英语国家社会与文化考试重点

Puritanism:1pilgrims are a group of early settles in New England from England 2in 1620 to escape religious persecution 3the pilgrims left for New England onboard the mayflower,landing at Plymouth Rock 4in the New England the puritans hoped to build a city upon a hill an ideal community 5in spite of their own quest for religious freedom, the puritans practiced a form of intolerant moralism.

The Declaration of independence is a statement adopted by the second continental congress on july4 1776, which announced that the 13American colonies then at war with Great Britain were now independent states,and thus no longer a part of the british empire 2it justified the independence of the united states by listing colonial grievances against King George3 and by asserting certain natural rights,including a right of revolution.

The Watergate scandal was a political scandal which occurred during the Nixon administration 2the scandal began with the arrest of five men for breaking and entering into the democratic party headquarters at the Watergate office building 3Journalists investigating the incident discoveres that the burglars had been employed by Nixon`s re-election committee 4The White House made matters worse by trying to conceal its connection with the break-in 5on August 9 Richard Nixon become the only US president to resign from office

Three branches of Amreican: legislative ,executive, judicial branches because powers are not compeletly separated,each branch requires the consent of the others for many of its actions.the goal is to prevent any dominant power from rising in the government. America`s Foreign affairs :1early presidents focused foreign there were little political relationships with European countries,though sporadic military conflicts.2 president James Monroe in 1823 asserted that the United States should stay out of European affairs and that European powers should not interfere in the affairs of America`s backyard,it defined US policy in latin America and justified Westward Expansion across the north American continent. Won from war:1 the power to shape a new poster order as the true leader in international affairs. 2face new challenges shortly after the end of World war.its undisputable leadership position propelled it for the first time in history towards an activies,expansionist and a global diplomacy.

Before 911: 1GeorgeW bush was at the peak of its strength 2Soviet union disintegrated in 1991 ,united states the only superpower in the world 3economy experienced a sustained growth in 1991to1999.4the mood of elites and the public could be described as optimistic, confident and self-assured.

The supreme court: 1the highest judice body in the United states,and leads the federal judiciary. 2it consists of the chief justice and eight associate justices 3armed with the right of judicial review has a check on the legislative,executive.

the cold war :1the continuing state of policial conflict,military tension and economic competition existing world war two 2between the soviet union and united states3featured periods of relative calm and of international high tension 4ended after the soviet uniondisintegrated in 1991,leaving the US as the dominant military power.

Economic reason behind war of independence :By the 18th century, regional patterns of development had become clear: the new England colonies relied on shipbuilding and sailing to generate wealth; plantations in Marryland, Virginia, and the Carolinans grew tobacco, rice, and indigo; and the middle colonies of New York generate crops and furs. The standards of living were generally high. With the economic boom in the colonies, disputes developed with England over taxatio and other matters; Americans hoped for a modification of English axes and regulations that would satisfy their demand for more self-government,which ultimately led to the call independence and the ceation of new nation- the united states.

New Deal :President Franklin D.Roosevelt launched the New Deal to alleviate the most serious economic crisis in the nation’s history, the Great Depression. New Deal legislation extended federal authority in banking, agriculture, and public welfare. It established minimum standards for wages and hours on the jobs, which served as catalyst for the expansion of labour unions in industries like steel, automobiles, and rubber. Programmes and agencies that today seem indispensa ble to the operation of the country’s modern economy were created: perhaps most notably, the social security system providing pensions to the elderly. Many of the most important laws and institutions that define American’s modern economy can be traced to the New Deal era.

The Great Society was a set of domestic programmes proposed on the initiative of President Lyndon B.Johnson. Two main goals of the Great Society social reforms were the elimination of poverty and racial injustice. New major spending programmes that addressed education, medical, care(health care for the elderly), food stamps(food assistance for the poor), urban problems, and transportation were launched during this period. The Great Society in scope and sweep resembled the New Deal domestic agenda of Franklin D.Roosevelt, but differed sharply in types of programmes enacted.

Wall Street is a street in lower Manhattan, New York City. It runs east from Broadway to South Street on the East River, through the historical centre of the Financial District. It is the first permanent home of the New York Stock Exchange; Wall Street is also shorthand for the” influential financial interests” of the American financial industry, which is centred in the New York City area. Several major US stock and other exchanges remain headquartered on Wall Street and in the Financial District, including the NYSE, NASDAQ, and others.

Hollywood is the US film industry centre. It is located in Los Angeles, California. There are big movie companies, including the Warner