英美文化练习答案.doc

Lecture 1 geographyTTFFTFTFFF1. the North Sea, the English Channel2. Great Britain, Ireland3. London 4. Buckingham Palace5. Canada, Mexico6. Pacific Ocean7. the Appalachian Mountains, the Rocky Mountains8. Christopher Columbus, George Washington9. Wall Street10. San Francisco11. Anglo-Saxons, Celts12. English, Gaelic, Welsh13. Canada, Mexico, Russia14. Russia, Canada, China15. the Mississippi River, the Columbia River16. the Great Lakes, Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan17. the west, the USA, Mexico, Canada18. hurricanesBDDAB/DBCBA/CCDCBALecture 2I. 1-5: TFTFT 6-10: TFTFT 11-15 TTTTF 16-20: TTFFTII. 1-5: DDBCC 6-10: ABACD 11-15: CBCDB 16-20: BCACDIII.1. The Americas policy of neutrality changed in 1940. Because of the formation of the Axis, the American government feared that the Axis countries were winning the war and it might thrreaten Americas security and interests. It began to provide war equipment to the foreign nations resisting the aggression of the Axis Powers. The Japanese air raid on Pearl Harbor became the direct cause for Americas entrance into the war.2. Nixon made three well-known contributions: a) brought the Vietnam War to a close; b) reestablishing US relations with China; c) negotiating the first Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty with the former Soviet Union.3. Reagans economic programs called for reductions in income taxes and business taxes in order to encourage investment, and it proposed deep cuts in federal spending in every area except defense. 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.4. They are the House of Commons and the House of Lords.5. Queen Victoria made tremendous 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, Britain had developed to an empire including a quarter of the global population and nearly a quarter of the worlds landmass.6. The Central Powers which included Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria and the Allied Powers which were mainly comprised of France, the Russian Empire, the British Empire, Italy and the United States.7. Because they were allied during the war and shared the same worries about the former Soviet Union.IV.1. The Industrial Revolution changed Britain im many ways. First, industrial productivity increased dramatically. Britain became the most advanced industrial country and also the financial center in the world. Second, urbanization took place. Many new cities sprang up. Third, it caused great changes in the class structure. The old social classes declined, and new ones emerged and developed.2. Colonization of Newfoundland, the first British colony overseas, in 1583 marked the beginning of the British Empire. By 1837, Britain had long been an empire which included the colonies in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and many small states in the West Indies. By the end of the 19th century, the British Empire included 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 Britains colonies gained independence since the 1940s, which inevitably led to the fall of the Empire.3. The issue of slavery was the focus of American politics, economics and cultural life by the mid-19th century. The Southern planters needed a large number of laborers to manage their plantations, and they regarded the black slaves as their property. In the North, with the development of industry, there was a growing demand for free labor. Whats more, the Northerners demanded a law protecting tariffs and asked the government to finance the building of railways and roads, but the Southerners were strongly against it and advocated free trade so that they could purchase cheaper goods from foreign countries. The accumulating conflicts led to the division of the North and the South and finally the Civil War.4. During the world wars, America remained neutral in the early stage of the wars. However, Americans continued their profitable trade with the warring countries; therefore, they not only retained their military forces but also accumulated great wealth. When America entered the wars, it was almost at the end of the wars,. By sharing the fruit of victory with other allies, America greatly strengthened its power, and became the most powerful country by the end of World War II.Lecture 3 Politics1. Tell whether each of the following statement is true or false.1-10: TTFFT/TFTFF 11-14: FTTF 2. Fill in the blanks with the correct information.1. Lords; Commons 2. the Prime Minister; the Sovereign/Queen 3. Conservative Party; Labour Party 4. a federal system 5. executive; judicial 6. Senate; Representatives; two 7. the Democratic Party; the Republican Party 8. legislature, monarch, Commons 9. the Queen 10. supreme law 11. Bill of Rights, amendments 12. executive, checks and balances 13. Supreme Court 14. Democratic, Republican3. Choose the correct answer on the basis of what is stated in the text.1-10: CDAAD/CDBCA 11-17:DDACB/CD 4. Explain the following terms.1. British ParliamentThe British Parliament today consists of three parts: the Queen, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The Parliament has a number of different functions. First and foremost, it passes laws. Another role of the Parliament is to scrutinize, or examine the government. 2. Life peer Life peers receive their noble titles from the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister. However, a life peer cannot pass the title on to his or her children. These appointments are usually made for peoples outstanding careers or contributions to society. Famous people who have been made peers are former British Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher. 3. British ConstitutionThe U.K. does not have a written constitution, which most countries have. While much of the constitution is written down, it is not systematically written into a single document. The British Constitution is made up of three main parts: Statutes, Common Laws and Conventions. 4. The Labour PartyThe Labour Party was developed by the growing trade union movement at the end of the 19th century. It quickly replaced the Liberal Party as one of the two largest political parties in the U.K. The Labour Party supported state control of important industries and a more equal distribution of wealth. It has drawn financial support from the trade unions. 5. The U.S. Constitution The Constitution of the United States was written as a single political document in 1787. There were only 7 articles in it. The Constitution demands the election of the president, and provides that federal laws would only be made by a Congress. It also provides for a national court system headed by a Supreme Court. The Constitution follows these principles: federal system, “checks and balances” of the powers and respect for the Constitution.6. A federal systemA federal system is one in which power is shared between the central government and the state government. Therefore, each of the Americans is under the two governments-the federal government and the state government. The federal government has the right to declare war, to tax, to borrow or coin money and to regulate business and trade. Generally speaking, the federal government deals with foreign affairs and matters of general concern to all the states.7. Checks and balancesWhen Americans talk about the system of “checks and balances”, they often refer to the three-part government. The system limits the powers of the three branches. Each branch has powers that the others do not have, and each branch is given power to check the operations of the others, so that no one branch can become too powerful.8. The CongressThe Congress is the supreme legislative branch of the U.S. government. Under the Constitution, it is the only branch that can make federal laws, levy federal taxes, and declare war upon other countries. The American Congress is made up of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both Senators and Representatives of the House are chosen by a direct election from all of the states.9. Bill of RightsMany of the recommendations of the states ratifying conventions were considered later by James Madison as he drafted what became the Bill of The Rights. It is commonly viewed as consisting of the first 10 articles of Amendments to the Constitution. These amendments give all Americans rights to believe in any religion; to speak, write and publish as they like; to gather together peaceably and to petition the government; to be secure in their homes without fear of unreasonable searches and seizure of persons and property; and to receive fair and just treatment in courts of law. The Bill of Rights was added in 1791.10. jurisdictionJurisdiction is the authority to hear and decide cases. According to the Constitution, the federal courts exercise jurisdiction over cases in which the subject involves either the U.S. Constitution, statutes, or treaties; maritime law; or cases in which the litigants include either the U.S. government, more than one state government, one state government and a citizen of another state, citizens of more than one state, or a foreign government or citizen. The state courts exercise jurisdiction over the remaining cases. These include most criminal cases.11. Electoral CollegeIt is a body that elects the president and vice president. Each state is represented by the same number of members as in its congressional delegation. In another word, each has as many electors as the total representation in Congress (House plus Senate). The voters vote for electors who will cast their ballots in the Electoral College. Because of the winner-take-all feature of the Electoral College, the system gives an advantage to large states and their urban populations.12. Manifest DestinyThe 19th century journalist John OSullivan coined the phrase “manifest destiny” in an 1839 article. It conveyed the belief in the divinely conferred right of the republic to expand westward and bring more of the continent into “the great experiment of Liberty and Federated self-government”.Questions for Discussion1. The Articles of Confederation was the first governing Constitution of the United States of America. Although serving a crucial role in the victory in the American Revolutionary War, a group of reformers felt that the Articles lacked the necessary provisions for a sufficiently effective government. Another problem is that the government lacked taxing authority; it had to request funds from the states. Another criticism of the Articles was that they did not strike the right balance between large and small states in the legislative decision making process.2. Legislature is a type of representative assembly with the power to create and change laws. The President has the authority to appoint federal judges as vacancies occur. Under the Constitution, the President is responsible for foreign relations with other nations. He also has the right to veto or sign any bills passed by Congress. He can call into service of the National Guard. The judicial branch is headed by the Supreme Court, which is the only court specifically created by the Constitution. The Supreme Court is the ultimate appellate court in the United States. It usually hears cases on appeal. If Congress proposes a law that the President thinks is unwise, the President can veto it. That means the proposal does not become law. If Congress passes a law which is then challenged in the courts as unconstitutional, the Supreme Court has the power to declare the law unconstitutional and therefore no longer in effect.3. 1) Popular sovereignty, or control by the people 2) A republican government in which the people choose representatives to make decisions for them 3) Limited government with written laws, in contrast to the powerful monarchical English government against which the colonists had rebelled 4) Separation of powers, with checks and balances among braches to prevent any one branch from gaining too much power 5) A federal system that allowed for states rights, because the states feared too much centralized control4. A law begins as a proposal called “a bill”. It is read, studied in committees, commented on and amended in the Senate or House chamber in which it was introduced. It is then voted upon. If it passes, it is sent to the other house where a similar procedure occurs. Members of both houses work together in “conference committees” if the chambers have passed different versions of the same bill. Groups who try to persuade Congressmen to vote for or against a bill are known as “lobbies.” When both houses of Congress pass a bill on which they agree, it is sent to the president for his signature. Only after it is signed does the bill become a law. 5. Many bills are initiated by the Cabinet, in the House of Commons. The function of the British Parliament is to discuss, criticize, oppose, ask for minor amendments and in the end to approve. Because the majority of the members of the House of Commons belong to the stronger party that forms the government, the majority will inevitably vote for the Cabinets proposals. Therefore though Parliament is normally a law-making body, not all the members of the British Parliament are law-makers; in reality, only the members of the stronger party in the House of Commons are.6. The Queen is the symbol of the whole nation. In law, the Queen is head of the executive, an integral part of the legislature, the head of the judiciary, the commander-in-chief of all the armed forces of the crown and the supreme governor of the established Church of England. Although the Queens main function is limited to the mechanical signing of official documents, it has a definite role in the UK. The Queen is the only legal and constitutional link binding the members of the Commonwealth of Nations to the home country and to one another. In this way it is easier to make Britains former colonies believe that they are not in any way bound to the English government or its politicians. However, the Queen now has various constitutional rights. She reigns but she does not rule. The United Kingdom is governed in the name of the Queen.7. The British people greatly value their Opposition. They think there is not a democracy without one because the members of the Opposition are not just trouble-makers. The Opposition criticizes government policy, suggests alternative government policy, exposes its weaker points, suggests amendments and points out other matters which the government may ignore. Their work is based on the agreement that the minority agrees that the majority must govern, and therefore accepts its decisions; and the majority agrees that the minority should criticize, and therefore sets time aside for the criticism to be heard. Therefore there is some cooperation between the Prime Minister and the leader of the Opposition. The latter also receives a salary from state funds.Lecture 4 PoliticsFill in blanks:1. the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox churches, Protestantism（此题有误，应为“three parts 而不是two parts）2. the Old Testament ，the New Testament3. the Queen，the Archbishop of Canterbury4. God, Jesus ， the Holy Spirit5. humbler forms of lifeChoices:D B A C DQuestions for Discussion1. The Church of England is not as strong as might at first appear because (1) it is established only in England, not in Scotland, Ireland and Wales; (2) in spiritual matters, it has no strong central authority; (3) even in England, it is only a minority.2. (1) The successes of modern science are partly responsible for this decline. (2) The general improvement in social conditions and the variety of modern entertainment have made religion appear rather irrelevant.3. Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism4. the separation of state and church: refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state. Text of the First Amendment to the countrys Constitution: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. It guarantees the free exercise of religion. The Supreme Court has interpreted this as preventing the government from having any authority in religion. The decision was mainly influenced by European Rationalist and Protestant ideals, but was also a consequence of the pragmatic concerns of minority religious groups and small states that did not want to be under the power or influence of a national religion that did not represent them. 5. Several explanations may be offered. Religion in America has never been identified with an oppressive or dominant social class or set of political institutions. The Pilgrim Fathers, and many of those who followed them, left Europe to be free to worship in their own way, not as the establish authorities told them to. The American mythology assigns its first place to religious freedom and spontaneity. Paradoxical1y, the original basis of freedom creates a social p