英美概况考试重点

1、英国名词解释：1、 The 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. 英联邦是独立的前英国殖民地组成的自由联合体。它成立于1931年至1991年止已有50个成员国。 2. The Norman Conquest 1066 诺曼征服公元1066年 1066 A.D.Reasons for William

2、s invasion of England after Edwards death. 威廉在爱德华死后入侵英国的原因。 It was said that 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 kille

3、d him. One Christmas Day William was crowned king of England thus beginning the Norman Conquest of England. 据说爱德华国王曾答应把英格兰王位传给诺曼底公爵威廉但是贤人会议挑选了哈罗德为国王。公元1066年10月在哈斯丁斯附近的激烈交锋中威廉打败了哈罗德军队同时哈罗德也在此战争中战死。在圣诞节加冕成为英国国王从此开始了诺曼征服。3. The Black Death 黑死病1348-1350 The Black Death is the modern name given to the de

4、adly bubonic plague, an epidemic disease spread by rat fleas across Europe in the 14th century. It swept through England in the summer of 1348. It killed about one third of people in Europe.4.The Glorious Revolution of 1688 光荣革命In 1685 Charles II died and was succeeded by his brother James II. James

5、 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 40 years ago. So the English politicians rejected James II, and appealed to a Protestant king, William of Orange, to i

6、nvade 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. 1685年查尔斯二世去世，由其弟詹姆斯二世继位。詹姆斯二世从小在欧洲流亡长大，是个天主教徒，他希望不放弃个人宗教信仰统治国家。但是1688的英国已不象40年前那样能容忍天主教徒当国王了。英国政客反对詹姆

7、斯二世，他们呼吁信奉新教的国王，奥兰治亲王威谦入侵英国夺取王位。1688年11月15日威廉在托尔比登陆并占领伦敦。这一占领相对平静，既未流血也未处死国王，所以就称为“光荣革命”。5、The Industrial Revolution 工业革命(1780-1830) 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

8、19th centuries. 工业革命指的是17世纪末、18世纪初英国工业的机械化，以及因此而导致的社会结构和经济结构的变化。6、The British monarchy is known as constitutional monarchy. It means the monarchys power is limited by law and Parliament. The monarchy actually has no real power. Constitutional monarchy began after the Glorious Revolution in 1688. 英国的

9、君主体制是以君主立宪闻名的。君主政体实际已无实权。它的权力受限于法律和议会。君主立宪制是从1688年的光荣革命后开始。简答题：1. The Early Anglo-Saxons make the contributions to the English state. formation of the English nation 早期盎格鲁撒克逊人为英国做出的贡献。 The Anglo-Saxons laid the foundations of the English state. Firstly they divided the country into shires which the

10、Normans later called counties with shire courts and shire reeves or sheriffs responsible for administering law. Secondly they devised the narrow-strip three-field farming system which continued to the 18th century. Thirdly they also established the manorial system庄园制. Finally they created the Witan

11、Council or meeting of the wise men to advise the king the basis of the Privy Council which still exists today. 盎格鲁撒克逊人构筑了英国的国家基础。首先他们把国家划分为郡郡法庭和郡法官、或行政司法长官负责执法。其次他们设计的窄条三区轮作制延用至18世纪。此外他们还建立了领地制。最后他们还创立了咨议会贤人会议向国王提供建议这就成为了今天尚存的枢密院的前身。2. Contents and the significance of the Great Charter 大宪章1215的内容 Gr

12、eat Charter was signed by King John in 1215 under the press of the barons. It consists of sixty-three clauses. Its important provisions are as follows: 1、No tax should be made without the approval of the Grand Council. 2、No freemen should be arrested imprisoned or deprived of their property . 3、The

13、Church should possess all its rights together with freedom of elections. 4 、London and other towns should retain their traditional rights and privileges . 5 、There should be the same weights and measures throughout the country. 大宪章是约翰国王1215年在封建贵族压力下签定的。大宪章总共63条其中最重要的内容是1 未经大议会同意不得征税2 只有根据国家有关法律才能逮捕、

14、监禁自由人以及剥夺他们的财产3教会应享受其所有权利且有选举自由4 伦敦和其它城镇应保留其贵族的传统权力和特权5 全国要统一度量衡。3、 大宪章的意义the significance of the Great CharterAlthough The Great Charter has long been popularly regarded as the foundation of English liberties it was a statement of the feudal and legal relationships between the Crown and the barons.

15、 a guarantee of the freedom of the Church a limitation of the powers of the king. The spirit of the Great Charter was the limitation of the powers of the king keeping them within the bounds of the feudal law of the land.尽管人们普遍认为大宪章为英国的自由奠定了基础，但该宪章只是规定国王和贵族之间封建关系和法律关系的声明书，保证了教会的自由，限制了国王权利。大宪章的精神实质就是把

16、国王的权利限制在英国封建法律允许的范围之内。4. Consequences of the industrial Revolution工业革命的结果 （1） Britain was by 1830 the “workshop of the world”; 使英国在1830年成为了“世界工场”； （2） Towns grew rapidly and became the source of the nations wealth. 城镇迅速兴起，成为国家财富的源泉。 （3） Mechanization destroyed the livelihood of those who could not i

17、nvest in it . The working men worked and lived in a appalling conditions. 机械化摧毁了无法投入其中的人们的生活。工人们在极其恶劣的条件下劳动与生活。 （4） The industrial revolution created the industrial working class, the proletariat, and it later led to trade unionism. 工业革命产生了工人阶级，即无产阶级。后来形成了工会制度。5、A Peoples Charter 人民宪章内容1838 It had s

18、ix points: (1)the vote for all adult males; (2)voting by secret ballot; (3)equal electoral districts; (4)abolition of property qualifications for members of Parliament; (5)payment of members of Parliament; (6)annual Parliaments, with a General Election every June. 宪章有六点内容：（1）所有成年男子都有选举权；（2）进行无记名投票；（

19、3）划分认输相等的选区；（4）废除议员的财产资格要求；（5）议员应有报酬；（6）议会每年六月进行大选。6. The evolution of the British economy since WWII falls into three periods:二战后英国经济发展可分为三个阶段:(1) Steady development in the 50s and 60s: The British economy in this period is characterized by slow but steady growth, low unemployment and great materia

20、l prosperity with rising standards of consumption.战后50-60年代平稳发展时期。其主要特点是经济缓慢而持续增长，失业率低，物质丰富，人民消费水平不断增长。(2) Economic recession in the 70s: In the 1970s among the developed countries, Britain maintained the lowest growth rate and the highest inflation rate, and the high record of trade 。70年代经济滞胀。在70年代

21、，英国在所有的发达资本主义国家中，始终保持最低经济增长率，最高的通货膨胀率，和最高的贸易赤字纪录。(3) Economic recovery in the 80s: An outstanding feature of the economic recovery in the 80s was its length, lasting seven years. Another was the improved financial position of the government, with stronger current account of the balance of payments.8

22、0年代经济复苏。一个显著特点是时间长，复苏持续了7年。另一个特点是国际收支大大盈余，政府金融地位最高。7、The reasons for the decline are as follows: 煤工业衰退的原因包括:exhaustion of old mines, costly operations of extraction, poor old equipment, little investment, fall in demand due to imports of cleaner, cheaper and more efficient fuels, etc.老煤矿的枯竭，昂贵的提炼费用，

23、破旧的设备，极少的投资，由于进口更干净、更便宜、更高效的燃料导致的需求下降等等。8、British iron and steel industry is declining for the following reasons: 英国钢铁工业衰退的原因如下:1. Local supplies of iron ore have become exhausted;当地贮备枯竭；2. Old fashioned furnaces for making coke cannot recover valuable by-products;他们生产焦炭的老式炉不能提取有价值的副产品，3. Blast furn

24、aces, steelworks, and rolling mills are often separated from each other and thus cannot perform as well as more compact operation;高炉、钢铁厂和轧钢厂经常分开，导致不如更紧凑的企业出效益；4. Many steelworks have to be closed down, causing major unemployment in an area.许多钢铁厂倒闭，导致该地区的大批人失业。9、The main functions of Parliament are:

25、议会的主要作用是：(1) to pass laws; (2) to provide, by voting for taxation, the means of carrying on the work of government; (3) to examine government Policy and administrations, including proposal for expenditure; and (4) to debate the major issues of the day. （1）通过立法；（2）投票批准税为政府工作提供资金；（3）检查政府政策和行政管理，包括拨款提议

26、；（4）当天的议题辩论。10、The sources of law include法典来源包括: (1) statutes; (2) a large amount of “unwritten” or common law; (3) equity law; (4) European Community. Another common feature is the distinction made between criminal law and civil law. （1）成文法；（2）大量的“不成文法”或习惯法；（3）衡平法；（4）欧共体法。另一个共同的特点是刑法和民法之间的区别。 一、Thr

27、ee 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. Capital: London. 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

28、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

29、府 贝尔法斯特。二、The Celts began to arrive Britain about 750 B.C. 约公元前750年克尔特人来到不列颠岛。The Celts came to Britain in three main waves. 克尔特人来到不列颠有三次高潮。1、The first wave were the Gaels-came about 600 B.C. , whose language is still spoken in Scotland. 第一次高潮是约公元前600年盖尔人的来临。2、The second wave were the Britons-came a

30、bout 500 B.C. from whom the modern Welsh are mainly descended came and drove the Gaels to the north. 第二次高潮是约公元前500年布列吞人的抵达。 3、The third wave were the Belgae-came about 100 B.C. from Gaul. 第三次是约公元前100年比利其人的到达。三、The Anglo-Saxons 446-871 盎格鲁撒克逊人公元446871年 1Basis of Modern English race: the Anglo-Saxons.

31、 盎格鲁萨克逊时代奠定了英国的基础四、The origins of the English Parliament 英国议会1265的起源 The Great Council is known to be the prototype 原型 of the current British Parliament. In 1265 Simon de Montfort summoned 召集 the Great Council together with two knights from each county and two citizens from each town. It later devel

32、oped into the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Its main role was to offer advice not to make decisions. There were no elections or parties. And the most important part of Parliament was the House of Lords. 大议会是当今英国议会的原型。1265年西门德孟福尔召开大议会各县有两名骑士各镇有两名市民参加。大议会发展到后来演变成议会分为上议院和下议院。其作用是咨询而非决定也没有选举和

33、政党。议会的最重要的部分是上议院。 五、The Hundred Years War and its consequences. 百年战争原因及其结果 The Hundred Years War refers to the war between England and France that lasted intermittently from 1337 to 1453. The causes of the war were partly territorial and partly economic. 百年战争指1337年到1453年英法之间一场断断续续的战争战争的起因既有领土因素又有经济因

34、素。1、 原因The territorial causes were related with the possession by the English kings of the large duchy of Aquitaine in France as the French kings grew stronger they increasingly coveted this large slice. 领土起因尤其是英国国王占领了法国的阿基坦大片公爵领地这是战争的根源随着法国国王势力日增他们渴望占领这片土地。The economic causes were connected with cl

35、oth manufacturing towns in Flanders which were the importer of English wool but they were loyal to the French king politically. 经济原因则与弗兰德斯城有关。弗兰德斯地区生产棉布的城镇是英国羊毛的主要进口商但这些城镇在政治上却效忠法国国王。England desire to stop France from giving aid to Scots and a growing sense of nationalism were the other causes. 其他原因

36、还有英国试图阻止法国对苏格兰人的援助，并且压制不断增强的民族意识。2、 战争的结果The English being driven out of France is regarded as a blessing for both countries. If the English had remained in France, the superior size and wealth of France would have hindered the development of a separate English national identity while France was hin

37、dered so long as a foreign power occupied so much French territory. 把英国人赶出法国对两个国家都是幸事。若英国人继续留在法国，那么法国人在领土和财富上所占的优势必然会阻碍独立的英国的发展，而在英国占领大量法国领土的情况下法国也很难统一。3、 Consequences of the war 战争的后果影响 The English lost the war. The expulsion of the English from French is regarded as a blessing for both countries.

38、It helped English national identity as well as French national identity. Two separate nation were born after the war.六、The Wars of Rose 玫瑰战争feudal civil war 1、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

39、 by the white, from 1455 to 1485. 玫瑰战争是指，从1455年到1485年，以红玫瑰为象征的兰开斯特大家族和以白玫瑰为象征的约克家族之间战争的普遍接受的名称。2、战争结果Henry Tudor, descendant of Duke of Lancaster won victory at Bosworth Field in 1485 and put the country under the rule of the Tudors. From these Wars, English feudalism received its death blow. The gr

40、eat medieval nobility was much weakened.1485年，兰开斯特家族的后代亨利都铎取得了博斯沃恩战役的胜利，建立了都铎王朝。这些战争使英国的封建主义受到致命打击，贵族阶层受到了削弱。七、Henry VIII and The English Reformation亨利八世和英国的宗教改革The reform began as a struggle for a divorce and ended in freedom from the Papacy. Henry VIII wanted to divorce Catherine of Aragon but the

41、 Pope refused. 改革以争取离婚而开始，以脱离教皇而告终。亨利八世欲与阿拉贡的凯瑟琳离婚，但是教皇拒绝了。八、伊丽莎白1. Elizabeth I was the last monarch of the Tudor Dynasty. 伊丽莎白一世是都铎王朝最后一位君主。2. In 1952 Princess Elizabeth was crowned Queen Elizabeth II. Many people through television saw the ceremony. 1952年伊莉莎白公主加冕成为伊莉莎白女王二世。新发明的电视使许多人看到了加冕仪式的过程。3、E

42、lizabeth II, her title in the United Kingdom is “Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Her Other Realms and Territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith. 伊莉莎白二世，她的全称是“伊莉莎白二世承蒙大布列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国以及她的其他领土和领地的上帝之恩典，女王，

43、英联邦元首，共同信仰的保护者。”4、The Queen is the symbol of the whole nation. In law, and she is head of the executive, an integral part of the legislature, head of the judiciary, the commander-in-chief of all the armed forces and the “supreme governor” of the Church of England. She gives Royal Assent to Bills pas

44、sed by parliament. 女王是国家的象征。从法律上讲，她是行政首脑，立法机构的组成部分，司法首脑，全国武装部队总司令，英国国教“至高无上”的领袖。她任命首相和重要的政府官员。对议会通过的法案给予御准。九、1、English Renaissance literature is primarily artistic, rather than philosophical and scholarly英国文艺复兴文学主要是文艺方面而不是哲学的和学术方面。2、the Renaissance coincided with the Reformation in England. 文艺复兴和英格兰

45、的宗教改革正好同步。十、Whigs and Tories辉格党人和托利党人（辉格党Whig Party，自由党Liberal Party，工党Labour Party 托利党Tony Party，保守党Conservative Party）联合内阁Coalition1、These two party names originated with the Glorious Revolution (1688).这两个政党名称皆起源于1688年的光荣革命。2、The Whig were those who opposed absolute monarchy and supported the righ

46、t to religious freedom for Nonconformists. The Whig were to form a coalition with dissident Tories in the mid-19th century and become the Liberal Party. 辉格党人是指那些反对绝对王权，支持新教徒宗教自由权利的人。辉格党人在19世纪中叶与持不同意见的托利党人组成联盟，建立自由党。3、The Tories were those who supported hereditary monarchy and were reluctant to remov

47、e kings. The Tories were the forerunners of the Conservative Party. 托利党人是指那些支持世袭王权、不愿去除国王的人。托利党是保守党的前身。十一、工业革命发明(1) John Kays flying shuttle in 1733; 1733年，约翰凯的飞梭； (2) James Hargreaves Spinning Jenny in 1766; 1766年詹姆士哈格里夫斯詹妮纺纱机； (3) Richard Arkwrights waterframe in 1769; 1769年理查 德阿克赖特的水力纺织机； (4) Sam

48、uel Cromptons mule in 1779 1779年塞缪尔克朗普顿的走绽纺纱机； (5) Edmund Cartwrights power loom in 1784; 1784年爱德蒙卡特莱特发明的力织机； (6) James Watts steam engine in 1765. 1765年詹姆斯瓦特的高效蒸汽机。十二、殖民地扩张1. English colonial expansion began with the colonization of Newfoundland in 1583. 英国殖民扩张开始于1583年纽芬兰的殖民化。2. The British North A

49、merica Act of 1867 established Canada as a dominion. 1867年英国北美法案确定加拿大为自治领。3. English began to transport convicts to Australia in 1788. Free settlement began in 1816, and no convicts were sent to Australia after 1840. 1788年英国人开始把囚犯流放到澳大利亚。1816年开始可以自由定居，1840年后囚犯不再流放到澳大利亚。4. The gold rushes (1851-1892)

50、 1851年至1892年的淘金热十三、Reasons for the British coal mining is called a “sick” industry today. 英国煤矿被称为“生病”工业的原因。Today the coal industry in Britain is on the decline，the number of miners, collieries and the total output have been falling.如今的英国煤矿业衰退，从而导致矿工、煤矿的数量和总产量都大大下降。十四、the area between Glasgow and Edi

51、nburgh in Scotland. The third area is the most spectacular of the three and is now often referred to as the “Silicon Glen”. By the end of 1985 half of Britains microchip output was estimated to have come from Scotland.十五、The United Kingdom is a unitary, not a federal, state. Parliament consists of t

52、he Sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. 英国是中央集权国家，而不是联邦制国家。议会由君主，上议院和下议院组成。十六、The House of Commons is elected by universal adult suffrage and consists of 651 Members of Parliament (MPs).It is in the House of Commons that the ultimate authority for law-making resides.下院议员由成人普选产生，共有

53、651名议员。最高立法权掌握在下院手中。十七、There is no single legal system in the United Kingdom. A feature common to all systems of law in the United Kingdom is that there is no complete code.联合王国不实行完全统一的法律制度。联合王国所有法律制度的一个共同特点是没有一部完整的法典。十八、Youth Court which try most cases involving people under 18.青少年法庭，负责审理18岁以下青年的大多

54、数案件。十九、Londons Metropolitan Police Force is directly under the control of Home Secretary. Police officers are not allowed to join a trade union or go on strike. They do not normally carry firearms.但伦敦警察署直接与内政大臣管辖。警察不得加入工会或罢工。他们通常不佩带手枪。二十、Treatment of offenders对违法者的处理 1、The chief aims of the penal sy

55、stem are to deter the potential lawbreaker and to reform the convicted offender.刑罚制度的主要目的是阻止潜在的违法者，并改造已判的违法者。 2、死刑Capital punishment ( a sentence of death ) for murder has been abolished in the U.K, through proposal for its reinstatement are regularly debated by Parliament, and it remains the penalt

56、y for treason and piracy.英国已废除对谋杀罪的死刑，但议会仍经常辩论要恢复死刑，判国罪和海盗罪仍可判死刑。二十一、Religion 宗教1. Everyone in Britain has the right to religious freedom with out interference from the community or the State. (He may believe in any church or none at all.) He may change his religion at will may manifest his faith in

57、 teaching, worship and observance. Except that the Lord Chancellor may be a Roman Catholic, public offices are open without distinction to members of all churches or none. 在英国，人人都有信仰宗教的权利，社会和政府不得干涉。他可以随意改变宗教信仰，可以在布道，礼拜和仪式中表明他的信仰。除了大法官不可以是罗马天主教徒外，公共职务对各种信仰或没有信仰的人一律公开。2. the established churches国教 The

58、re are two established church in Britain: in England the Church of England and in Scotland the (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland.英国有两大国教，在英格兰是英格兰国教，苏格兰是苏格兰教会（长老教）。3. the Church of England（英格兰国教） is uniquely related to the Crown in that the Sovereign must be a member of that Church and as “Defender of the Faith”. The Church is also linked with the State through the House of loads. The Church of England is not free to change its form of worship, as laid down in the Book of Common Prayer without the consent of Parliament. 英格兰国教与君主有独特的联系。因为君主作为“国教的捍卫者”必须是此