英美文化教程

英美文化教程复习资料一、知识点：英国部分1、英国组成，国旗，国歌：The United Kingdom of Great Britian and Northern Ireland is a union made up of four constituent countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.The Union Jack is the national flag and God Save the King/Queen is used as the national anthem.2、英国语言经历点阶段：he history of the English language has generally been divided into Old English, spoken by theancient Germans lasting from 450 to 1150; Middle English from 1151 to 1500; and Modern English beginning from 1501.3、抵抗丹麦的皇帝：Alfred the Great, King of Wessex大宪章：The Great CharterThe Great Charter is a most important document in England history. It has been called “the corner stone” of English history. The Great Charter provides that the king should permit merchants to move about freely and should observe the privileges of the various towns, which were growing in number and size.4、宪章运动In 1837 the London Workingman’s Association worked out the famous document, The People’s CharterThe People’s Charter constituted six points:（人民宪章）(1)Votes for all males.(2)Annual election of Parliament (instead of general election every seven years).(3)Payment of Members of Parliament (so that poor men could afford to take part in political activities).(4)Secret voting (so that to avoid bribery and intimidation).(5)Abolition of property qualifications for Parliament Members (so that workers could seek to be elected).(6)Equal electoral districts (so that the large population of the workers could enjoy a corresponding share of thevotes).The People’s Charter was formally adopted at a meeting of workers held on August 8, 1838, on Newhall Hill.In 1840, the Chartist Movement witnessed the second upsruge.In 1848, the Chartist Movement expericenced the third and last upsruge.5、英国两院制上议院、下议院(议会)The parliament(议会) is bicameral (两院制), with an upper house, the non-elected House of Lords, and a lower house, the elected House of Commons.The House of Lords includes two different types of members: the Lords Spiritual and the Lords Temproal.The House of Lords today is more a place of discussion and debate than one of substantial power. It main functions include debating the issues of the day and improving certain non-tax bills inadequately considered by the Commons before they are passed into low. In some rare cases, it may delay the passage of bills approved by the Commons, but only for up to a year.The House of Commons is a democratically elected chamber with elections to it, held at least every 5 years. The two Houses meet in separate chambers in the Palace of Westminster, in the City of Westminster in London. House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the UK. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 646 members. The leader of the party with the majority of seats becomes the Prime Minister, head of the government. He or she then chooses an inner cabinet of key ministers and appoints junior ministers in various ministers.Power:1.Legislative(立法权)：The House of Commons has the supreme authority of the legislation, their motion can directly get Royal Assent.2.finace power(财政权)：only the house of commons has the right to propose the motion on tax or supply(只有下议院才有权力提出税收及供应的权力)3.Suprvise the government (监督政府)：as the head of the government, if the prime minister wants to continue in office, he/she must be admitted by the House of Commons. It has the right to impeach(弹劾) the prime minister or the government. Functions: Members of Parliament are involved in considering can drafting new laws.MPs can use their position to ask government ministers questions about current issues.To supervise, or oversee finance.6、两大政党The Conservative Party: 1 relatively rich and privileged;2 maintenance of the existing institutions as itspolicy;3last word in deciding policy by its leader;4 conference for the leader’guidance but a device for making the party’s policyThe Labor Party: 1 relatively poor and underprivileged; 2 strong in the heavily-populated industrial areas and particularly associated with the working class; 3 nationwide organization, few resources and heavily depends on the trade unions; 4 conference for making the party policy(1)The Conservative Party supports free enterprise and privatization of state-owned enterprises. It is against too muchgovernment intervention, especially nationalization, which not only takes control away from the owners and builders of industry, but also leads to inefficiency. The Conservative Party favors reducing the influence of trade unions and minimizing expenditures on social welfare. It policies are characterized by pragmatism and a belief in individualism. (2)The Labor Party believes in an egalitarian(平等主义的) economy, transferring wealth from the rich to the poor by meansof taxing the most affluent members of society and providing support for the poor in society. They deem the government responsible for the provision of range of public services, such as social welfare, education and public transport. The Labor government that came to power in 1945 had a major effect on British society. It set up the National Health Service to provide high quality, free health care for all, “from cradle to grave”, providing a range of welfare payments, and most controversially, it “nationalized”a wide range of industries, making a mixed economy of both private-and state-owned enterprises. The Labor Party became known as a party of high taxation.7.The Open University （开放大学）a degree-granting institution that provides courses of study for adults of all ages through television, radio, produced books, audio/video cassettes, correspondence courses and local study programmes.8. 19世纪末英国经济绝对—相对衰退Absolute Decline and Relative Decline9英国教育：四大私立中学，大学四大私立中学：Eton Harrow Rugby Winchester大学：Ancient Universities founded before the 19th centuryLondon Universities founded in the 19th and early 20th centuriesRed Brick Universities founded in the 19th and early 20th centuriesPlate Glass Universities founded in the 1960sThe Open Universities founded in 1968 (重点)P137New Universities created in or after 1992古老的大学：The university of Oxford(历史更久)；The university of Cambridge10 “British history has been a history of invasions”.British history has been a history of invasions. Before the 1st century AD Britain was made up of tribal kingdoms of Celtic people. They brought the central European culture to Britain. Then in 43AD, Roman Empire invaded Britain and controlled it f or slave society but also disseminated their Catholicism.However, in the 5th century, the Roman Empire rapidly waned in power and Britain was conquered by the Angles and the Saxons. In order to defend the Saxons, a great leader—King Arthur appeared. He created the "round table" to satisfy all the kni ghts' requirement of having equal precedence. Thus it gradually formed the monarchy in Britain as a more democratic system. Whether Arthur's a real person in the history or not, Anglo-Saxons did succeed in invading Britain and they were the forefathers of the English.In the 8th century, the Vikings from Denmark controlled the northern and eastern England. An Anglo-Saxon hero, king Alf red the Great fought against the Vikings with the truly English. And that's why there's a certain cultural difference between nort herners and southerners in England. Later, the Normans from northern France, under the leading of William of Normandy, kille d the king and William became the First of England. They imported a ruling class that French-speaking Norman aristocracy rule d Saxon and English-speaking population. In this condition, there weren't a lot of rebellions among the English people. That dir ectly formed an English unique character: a richly unconventional interior life hidden by an external conformity. Even today, w e can still find this personality from the British people through their lifestyles.In fact, such invasion is a peaceful history of joining together the various parts of the British Isles and the power graduall y transferred from the monarch to the parliament. So the constitutional monarchy has been established in Britain.11.English Language (s三个阶段)：old English period—middle English period---modern English period二、英国选择、填空、简答题1、The British Isles are situated in the northwest of the Europe.2、The highland zone is an area of high hills and mountains in the north and east of Britain.3、The Pennine Chain is sometimes called the backbone of England.4、The Severn River is the longest river in Britain.5、Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland is the largest lake in the UK.6、The British Isles are cut off from the continent by the English Channel.7、On the north and the east, the Isles face the North Sea and on the west they face the Atlantic Ocean.8、The highland zone is cooler than the lowland zone, and receives more rainfall and less sunlight.9、The Highlands act as a divide and determine whether rivers flow west to the Irish Sea or east to the North Sea.10、The seven Conurbations in Britain contain one third of the population of the country.11、The English people are descendants of Anglo-Saxons.12、Middle English took shape about a century after the Norman Conquest.13、London dialect was once disseminated throughout the country NOT because London was a D center.A. commercialB. politicalC. printingD. linguistic14、Scotland has had a separate legal system.15、The English people are the descendants of Anglo-Saxons , while the Scots, Welsh and Irish are the descendants of the Celts.16、Generally speaking, the British Parliament operates on a two-party system.17、In Britain, the parliament general election is held every five years.18、The policies of the Conservative Party are characterized by pragmatism and a belief in individual.19、The Labor Party affected the British society greatly in that it set up the National Health Service.20、Other countries have “citizens”. But in Britain people are legally described as subject.21、Elizabeth II succeeded to the throne in 1952.22、Which of the followings in not RIGHT to describe the Prime Minister? DA The head of CabinetB The head of civil serviceC The leader of the Party in powerD The head of the country23、The third largest political party in Britain is the Liberal Party.24、The British economy achieved global dominance by 1880s.25、Which of the following statements is NOT true about the UK economy? CA. Britain remains one of the Group of Seven largest industrial economies.B. Britain has experienced a relative economic decline in 1945.C. There has been a period of steady decreasing of living standards.D. Some smaller economies have overtaken the UK in terms of output per capital.26、Which of the following livestock has the biggest number in the UK? DA. Beef cattleB. Dairy cattleC. ChichenD. Sheep27、Which of the following used to be the last independent car company in the UK? CA. FordB. PeugeotC. RoverD.BMW28、In the aerospace industry, which two countries are ahead of Britain? The US and Russia29、Which of the following is NOT a company in the energy sector? BA. ShellB. ICIC. PTZD. British Gas30、”The Jewel in the Crown” of the British Empire India, which provided raw material and a big market for British goods, gained independence in 1947.31、Since 1945, the UK economy has experienced relative decline rather than absolute decline.32、In recent years, Britain is second only to the US as a destination for international direct investment.33、The UK economy can be divided into three main sectors: primary industries, secondary industries and tertiary industries.34、Englishman Frank Whittle developed the world’s first jet engine in 1937.35、What kind of secondary schools now receives the largest number of students? Comprehensive schools36、Which is incorrect to describe the independent schools? CA. They are public schools. C. They are fee-free schools.B. They emphasize the importance of character training. D. Many of them are boarding schools.37、Open University communicates with its students mainly by radio, television programs, local study programmes.38、The University of Buckingham is a privately funded university in Britain.39、If a student wants to go to university in Britain, he will take the exam called General Certificate of Education-Advanced.40、Easter commemorates the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ41、On which day is Halloween celebrated? October 3142、Where are the international tennis championships held? Wimbledon43、Which one in the following is famous for its literary and dramatic criticism? DA. The EconomistB. The SpectatorC.TribuneD. Punch44、Which one of the following is NOT particularly British Christmas tradition? CA.Enjoying the Pantomime C.Eating chocolate eggs.B.The Queen broadcasting her Christmas message D.Shopping on the Boxing Day.45、Margaret Thatcher was the United Kingdom’s first woman Prime Minister.46、Margaret Thatcher’s nickname is the Iron Lady三、知识点：美国部分1、美国简介The United States shares land borders with Canada and Mexico and a water border with Russia.It national day is on 4th of July (Independence Day).Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States of America.George Washington is the first president.Flag: Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, and the Star-Spangled Banner.The bald eagle was chosen on June 20, 1782 as the emblem.National anthem is the Star - Spangled Banner.The Great Lakes: Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario.2、二战与美国America in WWII: 1 From Isolation to Intervention(隔离-干预)2 Battle Against Germany (Normandy Landing诺曼底登陆1944)3 Battle Against Japan(The Pearl Harbor incident 珍珠港事件导火线---- T he Battle of Midway 中途岛战役1942<the turning point of the war>)America After WWII:1Truman and Cold War（The Truman Doctrine 杜鲁门主义）2The Eisenhower Doctrine （艾森豪威尔主义）3The Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis（猪湾事件和古巴导弹危机）3、美国政治：Three Branches of the American Government(三权分立)The federal government has three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. Through a system of separation of powers and the system of "checks and balances," each of these branches has some authority to act on its own, some authority to regulate the other two branches, and has some of its own authority, in turn, regulated by the other branches. The policies of the federal government have a broad impact on both the domestic and foreign affairs of the United States. In addition, the powers of the federal government as a whole are limited by the Constitution.The legislative branch consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives, collectively known as the Congress. There are 100 senators; each state has two. Each state has a different number of representatives, with the number determined by the state's population. At present, there are 435 members of the House. The legislative branch, as a whole, is charged with passing the nation's laws and allocating funds for the running of the federal government and providing assistance to the 50 U.S. states.The executive branch The chief executive of the United States is the President, who, together with the vice president, is elected to a four-year term. A crucial function of the executive branch is to ensure that laws are carried out and enforced to facilitate such day-to-day responsibilities of the federal government as collecting taxes, safeguarding the homeland and representing the United States' political and economic interests around the world.The judicial branch is headed by the Supreme Court, which is the only court specifically created by the Constitution. Thejudicial branch consists of the United States Supreme Court and lower federal courts. Its primary function is to hear cases that challenge legislation or require interpretation of that legislation. The U.S. Supreme Court has nine Justices, who are chosen by the President, confirmed by the Senate, and have a lifetime appointment.4、美国宗教特征: Distinctive Characteristics1.freedom and toleration2.pluralism and diversity3.prospects5、美国教育：The Ivy League（常春藤联）:Harvard UniversityYale University University of Pennsylvania Princeton University Columbia University Brown University Cornell University Dartmouth College四．美国题目1.The United States has altogether fifty states.2.Alaska is the largest state in land area and Rhode Island the smallest.3.Before their conversion to farmland, the Great Plains were noted for their extensive grasslands.4.The longest river in America is Missouri River.ke Superior has the largest surface area of any freshwater lake in the world.6.The climate of the United States, as a whole, can be classified as temperate.7.The Great Plains and Midwest, due to the contrasting air masses, sees frequent severe thunderstorms andtornado outbreaks during spring and summer.8.One natural disaster that frequents the country are hurricanes, which can hit anywhere along the Gulf Coastor the Atlantic Coast as well as Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.9.The American Northwest sees the highest concentration of active volcanoes in the United States, inWashington, Oregon and northern California along the Cascade Mountains.10.America has plenty of fertile soil. Farmlands in the United States make up about 12% of the arable lands inthe world, and they are among the richest and most productive ones.11.The United States shares land borders with Canada and Mexico, and a water border with Russia.12.The United States secured its independence from Great Britain in 1783.13.The United States ranks as the fourth largest country in the world after Russia, Canada, and China.14.The five Great Lakes are located in the north-central portion of the country, four of them forming part ofthe border with Canada.15.Of the 13 British colonies only Connecticut and Rlode Island.16.The First Continental Congress was attended by the representatives from all the colonies EXCEPT DA. DelawareB.PennsylvaniaC.MassachusettsD.Georgia17.The victory of Saratoga was the turning point of the War of Inpendence.18.When the Second War of Inpendence broke out in 1812, the US President was James Madison.19.The Mexican territories annexed by US and as a result of the Mexican War include the following statesEXCEPT AA.OregonB.TexasC. CaliforniaD.Arizona20.Which of the following is NOT the measure taken by Lincoln’s Administration in 1862 to change the situationand win the Civil War? DA.The passage of the Homestead Act.B.The issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation.C.The allowance of Negroes to join the Union Army.D.The ordering of the Union Army to take over Richmond.21.The US imperialism was marked by all the following EXCEPT CA.highly developed industryB.high concentration of capitalC.free business competitionD.overseas territorial expansion22.When the First World War began, President Wilson immediately called upon the American people to observestrict neutrality.23.The Post-WWII program of economic assistance to Western Europe was known as Marshall Plan.24.Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. advocated the philosophy of nonviolence.。