Part Two History
Chapter 1 Colonization of North America
1.Who were the natives of America? How did they arrive in American? Who were
the first discoverer and the first identifier of the New World? What was the significance of the discovery of the new world? Where and when was the first English colony founded? How was America colonized (explored) by European countries? Why did so many Europeans go to the new world? How many colonies did the English settlers found by 1773?
Chapter 2 the American War of Independence
1.What were the major events that led to the sharpening contradictions between
Britain and the colonies? What were the results of the first continental congress?
2.Which event marked the outbreak of the war of independence? What were the
major measures adopted at the second continental congress? Which battle marked the turning point of the war? What was the significance of the war?
3.How did the constitutional convention stipulate the allocation of seats in the
congress? Who were the forerunners of the “anti-federalists”and “federalists”
respectively?
Chapter 3 The Growth of The Nation
1.When was the first US administration founded? Who were the major figures in
Washington’s administration?
2.What were the contradictions between the federalists and the republicans? What
was the nature of these contradictions? What were the contributions made by Thomas Jefferson to American history? What was the sedition act?
3.What was the importance of the War of 1812 to 1814? What role did Andrew
Jackson play in the development American history?
Chapter 4 The American Civil War
1.What was the situation before the civil war? And why was the war inevitable?
2.What are the two measures that Lincoln took during the civil war and what was
the significance of these measures? What was the significance of the civil war?
Chapter 5 The US Imperialism and the First World War 1.What was the significance of the Reconstruction? What are the great changes from
the year of the close of the civil war in 1865 to the end of the 19th century? Give facts to each of these changes.
2.Give some examples to show the growth of US imperialism before the First World
War. What were the causes and the nature of World War I? Why did U.S. finally enter the war?
Chapter 6 America Before and During the Second World War
1.Why was the prosperity in 1920’s false? What was the economic situation during
the great depression of 1929-1933？How did Franklin D. Roosevelt cope with this situation?
2.What were the causes of the Second World War? And what was the nature of the
war? What were the two sides in the war? Why did U.S. enter the war? What were the consequences of the war?
Chapter 7 America during the “Cold War”
1.What is the “cold war” what are the major events that happened between Truman
and Carter? Why was there a short period of prosperity right after the Second World War? And why did it disappear so quickly?
2.why did economic crises occur so frequently after the war? And why was it
inevitable? What were the major features of the American foreign policies during the “cold war”?
PART THREE CULTURE
Chapter 1 Education
1.What are the ideals of American education?
2.What is the structure of US formal education? What are the levels that US
compulsory education consists of? What are the major subjects that students in elementary schools and secondary schools study?
3.How does a university choose its applicants? What are the four categories of
higher institutions that US higher education consists of? How are most colleges and universities in America administrated? How are credits earned in US universities? What are the major famous universities in the USA and what similarities do they share?
Chapter 2 The Media of U.S.A.
1.Describe briefly the conditions of radios and televisions in the USA. What is a
network? What are the major radio and TV networks in the USA? How do you know about VOA? What is the negative influence of the TV programs in the USA?
2.What are the major features of newspapers and magazines in the USA? What are
the major news agencies (wire-services companies) in the USA? What are the most influential newspapers in the USA? What are the major news magazines in the USA？Can you say something about them?
Chapter 3 Sports and Recreation
1.What are the major types of sports in terms of the nature of the sport in the USA?
And what are the major types of sports in terms of the number of participants in USA?
2.What are the major sports in the USA? What sport is most popular in autumn in
America? Can wrestling, boxing and horseracing be called sports? What kind of sports are they? What do Americans usually do for recreations during their spare time? What people introduced bowling into the New York areas in the 17th century?
And how is it acted nowadays? What are American’s popular leisure pursuits?
Chapter 4 Science and Technology
1.What are the three symbols of modern technology in which USA occupies the
leading position? What are the four supporters of American science and technology? What is the role that US science and technology plays?
2.What is the policy of science and technology development adopted by USA?
What is NASA? What are the three space centers in the USA? What is Nobel Prize? Who are the major American Nobel Prize winners for sciences and economics in recent years? For what reason are they awarded the Nobel Prize?
Chapter 5 Art and Music
1.What are major forms of art in the 19th century? What is Hudson River school?
What are the major schools of American art in the 20th century? And who were the major representatives of these schools? What is pop art?
2.What are the major music training institutions in the USA? What are the major
forms of pop music in USA in the 20th century? Can you give some examples of singers of these forms?
Chapter 6 American Film
1.What are the major film-making companies in the USA? What’s the Chinese for
these companies? Who opened Hollywood’s first film studio in an old tavern on the corner of Sunset and Gower? When was the first academy awards held?
2.What is Hollywood? What is the Hollywood Walk of Fame? Why “Beverly Hill”
can be called “an extremely handsome extravagant neighborhood”? What is the “academy awards”? Why is “academy awards” also called Oscar award”?
3.What is the “Golden Globe Awards”? what is the HFPA? Who holds the Golden
Globe Awards ceremony?
Chapter 7(略)
Part Four Social Life
Chapter 1 Family
1.Why are US people diversified? What is the typical family pattern in USA? What
is the American attitude towards marriage? How is dating conducted in the USA?
2.Is divorce rate high in the USA? can you give an example to show this? What is
“senior centers”? What is double dating? What is “baby-sitters”?
Chapter 2 Food and Dining Customs
1.What are the major foods consumed by Americans? What are the regional
specialties in USA？What are the main courses for American meals? What are the most popular hot drinks in USA? How is coffee done in the USA? What is coffee break?
2.What are the major eating places in the USA? What is the major food served in
fast food restaurants? What is the usual time for Americans to dine? What are the dining customs in the USA?
3.Explain the following terms: drive-ins; a cafeteria; black coffee; BLT.
Chapter 3 Traditional Holidays
1.What are the major holidays in the USA? And when do they fall?
2.How is New Year’s Day celebrated? What is Valentine’s Day? What are the major
celebration activities on this day? What is the origin of Easter? How is Halloween celebrated? What is the origin of Thanksgiving Day?
Chapter 4 Traditions and Customs
1.What are the major conventions in dealing with American social relations?
2.What is the origin of the American spirit of “do-it –yourself”? Can you give an
example? What is the popular American belief? Can you give an example?
Chapter 5 Religion in the USA
1.What is the makeup of religious groups in the USA? What are the major groups in
Protestantism?
2.What are the characteristics of the religious practice in USA? What are the major
problems in American religion?
Part Five Political System
Chapter 1 T he State System and the Constitution
1.What is separation of powers? What is federal system? What is the basis on which
the US political system based?
2.How does US constitution outline the structure of the national government?
Chapter 2 The Federal Government
1.What is the “system of checks and balances”? What are the powers of the federal
government and of the individual states respectively? What are the three branches of the US federal government?
2.What is the makeup of the executive branch? What are the functions of the US
president? What is the basic requirement for becoming a US president?
3.What does the US congress consist of? What is the number of members in the
congress? What are the functions of the US congress? What are the procedures of law-making in USA? How can a president be removed from office?
4.What are the powers of the Supreme Court? How many justices are there in the
Supreme Court? What are the obligations of the Supreme Court justices?
5.What is the structure of state court system? And what is the structure of the federal
court system? What is the jury?
Chapter 3 Political Parties and Elections
1.What is the two- party system? How was the two-party system formed in USA?
2.What are the origins of the democrats and republicans? What are the political
views of the US two parties in respectively? And what are the national organizations of the two parties? What are the features of party membership in USA?
3.How are candidates chosen in the USA? What are closed and open primaries？
What are the two stages in the election of president?
4.How many presidential electors are there in the whole country? What is
“winner-take-all” principle?
American History ?I. America in the colonial era ?II. The War of Independence ?III. The Civil War ?IV. America during the two World Wars I. America in the colonial era ?Who were the very first Americans? ?Who was the first one discovering the new continent? ?After whom was the new continent named? I. America in the colonial era ?1.The very first Americans were Indians. ●They created their civilization, known as Maya civilization, dominating Mexico and Central America from 4th to the 10th centuries. ●They were the descendants of the Mongoloid (蒙古人种的) people in Asia. ●About 20,000 years ago, they traveled to the North American continent across the Bering Strait (白令海峡). ?2. Christopher Columbus is believed to have discovered America. ●In 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered America. However, he believed he had reached India and called the natives Indians. ?In 1500, Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian navigator, also under the Spanish flag, drew the conclusion that what he found was a new continent. 3. The establishment of colonies ?Since the America was found, the Spanish established many colonies: Florida, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. ?In 1588, the Spanish Armada was defeated by the English navy，which put England in a better position to provide support for its New World colonies. 3. The establishment of colonies ?Between 1607 and 1733 the British established 13 colonies along the east coast of North America. ?These 13 colonies were established in different patterns: ●crown colonies ( 直辖殖民地), ●proprietary colonies ( 业主殖民地), ●charter colonies ( 特许公司殖民地), ●self-governing or compact colonies ( 自治殖民地或契约殖民地). ?1) The first successful English colony in North America was founded at Jamestown, Virginia , in 1607. ?2) In 1620, a group of Pilgrims sailed to the New World in a ship called Mayflower. They arrived at Plymouth, and built the New Plymouth colony in New England. These Pilgrims drew up the epoch-making Mayflower Compact (五月花契约), which was signed by all adult males on the ship. 3. The establishment of colonies ?3) From 1630 to 1643, some 200 ships transported over 20,000 Englishmen to the Massachusetts Bay colony. ?Plymouth remained a separate colony until 1691 when it was combined with Massachusetts Bay colony. Puritans ?People who criticized or wished to "purify" the Church of England. ?"Puritan" refers to two distinct groups: ?"separating" Puritans, radical Protestants, such as the Plymouth colonists, the pilgrims, who believed that the Church of England was corrupt and that true Christians must separate themselves from it; and ?“non-separating” Puritans, such as the colonists who settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony, who believed in
《最新英美概况》 练习参考答案 （本答案不包括练习中的开放性习题、思考题和讨论题） ==================================================== PART TWO The United States Chapter Eight The Land P. 209—210 I Fill in the blanks with proper words or expressions. 1. the Star-Spangled Banner, Defense of Fort McHenry, 181 2. 2. the Stars and the Stripes, Old Glory, the Star-Spangled Banner. 3. The White House, The Capitol, The Pentagon. 4. June, 14th, June 14th. 5. the Potomac, no state, the Federal government. 6. 36, 36 states. 7. Amerigo Vespucci, American War of Independence. 8. Pierre L’Enfant, light, service. II Choose the answer that best completes the sentence. 1. C 2. D 3. C 4. A B C D 5. C D III Decide which of the following statements is TRUE: 1. F 2. F 3. T 4. F 5. T IV Answer the following questions. 1. (1) At first the Continent was named as “America” after explorer Amerigo Vespucci. (2) During the American War of Independence, the former British colonies first used “the thirteen united States of America” in the Declaration of Independence. (3) The official name of America was adopted on November 15, 1777, when the Second Continental Congress passed the Articles of Confederation. 2. The 50 stars represent the 50 States, while the 13 stripes represent the original thirteen colonies. White indicates purity and innocence; red indicates valour and bravery, and blue symbolizes vigilance, perseverance and justice; it is also a symbol of respect to God. 3. The stars and strips have different meanings. Each star represents each state in America, while strips represent the original thirteen colonies before the independence of America.
英美文化概况之英国篇 英国早期人文历史常识 （一） 英国东邻北海，西、北面对大西洋，南面是英吉利海峡（the English Channel），与法国隔海相望。 地理上，这里被称为“不列颠群岛”（British Isles），由大不列颠岛（Great Britain）和爱尔兰岛（Ireland）这两大岛屿，以及其它几百个小岛组成。 大不列颠岛上分布着英格兰、苏格兰和威尔士（England,Scotland and Wales）三个区域，而爱尔兰岛则分成北爱尔兰和爱尔兰共和国（Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland）两块。 政治上，大不列颠和北爱尔兰共同组成联合王国（the United Kingdom），而爱尔兰共和国则是独立于联合王国而存在的独立的国家。我们通常所说的英国，则是指联合王国。 联合王国的首都是伦敦（London）；而爱尔兰共和国的首都是都柏林（Dublin）。 大不列颠岛在政治上被划分成英格兰、苏格兰和威尔士三个区域，其中英格兰面积最大、人口最多，总的来说也最为富裕。因此很多人通常会用“英格兰人”（English）指代“不列颠人”（British），这点当然会引起苏格兰人和威尔士人（Scots and Welsh）的不满。不列颠在大约一百年前曾统治着世界上四分之一的人口和土地，其殖民地遍布全球各大洲。二战之后，随着不列颠国力衰退，各殖民地纷纷独立，不列颠帝国（the British Empire）在1931年起被英联邦所取代。
英联邦（the Commonwealth of Nations）是由英国和已经独立的前英国殖民地或附 属国组成的联合体。英国作为英联邦元首并无政治实权；各国在一定协议上相互进行政治、主要是经济方面的磋商和合作；各成员国也有权利选择退出英联邦。 （二） 英国地势西北高、东南低。其西北地区主要地形是高原；而东部和东南部则主要是低地，他们是整个欧洲平原（the Great European Plain）的组成部分。 英格兰占据了大不列颠南面的最大部分土地，那里地势平缓，多为平原、丘陵和沼泽地。特别是英格兰东部沿海地区，土地肥沃，适于耕种。 苏格兰多为山地、湖泊和岛屿，它拥有三大自然区：北部高地，中部低地以及南部山陵。不列颠最高峰尼维斯峰（Ben Nevis）便座落于此，高1,343米。威尔士亦是多山地区，6%的土地被森林覆盖，大部分村庄以放牧为主。 北爱尔兰北部为多岩石、荒蛮的海岸，曲折蜿蜒。其东北部多为高地，东南部为山区，而中部则是低浅的盆地。 不列颠是个岛屿国家，四面环海，它隔着英吉利海峡与欧洲大陆遥遥相望。位处英法两国之间的英吉利海峡最窄之处被称作多佛海峡（Straits of Dover），仅有33公里宽度。1985年英国政府和法国政府决定在多佛海峡处修建海峡隧道。 总长153公里的隧道于1994年五月竣工通车，使得欧洲公路网得以连成一体，被誉为人类工程史上的一个伟业。 英国河流分布细密。塞文河（the Severn）是英国第一大河流，长338公里，它同西
America The Founding of Colonies殖民地的建立 First Inhabitants：American Indians Discovery of the New World： 1492 Christopher Columbus →the discoverer of America (Italian)Spanish Queen’ s support 1501-2 Amerigo Vespucci →the new land was name after him as America. reached the mouth of Amazon River America—the New World Europe—the Old World 13 colonies： New England Colonies: Mid Atlantic Colonies: Southern Colonies: Massachusetts →（2nd colony，1620）New York Maryland New Hampshire Pennsylvania Virginia →（1st colony，1607）Rhode Island Delaware North Carolina Connecticut South Carolina Georgia →（the last colony，1733）New England Region（6个）: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont 建立原因： Virginia, 1607 Virginia Company For foreign expansion as a way of easing religious dispute and economic distress in England 105 men (no women) Jamestown in honor of the king Massachusetts In 1620 102 Puritans (“Pilgrim Fathers”), in Mayflower, from Plymouth in England to America First in Plymouth (today’s Massachusetts); and then Boston Seek religious freedom Mayflower Compact <五月花号公约>：self-government Hardships when arrived the help of the Indians Thanksgiving Day to thank the Indians and the God for protection The next three colonies Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire Reasons: 1. religious disputes and struggles in Massachusetts intensified 2. more immigrants
英语国家概况教学大纲 Company Document number：WTUT-WT88Y-W8BBGB-BWYTT-19998
《英语国家概况》课程教学大纲 课程名称：英语国家概况计划学分：2学分 计划学时：32学时课程性质：选修课 课程类型：专业课面向专业：商务英语、应用英语专业 编制单位：外语系编制时间：2012年8月 一、课程的性质、地位和作用 随着我国对外交往的日益频繁和涉外工作的需要，大学生不仅要学好英语，提高语言应用能力，还应加深对英语国家社会与文化生活基本情况的了解，从而在工作和生活中更好地进行跨文化交流。本课程就是根据此需要，根据《大学英语课程教学要求》而开设的选修课，体现了英语教学必须实行语言教学与文化知识课程紧密相结合的原则，有利于基础阶段语言教学与文化知识教学的相互促进。 二、教学目的及要求 本课程涉及了英语国家的地理、历史、语言发展、文化、社会等方面，目的在于扩大学生视野、对于英语国家的理解不仅从经济、政治的角度，而且要从社会、文化的角度来看问题。 1.提供了一个对于英语国家的中立的、恰当的、多角度的、贴近实际 的调查。 2.提高学生思维能力、分析和解决问题的能力。 3.培养学生对于人类和社会的客观的、健康的、科学的人生观、价值 观。
4.培养能把英语的语言基础知识和广阔的文化背景知识结合在一起的 优秀英语人才，即复合型人才。 5.帮助学生对于英语文学、报纸、杂志、脱口秀、英语笑话等的理 解。 三、课程的章节、具有的深度、广度、难点、重点 Chapter 1 Geography, People and Language 通过对本章的学习，了解英语国家的地理、气候、主要城市、人民、英语语言的发展。 重点：地理、人口特点 难点：英语语言发展的三个阶段 Chapter 2 History 从国家的建立、进入封建社会、到现代社会的转化，全面地了解英语国家的历史。 重点：历史转折性事件、关键人物、工业革命、现代社会 难点：两次世界大战以及其对英语国家的影响 Chapter 3 Government 了解英语国家的宪法、政府、政党、选举等。 重点：英语国家的立法机关、行政机关、司法机关 难点：不同政治体制下这三者的关系、作用 Chapter 4 Economy 了解英语国家的近代经济、现代经济。 重点：英语国家的近现代经济 难点：在国家经济中起重要作用的产业
一、概况 1.50 States Its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Caribbean and Pacific. 2.Races and Population 在东部时间2006年10月17日早晨7点46分，美国人口总数突破三亿大关，这是美国人口史上具有里程碑意义的一刻。3.06188亿（2009年，世界国家和地区第3名，次于中国、印度） 3.The Composition of American Population 1)The Majority:the descendants of immigrants from European countries, such as France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, and Spain;“Pilgrim Fathers”;Potato famine 2)The Minorities:The African Americans: black slaves from Africa;Indians: the number of native Americans has been falling, no more than a million;The Hispanics: immigrants or descendents of immigrants from Latin America, such as Cuba and Mexico (Mexicans are the most numerous among them);Asian-Americans, from China, Japan and Korea;More than a million Chinese-Americans, most of whom live in Hawaii, on the West Coast and in some big cities;5 million Jews in America, many of whom went there during the Second World War and achieved great success in America. 3)“The Melting Pot”:It means immigrants from different nations all over the world have mixed to make up the American nation.“old immigrants”: came to America before 1860;“new immigrants”, after 1860.The Immigration Quota Law was passed by the American government in 1924. 二、Early History 1.Columbus：1492 Christopher Columbus arrived at Salvador Island, thus discovered the “New World”.(Amerigo V espucci: named “America”) 2.The first English permanent settlement:1607 The first group of English colonies came to America and built their settlement of Charleston which later was expanded into the first English colony known as Virginia. 3.Pilgrim Fathers:1620 Some English immigrants (Puritans) sailed into Plymouth on a ship called the “Mayflower”.102 Puritans, 60 days.Mayflower Compact, “one man one vote”, “one-man rule” 4.The values of Puritans:hard work; commercial success; the importance of education 5.Thanksgiving:1621 Thanksgiving Day was first celebrated by the pilgrims of the Plymouth Colony. 三、American Revolutionary
龙源期刊网 https://www.doczj.com/doc/5914201608.html, 《英语国家概况》的教学反思 作者：童方吟 来源：《读与写·上旬刊》2017年第11期 摘要：《英语国家概况》是每所大学英语专业都会开设的课程，这一学科对于经济全球化的今天来说至关重要，因此，对于这门学科的教学，教师应该认真反思，如何高效的提高教学质量。 关键词：国概；教学方法；存在问题 中图分类号：G648 文献标识码：B 文章编号：1672-1578（2017）11-0001-01 英语教育专业的专业课程大致包括三种类型：英语语言课程、英语文学课程、英汉与汉英翻译课程。英语国家概况则属于英语语言课程中的一门专业必修课，其总体目标是：比较系统的介绍英、美、加、澳、新等主要英语国家在历史、地理、社会、政治、经济、教育等方面的情况以及其文化传统，让学生了解这些主要英语国家的背景知识，以扩大学生知识面，增强学生对英语国家文化的识别力、理解力，培养和提高学生观察、分析和解决问题的能力，使学生的在了解英语国家文化的过程中理解和运用英语进行有效的交际和成功的沟通。 进入新世纪以来，《基础教育课程改革纲要》的颁布，标志着我国的英语教育进入了一个崭新的大好时机。作为英语专业知识类课程，英语国家概况具有自身显著的特点，如果不改进与完善该课程的教学理论和方法，该课程就很难适应新的教学要求。 1.课程教学现状以及问题 1.1 教材及教学资料。《概况》课程的一大缺陷就是教材及教学资料很不完整，给老师的备课无形中增加了难度。目前市场上使用较普遍的是周叔麟主编的新版《英美概况教程》、王恩铭主编的《英语国家概况》、来安方编著的《英美概况》等，虽然看起来版本很多，但是每个版本都有自己的缺陷所在，体系并不很完整合理，并且，配套教学资料相当匮乏，这也严重的影响了学生学习的自主性。 1.2 课时安排。现今很多大学都在大二开设《概况》课程，通常为36个学时，并且是作为考查课程。要想学生在短短的36个课时里面掌握五个国家的历史、文化、政治、社会、经济等各方面内容，这对于教师的教学和学生的学习来说都比较困难，很容易造成学习上囫囵吞枣的现象。 1.3 学生的主观能动性。《国概》课程由于知识面广，生词量大，阅读量也大，这就导致学生在接触这本教材的时候就会产生畏惧心理，不知如何开始。将国概课程试卷与英语专业其
山东经济学院2010--2011学年第 1学期期末试题 英美文化概况（110126）试卷（5） 注意事项：所有的答案都必须写在答题纸上，答在试卷上一律无效 Ⅰ. Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). （本大题共20小题，每小题1分，共20分） 1. Britain is both a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. 2. The divine right of the king means the sovereign derived his authority from his subjects. 3. In Britain, Grammar schools select children at the age of 11 and provide them with a general education. 4. The Prime Minister and Cabinet decide on the general direction of Britain’s foreign policy. 5. The origin of Bowling lies in the victory celebration ceremony by the ancient warriors. 6. Americans have to join a political party in order to vote or to be a candidate for public office. 7. The Clinton Administration made national security, economic prosperity and promotion of democracy the three pillars of the American foreign policy. 8.It takes at least fours years to get a bachelor’s degree from an institution of higher learning in the US. 9. In Britain, Grammar schools select children at the age of 11 and provide them with a general education. 10. The president has the authority to appoint federal judges, and all such court appointments are subject to confirmation by the House of Representatives. 11.The main duty of the Congress is to make laws, including those which levy taxes that pay for the work of the federal government. 12.Most people in Scotland speak the old Celtic language, called “Gaelic” 13. When George W. Bush became President, his foreign policy has two prominent elements: isolationism and faith in military strength. 14. Harvard College was originally founded to train government officials. 15. There are about 60 members of the Commonwealth. 16. The state of Pennsylvania used to be inhabited by the Quakers. - 1 - （共页）
Melting Pot: Immigrants from different regions and cultures came to live in the United States, their old ways of life melt away and they became part of the American culture? WASPs: WASPS are the mainstream Americans, referring to the white Anglo-Saxon Protestants The Hispanics: The Hispanics are Spanish-speaking people from Latin America, which was once dominated by the Spanish Empire?American Indians: The Indian peoples are known as the first Americans. When Columbus landed in the New World in 1492, he thought he had reached India and called the natives Indians? Separation of powers: Under the federalist system, the federal and the state governments have separate and distinct powers laid down in the Constitutio n. ^Winner-take-air5principle: The party that wins most votes (simple majority) in a state wins all the electoral votes for the state and the defeated party gets none? Federalism: Federalism in the United States is the evolving relationship between U.S. state governments and the federal government of the United States? Since the founding of the country, and particularly with the end of the American Civil War, power shifted away from the states and towards the national government. Thanksgiving Day: It's on the fourth Thursday of Novembe匚It is a typical
英语国家概况复习 The Republic of Ireland Geography and History 本章概论： 1. 爱尔兰共和国的地理特征 --- the Emerald Isle --- The Central Lowland --- bogs --- the Shannon River 2. 爱尔兰共和国的气候 --- mild, moist and changeable --- excessive rainfall 3. 爱尔兰共和国的人口和宗教 --- the Great Famine --- one of the most Catholic countries of Europe 4. 爱尔兰共和国历史 --- The arrival of St. Patrick in AD 432 5. 爱尔兰共和国的外交政策 --- neutrality and nonalignment 1. 简答题： Why Ireland is also called the Emerald Isle? ----- Ireland is also called the Emerald Isle because of its rich green countryside. 爱尔兰也因其乡村绿荫葱葱而被称为绿宝石岛 第一部分：Geographical Features 1. 识记要点： Why Ireland has been geographically compared to a basin？ ----- Ireland has been compared to a basin in which a limestone plateau is rimmed by coastal highlands. 2. 识记要点： The central plain area is characterized by many lakes, bogs (wet areas) and low ridges. Variety is the main feature of the lowlands. The Central Lowland is the heart of Ireland. 3. 简答题： What is the largest river in Ireland? Why is it very important? ----- The largest river in Ireland is the Shannon River. It is very important because it
英美文化概况简答论述 简答： 1.The Functions of Parliament ① First and foremost, it passes laws. ②provides the means of carrying on the work of government by voting for taxation. ③scrutinize government policy, administration and expenditure and to debate the major issues of the day. ④There are no legal restraints upon Parliament. However, it does not assert its supremacy, but bears the common law in mind and acts according to precedent. Strictly speaking, the Parliament today consists of the Queen, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. 2.George Washington George Washington was one of the founding fathers of the American Republic. He was the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army in the War of Independence against the British colonial rule and the first President of the United States. 3.The Open University The Open University ―founded in the 1960’s for people who might not get the opportunity for higher educarion for economic and social reasons.It’s open to everybody and doesn’t demand the same formal educational qualifications as the other universities. Universities courses are following through TV, correspondence,videos and a net work of study centers. Ath the end of their studies at the Open University, successful students are awarded a university degree. Universities in the UK. 4.The strategy of Preemption In an address delivered to the West Point graduates, President Bush, for the first time, put forward the strategy of preemption（先发制人）, which is formalized in the National Security Strategy issued in Sept. 2002. By preemption, the US means that when it determines that a country which is repressive and hostile to the US has acquired or produced weapons of mass destruction（大规模杀伤性武器）or has the potential to possess such weapons, the US should use force to remove this threat to US security and should not wait till the danger becomes imminent or until the Us is attacked. This is known as Bush Doctrine. 5. Comprehensive schools Comprehensive schools are the most popular secondary schools in Britain today. Such schools admit children without reference to their academic abilities and provide a general education. Pupils can study everything from academic subjects like literature to more practical subjects like cooking. 6. The Bill of Rights The Bill of Rights consists of the first 10 amendments which were added to the Constitution in 1791. The Bill of Rights was passed to guarantee freedom and individual rights such as freedom of speech, the right to assemble in public places, the right to own weapons and so on.
1.Alaska and Hawaii are the two newest states in American.Alaska northwestern Canada,and Hawaii lies in the central Pacific. 阿拉斯加和夏威夷是最近加入美国的两个新州。阿拉斯加在加拿大的西北部，夏威夷位邻中太平洋。（本细节还有考"一句话简答"的可能） 2.The U.S has a land area of 9.3 million square kilometres.It is the fourth largest country in the world in size after Russia,Canada and China. 就面积而言，美国是世界第四大国，就人口而言，美国是世界是第三大国。 3.Of all states of American,Alaska is the lagest in area and Rhode Island the smallest.But on the mainland Texas is the largest sate of the country. 所有州中，阿拉斯加是面积最大的州，罗得岛最小，在美国大陆，最大的州是得克萨斯州。 4.The Rockies,the backbone of the North American Continent,is also known as the Continental Divide. 落基山脉是北美大陆的脊梁，也被成为大陆分水岭。 5.The two main mountain ranges in American are the Appalachian mountains and the Rocky mountains. The Appalachians run slightly from the northeast to southwest and the Rocky mountains run slightly from the northwest to southeast. 阿巴拉契亚山脉和落基山脉是美国的两座大山脉。（本细节有考"一句话简答题"的可能） 6.The Mississippi River is the largest river in American,over 6000 kilometers.The Mississippi has been called "father of waters"or "old man river" 密西西比河是美国最长河流，有被称作"众水之父"或"老人河"。 7.The Ohio river has been called the American Ruhr,As in Germany, the area along the river is rich in valuable deposits of high-grade coking coal and is well known for its steel industry.The river provides cheap water transportation for raw materials. 俄亥俄河被称作美国的鲁尔河，就像德国一样，沿河有丰富的高品千周的焦煤，并且因其钢铁而著名。另外，该河还为原材料提供了廉价的水路运输。 8.On the Pacific side there are two great rivers:the Colorado in the south and the Columbia ,which rises in Canada. 太平洋沿岸有两大河：科罗拉多河及哥伦比亚河。 9。The Rio Grande River forms a natural boundary between Mexico and the United States. 格兰德河是美国和墨西哥之间的开然界河（本细节考选择和简答可能性大）10.the most important lakes in the United States are the Great Lakes. They are Lake Superior,which is the largest fresh water lake in the world, Lake Michigan ,the only entirely in the U.S.,Lake Huron,Lake Eire and Lake Ontario.They are located between Canada and the United States except Lake Michigan. 美国最重要的湖泊是五大湖：苏必利尔湖，密歇根湖，休伦湖，伊利湖和安大略湖，其中，苏必利尔湖为世界最大淡水湖，密歇根湖完全是美国境地内。