英语国家概况名词解释
1、The Constitution:Britain has no written Constitution.The foundations of the British state are
laid out in statute law,which are laws passed by Parliament; the common laws, which are laws established through commom practice in courts;and conventions.
2、The house of Common: It’s the real center of British political life because it is the place
where about 650 elected representatives(Members of Parliament) make and debate policy,These MPs are elected in the General Elections and should represent the interests of the people who vote for them.
3、The electoral campaign:Before a general election,the political parties would start their electoral
campaigns in order to make their ideologies and policies known to the public.The campaign involves advertisements in newspapers, door-to-door campaigning,postal deliveries of leaflets and ‘party electoral broadcasts” on the television.The parties also try to attack and critisise the opponents’policies.Therefore,these campaigns sometimes can be quite aggressive and critical.
4、Class system in British society:The class system does exist in British society.Most of British
population would claim themselves to be either of middle-class or working-class,though some people would actually belong to the upper middle-class or lower middle-class.Class divisions are not simply economic,they are cultural as well.People of different classes may defferent may differ in the kind of newspaper they read,in the way they speak and in the kind of education they receive.One of the distinctive features about the British class system is that aristocratic titles can still be inherited.
5、Relative decline of the UK economy:The UK has experienced an economic decline since
1945.But this is a relative decline rather than an absolute one.Britain is wealthier and more productive than it was in 1945,but since other countries developed more rapidly,it has slid from being the second largest economy to being the six.
6、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
7、Grammar school s:it’s a type of secondary schools in Britain.Grammar schools select children
at the age 11,through an examination called “the 11-plus”.Those children with the highest marks go to grammar schools.These schools lay emphasis on advanced academic subjects rather than the more general curriculum of the comprehensive schools and expect many of their pupils to go on to universities.
8、Independent schools:are commonly called public schools which are actually private schools that
receive their funding through the private sector and tuition rates,with some government assitance.Independent schools are not part of national education system,but the quality of instruction and standards are maintained through visits from Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools.These
