英语国家概况音频名解new

1、英国部分Chapter1Official name官方名称：The official name of the United Kingdom is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.British Empire大英帝国：About a hundred years ago, as a result of its imperialist expansion, Britain ruled an empire that had one fourth of the worlds people and one fourth of

2、 the worlds land area. However, the two world wars greatly weakened Britain. The British colonies became independent one after another. The British Empire gradually disappeared and it was replaced by the British Commonwealth in 1931.Commonwealth of Nations/the British Commonwealth英联邦：Its a free asso

3、ciation of independent countries that were once colonies of Britain. It was established in 1931, replacing the former British Empire. Member nations are joined together economically and have certain trading arrangements. The Commonwealth has no special power. The decision to became a member of the C

4、ommonwealth is left to each nation .At present there are 50 member countries within the Commonwealth.Chapter2Heptarchy七王国：During the AngloSaxons time, Britain was divided into many kingdoms. These seven principal kingdoms of Kent,Essex,Sussex,Wessex,East,Anglia,Mercia and Northumbria. They were give

5、n the name of Heptarchy.Alfred the Great亚尔弗雷得大帝：Alfred was the King of Wessex, who was strong enough to defeat the invading Danes and reached a friendly agreement with them. He founded a strong fleet and is known as “the father of the British navy” .He reorganized the Saxon army, making it more effi

6、cient. He established schools and formulated a legal system. He translated books from Latin into English.William the Conqueror征服者威廉：He was also known as William, Duke of Normandy. In 1066, he invaded England, defeated and killed Harold near Hastings in Sussex and conquered England. He confiscated al

7、most all the land and gave it to his Norman followers. He replaced the weak Saxon rule with a strong Norman government. So the feudal system was completely established in England.Chapter3Domesday Book末日审判书：Its a book compiled by a group of clerks under the sponsorship of King William the First in 10

8、86.The book was in fact a property record. It was the result of a general survey of England. It recorded the extent, value, state of cultivation, and ownership of the land. It was one of the important measures adopted by William I to establish the full feudal system in England. Today, its kept in th

9、e Public Records Office in London.The Great CharterMagna Carta大宪章：The Great Charter has been also known as Magan Carta which King John was forced to sign in 1215.The Great Charter has been regarded as the foundation of English liberties, a guarantee of the freedom of the Church and the spirit of it

10、was the limitation of the powers of the King.Joan of Arc圣女贞德：Joan of Arc was a national heroine in French history. She led and encouraged the French in driving the English out of France in the Hundred Years War.Chapter4The Wars of the Roses玫瑰战争：The name Wars of the Roses was refer to the battles bet

11、ween the House of Lancaster, symbolized by the white, from 1455 to 1485.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 great medieval nobility was muc

12、h weakened. Bloody Mary血腥玛丽：Its the nickname given to Mary I, the English Queen who succeeded to the throne after Henry .She was a devout Catholic and had so many Protestants burnt to death that shi is remembered less by her official title Mary I by her nickname Bloody Mary.The English Renaissance英国

13、文艺复兴：(1)Renaissance was a cultural movement in Europe from the 14th century to the 16th century.(2)It originated in Italy and began to come to England in the late 15th century.(3)The English Renaissance was largely literary, and achieved its finest expression in poetry, drama and prose.(4)The greate

14、st literary writer of the English Renaissance was William Shakespeare.Chapter5The Reform Act of 1832改革法案：(1)Its also known as the Greater Charter of 1832, it was passed by Parliament in 1832.(2)According to the Act, “rotten boroughs” were abolished, and parliament seats were redistributed more fairl

15、y among the growing industrial towns.(3)It also gave the vote to many householder and tenants who were required to have certain property.Charles Darwin查尔斯-达文：(1)A famous British scientist in the 19th century.(2)He has been especially remembered for his important book “the Origins of Species” in whic

16、h he developed his theory of evolution.(3)The theory of evolution caused evident reaction of the Victorians and contributed to the decay of Victorianism.The Victorian Age维多利亚时期：(1)It refers to monarchy of Britain under Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901, the longest reign in British history.(2)The Vic

17、torian Age was an age of national development and national optimism.(3)The Victorians were very religious and conservative in family life. It was also, in its later stages, an age of imperialism.The State of Westminster威斯敏斯特条例：(1)In 1931, the British Parliament passed a bill which later has been kno

18、wn as the Statute of Westminster, according to which, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Southern Ireland, New Foundland and South Africa turned into “Dominions”.(2)These self-government both internally and externally, although they still regarded the British monarch as their head of state .(3)This mar

19、ked the disruption of the British Empire and the establishment of the British Commonwealth. The Europe Economic Community欧共体：(1)Also known as the Common Market, it was established by the Treaty of Rome on January 1,1958.(2)Originally it was composed of six Western Europe countriesFrance, West German

20、y, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg.(3)Britain didnt become a full member of the Community until 1973. Today, there are altogether 12 member in the Community.Chapter7The Constitutional monarchy君主立宪制：Its a political system that has been practiced in Britain since the Glorious Revolution of 1

21、688.According to this system; the Constitution is superior to the Monarch. In law, the Monarch has many supreme powers, but in practice, the real power of monarchy has been greatly reduced and today the Queen acts solely on the advice of her ministers. She reigns but doesnt rule. The real power lies

22、 in the Parliament, or to be exact in the House of Commons.The British Constitution英国宪法：Its not written in any single document. Its made up of Statute Law, common law and Conventions. Its more flexible than the written constitution of other countries.British Parliament英国议会：It includes three elements

23、: the Sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Its the Supreme law-making authority in Britain. The real center of parliamentary power lies in the House of Commons. Its other functions include: to control and criticize the executive government; to control the raising and the spending

24、of money.Chapter9The Church of England英格兰国教：(1)Also called the Anglican Church, its one of the many Protestant sects which broke away from Roman Catholic church during the Reformation tin the 16th century.(2)Its an established church which means that it represents the official state religion.(3)Its

25、religious leader is the Archbishop of Canterbury and its secular leader is the British Monarch.Free Churches自由教会：(1)Also known as Non-Conformist Churches in England, Free churches are protestant sect that have separated from the established church of England.(2)These include the Methodist, the Congr

26、egational, the Baptist, an the Quakers, and many others.(3)All these sects agree on the essentials of Christianity, but have different forms of service and points of emphasis.The Quakers贵格派：(1)Also known as the Religious Society of Friends. The Quakers are a Protestant group that originated in Engla

27、nd in the 17th century, under George Fox.(2)They refuse to participate in the church of England services.(3)They advocate simple living and hard work and believe in complete equality and fraternity.Chapter10 The eleven-plus十一岁附加考试：（1）Under the old selective system of secondary education in Britain,

28、the “eleven-plus” is the examination taken by children in their last year at primary school.(2)The results of this examination determine the kind of secondary schooling each child will receive.(3)Those with the highest marks go to grammar school ;other children may go to technical schools or seconda

29、ry modern schools.(4)In the 1960s and 70s, this examination was abolished and has ever since gradually been replaced by comprehensive schools which take children of all abilities.Grammar schools语法学校：(1)Its a type of state secondary schools in Britain. It has been in existence since the 16th century.

30、(2)These schools concentrate on academic subjects and expect many of their children to take higher examinations and go on to universities.(3)Now, its importance in the British educational system has been largely diminished due to the growth of comprehensive schools.Public school公学：(1)Its a kind of i

31、ndependent privately-owned secondary boarding schools in Britain.(2)These schools are financially supported by tuition fees and private funds.(3)Most of their students come from rich families and are very likely to go on to famous universities.(4)The word “public” is a traditional one with little me

32、aning today since far from being public these schools are restricted to a comparatively small section of the population.Prep schools准备学校：(1)Also called preparatory schools. They are private elementary schools in Britain, which prepare their students for public schools.(2)The prep school curriculum d

33、iffers considerably from that of the state junior schools, and there is a distinctive emphasis on classical subjects.(3)At the age of thirteen, the pupils will take the “common entrance” examination for admission to a public school.Open University开放大学：(1)As a new type of higher education, Open Unive

34、rsity only appeared in Britain in 1969.(2)Its open to everybody, especially to people who have missed the opportunity for higher education.(3)It doesnt demand the same formal qualification as the other universities.(4)It uses modern communications means such as television, radio or correspondence.(5

35、)Its non-residential although there is a network of study centers throughout the country for contact with tutors and fellow students.(6)After passing the examinations of all required course, students are awarded a university degree.Comprehensive schools综合中学：Comprehensive schools take pupils without

36、reference to ability or aptitude and provide a wide-ranging secondary education for all or most of the children in a district. The Times泰晤士报：(1)Its the most famous of all British national newspapers and is read by the most important British all over the world.(2)Politically it is independent, though

37、 it is traditionally inclined to be more sympathetic to the Conservative Party.(3)Its not an organ of the British government and has a reputation for extreme caution is its attitude.BBC英国广播公司：(1)Its the abbreviation of British Broadcasting Corporation.(2)It has both radio and television services.(3)

38、For radio broadcasting, it uses 39 languages and broadcasts to the whole world.(4)There is no advertisement on any BBC program.(5)Its financed by payments which must be made by all people who own television sets.(6)It has a Board of Governors, who are appointed by the Government.美国部分Chapter14WASPs：T

39、raditionally, the mainstreams American were called WASPs, that is, White AngloSaxon Protestants.Indentured Servants契约劳工：Indentured servants refer to some immigrants who had to work for a fixed term for their masters to repay the crossAtlantic fare and debts.Ellis Island爱利斯岛：Ellis Island of New York

40、was an important immigration reception spot in the 1980s and at the turn of the century.Sunbelt areas阳光地带：Chapter15Bill of Right人权法案：(1)In 1789,James Madison introduced in the House of Representatives a series of amendments which later were drafted into twelve proposed amendments and sent to the sta

41、tes for ratification.(2)Ten of them were ratified in 1791 and this first ten amendments to the constitution were called the Bill of Rights because they were to insure individual liberties.Uncle Toms Cabin汤姆叔叔的小屋：Its written by Beecher Stowes novel Uncle Toms Cabin, public feeling against slavery was

42、 increased. Many people joined the abolitionists. They considered slavery inhuman and brutal.Emancipation Proclamation解放宣言：Lincoln issues it during the Civil War, when Lincoln realized that he could win support for the Union at home and abroad by making war a just war against slavery. Under the Eman

43、cipation of Proclamation, all slaves in areas still controlled by the Confederacy were freed.Abolitionists废奴主义者：They were people, mostly Northern humanitarians, who strongly opposed slavery and aimed to abolish the system. The Constitutional Convention制宪会议：(1)Since 1781, the thirteen states had been

44、 governed by the Articles of Confederation which set up a very weak central government.(2)In May,1787,the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia with instructions to revise the Articles of Confederation.(3)After much debate, the Constitution was later ratified.The “Great Compromise”大妥协：On the

45、 American constitutional Convention, contradictions emerged between the bigger and smaller states, between the industrialcommercial interests and landed interests, etc. The Great Compromise of July 16,1787,gave each state an equal vote in the Senate, making representation in the House reflect the si

46、ze of each states population.The Federalist Papers联邦文集：(1)During the ratification period, beginning on October 27,1787, the newspapers of New York City carried at short intervals a total of 85 letters to the public written under the name of Publius.(2) Later it was known that these letters were writ

47、ten by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay and they came to be called the Federalist Papers.The Compromise of 18501850年妥协：(1)With the territorial expansion towards the west, the problem of whether slavery should be allowed to spread into these areas arose. (2)The compromise of 1850 was pa

48、ssed which allowed California to be accepted as a free state, New Mexico and Utah to be organized as territories without legislation either for or against slavery and more efficient machinery to be set up for returning runaway slaves to their masters.The Boston Tea Party波士顿倾茶事件：In 1773,when ships ca

49、rried tea reached Boston, the governor decided to protest the distribution of tea. Several dozen Boston residents dressed as Indians boarded the ships at night and threw the tea into the harbor. This came to be known as the “Boston Tea Party ”.Chapter16The Muckrakers揭丑者：The Muckrakers, a group of re

50、formminded journalists, made investigations and exposed various dark sides of the seemingly prosperous society.The Progressive Movement进步运动：The Progressive Movement, a movement demanding government regulation of the economy and social conditions, spread quickly with the support of large numbers of p

51、eople across the country .The Progressive Movement was not an organized campaign with clearly defined goals. Rather, it was a number of diverse efforts at political, social, and economic reforms.The Big Four四大列强：It refers to the four most influential countries after the WWI. They were the United Sta

52、te, Britain, France, and Italy.Henry Ford亨利-福特：Henry Ford was one of the most admired businessmen in the 1920s.He introduced the assembly line into automobile production.The Red Scare红色恐惧：Between 1919 and 1920, the Red Scare happened in American where at that time a highly aggressive and intolerance

53、 nationalism existed. On November 7,1919, and January 2,1920, the Justice Department launched two waves of mass arrests. Over 4,000 suspected communists and radicals were arrested and many were forced to leave the United States.The ku Klux Klan三K党：The KKK was first organized in 1866 and then reforme

54、d in 1867 after the Civil War in the South and by 1924 it claimed membership of four to five million. It was a violent society, which terrorized and attacked on not only blacks, but also progressives, communist and socialist party members, etc.The Black Thursday黑色星期四：It refers to the day of October

55、24,1929.On that day the New York stock market collapsed and the Great Depression began.The Great Depression大萧条：(1)It refers to the economic depression started from the New York stock marker collapse on October 24,1929.(2)After that, thousands of bands and businesses failed.(3)Many people lost their

56、jobs.(4)It was due the New Deal started in 1933 and the defense build up before and during the WWII, that the United States finally recovered from the Great Depression.Chapter17George Kennan乔治-坎南：（1）George Kennan was a high-ranking official in the American embassy to Moscow.(2)He sent a long telegra

57、m to the State Department and suggested the containment policy towards the Soviet Union. The Truman Doctrine杜鲁门主义：On March 12,1949, American President Truman made the open declaration of containment policy in a speech to the joint session of Congress. The US would support any country which said it w

58、as fighting against Communism. This is the Truman Doctrine.The Marshall Plan马歇尔计划：It was announced by Secretary of State George Marshall on June 5,1947.The purpose of the Plan was to offer Western Europe countries economic aid and to protect Western Europe from possible Soviet expansion.McCarthyism麦

59、卡锡主义：(1)Senator Joseph R. McCarthyism started a campaign of wild accusation and arrests in 1950s.(2)His full-scale anti-Communist hysteria was called McCarthyism.(3)In 1954 he was condemned by the Senate and McCarthyism ended.War Power Act战争权利法案：(1)The Vietnam War led to contradiction between Congress and the Executive.(2)The War Power Act was passed to limit the Presidents power in sending troops abroad and