英美国家概况下册课后答案.doc

英语国家概况（1）（2）问题库答案63. What was the unique American phenomenon? How did it come into being? Do you think it still exists in today's American society?63. He is an American, who leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds.… Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labors and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world.… The American is a new man, who acts upon new principles; he must therefore entertain new ideas, and form new opinions.…64. In what way did Puritanism influence American culture?64. New England also established another American tradition—a strain of often intolerant moralism. The Puritans believed that governments should enforce God's morality. They strictly punished drunks, adulterers, violators of the Sabbath and other religious believers different from themselves. Roger Williams, one of the Puritans who protested that the state should not interfere with religion, was driven out of Massachusetts. In 1635, he set up Rhode Island colony, which guaranteed religious freedom and the separation of church and state. The Puritans also have left rich cultural heritage to future Americans. The American values such as individualism, hard work, respect of education owe very much to the Puritan beliefs.65. What are the two political parties in the United States? Do you think they are fundamentally different?65. the United States has two major political parties. One is the Democratic Party, which evolved out of Thomas Jefferson's party, formed before 1800. The symbol of the party is the donkey. The other is the Republican Party, which was formed in the 1850s, by people in the states of the North and West, such as Abraham Lincoln, who wanted the government to prevent the expansion of slavery into new states then being admitted to the union. The symbol of the Republican Party is the elephant.66. What is the Bill of Rights? Do you think that it was necessary to write the Bill of Rights explicitly into the U.S. Constitution?66. The Bill of Rights: the first 10 amendments, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, were added within two years of the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. These amendments remain intact today, as they were written two centuries ago. The first guarantees freedom of worship, speech and press, the right of peaceful assembly, and the right to petition the government to correct wrongs. The Bill of Rights and subsequent constitutional amendments guarantee the American people the fullest possible opportunity to enjoy fundamental human rights.67. Why did the Articles of Confederation fail? Was it necessary to change the Articles of Confederation and write a new constitution for the new nation of the United States at the time?67. The Articles of Confederation failed because the states did not cooperate with the Congress or with each other. When the Congress needed money to pay the national army or to pay debts owed to France and other nations, some states refused to contribute. The Congress had been given no authority to force any state to doanything. It could not tax any citizen. Only the state in which a citizen lived could do that.68. What is a federal system? What are some of the major differences between a federal system and a confederation?68. The Constitution set up a federal system with a strong central government. A federal system is one in which power is shared between a central authority and its constituent parts, with some rights reserved to each. The Constitution also called for the election of a national leader, or president. It provided that federal laws would be made only by a Congress made up of representatives elected by the people. It also provided for a national court system headed by a Supreme Court.69. What are some of the major powers of each of the three branches of the U.S. government? How are the three branches supposed to check and balance each other?69. If Congress proposes a law that the president thinks is unwise, the president can veto it. That means the proposal does not become law. Congress can enact the law despite the president's views only if two-thirds of the members of both houses vote in favor of it.If Congress passes a law which is then challenged in the courts as unconstitutional, the Supreme Court has the power to declare the law unconstitutional and therefore no longer in effect.The president has the power to make treaties with other nations and to make all appointments to federal positions, including the position of Supreme Court justice. The Senate, however, must approve all treaties and confirm all appointments before they become official. In this way the Congress can prevent the president from making unwise appointments70. It is known to all that buying and selling stocks is a risky business. Why do you think there are still so many people involved in it?70. In order to invest, individuals do not have to have a great deal of money: they can buy just a small portion of a business—called a share. The business of buying and selling shares in enterprises has become so big that offices have had to be set up where the selling of shares, or stock , can take place. These places, located in many cities in the United States and around the world, are called stock exchanges. The best-known is perhaps the New York Stock Exchange, located in the Wall Street area of New York City, the nation's largest city and a major business center.71. What promotes the diversity in American religion?71. Continuous immigration.72. In what way do you think that religious freedom was a historical necessity in the United States?72. A few Americans were so influenced by the new science and new ideas of the Enlightenment in Europe that they became deists, believing that reason teaches that God exists but leaves man free to settle his own affairs. Many traditional Protestants and deists could agree, however, that, as The Declaration of Independence states, "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights," and that "the laws of Nature and Nature's God" entitled them to form a newnation. Among the rights that the new nation guaranteed, as a political necessity in a religiously diverse society, was freedom of religion. The First Amendment insured that American government would not meddle in religious affairs or require any religious beliefs of its citizens.73. What is the relationship between government and religion in America?73. In some ways, the government supports all religions. Religious groups do not pay taxes in the United States. But government does not pay ministers' salaries or require any belief—not even a belief in God—as a condition of holding public office. Oaths are administered, but those who, like Quakers, object to them, can make a solemn affirmation, or declaration, instead.74. What are some of the features in religion that are particularly American? What are some of the major differences between American religion and religion in Europe?74. First of all, Americans with different religions live together under the same law. Secondly, the religious beliefs of Americans continue to be strong with social progress. Thirdly, in the United States every church is a completely independent organization, and concerned with its own finance and its own building.75. What is the main theme in American literature according to the author? How does the author illustrate his point?75. The questing of the American people has indeed been a drama of many parts. In one way or another, however, it has always been a "pursuit of happiness". American literature is the continuous narrative of that pursuit.76. Why did Mark Twain win so many readers both at home and abroad?76. Mark Twain was the first major American writer to be born away from the East Coast. He grew up in a small town on the banks of the Mississippi River and received only a basic public school education. He began working in a printer's shop when he was still a boy, and this experience led to a series of newspaper jobs in the Midwest and the West. Twain was a new voice, an original genius, a man of the people, and he quickly won readers.77. What are the major characteristics of education in America?77. Americans have a strong tendency to educate their children about major public concerns—problems such as environmental pollution, nuclear issues, neighborhood crime and drugs. Responding to public pressure, boards of education in different areas often add courses on various relevant issues to the elementary and secondary school curriculum.78. What are some of the major themes in novels written by the "Lost Generation"?78. The "Lost Generation" is a term used to describe the generation of young men and women who came to maturity in the 20s. Some of them fought in World War I. They became disgusted with war and disillusioned with the post-war society. They shared the same sense of dislocation, rootlessness and disillusionment.79. What is the goal of education in the United States? Discuss the similarities and differences in Great Britain, the United States and China concerning the goals of education.79. The goal is—and has been since the early decades of the republic—to achieve universal literacy and to provide individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote both their own individual welfare as well as that of the general public. Though this goal has not yet been fully achieved, it remains an ideal toward which the American educational system is directed. The progress which has been made is notable both for its scope and for the educational methods which have been developed in the process of achieving it.80. What does an American student learn?80. American students pass through several levels of schooling—and thus, several curricula—on their way to a high school diploma. They attend: Elementary School, Secondary School, high school.81. What were the major social movements of the 1960s? And what was the historical background of the social movements of that decade?81. The Civil Rights Movement, Youth Anti-war Movement, Women’s Liberation movement and etc.82. The black political movement that began as a force for integration changed course in the mid-1960s and began to emphasize black uniqueness and even black separatism. What caused this transformation?82. Although these segregation laws were illegal under the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, the US government would not declare the Southern laws unconstitutional until there were cases brought in federal courts. The civil rights movement began when black people spontaneously protested segregation laws and created organizations to make the protests successful. Long before the students in Greensboro, North Carolina began their sit-ins, there were many others who protested the segregation laws.83. Draw analogies between the black revolution and the women's movement. What common assumptions do they share?83. The women activities were most in the civil rights and anti-war movements before. They believed the male leaders of these movements were discriminating against women in the movement just like White’s discrimination against black men. They became known as the "women's liberation" group, or "women's lib", used radical tactics and received a great deal of bad publicity. This group found strong support among large numbers of young activists from other organizations.84. The author says that the United States was founded on the principle of human equality, but in practice the nation has fallen far short of that ideal. Illustrate this point with what you have learned from this book.84. For example, the racial discrimination, sex discrimination, class structure, etc.85. What does poverty mean in the United States ? Why is poverty a social problem in America?85. Poverty in the United States does not simply mean that the poor do not live quite as well as other citizens. It means many old people eating dog and cat food to supplement their diets. It means malnutrition and deprivation for hundreds of thousands of children. It means greater susceptibility to disease, to alcoholism, to victimization by criminals, and to mental disorders. It often means unstable marriages,slum housing, illiteracy, ignorance, inadequate medical facilities, and shortened life expectancy. Poverty can mean low self-esteem, despair, and stunting of human potential.86. Why does the author emphasize that the invention of one technology has to be supported by a number of related technologies which form a supporting system? Give examples.86. A technology is a system of practices, often involving a physical device that accomplishes some result desired by some influential segments of society: government planners, military leaders, businessmen, or even a large proportion of citizen consumers.87. When are the American football matches held?87. The late summer (preseason), the fall (regular season), and the winter until late in January (post-season, or play off time ). All this culminates in the Super Bowl to decide the champion team for the year.88. Why did a musical form of black origin gain acceptance in all classes in America and spread throughout the country?88. It is a uniquely American contribution to the arts. No other art form, painting, fiction, poetry, has had a distinctive American contribution as has jazz music. Composers around the world during the twentieth century found inspiration in early American jazz.89. What are the contributions made by Louis Armstrong to the early jazz music?89. But Armstrong himself left Chicago in 1924 for New York with his new wife, Lil Hardin, to play with Fletcher Henderson's orchestra. Armstrong organized, with the help of his wife, several of his friends into the recording groups known as the Hot Five and the Hot Seven to make a justly Hot Five Dancing in the Roaring Twenties famous series of recordings for the Okeh Recording company. At this time, 1926, Armstrong also recorded his famous "scat singing", vocalizing nonsense syllables in tune with the music. Armstrong continued to play and record during the 1930's, both in America and in Europe. With the New Orleans revival in the late 1940's and with his motion picture appearances, particularly with the popular Bing Crosby, Armstrong once again shone brightly as America's foremost jazz musician.90. Why Canada is regularly rated as having the best standard of living in the world?90. It has a lively and rich culture, with many world famous actors, pop stars and writers. In annual "quality of life" surveys produced by the United Nation each year, Canada regularly is rated as having the best standard of living in the world because of its health care, education, clean environment, social welfare, and so on.91.What is the distinct feature in Canadian modern literature?91. In Modern literature, Canadian nationhood was no longer in doubt from an outside perspective, but from the inside the nature of that nation and the strength of its institutions remained somewhat in question. Ethnic, region and gender were the topics Canadian literature investigated in a process of self-analysis.92. Discuss the similarities and differences in the government systems betweenthe U.K. and Canada.92. As a former British colony, Canada's system of government was based on the British system of parliamentary democracy. This is often referred to as “Westminst er—style” democracy, named after the British House of Commons. Like other former colonies like New Zealand and Australia, many Canadian laws, political practices and customs were brought from the "Old Country" and adapted to the different conditions of the new country. At first glance, the similarity between British and Canadian political conditions are great; but when you look more closely, you can see important differences which have arisen from the experience of governing a huge but sparsely populated country.93. What are some of the characteristics of the Canadian party system?93. Through most of the 20th century, federal political power has been held by either the Liberal Party or by the Progressive Conservatives. Since 1900, the Liberals have spent about 66 years in power, compared to the Conservative Party's record of about 30 years in government. With the system so dominated by these two parties, the party that was not in power always formed the official opposition to the government. But neither of these parties were popular throughout the whole country. The western provinces preferred more socialist—oriented policies and seldom elected a Liberal to represent them, so during the many years of Liberal government, they had very little influence on national policy, since only a handful of MPs belonged to the most powerful parties. Quebec experienced the same thing during periods of Conservative rule, since it seldom voted Conservative.94. What are some of the things that make Canada a unique and interesting country?94. This introduction opens with one of the things that makes Canada distinctively different—a welcome to Canada in the two official languages of English and French. This is our first clue as to what makes Canada special. If people outside of Canada area little bit confused about what Canada is, the same is also true for Canadians.95. How do you understand "multiculturalism"?95. Officially, Canada refers to itself as "multicultural". This was an idea born during the debate on bilingualism and biculturalism in the 1960s when a Royal Commission was set up to examine relations between French and English Canada. Organized ethnic communities demanded that their heritages also be acknowledged. Politicians noted that one—third of Canadians were neither English nor French and thus invented the idea of a multicultural society within a bilingual framework and provided money to help different ethnic groups retain their identities.96. Why do you think the author says that Canada has avoided the worst excesses of intolerance and prejudice?96. As a prominent member of Canada's Ukrainian community remarked: There is no longer any excuse for anyone in this country to be ashamed of his cultural background. Canada is a multicultural society. The days of Anglo-Saxon dominance are gone. 97. What is the Canada's Place in the World Economy?97. One area of Canadian influence is the world economy. By actively building up a strong domestic economy, Canadian policy-makers succeeded in creating a wealthycountry which wields an amount of economic power in the international arena that is surprising for a country that is so small in terms of its population. Canada, along with the US, France, Italy, Great Britain, Germany and Japan, is a member of the Group of 7, the world's leading economies. Membership of the Group of 7 gives Canada significant prestige and influence in the international system.98. Do you think the Canadian government should subsidize the inefficient Canadian farmers or import foodstuff from neighbouring American states? 98. In the past, agricultural exports have been very important to the Canadian economy: before World War I, 50 per cent of Canada's exports were agricultural; this fell to 40 per cent after World War II. But in recent years there has been a dramatic drop, and now they comprise less than 10 per cent of Canada's total exports. Furthermore, it has become cheaper in many cases to import foodstuffs rather than to produce such items domestically. For example, it makes more geographical sense for Easterners to buy their vegetables from neighbouring American states rather than shipping similar products from western Canada. The conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement also displaced inefficient Canadian farmers, who used to rely on government subsidies to remain productive.99. Why is the idea of survival thought of as the central symbol of Canadian literature? What does cultural survival mean in Canadian literature?99. The idea that there is such a thing as "American" or "British", or in this case, "Canadian" literature suggests another question: what makes this literature different from those other nations' literatures. a concern with "simple" survival in the face of hostile elements—a reflection of the dangerous natural world in which Canadians find themselves, with huge distances to cross to get help, endless forests to get lost in, hard winters to freeze in, wild animals to attack them. Just surviving in these conditions was a full—time job for Canadians, native or settler, prior to this century.This idea can extend to concern with "cultural" survival in a variety of ways:the attempt to maintain a Canadian identity in the first place that does not disappear into a weak version of the old colonial power's (Britain's); the dogged persistence of native Canadian peoples to maintain their distinctive cultures against overwhelming European dominance; the assertive survival of a French-Canadian identity in Quebec after the English had conquered the French in Canada; the survival of any kind of overall Canadian identity while troubled by these internal differences, and while being flooded from outside by the culture of their huge neighbour to the south: the USA. In all these ways the Canadian identity is under threat and perhaps defined by that threat, so that "survival" may indeed be a useful idea with which to approach Canada and Canadian literature.100. What are the major reasons for Canada's active role in international organizations? And how does Canada play its active role?100. Because of its geography, Canada has sometimes been described as being "indefensible". As a result, Canada has had to find different ways of ensuring its security. Because of its military vulnerability, Canadian policy-makers have had a great interest in promoting peace and cooperation among nations. For this reason,Canada has always played an active role in international organizations like the United Nations, the Commonwealth (the political grouping of former British colonies and dominions), and La Francophonie (an informal group of countries and regions with French as their mother tongue). It makes strong contributions to UN peacekeeping missions, works hard to resolve disputes between countries using diplomatic means, has a large development aid program, and is a major player in the world economy. 101. what was British EmpireThe British Empire was the biggest in history and had global power. It lasted for a century and had 458 million people. (Approximately a quarter of the population) it took up 36.7 million km2 (14.2 million square miles) about a quarter of the earths total land area. At the peak of its power, it was often said that: 'The sun never sets on the British Empire' because the span across the globe insured the sun always shone on at least one or several countries that belonged to it.。