独立宣言是一份于1776年7月4日由托玛斯•杰斐逊起草，并由其它13个殖民地代表签署的最初声明美国从英国独立的文件。
早在独立前的一百多年间，欧洲启蒙思想就开始在北美传播，为《独立宣言》的发表奠定了理论基础。
在欧洲启蒙思想的熏陶下，北美殖民地也产生了自己的启蒙思想家，代表人物是本杰明•富兰克林（1706-1790）和托马斯•杰斐逊（1743-1826），他们反对奴隶制，主张人民享有自由、平等的权利。
并且喊出了：“没有代表权，就不得征税”（“No Taxation without Representation”）的口号。
这句口号原本是英国政治的基本原则，在英国贵族与王室的斗争中使用过，但独立战争期间被殖民者用来捍卫自己的权利。
以下为美国独立宣言的全文内容：The Declaration of IndependenceIN CONGRESS, JULY 4,1776 THE UNANIMOUSDECLARATION OF THETHIRTEEN UNITEDSTATES OF AMERAICAWhen in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws Nature and Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.在人类事务发展的过程中，当一个民族必须解除同另一个民族的联系，并按照自然法则和上帝的旨意，以独立平等的身份立于世界列国之林时，出于对人类舆论的尊重，必须把驱使他们独立的原因予以宣布。
Unit1 The country〔〕1. The United States stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east.〔〕2. The Mississippi river is the longest river in the United States.〔〕3. The Appalachian region is both plicated and varied, containing some of the highest mountains in North America, but also a vast expanse of intermontane basins, plateaus, and isolated ranges.〔〕4. Western Washington and Oregon receive plenty of rain and central California is noticeably drier in winter.( )5. New England is sometimes called the birthplace of America.( )6. Washington D. C. is located in the Southern States Region.( )7. Many Southerners have a strong sense of regional loyalty and take pride in the South’s history and tradition.( )8. The Midwestern States Region is a vast area of generally flat land that covers much of the center of the United States.( )9. Las Vegas and Reno stand out as “American dreamland〞, for they primarily find wealth through the gambling and entertainment industries.( )10. Hawaii has the largest land area of all the states, and Alaska has one of the smallest land areas.1. The United States of America is the ____________ country in the world in size.A. LargestB. second-largestC. third-largestD. fourth-largest2. ____________ extend from the northern tip of Maine southwestern to Alabama.A. The Rocky MountainsB. The Appalachian HighlandsC. The Coast MountainsD. The Blue Mountains3. The climate of the United States is influenced by ____________.A. the Atlantic and Pacific OceansB. the Gulf of MexicoC. the Great LakesD. All of the above4. What is the leading mercial crop of the south?A. Cotton.B. Tobacco.C. Sugar cane.D. Rice.5. What Midwestern city is the automobile capital of the world?A. Chicago.B. Detroit.C. Milwaukee.D. Cleveland.6. One of the most important lakes in the United States is _________, which is the largest fresh water lake in the world.A. Lake SuperiorB. Lake MichiganC. Lake HuronD. Lake Ontario7. New England lies in __________ of the United States.A. the northern partB. the southern partC. the northeastern partD. the southeastern part8. The southern part of the Pacific coast in California has a ___________ climate.A. subtropicalB. continental desertC. maritimeD. Mediterranean9. The smallest state in the United States is ___________.A. WashingtonB. Rhode IslandC. HawaiiD. Maryland10. In the United States, the largest city along the Pacific coast is ___________.A. Los AngelesB. San FranciscoC. SeattleD. PortlandUnit2 History〔)1. The first English colony in America was founded at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607.( )2. The early British settlers organized the east coast of North America into 17 colonies.( )3. When many thousands of Southerners saw the triumph of Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 election as not simply a political defeat but also a threat to all southern institutions and the southern way of life, they decided to secede from the Confederacy.〔〕4. The Progressive Movement was a well-organized, unified movement, demanding government regulation of economy and social condition.〔)5. The Stock Market collapse occurred in 1928 in the United States.( )6. The Marshall Plan refers to the military and economic aid to Greece and Turkey in the 1950s.( )7. Nixon was the second President in American history who resigned.〔)8. The black-white racial chasm in post-Civil-Rights-Movement America was highlighted by the savage beating of Martin Luther King by white police officers in 1992.1. The British established 13 colonies along _________.A. the west coast of North AmericaB. the west coast of South AmericaC. the east coast of North AmericaD. the east coast of South America2. In the early 1850s, with the westward movement, the slavery became a serious political issue endangering the unity of the country because _________.A. whether or not slavery would expand into the future states formed as a result of the westward movement would affect the balance of power in the SenateB. the South insisted that slavery should be allowed to spread into all new territoriesC. the North refused to let slavery spread into new territoriesD. the North wanted to put an end to slavery3. The Progressive Movement wanted to ________ in order to stop big business control.A. initiate strict government regulationB. have the government fix pricesC. break up all the big businessesD. do away with rebates4. The 1920s in the United States has been described as a period of ____________ .A. cultural revivalB. loss of purposeC. development in science and technologyD. material success and spiritual frustration5. The serious economic crisis in the late 1920s and 1930s was first brought about by _____________.A. bank failuresB. serious unemploymentC. farm foreclosuresD. the stock market crash6. The purpose of the New Deal measures was to __________.A. save American democracy and the capitalist systemB. check the worsening of the economic situationC. help people tide over the difficultyD. increase American export7. On June 5, 1947, ________ suggested that the U.S. should offer economic aid to Western Europe so as to protect the region from Soviet expansion.A. George MarshallB. Franklin D. RooseveltC. George KennanD. Harry Truman8. At the time of Cuban Missile Crisis, the President of the U.S. was ____________.A. TrumanB. EisenhowerC. KennedyD. Johnson9. New Frontier and Great Society were programs initiated by _______.A. President KennedyB. President JohnsonC. Presidents Kennedy and Johnson respectivelyD. Presidents Johnson and Kennedy respectively10. The conservatism during Reagan’s administration was known as _____________.A. the New LeftB. the New RightC. the New FrontierD. the New FreedomUnit3 The American identity〔〕1. In the United States, the major source of population growth is the rising birth rate.〔〕2. In the United States, the largest minority group is the African-American group.〔〕3. In the United States, the fastest-growing group is the Asian-American group.〔〕4. Native Americans have a low school dropout rate.〔〕5. The three major Hispanic groups are the Mexican-Americans, the Puerto Ricans and the Cuban-Americans.〔〕6. The Puerto Ricans are American citizens.〔〕7. The first Asians to arrive in the United States in significant numbers were the Japanese.〔〕8. Today the Indians are only allowed to live on reservations.〔〕9. Traditionally, the mainstream Americans were called WASP.1.The current situation of African-Americans presents_______.A. a favorable pictureB. a negative pictureC. a mixed pictureD. a positive picture2. Although discrimination has been legally abolished, ________.A. discrimination in employment still existsB. discrimination in university admission still existsC. poverty rate of the blacks is the highest among all racial and ethnic groupsD. inequality and subtle discrimination still exist3. The Cuban-Americans mainly live in ______.A. FloridaB. TexasC. LouisianaD. Alabama4. Some people say Asian-Americans owe their success to the Asian tradition of the following EXCEPT ________.A. familyB. hard workC. educationD. Discrimination5. Now about 80% to 90% of immigration to the UnitedStates is from _______.A. Asian and Hispanic countriesB. African countriesC. European countriesD. Central and South American countries6. The first immigrants in American history came from __________.A. England and the NetherlandsB. IrelandC. West GermanyD. East Europe7. Among the major Hispanic groups in the UnitedStates, the largest group is _______.A. the Puerto RicansB. the Mexican-AmericansC. the Cuban-AmericansD. the Central and South American immigrants8. Among the major Hispanic groups in the UnitedStates, ________ have the highest social status.A. the ChicanosB. the Cuban-AmericansC. the Puerto-RicansD. the Latin American immigrants9. The Native Americans are __________.A. the IndiansB. the whitesC. the blacksD. the HispanicsUnit4 political institutions〔〕1. The Constitution of the United States, after its adoption, has never been revised.〔〕2. According to the Constitution, the federal government is responsible for addressing questions that affect the nation as a whole as well as individual states.〔〕3. Separation of power is designed to prevent the government from being too strong.〔〕4. The U.S. government is divided into four branches: the legislative, the presidency, the bureaucracy and the judiciary.〔〕5. The Supreme Court has the right to declare laws and actions of the federal, state, and local governments unconstitutional.〔〕6. Candidates for the presidency can only be chosen from political parties.〔〕7. The U.S. President has great executive power but no legislative power.〔〕8. Congressmen serve a term of six years while Senators serve a term of two years.〔〕9. The Democrats are thought of as associated with business, Anglo-Americans, and the rich.〔〕10. The number of Senators from each state is based upon its population.1. The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction in ________.A. all kinds of casesB. cases involving foreign citizensC. cases involving a stateD. Both B and C2. Political parties are the basis of the American politicalsystem, _________.A. but there is no provision in the Constitution forpolitical partiesB. and the Constitution has clear provisionC. but the founding fathers had strong apprehensionof political partiesD. Both A and C3. The two major parties today have ______differences in policy concentration.A. noB. littleC. someD. Great4. The writers of the Constitution worked out the checks and balances in order to _______.A. prevent the government from misusing its powerB. prevent the government from being strongC. pacify those who opposed the ConstitutionD. meet the demands of small states5. The President of the United States is elected _____.A. indirectly by the electors B by CongressC. directly by the votersD. None of the above.6. U.S. President can serve ________ term(s).A. only oneB. twoC. more than twoD. as many as four7. The U.S. President’s appointments have to beapproved by ________.A. the House of RepresentativesB. the SenateC. the CabinetD. the Supreme Court8. The Supreme Court of the United States consists ofone Chief Justice and ______ Associate Justices.A. 6B. 7C. 8D. 109. The two major political parties in the United Statesare _______.A. the Democratic Party and the Labor PartyB. the Federalist Party and the Democratic PartyC. the Federalist Party and the Republican PartyD. the Democratic Party and the Republican Party10. The U.S. Congress has the power to override thepresident’s veto by a _____ majority.A. 2/3B. 3/4C. 3/5D. 4/5Unit5 Economy〔〕1. Since the U.S. economy is based on free enterprise, there is little government involvement in the economy.〔〕2. The United States is the world’s leading maker of industrial goods.〔〕3. In the 18th century, the New England colonies specialized in producing tobacco from plantations.〔〕4. While most Americans embraced the idea of money-making and held successful businessmen in great admiration, they resented big businesses monopolizing any industry in any form.〔〕5. By 1956, a majority of U.S. workers held blue-collar rather than white-collar jobs.〔〕6. Many urban Americans, particularly Blacks and Hispanics, found the postwar prosperity inaccessible to them.〔〕7. The American West is now an important region for corn and wheat.〔〕8. While manufacturing giants such as IBM and General Electronic enjoy worldwide reputation as the pillars of the American economy, the U.S. economy is by no means one dominated by giant corporations.〔〕9. As the number of workers employed in the traditional manufacturing industries has declined, union membership has dropped in recent years.1. The United States ranks ________ in the world in thetotal value of its economic production.A. firstB. secondC. thirdD. Fourth2. The following are the factors that have contributed tothe development of the U.S. economy EXCEPT__________.A. the vast space and resources of the landB. the ideals of freedom and economic opportunityC. English as its national languageD. hard work by the people3. What is America’s most important food crop?A. Corn.B. Rice.C. BarleyD. Oat.4. Service industries account for more than _________ of the U.S. gross domestic product.A. a thirdB. halfC. two thirdsD. three fourth5. The westward expansion is a demonstration ofAmerican ________.A. IndividualismB. patriotismC. LiberalismD. Expansionism6. Hamilton believed that the United States shouldpursue economic growth through the followingEXCEPT ________.A. shippingB. manufacturingC. bankingD. slavery7. With the arrival of the 20th century, the United Statesbecame increasingly urbanized, particularly in the_________ cities.A. NortheastB. NorthwestC. SoutheastD. Southwest8. The American South is a center of the followingtraditional crops EXCEPT _________.A. tobaccoB. cornC. cottonD. wheat9. As the world’s leading maker of industrial goods, theU.S. now produces around _________ of the world’sindustrial products.A. 20%B. 25%C. 30%D. 35%10. In the United States, the following areas tend tospecialize in high-tech and puter industriesEXCEPT ________.A. NortheastB. MidwestC. NorthwestD. SouthwestUnit6 social service〔〕1. In the United States, the social security system provides assistance to people with financial problems.〔〕2. In the United States, Medicare provides virtually free treatment for all American citizens.〔〕3. Social security is the nearly universal retirement program for Americans, with about 92 percent of people aged 60 and over receiving benefits.〔〕4. Since 1996, welfare responsibility under AFDC has been passed to the states, which receive federal grants to run their own programs.〔〕5. The Social Security Administration organizes the distribution of food and food stamps through state and local governments.〔〕6. Since government-sponsored welfare programs are essential to the needy and the poor, they are quite adequate in confronting the poverty issue.〔〕7. Child Welfare League of America is the largest privately-funded childcare agency in the United States, providing shelter and service to homeless and runaway youth.〔〕8. In the United States, most employees and their families are normally insured for health care through public insurance programs.〔〕9. Medicaid program provides federal grants to states for the free treatment of the elderly.〔〕10. In the United States, two-thirds of the housing units in the private sector are “single-family dwellings〞.1. The American social security system includes thefollowing programs EXCEPT _________.A. OASDHIB. MedicareC. MedicaidD. Unemployment pensation2. Americans may start receiving their pensions at the age of _________.A. 55B. 60C. 65D. 703. The main federal welfare programs in the USAconsist of the following programs EXCEPT_________.A. MedicaidB. AFDCC. Food StampsD. Medicare4. Which of the following belongs to the religious welfare organization?A. NCH.B. CWLA.C. CCHD. D. Ford Foundation.5. Among private foundations, which has beeincreasingly prominent in private charity activity?A. Rockefeller Foundation.B. Ford Foundation.C. Buffett Foundation.D. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.6. Which of the following statement is NOT true aboutAmerican health care services?A. A sizable number of Americans still remain uninsured.B. The U.S. has top-quality medical facilities.C. Medicaid covers only about 40 percent of the poor nationwide.D. pared with other developed countries, theUnited States spends less on health care.7. According to the healthcare reform proposed duringthe Obama administration, the government will requiremost Americans to have health insurance by _______.A. 2011B. 2012C. 2013D. 20148. Homes and houses give Americans the followingsense EXCEPT ________.A. possessionB. material satisfactionC. personal identificationD. freedomUnit7 the legal system〔〕1. The U.S. Constitution defines the organization of a court system, including a Supreme Court and inferior courts.〔〕2. In the United States, each state has one district court.〔〕3. District courts are the only national courts that use grand juries and petit juries.〔〕4. All national courts can review decisions of state courts.〔〕5. At the national level, government prosecution is the responsibility of the Supreme Court.〔〕6. The U.S. attorneys are appointed for life terms to the district courts.〔〕7. Anglo-American mon Law is based on the supposed reasonable person’s view of what is right and fair.〔〕8. In the United States, all cases should be tried with a jury.〔〕9. A unanimous decision is needed for a grand jury to make a decision.〔〕10. Federal crimes are mainly the responsibility of theFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).1. There are currently ________ district courts in the United States.A. 52B. 54C. 92D. 942. There are currently _______ courts of appeals in the United States.A. 10B. 11C. 12D. 133. __________ argues cases for the government before the Supreme Court.A. Chief Justice of Supreme CourtB. Attorney GeneralC. Solicitor GeneralD. President of the United States4. District judgeships are filled by the President with the consent of _________.A. Chief Justice of Supreme CourtB. Attorney GeneralC. the SenateD. the House of Representatives5. Generally, the trial jury consists of _______ ordinary citizens.A. 1－6B. 6－12C. 12－23D. 23－306. Generally, the grand jury consists of _______ ordinary citizens.A. 1－6B. 6－12C. 12－23D. 23－307. The Supreme Court consists of a chief justice and _______ associate justices.A. 7B. 8C. 9D. 108. In the United States, people between the ages of _______ are the most inclined age group to mit crimes.A. 11－19B. 19－24C. 24－45D. 45－549. In some urban areas in the United States, murder is the main cause of death among non-White males between the ages of ________.A. 11－19B. 19－24C. 24－45D. 45－5410. As a rule, the implementation of state law is carried out by the police and detectives in the city, and by _______ in rural areas.A. SheriffsB. ConstablesC. MagistratesD. both A and BUnit8 Education〔〕1. Americans generally hold that everyone is entitled to education.〔〕2. Americans believe that education is beneficial to individuals and society as a whole.〔〕3. In the United States, public education at elementary and secondary level is free.〔〕4. American education system is characterized by diversity.〔〕5. According to the U.S. Constitution, education is the responsibility of the federal government.〔〕6. There is little similarity in the education system of the 50 states.〔〕7. The state board of education is responsible for the education policy of the state.〔〕8. The oldest institution of higher learning in the United States is Harvard University.〔〕9. Junior colleges offer only B.A. degrees.〔〕10. The affirmative action program aims to help ethnic and racial minorities in elementary and secondary education.1. To many Americans, education is important because _____________.A. it contributes to the success of individualsB. it contributes to the strengthening of national strengthC. it prepares the young people for future developmentD. Both A and B2. In the United States, public schools at the elementary and secondary level are ______________.A. freeB. pulsoryC. open to allD. Both A and C3. American schools fall into two categories, namely, _______________.A. public and private schoolsB. academic and vocational schoolsC. coeducation and single sex schoolsD. national and state-run schools4. In the United States, education policies are made by ______________.A. the federal governmentB. the state board of educationC. local school districtD. board of trustees5. The governing board of school district is responsible for _______________.A. the hiring of teachers and staffB. the designing of a suitable curriculumC. the piling and approving of budgetD. All of the above6. There is _______________ difference(s) in tuition rates between public and private institutions of higher learning in the U.S.A. noB. significantC. SomeD. not much7. The munity college _______________.A. offers bachelor degreesB. offers associate degreesC. offers master degreesD. Both A and B8. Elementary and secondary education in the U.S. covers _______ years.A. 9B. 11C. 12D. 149. Admission to an educational institution in the U. S. is determined by ______________.A. the institution itselfB. the state board of educationC. the local authorityD. the federal government10. The following are the public policies and legal decisions emphasizing special rights for ethnic and linguistic minorities in the area of education EXCEPT _______________.A. Bilingual Education ActB. Proposition 227C. affirmative action programD. No Child Left Behind ActUnit9 Religion in American life〔〕1. In parison with other Western countries, America is less religious in terms of church attendance and financial mitment to church organizations.〔〕2. At the time when the United States was founded, it was the Catholic branch of the Christian faith that had the strongest influence on the development of the religious climate in the United States.〔〕3. The Pilgrims tried to create a munity in which life would be guided by God’s will and deviations from His will in any shape or form would never be tolerated.〔〕4. America became “the Kingdom of God〞by the end of the 17th century.〔〕5. In the 19th century, Americans stopped talking about the importance of religious values for their national identity.〔〕6. According to the U.S. Constitution, church and state are separate in their role and function.〔〕7. Historically, church and state in the United States has never interacted to each other.〔〕8. A growing trend in American religious life is that religion has bee increasingly secularized.〔〕9. In the United States, mainstream Protestant denominations have lost ground to Catholic denominations.〔〕10. Post-war Evangelism has attempted to use its influence to restore some sense of munity in a society.1. The Catholic faith was first brought to the North American continent by ______________.A. the PortugueseB. the EnglishC. the FrenchD. the Spanish2. The great waves of Jewish immigration started in ______________ and made the United States a major center of Judaism.A. 1836B. 1863C. 1936D. 19633. By the end of the 17th century, ______________ had already begun to lose its energies.A. ProtestantismB. CatholicismC. PuritanismD. Judaism4. The First Great Awakening of ______________ provided the opportunity for a fresh reaffirmation of God’s role in directing the fortunes of His chosen people.A. the 17th centuryB. the 18th centuryC. the 19th centuryD. the 20th century5. The Second Great Awakening of ______________ exerted a profound impact both on the scale of church membership and on the range of American sectarianism.A. the 17th centuryB. the 18th centuryC. the 19th centuryD. the 20th century6. The _______________ Amendment of Constitution states that “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.〞A. FirstB. SecondC. TenthD. Twentieth7. Which of the following minority religions is deemed by the mainstream religion to advocate or practice kinds of beliefs against the public interest?A. Islam.B. Hinduism.C. Mormonism.D. Zenism.8. The following mainstream Protestant denominations have recently witnessed significant loss of members EXCEPT ________________.A. MethodistsB. EpiscopaliansC. PresbyteriansD. Evangelistsv9. Post-war Evangelicalism has made effective use of __________ to reach massive audiences.A. telephoneB. musicC. televisionD. Movies10. Which of the following contemporary religious groups is relying upon big rallies to draw Christian men together?A. “Saved〞Christians.B. Fundamentalists.C. Promise Keepers.D. Seventh-Day Adventists.Unit10 Private life in American〔〕1. Most Americans have an ambition to own their own house on a little piece of property, but it’s difficult for them to have that ambition materialized.〔０2. After the arrival of the so-called post-industrial society, Americans started to move to the city.〔〕3. Most Americans live in mobile homes which function as prefabricated housing units in stationary settings.〔〕4. Many poor American families expect their children to find part-time jobs, especially as they enter their teens.〔〕5. Parties for children and for grown-ups are constantly occupying the leisure hours ofAmericans.〔〕6. In the United States, high-brow arts get most of the financial backing from the government.〔〕7. In the United States, popular culture outshines classical culture in audience size and in public influence.〔〕8. Today’s preeminent spectator game in America is baseball.〔〕9. American football was derived from the British game of soccer.〔〕10. Baseball is adapted by the Americans from the English cricket to their own tastes.1. For most Americans, one of the first activities at home is to _______________.A. watch TVB. do repair workC. surf on the InternetD. drink coffee2. The following are “chores〞assigned to the children in American families EXCEPT ________________.A. washing and waxing floorsB. mowing the lawnC. keeping the car(s) cleanD. Babysitting3. The following are part-time jobs expected to be done by American children EXCEPT _________.A. mowing lawnsB. delivering newspapersC. taxi drivingD. Babysitting4. The following are the leisure activities outside the home for American adults EXCEPT ___________. A. playing bowling B. playing soccerC. attending public service activitiesD. attending church-related activities5. The following are the leisure activities outside the home for American children EXCEPT ________.A. taking lessonsB. traveling overseasC. horseback ridingD. Swimming6. One out of every ______ Americans donates some part of their time as volunteers.A. 3B. 4C. 5D. 67. The following belong to high-brow culture EXCEPT ___________.A. classical musicB. BalletC. operaD. Movies8. The following remain high on the domestic vocational destination list in the minds of most Americans EXCEPT ________________.A. Walt Disney WorldB. New YorkC. the Yellowstone National ParkD. the Grand Canyon9. The following are the “four major sports〞in the United States EXCEPT _______________.A. basketballB. footballC. baseballD. Volleyball10. The Super Bowl is a game for _______________.A. basketballB. footballC. baseballD. volleyball。
英美文化概况问答题以及答案：1.What are the some of the major powers of each of the three branches of the US government? How are the three branches supposed to check and balance each other? Can political reform in China borrow anything from that? 美国政府三大部门的一些主要权利是什么？三大部门之间如何制约和平衡？中国的政治改革能否从中借鉴什么？A．What are the some of the major powers of each of the three branches of the US government?The three branches—the Legislative, the Executive, headed by the president. And the Judicial, headed by the Supreme Court.The Legislative, including both houses of Congress (the Senate and the House of Representative) 。
The legislative branch(立法机构）is the only branch that can make federal laws, levy federal taxes and declare war or put foreign treaties into effect.The Executive, headed by the president. The president can appoint federal judges as vacancies occur, including members of the Supreme Court. All such court appointments are subject to confirmation by the Senate. The president has broad powers, with the executive branch, to issue regulations and directives regarding the work of the federal departments. He is the commander in chief of the armed forces. The judicial branch(司法机构) is headed by the Supreme Court with a chief justice and 8 associate justices. The Federal courts have jurisdiction over cases arising out of the Constitution and other cases which do not arise out of individual states.The Supreme Court has the judicial review power.B．How are the three branches supposed to check and balance each other? System of “checks and balances (制约与平衡的原则)”of the three-part national government works to keep serious mistakes from being made by one branch or another.C．Can political reform in China borrow anything from that?China does not make the separation, but can absorb the reasonable factors. The people's congress system is a basic system suitable to China's national conditions. It directly reflects that people's democratic dictatorship is national nature in our country, reflected the whole picture of our political life and is the basic forms and means for the people to be the masters of democratic rights.(中国不搞三权分立，但可以吸收其合理的因素。
英语国家概况名词解释复习范围1. Puritanism: 清教徒主义Puritans were those who followed the doctrine of Jonh Calvin and wantedto purify the Church of England. They believe that human beings werepredestined by God before they were born. Some were God’s chosen peoplewhile others were damned to hell. No church nor good works could savepeople. The sign of being God’s elect was the success in his work orthe prosperity in his calling. They also argued that everyone must readthe Bible in order to find God’s will and establish a direct contactwith God. These beliefs had great impact on American culture.2. The Declaration of Independence : 独立宣言The Declaration of Independence was mainly drafted by Thomas Jeffersonand adopted by the Congress on July 4, 1776, where the people of 13English colonies in North America were fighting for their freedom andindependence from the British colonial rule. The document declaredthat all men were equal and that they were entitled to have someunalienable rights such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.It also explained the philosophy of government: the powers ofgovernments came from the consent of the governed and the purpose ofgovernments were to secure the rights mentioned above. The theory ofpolities and the guiding principles of the American Revolution mainlycame from John Lock.3. George Washington :George Washington was one of the founding fathers of the AmericanRepublic. He was the Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in theWar of Independence against the British colonial rule and the firstPresident of the United States.4. WASP: The early immigrants were generally known as the White Anglo-SaxonProtestants because most of them believed in the protestant church. Theyplayed the main role in the founding of the 13 colonies and establishedthe ruling position of their English language. They transplanted Englishvalues and traditions to the colonies and played the decisive role inwinning independence from England. Today it is estimated that about 33%of Americans are of British origin.5. Three Faiths in the US : By the 1950's,the three faiths model of American religionhad developed. American were considered to come in three basic varieties:protestants, Catholic and Jewish. In terms of numbers, the Protestantsare the strongest, the Catholica are next to the Protestants and theJewish are the smallest among the three groups.6. Religious liberty in the US : The Declaration of Independence guaranteed thebasic right of religious freedom and this right was a political necessity.The First Amendment to the US Constitution explicitly forbade the federalgovernment to give special favors to any religion or to hinder the freepractice, or exercise, of religion. When desputes about the relationshipbetween government and religion arise, American courts must settle them.But American institutions presuppose a Supreme Being, thereforeChristianity is often, in practice, more favored than other religions.7. The “Lost Generation”: 迷惘的一代In the aftermath of World War Ⅰ, manynovelists produced a literature of disillusionment. Some lived in Europe.They were known as the “Lost Generation.” Two of the mostrepresentative writers of the The “Lost Generation” were Hemingway andFitzgerald.8.Hemingway : 海明威 an American writer of fiction who won the Nobel Prize forliterature in 1954 (1899-1961). Among his best booiks were The Sun AlsoRises, A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls.9. High education in the USIn America, higher education refers to education on the college level.America higher education includes four categories of institution .They are the university , the four-year undergraduateinstitution( the college) the technical training institution and thetwo-year or community college. Some are supported by public funds andsome by private funds. Many universities and colleges have wonreputations for providing their students with a higher quality ofeducation. The great majority are generally regarded as quitesatisfactory.10 The civil rights movementIt is one of the most important of all social movements in the 1960sin America. Rose Parks’ spontaneous action in 1955 was believed tobe true beginning of the civil rights movement. The black students’sit-in at a department lunch counter in the North Carolina touchedoff the nationwide civil rights movement. During the first half ofthe decade, civil rights organizations like the SNCC,CORE,and SCLCstruggled for racial integration by providing leadership, tactics,network and the people. In the latter half of the decade, some blackorganizations changed their nonviolent tactics, and emphasized onmore radical means to end discrimination and raised the self-imageof the blacks. The civil rights movement produced such great leadersas Martin Luther King.Jr., and Malcolm X, who inspired a generationof both blacks and whites to devote their lives to fighting for racialequality in the US.11. Martin Luther King.Jr.A black Baptist minister, he was the leader of the Southern ChristianLeadership Conference during the civil rights movement of the 1960s.To promote his philosophy of nonviolent protest against segregationand other kinds of social injustice,King organized a series of“marches”, including the march on Washington of August, 1963, whenKing delivered his famous” I Have aDream”speech.As a civil rights leader, King worked ont only to endracial discrimination and poverty , but also to raise the self imageof the blacks.Due to his strong belief in non-violent peacefulprotest,King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.He wasassassinated in the city of Memphis in April 1968.12. The House of Lords and Commons in the UKThe House of LordsThe House of Lords consists of the Lords Spiritual, who are theArchbishops and most prominent bishops of the Church of England; andthe Lords Temporal , which regers to those lords who either haveinherited the seat from their forefathers or they have beenappointed .The lords mainly represent themselves instead of theinterests of the pubilc.The House of CommonsThe House of Commons is the real center of British life because itis the place where about 650 elected representatives(Members ofParliament) make and debate policy. These MPs are elected in theGeneral Elections and should represent the interests of the peoplewho vote for them.13. RomanticismRoughly the first third of the 19th century makes up Englishliterat ure’s romantic period. Writers of romantic literature aremore concerned with imagination and feeling than with the power ofreason. A volume of poems called Lyrical Ballads written by WilliamWordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge is regard as the romanticpoetry’s “Declaration of Independence.” Keats, Byron and Shelly,the three great poets, brought the Romantic Movement to its height.The spirit of Romanticism also occurred in the novel.14. ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare (1561-1616) was a famous dramatist and poet. Hecreated a large number of masterpieces, including comedy, tragedy andhistorical dramas. Shakespeare’s plays fall into categories, orclasses. He excels in each kind. The tragedies include Romeo andJuliet, Hamlet , Othello, King lear, and Macbeth. Among the comediesare The Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twlfth Night ,and The Tempest.His history plays, based on English history, includeRichard III, Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V.16. Terra NulliusTerra Nullius is from Latin. It means a land that is owned by no one. The British declared the Australian continent Terra Nullius tojustify their invasion of the indigenous people’s land. It servedto legitimize their taking possession of the land and devalue theindigenous people as uncivilized and not fully human.17. The “Washminster” form policy in AustraliaThe “Washminster” form of polity is adopted by the Australian government. It is a mixture of the US Washington system of governmentand the British Westminster system. This means that the politicalstructure of the government is based on a Federation of States witha three-tire system of government. However, the chief executive isa Prime Minister, instead of a President as in the US system.18. The Bloc QuebecoisThe Bloc Quebecois was founded in 1990 by a former Conservative cabinet minister and later separatist Lucien Bouchard. It is a Quebecseparatist party intended to complement the provincial PartiQuebecois (PQ) on the federal level. Its main concern is only to dothe best for Quebec, and wants to separate entirely from the federalgovernment. In the 1993 elections the party became the second largestin the Canadian parliament, and the charismatic Bouchard becameleader of the opposition.19. The Cold WarBy the end of World War II, the United States, which had not suffered as much as other allied countries, became the strongestcountry in the world. As the possessor of atomic tombs and much ofthe world’s gold reserv e and industrial production in his hand, thepolicy-makers of the US wanted a world order dominated by the US, aworld market free and open to American goods and services. In pursuingthis gold, the US encountered determined resistance from the SovietUnion. Gradually the two wartime allies fell apart and the Cold Warbegan.20. Unilateralism (the US)When George W. Bush became president in 2001, he and his topadvisers pursued a strategy that has significantly changed some ofthe principles that have been practiced in American foreign policyfor years. This strategy has two prominent elements: unilateralismand faith in military strength. The review policies and internationalagreements from the point of view of American national interests. Ifthey think any international agreement is not in line with Americannational interests, they will not hesitate to discard it.20. London : London is the largest city located in the south of the country. It isdominant in Britain in all sorts of ways. It is not only the financialcenter of the nation, but also one of the three major internationalfinancial centers in the world.21. Percy Bysshe Shelley : 雪莱His writing has a wide range. The lovely musicalquality of his work appears in the fine verses of “Ode to the West Wind”and “To a Skylark.” “The Revolt of Islam,” renamed as “The Rise ofIslam,” preaches revolution, and Defense of Poetry upholds the placeof imagination and love in the arts. The long poem Adonais is a beautifullament written on the death of Keats. A month before his 30th birthdayhe drowned while sailing in the Mediterranean. His ashes lie in the sameRoman cemetery where Keats is buried.22. the relationship between the UK and the US :The British foreign policy is alsoaffected by its relationship with the United States. During World War2, the two countries were closely allied and continued to work togetherclosely in the postwar years, because they had many things in common aboutthe past and the world situation. Even today, British and Americanpolicy-makers share the general ideas in many respects. However,Britain’s “special relationship” with the United Stated has gonethrough many ups and downs. The British are beginning to realize thattheir own foreign policy actions can be limited by the United States.But both sides have worked hard to maintain the “special relationship.”23. the Great Barrier Reef : 大堡礁The Great Barrier Reef, the largest coralstructure in the world, extends for over 2000 kilometers along the coastof Queensland, Australia. It is an important part of the marineecosystems, and abounds a lot of rare marine plants and animals in someof the island and coral reef. Great Barrier Reef has been listed as theWorld Natural Heritage.24. the Dreaming (Australia) : 创梦信仰The Dreaming is the belief system fromancient times that has bound indigenous groups together. The centralprinciple of the Dreaming is that the people who live on the continenthave special responsibilities to the land. The people don’t own the land;instead the land owns the people. The stories of the Dreaming provideprinciples of how people should live and interact with each other. Theyalso provide knowledge of the land so that the indigenous people cansurvive in the life-threatening environment.25. James Joyce : 詹姆士乔伊斯The novelist James Joyce is famous s the writer whochanged the nature of the novel forever. In common with many of thewriters before him, Joyce was extraordinarily self-conscious about thelanguage in which he was writing. As he has his hero say in The Portraitof the Artist as a Young Man, he didn’t feel that the English was hisnative tongue: it was a foreign language, even although it pretended tobe the same as the one he had learned himself, which was in fact a regionalvariant, knows as Hiberno-English.。
