复旦大学英美文化概论期末复习资料

1、Comprehensive Test III.1 .What are the difference between subcultures and counterculture? subculture: share many elements of mainstream, maintain own distinctivecustoms, values and lifestylescounterculture: reject the conventional wisdom and provide alternatives to mainstream2 .What are the major ev

2、ents that led to the outbreak of the Civil War? John Brown, tried to began a slave rebellion in Virginia/ election of AbrahamLincoln3 .How are college students selected in the United States? a) high school recordsb) recommendation from high school teachersc) the impression during the interviewd) sco

3、re on the SATin4 .What king of changes has the American workforce undergone the past few decades? a) the structure: (labor market) from manufacturing-based to service-oriented (the employment distribution) from blue-collar to white-collarb) sharp increase of women in number5 .What does “ the feminiz

4、ation of poverty ” mean? And how has it affected the American family? single mothers account for about half of households with children livingbelow the poverty line6 .What are fundamental principles established by constitution? a) popular sovereignty: control by the peopleb) a republic government in

5、 which the people choose representatives to make decisions for themc) limited government with written lawsd) separation of powerse) a federal systemIII.1 .What are the main characteristics of religious in America? a) diversityb) freedom: government not interferec) competition: adept at organizing an

6、d marketingd) commitment: high proportion believing in God2.How did Horace Manns ideas on mass education influence theeducation system in the United States? education should not be reserved for the high class, but should be extended toall people“ common school ” : public education open to all, suppo

7、rted by all and controlled by all4 .What kind of changes has the American family experienced since the 1950s? decrease of classic American family(traditional nuclear)rise of dual-employed, blended, child-free, single-parent, gay and lesbian, cohabitation and independent living5 .What was the constit

8、utional convention in 1787 hold for? discuss the changes which would be necessary to strengthen the Articles of ConfederationComprehensive Test IIII.1 .What are the main natural resources in the United States? water, forests, mineral and agricultural resources2 .What were John Dewey s major contribu

9、tion to American education? a) what to teach: “ the only worthwhile knowledge is knowledge that can beused ” school should not teach useless facts but teach attitudes and skill so asto produce useful, responsible and happy adultsb) how to teach: “ learning best by doing ” school should help develop

10、special abilities and subjects should be adjusted to the child s innate capacities3.What are the main problems in the American media? a) tendency toward conglomeration: economic forces reduce the number ofmedia operationsb) influence of advertising: likely to ignore or minimize a news item that may

11、harm its advertiserc) an uniformed public: the general public isn t well-informed about politicsand public affairsmedia: entertainment-oriented4.What kind ofdifficulties have the Asian American experienced inAmerican society? a)early immigrants: viewed as competitors for scarce jobs/ Chinese Exclusi

12、onAct(1882)b) discrimination against Asians5 .What do you know about Electoral College? not excitable masses supposedly dispassionate, reasonablebody that elects the president and vice-president with total number of members,538each state represented by the same number of members as in its congressio

13、naldelegation6 .What does ” detente ” mean? How did the US government apply this policy during the Cold War? meaning: a relaxing of strained relationships between nationsofficially recognized the People s Republic of ChinaNixon visit China and signed the “ Shanghai Communique ”Jimmy Carter: abandon

14、a 30-year-old position that the government of Taiwanwas the official government of ChinaIII.1 .What do you know about the two Protestant denominations founded in the United States the Mormons and the Christian Scientists? Mormons : at first practiced polygamy and throve in Utahdiscontinuedthe practi

15、ce until 1896 one of the fastest growing denominationChristian Scientists : man is wholly spiritual so that healing of sickness resultsfrom spiritual understanding rather than from medical treatmentChristianScience Monitor is considered one of the nation s finest newspapers3 .How did the United Stat

16、es transform from an agricultural countryto a post-industrial one? from agricultural to industrial:a) abundant natural resourcesb) large labor supply brought by waves of immigrantsc) the assembly lined) development of transportatione) sufficient capitalf) favorable political and social climatefrom i

17、ndustrial to post-industrial:manufacture of information and knowledge has dominated American Economy4 .How has the two-party system evolved in the United States? a) the election system: tendency for some groups within a district to form coalitionsb) the effect of the presidencyc) the division of int

18、erests: a polarization of interests on any problem in the countryComprehensive Test IIIII.1 .What do you know about the Reconstruction in American history? now constitutions had been ratified in all southern states to abolished slavery however, southern blacks had only limited civil rights2 .Why are

19、 the Americans still very religious? a) religious traditionb) search for social conformity and emotional securityc) disillusioned with social conditions3.1 n what ways can the US government affect the American economy? a) direct service: the postal system, construction and maintainence of mosthighwa

20、ysfederal budget: the principalb) fiscal policy: taxing and spending decisions instrumentc) monetary policy: tighten or loosen the money supply to slow or invigoratethe economy5 .What are the major Hispanic groups in American society?Mexican Americans: one of the oldest immigrant groups6 .What are t

21、he major parties involved in the making of US foreign policy? a) the president and congressb) the Department of Statec) the Department of Defensed) CIA and intelligence agenciese) the National Security Councilf) interest groupsIII.1 .What do you know about the contemporary trends in American educati

22、on? a) year-round education: lag behind of British and Japanese counterpartsb) the home schooling movementc) multicultural educationd) lifelong education2 .What are the main problems in US economy? a) trade deficitb) unemploymentc) the underground economy: illegal activities3 .What kind of difficult

23、ies have the Native Americans experienced inAmerican history? many perished as a result of diseases brought by European settlers, along with dislocation, warfare, genocide and impoverishmentUS4 .What are the major powers of the three branches of the government? How are the 3 branches supposed to che

24、ck and balance each other?U.S, Checks & BalancesConfirlro or MjtxH appcsnTrnerir® by vecui i4 (including judges)ExecutiveEnforces EmuJudicialInterprets lawsCan deebne octior xtcutiM® bntnchtfl b« ggTHl/hsJCon 立十0 c9<sh*)gnjudgesLegislativeWrites laws5 .What do you know about th

25、e Marshall Plan? And what was the US foreign policy underlying the design of the plan?offering American money, supplies and machinery to any European countrythat wished to participate in the alliance(NATO: a mutual defense alliance)to further check Soviet expansion and bring Europe into American sph

26、ere ofinterestComprehensive test IVII.1 .What do you know about the size and the geographical location of the United States of America? the fourth largest country in area(9.37 million km2)stretchacrosscentral North America from the Atlantic Ocean on the east to the Pacific Oceanon the west, and from

27、 Canada on the north to Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico on the south2 . What do you know about the Progressive Era? What does the term mean? a movement to reform society and individuals through government action3 .What are the major religious group in the United States? 87%-Christian (59%-Protestant,

28、27%-Catholic and 1%-Eastern Orthodox)4 .What do you know about the WASPs and its influence on American society? WASP- White Anglo-Saxon Protestants(English decent), have dominated the American political, economic system and social values for many centuries5 .What are the main problems in American fa

29、mily?a) divorce: divorce rate in the United States increased dramatically after the1950s creates emotional turmoil and special strains among Americansb) domestic violence: spouse abuse is one of the most common forms of violence in the United States6 .How does the American president influence the fo

30、reign policymaking in the United States? the president plays a leading role in the application of foreign policy because ofhis constitutional roles as commander in chief, chief diplomatand chiefexecutive“ undeclared war ”III.1 .What do you know about the main geographical regions in the United State

31、s? a) the New England states (New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, etc. )b) the Middle Atlantic states (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, etc.)c) the Southeastern states (North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, etc.)d) the states of the Midwest (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, etc.)e) the Great Plains a

32、nd Mountain states (North Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, etc.)f) the Southwestern states (Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, etc.)g) the states of the Far West (Washington, Oregon, California, etc.)2.How has religion influenced the American society and culture?a) the development of education: the Puritans belie

33、ved that every child shouldbe educated so that he could read the Bibleb) the rapid growth of economy in the United States: the Protestant ethic in their pursuit of wealthc) justify American expansionist movement in the late 19th century and overseas military interferences after WWII4 .How did Americ

34、an press transform from sensational reporting to objective reporting at the turn of the 20th century? sensational journalismsymbolized by Pulitzer and Hearst whipped up warhysteria among the public and pushed America into a war with Spain in 18985 .What do you knowabout the trend of downsizing in th

35、e USeconomy? lay off workers to adapt to the new global economyas a result, thenumber of temporary or contingent workers grew considerablycausemany American workers to suffer from job loss anxietyComprehensive Test IVII.1 .What were the major causes of the Great Depression? a) overproduction of crop

36、s depressed food price and farmers sufferedb) interest rates low, much of capital went into reckless speculationc) the bubble of fragile prosperity finally burst2 .How do you explain the term “ evangelicals ? ”? more conservative and orthodox in their religious beliefs and practices, believe that th

37、e Bible is literally true3 .What is the system of higher education in the United States like? a) the university: several colleges, one or more graduate schoolb) the college: the independent 4-the college: the independent 4-ear undergraduate institutionc) the technical training institution: 6 months

38、to 4 years in duration, learn technical skills4 .What kind of role does the media play in American society? a) the signaler role: alerting the public to important developments as soon aspossibleb) the common-carrier role: serving as an open channel through which political leaders and the public can

39、communicatec) the watching role: protecting the public from deceitful, careless, incompetent, and corrupt officials5 .What kind of difficulties have African Americans experienced in US history? a) African Americans were brought to the United States against their free will, were sold as slaves and had virtually no rightsb) were threatened by Ku Klux Kl