英美国家概况知识点整理

1、CountryUKIrelandAustralia New ZealandAmericanCanadaLanguageEnglishIrishEnglishEnglishMaoriEnglishEnglishFrenchEnglishOriginal peopleCelticsThe AboriginesMaoriIndiansAboriginalCapitalLondon .DublinCanberraWellingtonWashington D. C.OttawaLargest country6th2thGovernmentparliamentary democracy & con

2、stitutional monarchyWashminster3Parliament3ConstitutionFederal systemWashminster The united Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandContain 50 or more countriesCommonwealth of Nations (50) European Union (28)England London capital cultural, business, financial center Celtics original people Rom

3、an Empire combine the small kingdoms into a united one called England Anglo-Saxon Viking and Danish Norman Charles the Firsts attempt to overrule parliament civil warScotland Edinburgh capital Glassgow largest GaelicWales Cardiff capital WelshNorthern Ireland “The Six Counties” Belfast capital Confl

4、ict ethnically distinct from the majority of British people Geographically North and South of Ireland Religiously Protestant and Catholics Most Irish people remained Catholics, while most British people had become Protestant 1921 the southern 26 counties formed an independent “free state”, while the

5、 6 north- eastern counties remained a part of the UK Jurisdiction : the Republic of Ireland Great Britain its own elected executive government of ten ministersGovernmentThe process of stated-building has been one of evolution rather than revolutionBoth a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional

6、monarchyQueen is the official head of stateGovernor- General fulfill the role of monarch in Australia, Canada, New Zealand Israel and Britain are the only two counties without written constitutions of the sort with most countries haveMonarchy The oldest institution of government The “divine right of

7、 kings” authority from God Civil war between republican “Roundheads” led by Oliver Cromwell King should not exercise absolute power symbolize the tradition and unity of the British state Queen non-political 1. Head of the executive 2. An intergral part of the legislature 3. Head of the judiciary 4.

8、Commander in chief of the armed forces and “supreme governor” of the Church of England Parliament First used officially in 1236 to describe the gathering of feudal barons and representatives from counties and towns 1689 William of Orange the Bill of Rights Function : pass laws, vote for taxation, ex

9、amine government, debate the major issues Consist of the Queen, the House of Lords, the House of Commons (sovereign) (The real center of British political life) The House the Lords : the Lords Spiritual & the Lords Temporal Serve their country Do not receive salaries and many do not attend Parli

10、ament at all The House of Commons : 646 Members of Parliament (MPs) Most belong to political parties : Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal DemocratsElection650 constituencies5 years general electionEconomy6th largest economyA member of the G7,G8,G-20, the World Trade OrganizationBy the 1880s the

11、British economy was dominant in the worldDecline 1. War debt 2. The independence of colonies 3. Substantial and expensive military presence 4. Failure to invest sufficiently industryBritain has seen a relative shrinking of the importance of secondary industry and a spectacular growth in tertiary or

12、service industriesLiterature timewriterWorkEarly timeAnglo-Saxon timesBeowulf old EnglishGeoffrey ChaucerThe Canterbury Tales Middle EnglishThomas MaloryLe Morte DArthur (Death of Arthur)Elizabethan Drama (the Renaissance)MarloweThe Tragical History of Doctor FaustusWilliam ShakespearetragedyRomeo a

13、nd JulietHamletOthello King LearMacbethcomedyThe Taming of the ShrewA midsummer Nights DreamTwelfth NightThe Tempest17thFrancis BaconEssaysJohn MiltonParadise Lost18thJonathan SwiftGullivers TravelsDaniel DefoeRobinson CrusoeRomantic PeriodWilliam WordsworthSamuel Taylor ColeridgeLyrical Ballads“Dec

14、laration of Independence”George Gordon,Lord ByronJohn KeatsPercy Bysshe ShelleyBrought the Romantic Movement19thJane AustenSense and SensibilityPride and PrejudiceEmmaCharlotte BronteJane EyreEmily BronteWuthering HeightsCharles DickensOliver TwistRobert Louis StevensonThomas HardyTess of the DUrber

15、villes20thD. H. LawrenceSons and LoversE. M. ForsterHowards End EducationVoluntary compulsoryChurch the state ( the Ministry of Education)AgeEducationUp to age 5Pre-primary schooling in nursery schools, daycare, or play groups5 to 11State sector primary schools11 to 19Secondary schools11-16Comprehen

16、sive schools general education Grammar schools “the 11-puls” academic potential16GCSE exams (Northern Irish and Welsh)Quit school and find a jobPrepare to sit exams for university entranceVocational training16-18A-levels exams19-UniversityUK has only one privately funded university, the University o

17、f BuckinghamThe Open University offers a non-traditional route for people to take university level courses and receive a university degreeOxford the oldest university in UKSportsTennis Wimbledon a London suburb worlds best players gather to compete Invented in BritainGolf Invented in ScottishHorse R

18、acing The true sport of British Kings (and Queens)HolidaysHoliday Date Information New Years DayJan. 1stValentines DayFeb. 14thEaster DaySun. B 3.22-4.25The most important Christmas festivalThe Easter egg & Easter Bunny/HareApril Fools DayApr. 1st Mothers Day2nd Sun. in MayFathers Day3rd Sun. in

19、 JuneHalloweenOct. 31stTrick-or-treating & jack-o-lantermsThanksgiving Day4th Thur. in Nov.Christmas Dec. 25thThe biggest and the best loved British holidayCommemorates the birth of Jesus Christ1. Christmas Pantomime2. Hear the Queen give her Christmas message to her realm over the television an

20、d radioBoxing DayDec. 26thTraditionally, people gave Christmas gifts or money to their staff or servants, but now, shoppingNational Holidays2nd Sat. in JuneQueens BirthdayCelebrated by “Trooping the Color”Buckingham PalaceBonfire NightIn early autumnEnglandSt Patricks DayMarch 17thNorthern IrelandSh

21、amrock (clover) & wear something greenHogmanayDec. 31stScotlandNew Years EveEisteddfodAug. 1st- 9th?WalesMusic, literature, performanceSpread the language of WalesIreland7000 BC middle Stone Age period the earliest settlers arrived 6th century BC Celts their language proved the most lasting An i

22、nstrument of social and cultural unity & a legal system5th century Christianity brought by Saint PatrickThe VikingsThe Normans1541 Henry declared himself King of Ireland - the first English monarch1789 the French Revolution “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”1798 rebellion1870-1914 Home Rule by Isaa

23、c Butt1905-1908 Sinn Fein1916.4 the Easter Rising 1919-1921 the War of Independence Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed , with the result that 26 counties gained independence as the new Irish Free StateEducation Irish education was undertaken by various religious orders, mostly Roman CatholicDominant reli

24、gious beliefAll children in the Republic must learn the Irish languageThe University of Dublin, Trinity College, is the oldest university in the State which dont need to learn IrishArt cultureriverdanceAustralia 6th largest country in the worldThe largest island in the worldThe smallest, flattest an

25、d driest continent in the world50th most populous country in the worldSydney largest cityTasmania smallest stateNew South Welsh populous state James Cook named itWest Australia the largest state Animal: platypus, kangaroo,koala, wombatTwo most distinctive physical features: the Great Diving Range &a

26、mp; The Great Barrier Reef “The Father of Australia” Lachlan Macquarie the Governor of NSWA member of the APEC, G20, OECD, WTO organizationThere is now a much higher proportion of settlers arriving from Asia although Anglo Australia migrants still predominateThe peoplesPeople of Dreaming“The Dreamin

27、g” or ”The Dreamtime” is the most enduring religion in Australia todayPeople who live on the continent have special responsibilities to the land - that the land owns people, creating and providing everythingThe Dreaming is the belief system from ancient times that has bound indigenous groups togethe

28、r Terra NulliusBritish who took over the country in the late 18th century, declaring it to be “terra nullius”Australia as a penal colonyThe impact of Colonisation1. Expropriation of land and the killing of the peoples2. Segregation and protection3. Assimilation destroy the culture of the Dreaming4.

29、Citizenship and the fight against racismReligionChristianity The Dreaming most enduring Protestantism most dominant Buddhism is now the fastest growing belief system in AustraliaIslam, Hinduism, JudaismSport The principal games a form of football ARL, AFL, RU, soccerThe most popular game netballThe

30、second most popular fishingOther games and sports cricket, hockey, basketball, beach volleyball, athletics, swimmingThe Formation of the Australian Political SystemWashminsterUSPolitical structure is based on a Federation of States Has a three-tier system of governmentThe House of Representatives (t

31、he Lower House) & the Senate (the Upper House)UKThe chief executive is a Prime MinisterTwo houses of parliamentHeaded by the Governor-GeneralThe members of parliament generally belong to one of the two major political parties:The Australia Labour Party (ALP) & the Coalition the Liberals &

32、; the NationalsServices 1st Tourism Most popular tourist features: the Great Barrier Reef, Ulura Kakadu and the key city attractions and beaches of Sydney, the Gold Coast, and the other metropolitan centers2nd Coal and iron ore3rd Education New ZealandAotearoa : another name, means “land of the long

33、 white cloud”The North Island and the South Island are separated by Cook StraitAuckland the largest urban areaMt. Cook the highest mountainIn colloquial English, a Kiwi, capitalized, means a New Zealander80% European ancestry 15% Maori 7% from the Pacific IslandsChristianity is the most common relig

34、ionMaoritangaMeans “Maori culture”Maori : the original inhabitant of New Zealand are the largest non-European group, however, in recent years, Maori culture and perspectives have experienced a sort of renaissanceAlthough some Maori still live in their tribal areas, over 80% of the Maori population l

35、ive in urban areasThe best known internationally of all Maori traditions is the hakaHistory 1000 years ago voyagers from East Polynesia settled there1642 first European explorer Abel Tasman found it1840 over 500 chiefs signed the Treaty of WaitangiGovernment Governed by a democratically elected parl

36、iamentThe Head of State is the British monarch Queen Elizabeth II represented by a Governor-GeneralThe House of Representatives : the National Party & the Labour PartyThe Prime Minister chooses up to 20 MPs to form the CabinetEducation Compulsory between the ages of 6 and 16Age Education 2-4Kind

37、ergartens5-6Infant classes6-12Primary school12-Secondary school9 universities & 22 polytechnicsthe Correspondence School the largest schoolthe Open Polytechnic the biggest education providerEconomy Agriculture The worlds largest farm A world leader in agriculture research and advisory services P

38、astoral farming remains the main land useForestry & Fishing Constitute new natural resource-based industries with exciting potential for further developmentOverseas Trade New Zealand lives by tradeAmericanTwo long-continuing immigration movements : Asia (Indians) & Europe and Africa 1492 Col

39、umbus foundThe first new force was the development of capitalismThe second major force is the RenaissanceThe third influential force was the Religious ReformationThe first English permanent settlement was founded in 1607 in Virginia1619 two events 1. A start of election 2. A start of Negroes being b

40、rought to USPuritan New England was established in MassachusettsCatholic MarylandQuaker Pennsylvania1773 “Boston Tea Party”1774 the First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia1775 the first shot thus the American War of Independence beganJuly 4,1776 Declaration of Independence proclaimed the inde

41、pendence of 13 North American colonies1781 the War of Independence came to an end1789 Washington began to set up the new federal government and frame his administration1861 Civil War broke out1865 endedConstitution Set up a federal system one in which power is shared between a central authority and

42、its constituent parts, with some rights reserved to eachLegislative Branch the Congress The only branch that can make federal laws, levy federal taxes, declare war or put foreign treaties into effect The House of Representatives & the Senate The main duty of the Congress is to make laws, includi

43、ng those which levy taxes that pay for the work of the federal governmentExecutive Branch the President four-year term only two terms Commander-in-chief of the armed forces Under the Constitution, the president is primarily responsible for foreign relations with other nationsJudicial Branch the Supr

44、eme Court : a chief justice & eight associate justicesChecks and Balances Two major political parties Democratic Party donkey Republican Party elephantEconomy American is always a mighty presence on Global 100After the birth of the nation, Americans lost no time in industrializing their new nati

45、on and in building trade with other countriesKey development the introduction of the factory system The “American system” of mass production The application of new technologies The emergency of new forms of business organizationThe construction of railroads marked the start of a new era for the Unit

46、ed StatesService industries now dominate the economyThe Roots of AffluenceBountiful resources, the geographical size of the country and population treads have all contributed to these success. Religious, social and political traditions; the institutional structures of government and business; and th

47、e courage, hard work and determination of countless entrepreneurs and workers have also played a part.The 4th largest area and population in the worldAgriculture and its related industries serve as the foundation of American economic life, accounting for a larger portion of the United States GNP tha

48、n other endeavorThe Current Recession1930s the Great DepressionIn late 2007 a crisis began in America and soon turned global Triggered by a liquidity shortfall Result in the collapse of large financial institutions, the bailout of banks by national governments, and downturns in stock markets around

49、the worldReligion The majority of Americans belong to the Protestant churchBaptists the largest Protestant groupMethodists the second largest Protestant groupRoman Catholics the largest single religious group Character1. American with different religions live together under the same law2. The religi

50、ous beliefs of Americans continue to be strong with social progress3. In the US every church is a completely independent organization, and concerned with its own finance and its own buildingLiteraturewriterWorkWashington IrvingThe first important American writerInventing a history furnished American

51、 with its first myth-hero Ralph Waldo EmersonTranscendentalistsHenry David ThoreauNathaniel HawthorneThe scarlet LetterHerman MelvilleMoby-DickWalt WhitmanLeaves of GrassHarriet Beecher StoweUncle Toms CabinMark TwainThe Adventures of Huckleberry FinnTheodore DreiserSister CarrieJack LondonCall of the WildT. S. EliotThe Waste LandF. Scott Fitzgerald The Great GatsbyErnest HemingwayThe Sun Also RisesA Farewell to ArmsFor Whom the Bell TollsWilliam FaulknerThe Sound and the FuryJohn SteinbeckThe Grapes of WrathRalph