Britain英国概况简答题.doc

Britain1. Where is the U. K.? And what is it made up of? What is its total area?- The U.K. is situated in Northwestern Europe, lying to the north of France and the west of the Netherlands and Denmark. It is made up of England, Scotland, Wales, numerous smaller coastal islands and Northern Ireland. Its total area is 242 534 square kilometers.2. What are the three Germanic tribes who form the basis of the modern British people?- The Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes which invaded Britain form the modern British people.3. What do you know about the Roman influence on Britain?- The Roman occupation lasted for almost 350 years. The resulting growth of its civilization was more obvious in urban areas than among the agricultural peasants and weakest in the resistant highland zone. In the southeastern part, the Romans influenced life and culture radically. The English upper classes were thoroughly Romanized and transformed into Roman landlords and officials. Yet the Romans came to govern and to trade, not to settle; and they were too few in number to change the language and customs of the people as they did in France and Spain. Some of the native people become slaves of the Romans; true slave society was introduced into England.4. What were the consequences of the Norman Conquest?_ (1) The Norman Conquest caused important consequences. It increased the process of feudalism, which had begun during Anglo-Saxon times. By the early part of 12th century, the manor system had replaced the village system completely, and Feudalism was finally established in England.(2) William the Conqueror established a strong monarchy in England. The feudal system of England acquired a more centralized character than in other European countries of the time.(3) It brought about changes in the church. The upper ranks of the clergy were Normanized and feudalized, following the pattern of lay society, (4) Along with the Norman came the French language, which would be the language of court and upper classes until the 14th century.5. What were the contents and the nature of the Great Charter?- Contents: ( 1) the king was not to exact要求 extra payments from the feudal vassals封臣 without their consent; (2) laws were not to be modified by the arbitrary专断的 action of the king; (3) If the king should attempt to free himself from law, the vassals had the right to force the king to obey it, by civil war or by otherwise.Nature: It was essentially a feudal document. It was made in the interests of feudal lords, great and small.6. What do you know about the English Renaissance?- Renaissance means rebirth - Europe rediscovering its origins in the cultures of ancient Greek and Rome. It was a cultural movement that arose with rise of the bourgeoisie. They were disintegrating movements, but also liberating ones and they were consistently related, by cause and effect, to liberating movement in politics, commerce and society in every country. The thinkers who worked for freedom and enlightenment were called humanists. The great English humanist was Sir Thomas More, who wrote his masterpiece Utopia. The English Renaissance was largely literary. Shakespeare was the greatest dramatist of the age.7. What do you know about the Glorious Revolution?- After three years of struggle, the Whig and Tory leaders at last united against James , who intended to establish absolutism in England with the aid of France and had restored Roman Catholics in civil government, etc. The leaders of the two parties planned a coup dtat. In June 1688 the leaders of Parliament invited William of Holland and Mary, daughter of James II, to come and take the throne. William landed with army and he was so welcomed that James 1I ran away to France. William and Mary were then crowned as joint rulers. This was known in history as The Glorious Revolution.8. Why did the Industrial Revolution first take place in Britain?- Because Britain had some special conditions which no other country could match. These conditions are: the accumulation of capital; the development of, capitalistic farming; the appearance of a labor reserve; and the expansion of markets, domestic and foreign.9. How did the Industrial Revolution exert a great influence on both British society and the world?- The Industrial Revolution was not only a technological revolution but also a great social upheaval. It exerted a great influence on both British society and the world. The Industrial Revolution promoted the development of production. It began to produce large quantity of low-priced goods in a more efficient manner. New cities came into being; population increased; the home market was enlarged. The British goods almost achieved a monopoly situation in the world market. A factory system was established. Workers were employed and managers became capitalists. Two conflicting classes were born.10. How did the Chartist Movement take place in Britain? What was the reason for the failure of the Movement?- In 1836 the London Working Mens Association was organized. In 1837 a petition, known as the Peoples Charter was drawn up. The main point was to seek universal suffrage, which was the beginning of the Chartist Movement. The failure of the Movement is its divided leadership and lack of a strong basis of class unity. During the movement the Chartists could be divided into two groups- moral force, which believed in reform by peaceful means; and physician force, which advocated violence.11. How did Britain take part in the First World War?- After the Germans invaded Belgium in August 4, 1914, thereby violating a neutrality that Britain was committed by treaty to support, Britain took part in the war.12. What role did Winston Churchill play in the Second World War?- He played an important role in the Second World War. In the crisis of the Second World War, Winston Churchill took over as Prime Minster in 1940. Winston Churchill also led the country during the miracle of Dunkirk at the end of May in 1940. That was 338 000 Allied troops evacuation to Britain from Dunkirk. He and Roosevelt, Stalin decided to open the second battlefield in Europe at the Teheran Conference. He proposed to continue to fight against Japan until the end of the war. Although Britains island status protected it from invasion, the civilians were involved in the war in a way that had never happened before. German bombing raids destroyed many cities, including London. However, Churchill and his people never gave up, and he received massive popular support as a war leader and led his country to final victory in 1945.13. How many types of universities are there in Britain? Which two universities are the most famous ones?- There are five types: 1) old universities, 2) the four Scottish universities, 3): the middle-aged universities, 4) the new universities, 5) the Open University, and Buckingham University (the one independent university). Oxford and Cambridge are the oldest and the most famous in the world.14. What are the main news agencies in Britain? What do you know about Reuters? - Reuters, the Press Association Ltd., and Extel Financial are the main news agencies in Britain. Reuters is one of the four major news agencies in the world. It was founded in 1851 in London. It has about 1200 reporters stationed in 183 countries and regions. It is an important propaganda tool of the British monopoly bourgeoisie.15. What did Charles Robert Darwin develop? What do you know about his theory?- Charles Robert Darwin developed a theory of evolution. His theory of evolution is that all living beings, including men are evolved from more primitive species instead of being created by God.16. Who are the greatest British novelists? And what are their finest works?Charles Dickens Oliver Twist and Black House; John Galsworthys From the Four Winds; Herbert George Wells The Time Machine; David Herbert Lawrences Sons and Lovers; Walter Scotts Waverley; Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe; Jonathan Swifts Gullivers Travels.17. How many plays did William Shakespeare write? Why are his plays still frequently acted?37 plays. His plays contain a surprising variety of human qualities and moods, and a wealth of eloquence and word-mastery.18. What festival is the greatest in Britain? What is its significance and at what time