Britain
1.“Union Jack” is the popular name for the British flag.
2. The Anglo-Saxons were the ancestors of the English and the founders of England.
3. The first Roman attempt to conquer the British Isles was made by Julius Caesar.
4. In 1066 William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, led of Norman French invasion of England and become the ruler of the land.
5. The time between 5th and 11th centuries in European history is known as the Dark Ages
6. The British Civil War of 1648ended in the execution of Charles I.
7. Westminster Abbey is an important church in London. It is a traditional place where English kings and queens are crowned. It is well known for its Poets’ Corner, which has been the traditional burial ground of the most famous English poets.
8. Downing Street is often used to stand for the English Government. No.10 Downing Street is the place where the English Prime Minister lives.
9. In Britain, all the government ministers are appointed by the Queen, but she makes the appointment entirely on the advice of the Cabinet. The Cabinet is the nucleus of the English Government.
10. In Britain, until about 1920 the two main parties were the Conservatives and the Liberal. It was only after the First World War that the Labor Party became the second main Party.
11. Strictly speaking, there are three elements in British Parliament: the Crown, the House of Lord, and the House of Commons.
12. The English Central Government includes the Monarch, Parliament, the Cabinet and other government departments.
13. Israel and Britain are the only two countries without written constitution
14. British prime minister normally serves a five-year term.
15. The capital of Wales is Cardiff.
16. The Bible, which is the holy book of Christianity, consists of two “testaments”.
17. Shakespeare’s four great tragedies are Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth.
18. The famous line“T o be or not to be” comes from Hamlet.
19.Shakespeare’s four great comedies are A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, As You Like It《皆大欢喜》and Twelfth Night.
20. One of the greatest masterpieces of critical realism is Thackeray’s Vanity Fair.
21. Charlie Dickens’ most famous works include Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Hard Times, A Tale of Two Cities, The Old Curiosity Shop, Dombey and Son, Great expectations.
America
1. The first English colony in North America was Virginia.
2. The turning point of the American Civil War, as is considered by many historians, was the battle of Gettysburg(盖茨堡／葛底斯堡).In Gettysburg,
Abraham Lincoln once made a famous speech entitled “Gettysburg Address” in which he put forward “the government of the people by the people and for the people”.
3. The Emancipation Proclamation to end the plantation slavery in the south of US was issued by Abraham Lincoln.
4.Tomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence, which the Congress adopted on July 4, 1776.
5.Ku-Klux-Klan is a secret political organization in the United States.
6. General Washington issued the Declaration of Independence on 4 July, 1776.
7. The New Deal in the U.S. was a number of measures taken by President Roosevelt.
8. The young people in the post-WWI era are referred to as “the Lost Generation”（迷惘的一代）9. The Watergate Affair, the political espionage scandal, finally led to the resignation of President Nixon in 1974.
10. The longest war that the United States has
fought is the Vietnam War.
11. There are 50states in America, and Alaska is the largest while Rhode Island is smallest. Alaska is the largest state but the one with the lowest population.
12. The Mississippi River is the most important and largest river in America.
13. The Rocky Mountains is known as “the backbone of the (American) continent”
14. The six northeastern states of America are known as New England. New England is sometimes called the birthplace of American.
15. New York City is the largest city and the chief port of the United States.
16. Mark Twain was brought up in the small town of Hannibal, Missouri, on the Mississippi River.
17. The “Beat Generation” (垮掉的一代) means the writers who tried to separate themselves from society in the USA after World War II.
18. The Federal government of America has 3 elements, and they are executive, legislature and judicial.
19. The U.S. federal government is comprised of the President, the Congress and the Supreme Court. 20. The symbol of the Republicans is an elephant while that of the Democrats is a donkey.
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Australia, New Zealand and Canada 1. The Australian Federation officially came into being in 1901.
2. The capital of Australia is Canberra. Sydney is Australia’s largest and oldest city, where the first settlers landed in 1788. Sydney is located on the eastern coast of Australia.
3. Australia is popularly known in the West as the Land Down Under.
4. The Head of State of Canada is represented by the Governor-general.
5. Maples remind one of Canada.
6. T oronto is Canada’s largest city and the provincial Capital of Ontario. Ottawa is the capital of Canada and the country's fourth largest city.
7. The Head of State of New Zealand is the monarch of the United Kingdom
8. Wellington is the Capital of New Zealand.