1—12单元名词解释.doc

Unit 11. LondonLondon is the largest city located in the south of the country. It is dominant in Britain in all sorts of ways. It is the cultural and business centre and the headquarters of the vast majority of Britains big companies. It is not only the financial centre of the nation, but also one of the three major international financial centres in the world. 2. Robin HoodRobin Hood was a Saxon nobleman. As he could no longer put up with oppressions from the Normans, he became an outlaw and hid himself with his band of “merry man” in the forest. From this secret place, he went out to rob from the rich to give the poor.3. The Anglo-SaxonsThey were two groups of Germanic peoples who settled down in England from the 5th century. They were regarded as the ancestors of the English and the founders of England.4. King ArthurIt is said that he was the King of England in the 5th century and united the British and drove the Saxons back with his magical sword, Excalibur. His real existence is in doubt. He is the central figure of many legends. 5. King HaroldHe was the Saxon King whose army was defeated in the Battle of Hasting in 1066, when William the Conqueror invaded England from France.Unit 2 1. The Easter RisingIn order to gain independence, different Irish groups had been fighting against the British institutions and the British military forces. One such activity was the Easter Rising which took place in 1916. the rebels occupied Dublins Post Office and forced the British to take it back by military force. The leaders of the rebellion were executed by the British authorities. 2. The Provisional IRAIn 1919, a group calling itself the IRA expanded fighting for Irish freedom and independence. The Provisional IRA is the radical faction of the IRA. They prefer the use of force and believe that armed force is the only way to get the British out and to have a unified Ireland. 3. Sinn FeinSinn Fein is a legal political party in Northern Ireland which supports the IRA to fight for the union of Ireland. The leaders of Sinn Fein prefer union with Ireland by a twin campaign, both military and political which they call the policy of “the Bullet and the Ballot Box”. It believes that without the participation of Sinn Fein the political problem of Northern Ireland cannot be thoroughly solved.4. Home RuleIreland had long been dominated by Britain, but Irish desire for an independent Irish state was never lost. “Home Rule” refers to a campaign for Irish 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.5. The Good Friday AgreementAs a result of multi-party negotiations, the Good Friday Agreement was approved on 10 April 1998. This agreement assures the loyalist community that Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom and it wont change its political status unless the majority of the people of Northern Ireland agree. Under the terms of the agreement, Northern Ireland should be governed by three separate jurisdictions: that of the Republic of Ireland , that of Great Britain and that of its own elected executive government of ten ministers.Unit3The Bill of Rights of 1689In 1688, King James IIs daughter Mary and her husband William were invited by the politicians and church authorities to take the throne, on condition that they would respect the right of Parliament. The Bill of Rights was passed in 1689 to ensure that the King would never be able to ignore Parliament.The ConstitutionBritish has no written Constitution. The foundations of the British state are laid out in statute law, which are laws passed by Parliament; the common laws, which are laws established through common practice in the courts; and conventions.The functions of Parliament The functions of Parliament are: to pass laws, to vote for taxation, to scrutinize government policy, administration and expenditure and to debate the major issues of the day.The House of Lords The House of Lords consists of the Lords Spiritual, who are the Archbishops and most prominent bishops of the Church of England; and the Lords Temporal, which refers to those lords who either have inherited the seat from their forefathers or they have been appointed. The lords mainly represent themselves instead of the interests of the public.The House of CommonsThe House of Commons is the real center of British political life because it is the place where about 650 elected representatives make and debate policy. These MPs are elected in the General Elections and should represent the interests of the people who vote for them.Unit4 The importance of general electionsGeneral elections are very important in western democracy. According to the author, they provide opportunities for people to influence future government policies and to replace those incompetent political leaders.The formation of the government 651 members of parliament are elected in the general election representing 651 constituencies in the UK. The party which holds a majority of those “seats” in parliament forms the government, with its party leader as the Prime Minister.The electoral campaignsBefore a general election, the political parties would start their electoral campaigns in order to make their ideologies and polities known to the public. The campaign involves advertisements in newspapers, door-to-door campaigning, postal deliveries of leaflets and “party electoral broadcast”on the television. The parties also try to attack and criticize the opponents policies. Therefore, these campaigns sometimes can be quite aggressive and critical.Class system in British societyThe class system does exist in British society. Most of the British population would claim themselves to be either of middle-class or working-class, though some people would actually belong to the upper middle-class or lower middle-class. Class divisions are not simply economic, they are cultural as well. People of different classes may differ in the kind of newspapers they read, in the way they speak and in the kind of education they receive. One of the distinctive features about the British class system is that aristocratic titles can still be inherited.Unit51. Relative decline of the UKThe UK has experienced an economic decline 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.2. Main sectors of the UK economyThe UK national economy can be divided into three main areas: primary industries, such as agriculture, fishing and mining; secondary industries which manufacture complex goods from those primary products; and tertiary (or service) industries such as banking, insurance, tourism and the retailing.3. “The City”“The City” refers to the historic area at the centre of London. It is one of the biggest financial centres in the world with the greatest concentration of banks, insurance companies and businesses dealing in commodities. At the heart of the city is the London Stock Exchange.Unit 71. Comprehensive schoolsComprehensive schools are the most popular secondary schools in Britain today. Such schools admit children without reference to their academic abilities and provide a general education. Pupils can study everything from academic subjects like literature to more practical subjects like cooking.2. Grammar schoolsIt is a type of secondary schools in Britain. Grammar schools select children at the age 11, through an examination called “the 11-plus”. Those children with the highest marks go to grammar schools. These schools lay emphasis on advanced academic subjects rather than the more general curriculum of the comprehensive schools and expect many of their pupils to go on to universities.3. Independent schoolsIndependent schools are commonly called public schools which are actually private schools that receive their funding through the private sector and tuition rates, with some government assistance. Independent schools are not part of national education system, but the quality of instruction and standards are maintained through visits from Her Majestys Inspectors of Schools. These schools are restricted to the students whose parents are comparatively rich.4. The Open UniversityThe Open University was founded in Britain in the 1960s for people who might not get the opportunity for higher education for economic and social reasons. Its open to everybody and does not demand the same formal educational qualifications as the other universities. University courses are followed through TV, radio, correspondence, videos and a net work of study centres. At the end of their studies at the Open University, successful students are awarded a university degree,Unit 81. The foundations of British foreign policyThe contemporary foreign policy of the UK is greatly influenced by its imperial history and also by its geopolitical traits. As Britain lost its empire so recently, British policy-makers frequently forget that Britain is not as influential as it used to be in world affairs. Another decisive influence upon the way Britain handles its external affairs is geopolitical attitude to Europe.2. The making of Britains foreign policyThe general direction of Britains foreign policy is mainly decided by the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the main government department, plays a significant role in making of Britains foreign policy. Many other government ministries such as the Ministry of Defense also play a part in formulating and carrying out the governments decisions. But an extremely influential player in Britains foreign policy is the Treasury. The Treasury makes decisions on how much money other departments can have each year.3. Britain and the United StatesThe British foreign policy is also affected by its relationship with the United States. During World War 2, the two countries were closely allied and continued to work together closely in the postwar years, because they had many things in common about the past and the world situation. Even today, British and American policy-makers share the general ideas in many respects. However, Britains “special relationship” with the United States has gone through many ups and downs. The British are beginning to realize that their own foreign policy actions can be limited by the United States. But both sides have worked hard to maintain the “special relationship”.4. The CommonwealthIn the authors opinion, the Commonwealth is a voluntary association of states which is made up of Britain and mostly of former British colonies. There are 54 members of the Commonwealth including one currently suspended member: many of these are developing countries like India and Cyprus; other are developed nations like Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The Commonwealth was set up as a forum for continued cooperation and as a sort of support network.Unit 91 Quality papersThey belong to one of the categories of the national dailies. The quality papers carry more serous and in-depth articles of particular political and social importance. They also carry reviews, such as book reviews, and feature articles about high culture. These papers are also referred to as“the broadsheets”because they are printed on large-size paper. The readers of such newspapers are generally a well-educated middle class audience2TabloidsA tabloid is a small format newspaper with colour photos and catchy headlines. Tabloids are interested in scandals and gossip usually about famous people. They also carry lots of crime, sports and sensational human interest stories so as to attract readers. Stories are short, easy to read and often rely more on opinions than fact. They belong to a category of national papers different from quality papers3 The TimesThe Times began publishing in 1785 and it is the United Kingdoms oldest daily newspaper4 The BBCThe full name is the British Broadcasting Corporation. It was founded in 1927 as a public service radio station and later moved into television. It has been Britains main public service broadcaster. For a long time the BBC had mainly two channels. BBC One specializes in shows with a broad appeal while BBC Two aims at a wide range of subject matter and interests, specializing in intelligent yet popular programme genres. The BBC also provides the World Service which broadcasts in English and 43 other languages throughout the world.Unit 10The three traditions of Christmas traditions which are particularly British: one is the Christmas Pantomime, a comical musical play. The main male character is played by a young woman while the main female character, often an ugly woman called“the Dame”,is played by a man. Another British Christmas tradition is to hear the Queen give her Christmas message to her realm over the television and radio. A third British tradition is Boxing Day, which falls on the day after Christmas. Traditionally, it was on Boxing Day that people gave Christmas gifts of money to their staff or servants. Now that most British people do not have servants, this custom is no longer observed. However, a new Boxing Day custom has emerged, in the cities: shopping. Shops open up to sell off all their Christmas stock decorations, food, cards and gift items at low pricesUnit