自考英语国家概况名词解释（余志远删减版）

自考英语国家概况名词解释（余志远删减版）
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。

10.British isles
The British Isles is made up of two large islands and hundreds of small ones. The two large islands are Great Britain and Ireland.
13.Geoffrey Chaucer
He was an important English poet in the fourteenth century. His best known is The Canterbury Tales, which describes a group of pilgrims travelling to Canterbury to visit Thomas Becket’s tomb坟墓. Because he was the first important English poet to write in English. He has been known as the “Father of English Poetry”.
14.Joan of arc:圣女贞德
she was a national heroine of France during the hundred year’s war,she successfully led the france to drive the English out of france.
16.The Puritans清教徒
The Puritans were wealthy, well-educated gentlemen. They wanted to purify the Church of England and threatened with
religious persecution, the Puritans leaders saw the New world as the a refuge provided by God for those He meant to save.
19.Heptarchy七王国
During the Anglo-Saxon's time,Britain was divided into many kingdoms,among which there were seven principal kingdoms of Kent,Essex,Sussex,Wessex,East Anglia,Mercia and Northumbria.They were given the name of Heptarchy.
20.St.Augustine
In 597,Pope Gregory I sent St.Augustine to England to convert the English People to Christianity.He was very successful in converting the king and the nobility.He was the first archbishop of Canterbury. 教皇，格里高力一世派圣奥古斯丁到英格兰去使英格兰人皈依基督教。

21.Witan 贤人会议
Witan was the council or meeting 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.
22.Alfred the Great
Alfred was a strong king of Wessex. He defeated the Danes and reached a friendly agreement with them. He founded a strong fleet and is known as "The father of the British navy". He reorganized the Saxon army, making it more efficient. He also translated books and established schools. All this earned him the title "Alfred the Great".
23.William the Conqueror 威廉征服
William was Duke of Normandy. He landed his army in Oct.1066 and defeated king Harold. Then he
was crowned king of England on Christmas Day the same year. He established a strong Norman government and the feudal system in England.
建立了封建制度
24.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. 哈罗德被威廉击败。

25.The Danelaw 施行丹麦法的地区
By the middle of the ninth century, the Vikings and the Danes were posing a threat to the Saxon kingdom of Wessex whose capital was Winchester. Alfred, King of Wessex, was strong enough to defeat the Danes and came to a relatively friendly agreement with them in 879.The Danes gained control of the north and east of England(-"the Danelaw"),while Alfred would rule the rest.
协议规定丹麦人控制英格兰北部和西部（丹麦法区），而阿尔弗雷德统治其他地区。

26.Norman Conquest
The Norman Conquest of 1066 is perhaps the best-known event in English history. William the conqueror confiscated almost all the land and gave it to his Norman followers. He replaced the weak Saxon rule with a strong Norman government. So the feudal system was completely established in England.
27.Domesday Book
It is a book compiled by a group of clerks under the sponsorship of King William the First in 1086. The book was in fact a property record. It was the result of a general survey of England. It recorded the extent, value, state of cultivation, and ownership of the land. It was one of the important measures
adopted by William I to establish the full feudal system in England. T oday, it is kept in the Public Records Office in London.
28.The Black Death
It is a modern name given to the dearly bubonic plague, an epidemic disease spread through Europe in the fourteenth century particularly in 1348-1349. It came without warning, and without any cue. In England, it killed almost half of the total population, causing far-reaching economic consequences.
29.the divine rights of kings君权神授
the theory that a king rules with the authority of god.
30.The Wars of Roses玫瑰战争(考过)
the name Wars of the Roses was refer to the battles between the House of Lancaster, symbolized by the read rose, and that of York, symbolized by the white, from 1455 to 1485. Henry Tudor, descendant of Duke of Lancaster won victory at Bosworth Fireld in 1485 and put ht country under the rule of the Tudors. From these Wars, English feudalism received its death blow. The great medieval nobility was much weakened.
31.the Spanish Armada:西班牙无敌舰队
the fleet sent to invade England by Philip II of spain in 1588.
32.The Glorious Revolution of 1688光荣革命
In 1685 Charles II died and was succeeded by his brother James II. James was brought up in exile in Europe, was a Catholic. He hoped to rule without giving up his personal religious vies. But England was no more tolerant of a Catholic king in 1688 than 40 years ago. So the English politicians rejected James II, and appealed to a Protestant king, William of Orange, to invade and take the English throne. William landed in England in 1688. The takeover was relatively smooth, with no bloodshed, nor any execution of the king. This was known as the Glorious Revolution.
34.Blood Mary血腥玛丽
It is the nickname given to Mary I, the English Queen who succeeded to the throne after Henry VIII. She was a devout Catholic and had so many Protestants burnt to death that she is remembered less by her official title Mary I by her nickname Blood Mary.
35.rotten boroughs衰败选区
a parliamentary constituency which possessed the right to elect members of parliament even though its population had dwindled or was nonexistent.
议会选民区都有权利去选举议会的成员即使它的人口已经下降或是不存在。

36.mrs pankhurst
british suffragette,she founded the women’s social and political union,she die d a month before women gained full voting equality with men.
37.the league of nations国际联盟
an international organization of 1920—1946 set up after the first world war to promote international cooperation and to achieve international peace and security.
38.the blitz闪电战
an air attack,particularly the London blitz of 1940—1941.the world is from the german “blitzkrieg”
39.the beatles甲克虫乐队
one of britain’s most influential po p groups,first performing in 1959 in Liverpool.
40.Thatcherism撒切尔主义
The election of 1979 returned the Conservative Party to power and Margaret Thatcher became the first woman prime minister in Britain. Her policies are popularly referred to as state-
owned industries, the use of monetarist policies to control inflation, the weaking of trade forces unions, the strengthening of the role of market forces in the economy, and an emphasis on law and order.
包括国有工业私有化，用货币政策控制通货膨胀，削弱工会，加强市场力量在经济中的作用，强调法律与秩序。

45.Monetarist policies(货币主义政策)
Since the American economy was plagued by stagflation, in the early 1980s, the traditional Keynesian theory (传统的凯恩斯理论)was replaced by new monetarist, which sought to fight inflation by increasing
supply and reducing demand, On one hand ,taxes were cut to increase economic dynamism. On the other hand, interest rates were raised to reduce the supply of money.
增加供应，减少需求来打击通货膨胀。

一方面，减少税收增加经济活力；另一方面，增加利率减少货币支出。

49.Constitutional monarchy君主立宪制
It is a political system that has been practised in Britain since the Glorious revolution of 1688. According to this system, the Constitution is superior to the Monarch. In law, the Monarch has many supreme powers, but in practice, the real power of monarchy has been greatly reduced and today the Queen acts solely on the advice of her ministers. She reigns but does not rule. The real power lies in the Parliament, or to be exact, in the House of Commons.
50.Privy Council枢密院
A consultative body of the British monarch. Its origin can be traced back to the times of the Norman Kings. After the Glorious 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 al Cabinet ministers, the speaker of the House of Commons, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and senior British and Commonwealth statesmen.
/doc/ab15842361.html,mon law
the traditional unwritten law of England,based on custom and the decisions of judges over a period of years rather than on written laws passed by parliament.
英国的不成文法，以法官的判断和习惯为依据，而不以议会的成文法为依据。

52.the state opening of parliament
the official opening of a new session of parliament,usually at the end of October or beginning of November,or after a general election.
/doc/ab15842361.html,prehensive schools Comprehensives schools take pupils without reference to ability or aptitude and provide a wide-ranging secondary education for all or most of the children in a district.
69.grant-maintained(GM)Schools有公费保证的学校
they are state schools outside local education authority control.there are no tuition fees at these schools.由国家学校以外的当地教育机构控制，在这些学校是免费的。

70.eleven-plus
an examination formerly used to select school pupils at about,the age of 11 for an appropriate secondary education.一种考试对11岁孩子选择适当的中等教育。

71.BBC
the british broadcasting corporation,the UK organization responsible for making an transmitting of its own television and radio programs.
74.Pilgrims Thanksgiving Day
The Pilgrims in 1620, 201 of them sailed to the New World in a ship called Mayflower. The first winter after their arrival was very cold and when spring came, half of them were dead. Then the Indians came to their help and taught them how to grow corn. They had a good harvest that year. So they invited
the Indians and held the first Thanksgiving celebration in America to give thanks to God.
Ireland(爱尔兰)
1、peace agreement on northern ireland
2、republic of Ireland
the republc of ireland is an independent country situated in western Europe.it occupies four-fifths of the island of Ireland.its capital is Dublin.the republic of Ireland is also known as Eire in Irish.
3、Irish Catholicism
ireland is one of the most catholic countries of Europe.Catholicism is an integral and pervasive influnce on national life.today 93.1%of the irish population are Roman Catholics.about half the Catholic bishops in the United States are of Irish origin.爱尔兰裔。

4、Easter urprising of 1916
the easter urprising took place in April 1916.a group of nationalists seized the Dublin general post office and declared the independence of Ireland.after a week of fighting,the rebellion was suppressed by the british army and most of its leader executed.
5、Anglo-irish treaty
from 1918—1921 there was fighting between the irish republican army and the british government.in 1921 the british
signed the Anglo-irish treaty.the british government agreed to organize a partition of ireland.the southern part of ireland gain dominion status as the irish free state,while the northern part would remain a part of the United kingdom.
12、Irish Republican Army (IRA)
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is an anti-British military force established in the early 20th century. Since the Irish Civil War, IRA has remained a force to be reckoned with对付 in Irish politics. In recent decades IRA continues to demand that the Republic of Ireland should be united with the six countries that from Northern Ireland.
美国部分
1.Amerigo Vespucci
Amerigo Vespucci, a navigator, proved that the land was not India,but a new continent. Therefore, the land was named America after.
5.baby boom--baby boom refers to the higher birth rate between 1946 and 1964.
7.Ellis island
Ellis island was an important immigration reception spot in the 1890 and at the turn of the century.
8."the great compromise"
"the great compromise" of july 16,giving each state an equal vote in the Senate but making representation in the House reflect the size of each state's population.
"大妥协",即参议院中各州有相同的选举权,而众议院代表应按各洲人口比例产生.
9.the Emancipation Proclamation
during the civil war,lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation to get more support for the union at home and
abroad.It granted freedom to all slaves.
解放宣言,由林肯颁布,为了得到国内外对联邦的支持.解放宣言给了所有奴隶以自由.
10.no taxtation without representation
that is ,without their representatives taking part in decisionmaking,they had no obligation to pay taxes.
没有代表权不交税，就是说他们如果对殖民地的事务决策没有代表权，他们将没有义务缴纳税金。

11.the Chinese Exclution Act
it was passed by the u.s congress in may1882,it stopped chinese immigration for ten years.
排华法案在1882年5月由美国国会通过，它10年内禁止中国移民入境。

12.Indentured servants
indenture servants refer to some immigrants who has to work for a fixed term for their masters to repay the cross-atlantic fare and debts.
契约佣工，指一些移民必须要在一个限定的时期里为他们的雇主工作来偿还他们横渡大西洋的费用和债务。

13.boston tea party(考过
in 1773,when ships of tea reached boston and the governor was determind to see that tea was legally protected in its distribution,several dozen boston residents dressed as indians boarded the ships at night and threw $75,000 worth of tea into the harbor.this came to be known as the "boston tea party". 波士顿倾茶事件，1773年，当满载茶叶的船只到达波士顿时，总督大人决定看看，以确保茶叶卸载时得到合法保护，晚上，几个波士顿居民化装成印度人来到船上仍掉了价值75，000的茶叶。

这就是著名的波士顿倾茶事件。

15.federalists
they were those who demanded a strong national system and who later struggle hard for the ratification
of the consititution.
联邦制拥护者就是指那些要求建立坚固的国家体系，之后又为宪法的通过全力奋斗的人。

16.the gettysburg address
it refers to the short speech president lincoln made when he dedicated the national cemetery at gettysburg. He ended the speech with “the gov ernment of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish死亡from the earth”.葛底斯堡（地址），指林肯在阵亡将士墓落成仪式上发表的一个简短的演说
17.the ku klux klan
teh kkk was the first organized in 1866 and then reformed in 1867.the kkk terrorized and attaked not only blacks,but also progressives,labor union organizers communist or socialist party members.三K 党，最早成立在1866年，后在1867年重组，他们进行恐怖活动，不仅攻击黑人、而且还迫害进步人士、工会组织者、社会主义和共产主义党派成员。

18.muckrakers
muckrakers were reform-minded journalists who made investigation and exposed the dark sides of the society.
黑幕揭发者,是指那些调查和揭露社会黑色的一面的富有改革思想的记者.
19.intolerant nationalism
that is,not allowing views,oppinions or beliefs different from the main trend of views or beliefs.偏执国家主义,是不允许不同于主流的那些观点和信仰等存在.
20.the red scare
the red scare ,on november 7,1919 and january 2,1920,the justice department lauched two waves of arrests,over 4,000
suspected radicals and communists were arrested. 红色恐惧，在1919年12月7日和1920年1月2日，司法部发动了两次抓捕活动，大约4000名被怀疑是激进分子和共产党的人被逮捕。

21.the progressive movement
the progressive movement refers to the movement demanding the goverment regulation of the economy and social condition.
进步运动，指调整经济和社会状况的运动。

22.overload
at the first summit ,it was decided that a large-scale attack on the south of france would be lauched in May,1944,which was codenamed overload.霸王行动，在第一次首脑会议上，决定在1944年5月向法国南部发动大面积进攻，代号为霸王行动。

23.The New Deal
In order to deal with the Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt put forward the New Deal program. It passed a lot of New Deal laws and set up many efficient social security systems. The New Deal helped to save American democracy and the development of American economy.
24.the truman doctrine
that is,the united states would support any country which said it was fighting with communism.
杜鲁门主义，是说美国将支持任何与共产主义做斗争的国家。

25.the marshall plan
that is,in order to protect western europe from possible soviet expansion,the united states decided to offer western european countries ecomomic aid.
马歇尔计划，是为了保护西欧免遭苏联的扩张，美国决定提供西欧国家经济援助。

26.the smith act
it was passed by congress,made it unlawful for any group to advocate or teach the violent overthrow of goverment in the united states.
史密斯法案,是由国会通过,宣布任何主张或传播暴力颠覆政府的组织为非法行为.
28.the poverty line
it is based on the income that households need to eat adequately without spending more than a third of their income on food.贫困线，是以一家人能够足够吃饱的收入不超过他们在食物三分之一的收入。

29.poverty
it is the lack of enough income and resources to live adquately by community standards.贫穷，在社会标准下缺乏足够的收入和来源去生存。

30.monopoly
that is ,one company or a cooperationg group of companies controls the supply of a product or service for which there is no close substitute.垄断，指一个公司或公司合作组织，控制着一个不能被代替的生产和服务的供应。

29.oligopoly
that is,a small number of companies dominate an industry.in the united states ,the auto mobile and computer industries are oligoplies.
求过于供的市场情况，一小部分公司占据一个工业，美国现在是汽车和计算机业是这种情况。

30. checks and balances
this is a major principle of the american govermental system by which each branch of the goverment exercises a check on the actions of the others.
制衡制度,是美国政府的一个主要措施,政府的各部门都可以制止和
检查其他各部门的行为.
31.winner-take-all
this is to say,the candidate who receives the most votes wins everything.
选举人制度,是说获得最多选票的后选人赢得全部.
32. the free enterprise system
the united states economy is based largely on a free enterprise system.in such a system,individuals and companies are free to make their own economic decisions.
自由市场经济,美国的经济以自由市场经济为基础,在这个系统下,个人和公司可以自由行使自己的经济决定权.
33. the federal system
it is a system of goverment in which power is divided by a written constitution between a central goverment and regional,or subdivisional goverments.
联邦制,在中央政府和区政府之间,由宪法划分的一种政府制度.(翻译不是太准确)
34.separation of powers
it refers to the principle that the national goverment is split into three branches:legislative,executive and judicial.
分权制,指国家的一种制度,被划分为三个分支:立法\行政、司法.
35. private school
a private school is a school that is controlled by an individual or by an agency other than a state ,a subdivision of a state or the federal goverment.
私立学校，由个人或其他机构投资或控制。

36.school district
it is a special district for the provision of local public education for all children in its service area.
地区学校，是一个特殊的地区以提供给服务范围内的所有孩子当
地公共教育的供应。

37. global education
it refers to the study of complex problems and issues of a world wide nature.
全球教育,研究复杂问题和发布世界范围的特性.(翻译不太准)
38. poor richard's almanac
it was wrote by bejamin franklin,it was modeled on the sort of farmers annual calendar widely sold at the time.
穷里查年鉴，它有本杰明福兰克林创作，它收集每年的谚语。

39.transcendentalism
it was a movement that emerged in the 1830s and 1840s among american yough intellectuals which emphasized man's potentiality for goodness creativity,and self-development.
超验主义，它强调人的内在价值，创造性和自我发展。

41.knickerbockers era
in the early part of the 19th century,new york city was the centre of amercian writing.its writers were called "knickerbockers"and the period from 1810 to 1840 is known as the "knickerbockers era"of
american literature.
灯笼裤时代,(纽约人时期),在19世纪早期,纽约城是写作中心,它的作家被成为纽约市人,从1810 到1840这个时期被称为纽约市人时期.
51.Federalist Papers
The newspapers of New York City carried 85 letters to the public , later came to be called the Federalist Papers, which are regarded as the best explanation of the Constitution as well as an important work on political theory.
52.The First Continental Congress
In 1774, the First Continental Congress was held in Philadelphia, which encouraged Americans to refuse to buy
British goods, and organized colonial militia units.
53.Manifest Destiny
The major implications of Manifest Destiny are that the founding of the US is inevitable, that the expansion of American territory is legitimate, and that the spread of American democracy is the task of American people who were chosen to the Lord’s work.
54.The Black Thursday
The Black Thursday refers to Oct 24 1929 when the stock market crash happened. Ten of millions of shares were dumped and billions of dollars of paper profits were wiped out within a few hours. It signaled the beginning of the Great Depression.55.New Frontier
In the 1960s, US president John. F. Kennedy named his program the New Frontier, promising civil rights for blacks, federal aids to farmers and education, medical care for all and abolition of poverty.
57.NOW
NOW is the acronym of the National Organization for Women. It was a reform organization and battled for the equal rights of women in partnership with men.
58.Counterculture
Counterculture was a movement of revolt against the moral values, the aesthetic standards, the personal behavior and the social relations of conventional society.
61Three giants in American automobile industry
Three major corporations, called three giants---General Motor, Ford and Chrysler, represent the American automobile industry.
62.Electoral College
In the US, the people of each state don’t vote directly f or the president: they select presidential electors, equal to the number of the Senators and Representatives each states has in Congress. The electors of all 50 states and the District of Columbia (538 persons) comprise the Electoral College.
63 US presidential inauguration
In the US the presidential term of four years begins on Jan 20. The president starts his official duties with an inauguration ceremony held on the steps of the US Capitol. The president takes an oath of office, administered by Chief Justice, which is followed by an inauguration address.
64 community college
Community college emerged in the US in the early 1900s, as a two-year college to meet the need of economic expansion and rapid rise in immigrants. It provides general career and adult education.
65 new basics
The new basics were proposed as the compulsory basic courses to be completed by American high school students. They include four years of English, three years of mathematics, science, and social studies and a half year of computer science.
66 Knickerbockers
In the early 19th century, New York City was the center of American writing. It’s writers were called “Knickerbockers”.
67 Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass was American poet Walt Witman’s masterpiece. Through the poems, Witm an praised the ideas of equality and democracy and celebrated the dignity, self-reliant spirit and the joy of the common man.
68 Harlem Renaissance
Harlem is Northeastern part of New York City where black people were concentrated and where black writers wrote freely. In the 1920s, Black Literature developed into an upsurge known as the Harlem Renaissance.
69 Halloween
In the U S, Halloween falls on Oct 31. It’s a nighttime children’s day and a time for frightening costumes, masks, parties, games and tricks--- all for fun.
70 independence Day
Independence Day (July 4) is American’s most important patriotic holiday and the birthday of the nation.
加拿大部分
1.treaty of paris in 1763
the seven years’ war ended with the signing of the
treaty of paris in 1763.by the treaty of paris,new france with its 65,000settlers was ceded割让 to Britain.
2.Constitutional act of 1791
britain divided the old province of Quebec into
two parts,lower Canada(modern canada) and upper Canada(modern ontario),each with its own legislature.立法机构。

3.Act of union in 1840 联合法案
recommended that the two canadas be united in one province.
5.Canadian Shield加拿大地盾
The Canadian Shield covers almost half of Canada. It is a semicircular半圆的 band of rocky highlands and plateaus around Hudson Bay from the northern shores of Quebec to the Arctic shores of the Northwest Territories. It is a region of hills, lakes, and swamps.沼泽
6.Mackenzie River
Mackenzie River is one of two principal river systems in Canada. It flows between the Canadian Shield and the Rocky Mountains in west Canada. It is the second largest river system of North American.
7.Loyalist
The first British settlers in Canada were American refugees, who refused to fight against the British Army in the American War of Independence, because they felt they were more English than American. They called themselves Loyalists. Their settlements laid the base of English-speaking Canada.
8.Canadian Prairie
Canadian Prairie is the Canadian section of the Great Plains of North America. Great stretches of level and fertile grassland are found here. This region is the center of rich wheat belt. Wheat farming and cattle and sheep grazing are important here.
9.British North America Act
The British North America Act is an act passed by the British parliament in 1867 to set up the Dominion of Canada, uniting Canada, New Bruck and Nova Scotia under a federal government.
Australia （澳大利亚）
1.the land down under
australia lies in the southern hemisphere.it is almost halfway around the world from England.that’s why from the European point of view Australia is down under.
2.outback内地
in Australia is the areas that are far away from towns and cities are called the outback,especially the desert areas in central Australia.(考过一句话)
3.muliticulturalism多元文化主义
t is a theory that it is beneficial to a society to maintain more
than one culture within its structure.it also refers to the policy based on this theory.
4.school of the air
it is an educational system in which lessons are transmitted by radio and children learn their lessons through a radio system.
5.built environment营造的环境
it was built by the people,and it was changed by the people.
9.Australian bush灌木丛
it refers to an area of land covered with natural bushes and trees which has never been farmed and where there are very few people.
14.Murray---Murray is Australia’s longest river. It forms the major part of the boundary between the States of New South Wales and Victoria. It enters the sea in South Australia.
15.Tasmania---Tasmania is the smallest of the Australian States. It is an island lying south of the southeastern corner of the Australian mainland. It is often called the holiday Isle. It’s capi tal is Hobart.
16.Australian Capital Territory---Shortly after the forming of federation in 1901, the Australian Capital Territory was mapped out of the states of New South Wales to be the site. Canberra is the capital of Australia.。