英国部分的名词解释.doc

英国部分的名词解释Chapter 1The Commonwealth: the commonwealth is a free association of independent countries that were once colonies of Britain. Member nations are jointed together economically and have certain trading arrangements. The Commonwealth has no special powers. The decision to become a member of the Commonwealth is left to each nation. At present there are 50 member countries within the Commonwealth (1991).English Channel: A channel of the Atlantic between southern England and northern France. The channel between England and France is quite narrow. A channel tunnel under the channel was built in 1994 to join the two countries together.Chunnel: In 1985, the British government and French government decided to build a channel tunnel, which is called Chunnel, under the Straits of Dover so that England and France could be joined together by the road. The Chunnel was open to traffic in May 1994. Chapter 2Witan: Witan was the council or meeting of the wisemen. It was created by the AngloSaxons to advise the king. Its the basis of the Privy Council which still exists today.Heptarchy: During the Anglo-Saxons time, Britain was divided into many kingdoms, among which there were Seven principal kingdoms of Kent ,Esses, Sussex, Wessex, East Anglia, Mercia and Northumbria. They were given the name of Heptarchy.During the Anglo-Saxons time, the three Teutonic tribes, Angles, Saxons and Jutes founded 7 kingdoms in Britain, Kent ,Esses, Sussex, Wessex, East Anglia, Mercia and Northumbria. They were given the name Heptarchy. 二选一Alfred the Great Alfred is a strong king of Wessex. He defeated the Danes and reached a friendly agreement with them. He founded a strong fleet and is known as “the father of the British navy” He reorganized the Saxon army, making it more efficient. He also translated books and established schools. All this earned him the title “Alfred the Great.Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest of 1066 is perhaps the best-known event in English history. William the conquerorlanded his army in Oct.1066 and defeated king Harold. Then he was crowned king of England on Christmas Day the same year. He replaced the weak Saxon rule with a strong Norman government. So the feudal system was completely established inEnglandChapter 3Domesday Book（末日审判书） It is a book compiled by group of clerks under the sponsorship of king William the first in1086. The book was in fact a property record. It was the result of general survey of England. It recorded the extent, value, state of cultivation, and ownership of the land. It was one of the important measures adopted by William1 to establish the full feudal system in England. Today, it is kept in Public Record Office in London.the Great Charter（大宪章）King Johns reign caused much discontent among the barons. In1215, he was forced to sign a document, known as Margna Carta, or the Great Charter. It has 63 clauses. Though it has long been regarded as the foundation of English liberties, its spirit was the limitation of the Kings power, keeping them within the bounds of the feudal law of the land.The Hundred Yeas War(百年战争): The name is given to the intermittent war between France and England that lasted from 1336 to 1453 . The causes were partly territorial and partly economic. When Edward III claimed the French Crown by right of his mother Isabella , daughter of Philip IV, the French refused to recognize , the war broke out. At first the English were successful, but in the end, the expulsion of English from France is a blessing for both countries, had they remained, the cost almost all their possessions in France. The expulsion of English from France is a blessing for both countriesThe Black Death(黑死病)：Black Death was the modern name given to the deadly bubonic Europe in the 14th century, particularly in 1347-1350. It swept through England without warming and any cure, and sparing no victims. It killed between one half and one third of the population of England. Thus, much land was left untended and there was a terrible shortage of labour. It caused far-reaching economic consequences.Chapter 4The wars of Rose（玫瑰战争）: This time the instability was caused by the two branches of the Plantagenet family, the House of Lancaster and the House of York between 1455 and 1485.Henry (亨利八世)：He was a great king and remembered for his reform of the church. His reform stressed the power of the monarch and strengthened the Parliaments importance.Renaissance(文艺复兴)：It was the revival of classical literature and artistic styles in European history. Renaissance was the transitional period between the Middle Ages and modern times, covering the years c1350-c1650.The Renaissance began in northern Italy in the early 14th century, and was typified by the universal genius of Leonardo Da Vinci(1452-1519)In England ,the Renaissance was usually thought of as beginning with the accession of the House of Tudor to the throne in 1485 The Restoration(王朝复辟)：When Oliver Cromwell died in 1658, and was succeeded by his son, Richard, the regime began immediately to collapse. One of Cromwells generals, George Monck , occupied London, and arranged for new parliamentary elections, The Parliament thus elected in 1660 resolved the France as Kong Charles II .The Restoration, as it called, was relatively smooth.The Bill of Rights(权利法案)：William and Mary jointly accepted he Bill of Rights（1689）which，excluding any Roman Catholic from the succession, confirmed the principle of parliamentary supremacy an guaranteed free speech within both the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Thus the age of constitutional monarchy, of monarchy with powers limited by parliament, began.The Glorious Revolution(光荣革命)：It was a takeover or palace coup detate with no blood shed in 1688. When James II hoped to rule as a Catholic, the English politicians rejected James II, and appealed to a Protestant king, William of Orange, to invade and take the English throne. James II was forced to leave Britain. William and Mary who were the relatives of James II took power as joint monarchy.Oliver Cromwell(克伦威尔)：Oliver Cromwell is the leader during the Civil War who led the New Model Army to defeat the king and condemned him to death. Then he declared England a Commonwealth and made himself Lord of Protector. He ruled England till the Restoration of Charlesin 1660. Chapter 5Whigs and ToriesThese two party names originated with the Glorious Revolution (1688).The whigs were those who opposed absolute monarchy and supported the right to religious freedom for Nonconformists. The Whigs were to form a coalition with dissident Tories in the mid-19th century and be come the Liberal Party.The tories who those who supported hereditary monarchy and were reluctant to remove kings. The Tories were the forerunners of the Conservative Party.The Industrial Revolution （工业革命）The Industrial Revolutionrefers to the mechanization of industry consequent changes in social and economic organization in Britain in the 18th and early 19th centuries.The Chartist Movement Chartism a movement for political and social reform in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland during the mid-19th century, between 1838 and 1850. It takes its name from the Peoples Charter of 1838, which stipulated the six main aims of the movement as:(1)A vote for all adult males(2)The ballot.(3)No property qualification for members of Parliament (4)Payment of members of Parliament (5)Equal Constituencies, (6)Annual parliaments Chartism was possibly the first mass working class labour movement in the world. Its leaders have often been described as either physical force or moral force leaders, depending upon their attitudes to violent protest.The ThatcherismThe Thatcherism refers to the policies put forward by Margaret Thatcher ,the first woman prime minister in England in 1979.The main contents of her policies included the return to private ownership of state-owned industries ,the use of monetarist policies to control inflation, the weakening of trade unions the strengthening of the role of market forces in the economy ,and an emphasis on law and order. To some extent her program was successful and she led one of the most remarkable periods in the British economy. Chapter 71. Constitutional Monarchy君主立宪制: The united Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy, the head of state is a kingdom or a queen. In practice, the sovereign reigns, but doesnt rule. The monarchs powers are limited by law and parliament. Constitutional Monarchy began after the Glorious Revolution in 1688. 2. The Official Opposition反对党: Britain has a number of parties, but there are only two major parties. These two parties are the Conseravtive Party and Labour Party. Since1945, either the Conservatives Party or the Labour Party has held power. The party which wins sufficient seats at a General Election to command a majority of supporters in the House of Commons usually forms the Government. The leader of the majority party is appointed PM .The party which wins the second largest number of seats becomes the Official Opposition, with its own leader and shadow cabinet. The rule of Opposition is to help the formulation of policy, criticizes the Government and debate with the Government. 3. The Civil List王室费: Its an annual grant approved by the Parliament. Its made to provide the Soveriegn and members of royal family and used to cover the expense involved in carrying out their public duties. Chapter 9Easter: Easter is the chief Christian festival, which celebrates the Resurrections of Christ on the first Sunday after the full moon that coincides with ,or comes after ,the spring equinox(taken as 21 March ).Public holidaysOfficial public holidays are also called “bank holidays ”!The term “bank holiday ”goes back to the bank holidays act of 1871 ,which was its name to the fact that banks are closed on the days specified . Chapter 10The OpenUniversityThe OpenUniversityis a non-university based in the new town ofMiltonKeynes, Buckinghamshire. It is