A Survey of Britain(Revision)

[ A Survey of Britain1. the full name of Britain, the nickname2. the location of Britain, the neighboring countries(France, The Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium)3. the four sections of Britain, the four capital cities of the four sections4. the languages of Britain5. the geographical features of Britain6. the Lake District, the Pennines(The backbone of England), three natural zones of Scotland, the highest mountain, the longest river, the most important rivers in England and Scotland, the largest lake,7. the climate of Britain: maritime8. the early settlers: the Iberians(the earliest), the Beaker Folks, the Celts(three waves)9. the Roman Occupation (the recorded history begins), Julius Cae ser’s invasions (55, 54 BC), the conquest of Emperor Claudius I(AD43), the Hadrian’s Wall10. the Anglo-Saxons Times: three Germanic tribes, the Heptarchy, King Egbert(the first national king), Beowulf, King Arthur11. the English are the Anglo-Saxons, while the Scots, Welsh and Irish are the Celts.12. the Danish Rule(1017-1042): the Vikings and King Alfred (the father of theBritish Navy)13. the Norman Conquest: 1066, William the Conqueror, the battle of Hastings, theconsequences (the feudal system, a strong monarchy, the relationship with the church, the French language), Domesday Book,the great work of Middle English (the Canterbury Tales)14. Henry II’s legal reform15. King John and the Great Charter (1215), the nature of the Great Charter16. Henry III and the origin of Parliament: Simon de Monfort, All Estates Parliament(1265), Model Parliament (1295)17. Five events cause the feudal system to decline: the Hundred Years’ War(1337-1453), the Black Death (1348-1349), the Religious Reform of the 14thcentury, Wat Tyler’s Revolt (1381), the War of Roses (1455-1485)18. Religion: the three main religions of the world, the three main groups ofChristianity, St. Augustine and the conversion of Christianity of England (the 6th century)19. the present sovereign, the heir, the head of the state, the Prime Minister20. the form of the government(constitutional monarchy), the parliament (the Crown,the House of Lords, the House of Commons), the government(the Cabinet, the Privy Council), a two-party system (the Conservative and the Labor)Questions1. What do you know about the Roman influence on Britain?The Roman occupation lasted for almost 350 years, but the Roman influence on Britain was surprisingly limited. In the southern part, the Romans influenced life and culture radically. The English upper classes were thoroughly romanized and transformed into Roman landlords and officials. In the end, the Romans left behind themselves only three things of value: Christianity, the Roman roads and cities ,esp. London.2. How did the Heptarchy come into being during Anglo-Saxon times?The three Germanic tribes came to England in the middle of the 5th century.They combined all the qualities that were necessary to develop and defend an independent island. Before long the distinctions between these three tribes lost significance, and by the end of the 7th century they regarded themselves as “the nation of the English”. But they lacked unity and England was divided into a number of kingdoms and therefore called the “Heptarchy”.3. What were the consequences of the Norman Conquest?The Norman conquest caused important consequences:1) It increased the process of feudalism which had begun during Anglo-Saxon times. By the early part of 12the century, the manor system had replaced the village system completely, and feudalism was finally established in England.2) William the Conqueror established a strong monarchy in England. The feudal system of England acquired a more centralized character than in other European countries of the time.3) It brought about changes in the church.4) Along with the Normans came the French language, which would be the language of the court and upper classes until the 14th century.4. Why and how did the English Parliament come into being?The English Parliament originated in the Great Council, an advisory assembly of the king’s chief feudal vassals, including the clergy. The main purpose of the king’s summoning parliament was to get consent for taxation. The king, Henry III wanted to defeat the lords and their charter. He took some measures, such as dismissing his justiciar, etc. So the baron rose up in opposition. Led by Simon de Monfort, the King’s brother-in-law, they forced the king to dismiss his foreign advisers and accept their own council of advisers instead. In 1264 Monfort defeated the royal army and took the king prisoner. In the following year he called Parliament. The Parliament of 1265 is generally considered “the beginning of parliament”.Question Patterns of the Test PaperI. Multiple Choice (1%×20 =20%) II. Matching (2%×10 =20%) III. Blank Filling (18%) IV. Translation (18%)A. Translate the following terms into Chinese. (2%× 6=12%)B. Translate the following sentences into Chinese. (6%) V. Questions (24%)。