英语国家社会与文化入门知识考点总结

1、英语国家社会与文化入门知识 考点总结Unitl .（选择、判断、填空）I.The flag of Britain : Union Jack2.The capital of each country :EnglandLondonScotlandEdinburg hWalesCardiffNorthernIrelandBelfast3.The time joining the British parliament:However, in 1707 by agreement of the English and Scottish parliaments, Scotland joined the Un

2、ion.4 .Difference between the British Isles ,UK, Great Britain , and England:British Isles:, the island of Great Britain the island of Ireland、surrounding islesUK=Great Britain + Northern IrelandGreat Britain =England +Scotland + Wales5 .The four major invasions in the history of Great Britain :At f

3、irst, England was occupied by Celtic people.Then in 43AD Britain was invaded by the Roman empire.Result: England and Wales became a part of the Roman empire for nearly 400 years.the Angle-Saxon invaded.Result: The land they lived became Angle-land,later changed into England, the language they spoken

4、 became English.the Vikings invaded.Result in a certain cultural divide between northerners and southerners i England, which can be expressed as Saxon versus Dane.the Normans , William of Normandy invaded this country.Result: This marks the last time that an army from outside the British Isles succe

5、eded in invadingLondon: (P18)Unit2 (选择、判断、填空)Northern Ireland (often called Ulsterafter an ancient Irish kingdom)1 .Activities to seek Irish independence :Home -ruleThe Easter Rising of 1916: was the most spectacular event, in which the rebels took over Dublins Post Office, forcing the British to re

6、take it by military means.2 .Political parties:the Sinn Fein party legalSDLP: Social Democratic and Labour PartyJIRA: Irish Republican Army (illegal)3 .Political troubles in Northern Ireland (famous):Indigenous Roman Catholics vs. Protestant immigratesPartition(分割):The southern 26 counties would for

7、m an independent free state, while the 6 north-eastern counties would remain a part of the UK.(即 26* Republic 卜eland ,6 + Northern Ireland )4 .the Good Friday Agreement :( 了解下，P36)Unit 31 .Process of state building:The process of state-building has been one of evolution rather than revolution.2 .The

8、 oldest institution of government in Britain :Britain is both a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy.3 .Divine right of kings :It was held that the sovereign derived his authority from God, not from his subjects.4 .Magna Carta :limits on the kings ability to abuse his royal power.5

9、.the Bill of Rights :ensured that the King would never be able to ignore Parliament. ( William of Orange 时期)6 .The Constitution :(P49)7 .The functions of parliament :(P49)8 .Parliament:The queen : (symbolised traditional)She is legally head of the executive, an integral part of the legislature, head

10、 of the judiciary, commander in chief of the armed forces and supreme governor of the Church of England , a confidante to the Prime Minister (了解下)The House of Lords : do not receive salaries , both sexist and elitist (了解下J Lords Spiritual h hereditary peers Lords Temporal * life peersThe House of Co

11、mmons (P49) 重要Unit41 .The importance of general elections:(P67) 重要2 .The electoral campaigns :(P67)3 .The formation of the government :(P67)4 .The class system in the UK:(P67)5 .Ethnic relations in the UK:(P67) J 了 解下6 .The main political parties in the UK:The Conservative party (newest) : setting u

12、p the National Health ServiceThe Labour party: From 1979 to 1997, the Conservative Partywon 4 elections in rowThe Liberal Democrats: a party of the middleMargaret-Thatcher 改革(There were also negative consequences)了 解下Unit5（判断、选择、填空）1、Absolute Decline2、Relative Decline of the UK economy: （P81） 重要3、 t

13、he reason for its relative decline :（ 了解下）（the country had gone heavily into debt in order to finance the warthe era of empire was overL Large military expensesOutdated industries and less-competitive productsi A lack of close relationship between industry and banks4 .The division of British industr

14、ies :Primary industries （mining industry 矿业）Secondary industries （steelindustry 车冈铁业）Tertiary industries （insurance 保险， the selling of goods）5 .The City: The name given to the historic area at the centre of London6 .The London Stock Exchange: The heart of the City（伦敦的中心是伦敦城，伦敦城的中心是伦敦证券交易所）Unit6 （填空、

15、选择、判断）I.Beowulf :One of the oldest of these early Old English literary works is a long poem from Anglo-Saxon times called Beowulf.7 .Geoffrey Chaucer : The Canterbury Tales8 .Elizabethan Drama:Marlowe : The Tragical History of Dr FaustusWilliam Shakespeare （ Romeo and Juliet T The Taming of the Shre

16、w HamletA Midsummer NightsDream（，tragedies Othello comedies Twelfth Night（重要） King LearThe TempestMacbeth.history plays : Richard III, Richard II, Henry IV , and Henry V. Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra9 .The 17th Century:John Milton : Paradise Lost10 The 18th Century:Jonathan Swift : Gullivers

17、Travels11 The Romantic Period:William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge : Lyrical Ballads (marked the beginning of the Romantic Period. )George Gordon, Lord ByronThree men J John KeatsPercy Bysshe Shelley12 The Nineteenth Century Novel:Mary Shelley: FrankensteinS Sense and SensibilityJane Auste

18、n Pride and PrejudiceEmma- Charlotte : Jane Eyrethe Bronte sisters E Emily: Wuthering Heights AnnElizabeth Gaskell : North and Southr Oliver TwistCharles Dickens D David Copperfieldl Great ExpectationsThomas Hardy The Return of the Native Tess of the D UrbervillesJude the Obscure 8.Female writers in

19、 the 19 th century of Britain:, Mary Shelley Jane Austen& the Bronte sisters、Elizabeth Gaskell9.20th Century Literature :Twentieth century literature can be broadly divided into two stylistic periods: Modernism, and Postmodernism.Joseph Conrad : The Heart of DarknessMrs. DallowayVirginia Woolf T To

20、the LighthouseOrlandoA Room of Ones OwnD. H. Lawrence : Sons and LoversUnit71 .The purpose of the British education system: provide children with literacy and the other basic skills socialise children children are taught practical skills learn the rules and values participate in the community contri

21、bute to the economic prosperity of an advanced industrial economy.2 .The influence of the church on schooling:education was voluntary and many of the schools that existed were set up by churches.religious education was the only subjectDaily prayers and singing hymns is still a regular part of school

22、 life3 .The National Curriculum :All children throughout the country must study the following subjects: English, mathematics, science, religious education, history, geography, technology, music, art, physical education, and a modern foreign language. All children throughout the country must pass nat

23、ional tests and schools. All teachers are told what to teach and their schools are now ranked according to how well they perform this task.4.State school:93% of pupils receive free education from the public sector.1.1 ndependent school(public schools/ private school):Independent schools are not part

24、 of the national education system.Etor schoolLarrow schoolWinchester college6 .Comprehensive school:Entrance exams were abolished.Such schools provide a general education. Pupils can study everything from academic subjects like literature and sciences, to more practical subjects like cooking and car

25、pentry.7 .Grammar school :Those who show academic potential are admitted to the grammar schools where the emphasis is on advanced academic work rather than the more generalcurriculum of the comprehensive schools.8 .GCSE: General Certificate of Secondary Education9 .GCEA : General Certificate of Educ

26、ation-Advanced10 .GNVQs : General National Vocational Qualifications11 .The universities in Britain :British universities are public bodies , except one university, the University of Buckingham.12 .The Open University :The Open University offers a non-traditional route for people to take university

27、level courses and receive a university degree , through textbooks, tv and radio broadcasts, correspondence, videos, residential schools and a network of study centres.Unit81 .Countries to establish UN:2 .The permanent members of the UN Security Council: the Soviet Union, the United States, China ,Fr

28、ance, UK3 .The foundations of Britains foreign policy:The contemporary foreign policy of the UK is greatly influenced by its imperial history and also by its geopolitical traits4 .The making of Britains foreign policy:(P128)5 .The relationship between Britain and the EU (P128)The decision joined the

29、 EEC ( psychological , natural , controversial )The UK has always been less enthusiastic about giving up its national sovereignty to a European government.6 .The commonwealth:Britain is also a member of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of states .There are 50 members of the Commonwealthhich

30、 is made up mostly of former British colonies.7 .NATO ( North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ):I protect member states against aggressionThe purpose of NATO provide a foundation for security in Europe provide a forum for transatlantic defence cooperation8.Special relationship with US: has gone through

31、 many up and downs9.Independent nuclear weapons capability:Britain is a traditional sea power.Unit91 .The division of British media: (降序排列)TV Newspaper (In Britain, most advertising is carried in newspapers) Radio Magazine2 .The functions of the British media: Entertainment Provide British people wi

32、th information about political and social issues Provide weather reports Carry advertising Used for educational purposes Provide a forum for people to write letters or phone in to express their views or seek advice Help Britain engender national culture3.Oldest newspaper:The worlds oldest national n

33、ewspaper : The ObserverThe British oldest daily newspaper: The TimesThe very names of British newspapers-The Times, The Observer, The Guardian still suggest that the function of the paper is to offer the electorate objective reports about what is happening in the country4 .Papers issued internationa

34、lly:The Financial Times is printed in Frankfurt, France, Hong Kong, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Madrid. ( (Daily)Telegraph / The News of the World )5 .Quality press and gutter press:The Daily TelegraphThe TimesThe Sun* gutter pressThe GuardianThe ObserverQuality press6 .Fleet street:It is als

35、o known as the Street of Shame7.BBC:(P144)Unit101.Sports born in Britain :Cricket, football, lawn tennis, golf, rugbyF FA Cup:(Football Association Cup)2. Football v violent sportG Gentle sport3. Tennis WimbledonWimbledon is where the worlds best players gather to compete on grass courts It is one of the major events of the B