英语专业 考研英美文化大题.doc

英美概况名词解释1. backbone of England : It refers to the Pennines in England. The Pennines extend from north to south, from upland to Derbyshire.2. the act of 1801: In the year of 1801, the parliament passed the act to agree that Ireland joined the kingdom. From then on, Britain got the name: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and Britain includes England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.3. the Bank of England: It is the center of the British financial system. It was founded in 1694 and nationalized in 1946.4. Invisible Trade: It refers to a kind of unseen and unobvious trade. It includes the profits, dividend and capital investment.5. Black country: It refers to the industrial area in the west midland and Birmingham is the center. The area is very rich but is heavily polluted.6. Hadrians Wall: In 122AD, the Romans built a wall in order to defend Picts and Scots. The wall is very long, from Solway to Tyne; we call it Hadrians Wall.7. Julius Caesar：The king of Rome. In 55-54BC, he led his army invaded Britain twice.8. King Alfred: He is the king of Wessex in Britain. In the 8th century, he led the British people defeated the Danes and Vikings, and he was considered the first national hero. He wrote Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. (盎格鲁-撒克逊编年史) 9. William the Conqueror: One the Christmas Day of 1066, French man William defeated the British King Harold at Hastings. In Westminster Abbey, he was crowned the King of Britain, so the Norman Conquest began. He established a strong monarchy in England, and unified the country. In 1086, he and his officials made a book about the survey of Britain, which is called Doomsday Book.10. Battle of Hastings: One the Christmas Day of 1066, at Hastings, French man William defeated the British King Harold, and Harold was killed. The battle was called Battle of Hastings. The battle of Hastings paved a way for the Norman Conquest.11. Henry II: In the year of 1154, Henry II built the Plantagenet and when he was a king, he made the monarchy stronger than before. He made a set of reformation and in the year of 1181, he issued the Assize of Arms. He died in 1189.12. the Assize of Arms: In the year of 1181, Henry II issued the Assize of Arms. According to the law, every freeman in England should be provided with arms, and they can only use the arms when they are called to fight for the King.13.the Great Charter: It is also called Magna Carter. In the year of 1215, King John signed the Great Charter. According to the charter, the king cant freely change the law, the king cant freely tax, and if the king violates the Charter, the vassals may rebel by the civil war. It is a feudal charter, but it gave the people trade freedom and self government.14. all estates parliament ：The parliament in 1265 is called all estates parliament, and it is considered the beginning of Parliament.15. model parliament :. In 1295, in order to collect more money on the war again Wales, King Edward opened the “all estates parliament”. The parliament included more than 400 members and was considered the most successful parliament. In the history, it is called model parliament.16. Heptarchy : From 7th century to 9th century, England was divided into 7 small kingdoms, they fought each other. Later, the King Wessex, Egbert, united England and he was considered the first King. And this is called Heptarchy.17. Black Death: It is a kind of plague in 14th century and so many people died from it. The Hundred Years War stopped for some time because of the Black Death.18 the Lollards: It refers to John Wycliffe and his followers. They made some ideological(思想上的) preparation for the labour movement and peasant uprising.19. enclosure movement：In 15th century, the industry of woolen cloth was the source of wealth and export. So more wool was needed, and more sheep were needed. So some landlords began to enclose some “common lands” into pasture, and then some nobles and business men do so. As a result, farmers lost land and went to the cities to be the cheap workers. This is called enclosure movement.20. Francis Drake: He was one of the most famous navigators in England. He set a sail around the world in 1577.21. the East India Company: It is one of the most famous trade companies in England. It was founded in the year of 1600 and was a tool of exploiting(剥削) Indian people.22. Henry VII : He became the King in the year of 1485. He did a lot of things to make his crown stronger, for example: he confined Edward in the London Tower, he increased the income of government, he encouraged the education, but he didnt deal with the Church problem.23. Charles I: The second king of Stuart. He quarreled with the Parliament and dismissed the Parliament for a long time. He killed the Puritans. In 1649, he was killed.24. Oliver Cromwell: He is a famous man in the British history. During the civil war, he and his “New Model Army” defeated the Kings army. In 1649, he killed Charles I. In 1653, he became Lord Protector and later compressed the Diggers.25. new model army: It is the new kind of army led by Oliver Cromwell in the civil war. The army includes farmers, craftsman, undermasters (学徒) etc.26.the Treaty of Paris in 1763: The treaty is between England and France. It includes four points. According to the treaty, France gave up many colonies, for example, it gave up the controlling on India, and Britain became the chief/leading colonial power.27. the House of Hanover: George began the House of Hanover in the year of 1714, and the Cabinet System was established and monarch was controlled by the Parliament.28.28. the Treaty of Paris in 1783 : The treaty is between Britain and America. In the treaty the Britain admitted the independence of America. 29. the Corn Laws: It refers to a set of laws to regulate the corn trade, for example: to increase the price of corn imported in 1815. The Corn Laws were cancelled in 1848.30. the Peterloo Massacre: In August 1819, a organization was founded in Manchester to demand universal suffrage, and yearly Parliament and the cancellation of Corn Laws. The government suppressed it and 11 died with so many people wounded. This is called the Peterloo Massacre.31. the Reform Bill: The Bill was brought up by Whig in 1832. It made 3 changes in election system. (1) many “rotten boroughs” are cancelled （2）many new seats (席位) were given to the most populous (人口稠密的) countries. (3) the total electorates increased to 217000. But working class still didnt have to right to vote.32. the Chartist Movement: 1839-1848, the working class in Britain had a movement to realize the “peoples charter” , in fact , they wanted to have the universal suffrage. The chartist had two groups : moral force and physical force. At last, the Chartist Movement failed, but the working class entered the history stage for the first as an independent political force.33. the Opium War: In 1840, the Chinese government issued a law to stop the importing opium from Britain, to the Britain launched a war. The Qing Government surrendered (投降) to the Britain and signed the unequal Treaty :Nanjing Treaty in 1842.34. the Fabian Society ：It was founded in 1883-1884. It included the famous men such as G.B.Shaw and H.G.Wells, who played an important role in 20th century labour party.35.the Statute of Westminster: It was passed in 1931 and it gave the legislative recognition to the relation between British Kingdom her dominions. The dominions are independent in all aspects except the name.36. NATO: It is the acronym for North Atlantic Treaty Organization, it is founded in 1949.37. Margaret Thatcher: She was the first woman Prime Minister in British history. She was in power from 1979-1990. She was called “iron lady”because she controlled Britains money policy tightly. She made Britain prosperous in the 1980s.38.Downing Street Declaration: It is a document between Britain and Ireland in 1993. According to the Downing Street Declaration, the future of Northern Ireland shold depend on the wished of majority.39.BBC: Its full name is British Broadcast Co-operation. It was established in 1922, it has 4 radio channels, and the programs are broadcasted in 39 languages. There is no advertisement in BBC programs, the money is from the people who watch the TV.40.GCE: Its full name is General Certificate Education. It refers to the exam of the secondary middle school, if the students can pass the exam, he can get the GCE.41.Reuters: Ruters is one of the 4 news agencies in the West, it was founded in 1851, it has 11000 employees and 1300 photographers and reporters in more than 80 countries. 42. the Royal Society: It is a British organization to study science and one of the most famous scientific organizations in the world. It was founded in 1660 and Issac Newton was its president for 23 years. 43. Whitehall: It is the most important street in London, some of the government offices are in Whitehall, such as: Home Office, Finance Office, etc.44. St. Pauls Cathedral: the biggest and most well-known church in London , a typical(典型的) building of Renaissance(文艺复兴).45.Westminster Abbey: It is a national shrine. Many famous literary persons or scientific persons are buried here. In 1066, William the Conqueror crowned himself in the Westminster Abbey.46.John Bull: the nickname of England or a typical English man.47.Speaker: the presiding officer(leader) of the House of Commons in British.48.Hollidays: (1) Christmas Day: It is on 25th, Dec to celebrate the birth of Jesus. On Christmas Day, people will go home from far places, eat Turkey with families, and children will get the present from Christmas Father. (2) Boxing Day: It is on the first weekday after Christmas. It is a public holiday in England, Wale and Northern Ireland. On Boxing Day, household employees or other service workers can receive some gifts. (3) Guy Fawkes Day: It is a day to celebrate a event in English history. A man Guy Fawkes wanted to blow up(炸平) the parliament in 5th , Nov and he was caught in the House of Commons. (4) Armistice Day: The day is also called Remembrance Day. It is a patriotic day on 11th, Nov, to remember the British or foreigners who died in World War Two.49. Protestantism: a main group of Christianity, separated from the Roman Catholic Church by the Reformation in 1534.50.Salvation Army: one of the main nonconformist denominations, founded in London in 1865,They preach the story of Jesus Christ, and do social work to help the poor and sick. They are almost military. 51. Parliament : It refers to the legislature(立法机构) in Britain. The parliament has 3 parts: the Crown, the House of Lords and the House of Commons.52. House of Lords: It is the oldest part in Parliament which comes from the Great Council. The House of Lords doesnt have real power. Normally speaking, the House of Lords can stop the law passing into the legislation, but after 1949, the House of Lords can not can stop the law passing into the legislation.53. the House of Commons: The House of Commons has 650 seats. The members of it are not pointed but are elected. It has the real power. Strong part of the House Commons forms the government, the weak part of the House Commons forms the Opposition. The leader of the House of Commons is called Speaker/President of Chamber.54. Opposition: The weak part of the House Commons forms the Opposition. They criticize the government or governments policy, and give their new policies. 55.Scotland Yard: It is the headquarters(总部) of Criminal Investigation Department in London. It has a history of 150 years. It does criminal detection, police training etc. 55. the Mississippi River :It is the longest and most important river in the USA, and one of the greatest river in the world. It has two branches: Missouri and Ohio. It is 6262 km long.56. the five Great Lakes: the five Great Lakes are in the place between America and Canada. They are: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior. 57. the Niagara Falls: It refers to the Falls between Erie and Ontario in North America, 1240m wide, and 49m deep. Every year, thousands of visitors come here to enjoy it.58. Yellow Stone National Park: It is located in the northwest of Wyoming. It is the oldest national park in the world. A great number of wildlife live there.59. Grand Canyon: Grand Canyon lies in Arizonan, it is the one of the wonders（奇迹） in the world. Its wall has many layers, which tells you the story of the earth formation.60. Old Faithful: It is the most famous geyser（火山） in Yellow Stone National Park. It erupts more than 100 feet in the air every 73min.61. Pearl Harbor: It is the base of the Pacific Fleet of the USA, near the city Honolulu in Hawaii.62. Microsoft: It is the most famous computer company founded in 1975 by Bill Gates. Now, it plays an important role in the world.63. Christopher Columbus: He was an Italian; he believed that the earth is round. In 1492, he discovered America and in 1498 he discovered the main land of South America.64. The Stamp Act: When Britain controlled the America, it issued a law: the stamp paper must be used for legal documents. It was passed in 1765 and stopped in 1766.65. the Boston Massacre: In 1770, a little boy in Boston threw a small stone to the British soldiers, and British soldiers fired at the people, with 4 died and many wounded. After it, the American people united together to fight against the British army.66.Committees of Correspondence: In 1772, the Boston town meeting appointed “Committees of Correspondence” to call people to unite together to fight against the British army.67. the Boston Tea Act: When Britain controlled America, according to the“Tea Act”, East Indian Company exported tea to America to make money. In 1773, some Boston men got on the English ship and poured the tea into the sea. The Boston Tea Act showed the fighting spirit of Americans.68. the First Continental Congress: It was held in 1714 in Philadelphia. The leaders in the Congress agreed that they wouldnt buy any goods from England until the objectional law was stopped.69. the Second Continental Congress: It was held in 1715 in Philadelphia. The leaders in the Congress agreed to sent army around Boston and made George Washington as the commander.70. the Articles of the Confederation: At the end of the Independent War, the people meet a question. How the United States should be governed? So a constitution（the Articles of the Confederation）was made. In 1781, it was accepted by all the states.71. the Sedition Act: It was made by John Adam, any one shouldnt stir up the hatred to the government. It was opposed by Republican Party, and was stopped by Jefferson in 1800.72. Monroe Doctrine: It was made by President Monroe in 1823. “America is Americans America”. According to the doctrine, European countries shouldnt open any colony in North America or South America, and shouldnt interfere the everything in America. And America shouldnt open any colony in Europe, and shouldnt interfere the everything in Europe.73. Westward Movement: In the early time of 19th century, more Europeans immigrated to America to find a better life, but in the northeast, they found themselves still poor. So the farmers without land and workers without work went to the west part. Now, the west part is developed and wild land is farmed.74. Douglas Bill: It is a bill made by Douglas, a person in senate. According to the bill, the slavery is possible in some states, e.g.: Kentucky or Nebraska.75. Republican Party: The Party was founded in 1854; the members of this party were against the slavery. Lincoln is the famous leader from this party.76. Abraham Lincoln: In 1860, Lincoln was elected president. He played an important role in the Civil War and made two important documents: Homestead Bill, and Emancipation Proclamation. In 1864, he was elected for the second time. He was killed in 1865.77. the Confederate Union: After Lincoln was elected as president in 1860, the seven southern states, set up a country “the Confederate Union”. They wanted to keep the slavery in it.78. Homestead Bill: It is one of the documents by Lincoln, according to the bill, the farmers and settlers got enough land. So Lincoln got their support and the agriculture in the South developed.79. “Open Door Policy”: It is the policy which is made by Theodore Roosevelt in Chinese-American relation. By the policy, American invaded China by force and culture.80. the American Federation of Labor : the first national union in America .81. the League of Nations: According to Wilsons Fourteen Points, the League of Nations is set up to keep the world peace. But it is controlled by England and France. 82. the Washington Conference : In 1921,China , America and other countries held a meeting in Washington, and this is called the Washington Conference. The Washington Conference strengthened the power of Far East and Pacific Area.83. the Great Depression: It happened 1929-1933. In 1929, the New York Stock Market failed, many factories closed down, many workers lost jobs, many products found no markets. Many extra goods were destroyed.84. the New Deal: It was made by FranklinDRoosevelt in 1932. According to the deal, in the country, many public projects were made to increase the employment; at broad, American strengthened the old market and found new market.85. FranklinDRoosevelt：He was a member of Democratic Party and was the 32nd president in America. During 1929-1933, he made a New Deal, and made many contributions in WWII.86.the Battle of Midway Island: In the Battle of Midway Island, America defeated the Japanese United Fleet. This is the turning point of the Pacific War.87. NATO: The full name is North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It was set up in 1949. the main purpose was to form a political cooperation to fight against Russia.88.