英语国家概况课后问题答案

Chapter 1 land and people are the differences between Britain and the British

Isles, Great Britain,England,the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth? The

British Isles,Greant Britina and England are geographical names, no the official names of

the country,while the official name is the United Kingdom,but the full name is the United

Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern British Commonwealth is a free

association of independent countries that were once colonies of Britian. be the

geographical position of Britian? Britain is an island country. It lies in the north Atlantic

Ocean off the north coast of is separated from the rest of Europe by the English

channel in the south and the North Sea in the east. bouts in Great Britain are

mostly highland and lowland? The north and west of Britain are mainly highland, while the

south and south-east are mostly lowlands. Britain have a favourable climate? why?

Yes,it has a favourable climate, because it has a maritime type of climate--- winters are

mild,not too cold and summers are cool, not too has a steady reliable rainfall

throughout the whole has a small range of temperature,too. are the factors

which influence the climate in Britain? Which part of Britain has the most rainfall and

which part is the driest? The factors which influence the climate in Britain are the following

three:1)The surrounding waters balance the seasonal differences;2)the prevailing

south-west winds bring warm and wet air in winter and keep the temperatures

moderate;3)the North Atlantic Drift,a warm current,passes the western coast of the British

Isles and warms them. The northwestern part has the most rainfall,while the south-eastern

corner is the driest. be the di

stribution of Britain’s population. Britain has a

population of 57 million. It is densely populated, with an average of 237people per square

kilometre. It is also very unevenly distributed , with 90%of the population in urban

areas,10% in rural areas. Geographically, most British people live in England. Of the total of

57 million people, 47 million live in England, 14 million live in London and Southeastern

England. are the three natural zones in Scotland? The three natural zones in

Scotland are : the Highlands in the north, the central Lowlands ,and the southern Uplands.

is the difference between the ancestors of the English and Scots, Welsh and Irish?

The ancestors of the English are Anglo-Saxons,while the Scots,Welsh and rish are Celts.

are the differences in character and speech between southern England and

northern England? How do the Welsh keep their language and culture alive? The Welsh

are emotional and cheerful Scots are hospitable ,generous and

are known for their charm and vivacity as well as for the beauty of their Irish girls.

Throughout the year they have festivals of song and dance and poetry called

these occasions competitions are held in Welsh poetry,music,singing and

art and in this way they keep the Welsh language and Welsh culture alive. is the

main problem in Northern Ireland? Hundreds of years ago Scots and English Protestants

were sent to live in Northern then there has been bitter fighting between the

Protestants and the Roman former are the dominant group,while the latter

are seeking more social,plitical and economic british Government and

the government of Ireland are now working together to bring peace to Northern Ireland.

Chapter 2 The Origins of a Nation 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 Britain nearly 400 years Britain was under

the Roman occupation. Though it was never a total occupation. British recorded history

begins with the Roman invasion. was the Roman influence on Britain so limited?

Britain was under the Roman occupation for nearly 400 years. The Romans built many

towns,roads,baths,temples and make good use of Britain’s natural

also brought the new religion,Christianity,to r,although

Britain became part of the Roman Empire,Roman influence upon Britain was very

Romans treated the Britains as a subject people of slave never

romans has no influence on the language or culture of ordinary Britains.

were the Anglo- Saxons and how did the Heptarchy come into being? The

Anglo-Saxons referred to the three Teutonic tribes who invaded Britain in the mid-5th

were Jutes,Saxons and Angles. In the 7th century, the Anglo-Saxons invaded

Britain and the three tribes settled in different part of britain which was divided into many

small kingdoms of Kent,Sussex,Wessex,East Anglia,Mercia and they have

been given the name of Heptarchy. were the early Anglo-Saxons converted to

Christainity? The Anglo-Saxons brought their own Teutonic religion to Britain when they

invaded Britain,and Christianity was only a fringe , in 579,Pope Gregory I sent St.

Augustine to England to convert the heathen English to ine was very

successful in converting the king and the nobility, and became the first Archbishop of

the conversion of the common people was largely due to the missionary

activities of the monks in the samll monasteries sprang up throughout the

ocuntry. contributions did the early Anglo-Sasons make to the English state?

Though the anglo-Saxons were brutal people, they laid the foundation of the English

y, the modern names of “England”and “English”derived from the

ly,they divided the country into shires, with shire courts and shire reaves, or

sheriffs, responsible for administering y ,they divised the narrow-strip,three-field

farming system which continued to the 18th ly , they also eatablished the

manorial system, whereby the lord of the manor collected taxes and organized the local

y , they crated the Witan to advise the king, the basis of the Privy Council which

still exists today. were the Vikings and how did they invade Britain.? The Vikings

were the Norwegians and the Danes from attacked various part of England

from the end of the 8th century. They bacame a serious problem in the 9th

century,especially between 835and 878. They even managed to capture York, an

important center of Christianity in 867. They gained control of the north nad east of

England.

do you know about king Alfred ? What makes him worthy of the title of

“Alfred the Great”? Alfred was the king of Wessex. He defeated the Danes who attacked

England and reached an agreement with them in 879. The Danes gained control of the

north and east, while Alfred ruled the rest. He also converted some leading Danes into

Christains. Alfred is known as “the father of the British navy” as he founded a strong fleet

to beat the Danes at sea, to protect the coasts and to encourage trade. He recogonized

the Saxon army to make it more efficient. He even translated Bede’s Ecclesiastial History of

the English people from Latin to English. He also establish schools and formulated a legal

system. All this makes him worthy of his title”Alfred the Great”. did the William the

Conqueror invade England after Edward’s death? It was said the king Edward had

promised the English throne to William, but the Witan chose Harold as king. So , William

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. were the consequences

of the Norman conquest? The Norman Conquest of 1066 is one of the best known events

in English history, It brought about many consequences. William confiscated almost the

land and gave it to his Norman followers. He replaced the weak Saxons rule with a strong

Norman the feudal system was conpletely established in England.

Relations with the continent were opened, and civilization and commerce were extended.

Normand-French culture,language,manners,and architecture were church

was brought into closer connection with Roma,and the courts were separated from the

civil courts. do we say that the English nation is a mixture of nationalities of

different orgins? The population of Britain is made up of the English ,the Scotish,the

Welsh,the Irish,the Northern Irish and other peoples. The formation is complicated

because England was invaded by different races at various times from Europe. Besides the

early settles,the Iberians,and the Celts,including Gaels and Britons, Roman occupied

Britain for nearly 400 years after 55BC. Then the invasions of Anglo-Saxons helped to form

English race and language and laid the foundation of the English state. After that, was the

invasions of the Vikings and y, in 1066, William of Normandy invaded England

and began the age of the Norman Conquest which resulted in great French influence.

Therefore,many different people of different origins are living in ’s the reason

why we say English nation is a mixture of nationalities of different origins.

Chapter 3 T

he

Shaping of the Nation was feudalism like in England under the rule of William the

Conqueror? Under the rule of William the Conqueror,the feudal system in England was

completely established. According to this system, the king owned all the land

m gave his barons large estates in returnfor military services and a

proportion of the land’s estates were scattered all over the king. Then, the

barons parceled out land to the lesser nobles,knights and freemen,also in return for goods

and the bottom of the feudal scale were the serfs. One peculiar feature of the

feudal system of England was that all landowners must take the oath of allegiance not

only to their immediate lord,but also to the king. did King Henry II consolidate the

monarchy? Henry II took some measure to consolidate the monarchy. He forced the

Flemish mercenaries to have England; recalled grants of Royal lands made By

Stephen;demolished scores of castles built in Stephen’s time;strengthened and widened

the powers of his sheriffs and relied for armed support upon a militia composed of English

freemen. did king Henry II reform the courts and the law? Henry II was the first king

of the House of greatly strengthened the king’s Court and exte

nded its

judicial Henry II’s reign a common law,which over

-rode local law and private

Henry’s day the jury system was at last replacing old English ordeals by fire and water and

old Norman trials by battle. was the quarrel between king Henry II and Thomas

Becket? The Great Council of Henry II drew up the Constitutions of Clarendon in 1164 to

increase the jurisdiction of the civil courts at the expense of the church

reluctantly signed the shortly afterwards rejected II was so

angry that he drove Becket into exile. was the contents and the significance of the

Great charter? Contents:no tax should be made without the approval of the Grand

Council;no freeman should be arrested,imprisoned,or deprived of his property except by

the law of the land;the Church should possess all its rights,together with freedom of

elections;London and other towns should retain their ancient rights and privileges,and

there should be the same weights and measures throughout the country. It was a

statement of the feudal and legal relationship between the Crown and the barons,a

guarantee of the freedom of the Church and a limitation of the power of the king.

and how did the English Parliament come into being? Hen

ry III’s many measure was

brought matters between he and barons to a the barons force the king to swear

and accept the Provisions of Oxford. Simon de Montfort summoned in 1265 the Great

Council to meet at Westminster, together with two knights from each country and two

burgesses from each town,a metting which has been seen as that the earliest parliament.

were the causes of the Hundred Years’ War? The causes were partly territorial and

partly economic. harm did the Black Death do to the English society? The Black

Death swept through England in 1348-1349 without warning and any reduced

England’s population from four million to two million and the economic consequences

were far reaching. Much land was left untended and there was a terrible shortage of

labour. The surviving peasants were in favourable position to demand higher wages and

changed their serfdom into paid labourers. So the government issued statutes of

Labourers to protect the interests of landowners. These repressive measures and a series

of poll taxes caused much hatred and resulted in the Peasant Uprising in 1381. do

you know about Wat Tyler’s Uprising? The uprising broke out in Kent and Essex in 1381

and was led by Wat Tyler and Jack Straw. Tyler led the mared villagers to occupy London.

The king was forced to accept their demands. Most of the rebels dispersed and went

home, while Tyler and other leader stayed on for more rights. Tyler was killed at a meeting

with the king,who suppressed the Uprising brutally. Although the Uprising failed,it had

great importance in English history. It directed against the rich clergy, the lawyers and the

landowners. It effectively blew the serfdom,and a new class of yeomen farmers

emerged,paving the way for the development of capitalism. were the

Lollards?what role did they play in the Peasant Uprising of 1381? The Lollards were poor

priests and travelling preachers who were John Wyclif’s followers in the 14th century. They

went about preaching the equality of men before god. The most famous one was John

Ball. Their ideas provided mental preparation for the Peasant Uprising of 1381. Chapter 4

Transition to the Modern Age do you know about the nature and consequences of

the Wars of the Roses? In 1453 England was at l

ast defeated in the Hundred Years’ War, at

this time power in England was in the hands of a number of rich and ambitious nobles.

Because the Hundred Years’ War ended,they had to seek a new outlet for their ambition

by a attempt to dominate the government at home . There was also a mass of

unemployed soldiers. In 1455,war broke out between the House of Lancaster,symbolized

by the red rose,and that of York,symbolized by the white rose. Although the Wars of the

Roses were waged intermittently for thirty years, ordinary people were little affected.

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

discredited. The king’s power became supreme. From then on,five Tudor monarchs ruled

England and Wales for over two hundred years. and how did the Reformation

happen in England? And what was the effect? The reform began as a struggle for a divorce

and ended in freedom from the Papacy(

罗马教皇

). They stressed the power of the

monarch and certainly strengthened Henry’s position. Parliament had never done such a

long and important piece of work before; His attack on the Pope’s power encouraged

many critics of the abuses of the Catholic Church to expect some movement wawy from

Catholicism towards Protestant ideology.

did Queen Elizabeth deal with the religious problem after she became Queen

of the country? Elizabeth’s religious reform was a compromise of views. She broke Mary’s

ties with

Rome and restored her father’s independent church of England, i.e. keeping to

Catholic doctrines and practices but to be free of the Papal control. Her religious

settlement waas unacceptable to both the extreme Protestants known as Puritans and to

ardent Catholics. do you know about the English Renaissance? The English

Renaissance had 5characteristics:1)English culture was revitalized not so much directly by

the classics as by contemporary Europeans under the influence of the classics; 2)England

was a great extent independent of the course of history elsewhere in Europe; 3)owing to

the great genius of the 14th century Chaucer,the native literature was sufficiently vigorous

and experienced in assimilating foreign influences without being subjected by them;

4)English Renaissance literature is primarily artistic,rather than philosophical and

scholarly;and 5)the Renaissance coincided with the Reformation in England. was

the absolute rule of James I of England? How did the Puritans think about the K

ing’s rule?

He is a firm believer in the Divine Right of Kings. In early time they were happy to have

James as king because the Scottish Church was a pure Protestant Church with

democratically elected later they increasingly suspected him of being a secret

Catholic. And James had little sympathy with their demands. do you know about

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

Cathlic conspiracies. On November 5, 1605, a few fanatical Catholics attempt to blow King

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

barrels of gun-powdeer in the cellars. The immediate result was the execution of Fawkes

and his fellow-conspirators and the imposition of severe anti-Catholic laws. did the

Civil Wars break out?What were the consequences of the Civil Wars? King Charles I

rejected the demands of the Parliament ,and the Parliament concluded that the only way it

could impress it views on such a king would be to defeat him in battle. Charles was

condemned to death. The English Civil War not only overthrew feudal system in England

but also shook the foundation of the feudal rule in is generally regarded as the

beginning of modern world history. were the Commonwealth and the

protectectorate? After king Charle’s execution in 1649, Oliver Cromwell and the Long

Parliament declared England a Commonwealth. One of Cromwell’s first acts was to crush

without mercy a rebellion in Ireland. Another was the suppression of the Levellers, a group

within his own army. In 1653, Cromwell became Lord protector of the Commonwealth of

England. He instituted direct military rule by dividing the coutry into 11 districts

commanded by major generals. The characteristics of this Period were:the destruction of

numerous treasures in churches and cathedrals throughout the country; establishment of

colonies and colonial trade; religious toleration for all;and greater understanding of the

economy; did the Restoration take place? When Oliver Cromwell died in 1658 and

was succeeded by his son,Richard,The regime began to collapse. One of Cromwell’s

generals occupied London and arranged for new parliamentary elections. The Parliament

thus was elected in 1660, and to resolve the crisis, it as

ked the late king’s son to return

from his exile in France as king Charles II, It was called the Restoration. did the

“Glorious Revolution”break out? What was the significance of it? In 1685 Charles II died

and was succeeded by his brother James II. James , who was brought up in exile in Europe,

was a Catholic. He hoped to rule without giving up his personal religious views. But

England was no more tolerant of a Catholic king in 1688 than 40years ago. So the

Protestant king , William of Orange, to invade and take the English throne. William landed

in England in 1688. The takeover was relatively sommoth, with no bloodshed,nor any

execution of the king. This was known as the Glorious m and his wife

Mary were both protestants and became co-monarchs. They accepted the Bill of Rights.

It’s the beginning of the age of constitutional monarchy. Chapter 5 The Rise and Fall of the

British Empire were the parliamentary politics like in the late 18th and early 19th

centuries. Whigs stood for 1) a reduction in Crown patronage(

保护

)2)shypathy towards

Nonconformists(

新教徒

)3)care for the interests of merchants and bankers. Tories were

traditionalits who wanted to preserve the powers of the monarchy and the Church of

England. is your comment on land enclosures in England? Agricultural enclosure

became frequent in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It has good as well as bad

results:1) Farms became bigger and bigger units as the great bought up the samll;2)more

vegetables ,more milk and more dairy produce were consumed,and diet became

varied.3)enclosure was a disaster for the tenants evicted from their lands by the

enclosure.4)a new class hostility was introduced into rural relationships. Concentration of

land in fewer hands increased the pr

ice of land and dashed the labourers’ hopes of even

owning his own land. was the industrial revolution? Why was Britain the first

country the start the industrial revolution? The Industrial Revolution refers to the

mechanization of industry and the consequent changes in social and economic

organization in Britain in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. 1)Britain was well placed

geographically to participate in European and world trade;2)Britain has a peaceful

society;3)The limited monarchy ensured that the powerful economic interests in the

community could exert their influence over Government policy;4)It was a country in which

the main towns were never too far from seaprts,or from rivers,which could distribute their

products;5)Britain had many rivers and useful maneral resources; 6)British enginerrs had

sound traning as craftsmen.7)The inventors were respected;8)Probaly laissez faire and

“protestant work ethic” helped.9)The national market was not hindered by internal

customs barrriers.10)The enclosures and other improvements in agriculture made their

contributions by providing food for the rising population,labour for the factories,and

some of the raw materials needed by industry. id the English Industrial Revolution

proceed? The Industrial R

evolution began with the textile industry. It’s characterized by a

series of inventions and improvements of machines,such as John Ray’s flying shuttle,James

Hargreaves’ spinning Jenny, Richard Arkwright’s waterframe and Samuel Crompton’s mule.

The Scottish inventor James Watt produced a very efficient steam engine in 1765,which

could be applied to textile and other machinery. The most important element in speeding

industrialization was the breakthrough in smelting iron with coke instead of charcoal in

1709. Similar developments occurred in the forging side of the iron industry which

enabled iron to replace wool and stone in many sectors of the economy. Improved

transportation ran parallel with production. As a result of the industrial revolution,Britain

was

by 1830 the “workshop of the world”; no other country could compete with her in

industrial production.