英语国家概况（课后问答题）第一部分英国概况1 What are the differences between Britain and the British Isles, Great Britain, England, the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth?Britain is the shortened form of the United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland while the British Isles is a geograpical name.2 What are the three political divisions on the island of Great Britain?They are England, Scotland and Wales 3. What is the official name of Great Britain？The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland4. Where did the King Harold defeat Tostig and Harold Hardrada?( At Stanford Bridge)5.What did William do after he suppressed the Saxon risings in the north?(He built a string of defense castles to ensure his military control of the whole country.)6. How long was Britain under the Roman occupation?( For nearly 400 years)7 What was the peculiar features of the feudal system of England?(All landowners, whether the tenants-in-chief or subtenants, took the oath of allegiance for the land they held, not only to their immediate lord, but also to the king.)8 What did Willliam I leave to his sons after he died?( He left Normandy to his eldest son, Robert, and England to his second son William, and a large sum of money to his third son, Henry.) 9 What was William I’s policytowards the church?(He wanted to keep it completely underhis control, but at the same time toupload its power.)10 When was the Domesday Bookcompleted? ( In 1086)11 What was the consequence of theHundred Years’ War?(The French drove the English out oftheir land. By 1453, Calais was theonly part of France that was still in thehands of English)12 What did the Lollards preach?(The Lollards preached the equality ofmen before God)13 What were the two countriesElizabeth I successfully played offagainst each other for nearly 30years?( France and Spain were the twocountries that Elizabeth I successfullyplayed off against each other for nearly30 years)14 What was the outcome of theEnglish Civil War?(It not only overthrew feudal system inEngland but also shook the foundationof the feudal rule in Europe. It isgenerally regarded as the beginning ofmodern world history.)15 What were the three main causesof Henry VIII’s religious reform ofthe Church?( The three main causes were: a desirefor change and reform in the Churchhad been growing for many years andnow, encouraged by the success ofMarin Luther, many people believed itstime had come; the privilege andwealth of the clergy were also resented;and Henry needed money)16 Which party did MargaretThatcher represent in the 1970s?(She represented the ConservativeParty)17 What did the Whigs stand for inthe early 19th century?Whigs stood for a reduction in Crownpatronage, sympathy towardsNonconformists, and care for theinterests of merchants and bankers.18 Why did changes in farmingmethods affect lives of millions in the18th century?(Because village and agriculture werethe backbone of England at that time.)19 When did Britain finally becomea full member of the EuropeanEconomic Community?(Britain finally became a full memberof the European Economic Communityin January, 1973)20 Why was Mrs. Thatcher removedfrom office in 1990?(It was because of her opposition toEuropean Union and her imposition ofan extremely unpopular flatrate ‘polltax’ in place of property taxes to payfor local government service.21 What were the two groups of theChartiests? What was theirdifference?(The Chartists could be divided intotwo groups: the Moral Force Chartistsand the Physical Force Chartists. Theformer wanted to realize their aims bypeaceful means while the latter wantedto achieve their purpose by violence)22 What was the goal of the LondonWorking Men’s Association in itsstruggle?(It aimed to ‘ t o seek by every legalmeans to place all classes of society inpossession of equal political and socialrights)23 Why was Britain known as thefactory of the world in the mid-19thcentury?(Because the British economy was among the strongest in the world)24 Who has the power to declare war and make peace in the UK?(The Queen)25 How many members of Parliament does the House of Commons in the UK consist of ? (651Members of Parliament)26 What does the British Parliament consist of ?(It consists of the Sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons) 27 What did the term ‘parliament’ originally mean?( It originally meant a meeting for parley or discussion)28 Where does the Sovereign’s coronation take place?(It takes place at Westminster Abbey in London)29Where does the Queen’s expenditure arising from public duties come from?( The Queen’s expenditure arising from public duties comes from the Civil List and government departments)30 How is the British House of Commons elected?The House of Commons is elected by universal adult suffrage.31 What is a ‘shadow cabinet’ in Britain?( The party which wins the second largest number of seats in parliament becomes the Official Opposition and it forms its own ‘cabinet’ known as ‘shadow cabinet’32 What are the three main Christian festivals in Britain?(The three main Christian festivals in Britain are Christams. Easter, and Whit Sunday.) 33 Who is directly responsible for theNHS in Britain?(Central government is directlyresponsible for the NHS in Britain)34 What are the two establishedchurches in Britain?(They are the Church of England andthe Church of Scotland in Scotland)35 How many provinces does theChurch of England have?(The Church of England has twoprovinces: Canterbury and York)36What is the National Day inBritain?(The birthday of the British Monarch isa National Day in Britain)37 What does ‘Oxbridge’ refer to inGreat Britain?(It refers to the Universities of Oxfordand Cambridge)38 What kind of schools are theindependent schools in Britain?(The independent schools are thosesupported entirely by fees and privatefuns)39What are the three groups ofnation newspapers?(They are quality, popular andmid-market papers.)40 Which religion in Ireland is thelargest non-Catholic denomination?(The Anglican Church of Ireland is thelargest non-Catholic denomination.)41 What was the consequence of theAnglo-Irish Treaty of 1921?(Violent opposition to the treaty byultranationalists led to a civil war.)42 What was the result of growingIrish nationalism in the earlydecades of the 20th century?(Irish nationalism became stronger andeven more violent in the early decadesof the 20th century and climaxed in theEastern Uprising of 1916 in which anIrish Republic was proclaimed.)43 Wht happened after the Englishking was declared the head of theChurch of Ireland replaceing thePope?(There followed centuries of religiousas well as political persecution, whichhelped to strengthen and deepenIreland’s Catholic spirit.)第二部分美国部分1What are the two novels giving avivid description of the miserable lifeof the black slaves?(Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Roots)2 What is the reason for the growthof population in Florida?(Florida’s population growth owesmuch to its attractiveness both as aplace to retire and as a convenientplace for business with and travel toCentral and South America)3 When did the higher birth rateappear in the United States?(The birth rate appeared during ‘thebaby boom’[1946-1964])4 When was the Declaration ofIndependence adopted?(It was adopted on July4,1776)5Please write any three of the 13colonies the British established alongthe east coast of North Americabetween 1607 and 1733.(Virginia,Maine, New Hampshire)6What are the implications of the‘Manifest Destiny’?The implications of ‘manifest Destiny’are three fold(1)the inevitability of thefounding of the United States ofAmerica; (2)the legitimacy of theexpansion of America Territory; (3) thespread of American democracy beingthe task of American people who werecholsen to do the Lord’s work.7 What were the two seriousweaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?They were:(1)There was no national executive or law-enforcing branch;(2)Congress was too large a body to function as government. And Congress had no power to raise taxes. 8What agreement did America and Britain sign in 1783 by which Britain recognized the independence of the United States? The Treaty of Paris9 What were the features in the colonial period which had influence on later American development? They were representive form of government, rule of law, respect of individual rights, religious tolerance and a strong spirit of individual enterprise.10What does the American War of Independence show?The American War of Independence shows that in a just war, a weak nation can defeat a strong one.11 what was the policy of the British government for the 13 colonies in North America?The policy of the British government for the 13 American colonies was to bring their development under control and to collect more taxes from the colonies.12 What foreign policy did the American government pursue in the early 1930s?The American foreign policy was isolationist in the early 1930s.13 Name three examples of intolerant nationalism in the US in the 1920s.The Red Scare in 1919and 1920, the death sentence of Sacco and Vanzetti, and the revival and growth of the KU Klus Klan. 14 What were the immediate causesthat led the United States into theFirst World War?The immediate causes were Germany’sunlimited submarine warfare andGermany’s attempt to get Mexico intothe war against the United States.15 What caused the Second WorldWar?The Second World War was the resultof struggle between the great powersfor control of the world and militaryexpansion of the countries of NaziGermany, Fascist Italy and militaristJapan.16 What were American wartimeobjectives during the Second WorldWar?American wartime objectives werethe total destruction of the Axis powersand the establishment of a world orderafter unconditional victory in accordwith American ideals and interests.17 What was the policy pursued bythe American government at thebeginning of World WarI ?The Amercan government declaredneutrality but the policy it pursued wasa policy of pro-Ally partiality.18 What were the three cornerstonesof American postwar economicboom?They were the automobile , housing,and defense industries.19 What was the most importantdocument produced between Chinaand the United States when PresidentNixon visited China in 1972?It was the Shanghai Communique.20 What was the theory put forwardby the Soviet Union in around 1946?There could be no long-term peacefulco-existence between socialism andcapitalism.21 What measures did the UnitedStates take in the Cuban MissileCrisis?The United States adopted a navalblockade around Cuba and demandedthe dismantlement and withdrawal ofthe missile from Cuba.22 What are Conglomerates in theUSA ?Conglomerates are big companies thatown several smaller businesses whoseproducts and services are usually verydifferent.23 What does IBM stand for?It stands for International BusinessMachine.24 What’s the most central functionof the Congress in the United States?The most central funcation of USCongress is the passage of laws.25 What are the two major partiesthat dominate American politics atthe federal , state and local levels?They are the Democrats and theRepublicans.26 What are the three branches inthe US federal government ?They are the legislative, the executiveand the judicial branches.27 What is known as the‘winner-take-all’ system?The presidential candidate with thehighest number of votes in each statewins all the electoral votes of that state.28 What mechanism did the writersof the Constitution introduce toprovide sageguards?They introduced the mechanism ofseparation of powers and checks andbalances.29 Who is the President of theSenate?The President of the Senate is VicePresident.30 What are the pincipal functions of American higher education?The principal functions are teaching, research and public service.31 What is the outstanding characteristic of American education ?Diversity is considered to be an outstanding characteristic of American education.32 What is the difference between an academic high school and a technical school?An academic high school only aims to prepare students for college while a technical school provides students for a variety of occupations and vocations.33 Why are there many variations in the education system of the 50 states?Because each state has the freedom to develop as extensive or limited a school system as it desires, and delegate its power over education to local districts to the extent it wishes. 34 According to the 1994 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, there are different kinds of institutions of higher education in America. What are the major kinds of them?The major kinds of the institutions of higher education in America are research universities, doctoral universities, master’s comprehensive colleges and universities, liberal arts colleges, junior colleges and speacialized institutions.35 What is the general view of the American on education?They regard education as both an individual benefit and a social neccessity.36 Who were the writers of the first American writings?They were the first settlers in Englishcolonies.37 Why did Hawthorne attacktranscendentalism?Because transcedentalism glorifiedabsolute individualism with no regardfor any social impact.38 What did Mark Twain want toshow in The Adventures ofHuckleberry Finn?He wanted to show the basic goodnessand wisdom of ordinary people anddescribe the social life of Americanpeople.39 What is Harlem Renaissance?Black Literature is an important partof American Literature. In 1920, BlackLiterature developed into an upsurgewhich has come to be known as theHarlem Renaissance.40 Name two of Theodore Dreiser’snovels?Sister Carrie; An American Tragedy.41 What did the writers of the firstAmerican writings write about?They wrote about their voyages to thenew land, about adapting themselves tounfamiliar climates and crops.42 Which speech given by Emersonin 1837 was considered theintellectual Declaration ofIndependence?The speech of ‘The AmericanScholar’ given by Emerson in 1837was considered the intellectualDeclaration of Independence.42 Why were American childrenawarded he 1936 Nobel Peace Prize?Because more and more children haveasked pennies instead of candies forUNIGEF to help children in othercountries.43 When is ‘Trick or treat’playedand what does it mean?It is in Halloween. It means that giveme something nice, or I’ll play a trickon you.44 What is the legal holiday observedannually in the US on the fourthThursday of November ?Thanksgiving Day.45 What do universities usually do tocelebrated the Valentine’s Day?Universities usually hold aSweethearts’ Ball for the youngstudents to celebrate the Valentine’sDay.第三部分加拿大，澳大利亚,新西兰46 What is the largest city ofCanada?In Canada, Toronto is the largest city.47 When was the Canadian PacificRailway completed?It was completed in 1885.48 Who founded the first permanentsettlement at Quebec in 1608?Samuel de Champlain.49 What was the most importantevent that took place in Canadaunder Sir John Macdonald?In 1869, under Sir John Macdonald,Canada bought from the Hudson’s BayCompany the vast middle west fromwhich the provice of Manitoba, andlater other prairie provinces andnorthern territories were formed.50Which system made the greaterchange in Candadian immigrationpolicy in 1967？The greater change in Canadianimmigration policy in 1967 was theintroduction of point system.51What is the mother tongue of themajority of those who speak bothEnglish and French in Canada?French52 Who are the native people livingin Australia? They are the Aboriginals.53 What is ‘urban sprawl’?The term urban sprawl is used to describe a city that has grown over a large area of land.54 What is Australia popularly known as in the West?It is popularly known as ‘the Land Down Under’55 What does the Outback refer to in Australia?In Australia, the Outback usually refers to the interior and the centre of the Western Plateau and its northern plains.56 Why are there so few people in Australia?Because most of the continent is hot and dry.57 Why does Great Britain have the greatest influence upon Australia? Great Britain has had the greatest influence upon Australia because Australia was settled as a British colony.58 What is partly the reason for New Zealand to have changeable weather and to beoften windy?Partly because New Zealand is an island in southern latitudes, it has changeable weather and it is often windy.59 What are the two largest North Island rivers in New Zealand?They are the Waikato and the Wanganui.60 How could you describe the climate in New Zealand?The climate of New Zealand is generally temperate, but because the country runs northsouth, the climate is varied.。