英语国家概况补充阅读材料目录.doc

Contents1. The British history; the British political system (the General elections 2010)2. The Declaration of Independence3. Christianity4. Renaissance and Reformation5. Martin Luther King and I have a dream6. Yalta Conference7. The making of the U.S. constitution8. John F. Kennedys Inaugural Address January 20, 19619. Composed upon Westminster BridgeSept. 3, 1802By William Wordsworth10. Ode on a Grecian UrnBy John Keats (1795-1821)11. National anthem of the UK12. National Anthem of the U.S.ASelected Readings1. The History of the United Kingdomhttp:/www.great-britain.co.uk/history/history.htm 4000 BC to 1066, the Dawn of Civilisation to the Norman Conquest 4000 to 1500 BCstone age man, the first farmers, Stonehenge1500 BC to 43 ADthe age of hill forts and the Celts43 AD to 410 ADRoman Britain, they came, they saw, they conquered410 to 1066the Romans leave, the Anglo Saxons arrive, the Normans conquer 1066 to 1660, the Norman Conquest to Cromwell 1066 to 1154the Normans consolidate their conquest1154 to 1485the Middle Ages, who wants to be king?1485 to 1603Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and the Tudors1603 to 1660the divine right of kings to rule, then chop off their heads 1660 to 1918, Cromwell to the end of World War I 1660 to 1715Restoration and Revolution, the beginning of Empire1715 to 1815The German Georges rule Britain1600 to 1783Britain in North America - we would rather forget1815 to 1914Peace and prosperity, the growth of Empire Britain in the 20th Century 1914 to 1918The First World War, carnage without a cause1918 to 1939the after effects of World War I, the General Strike1939 to 1945Hitlers War1945 to 2000Post War Britain - loses an Empire, looks for a role Scotland through the ages Wales through the ages Ireland through the agesFor more information, read the “history” part on http:/www.uk.file.pl/uk.htmAnd /wiki/History_of_EnglandThe 2010 Election in the UKThe United Kingdom General Election of 6 May 2010, resulted in the first hung parliament since 1974 with the Conservative Party winning the largest number of seats but falling short of the 326 seats required for an overall majority. Following this, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats agreed to form the first coalition government in the UK since the end of the Second World War with David Cameron becoming Prime Minister and Nick Clegg Deputy Prime Minister.2. The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen ColoniesBy Thomas Jefferson, July 4, 1776When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve解散 the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Natures God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence谨慎, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to有.倾向的 suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations篡权, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces表明 a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism 5despEtizEm 专制, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain George III is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid公正的 world. He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome有益健康的 and necessary for the public good. He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation住所 of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish放弃 the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable无价的 to them and formidable令人生畏的 to tyrants 5taiErEnt 暴君 only. He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository di5pCzitEri 存放处 of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with顺从 his measures. He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people. He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions解散, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation E7naiE5leiFEn 歼灭, have returned to the People at large全部的 for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without外面, and convulsions动乱 within. He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither这儿, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations据为己有 of Lands. He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers. He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure任期 of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance. He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the consent of our legislatures. He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction司法权 foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation: For Quartering供给住宿 large bodies of armed troops among us: For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury: For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences: For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies: For taking away our Charters特许权, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments: For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. He has abdicated 5Abdikeit 放弃 Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged掠夺 our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries雇佣兵 to compleat the works of death, desolation破坏 and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and perfidy背信弃义 scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation. He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren 5breTrEn 弟兄, or to fall themselves by their Hands. He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress纠正 in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable不正当的 jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity 7mAnE5nimiti 宽宏大量, and we have conjured 5kQndVE 恳求 them by the ties of our common kindred族人 to disavow不承认 these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity血缘关系. We must, therefore, acquiesce默许 in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends. We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude公正 of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved解除义务 from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved解除; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy发动战争 War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.3. Christianity欧洲文化入门 王佐良主编Division Two The Bible and Christianity P51-90Or: /wiki/Christianity Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation By Martin Luther (1520) (a selection)To His Most Illustrious光彩照人的 and Mighty Imperial至高无上的 Majestyand to the Christian Nobility of the German NationDoctor Martin LutherGrace and power from God, Most Illustrious Majesty, and most gracious仁慈的 and dear Lords. It is not out of sheer forwardness or rashness that I, a single, poor man, have undertaken to address your worships (阁下). The distress and oppression which weigh down all the Estates of Christendom 5krisEndEm 基督教界, especially of Germany, and which move not me alone, but everyone to cry out time and again, and to pray for help, have forced me even now to cry aloud that God may inspire some one with His Spirit to lend this suffering nation a helping hand. Oft times the councils (教会) made some presence at reformation, but their attempts have been cleverly hindered阻碍 by the guile ail诡计 of certain men and things have gone from bad to worse. I now intend, by the help of God, to throw some light upon the wiles阴谋 and wickedness of these men, to the end that when they are known, they may not henceforth自此以后 be so hurtful and so great a hindrance. God has given us a noble youth to be our head (指下面提到的Charles, 1519年的神圣罗马帝国皇帝) and thereby has awakened great hopes of good in many hearts; wherefore因此 it is meet适宜的 that we should do our part and profitably use this time of grace感恩祷告. In this whole matter the first and most important thing is that we take earnest heed not to enter on it trusting great might or in human reason, even though all power in the world were ours; for God cannot and will not suffer a good work to be begun with trust in our own power or reason. Such works He crushes ruthlessly to earth, as it is written in the xxiii Psalm圣诗, There is no king saved by the multitude群众 of an host一大群: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. On this account, I fear, it came to pass of old that the good Emperors Frederick I and II (两人均为神圣罗马皇帝，二世曾与教会发生冲突，被逐出教会后死去。) and many other German emperors were shamefully oppressed and trodden under foot by the popes, although all the world feared them. It may be that they relied on own might more than on God, and therefore they had to fall. In our own times, too, what was it that raised the bloodthirsty Julius II (1503-1513年在位的教皇) to such heights? Nothing else, I fear, except that France, the Germans and Venice relied upon themselves. The children of Benjamin slew 42,000 Israelites because the latter relied on their own strength. That it may not so fare with us and our noble young Emperor Charles, we must be sure that in this matter are dealing not with men, but with the princes of hell, who can fill the world with war and bloodshed, but whom war and bloodshed do not overcome. We must go at this work despairing of physical force and humbly trusting God; we must seek Gods help with earnest prayer, and fix our minds on nothing else than the misery and distress of suffering Christendom, without regard to the deserts of evil men. Otherwise we may start the game with great prospect of success, but when we get well into it the evil spirits will stir up such confusion that the whole world will swim in blood, and yet nothing will come of it. Let us act wisely, therefore, and in the fear of God. The more force we use, the greater our disaster if we do not act humbly and in Gods fear. The popes and the Romans have hitherto been able, by the devils help, to set kings at odds with one another意见不和, and they may well be able to do it again, if we proceed by our own might and cunning, without Gods help.4. Renaissance and Reformation欧洲文化入门 王佐良主编Division Four Renaissance and Reformation P129-1425. I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr.I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so weve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.In a sense weve come to our nations capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable Rights of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds.But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, weve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of Gods children.It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negros legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake