英美概况简答题1

1、1. What were the consequences of the Norman Conquest? The Norman Conquest of 1066 is one of the best known events in English history. It brought about many consequences. William confiscated almost all the land and gave it to his Norman followers. He replaced the weak Saxon rule with a strong Norman

2、government. So the feudal system was completely established in England. Relations with the Continent were opened, and civilization and commerce were extended. Norman-French culture, language, manners, and architecture were been introduced. The church was brought into closer connection with Rome, and

3、 the church courts were separated from the civil courts. 2. Explain the Glorious Revolution in English. In 1685 Charles II died and was succeeded by his brother James II. James was brought up in exile in Europe, was a Catholic. He hoped to rule without giving up his personal religious vies. But Engl

4、and was no more tolerant of a Catholic king in 1688 than 40 years ago. So the English politicians rejected James II, and appealed to a Protestant king, William of Orange, to invade and take the English throne. William landed in England in 1688. The takeover was relatively smooth, with no bloodshed,

5、nor any execution of the king. This was known as the Glorious Revolution. 3. What is the basis of British government? Explain it in English. The basis of British government is the Constitutional Monarchy. It is a political system that has been practised in Britain since the Glorious revolution of 16

6、88. According to this system, the Constitution is superior to the Monarch. In law, the Monarch has many supreme powers, but in practice, the real power of monarchy has been greatly reduced and today the Queen acts solely on the advice of her ministers. She reigns but does not rule. The real power li

7、es in the Parliament, or to be exact, in the House of Commons.4. How did the English Industrial Revolution proceed? The Industrial Revolution began with the textile industry. Its characterized by a series of inventions and improvements of machines, such as flying shuttle, spinning Jenny. James Watt

8、produced a efficient steam engine in 1765, which could be applied to textile and other machinery. The most important element in speeding industrialization was the breakthrough in smelting iron with coke instead of charcoal. Similar developments occurred in the forging side of the iron industry which

9、 enabled iron to replace wool and stone in many sectors of the economy. As a result of the industrial revolution, Britain was by 1830 the “workshop of the world”, no other country could compete with her in industrial production. 5. What were the contents and the significance of the Great Charter?The

10、 Great Charter, or the Magna Carta, was document signed in 1215 between the barons and king John. It had altogether 63 clauses. The Great Charter 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 po

11、wers of the king. The spirit of the Great Charter was the limitation of the powers of the king, but it has long been regarded as the foundation of English liberties. 6. Why did the Restoration take place? When Oliver Cormwell died in 1658 and was succeeded by his son, Richard, the regime began to co

12、llapse. One of Cromwells generals occupied London and arranged for new parliamentary elections. The Parliament thus was elected in 1660, and to resolve the crisis, it asked the late kings son to return from his exile in France as king Charles II. It was called the Restoration. 7. What is a constitut

13、ional monarchy? When did it begin in Britain?A constitutional monarchy is a governmental system in which the head of State is a king or a queen who reigns but does not rule. The country is namely reigned by the Sovereign, but virtually by His or Her Majestys Government a body of Ministers who are th

14、e leading members of whichever political party the electorate has voted into office, and who are responsible to Parliament. The Constitutional Monarchy in Britain began in 1689, when king William and Queen Mary jointly accepted the Bill of Rights, and constitutional monarchy, of a monarchy with powe

15、r limited by Parliament began. 8. What is the role of the Monarchy in the British government?The sovereign is the symbol of the whole nation. In law, he/she is head of the executive, an integral part of the legislature, head of the judiciary, the commander-in-chief of all the armed forces of the cro

16、wn and the “supreme governor” of the established church of England. 9. What are the main functions of Parliament? The main functions of Parliament are: (1) to pass laws; (2) to provide the means of carrying on the work of government by voting for taxation; (3) to examine government policy and admini

17、stration, including proposals for expenditure; (4) to debate the major issues of the day. 10. Why is the United States regarded as a “melting pot” or a “salad bowl”? The United States “is not merely a nation but a nation of nations”. The immigrants came in waves, including the Europeans, the African

18、s and the Asians. Therefore, America was described as a “melting pot” where various racial and ethnic groups were combined into one culture. Recently, Americans have been called a “salad bowl” in that people of different races and ethnic groups mix harmoniously but at the same time keep their distin

19、ct culture and custom. 11. What were the causes of the War of Independence?The economy in the thirteen colonies developed very fast and people wanted more power to detemine their own business. But the policy of the British government was to bring the development under control and to collect more tax

20、es from the colonies. On April 19, 1775, on their way to Concord to seize the military supplies of the militia there, the British soldiers met armed militiamen. The shots were fired, the War of Independence began. 12. Why did the U.S. Civil War break out? How did the war end? In the early 1800s, the

21、 Northern states turned from farming to manufacturing. Black slavery soon disappeared in the North. But things were different in the South. The South expanded both its agriculture and its slavery. The problem of slavery became a serious political issue. When Abraham Lincoln was elected President, th

22、e Southern states broke away and formed a new nation. Then Lincoln was determined to maintain the Union and the war broke out on April 12, 1861, Lincoln issued Emancipation Proclamation. Thus England and France stood by the Unions side. Many black slaves joined the Union Army. After a series of batt

23、les, the South surrendered on April 9, 1865. The Civil War ended. 13. Whats the system of checks and balances? The U.S. government is divided into three branches, the legislative, the executive and the judicial, each has part of the powers but not all the power. And each branch of government can che

24、ck, or block, the actions of the other branches. The three branches are thus in balance. This called “checks and balances”.14. What are the functions of the Congress? The Congress has many functions, but the most central is the passage of law. One of the most important non-legislative functions of t

25、he Congress is the power to investigate. A second important power is to compel testimony from unwilling witness and to cite for contempt of Congress witness who refuse to testify, and for perjury those who give false testimony. 15. Whats the United States Bill of Rights?In 1789, James Madison introd

26、uced in the House of Representations a series of amendments. Ten of them were ratified in 1791 and became the first ten amendments to the Constitution the Bill of Rights, confirming the fundamental rights of American citizens. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion, speech, and the press

27、, the rights of peaceful assembly and petition. Land & People (UK, USA)n 1.What is the full name of the United Kingdom? What are the other names?n 2. What are the two large islands that make up the British Isles? n 3. What are the four political divisions of the United Kingdom? n 4. Whats its respec

28、tive capital（首府）?n 5. Whats the national anthem? n 6. Whats its national flower? n 7. Whats its national flag? n 8. Whats its nickname? n 9. What kind of country is Britain in terms of its geographical feature?n 10. Which river is important in Britain?n 11. Can you tell me something about the locati

29、on of Britain?n 12. Whats the climate like in Britain? Why do British people talk about weather very often?n 13. What are the symbols of England?n 14. Can you list some landmarks of London?n 15. What are the symbols of Scotland?n 16. Tell some symbols of Wales?n 17. Tell some symbols of Northern Ire

30、land?n 1. How do you know about the different names of USA?n 2. Whats its national flag?n 3.How do you know the meaning of its national flag?n 4. Whats the nickname of American people?n 5. Whats its national anthem(国歌)?n 6.There are many things that symbolize American culture, could you say some of

31、them? No less than 10 items1. Where is the US? Could you tell me its boundary ?2. How large is it? 3. Whats its rank respectively all over the world concerning to its area and population? 4. How many states are there in the mainland of the United States? 5. And which two states are geographically se

32、parated from the other?6. What is the capital of the US? Can you say some of its tourist attractions? 4 or more7. 2 of the most important mountains of the US are_ and _.8. “Father of Waters” refers to the _River. 9. The _River has been called the American Ruhr .10. _forms a natural boundary between

33、Mexico and the United States. 11.The 5 Great Lakes are Lake_, Lake_, Lake_, Lake _and Lake_. 1. Talk about some famous people in different parts of UK.2. Describe the character of the British people briefly.3. Who are the ancestors of the English and who are the ancestors of Scots, Welsh and Irish?

34、4. The earliest known settlers on the British Isles were _.1. The first immigrants in American history came from _ and _.2. Uncle Toms Cabin and Roots are two novels which give a vivid description of the miserable life of the _.3. According to American historians and specialists in demography人口学, th

35、ere are _ great population movements in the history of the United States.4. In _, the Pilgrims sailed to the New World in a ship called _.5. Traditionally, the mainstream Americans were called WASPs, that is, _6. Whats the climate like in USA?7. Why is USA called a melting pot?8. Why is USA called a

36、 nation on wheels?9. What are American people like in terms of the character?10. Name whos who 名人录 in America (presidents, writers, scientists, actors or actress and so on. ) History ( UK, USA)1. The earliest known settlers on the British Isles were _.2. Christianity was first brought to England by

37、_.3. Who were the invaders after 410 AD? 4. Do you know the conquerors name (Norman Conquest)? 5. The Parliament became a regular agency of the government under _. (Model Parliament)6. Why was the War of Roses so called? 7. What was “Glorious Revolution”? 8. Who was the first prime minister in Engli

38、sh history?1. The inhabitants prior to the arrival of the Europeans are now called_.2.Who is commonly regarded as the discoverer of America?3. The first successful English settlement in America was _ in 1607.4.On _, in the Second Continental congress, _ was declared, which was primarily written by _

39、.5. The first president of the United States was _ under the new US Constitution.6. In 1803, the United States paid $15 million to buy 828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi from France, this is called _.7. In the year _, after _ was elected President, the South seceded to establish a rebel government, _.8. The