英语国家概况名词解释汇总

英语国家概况名词解释系列（

1

）

Amerigo Vespucci---- Amerigo Vespucci, a navigator, proved that the land was not India,but a new

continent. Therefore, the land was named America after.

The Puritans----The Puritans were wealthy, well-educated gentlemen. They wanted to purify the

Church of England and threatened with religious persecution, the Puritans leaders saw the New

world as the a refuge provided by God for those He meant to save.

（

2

）

The Bill of Rights----In 1789, James Madison introduced in the House of Representatives a series

of amendments which later were drafted into twelve proposed amendments and sent to the states

for ratification. Ten of them were ratified in 1791 and the first ten amendments to the constitution

were called the Bills of Rights because they were to insure individual liberties.

The

Emancipation

Proclamation ----After

the

Civil

war

began,

Lincoln

issued

the

Emancipation

Proclamation to win more support at home and abroad. It granted freedom to all slaves in areas

still controlled by the Confederacy.

（

3

）

Pilgrims Thanksgiving Day----The Pilgrims in 1620, 201 of them sailed to the New World in a

ship called Mayflower. The first winter after their arrival was very cold and when spring came,

half of them were dead. Then the Indians came to their help and taught them how to grow corn.

They

had

a

good

harvest

that

year.

So

they

invited

the

Indians

and

held

the

first

Thanksgiving

celebration in America to give thanks to God.

The

Chunnel----In

1985

the

British

government

and

French

government

decided

to

build

a

channel tunnel, which is called “Chunnel”, under the Straits of Dover so that England and France

could be joined together by road. The Chunnel was open to traffic in May 1994.

（

4

）

Eisteddfod----

Eisteddfod is the Welsh word for “sitting” National Eidteddfod is the most famous

festival of music and verse in Wales. It takes place each August and lasts for about a week. The

highlight

of

the

festival

is

competition

for

the

best

epic

poem

about

Wales

written

and

read

in

Welsh. The winner is crowned Board, considered the supreme honour in Wales. In this way the

Welsh people keep the Welsh language and culture alive.

Cockney----A cockney is a Londoner who is born within the sound of Bow Bells-the Bells of the

church of St. Mary-LeBow in east London.

（

5

）

Stonehenge----It

is

a

group

of

huge

monuments

of

grant

rock

Slabs

on

salisbury

plain

in

Southwest

England

built

as

long

ago

as

the

New

Stone

Age.

It

is

generally

believed

that

stonehenge served some sort of religious purposes.

The Celts----The Celts came to Britain in three main waves. The first wave were the Gales, the

second

wave

were

the

Brythons

and

the

Belgae

came

about

150BC.

The

Celts

were

practised

farmers. The Celtic tribes are ancestors of the Highland Scots, the Irish and the Welsh, And their

languages are the basis of both Welsh and Gaelic. They religion was Druidism.

（

6

）

Norman Conquest----The Norman Conquest of 1066 is perhaps the best-known event in English

history. William the conqueror confiscated almost all the land and gave it to his Norman followers.

He replaced the weak Saxon rule with a strong Norman government. So the feudal system

was

completely established in England.

Alfred the Great----He was king of Wessex, one of the seven Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms. It was he

who led the Anglo-Saxon to flight against the invading Danes and maintained peace for a long

time.

Alfred

was

not

only

a

brave

king

at

wartime,

but

also

a

wise

king

at

peacetime.

He

encouraged

education

and

introduced

a

legal

system.

He

is

known

as

“the

father

of

the

British

navy”.

（

7

）

St. Augustine----

In 597,Pope Gregory I sent St. Augustine, the Prior of St. Andrew’s Monastery in

Rome, to England to convert the heathen English to Christianity. That year, St. Augustine became

the first Archbishop of Canterbury. Augustine was remarkably successful in converting the king

and

the

nobility,

but

the

conversion

of

the

common

people

was

largely

due

to

the

missionary

activities of the monks in the north.

Domesday

Book----It

is

a

book

compiled

by

a

group

of

clerks

under

the

sponsorship

of

King

William the First in 1086. The book was in fact a property record. It was the result of a general

survey of England. It recorded the extent, value, state of cultivation, and ownership of the land. It

was

one

of

the

important

measures

adopted

by

William

I

to

establish

the

full

feudal

system

in

England. Today, it is kept in the Public Records Office in London.

（

8

）

Geoffrey Chaucer----He was an important English poet in the fourteenth century. His best known

is

The

Canterbury

Tales,

which

describes

a

group

of

pilgrims

travelling

to

Canterbury

to

visit

Thomas Becket’s tomb. Because he was the first important English poet to write in English. He

has been known as the “Father of English Poetry”.

The Black Death----It is a modern name given to the dearly bubonic plague, an epidemic disease

spread

through

Europe

in

the

fourteenth

century

particularly

in

1348-1349.

It

came

without

warning,

and

without

any

cue.

In

England,

it

killed

almost

half

of

the

total

population,

causing

far-reaching economic consequences.

（

9

）

The Wars of Roses

玫瑰战争

----the name Wars of the Roses was refer to the battles between the

House of Lancaster, symbolized by the read rose, and that of York, symbolized by the white, from

1455 to 1485. Henry Tudor, descendant of Duke of Lancaster won victory at Bosworth Fireld in

1485

and

put

ht

country

under

the

rule

of

the

Tudors.

From

these

Wars,

English

feudalism

received its death blow. The great medieval nobility was much weakened.

The Glorious Revolution of 1688

光荣革命

---- In 1685 Charles II died and was succeeded by his

brother

James

II.

James

was

brought

up

in

exile

in

Europe,

was

a

Catholic.

He

hoped

to

rule

without giving up his personal religious vies. But England was no more tolerant of a Catholic king

in

1688

than

40

years

ago.

So

the

English

politicians

rejected

James

II,

and

appealed

to

a

Protestant

king,

William

of

Orange,

to

invade

and

take

the

English

throne.

William

landed

in

England in 1688. The takeover was relatively smooth, with no bloodshed, nor any execution of the

king. This was known as the Glorious Revolution.

（

10

）

The Gunpowder Plot of 1605

火药阴谋案

----The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 was the most famous

of the Catholic conspiracies. On Nov. 5,1605, a few fanatical Catholics attempted to blow King

James and his ministers up in the House of Parliament where Guy Fawkes had planted barrels of

gun-powder

in

the

cellars.

The

immediate

result

was

the

execution

of

Fawkes

and

his

fellow-conspirators and imposition of severe anti-Catholic laws. The long- term result has been an

annual celebration on Nov. 5, when a bonfire is lit to turn a guy and a firework display is arranged.

Blood Mary

血腥玛丽

----It is the nickname given to Mary I, the English Queen who succeeded to

the throne after Henry VIII. She was a devout Catholic and had so many Protestants burnt to death

that she is remembered less by her official title Mary I by her nickname Blood Mary.

（

11

）

< /p>

Thatcherism

撒切尔主义

-- --The

election

of 1979

returned

the

Conservative

Party

to

power

and

Margaret Thatcher became the first woman prime minister in Britain. Her policies are popularly

referred

to

as

state-owned

industries,

the

use

of

monetarist

policies

to

control

inflation,

the

weaking of trade forces unions, the strengthening of the role of market forces in the economy, and

an emphasis on law and order.

The Trade Union Act of 1871

工会法

----It legalized the trade unions and give financial security. It

meant that in law there was no difference between money for benefic purposes and collecting it to

support strike action.

（

12

）

< /p>

Agribusiness

农业产业

-- --The

new

farming

has

been

called < /p>

“

agribusiness

”

,

because

it

is

equipped

and

managed

like

an

industrial

business

with

a

set

of

inputs

into

the

processes

which

occur on the farm and outputs or products which leave the farm.

British disease

英国病

----The term

“

British disease

”

is now often used to characterize Britain

’

s economic decline.

（

13

）

Constitutional monarchy

君主立宪制

----It is a political system that has been practised in Britain

since the Glorious revolution of 1688. According to this system, the Constitution is superior to the

Monarch.

In

law,

the

Monarch

has

many

supreme

powers,

but

in

practice,

the

real

power

of

monarchy has been greatly reduced and today the Queen acts solely on the advice of her ministers.

She reigns but does not rule. The real power lies in the Parliament, or to be exact, in the House of

Commons.

Privy Council

枢密院

----A consultative body of the British monarch. Its origin can be traced back

to

the

times

of

the

Norman

Kings.

After

the

Glorious

Revolution

of

1688,

its

importance

was

gradually

diminished

and

replaced

by

the

Cabinet.

Today,

it

is

still

a

consultation

body

of

the

British monarch, Its membership is about 400, and includes al Cabinet ministers, the speaker of

the

House

of

Commons,

the

Archbishops

of

Canterbury

and

York,

and

senior

British

and

Commonwealth statesmen.

（

14

）

The National Health Service----It is a very important part of the welfare system in Britain. It is a

nationwide organization based on Acts of Parliament. It provides all kinds of free or nearly free

medical treatment both in hospital and outside. It is financed mainly by payments by the state out

of general taxation. People are not obliged to use this service. The service is achieving its main

objectives with outstanding success.

Comprehensive

schools----Comprehensives

schools

take

pupils

without

reference

to

ability

or

aptitude

and

provide

a

wide- ranging

secondary

education

for

all

or

most

of

the

children

in

a

district.

（

15

）

Reuters----It

was

founded

in

1851

by

the

German,

Julius

Reuter.

It

is

now

a

publicly

owned

company, employing over 11000 staff in 80 countries. It has more than 1300 staff journalists and

photographers.

The Crown Court----A criminal court that deals with the more serious cases and holds sessions in

towns throughout England and Wales. It is presided over either by a judge from the High Court of

Justice or a local full-time judge.

（

16

）

The Great lakes----The Great

Lakes are the five lakes in the northeast. They are

Lake Superior

which

is

the

largest

fresh

water

lake

in

the

world,

Lake

Michigan

(the

only

one

entirely

in

the

U.S.),

Lake

Huron,

Lake

Eire

and

Lake

Ontario.

They

are

all

located

between

Canada

and

the

United States expect Lake Michigan.

The Mississippi----

The Mississippi has been called “father of waters “or” old man river”. It and Its

tributaries

drain

one

of

the

richest

farm

areas

in

the

world.

It

is

the

fourth

longest

river

in

the

world and the most important river in the United States.

（

17

）

Uncle

Tom’s

Cabin

----It

was

a

sentimental

but

powerful

antislavery

novel

written

by

Harriet

Beecher Stowe. It converted many readers to the abolitionist cause.

Gettysburg----It refer to the short speech President Lincoln made when he dedicated the national

cemetery at Gettyburg. He ended the speech with “the government of the people, by the people,

for the people, shall not perish from the earth”.

（

18

）

The

Red

Scare---- When

the

WWI

was

over,

there

existed

a

highly

aggressive

and

intolerant

nationalism. Between 1919 and 1920, the Red Scare happened. On Nov.7,1919 and Jan.2,1920,

the

Justice

Department

launched

two

waves

of

mass

arrests.

Over

4000

suspected

Communists

and radical were arrested.

The New Deal----In order to deal with the Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt put forward

the New Deal program. It passed a lot of New Deal laws and set up many efficient social security

systems. The New Deal helped to save American democracy and the development of American

economy.

（

19

）

Truman Doctrine----On Mar.12, 1949, President Truman put forward the Truman Doctrine in his

speech to the joint session of Congress. The Doctrine meant to support any country which said it

was fighting communism.

Marshall Plan----It was announced by George Marshall on June.5, 1947, and was the economic

aid plan for Western Europe. It was also used to prevent the loss of Western Europe into the Soviet

sphere.

（

20

）

London

smog----In

195,

the

sulphur

dioxide

in

the

four-day

London

smog,

an

unhealthy

atmosphere formed by mixing smoke and dirt with fog. It left 4000 people dead or dying. Since

then most cities in Britain have introduced “clean air zones” whereby factories and households are

only allowed to burn smokeless fuel.

Family Doctor----In order to obtain the benefits of the NHS a person must normally be registered

on

the

list

of

a

general

practitioner,

sometimes

known

as

a

“family

doctor”.

The

family

doctor

gives treatment or prescribes medicine, or, if necessary, arranges for the patient to go to hospital or

to be seen at home by a specialist.

（

21

）

Marvellous

Melbourne---- After

the

gold

rush

in

1850s

and

1860s,

there

was

an

important

revolution in transport, especially with the network of tram and railway systems. This changed the

pace

of

urban

life

and

the

appearance

of

the

city

and

soon

people

were

calling

the

city

“Marvellous

Melbourne”.

But

by

the

1890s

outsiders

were

calling

the

city

“Marvellous

Melbourne” because of the bad smell of the city.

Waitangi Day----In 1840 the first official governor, William Hobson, was sent to negotiate with

Maori leaders. In 1840 Hobson, representing Queen Victoria, and some Maori chiefs, signed the

Treaty of Waitangi. Modern New Zealand was founded. The anniversary of the signing, February

6, is celebrated as New Zealand National Day, Waitangi Day, and is a national holiday.

（

22

）

Multiculturalism----The term multiculturalism was coined in Canada in the late 1960s. It was in

official use in Australia by 1973. In other words, under multiculturalism migrant groups are able

to

speak

their

own

language

and

maintain

their

own

customs.

Multiculturalism

as

a

policy

recognizes

that

social

cohesion

is

attained

by

tolerating

differences

within

an

agreed

legal

and

constitutional framework.

Quiet Revolution----Ever since 1763, when France lost its empire in North America to England,

French Canadians have struggled to preserve their language and culture. In the early 1960s French

Canadians became more vocal in their protests. In particular, they complained that were kept out

of jobs in government and in some large businesses because they spoke only French. They have

been struggling more rights common which was called “Quiet revolution”.

英语国家概况精讲系列（一）

Chapter 1

第一章

Land and People

英国的国土与人民

I. Different Names for Britain and its Parts

英国的不同名称及其各组成部分

phical names: the British Isles, Great Britain and England.

地理名称：不列颠群岛，大不列颠和英格兰。

al name: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

官方正式名称：大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国。

British Isles are made up of two large islands-Great Britain (the larger one) and Ireland, and

hundreds of small ones.

不列颠群岛由两个大岛—大不列颠岛（较大的一个）和爱尔兰岛，及成千上万个小岛组成。< /p>

political divisions on the island of Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales.

大不列颠岛上有三个政治区：英格兰、苏格兰和威尔士。

(1) England is in the southern part of Great Britain. It is the largest, most populous section.

英格兰位于大不列颠岛南部，是最大，人口最稠密的地区。

(2) Scotland is in the north of Great Britain. It has three natural zones (the Highlands in the north;

the Central lowlands; the south Uplands) Capital: Edinburgh

苏格兰位于大不列颠的北 部。它有三大自然区：北部高地，中部低地及南部山陵。首府：爱

丁堡。

(3) Wales is in the west of Great Britain. Capital: Cardiff

威尔士位于大不列颠的西部。首府：加的夫

(4) Northern Ireland is the fourth region of the UK. Capital: Belfast.

北爱尔兰是英国第四个区域。首府：贝尔法斯特。

Commonwealth (of nations) is a free association of independent countries that were once

colonies of Britain. It was founded in 1931, and has 50 member countries until 1991.

英联邦是曾为英国殖民地的、但现已独立国家所构成的自由联合体。它成立 于

1931

年，至

1990

50

个成员国。

II. Geographical Features

英国的地理特征

phical position of Britain:

英国的地理位置：

Britain is an island country surrounded by the sea. It lies in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north

coast of Europe. It is separated from the rest of Europe by the English Channel in the south and

the North Sea in the east.

英国是一个岛国。

它位于大西洋北部，

与欧 洲大陆的北海岸隔海相望。

南面的英吉利海峡和

东面的北海将它 与欧洲其它部分隔开。

north

and

west

of

Britain

are

mainly

highlands;

and

the

east

and

southeast

are

mostly

lowlands.

英国的西部和北部主要是高地，东部和东南部主要是低地。

III. Rivers and Lakes

河流与湖泊

Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in Britain (1,343m).

1,343

米。< /p>

Severn River is the longest river in Britain (338km).

塞文河是英国最长的河流。全 长

338

公里。

Thames River is the second longest and most important river in Britain. (336km).

< br>泰晤士河是英国第二大河，也是英国最重要的河。全长

336

公里。

Lough

Neagh

is

the

largest

lake

in

Britain

which

is

located

in

Northern

Ireland.

(396

square

kilometres).

< br>讷湖（内伊湖）是英国最大的湖，位于北爱尔兰。面积为

396

< br>平方公里。

River Clyde is the most important river in Scotland.

克莱德河是苏格兰最重要的河流。

Snowdonia is the highest mountain in Wa les.

（

1,085m

）