Major English- speaking countries: a survey(英语国家概况) Answer the following questions briefly(简要地回答以下的问题) 1. What are the five famous symbols of American culture? Answer: The statue of liberty. Barbie. American Gothic. The buffalo nickel. Uncle Sam
2. Why do we call American agriculture is “agribusiness”? Answer: The term is coined to reflect the large-scale nature of agriculture enterprise in the modern US economy.
3. In American immigration history what caused the first Chinese come to the USA in the nineteenth century? Answer: They came initially in the gold mines and later, in building the transcontinental railroad.
4. In terms of linguistics what is RP in London, the UK? Answer: RP is “received pronunciation”, which is considered to be spoken in the upper sociality of London. It is treated as the Standard English in the UK.
5. Why most Britons are inclined to the system of monarchy instead of an immediate implementation of democracy? Answer: F or many Britons, the queen’s symbolic functions are crucial to th e “Britishness”of Britain, it is believed that the monarchy will not be abolished anytime soon, and will continue to wield important emotional and persuasive powers.
6. British population suffered from drastic drop in the 14th century and the 19th century respectively because of two natural disasters. What are they?
Answer: They were Black Death, and potato famine. In the 14th century and the 19th century respectively.
7. What problems does the American economy have today? Answer: There are two major problems. One is stagnation. The other is the increasing foreign debts and trade deficit.
8. What is “check and balance” in American politics? Answer: The government is divided into three branches the legislative. The executive and the judicial. Each has part of powers but not all the power. And three branches are thus in balance. This is called “checks and balance”.
Noun explanations(名词解释)
1. Lake poets
Answer: English poets at the turn of the 19th century who lived in the lake district of England and was inspired by it to create romantic works. The three poets of the lake school were William Wordsworth. Samuel T aylor Coleridge and Robert Southey.
2. Hung parliament
Answer: Sometimes, the result of a general election may be a “hung parliament”, where no one part y has an overall majority.
Then a minority or coalition government would have to be formed between a numbers of parties.
3. Square mile
Answer: T he bank of England, chartered in 1694, is the country’s central bank. Although previously nationalized, it became independent of government in 1997, being the only bank that now sets interest rates and issues banknotes in England and Wales. 4. SAD
Answer: The frequent drizzles and gloomy skies in winter are so depressing that people tend to suffer the so-called seasonal affective (SAD), characteristics of which include fatigue, low spirits, sluggishness and inability to carry out normal routine.
5. New Deal
Answer: The new deal is a term for the domestic reform programme of the administration of Franklin D Roosevelt. The deal is generally considered to have consisted of two phases. The first phase (1933-1934) attempted to provide recovery and relief from the great depression through programmes of agricultural and business regulation, inflation and price stabilization. The second phase of the new deal (1935-1941), while continuing with relief and recovery measures, provided for social and economic legislation to benefit the mass of working people.
Unit 1 UK 著名景点 Big Ben 大本钟2、Tower Bridge(crosses the River Thames; close to the Tower of London; symbol of London ) 3、Westminster Abbey ( Gothic church in the City of Westminster,London; Coronation and burial site for British monarchs.) 4、Red Double Decker Bus (mass transit) 英国基本知识 1、constituent parts ? England/ Scotland/ Northern Ireland/ Wales(国旗) 2、the national anthem(国歌)? God save the queen 3、The national Emblem? 4、National flower? Rose (Wars of the Roses - civil wars (1455-1485) between the royal house of Lancaster ( red rose) and the royal house of York (white rose).) 5、地理位置 6、Full name?The "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".（The British Isles不列颠岛; Great Britain; UK ; Commonwealth） 7、Three political divisions（行政区域）: England, Scotland, and Wales. 8、Commonwealth? A free association of sovereign states comprising Great Britain and a number of its former dependencies ; united as ?free and equal members‘. 9、Capital England(London); Scotland(Edinburgh); Wales(Cardiff); Northern Ireland(Belfast) 10、Backbone of England? Pennine 11、Ben Nevis? the highest mountain in UK. 1343m 12、North Ireland? National flower: Irish clover (三叶草)；Lough Neagh (the largest lake in UK) ; industrious; agricultural 13、Rivers and lakes?1. The Severn River(longest river; from the mountain of Wales to the Bristol Channel) 2. The Thames River (Main source of London‘s water supply;Second longest river in Britain; Costwold Hills--North Sea)3. The Clyde River (The most important river in Scotland)4. Lake District 5. Lough Neagh（The largest lake in Britain (396 square kilometers), Northern Ireland.） 14、The climate in Britain?pea souper 超级浓雾 Unit2 UK 1、the first settler? The Iberian(伊比利亚人) 2、Stonehenge(巨石阵)?was a place of healing center；The most important monument left by Iberian；There are about 80 stones, and each is five meters tall. 3、The Celtic language? the basis of both Welsh and Gaelic(盖尔语) (Irish,Scotish). 4、Hadrian ‘s Wall 5、7th century Heptarchy（七国联盟）?(Wessex; Sussex; Kent; Essex; East Anglia; Mercia; Northumbria) 6、Viking pirates(维京海盗) ? Vikings from Denmark；established some small kingdoms；Northern and eastern England 7、The Norman Conquest(1066)? The Normans that invaded England in 1066 came from Normandy in Northern France.
英语国家概况考试题型如下： 1.选择题（30 X 1’） 2.填空题（20 X 1’） 3.简答（10 X 2’）--必须回答完整的句子 4.分析题（6 X 5’）-- 必须回答完整的句子 总分100 分 主要内容包括： 一．U.S. Geography 1.Full name of U.S.. 2.Number of States: 50 states. 3.After President Jefferson brought the Louisiana territory from France there was a desire for territorial expansion among many frontier men. 4.The U.S. has a land area of 9.3 million square kilometers. The fourth largest countries. 5.Taxas is the largest mainland state of the U.S.. Alaska is the largest state of the U.S.. 6.Hawaii is in the Pacific Ocean. 7.America’s movies are mostly made in Hollywood near the city of Los Angeles in south California. 二．U.S. People 1.The largest of the racial and ethnic minorities in the US is the Blacks (Afriican-Americans). 2.The “first Americans” were the Indians. 3.The Asian-Americans are the fastest-growing racial and ethnic group in the United States. 4.The first permanent settlement in North America was established in today’s V erginia in the year of 1607. 5.The “Three Faiths” in the U.S. refer to: ?Protestan ?Catholic ?Jewish 6.The majority of the Catholics in the U.S. are descendants of immigrants from Ireland, Italy and Poland. 7.American society is a stratified one in which power, wealth and pestige are unequally distributed among the population. 8.WASP stands for White Anglo-Saxon Protestant.
《英语国家概况》课程习题集西南科技大学成人、网络教育学院版权所有 习题 【说明】：本课程《英语国家概况》（编号为12010）共有单选题,名词解释题,简答题,填空题2等多种试题类型，其中，本习题集中有[简答题]等试题类型未进入。 一、单选题 1. Celts were different groups of ancient people who came originally from________ A. France B. Denmark C. Ireland D. Germany 2. Who invaded and conquered Britain for the first time in 55 BC? A. Emperor Claudius B. Julius Caesar C. King Alfred D. King Ethelred 3. Who is the author of Murder in the Cathedral? A. Christopher Marlowe B. T. S. Eliot C. Ben Johnson D. Thomas Becket 4.When Oliver Cromwell died in 1658, and was succeeded by his son, ______, the regime began immediately to collapse. A. Henry B. Hamilton C. Richard D. Charles 5. The 18th century saw selective breeding of cattle, sheep and houses by _________. A. Jethro Tull B. Thomas Coke C. George III D. Robert Bakewell 6. Which of the following is not one of the members of the Lords Temporal? A. all hereditary peers and peeresses of the England, Scotland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom (but not peers of Ireland) B. lire peers created to assist the House in its judicial duties C. senior bishops of the Church of England D. all other life peers 7. Two years after the ending of the Hundred Years’ War with France, England was thrown into another series of civil wars, ________. A. the War of the Celts
内蒙古广播电视大学2010-2011学年度 第二学期《英语国家概况1》期末试题 ⅠThere are 20 questions in this part. Each question is followed by four choices marked A,B,C and D. Choose the correct answer to each of the questions and write your answer at the corresponding place on the ANSWER SHEET.(20 points) 1.The following were the founding fathers of the AmericanRepublic except _____. A Thomas Jefferson B George Washington C William Penn D Benjamin Franklin 2.Which of the following statement was NOT correct? When the War of Independence was over, _____. A each new state had its own government B each new state made its own laws and handled all of its internal affairs C the national government was called the Congress with little power D the relationships between the states and the national government were clearly defined 3.Service industry does not include ____. A banking B management consultation C airline D steelmaking 4.Three of the following authors were Nobel Prize winner except _____. A Ernest Hemingway B Eugene O’Neill C William Faulkner D F. Scott Fitzgerald 5. ____ invented the telephone. A Samuel R.B. Morse B Alexander Graham Bell C Thomas Alva Edison D Reginald Fessenden 6.The main mountain range in the west of US stretching from the Canadian border to New Mexico is ____. A The Appalachian Mountains B The Rocky Mountains C The Green Mountains D TheBlue Ridge Mountains 7.Both public and private universities in the U.S. depend on the following sources of income except____. A investment B student tuition C endowments D government funding 8.____ was NOT written by Hemingway? A Light in August B The Sun Also Rises C A farewell to Arms D For Whom the Bell Tolls 9.In the United States school system, which of the following divisions is true? A Elementary school, grammar school B Elementary school, junior high school C Elementary school, secondary school D junior high school, senior high school 10.Which of the following does NOT belong to the white-collar crime? A bribery B tax evasion C false advertising D robbery 11.Which of the following was written by Thoreau? A Nature B Walden C The Scarlet Letter D The Fall of the House Usher 密 封 线 内 不 要 写 参 考 内 容 《英语国家概况1》第1页 共6页 《英语国家概况1》第2页 共6页
英语国家概况（阅读） 1、Which of the following statements is NOT true? C.The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a very important political party in Britain 2、Which of the following statements is NOT correct? D.Parliament has no power to change the terms of the Constitution. 3、To get a bachelor’s degree, an American undergraduate student is required to do the following except ____. C.taking certain subjects such as history, language and philosophy 4、Which of the following is the only branch that can make federal laws, and levy federal taxes? B.The legislative. 5、Which one of the following is NOT particularly British Christmas tradition? C.Eating chocolate eggs on Easter Day. 6、Which of the following statements is NOT true about blacks after the 1960s? A.Blacks felt that they could be fully integrated into the mainstream of American life. 7、The New Deal was started by ___. A.Franklin Roosevelt. 8、Which of the following is NOT based on the fact? A.Members of Parliament elect the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. 9、Three of the following are characteristics of London, Which of the four is the EXCEPTION? C.London is not only the largest city in Britain, but also the largest in the world 10、In order to go to university, secondary school students in the US must meet the following requirements except that ___. D.They pass the college entrance examinations 11、Which of the following statements is NOT correct? When the War of Independence was over, ___. D.the relationships between the states and the national government were clearly defined. 12、Which of the following about the tabloids is not true? A.They are big format newspapers. 13、In the 17th century,the English government encouraged people from Scotland and Northern England to emigrate to the north of Ireland, because ____. A.they wanted to increase its control over Ireland 14、The largest religion in the US is ___. B.Christianity 15、Which of the following is NOT a feature of the House of Lords? C.The lords are expected to represent the interests of the public.
《英语国家概况》模拟试卷（二） (考试时间150分钟) (英语专业) I. Direction: Read the following unfinished statements of questions carefully. For each unfinished statement of question four suggested answers A; B, C and D are given. Choose the one you think best completes the statement or answers the question. Write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space on your answer sheet (25%) 1. There are ______ political divisions on the island of Great Britain. A. one B. two C. three D. four 2. Magna Carta had altogether 63 clauses of which the most important matters could be seen in three of the following except _______. A. no tax should be made without the approval of the Grand Council; B. no serf should be arrested, imprisoned or deprived of his property except by the law of the land C. London and other towns should retain their ancient rights and privileges D. There should be the same weights and measures through - out the country. 3. The first steam engine was devised by Thomas Newcomer at the end of the 17th century, and the Scottish inventor ________ modified and improved the design in 1765. A. Abraham Darby B. James Watt C. John Kay D. Richard Arkwright 4. In some areas factory farming methods are used, particularly for ________. A. growing crop B. producing milk C. catching fish D. rearing poultry 5. By tradition, the leader of the majority party is appointed ______ by the Sovereign in the United Kingdom. A. Prime Minister B. Member of Parliament C. Lord of Appeal D. Speaker of the House 6. Under the Anglo - Irish Treaty, Britain established _______ with dominion status in Ireland in 1921. A. the Anglican Church of Ireland B. the Irish Free State C. the Irish Republican Army
《英语国家概况》复习题及参考答案 一Multiple choice ( 30’) ( ) 1 As a result of the Black Death, much land was left untended and there was a terrible shortage of ___ in England. A grain B farm tools C houses D labor ( ) 2 In the late 17th century, two of most famous literary works were Pilgrim’s Progress and _________ . A the Jew of Malta B the School of Archery C Novum Organum D Paradise Lost ( ) 3. In 1836, a group of skilled workers and _____ formed the London Working Men’s Association. A householders B tenants C small shopkeepers D office workers ( ) 4. In the Industrial Revolution, changes occurred earliest and quickest in the industry of ______. A. pottery B hardware C textiles D chemicals ( ) 5. In Britain police officers are not allowed to join ________ or to go on strike. A a choir B a political party C a trade union D a club ( ) 6 The Great Carter of 1215 is also known as _________. A People’s Charter B Magna Carta C King’s Charter D the Declaration of human rights ( ) 7 Henry Ⅱwas the first king of the ________ dynasty. A Malcolm B Plantagenet C Windsor D Tudor ( ) 8. __________ is the most typically English of sports A Cricket B Golf C Tennis D Horse-racing ( ) 9. By the Treaty of ______ of 1842, China ceded _______ to Britain. A Nanjing, Hong Kong B Tianjing, Hong Kong C Nanjing, Macau D Tianjing, Macau ( ) 10. In _______, the name Great Britain came into being. A 1689 B 1702 C 1701 D 1707 ( ) 11. The serious economic crisis in the late 1920s and the beginning of 1930s was first brought about by ___. A the farm failure B the bank failures C the stock market crash D the high unemployment ( ) 12．What are the problems that the U.S. economy has faced from time to time? A Inflation B Depressions C Recessions D all of the above ( ) 13．The real American literature began________. A after the war of Independence B after the Westward Movement C after the Civil War D after the Civil Rights Movement ( ) 14. In 1900, the United States ranked first in the production of ____ . A coal B electricity C oil D wheat ( ) 15. In the United States, if the parents don’t send their children to school at certain age, ________ . A the state government will be responsible for it B they will educate the children themselves C they can save a lot of money D they are breaking the law ( ) 16. The U.S. and China established their diplomatic relations in _____. A 1974 B 1972 C 1978 D 1979 ( ) 17 In his inaugural speech, ______ said that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” A Woodrow Wilson B Theodore Roosevelt
2011英语国家概况期末考 1 of 100 Whose speech is closest to BBC English? A Cockney Southerners in England northerners in England A Welsh 2 of 100 The two newest states which joined the United States are _____. Alaska and Hawaii California and New Mexico Alaska and Florida Hawaii and Oregon 3 of 100
Which of the following is NOT one of the general standards for admission into an institution of higher learning in the U. S. A.? ACTP GPA MBA SAT 4 of 100 Britain's longest rivers are _____. the Severn and the Thames the Thames and the Clyde the Clyde and the Humber the Severn and the Clyde 5 of 100 New Englanders were originally known as _______. Yankees German farmers
Fishermen from Scandinavia English Puritans 6 of 100 The Constitution of the United States provides that _____ shall be President of the Senate. the Chief Justice the Secretary of State the Vice President the President 7 of 100 Which of the following is NOT one of the clauses in Magna Carta? There should be the same weights and measures throughout the country. The principle of parliamentary supremacy should be confirmed and free speech in Parliament should be guaranteed.
英语国家概况复习要点 Part One UK The Country 1.Different Names for Britain and its Parts Name：England Britain Great Britain (GB/G.B.) British Isles British Empire The Commonwealth The United Kingdom(The UK) The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Parts：England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland 2. Official name: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Geographically, the British Isles includes Great Britain, the whole of Ireland, and all the offshore islands Politically, the British Isles is made up of U.K. and Republic of Ireland. 3. the highest mountain in Britain：Ben Nevis(本尼维斯山) the largest mountain range in Britain：the Grampians（格兰扁山脉） 4.the longest river：The Severn River (塞文河) The most important river in Britain and the second longest river: Thames（泰晤士河） 5. the largest lake in Britain：Lough Neagh（内伊湖）( Northern Ireland) 6. Backbone of England：the Pennies（奔宁山脉） The people 7.The first known settlers of Britain were the Iberians. 人们所知的英国最早居民是伊比利来人。 8.Basis of Modern English race? The earlist people known in Britain were nomads（游牧者）from mainland Europe in the Old Stone Age（旧石器时代）,followed by Neolithic（新石器时代）Iberians （伊比利亚人) and the Beaker Folk(比克人）in the Bronze Age（青铜器时代） 9.the contributions made by Anglo-Saxons to the English state? ①.established 'Old English' ②.laid the foundations of the English state ③. divided the country into shires ④. created the 'Witan' to advise the King(the basis of the Cabinet) 10.different invaders? First invasion—In 55 BC, Julius Caesar Second—Caesar's second raid in 54 BC Third and final—In 43 AD, Emperor Claudius, final and successful Roman invasion of Britain (recorded) Left—In 410, Germanic barbarian attack Rome, forcing Roman troops to leave Britain, and thus ending its occupation of the island History 9.Who is known as “ the father of the British navy” ? Sir Francis Drake 10. The Norman Conquest and its consequences The Norman Conquest (1066-1071) Fuse: Edward ruled for 24 years and died in January, 1066. Harold was chosen to be king. William, Duke of Normandy, heard the news of Harold’s coronation, he got very angry and claimed that he had the sole right to be king of England because
广东外语外贸大学成人高等教育 《英语国家概况》第一套复习题 I. Decide whether the following statements are true or false. Write T for True and F for False . ( 1.5 points each , 30 points in total ) 1.The island of Great Britain is geographically divided into three parts: England, Scotland and Wales. 2.People from different parts of Britain like to use the name England to refer to their country. 3.In terms of population and area, Northern Ireland is the second largest part of the United Kingdom. 4.Because of political troubles, Northern Ireland has been quite significant among the four constituent parts of the United Kingdom. 5.The majority of the people in Britain are descendants of the Anglo-Saxons. 6.The Celtic people are the earliest known inhabitants of Britain. 7.English changed into what is described as Modern English from the late 16th century. 8.The British history before 55 BC is basically undocumented. 9.The Celts became the dominant group in Britain between the 8th and 5th centuries BC. 10.The name of Britain came from a Celtic tribe – the Britons. 11.The Anglo –Saxons came to Britain in the mid-5th century. 12.The Vikings began to attack the English coasts in the 8th century. 13.Henry II built up a large empire which included England and most of France. 14.The Magna Carta was designed to protect the rights of both the privileged class and the townspeople. 15.The Hundred Years’War was a series of wars fought between England and Normans for trade and territory. 16.In an effort to make a compromise between different religious factions, Queen Elizabeth I actually defended the fruit of the Religious Reformation. 17.In reality, the British King or Queen is the source of all government powers. 18.British Parliament is the law-making body of the Commonwealth of Nations. 19.The members in the House of Commons in Britain are appointed rather than elected. 20.Britain was the first industrialized nation in the world. Answer keys: 1. T 2. F 3. F 4. T 5. T 6. T 7. F 8. T 9. T 10. T 11.T 12. T 13. T 14. F 15. F 16. T 17. F 18. F 19. F 20. T II. Choose the one that best completes each of the following statements. (2 points each, 40 points in total) 1. ___B_____ is the capitall city of Scotland. A. Belfast B. Edinburgh C. Aberdeen D. Cardiff 2. Among the four parts of the United Kingdom, ____D_____ is the smallest. A. England B. Scotland C. Wales D. Northern Ireland 3. Almost a quarter of the British population lives in ____B_______ England. A. northeastern B.southeastern C. northwestern D. southwestern