英语国家概况社会文化入门简答题整合终极版

英语国家概况社会文化入门

只作参考答案，不是标准答案。

Unit 1

A Brief Introduction to the UK I

was the British Empire? What do you know about it? In what way is the Empire still

felt in Britain and in the international field?

1)The

British

Empire

comprised

the

dominions,

colonies,

protectorates,

mandates

and

other

territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom.

2)The effect of the old imperial role lies in 4 aspects. First, Britain still have a close relationship

with the countries which used to be a part of empire in a organization called Commonwealth of

Nations.

Second,

Britain

had

been

a

member

of

European

Union

since

1973,

which

is

more

important today in Britain

’

s international relationship. Third, Britain is still a relatively wealthy

country

and

a

member

of

the

Group

of

Seven

large

developed

economies.

Fourth,

the

obvious

effect lies in the make-up population. Immigration from some of those Commonwealth countries

has produced a population of which 1 in 20 are of non-European ethnicity.

2. Why does the author say that it is not possible to sum up the British people with a few

simple phrases?

Because Britain is made up of different elements. First, in geography, it includes 4 parts: England,

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Second, it is a multiracial society. There are many different

cultures and religions. Third, it is a society with obvious class-structure, and every class is quite

different in all ways, for example: accent, cloth and so on.

3.

“

British

history

has

been

a

history

of

invasion.

”

please

illustrate

this

point

with

the

examples from the text. How did each of the invasions influence English culture.

In 3000 BC, Britain was settled by Iberians, who left Stonehenge.

From 8th BC to 1st century, Britain was invaded by Celts, who brought Scottish and Irish Gealic

to Britain and brought the name of Britain.

From 43 to 410, Britain was invaded by Romans, who made great contribution to Britain. First,

they brought Christianity to Britain. Second, many English place name were originates from the

Latin

word.

Third,

they

were

marvelous

at

building

roads.

Traces

of

these

roads

still

remain

in

England and Wales. Fourth, they made good use of Britain

’

s natural resources. They built baths,

temples,

and

beautiful

villas

or

large houses

with

heated

floors,

indoor

plumbing, and

beautiful

mosaic floors.

From

449

to

8th

century,

Britain

was

invades

by

Anglo- Saxons.

Their

language

became

old

English that is the basis of modern English. And they brought their Teutomic religion to Britain.

The names of Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday derive from their Gods.

In 8th -1066, Britain was invaded by Vikings. And in 1066 Britain was invades by Normans.

4.

What are some general characteristics of Scotland ? (P7 Scotland

第一第二段

) how did

Scotland become part of the union of Great Britain ? (P8

前

3

句

)

Scotland is the second largest of the four nations, both in population and in geographical area. It

is also the most confident of its own identity because alone amongst the non-English components

of the UK it has previously spent a substantial period of history as a unified state independent of

the UK. Thus it is not a big leap for the Scottish to imagine themselves independent again.

Physically,

Scotland

is

the

most

rugged

part

of

the

UK,

with

areas

of

sparsely

populated

mountains

and

lakes

in

the

north

(The

Highlands),

and

in

the

south

(The

Southern

Uplands).

Three-quarters of the population lives in the lowland zone which spans the country between these

two highland areas. The largest city is Glasgow, in the west of this zone. Scotland's capital city is

Edinburgh, on the east coast forty miles away from Glasgow. It is renowned for its beauty, and

dominated by its great castle on a high rock in the centre of the city. Both cities have ancient and

internationally respected universities dating from the 15th century.

In 1603, however, Queen Elizabeth the First of England died childless, and the next in line to

the throne was James the Sixth of Scotland, so he also became James the Frist of England, uniting

the two thrones. But for another hundred years Scotland maintained its separate political identity.

However,

in

1707

by

agreement

of

the

English

and

Scottish

parliaments,

Scotland

joined

the

Union.

be

characteristics

of

Wales

(P10

第一二段

)and

Wales'

unification

with

Great

Britain

（

P 10

第四段）

.

1)Wales

is

a

small

city

of

about

300000

people

on

the

south

coast.

This

southern

area

was

an

important

element

in

Britain

’

s

industrial

revolution,

as

it

had

rich

coal

deposits.

Coal-mining

became

a

key

industry

for

the

Welsh,

employing

tens

of

thousands

at

its

height.

So

its

recent

disappearance

has

been

a

major

economic

and

cultural

below.

But

South

Wales

has

been

very

successful

in

attracting

investment

from

abroad-particularly

Japan

and

the United

States,

which

has helped to create new industries to replace coal and steel.

Wales is the smallest among the three nations on the British mainland, though larger than Northern

Ireland. It is very close to the most densely populated parts of central England. Though it is hillier

and more rugged than adjacent parts of England there is no natural boundary. So Wales has been

dominated

by

England

for

longer

than

the

other

nations

of

the

union.

Nevertheless,

what

is

remarkable

is

that

despite

this

nearness

and

long-standing

political

integration

Wales

retains

a

powerful sense of its difference from England. It also retains its own language, Welsh. This is a

Celtic tongue completely different from English, spoken by 19 percent of the population, a much

higher proportion of the population than speak Gaelic in Scotland. Again, all those Welsh-speakers

are also fluent in English.

2)Wales

was

always

under

pressure

from

its

English

neighbours,

particularly

after

the

Norman

conquest,

when

Norman

barons

set

up

castles

and

estates

in

Wales

under

the

authority

of

the

English Crown. Some brief campaigns are the only times in history when Wales has existed as a

unified independent nation.

Unit 2

A Brief Introduction to the UK II

is Northern Ireland, according to the author, so significant in the United Kingdom?

What is the political problem there?

1)Northern Ireland is significant because of the political troubles.

2)Irish

desires

for

an

independent

Irish

state

were

never

lost,

and

one

of

the

key

issues

in

late

nineteenth century British politics was a campaign in parliament for what was called

—

Irish political control of Irish affairs. The Home Rule Bill was finally passed in 1914, but the

process was overtaken by the First World War and was suspended for the duration of the war.

are

some

of

the

factors

in

Irish

and

English

history

that

affect

the

situation

in

Northern Ireland today?

Along with the political campaign for home-rule there were groups who followed a more direct

method of pursuing Irish independence, engaging in guerilla or terrorist activities against British

institutions and the British military forces. During the First World War and immediately after, this

activity increased, sometimes brutally suppressed by British forces.

ent parties and groups in the United Kingdom have different solutions to the political

problem in Northern Ireland. Please sum up their different attitudes.

1)Margaret

Thatcher's

government

did

not

give

in

to

this

demand

for

political

status

and

11

prisoners starved to death.

2)This

event

revitalised

the

political

campaign

of

Sinn

Fein,

the

legal

political

party

which

supports the IRA's right to fight. Its leaders spoke of a twin campaign for union with Ireland, both

political and military, which they called the policy of

do you think should be the right solution to the polical problem in Northern Ireland?

1)Peace and development is the requirement of the times

，

Peace cannot be got through compulsory

ways, instead, consultation and dialogue are ways to solve problems.

2)The

key

of

solving

the

historical

problem

is

taking

the

policy

,which

is

from

autonomy

to

self-determination.

Unit 3: The Government of United Kingdom

are some of the characteristics of the British constitutional monarchy? How has the

English monarchy evolved gradually to the present constitutional monarchy?

1) the oldest institution of government

2). The Queen reigns but does not rule and the country is really run by Government led by Prime

Minister.

3) the parliament is the right center of the country.

(2) the Civil war set the rights of the Parliament. The monarch was kept but his power was limited.

The constitution was set up to guarantee rights of people.

did the doctrine of the

“

divine right of kings

”

, according to the author, lead to the

English

Civil

War?

What

do

you

know

about

the

causes

of

the

English

Revolution

in

the

17th century?

(1)

James

I

and

his

successor

Charles

I

both

insisted

on

their

divine

right

as

kings.

They

felt

Parliament,

representing

the

community,

had

no

real

political

right

to

exist,

but

only

existed

because the king allowed it to do so. It was the effort to reassert the rights of Parliament that led to

civil war.

(2) In the 17

th

century

there was a civil war in Eng land between

republican

“

Roundheads

”

(so

called

because

the

men

defied

popular

fashion

and

wore

their

hair

cut

very

shot)

led

by

Oliver

Cromwell, who wanted to abolish the monarchy, and royalists who wanted it to continue,

3. What is the history of English parliament? What role did the parliament play in the Civil

War?

(1)

In

medieval

times,

a

group

of

leading,

wealthy

barons

who

were

summoned

by

the

king

several times a year to give the king some extra money. This was the Great Council.

By the 13th

C., representatives of counties, towns and cities were also included in order to raise more money.

This was the beginning of what we know as Parliament today.

(2) In the Civil War, the parliament was opposite to the monarchy in their dispute over the power.

The Republican

“

roundheads

”

, led by Oliver Cromwell, wanted to abolish the monarchy and to

reassert the rights of Parliament.

4. Discuss the major characteristics and the main content of the British constitution.

(1)

Britain

has

no

written

constitution

in

any

one

document,

and

it

is

only

partly

written

and

contained in multiple documents.

(2) There are three parts of the constitution.

First is statute law(

成文法

), which are laws passed

by Parliament; second is the common laws(

普通法

,

< br>判例法

), which are laws established through

common practice in the courts; and third is conventions(

习惯法

), which are rules and practices not

existing legally, but regarded as vital to the workings of government.

5. Why does author say that parliament is supreme in the British sate? What functions does

parliament have? What role does the Queen(King) and the Prime Minister play in British

government?

(1)Parliament is supreme in the British state because it alone had the power to change the terms of

the Constitution. There are no legal restraints upon Parliament. It can make or change laws,

functions:

(2)The functions of parliament are to pass laws, to provide the means of carrying on the work of

government

by

voting

for

taxation,

and

to

scrutinize

government

policy,

administration

and

expenditure and to debate the major issues of the day.

(3)The Queen(King) is a representative of Britain and the source of all government powers. She

symbolizes the tradition and unity of the British State. She is the legally head of the executive, an

integral

part

of

the

legislature,

the

head

of

the

judiciary,

the

commander

in

chief

of

the

armed

forces.

The country is really run by Government led by prime Ministers.

6.

What

kind

of

institution

is

the

House

of

Lords?

What

role

does

it

play

in

British

government?

Unit 4 Politics, Class and Race

1.

Who can stand for election as an MP in the UK

？

Why are some parties and independent

candidates powerless in the election campaign for the formation of a government ?

(1) It

’

s one house of the Parliament, but the power of making law and collecting taxes mainly

resides on the House of Commons.

(2)

The

lords

below

the

Queen

and

mainly

represent

themselves

instead

of

the

interests

of

the

public.

1. make a deposit of 500 pounds, at least

5% of the vote; see it as a wasted..(p50 p51)

are

the

three

big

parties

in

the

UK?

What

are

some

of

the

similarities

and

dissimilarities between the three parties?

1)The Conservative party, The Labour party, the Liberal Democratic party (p52)

2)Similarities and dissimilarities

Similarities:

all support the capitalist system.

all are the active participants and supporters of representative democracy.

share some similar belief in their political and socio-economicideology.

Dissimilarities:

These 3parties represent the interests of different economic policies during their administration so

that they have different opinions on government

’

s role in social economy.

1)Liberal Democrats party emphasize the need to change the Britain

’

s constitutional arrangements

to make the government more democratic and accountable

2)Labour party believes that a society should be relatively equal in economic terms and that the

government should redistribute the wealth between the rich and the poor and provide a range of

public services.

3)The Conservative party is basically the party of individual, protecting the individual

’

s right to

acquire wealth and to spend it as he or she wants.

3. What are some of the recent political trends in the UK? Are these trends more democratic

or undemocratic? What is the author

’

s opinion ?

In the1970s, in the1980s ,in the mid-90s.

undemocratic (p54-p55)

4. What is Britain

’

s policy in dealing with climate change? What will the British government

do to protect the world environment ?

the United Kingdom

’

s Climate Change

Programme, cut all green house gas emissions

?

.

financing help the developing countries

?

.(p 55-p56)

5.

How

are

people

in

the

UK

divided

into

different

classes?

What

are

some

of

the

main

features in the division? Is the class system similar to that of the United States?

according to economic, cultural, education features

Upper: rich

poor

Middle: upper

lower

Lower: working- blue collar

main features:

working-class car maker earn more than a middle-class university teacher (economic)

newspaper

?

(cultural)

private school

?

(education)

Different from

?

(p2 p58)

are

some

of

the

positive

and

negative

effects

of

non-white

immigrants

in

British

society according to the author? What is the general situation fo racial relations in the UK?

Positive : bring culture..

music..

contribute..

Negative: assimilating..(p59)

Situation: last 2 sentences in p60

Unit 5 The UK Economy

“

absolute decline and relative decline

”

in the UK economy. How does the author

explain the reason for absolute decline and relative decline?

The UK has experienced an economic decline since 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

sixth. As for the reason, the UK economic history and current economic measures play important

roles in that.

2.

What

did

the

Conservative

party

under

Margret

Thatcher

promise

to

do

to

the

UK

national

economy

in

1979?

What

was

her

radical

reform

programmer?

Was

the

program

successful?

the

Conservative

party

under

Margret

Thatcher

promise

to

launch

a

radical

program

of

reform.

Thatcher

’

s radical reform:

bureaucracy---limited government.

2. privatization

The

British

economy

went

through

a

particularly

bad

period

in

the

1970s,

with

high

rates

of

inflation

and

devaluation

of

he

currency.(forced

the

Labour

government

to

borrow

money

from

IMF) Therefore, in the 1980s, when the Conservative party under Margaret Thatcher was in power,

an

extensive

programme

of

privatization

was

carried

out.

Many

state-owned

businesses(such

as

steel,

telecom,

gas,

aerospace)

were

turned

into

private

companies.

The

author

thinks

that

privatization

was

successful

in

controlling

inflation

but

at

the

same

time

unemployment

rate

increased rapidly. After the recession 1990-1992, the economy had a steady growth. The UK is the

2nd only to the U.S as a destination for international direct investment.

3. what are the three main areas of national economies? Describe the development of each of

the three areas in the UK economy.

（

1

）

primary

”

industries:such as agriculture

，

fishing

，

and mi ning

，

“

secondary

”

industries

，

which

manufacture

complex

goods

from

those

primary

products

；

tertiary

industries

，

often

described as services

，

such as banking