《英美概况》谢福之课后简答题及部分重点答案.docVIP

英美概况谢福之 课后简答题及答案Chapter 1 geography people and language1. what is the full name of the U.K?A: the full name is the united kingdom of great Britain and northern Ireland.2. Why do tourists from all over the world like to go to Scotland?A: because they like to enjoy the beautiful Scottish scenery, to drink the scotch whisky and to see the Scotsmen wearing kilts and playing bagpipes.3. How many periods can the development of the English language be divided into and what are they?A:the development of English language be divided into three period :old English , middle English ,modern English .4. Why did English become more important after the Black Death?A: the laboring and merchant classes grew in economic and social important after the Black Death. So English also grew in importance compared to French .Chapter 2 History 1. What are the two components of the British parliament?A: they are the House of Commons and the House of Lords. 2. What were some of Queen Victorias major achievements?A:the Queen Victorias major achievements in almost every aspect : she promoted further industrial revolution, the building of railways and the growing of trade and commerce. By the end of her reign , British had developed to an empire including a quarter of the global population and nearly a quarter of the worlds landmass. 3. What were the two camps in Europe in world war I?A: The central powers which included Germany ,Austria-Hungary , the ottoman empire and Bulgaria and allied powers which were mainly comprised of France , the Russian empire ,and British empire , Italy and the united states. 5. Why did Britain cooperate closely with the united states after world war II?A: because they were allied during the war and share the same worries about the former soviet union. Chapter 3 government and the commonwealth 1. What the three functions of the house of commons?A: the three functions are : to draft laws, to scrutinize, criticize and restrain the activities of the government policy.2. Why is the Conservative party sometimes called the “Right”?A: because the conservative party is supported by landowners and businessmen, who are often from the middle and upper-middle class.3. What kind of public image dose liberal democrats have in Britain?A:the liberal democrats is perceived as “middle” between the conservation and the labor party . it is comparatively flexible and pragmatic in its balance of the individual and the social . it emphasizes the need for a change in Britains constitutional arrangements to make the government more democratic and accountable.4. Why are independent candidates unlikely to win in the general election ? A; Because even if they were elected, they would be powerless in parliament. Therefore , it is not possible for many people to vote for independent candidates.Chapter 4 economy1. What was the negative aspect of Thatchers reform in the early 1980s?A: its negative aspect was a rapid increase in unemployment . in 1982,the unemployment rate reached the level of the great depression years, with three million people out of work.2. What are the characteristics of Britains agriculture?A:britains agriculture is characterized by a small portion of the population engaged in agriculture activities with a high degree of mechanization. Although it employs a mere 1% of the countrys labor force , it meets around 60% of the national demands.3. What happened to Britains beef industry in the mid-1990s?A: Britains beef industry was hit badly by BSE, resulting in a ban on beef exports in 1996.4. What are some of the popular tourist attractions in Britain?The popular tourist attractions in England include : The Dorset and the East Devon Coast, the Lake District, Stonehenge , Windsor Castle, University towns of Oxford and Cambridge, Tower of London ,St.Pauls cathedral and so on .Chapter 5 education ,media and holidays1. What used to be the major functions of grammar schools and vocational schools in Britain?The major functions of grammar schools were to train the most academically capable students and prepare them for university , whereas the major functions of vocational schools were to help less successful students to learn a trade.2. What kind of subjects do Britain comprehensive schools provide?Britain comprehensive schools provide a general education, offering both academic subjects like literature and science, and practical subjects like cooking and carpentry.3. In what ways do British universities enjoy complete academic freedom?British universities enjoy complete academic freedom because they can appoint their own staff, decide which students to admit, provide their own courses and award their own degrees.4. How do the students in the open university receive their education?The students follow university courses through textbooks, TV and radio broadcasts, correspondence ,video, and a network of study centers.5. What role dose the media play in British leisure culture?The media play an essential role in British leisure culture since it helps to shape the publics opinion, determine peoples moral and political orientation and consolidate or undermine the rule or a government.Chapter 6 literature1. What are the three categories of Shakespeares play and their representatives?Shakespeares plays fall into three categories: comedy, tragedy and historical play. The representatives of his comedies include A Midsummer Nights Dream, The Merchant of Venice, As You Like It and Twelfth Night. His major historical plays include Richard ，Henry and Cleopatra . His great tragedies are represented by Hamlet, Othello, King Lear , Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet.2. What is critical Realism?critical Realism is a literary school which flourished in the 40s and early 50s of the 19th century .the critical realists described the chief traits of the society and criticized the capitalist system from a democratic viewpoint . the greatest English critical realist was Charles Dickens . 3. What are the two new literary trends prevailing at the end of 19th century?The new literary trends that prevailed at the end of 19th century are neo-romanticism and aestheticism. Those who belong to neo-romanticism laid emphasis on the invention of exciting adventures and fascinating stories, and those of aestheticism believed in “art for arts sake”.4. What is stream of consciousness?stream of consciousness is the writing technique which puts the unorganized flow of thought on page . writers who adopt this technique give precedence to the depiction of the characters mental and emotional reactions to external events, rather than the events themselves.Chapter 7 society and culture USAChapter 8 geography and people1. How is the American population distributed?The distribution of the American population is rather uneven . the most densely populated region is the northeastern part of the country. The great plains have a comparatively small population . the south also has a population of almost 57.5million. the west is not densely populated ,except for some metropolitan centers like los Angeles and san Francisco . it has about 20% of the nations population.2. How is the life of the native Americans today ?About one third of all native Americans now live on reservations and the others live in cities. Poverty and unemployment are the major problems for them , especially on the reservations .3. Why was the immigration act of 1942 instituted ?The new immigrants in the united states , being poor and accustomed to poverty , were willing to work for very low wages .this made other workers afraid that the immigrants would lower wage levels and take jobs away from them . this opposition led to the immigration act of 1942.Chapter 9 history 1. Why did American change its policy and enter world war II?Because of the formation of the axis , the American government feared that the axis countries were wining the war and it might threaten Americas security and interests . it began to provide war equipment to the foreign nations resisting the aggression of the axis power . the Japanese air raid on pearl harbor became the direct cause for Americas entrance into the war.2. What were Nixons well-known contributions during his presidency?a)brought the Vietnam war to a close ;b)reestablishing U.S. relations with china ;c) negotiating the first strategic arms limitation treaty with the former soviet union .3. What were the contents of Reagans economic program? Reagans economic program called for reductions in income taxes and business taxes in order to encourage investment , and it also requested that many government regulations be eliminated so as to reduce the federal governments role in the day-to-day operation of business.Chapter 10 government 1. What are the two characteristics of the U.S. constitution?One is “checks and balances”, the other is that the power of the central government and the powers of state governments are specified.2. What are the qualifications for a senator and a representative respectively?A senator must be over 30 years old , a U.S. citizen for at least nine years, and a resident in the state which they represent . a representative should be at least 25 years old and a U.S. citizen for no less than seven years.3. What are the major powers of the supreme court?a)to interpret laws ;b)to hear appeals from any federal court cases; c)to hear appeals from state court cases that involve the constitution or national laws ; d)may declare a law unconstitutional ; e) may declare a presidential act unconstitutional.4. What is the difference between the democrats and the republicans in terms of political opinions?The democrats want the government to play an important role in the economy and emphasize full employment as a matter of national concern . they favor civil rights laws , a strong social security system which gives enterprises a greater freedom and demand that the government control inflation. They stress the need for law and order, and oppose complete government social programs and free choice of abortion . they also favor a strong military posture and assertive stand in international relations.5. What is the content of president Wilsons fourteen points?president Wilsons fourteen points include: abandonment of secret international agreements; freedom of the sea; free trade between nations ; reduction of armaments ; adjustment of colonial claims in the interests of the inhabitants affected; self-rule for subjugated European nationalities ; and the establishment of an association of nations which guarantees the political independence and territorial integrity of all nations.Chapter 11 economy1. What industry developments took place during the colonial period of America?During the colonial period ,the secondary industries developed as the colonies grew . a variety of specialized sawmills and gristmills appeared. Colonists established shipyards to build fishing fleets and trading vessels . they also built small iron forges . by the 18th century , regional patterns of development in America had become clear.2. How did the civil war affect the American economy?After the civil war , the large southern cotton plantations became much less profitable . northern industries , which had expanded rapidly because of the demands of the war ,surged ahead.3. Why does America try to reduce trade barriers?Because the united states has increasingly realized that open bilateral trade will not only advance its own economic interests, but also enhance domestic stability and its peaceful relationship with other nations.Chapter 12 education , media and holidays1. How does an American university choose its applicants?a)their high school records; b) recommendations from their high school teachers; c) the impression they make during interviews at the university ; d) their scores on the SAT. 2. What functions do American higher education institutions perform?Higher education institutions in the united states have three functions: teaching , research and public service , and each has its own emphasis with regard to its function .3. What similarities do four famous university share?They all have a long history , they all have an excellent faculty , a large number of students and have made extensive academic achievements. Some of their graduates are very successful or influential in some areas such as politics, arts and business.4. What are the origins of thanksgiving day?Thanksgiving is associated with the time when Europeans first came to the new world , in 1620,the mayflower arrived and brought about 150 pilgrims. Life at the beginning was very hard and there was not enough food , so many of them died. During the following summer the native America helped them and then they had a bountiful harvest. So they held a big celebration to thank god and the native Americans.Chapter 13 literature 1. What is the essence of American Puritanism?American Puritanism stress predestination , original sin, total depravity, and limited atonement or the salvation of a selected few who would receive Gods grace.2. What themes are reflected in Theodore Dreisers works?Theodore Dreisers novels deal with everyday life, often its sordid side. Dreiser found that living in such a materialistic society, the human individual is obsessed with an endless and meaningless search for satisfaction of their desires . he embraced social Darwinism and advocated the idea of “the survival of the fittest”. 3. What is the lost Generation?The lost Generation refer to the young American writers caught up in the world war I and cut off values yet unable to come to terms with the new era when civilization has gone mad . they produced works of disillusionment. Two of the most representative writers of the lost generation are Ernest Hemingway and F.Scott Fitzgerald. 4. What is the Beat Movement?The Beat Movement began in the middle of the 1950s. the word “beat” suggests a non-conformist , rebellious attitude toward conventional values concerning sex. Religion and the America way of life , an attitude which results from the feeling of depression and exhaustion and the need to escape into an unconventional, communal mode of life. The representatives are Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs and Jack Kerouac.CanadaChapter 14 geography and history 1. 考试重点英国：1 、the rise and fall of the British empire. In 1583, the British empire built the first overseas colony to Newfoundland, marked the beginning of the British empire. By 1837, Britain had long been an empire which included the colonies in Canada, Australia, New Zea land, India and many small states in the west indies. By the end of 19th century, the British empire include a quarter of the global population and nearly a quarter of the worlds landmass. During the mid-19th century, the British government consolidated the existing colonies by bringing them under the direct control of the government. Before world war I, Britain had the largest colonial empire in the world. However , Britain suffered great loss to its manpower in the two world wars and exhausted its reserves of gold, dollars and overseas investment. Most of the Britains colonies gained independence since the 1940s, which inevitably led to the fall of the Empire.2. The major reasons of the Britains relative economic decline: Britains economic experienced a relative decline in the postwar period for several reasons:(1)Britain suffered great losses in the two world wars and had gone heavily into debts to finance the war.(2)the era of the British Empire was over. India and other British colonies, which provided raw material and large market for British goods, gained their independence.(3)Britain was forced to maintain an expensive military presence in many overseas locations until the end of 1960s. (4)Britain had to make substantial financial contributions to NATO and UN security Council.(5)Britain failed to invest in industry after world war II whereas its competitors like Germany and Japan caught up with Britain by investing in the most modern equipment and means of production.3. What are the three categories of Shakespeares play and their representatives?Shakespeares plays fall into three categories: comedy, tragedy and historical play. The representatives of his comedies include A Midsummer Nights Dream(仲夏夜之梦), The Merchant of Venice(威尼斯商人), As You Like It (皆大欢喜)and Twelfth Night(第十二夜). His major historical plays include Richard (理查三世)，Henry（亨利四世） and Cleopatra(埃及艳后) . His great tragedies are represented by Hamlet（哈姆雷特）, Othello（ 奥赛罗）, King Lear（李尔王） , Macbeth（ 麦克白） and Romeo and Juliet（罗密欧与朱丽叶）.4. The industrial Revolution took root in Britains reasons:(1) the Britain had a huge market(2)from the colonies in America and India, England acquired enormo