英语国家概况社会文化入门简答题整合终极版.doc

英语国家概况社会文化入门 只作参考答案，不是标准答案。Unit 1 A Brief Introduction to the UK I1.What was the British Empire? What do you know about it? In what way is the Empire still felt in Britain and in the international field?1)The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom.2)The effect of the old imperial role lies in 4 aspects. First, Britain still have a close relationship with the countries which used to be a part of empire in a organization called Commonwealth of Nations. Second, Britain had been a member of European Union since 1973, which is more important today in Britains international relationship. Third, Britain is still a relatively wealthy country and a member of the Group of Seven large developed economies. Fourth, the obvious effect lies in the make-up population. Immigration from some of those Commonwealth countries has produced a population of which 1 in 20 are of non-European ethnicity.2. Why does the author say that it is not possible to sum up the British people with a few simple phrases?Because Britain is made up of different elements. First, in geography, it includes 4 parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Second, it is a multiracial society. There are many different cultures and religions. Third, it is a society with obvious class-structure, and every class is quite different in all ways, for example: accent, cloth and so on.3. “British history has been a history of invasion.” please illustrate this point with the examples from the text. How did each of the invasions influence English culture.In 3000 BC, Britain was settled by Iberians, who left Stonehenge. From 8th BC to 1st century, Britain was invaded by Celts, who brought Scottish and Irish Gealic to Britain and brought the name of Britain. From 43 to 410, Britain was invaded by Romans, who made great contribution to Britain. First, they brought Christianity to Britain. Second, many English place name were originates from the Latin word. Third, they were marvelous at building roads. Traces of these roads still remain in England and Wales. Fourth, they made good use of Britains natural resources. They built baths, temples, and beautiful villas or large houses with heated floors, indoor plumbing, and beautiful mosaic floors. From 449 to 8th century, Britain was invades by Anglo-Saxons. Their language became old English that is the basis of modern English. And they brought their Teutomic religion to Britain. The names of Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday derive from their Gods. In 8th -1066, Britain was invaded by Vikings. And in 1066 Britain was invades by Normans.4. What are some general characteristics of Scotland ? (P7 Scotland 第一第二段) how did Scotland become part of the union of Great Britain ? (P8 前3句) Scotland is the second largest of the four nations, both in population and in geographical area. It is also the most confident of its own identity because alone amongst the non-English components of the UK it has previously spent a substantial period of history as a unified state independent of the UK. Thus it is not a big leap for the Scottish to imagine themselves independent again. Physically, Scotland is the most rugged part of the UK, with areas of sparsely populated mountains and lakes in the north (The Highlands), and in the south (The Southern Uplands). Three-quarters of the population lives in the lowland zone which spans the country between these two highland areas. The largest city is Glasgow, in the west of this zone. Scotlands capital city is Edinburgh, on the east coast forty miles away from Glasgow. It is renowned for its beauty, and dominated by its great castle on a high rock in the centre of the city. Both cities have ancient and internationally respected universities dating from the 15th century. In 1603, however, Queen Elizabeth the First of England died childless, and the next in line to the throne was James the Sixth of Scotland, so he also became James the Frist of England, uniting the two thrones. But for another hundred years Scotland maintained its separate political identity. However, in 1707 by agreement of the English and Scottish parliaments, Scotland joined the Union.5.Describe characteristics of Wales (P10 第一二段)and Wales unification with Great Britain（P 10 第四段）.1)Wales is a small city of about 300000 people on the south coast. This southern area was an important element in Britains industrial revolution, as it had rich coal deposits. Coal-mining became a key industry for the Welsh, employing tens of thousands at its height. So its recent disappearance has been a major economic and cultural below. But South Wales has been very successful in attracting investment from abroad-particularly Japan and the United States, which has helped to create new industries to replace coal and steel.Wales is the smallest among the three nations on the British mainland, though larger than Northern Ireland. It is very close to the most densely populated parts of central England. Though it is hillier and more rugged than adjacent parts of England there is no natural boundary. So Wales has been dominated by England for longer than the other nations of the union. Nevertheless, what is remarkable is that despite this nearness and long-standing political integration Wales retains a powerful sense of its difference from England. It also retains its own language, Welsh. This is a Celtic tongue completely different from English, spoken by 19 percent of the population, a much higher proportion of the population than speak Gaelic in Scotland. Again, all those Welsh-speakers are also fluent in English.2)Wales was always under pressure from its English neighbours, particularly after the Norman conquest, when Norman barons set up castles and estates in Wales under the authority of the English Crown. Some brief campaigns are the only times in history when Wales has existed as a unified independent nation.Unit 2 A Brief Introduction to the UK II1.Why is Northern Ireland, according to the author, so significant in the United Kingdom? What is the political problem there?1)Northern Ireland is significant because of the political troubles.2)Irish desires for an independent Irish state were never lost, and one of the key issues in late nineteenth century British politics was a campaign in parliament for what was called home-ruleIrish political control of Irish affairs. The Home Rule Bill was finally passed in 1914, but the process was overtaken by the First World War and was suspended for the duration of the war.2.What are some of the factors in Irish and English history that affect the situation in Northern Ireland today? Along with the political campaign for home-rule there were groups who followed a more direct method of pursuing Irish independence, engaging in guerilla or terrorist activities against British institutions and the British military forces. During the First World War and immediately after, this activity increased, sometimes brutally suppressed by British forces.3.Different parties and groups in the United Kingdom have different solutions to the political problem in Northern Ireland. Please sum up their different attitudes.1)Margaret Thatchers government did not give in to this demand for political status and 11 prisoners starved to death.2)This event revitalised the political campaign of Sinn Fein, the legal political party which supports the IRAs right to fight. Its leaders spoke of a twin campaign for union with Ireland, both political and military, which they called the policy of The Bullet and the Ballot Box.4.What do you think should be the right solution to the polical problem in Northern Ireland?1)Peace and development is the requirement of the times，Peace cannot be got through compulsory ways, instead, consultation and dialogue are ways to solve problems.2)The key of solving the historical problem is taking the policy ,which is from autonomy to self-determination.Unit 3: The Government of United Kingdom1.What are some of the characteristics of the British constitutional monarchy? How has the English monarchy evolved gradually to the present constitutional monarchy?1) the oldest institution of government2). The Queen reigns but does not rule and the country is really run by Government led by Prime Minister.3) the parliament is the right center of the country.(2) the Civil war set the rights of the Parliament. The monarch was kept but his power was limited. The constitution was set up to guarantee rights of people.2.How did the doctrine of the “divine right of kings”, according to the author, lead to the English Civil War? What do you know about the causes of the English Revolution in the 17th century?(1) James I and his successor Charles I both insisted on their divine right as kings. They felt Parliament, representing the community, had no real political right to exist, but only existed because the king allowed it to do so. It was the effort to reassert the rights of Parliament that led to civil war.(2) In the 17th century there was a civil war in Eng land between republican “Roundheads” (so called because the men defied popular fashion and wore their hair cut very shot) led by Oliver Cromwell, who wanted to abolish the monarchy, and royalists who wanted it to continue,3. What is the history of English parliament? What role did the parliament play in the Civil War?(1) In medieval times, a group of leading, wealthy barons who were summoned by the king several times a year to give the king some extra money. This was the Great Council. By the 13th C., representatives of counties, towns and cities were also included in order to raise more money. This was the beginning of what we know as Parliament today.(2) In the Civil War, the parliament was opposite to the monarchy in their dispute over the power. The Republican “roundheads”, led by Oliver Cromwell, wanted to abolish the monarchy and to reassert the rights of Parliament.4. Discuss the major characteristics and the main content of the British constitution.(1) Britain has no written constitution in any one document, and it is only partly written and contained in multiple documents.(2) There are three parts of the constitution. First is statute law(成文法), which are laws passed by Parliament; second is the common laws(普通法,判例法), which are laws established through common practice in the courts; and third is conventions(习惯法), which are rules and practices not existing legally, but regarded as vital to the workings of government.5. Why does author say that parliament is supreme in the British sate? What functions does parliament have? What role does the Queen(King) and the Prime Minister play in British government?(1)Parliament is supreme in the British state because it alone had the power to change the terms of the Constitution. There are no legal restraints upon Parliament. It can make or change laws,functions:(2)The functions of parliament are to pass laws, to provide the means of carrying on the work of government by voting for taxation, and to scrutinize government policy, administration and expenditure and to debate the major issues of the day.(3)The Queen(King) is a representative of Britain and the source of all government powers. She symbolizes the tradition and unity of the British State. She is the legally head of the executive, an integral part of the legislature, the head of the judiciary, the commander in chief of the armed forces. The country is really run by Government led by prime Ministers.6. What kind of institution is the House of Lords? What role does it play in British government?Unit 4 Politics, Class and Race 1. Who can stand for election as an MP in the UK？ Why are some parties and independent candidates powerless in the election campaign for the formation of a government ?(1) Its one house of the Parliament, but the power of making law and collecting taxes mainly resides on the House of Commons. (2) The lords below the Queen and mainly represent themselves instead of the interests of the public.1. make a deposit of 500 pounds, at least 5% of the vote; see it as a wasted.(p50 p51)2.What are the three big parties in the UK? What are some of the similarities and dissimilarities between the three parties? 1)The Conservative party, The Labour party, the Liberal Democratic party (p52)2)Similarities and dissimilaritiesSimilarities:1.they all support the capitalist system.2.they all are the active participants and supporters of representative democracy.3.the share some similar belief in their political and socio-economicideology.Dissimilarities:These 3parties represent the interests of different economic policies during their administration so that they have different opinions on governments role in social economy.1)Liberal Democrats party emphasize the need to change the Britains constitutional arrangements to make the government more democratic and accountable2)Labour party believes that a society should be relatively equal in economic terms and that the government should redistribute the wealth between the rich and the poor and provide a range of public services.3)The Conservative party is basically the party of individual, protecting the individuals right to acquire wealth and to spend it as he or she wants.3. What are some of the recent political trends in the UK? Are these trends more democratic or undemocratic? What is the authors opinion ?In the1970s, in the1980s ,in the mid-90s. undemocratic (p54-p55)4. What is Britains policy in dealing with climate change? What will the British government do to protect the world environment ?the United Kingdoms Climate Change Programme, cut all green house gas emissions. financing help the developing countries.(p55-p56)5. How are people in the UK divided into different classes? What are some of the main features in the division? Is the class system similar to that of the United States?according to economic, cultural, education featuresUpper: rich poorMiddle: upper lowerLower: working- blue collar main features: working-class car maker earn more than a middle-class university teacher (economic) newspaper(cultural) private school(education) Different from(p2 p58)6.What are some of the positive and negative effects of non-white immigrants in British society according to the author? What is the general situation fo racial relations in the UK?Positive : bring culture. music. contribute. Negative: assimilating.(p59)Situation: last 2 sentences in p60Unit 5 The UK Economy1.Define“absolute decline and relative decline”in the UK economy. How does the author explain the reason for absolute decline and relative decline?The UK has experienced an economic decline since since 1945. But this is a relative decline rather than an absolute one. Britain is wealthier and more productive than it was in 1945, but since other countries developed more rapidly, it has slid from being the second largest economy to being the sixth. As for the reason, the UK economic history and current economic measures play important roles in that.2. What did the Conservative party under Margret Thatcher promise to do to the UK national economy in 1979? What was her radical reform programmer? Was the program successful?the Conservative party under Margret Thatcher promise to launch a radical program of reform. Thatchers radical reform:1.Reduce bureaucracy-limited government. 2. privatizationThe British economy went through a particularly bad period in the 1970s, with high rates of inflation and devaluation of he currency.(forced the Labour government to borrow money from IMF) Therefore, in the 1980s, when the Conservative party under Margaret Thatcher was in power, an extensive programme of privatization was carried out. Many state-owned businesses(such as steel, telecom, gas, aerospace) were turned into private companies. The author thinks that privatization was successful in controlling inflation but at the same time unemployment rate increased rapidly. After the recession 1990-1992, the economy had a steady growth. The UK is the 2nd only to the U.S as a destination for international direct investment.3. what are the three main areas of national economies? Describe the development of each of the three areas in the UK economy.（1）“primary” industries:such as agriculture，fishing，and mining，“secondary”industries，which manufacture complex goods from those primary products；tertiary industries，often described as services，such as banking，insurance，tourism，and the selling of goods（2）agricultural sector is small but efficient. during the 1960s，oil and gas were discovered under the North Sea，with the extraction of North Sea oil and gas that started in the 1970s,until the 2000s the UK was self sufficient in energy, and the UK was expected to become a major importer of oil and gas by 2015.A high-technology engineering industry has developed around the motor-racing business, and the UK is also the worlds sixth largest manufacturer by output.Britain is a major international provider of services, accounting for about 10percent of the worlds exports of services4. The author believes that Britain, like most developed economics, has seen a relatively shrinking of the importance of secondary industry and a spectacular growth in tertiary or service industries, why is it so？Do you see a similar growth in tertiary industries in China in the past 20 years or so？How is this growth related to the reform and opening up to the outside world？because that now produce 65percent of national wealth.Yes, For example, in the past 20 years, the service industry, traveling industry, technology and culture industry had already mad