《英美概况》I. Multiple Choices: Choose one right answer from the four choices:1. The highest mountain in Britain is ____.A. ScafellB. Ben NevisC. the CotswoldsD. the Forth2. The longest river in Britain is _____.A. the ClydeB. the MerseyC. the SevernD. the Thames3. The largest lake in Britain is _____.A. the Lough NeageB. Windermere WaterC. Coniston WaterD. the Lake District4. Which part of Britain is always fighting?A. EnglandB. ScotlandC. WalesD. Northem Ireland5. The immigrants coming to Britain are mainly from _____.A. EuropeB. the United StatesC. AfricaD. the West Indies,6. The first inhabitants in Britain were _____.A. the NormansB. the CeltsC. the IberiansD. the Anglo-Saxons7. British Recorded history began with _____.A.Roman invasionB. the Norman ConquestB. C. the Viking and Danish invasion D. the Anglo-Saxons invasion8. In 829, _____ actually became the overlord of all the English.A. JohnB. James IC. EgbertD. Henry I9. Christmas Day ____, Duke William was crowned in Westminster Abbey.A. 1056B. 1066C. 1006D. 106010. Henry II was the first king of the _____ dynasty.A. WindsorB. TudorC. MalcolmD. Plantagenet11. In 1265 ____ summoned the Great Council, which has been seen as the earliest parliament.A. Henry IIIB. the PopeC. BaronsD. Simon de Montfort12. The Hundred Years’ war sta rted in ____ and ended in ____, in which the English had lost all the territories of France except the French port of ____.A. 1337, 1453, FlandersB. 1337, 1453, CalaisC. 1346, 1453, ArgencourtD. 1346, 1453, Brest13. The Wars of Roses lasted for _____ years and king _____ was replaced by king _____.A.30, Richard III, Henry TudorB. 50, Richard III, Henry TudorB. C. 30, Richard I, Henry Tudor D. 50, Richard I, Henry Tudor14. The Renaissance began in ____ in the early ____ century.A. England, 14B. England, 15C. Italy, 14D. Italy, 1515. The English Civil War is also called _____.A. the Glorious RevolutionB. the Bloody RevolutionC. the Catholic RevolutionD. the Puritan Revolution16. In _____, a small group of Puritans sailed from _____ in the Mayflower to be the first settlers in theNorth America.A. 1620, LondonB. 1620, PlymouthC. 1720, LondonD. 1720, Plymouth17. In the 18th century, there appeared ____ in England, which owed a great deal to the invention of machines.A. the Industrial RevolutionB. the Bourgeois RevolutionC. the Wars of the RosesD. the Religious Reformation18. English colonial expansion began with the colonization of _____ in 1583.A. CanadaB. AustraliaC. IndiaD. Newfoundland19. _____ was famous for his abdication because of his marriage with a divorced American:A. Edward VIIIB. Edward VIIC. George VID. George VII20. In January _____ Britain became a member of the European Economic Community.A. 1957B. 1967C. 1973D. 197921. soon after _____, Britain not only gave up its econmic hegemony but also suffered a deep loss of its position of industrial leadership.A. 1900B. the First World WarC. the Second World WarD. 196022. In the 1970s among the developed countries, Britain maintained the lowest _____ rate and the highest _____ rate.A. inflation, growthB. growth, inflationC. growth, divorceD. growth, birth23. The following are all reasons of British decline of coal industry except _____.A.the exhaustion of old minesB. costly extractionB. C. little money being invested D. the labour shortage24. Britain’s foreign trade is mainly with _____.A. developing countriesB. other Commonwealth countriesC. other developed countriesD. EC25. The House of Lords is presided over by _____.A. the Lord ChancellorB. the QueenC. the Archbishop of CanterburyD. the Prime Minister26. A General Election is held every _____ years and there are _____ members of Parliaments are elected.A. five, 600B. five, 650C. five, 651D. four, 65127. The Prime Minister is appointed by _____ and he or she always sits in _____.A. the Archbishop of Canterbury, the House of CommonsB. the Archbishop of Canterbury, the House of LordsC. the Queen, the House of CommonsD. the Queen, the House of Lords28. The ultimate authority for law-making resides in _____.A. the QueenB. the CabinetC. the House of LordsD. the House of Commons29. The sources of British law include _____.A. statutes, common law, equity law and European Community lawB. statutes, common law and equity lawC. statutes, common law and European Community lawD. a complete code and statutes30. In criminal trials by jury, _____ passes sentenced and _____ decide the issue of guilt or innocence.A. the judge, the juryB. the judge, the judgeC. the jury, the juryD. the Lord Chancellor, the jury31. ____ tries the most serious offences such as murder and robbery.A. Magistrates’ courtsB. Youth courtsC. district courtsD. The Crown Court32. London’s Metropolitan Police Force is under the control of _____.A. the England secretariesB. the Scottish SecretariesC. Northern Ireland SecretariesD. the Home Secretary33. The National Health Service was established in the UK in _____ and based at first on _____.A. 1948, Acts of ParliamentB. 1958, Acts of ParliamentC. 1948, the Bill of RightsD. 1958, the Bill of Rights34. The non-contributory social security benefits include the following except _____.A. war pensionB. child benefitC. family creditD. unemployment benefit35. Except that _____ may not be a Roman Catholic, public offices are open without distinction to members of all churchs or of none.A. the lord ChancellorB. the Prime MinisterC. the SpeakerD. the ministers of all departments36. About 90 per cent of the state secondary school population in the UK attend _____.A. independent schoolsB. junior schoolsC. independent schoolsD. primary schools37. There are some ____ universities, including the Open University.A. 900B. 290C. 90D. 5038. In Britain, children from the age of 5 to 16 can _____ by law.A. receive completely free educationB. receive parly free educationC. receive no free education if their families are richD. receive no free education at all39. With regard to its size, the USA is the _____ country in the world.A. largestB. second largestC. third largestD. fourth largest40. In the following rivers, _____ has been called the American Ruhr.A. the MississippiB. the MissouriC. the HudsonD. the Ohio41. Among the following rivers, _____ forms a natural boundary between Mexico and the U.S.A. the PotomacB. the ColumbiaC. the Rio Grande RiverD. the Colorado42. All the following universities and colleges are located in New England, except _____.A. YaleB. HarvardC. OxfordD. Massachusetts Institute of Technology43. The nation’s capital city Washington D.C. and New York are located in _____.A. the American WestB. the Great PlainsC. the MidwestD. the Middle Atlantic States44. The Midwest in America’s most important _____ area.A. agriculturalB. industrialC. manufacturingD. mining in dustry45. In the case of Brown versus Board of Education, the Supreme Court ruled that _____.A. separate educational facilities had been illegalB. educational facilities had been separate but equalC. educational facilities had been equalD. separate educational facilities were inherently unequal46. The Chinese Exclusion Act was passed in _____.A. 1882B. 1883C. 1900D. 192447. The first immigrants in American history came from ____ and ____.A. Ireland/FranceB. England/ChinaC. Scotland/EnglandD. England/Netherland48. Uncle To m’s Cabin and Roots are two novels which give a vivid description of the miserable lifeof the _____.A. early settlersB. PuritansC. native IndiansD. black slaves49. According to American historians and specialists in demography, there are _____ great population movement in the history of the United States.A. twoB. threeC. fourD. five50. Many early Chinese immigrants worked in the mining industry, especially in the _____.A. gold minesB. silver minesC. coal minesD. copper mines51. The Declaration of Independence was drafted by _____.A. James MadisonB. Thomes JeffersonC. Alexander HamiltonD. George Washington52. On July 4, 1776, _____ adopted the Declaration of Independerce.A. the First Continental CongressB. the Second Continental CongressC. the Third Continental CongressD. the Constitutional Convention53. The victory of _____ was the turning point of the War of Independence.A. SaratogaB. GettysburgC. TrentonD. Yorktown54. Ten amendments introduced by James Madison in 1789 were added to the Constitution. Theyare knows as _____.A. the Articles of ConfederationB. the Bill of RightC. the Civil RightsD. Federalist Papers55. President Jefferson bought _____ from France and doubled the country’s territory.A. New MexicoB. the Louisiana TerritoryC. KansasD. Ohio56. The Declaration of Independence came from the theory of British philosopher _____.A. Paul RevereB. John LockeC. CornwallisD. Frederick Douglass57. During the WWII, the Axis powers were mainly made up by __.A. Germany, France and JapanB. France, Japan and BritainC. Germany, Italy and BritainD. German, Italy and Japan58. The Progressive Movement is a movement demanding government regulation of the _____ and_____ conditions.A. economy/politicalB. social/politicalC. economy/socialD. political/cultural59. As a result of WWI, _____ was not one of the defeated nations.A. GermanyB. Austro-HungaryC. OttomanD. Russia60. The aim of President Roosevelt’s New Deal was to “save American _____.” A. economyB. politicsC. societyD. democracy答案I. Multiple Choices: Choose one right answer from the four choices.1. B2. C3. A4. D5. D6. C7. A8. C9. B 10. D 11. D 12. B 13. A 14. C 15. D 16. B 17. A 18.D 19. A 20. C 21. C 22. B 23. D 24. C 25. A 26. C 27. C 28. D 29. A 30. A 31. D 32. D 33. A 34. D 35.A 36. D 37. C 38. A 39. D 40. D 41.C 42. C 43. D 44. A 45. D 46. A 47. D 48. D 49. C 50. A 51.B 52.B 53. A 54. B 55. B 56. B 57. D 58.C 59.D 60. D 61. C 62. B 63. D 64. C 65. D 66. D 67. B 68. C 69.C 70.D 71. B 72. B 73. B 74. D 75. DII. Fill in the blanks:1. Ceographically speaking, the north and west of Britain are _______, while the east and south-eastare mostly______.2. Welsh is located in the ______ of Great Britain.3. The ancestors of the English ______, while the Scots, Welsh and Irish the ______.4. In the mid-5th century, three Teuronic tribes ______, _____, and _____ invaded Britain. Among them,the _____ gave their name to English people.5. The battle of _______ witnessed the death of Harold in October, 1066.6. Under William, the ______ system in England was completely established.7. The property record in William’s time is known as ______, which was compiled in _____.8. _____’s grave became a place of pilgrimage in and beyond chaucer’s time after he was murdered.9. ______ was the deadly bubonic plague, which reduced England’s population from four million to______ million by the end of the 14th century.10. One of the consequences of the Uprising of 1381 was the emergence of a new class of ______farmers.11. James I and his son Charles I both believed firmly in ______.12. During the Civil War, the Cavaliers supported ________, while the Roundheads supported_______.13. After the Civil War, Oliver Cromwell declared England a ______, later, he became _________.14. In 1707, the Act of _______ united England and ______.15. The two parties originated with the Glorious Revolution were _____ and _______. The former werethe forerunners of the ______ Party, the latter were of the ______ party.16. In 1765, the Scottish inventor _____ produced a very efficient _____ that could be applied to textileand other machinery.f the world.17. After the Industrial Revolution, Britain became the “______” o18. During the Second World War ________ led Britain to final victory in 1945.19. In 1974 and 1977, the two ______ shock caused inflation to rise dramatically.20. Natural gas was discovered in 1965 and oil in 1970 under _______.21. _______ has Europe’s largest collection of foreign owned chip factories.22. New industries in Britain include______, ______ and other high-tech industries.23. The party which wins the second largest number of seats becomes the official ______, with its ownleader and “______ cabinet”.24. The Prime Minister is appointed by ______, and his/her official residence is _____.25. There are two tiers of local government throughout England and Wales: _____ and ______.26. The criminal law in Britain presumes the _____ of the accused until he has been proved guiltybeyond reasonable doubt.27. The jury usually consists of _______ persons in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and _____persons in Scotland.28. The ultimate court of appeal in civil cases throughout the UK is _______.29. In Britain the welfare state applies mainly to _____, national insurance and ______.30. The two established churches in Britain are ____ and _____.31. Education in the UK is compulsory for all between the ages of (______ in Northen Ireland) and_____.32. In the past children in Britain were allocated to different secondary schools on the basis of selection tests known as _______, which was replaced by ______.33. Education after 16 in the UK is divided into _____ and ______.34. The most-known universities in Britain are _____ and _____ which date from the _____ and _____centuries.35. In ____, Alaska and Havaii became the 49th and 50th states.36. In the Great Lakes, only _____ belongs to U.S. completely while the other four are shared withGanada.37. _______ is separated from the main land by Canada.38. The Rockies, the backbone of the North American Continent, is also known as _____.39. _____ is the largest continental state in area in the U.S.40. The West can be divided into three parts: the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains and _____.41. The South is the headquarters of a large segment of the ______ and ________ industry.42. New England is sometimes called the ______ of America.43. _______ is considered to be one of the characteristics of the American people since one in fivemoves to a new home every year.44. The first blacks were brought to north America as slaves in _____.45. The largest group of Asian-Americans are the ______.II. Fill in the blanks:1. highlands, lowlands2. west3. Anglo-Saxons, Celts4. Jutes, Saxons, Angles, Angles5. Hastings6. feudal7. Domesday Book, 10868. Thomas Becket9. Black Death, two 10. yeomen 11. the Divine Right of Kings 12. the king, the Parliament 13. Commonwealth, L ord Protector 14. Union, Scotland 15. Whigs Tories Liberal Conservative 16. James Watt steam engine 17. workship 18. Winston Churchill19. oil 20. the North Sea 21. Scotland 22. microprocessors and computer, biotechnology23. Opposition, shadow 24. the Queen, No. 10 Downing 25. country councils, districtcouncils 26. innocence 27. 12, 15 28. the House of Lords 29. the National Health Service,social security 30. the Church of England, the Church of Scotland 31. 5, 4, 16 32.eleven-plus, comprehensive schools 33. further education, high education34. Oxford, Cambridge, 12th, 13th 35. 1959 36. Lake Michigan 37. Alaska 38. the ContinentalDivide 39. Texas 40. the Intermountain Basin and Plateau 41. rocket/missile 42. birthplace43. Mobility 44. 1619 45. Chinese-AmericansIII. Explain the following terms.1. the Hardian’s Wall: I t was one of the two great walls built by the Romans to keep the Picts out ofthe area they had conquered.2. Alfred the Great Alfred was a strong king of the wisemen. It was created by the Anglo-Saxons toadvise the king. It’s the basis of the Privy Council which still exists today.3. William the Conqueror William was Duke of Normandy. He landed his army in Oct, 1066 anddefeated king Harold. Then he was crowned king of England on Christams Day the same year. Heestablished a strong Norman government and the feudal system in England.4. the battle of Hastings In 1066, King Edward died with no heir, the Witan chose Harold as king.William, Duke of Normandy, invaded England. On October 14, the two armies met near Hasting.After a day’s battle, Harold was killed and his army completely defeated. So this battle was very important on the way of the Roman conquest.5. Domesday Book Under William, the feudal system was established. William sent officials tocompile a property record known as Domesday Book, which completed in 1086. It was the result of ageneral survey of England made in 1085. It stated the extent, value, the population, state of cultivation, and ownership of the land. It seemed to the English like the Book of doom on JudgementDay.6. the Great Charter King John’s reign caused much discontent among the barons. In 1215, he wasforced to sign a document, known as Mangna Cara, or the Great Charter. It has 63 clauses. Thoughit has long been regarded as the foundation of English liberities, its spirit was the limitation of theking’s powers, keeping them within the bounds of the feudal law of the land.7. the Hundred Years’ War It referred to the intermittent war between France and England that lastfrom 1337 to 1453. The causes were partly territorial and partly economic. When Edward III claimedthe French Crown but the French refused to recognize, the war broke out. At first the English weresuccessful, but in the end, they were defeated and lost almost all their possessions in France. Theexpelling of the English was a blessing for both countries.War. She8. Joan of Arc She was a national heroine of France during the Hundred Years’ successfully led the French to drive the English out of France.9. the Black Death It was the deadly bubonic plague who spread through Europe in the 14th century. It swept through England without warning and any cure, and sparing no victims. It killedbetween half and one-third of the population of England. Thus, much land was left untended andlabour was short. It caused far-reaching economic consequences.10. the Wars of Roses They referred to the battles between the House of Lancaster and the House ofYork between 1455 and 1485. The former was symbolized by the red rose, and the latter by the whiteone. After the wars, feudalism received its death blow and the king’s power became supreme. Thdor monarchs ruled England and Wales for over two hundred years.daughter and a devout Catholic. When she became Queen, she11. Bloody Mary Henry VIII’ｓpersecuted and burnt many Protestants. So she was given the nickname “Bloody Mary”. Mary is als remembered as the monarch who lost the French port of Calais.12. Elizabeth I One of the greatest monarchs in British history. She reigned England, Wales andIreland for 45 years and remained single. Her reign was a time of confident English nationalism andof great achievements in literature and other arts, in exploration and in battle.13. Oliver Cromwell The leader during the Civil War who led the New Model Army to defeat the kingand condemned him to death. Then he declared England a Commonwealth and made himself Lord ofProtector. He ruled England till the restoration of charles II in 1660.14. the Bill of Rights In 1689, William and Mary accepted the Bill of Rights to be crowned jointly.The bill excluded any Roman Catholic from the succession, confirmed the principle of parliamentarysupremacy and guaranteed free speech within both the two Houses. Thus the age of constitutionalmonarchy began.15. Whigs and Tories It referred to the two party names which originated with the Glorious Revolution of 1688. The Whigs were those who opposed absolute monarchy and supported the rightto religious freedom for Noncomformists. The Tories were those who supported hereditary monarchyand were reluctant to remove kings. The Whigs formed a coalition with dissident Tories and becamethe Liberal Party. The Tories were the forerunners of the Conservative Party.16. James Watt The Scottish inventor who produced an efficient steam engine with rotary motionthat could be applied to textile and other machinery.17. Winston Churchill Prime Minister of Britain during the Second World War. He took over Chamberlain in 1940 and received massive popular support. He led his country to final victory in1945. He was defeated in the general election of 1945, but returned to power in 1951.ed like an18. Agribusiness It refers to the new farming in Britain, because it’s equipped and managindustrial business with a set of inputs into the farm of processes which occur on the farm, andoutputs or products which leave the farm. The emphasis is upon intensive farming, designes to givethe maximum output of crops and animals.19. the British Constitution There is no written constitution in the United Kingdom. The BritishConstitution is not set out in any single document, but made up of statute law, common law andconventions. The Judiciary determines common law and interpret statues.20. Queen Elizabeth II The present Sovereign, born in 1926, came to the throne in 1952 and wascrowned in 1953. The Queen is the symbol of the whole nation, the center of many national ceremonies and the leader of society.21. the Opposition In the General Election, the party which wins the second largest number of seatsbecomes the offcial Opposition, with its own leader and “shadow cabinet”. The aims of the Oppositio are to contribute to the formulation of policy and legislation, to oppose government proposals, toseek amendments to government bills, and to put forward its own policies in order to win the nextgeneral election.22. the Privy Council Formerly the chief source of executive power. It gave the Sovereign privateadvice on the gov ernment of the country. Today its role is mainly formal, advising the (“privy”)Sovereign to approve certain government decrees and issuing royal proclamation. Its membership isabout 400.23. common law A written law gathered from numerous decisions of the courts and other sources.24. the jury A legal system established in England since king Henry II. The jury consists of ordinary,independent citizens summoned by the court: 12 persons in England, Wales and Northern Ireland,and 15 persons in Scotland. In criminal trials by jury, the judge passes sentence but the jury decidethe issue of guilt or innocence.25. the NHS The National Health Service was established in the UK in 1948 and based first on Actsof Parliament. This Service provides for every resident a full range of medical services. It is basedupon the principle that there should be full range of publicly provided services designed to help theindividual stay healthy. It is now a largely free service.26. comprehensive schools State secondary schools which take pupils without reference to abilityand provide a wide-ranging secondary education for all or most of the children in a district. About 90per cent of the state secondary school population in GB attend comprehensive school.27. public schools Fee-paying secondary schools which are longestablished and have gained a reputation for their high academic standards, as well as their exclusiveness and snobbery. The boysfamous schools public schools include such well-known schools as Eton and Harrow, and girls’ include Roedean. Most of the members of the British Establishment were educated at a public school.28. the Great Lakes The Great Lakes are the most important lakes in the United States. They areLake Superior, which is the largest fresh water lake in the world, Lake Michigan —— the only one entirely in the U.S. ——Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. They are all located between Canada and the United States except Lake Michigan.29. New England New England is made up of six states of the North-East. They are Maine, NewHampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. It is sometimes called the birthplace of America.30. baby boom “baby boom” refers to the great increase of birth rate between 1946 and 1964. Peopleborn in this period are called baby bammers.31. the Chinese Exclusion Act It was passed by the U.S. Congress in may, 1882. It stopped Chinese immigration for ten years.32. the Bill of Rights In 1789, James Madison introduced in the House of Representations a seriesof amendments which later were drafted into twelve proposed amendments and sent to the states forratification. Ten of them were ratified in 1791 and became the first ten amendments to the Constitution —— the Bill of Rights.33. the Emancipation Proclamation During the Civil war, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation to get more support for the Union at home and abroad. It granted freedom to all slaves.34. the Constitutional Convention In 1787, a conference was held in Philadelphia to consider whatshould be done to make the Articles of Confederation adequate. All the delegates agreed to revise theArticles of Confederation and draw up a new plan of government. After struggle, the Constitution wasratified at last. This conference is called the Constitutional Convertion.35. the Progressive Movement The Progressive Movement is a movement demanding governmentregulation of the economy and social conditions. It spread quickly with the support of large numbersof people across the country. It was not an organized campaign with clearly defined goals.36. the Peace Conference The Peace Conference or the Paris Conference, began on January 18,1919. The conference was actually a conference of division of colonies of Germany, Austro-Hungaryand the Ottoman Empire and the grabbing of as much as possible from the defeated nations. It wasdominated by the Big Four (the United States, Britain. France, and Italy)37. the Truman Doctrine: On March 12, 1949, President Truman put forward the Truman Doctrinein a speech to the joint session of Congress. The Truman Doctrine meant to say that the U.S. government would support any country which said it was fighting against Communism.38. the Marshall Plan On June 5, 1947, the Secretary of State George Marshall announced theMarshall Plan, which meant that in order to protect Western Europe from possible Soviet expansion,the United States decided to offer Western European countries economic aid.39. the New Frontier It was the President Kennedy’s program which promised civil rights for blacks, federal aid to farmers and to education, medical care for all and the abolition of poverty.40. checks and balances:The government is divided into three branches, the legislative, the executive and the judicial, eachhas part of the powers but not all the power. And each branch of government can check, or block, theactions of the other branches. The three branches are thus in balance. This called “checks and balances”．IV. Answer briefly the following questions.1. What do you know about the Roman invasion of Britain? —— In 55 BC and 54 BC, Julius Caesar, a Roman general, invaded Britain twice. In AD 43, the Emperor Claudius invaded Britainsuccessfully. For nearly 400 years Britain was under the Roman occupation, though it was never atotal occupation. British recorded history begins with the Roman invasion.2. Why did the William the Conqueror invade England after Edward’s death?—— It was said that king Edward had promised the English throne to William but the Witan chose Harold as king. SoWilliam led his army to invade England. In October 1066, during the important battle of Hastings,William defeated Harold and killed him. On Christmas Day, William was crowned king of England,thus beginning the Norman Conquest of England.3. What were the consequences of the Norman Conquest?——The Norman Conquest of 1066 isone of the best known events in English history. It brought about many consequences. William confiscated almost all the land and gave it to his Norman followers. He replaced the weak Saxon rulewith a strong Norman government. So the feudal system was completely established in England.Relations with the Continent were opened, and civilization and commerce were extended. Norman-French culture, language, manners, and architecture were been introduced. The churchwas brought into closer connection with Rome, and the church courts were separated from the civilcourts.4. What were the contents and the significance of the Great Charter?—— The Great Charter, orthe Magna Carta, was document signed in 1215 between the barons and king John. It had altogether63 clauses, of which the most important contents were these: (1) no tax should be made without theapproval of the Grand Council; (2) no freeman should be arrested, imprisoned, or deprived of hisproperty except by the law of the land; (3) the church should possess all its rights and privileges; (4)London and other towns should retain their ancient rights and privileges; (5) there should be thesame weights and measures throughout the country. The Great Charter was a statement of the feudal and legal relationship between the Crown and the barons, a guarantee of the freedom of theChurch and a limitation of the powers of the king. The spirit of the Great Charter was the limitationof the powers of the king, but it has long been regarded as the foundation of English liberties.5. What do you know about the English Renaissance?——Renaissance was the revival of classical literature and artistic styles in European history. It began in Italy in the early 14th centuryand spread to England in the late 15th century. The English Renaissance had 5 characteristics: (1)English culture was revitalized not so much directly by the classics as by contemporary Europeansunder the influence of the classics; (2) England as an insular country followed a course of social andpolitical history which was to a great extent independent of the course of history else where in Europe; (3) Owning to the great genius of the 14th century poet chaucer, the native literature wasvigorous enough and experienced in assimilating foreign influences without being subjected by them;。
