自考英语国家概况汇总版

1、.Chapter 1Land and People一、本章知识点1.重点： Different names for Britain and its parts2.难点、考点： Britains official name British Commonwealth三、课本内容（一）Different names for Britain and its partsStrictly speaking, the British Isles, Great Britain and England are all geographical names.1. The British Isles are mad

2、e up of two large islands and hundreds of small islands. （see map of UK） The two large islands are Great Britain and Ireland. Great Britain is the larger of these two islands. 2. The official name of the United Kingdom is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. But it is too much o

3、f a mouthful to say such a long name for a country, so people just say Britain, the United Kingdom or simply U.K. （UK） capital: LondonThe Republic of Ireland爱尔兰共和国 has been an independent republic since 1949 and its capital is Dublin.3. There are three political divisions on the island of Great Brit

4、ain: England, Scotland, and Wales. England is the largest, most populous and richest, so people tend to use “England” and “English” when they mean “Britain” and “British”. 4. The British Empire大英帝国: one fourth of the worlds people and one fourth of the worlds land area.5. The British Empire graduall

5、y disappeared and it was replaced by the British Commonwealth or the Commonwealth of Nations in 1931. The Commonwealth is a free association of independent countries that were once colonies of Britain. Member nations are joined together economically and have certain trading arrangements. The Commonw

6、ealth has no special powers. The decision to become a member of the Commonwealth is left to each nation.如果出简答,则只需要第一句话.（二）OthersGeographical Features1. The United Kingdom is separated from the rest of Europe by the English Channel in the south and the North Sea in the east. The English Channel lies

7、between Britain and France. （p.4） Taiwan Strait：台湾海峡2. “Chunnel”: channel + tunnel, opened to traffic in 1994. （p.5）Smog: smoke +fogMortel: motor +hotelKidult: kid +adult3. The highest mountain in Britain: Ben Nevis, 1,343m in Scotland. （p.6）The longest river: the Severn River （338 km）The second lar

8、gest and most important river: the Thames River （336 km） （p.7） 4. 90% of the population is urban and only 10% is rural. （p.11）5. The English are Anglo-Saxons 盎格鲁撒克逊人, but the Scots, Welsh and Irish are Celts凯尔特人. （p.12）四、总结 Britains official name British CommonwealthChapter 2The Origins of a Nation

9、（5000 BC AD 1066）一、本章知识点1.重点： Arrival and settlement of the Celts Basis of modern English race: the Anglo-Saxons The Viking and Danish invasions King Alfred and his contributions The Norman Conquest and its consequences2.难点、考点： the Anglo-Saxons: Heptarchy七王国; foundation of the English state King Alf

10、red Norman Conquest 三、课本内容（一）Arrival and settlement of the Celts （p.17）1. began to arrive about 700 BC2. originally have come from eastern and central Europe, now France, Belgium and southern Germany3. three main waves1st. Gaels盖尔人, about 600 BC; 2nd. Brythons布列吞人, 400 BC, （Britain）; 3rd. Belgae比利其人

11、, 150 BC, （Belgium）.Gaelic：盖尔语4. The Celtic tribes are ancestors of Highland Scots, the Irish and the Welsh, and their languages are the basis of both Welsh and Gaelic. 5. Religion: Druidism: The Celts religion was Druidism. The Druids worshipped and performed their rites in woods by the light of th

12、e moon.6. Roman Britain （55 BC AD 410）p.18: British recorded history begins with the Roman invasion. For nearly 400 years Britain was under the Roman occupation. The Roman capital was London （Londinium）.（二）Basis of modern English race: the Anglo-Saxons （p.20-23）1. mid-5th century, three Teutonic tri

13、bes: Jutes朱特人 （from southern Denmark）, Saxons, and Angles （both from northern Germany）; Angles were to give their name to the English people.2. Heptarchy七王国seven principal kingdoms set up by the Anglo-Saxons: Kent, Essex, Sussex, Wessex, East Anglia, Marcia and Northumbria. （英国版的战国七雄）Monarchy：君主制The

14、 Anglo-Saxon tribes部落 were constantly at war with one another, each trying to get the upper hand, so that the kingdoms were often broken up and often pieced together again. 3. In 829, Egbert 伯特became an overlord of all the English.4. Teutonic日耳曼人的 religion: Tiuwar, Wodenheaven, ThorStorms, FreyaPeac

15、e5. St. Augustine奥古斯丁 the first Archbishop of Canterbury.坎特伯雷大教主6. Anglo-Saxons laid the foundations of the English state: divide the country into shires（郡）, later counties; the narrow-strip, three-field farming system（三田轮作）; manorial庄园 system; Witan（议会） （council or meeting of the wisemen, 贤人会议）, th

16、e basis of the Privy Council枢密院 which still exists today. （三）The Viking and Danish invasions （p.23-24）1. from the end of 8th century, Norwegian Vikings and Danes from Denmark 挪威海盗和丹麦人2. The Danes gained the “Danelaw”（丹麦法区）, the north and east of England. 3. The Witan chose Canute, the Danish Leader,

17、 as king in 1016. Canute made England part of a Scandinavian empire. （四）King Alfred and his contributions1. King of Wessex （871-899） （抗击北欧海盗入侵的国家英雄）2. his contributions: “the father of the British navy”; reorganized the fyrd英国民兵 （the Saxon army）; translated into English Bedes Ecclesiastical History

18、of the English People; established schools and formulated a legal system.3. “Alfred the Great”（五）The Norman Conquest and its consequences （p.24-25）1. King Edward, known as “the Confessor”, was far more Norman than Saxon心向着诺曼第人(法国),而不是撒克逊人(英国).2. 4 men laid claim to the English throne: the King of No

19、rway, the Duke of Normandy, Tostig and Harold （two brothers of Edwards Queen）; 4人对英国有继承权,挪威国王,诺曼底公爵和爱德华国王王后的两个兄弟3. Oct. 14, 1066, Hastings, Anglo-Saxon England perished with Harolds death.因为Harold的死亡,英国被诺曼人打败 4. William was crowned King of England on Christmas Day.5. William the Conqueror: the best-

20、known event in English history; the feudal system was completely established.法国诺曼第人征服后,威廉成为英国国王,成为英语历史最著明的事件,并且完本建立了封建制度.四、总结:历史上定居和入侵英国的不同民族：Celts, （Romans） Anglo-Saxons, Viking/Dales, and NormansChapter 3 the shaping of the nation1066-1381本章知识点1重点: 1 Englands feudalism under the rule of William th

21、e Conqueror; 2 Contents and the significance of the Great Charter; 3 Origins of the English Parliament; 4 The Hundred Years War with France and its consequences; 5 Consequences of the Black Death;2 难点考点: English feudalism: Domesday book ; Great Charter; English Parliament;3课本内容i. Englands feudalism

22、under the rule of William the Conqueror1. Under William, the feudal system in England was completely established. According to this system, the King owned the land personally. William gave his barons男爵 large estates in England in return for a promise of military service and a proportion of the lands

23、 produce.The barons parceled out分配 land to the lesser nobles, knights and freemen, also in return for goods and services. At the bottom of the feudal scale were the villains of serfs, unfree peasants who were little better than slaves.Class structure 等级结构: the king ; barons-tenants-in-chief; lesser

24、nobles, knights, and freemen; villainsserfs (补充: barons oath of allegiance 誓词for the king: “we who are as good as you swear to you, who are no better than we, to accept you as our king and sovereign lord provided you observe all our statutes and laws; if not, no.”国王与贵族在封建法规所规定的权力和义务范围内平起平坐.)2. Repla

25、ce the Witan with the Grand Council (大会议)William replaced the Witan, the council of the Anglo-Saxon Kings, with the Grand Council of his new tenants-in-chief, on which they were required to serve when summoned.3. Domesday Book: record of lands, tenants, and their possessions, for taxes. Not unlike t

26、he Book of Doom. (末日审判书)In order to have a reliable record of all his lands, his tenants and their possessions and to discover how much they could be called upon to pay by way of taxes, William sent his clerks to compile a property record known as Domesday Book because it seemed to the English not u

27、nlike the Book of Doom to be used by the greatest feudal lord of all on Judgment Day.注: William took a deep interest in the development of the church in England. His policy towards the church was to keep it completely under his control, but at the same time to uphold its power. But he took care to m

28、aintain his own independence.4. Henry , founder of the Plantagenet dynasty (金雀花王朝), ruled for 35 years.Henry, founder of the Angevin Dynasty, usually known as the Plantagenet dynasty, became king and went on to rule for 35 years.In Henry s reign a common law, which over-rode local law and private la

29、w, was gradually established in place of the customs of the manor which had previously varied not only from shire to shire but even from one community to another.The common law is the unwritten law common to the whole people as distinct from law governing only sections of it, and is “case-made”, i.e

30、., based on precedent judgments, and derived from acknowledged custom. In Henrys day the jury system-whose origins can be traced to primitive trials in which witnesses were called forward to swear to the innocence of the accused-was at last replacing old English ordeals by fire and water and old Nor

31、man trials by battle.ii. contents and the significance of the Great charter1. Crusades (十字军东征) . The result was confrontation between king John and his barons in 1215.2. Magna Carta, 1215The barons charter, or Magna Carta as it came to be known, was presented by a delegation of their class to the ki

32、ng and his advisers in the summer of 1215 at a conference at Runnymede, an island in the Thames four miles down stream from Windsor. 3. contents-63 clauses: No tax should be made without the approval of the Grand Council; no freeman should be arrested, imprisoned, or deprived of his property except

33、by the law of the land; the Church should possess all its rights, together with freedom of elections; London and other towns should retain their ancient rights and privileges, and there should be the same weights and measures throughout the country.Although Magna Carta has long been popularly regard

34、ed as the foundation of English liberties, it was a statement of the feudal and legal relationship between the Crown and the barons, a guarantee of the freedom of the Church and a limitation of the powers of the king.4. significance: regarded as the foundation of English liberties; the spirit- the l

35、imitation of the powers of the kingiii. origins of the English Parliament 1. king John and his son Henry III defied Magna Carta. The barons, under Simon de Montfort, rebelled.King john defied Magna Carta.The barons, under Simon de Montfort, Henry III s brother-in-law, rebelled.2. provisions of Oxfor

36、d -Grand Council of 24 members, half to be nominated by the barons themselves; a permanent body of advisors, without whose authority the king could not act.A civil war broke out between the kings supporters, mostly foreign mercenaries, and the baronial army led by Simon de Montfort.1264 the king was

37、 defeated by De Montfort and taken prisoner.3. the earliest Parliament - in 1265, 2 knights from each county, 2 burgesses (citizens) from each town.The Great Council developed later into the lords and the Commons known as parliament.3. Met only by royal invitation. Its role was to offer advice. At t

38、his point parliament only met by royal invitation. Its role was to offer advice, not to make decisions.4. under Edward I, Wales was conquered. The statute of Wales in 1284; Prince of Wales, a title held by the heir to the throneunder Edward I, Henry III s son, Wales was conquered (1277-1284) and cam

39、e under the English Crown. The statute of Wales in 1284 placed the country under English law end Edward I presented his new-born son to the Welsh people as Prince of Wales, a title held by the heir to the throne ever since.iv. the hundred years war with France and its consequences1. the intermittent

40、 war, 1337-1453; the name is given to the intermittent war between France and England that lasted form 1337 to 1453.2. the causes: partly territorial and partly economic3. Edward III declared war. When Edward III (1327-1377) claimed the French Crown by right of his mother Isabella, daughter of Phili

41、p IV. In 1337 Edward declared a war that was to last for a hundred years. There were three outstanding stages of the war. 4. England was successful at first, but was defeated at last. Joan of Arc(圣女贞德)After his death in 1422, the French, encouraged by Joan of Arc, their national heroine, drove the E

42、nglish out of France.5. By 1453, only CalaisBy 1453 Calais was the only part of France that was still in the hands of the English.6. a blessing for both countries: good for the development of separate English and French national identity.The expulsion of the English from France is regarded as a bles

43、sing for both countries; had they remained, the superior size and wealth of France would certainly have hindered the development of a separate English national identity, while French national identity was hindered so long as a foreign power occupied so much French territory.V. consequences of the Bl

44、ack Death1. deadly bubonic plague(淋巴腺鼠疫), an epidemic disease spread by rat fleas.Black Death was the modern name given to the deadly bubonic plague, an epidemic disease spread by rat fleas. It spread through Europe in the 14th century, particularly in 1347-1350.2. It killed between one half and one

45、 third of the population, reduced Englands population from 4 million to 2 million by the end of 14th century.3. Consequences: much land was left untended, and there was a terrible shortage of labor. The government tried to keep down wages. The economic of the Black Death were far-reaching. As a resu

46、lt of the plague, much land was left untended and there was a terrible shortage of labor.It intervened for the first time to establish rules to keep down wages.IV. 总结: William the Conqueror and feudalism; the limitation of the kings power: Great Charter and Parliament; the Hundred Years war; Black D

47、eathChapter 4 Transition to the Modern Age (1455-1688)I. 本章知识点1. 重点: the nature and consequences of the wars of the roses; Henry VIII and the English reformation; Elizabeth I and Parliament; Elizabeth s religious reform and her foreign police; Distinctive features of the English renaissance; The Civ

48、il Wars and their consequences; The commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell; The restoration and the Glorious Revolution;2. 难点考点: the English reformation; Elizabeth I ; English renaissance; The restoration; The Glorious revolution;III. 课本内容一 the nature and consequences of the wars of the roses 1.the natu

49、re : a revival of baronial activity; the wars of the roses was fought between tow branches of the Plantagenet family, the House of Lancaster (symbolized by the red rose) and the House of York (the white rose ) between 1455 and 1485.This time the instability was caused by the two branches of the Plan

50、tagenet family, the House of Lancaster and the House of York between 1455 and 1485.2. the name was coined by 19th century novelist Sir Walter Scott.The name wars of the roses was ,in fact ,coined by the great 19th century novelist sir Walter Scott, but it has become the accepted way of referring to

51、these battles between the great house of Lancaster ,symbolized by the red rose ,and that of York, symbolized by the white. 3. the interests of the majority of the common people were not deeply engaged.4. the last battle was fought between Richard III and Henry Tudor in 1485. Henry Tudor, after his v

52、ictory ,married Elizabeth of York ,thus uniting the houses of Lancaster and York and putting the country under the rule of the Tudors.On August 22, 1485 at Bosworth Field in Leicestershire the last battle of the wars of the roses was fought between Richard III and another claimant to the throne, Hen

53、ry Tudor, part-welsh grandson of Owen Tudor and descendant of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster.Soon after his victory, Henry Tudor married Elizabeth of York ,thus uniting the houses of Lancaster and York and putting the country under the rule of the Tudors.5. Consequences: feudalism received its dea

54、th blow; the nobility was much weakened and discredited; the kings power now became supreme.Although the wars of the roses were waged intermittently for thirty years, ordinary people were little affected and went about their business as usual. From these wars feudalism received its death blow. The g

55、reat medieval nobility was much weakened and discredited. The kings power now became supreme.6. parliament in England was already a fairly important body which had to be consulted. Parliament in England was already a fairly important body which had to be consulted, if only to get grants of pounds ag

56、reed upon.二 Henry VIII and the English reformation1. 6wives, divorced 2and executed 2Henry VIII, son of Henry VII, is usually remembered as the English king who had six wives one after anther. He divorced twice and executed two of his wives for supposed adultery. Yet in spite of this rather frivolou

57、s image he is regarded as a great king.Henry VIII was above all responsible for the religious reform of the church.2.three causes for the religious reform: a desire for change (Martin Luther); privilege and wealth of the clergy were resented; Henry needed money.3. purpose: to get rid of the English

58、churchs connection with the Pope, and to make an independent church of England.4. two laws: the act of succession of 1534 and the act of supremacy of 1535The power of the monarch and certainly strengthened Henrys position; Parliament had never done such a long and important piece of word before.Expect some movement away from Catholicism towards protestant ideology.5. real religious change came in his son Edwards t