 and stopped in 1766.
65. the Boston Massacre: In 1770, a little boy in Boston threw
a small stone to the British soldiers, and British
soldiers fired at the people, with 4 died and many wounded. After it, the American people united together to fight against the British army.
/doc/75fb562ca8114431b80dd82b.ht ml mittees of Correspondence: In 1772, the Boston town meeting appointed “Committees of
Correspondence”to call people to unite together to fight
against the British army.
67. the Boston Tea Act: When Britain controlled America, according to the“Tea Act”, East Indian Company
exported tea to America to make money. In 1773, some Boston men got on the English ship and poured the tea into the sea. The Boston Tea Act showed the fighting spirit of Americans.
68. the First Continental Congress: It was held in 1714 in Philadelphia. The leaders in the Congress agreed that they wouldn’t buy any goods from England until the objectional law was stopped.
69. the Second Continental Congress: It was held in 1715 in Philadelphia. The leaders in the Congress agreed
to sent army around Boston and made George Washington as the commander.
70. the Articles of the Confederation: At the end of the Independent War, the people meet a question. How the United States should be governed? So a constitution（the Articles of the Confederation）was made. In 1781, it was accepted by all the states.
71. the Sedition Act: It was made by John Adam, any one should n’t stir up the hatred to the government. It was opposed by Republican Party, and was stopped by Jefferson in 1800.
72. Monroe Doctrine: It was made by President Monroe in 1823. “America is American’s America”.
According to the doctrine, European countries shouldn’t open any colony in North America or South America, and shouldn’t interfere the everything in America. And America shouldn’t open any colony in Europe, and shouldn’t interfere the everything in Europe.
73. Westward Movement: In the early time of 19th century, more Europeans immigrated to America to find a
better life, but in the northeast, they found themselves still poor. So the farmers without land and workers without work went to the west part. Now, the west part is developed and wild land is farmed.
74. Douglas’ Bill: It is a bill made by Douglas, a person in senate. According to the bill, the slavery is possible
in some states, e.g.: Kentucky or Nebraska.
75. Republican Party: The Party was founded in 1854; the members of this party were against the slavery.
Lincoln is the famous leader from this party.
76. Abraham Lincoln: In 1860, Lincoln was elected president. He played an important role in the Civil War
and made two important documents: Homestead Bill, and Emancipation Proclamation. In 1864, he was elected for the second time. He was killed in 1865.
77. the Confederate Union: After Lincoln was elected as president in 1860, the seven southern states, set up a country “the Confederate Union”. They wanted to keep the slavery in it.
78. Homestead Bill: It is one of the documents by Lincoln, according to the bill, the farmers and settlers got
enough land. So Lincoln got their support and the agriculture in the South developed.
79. “Open Door Policy”: It is the policy which is made by Theodore Roosevelt in Chinese-American relation.
By the policy, American invaded China by force and culture.
80. the American Federation of Labor : the first national union in America .
81. the League of Nations: According to Wilson’s Fourteen Points, the League of Nations is set up to keep the
world peace. But it is controlled by England and France.
82. the Washington Conference : In 1921,China , America and other countries held a meeting in Washington,
and this is called the Washington Conference. The Washington Conference strengthened the power of Far East and Pacific Area.
83. the Great Depression: It happened 1929-1933. In 1929, the New York Stock Market failed, many factories
closed down, many workers lost jobs, many products found no markets. Many extra goods were destroyed.
84. the New Deal: It was made by Franklin?D?Roosevelt in 1932. According to the deal, in the country, many
public projects were made to increase the employment; at broad, American strengthened the old market and
found new market.
85. Franklin·D·Roosevelt：He was a member of Democratic Party and was the 32nd president in America.
During 1929-1933, he made a New Deal, and made many contributions in WW.
86.the Battle of Midway Island: In the Battle of Midway Island, America defeated the Japanese United Fleet.
This is the turning point of the Pacific War.
87. NATO: The full name is North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It was set up in 1949. the main purpose was to
form a political cooperation to fight against Russia.
88. the Warsaw Pact: It was set up in 1955, the main purpose was to form a political cooperation to fight
against NATO.
89. the United Nations: In 1945, 48 countries had a meeting in San Francisco, they agreed to set up a
organization to keep the world peace. So the United Nations was founded.
90.Trueman Doctrine: The Doctrine was made by President Truman in 1947. The purpose of the Doctrine was :
expand the influence of America suppress the struggle of the different countries.
91.the Eisenhower Doctrine(重点) : It was the foreign policy carried by the Eisenhower Government. The doctrine contains the point of instant and massive retaliation(迅速的大量的复仇), and avoid the frustrating war(阻碍发展的战争)，such as the Korean War.
92. the Marshall Plan (此题去年考过): The plan was suggested by Secretary of State George Marshall in 1947.
The plan offered a great deal of money and machines to European countries to help them to recover their economy.
93. the Cold War: It refers to the severe struggle between the America and other opposed political systems. The
Cold War is not friendly, but didn’t use weapon.
94. the sit-in(静坐): It is the way which is used by the Black men to fight against the racial segregation in
1960s ( 它是1960年代黑人反抗种族隔离而采用的方式)
95. Martin Luther King: He was a famous leader in the Civil Right Movement in America in 1950s-1960s. He
was a clergyman. He organized the Montgomery blacks and changed it into Montgomery Improvement Association. He led the famous Civil Right Movement in 1960s. Under his leading, in 1964 the Civil Right Act was passed, in 1965 the V oting Right Act was passed. In 1968, he was killed.
96. the Civil Right Movement : In 1950s-1960s, the American black men made the Civil Right Movement to
fight against segregation. Martin Luther King was a famous leader in the Civil Right Movement in America in 1950s-1960s. He was a clergyman. He organized the Montgomery blacks and changed it into Montgomery Improvement Association. He led the famous Civil Right Movement in 1960s. Under his leading, in 1964 the Civil Right Act was passed, in 1965 the V oting Right Act was passed. In 1968, he was killed.
97．Desert Storm(沙漠风暴行动) : American military attacked Iraq because Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1991. The air attack lasted for 6 weeks, and Iraq was forced to leave Kuwait. The war costs 61billion dollars.
98. NASA It refers to National Astronautics and Space Administration.
99. double dating : Two young people go out together to have a dance, to see a football game, or to have a
picnic before the marriage.
100.drive-in : a kind of informal eating place which is surrounded by the parking lots, by a busy road.
101. a cafeteria : a kind of informal eating place in which you can buy some quick and cheap meal. You can select the food as you are going along.
102. diner: It refers to the little restaurant just like a railway car. The diver is very convenient and the price is very low. Drivers , students and other people like it very much..
103.Quakers: The other name of this group is Society of Friends. It is a small group with 100000 members.
They are not interested in Politics and they often go out to help others without any reward. People respect them very much.
104.The People’s Temple: It is a small group which was founded by Jones, Jones used superstition to control people’s spirit, once people joined this group, he couldn’t come out. In 1978, 914people（including Jones and his wife）committed suicide.
105.New morality: In the 1960’s-1970’s, the young people showed their new morality. They lived together before the marriage and had the sexual action.
106. the city of Heroin : it refers to New York, many people take heroin in New York.
107. Chief Justice : the head of the Supreme Court in the USA.
108.white collar workers: it refers to the mental labor workers. They have a higher social position and social fame than blue collar workers , but their pay is lower than blue collar workers.
109. the separation of powers: In USA, the government has 3 branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.
Each branch has its own power and its power is limited by others.
110. The Republican Party: It came into being in 1854. It is made up of northern capitalists who opposed the slavery.
111.The Democratic Party: It came out of “Anti-Federalists”in 1787. It was founded in 1828, and the leader is Thomas Jefferson.
112.St.V alentine’s Day: It is on 14th, Feb. On the day, the boys and girls in love will come out to have a date, send red roses or chocolate. The symbol of St.Valentine’s Day is a picture of a Heart and Cupid, Cupid has
a bow and arrow.
113.Easter Day : It is on the first Sunday after the full moon, in March.. People , in this day , will celebrate the rebirth of Jesus.
Children will dye the eggs and adults will kill lamb to eat.
114 Halloween Day: It is on 31st, Oct. It is a night-time festival, which is held by children. On the Halloween Day children will wear a mask to frighten the parents and ask money from their parents. In 1950s, child sent the money to the poor countries’ children. The Halloween Day got Noble Peace Prize in 1965.
115.Independence Day : It is the national day of the USA，on 4th, July.
III. Explain the following terms.
1. the Hardian’s Wall:
It was one of the two great walls built by the Romans to keep the Picts out of the area they had conquered.
2. Alfred the Great
Alfred was a strong king of the wisemen. It was created by the Anglo-Saxons to advise the king. It’s the basis of the Privy Council which still exists today.
3. William the Conqueror
William was Duke of Normandy. He landed his army in Oct, 1066 and defeated king Harold. Then he was crown ed king of England on Christams Day the same year. He established a strong Norman government and the feudal system in England.
4. the battle of Hastings
In 1066, King Edward died with no heir, the Witan chose Harold as king. William, Duke of Normandy, invaded England. On October 14, the two armies met near Hasting. After a day’s battle, Harold was killed and his army completely defeated. So this battle was very important on the way of the Roman conquest.
5. Domesday Book
Under William, the feudal system was established. William sent officials to compile a property record known as Domesday
Book, which completed in 1086. It was the result of a general survey of England made in 1085. It stat ed the extent, value, the population, state of cultivation, and ownership of the land. It seemed to the English like t he Book of doom on Judgement Day.
6. the Great Charter
King John’s reign caused much discontent among the barons. In 1215, he was forced to sign a document, known as Mangna Cara, or the Great Charter. It has 63 clauses. Though it has long been regarded as the foundation of English liberi ties, its spirit was the limitation of the king’s powers, keeping them within the bounds of the feudal law of the land.
7. the Hundred Years’ War
It referred to the intermittent war between France and England that last from 1337 to 1453. The causes were partl y territorial and partly economic. When Edward III claimed the French Crown but the French refused to recogniz e, the war broke out. At first the English were successful, but in the end, they were defeated and lost almost all th eir possessions in France. The expelling of the English was a blessing for both countries.
8. Joan of Arc
She was a national heroine of France during the Hundred Years’ War. She successfully led the French to drive t he English out of France.
9. the Black Death
It was the deadly bubonic plague who spread through Europe in the 14th century. It swept through England witho ut warning and any cure, and sparing no victims. It killed between half and one-third of the population of Englan
d. Thus, much land was left untended and labour was short. It caused far-reaching economic consequences.
10. the Wars of Roses
They referred to the battles between the House of Lancaster and the House of York between 1455 and 1485. The former was symbolized by the red rose, and the latter by the white one. After the wars, feudalism received its dea th blow and the king’s power became supreme. Thdor monarchs ruled England and Wales for over two hundred years.
11. Bloody Mary
Henry VIII’s daughter and a devout Catholic. When she became Queen, she persecuted and burnt many Protestants. So she w as given the nickname “Bloody Mary”. Mary is also remembered as the monarch who lost the French port of Calais.
12. Elizabeth I
One of the greatest monarchs in British history. She reigned England, Wales and Ireland for 45 years and remaine d single. Her reign was a time of confident English nationalism and of great achievements in literature and other arts, in exploration and in battle.
13. Oliver Cromwell
The leader during the Civil War who led the New Model Army to defeat the king and condemned him to death. T hen he declared England a Commonwealth and made himself Lord of Protector. He ruled England till the restorat ion of charles II in 1660.
14. the Bill of Rights
In 1689, William and Mary accepted the Bill of Rights to be crowned jointly. The bill excluded any Roman Cath olic from the succession, confirmed the principle of parliamentary supremacy and guaranteed free speech within
both the two Houses. Thus the age of constitutional
monarchy began.
15. Whigs and Tories
It referred to the two party names which originated with the Glorious Revolution of 1688. The Whigs were those who opposed absolute monarchy and supported the right to religious freedom for Noncomformists. The Tories w ere those who supported hereditary monarchy and were reluctant to remove kings. The Whigs formed a coalition with dissident Tories and became the Liberal Party. The T ories were the forerunners of the Conservative Party.
16. James Watt
The Scottish inventor who produced an efficient steam engine with rotary motion that could be applied to textile and other machinery.
17. Winston Churchill
Prime Minister of Britain during the Second World War. He took over Chamberlain in 1940 and received massive popular support. He led his country to final victory in 1945. He was defeated in the general election of 1945, but returned to power in 1951.
18. Agribusiness
It refers to the new farming in Britain, because it’s equipped and managed like an industrial business with a set of inputs into the farm of processes which occur on the farm, and outputs or products which leave the farm. The emphasis is upon intensive farming, designes to giv
e the maximum output o
f crops and animals.
19. the British Constitution
There is no written constitution in the United Kingdom. The
British Constitution is not set out in any single docu ment, but made up of statute law, common law and conventions. The Judiciary determines common law and inter pret statues.
20. Queen Elizabeth II
The present Sovereign, born in 1926, came to the throne in 1952 and was crowned in 1953. The Queen is the sy mbol of the whole nation, the center of many national ceremonies and the leader of society.
21. the Opposition
In the General Election, the party which wins the second largest number of seats becomes the offcial Opposition, with its own leader and “shadow cabinet”. The aims of the Opposition are to contribute to the formulation of p olicy and legislation, to oppose government proposals, to seek amendments to government bills, and to put forwa rd its own policies in order to win the next general election.
22. the Privy Council
Formerly the chief source of executive power. It gave the Sovereign private (“privy”) advice on the governme nt of the country. Today its role is mainly formal, advising the Sovereign to approve certain government decrees and issuing royal proclamation. Its membership is about 400.
23. common law
A written law gathered from numerous decisions of the courts and other sources.
24. the jury
A legal system established in England since king Henry II. The jury consists of ordinary, independent citizens su mmoned by the court: 12 persons in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 15 persons in Scotland. In crimina l trials by jury, the judge passes
sentence but the jury decide the issue of guilt or innocence.
25. the NHS
The National Health Service was established in the UK in 1948 and based first on Acts of Parliament. This Servi ce provides for every resident a full range of medical services. It is based upon the principle that there should be f ull range of publicly provided services designed to help the individual stay healthy. It is now a largely free servic
e.
26. comprehensive schools
State secondary schools which take pupils without reference to ability and provide a wide-ranging secondary edu cation for all or most of the children in a district. About 90 per cent of the state secondary school population in G
B attend comprehensive school.
27. public schools
Fee-paying secondary schools which are longestablished and have gained a reputation for their high academic sta ndards, as well as their exclusiveness and snobbery. The boys’ public schools include such well-known schools as Eton and Harrow, and gi rls’ famous schools include Roedean. Most of the members of the British Establish ment were educated at a public school.
28. the Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are the most important lakes in the United States. They are Lake Superior, which is the largest fr esh water lake in the world, Lake Michigan —— the only one entirely in the U.S. ——Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. They are all located between Canada and the United States except L ake Michigan.。