英美文化小常识

1、What are the two major parties in Britain?

------They are the Conservative Party and the Labour Party、

2、What is the official full name of Britain?

-----It is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland、

3、Who is the head of government in Ireland?

-----It is the Prime Minister、

4、Who is James Joyce?

-----He is the most well-know Irish writer of the modern period、

5、Who were the first Americans?

------They were the Indians、

6、What kind of economic system does the United States have?

-----It has a free-market economy with a dominant private sector、

7、What is bilingualism?

-----The phenomenon that English and French are the two official languages in Canada is called bilingualism、

8、What are the geographical feature of Australia as a continent?

------Australia is the flatest and lowest of the continents、

9、What are the powers the constitution confers on the House of Representatives?

------The House of Representatives has powers to make and change laws、

10、What animal is a national symbol of New Zealand?

------The kiwi is a national symbol of the country、

11、What is the Renaissance?

------Renaissance was the revival of classical literature and artistic styles in European history、12、What are the most important journals in the U、K、?

、------They are the Economist,New Statesman and Society,and Spectator

13、Why is the Shannon River important to Ireland?

------Because it provides electricity for much of the Republic、

14、How many states are there in the United States?

------There are 50 states in the United States、

15、What is Hispanic?

------A Hispanic is a Spanish-speaking person of the United States、

16、What is the Bill of Rights?

-------It is the term used for the first ten amendments to the Constitution、

17、What is the Canada Council?

-----It is the Canadian Government's funding agency、

18、What is Aborigines?

-------It is the term used to describe the original people of Australia、19、What was the nature of the White Australia Policy?

------It was a discriminatory immigration policy,which restricted the non –whites to enter Australia、

20、What are New Zealand's main exports?

------Meat,wool and dairy products are main exports、

21、What was Queen Mary known as?

------She was known as the “Bloody Mary”and also remembered as the monarch who lost the last British possession on the continent------French port of calais、

22、What did Britain become after the Industrial Revolution?

-----Britain became the “workshop of the world”、

23、What is the House of Lords made up of?

------It is made up of the Lords Spiritual and the Lords Temporal、

24、What are the two major parties in Ireland?

、------They are Fianna Fail and Fine Gael

25、What is meant by “Vietnamization”of the war?

--------It meant that South Vietnamese troops would be war-built up to replace Americal fighting force、

26、Which country is the world's biggest producer and user of tobacco?

------It is the U、S、A、、

27、Who was the only writer in colonial period still read today?

-------He was Benjamin Franklin、

28、Who was the first prime minister in Canada?

------He was Sir John Macdonald、

29、What was the convict system?

------In the convict system, the convicts were punished by being transported to remote places、30、How is New Zealand electricity produced?

------It is produced by: firstly,hydropower;secondly,gas;thirdly,coal、

31、What is the most important established Church in Britain?

-----It is the Church of England、

32、What is the jury's job in Britain?

------In criminal cases,it is to decide the issue of guilt or innocence、

33、Where were oil and natural gas found in Britain?

------Oil and natural gas are found under the North Sea、

34、What are the characteristics of Ireland's climate?

-----It can be described as “mild,moist and changeable”、

35、What did the real Americal Literature begin?

-----It began after the America War of Independence、

36、Where is the president of the United States' offcial residence?

、-----The White House is his official residence

37、What kind of history do people often say that the history of Canada?

------People often say that the history of Canada is a history of immigration、

38、What is “urban sprawl''?

------It refers to a city that has grown over a large area of land、

39、What is the way of changing the constitution in Australia?

------The Constitution can be changed only by referendum、

40、Where is the volcanic activity in New Zealand?

------The volcanic activity can be found on the central plateau in North Island、

41、What are the three natural zones in Scotland?

------They are the Highlands in the north,the central Lowlands and the southern Uplands、

42、What was the Gunpowder plot of 1605?