英语国家概况 英国--课后问答题[1]

1、英语国家概况 课后问答题Book 1 Chapter 1 Questions for Thought:1. What was the British Empire? What do you know about it? In what way is the “Empire” still felt in Britain and in the international field?Key points:1. Before the end of WWII, the British Empire was one of the most powerful empires; it enjoyed the

2、 name of “an empire on which the sun never set” due to its overseas colonies on the world. 2. People of the British Empire are descendents of the Anglo-Saxons.3. A system of monarchy was observed still on todays Britain, which went through the history. The Queen is still the Head of the Commonwealth

3、.4. the “Empire” still can be felt in the following ways:a. there are still close relationships between the UK and the fifty or more countries which used to be its former colonies, and which maintain links through a loose organization called the Commonwealth of Nations.b. it became one member of the

4、 European Union since 1973.c. the effect also lies in the makeup of the British population itself. Newly immigrants mainly came from the former colonies, specially from India and Caribbean area.d. today the Monarch represents the country in many occasions. e. class exists and lords and peers are obv

5、ious evident of the imperial past.2. Why does the author say that it is not possible to sum up the British people with a few simple phrases?Key points:Reasons: 1. regional differences-England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland 2. racial differences 3. class differences 4. cultural differences-Highla

6、nd vs Lowland 5. religious differences-protestants vs Catholics (main in Northern Ireland) 3. “British history has been a history of invasion”. Please illustrate this point with the examples from the text. How did each of the invasions influence English culture?Key points:When Who Where from Which p

7、art conqueredinfluence 43 ADAD.5th CLatin-speaking RomanMediterranean countriesEngland and Wales (not Scotland or Ireland)Brought the Mediterranean civilization, Christian, th C1066  Angles and Saxons(the forefathers of the English; the founders of England)GermanyEastern and Southern Britain (n

8、ot Wales and most of Scotland )mainly EnglandThe ancestor of the English people;King Alfreds storythC AD 10th C.the ferocious VikingsScandinavia (北欧：瑞典、挪威一带。丹麦、芬兰、冰岛等)Northern and Eastern England, ScotlandThe process of forming a united Britain (English Kings united mean, so did the Scottish Crown),

9、 1707, the united Britain came into being AD 11th C(1066)Norman French (William the Conqueror defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings, and built the Tower of London)Normandy(northern France)The next few hundred years, joining various parts of the British Isles under English rule (England, Wal

10、es, Scotland, Ireland)Import a ruling class4. What are some general characteristics of Scotland? How did Scotland become part of the union of Great Britain?Key points:1. The Celts originally lived on Scotland, they kept their own culture and languagethe Gealic. 2. Around the AD 6th C, people from No

11、rthern Ireland invaded the South-west - the lowland zone. They were called Scots and gave the modern country of Scotland its name. 3. The Scottish people have a strong sense of nationality and desire for cultural independence. They observed some old customs and tradition, like the Highland tradition

12、. Today, bagpipe, and tartan are considered as the souvenir of the Scottish history.4. The division between highland and lowland Scotland remains a cultural divide today, in much the same way as north and south England see themselves as different from each other.5. Scotland has a great tradition of

13、innovation in the arts, philosophy and science.Robert Louis Stevensons famous novel Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 吉基尔医生与海德先生shows that: Scotland was superficially fully integrated into the UK, but concealed beneath this is a still-strong Scottish identity.Union with England in 1707    1. In 1

14、603, Queen Elizabeth I of England died. James the 6th of Scotland took the throne, called James the First of England; uniting the two thrones 2. Scotland maintained its separate political identity.3. In 1707, Scotland joined the Union by agreement of the English and Scottish Parliaments4. Scotl

15、and sends 72 representatives to the London Parliament.5. Describe characteristics of Wales and Wales unification with Great Britain.Characteristics: 1.      capital: Cardiff, on the south coast 2.      rich coal deposits3.    

16、0; attract foreign investment from Japan and U.S, etc.- new industries to replace coal and steel4.      smallest on the British mainland; close to central England; hilly and rugged5.      retains a powerful sense of difference from England 6. &#

17、160;    retains its own language; 19% population speaking GaelicUnification with Great Britain1.      1267, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd(卢埃林·阿普·格鲁菲德), forced the English toacknowledge him as Prince of Wales by a military campaign, and unified Wales as an ind

18、ependent nation.2.      1282, he was killed. The English King Edward I named his son the Prince of Wales, trying to bring Wales into the British nation.3.      1400, Owain Glyndwr(欧文·格林道瓦尔) led an unsuccessful rising against the English.4. 

19、     1536, Wales was brought legally into the UK by an act of the British Parliament.5.      Wales sends 38 representatives to the London Parliament. 4 are from the Nationalist Party.6. Are there any differences between England, Scotland and Wales in term

20、s of cultural tradition?Chapter 2Northern Ireland Questions for Thought:1. Why is Northern Ireland so significant in the UK? What is the political problem there?Keys: 1. it is significant because of the political troubles there.2. the political trouble Original inhabitants were mainly descents of Ce

21、lts; they believed in Catholics. The immigrants from Scotland and north England in the 17th c, sent by the English king for the sake of better control over Ireland, were mainly Protestants. Their arrival aroused local peoples hostility. They were pressured.In 1921 the Ireland got independence while

22、in Northern Ireland, the majority was Protestant and loyalists to the British government, wanted to be separated from the rest parts of Ireland. Now in Northern Ireland, the minoritythe Catholics found it difficult for them to find job. The conflicts between Protestants and Catholics got increased.T

23、o protect the local Catholics, the British soldiers stationed Northern Ireland in 1969, which later accelerated the conflicts between the local people and the British government. 2. What are some of the factors in Irish and English history that affect the situation in Northern Ireland today?Keys:1.

24、racial, 2. religious 3. immigration in 17th c. 4. the British solders station in 1969Chapter 3The Government of the United KingdomQuestions for Thought:1. What are some of the characteristics of the British constitutional monarchy? How has the English monarchy evolved gradually to the present consti

25、tutional monarchy?1. the oldest institution of government2. King Egbert (埃格伯特国王): the ancestor of the present Queen Elizabeth II. United England under his rule in 829.3. divine right of kings (君权神授)-The ancient doctrine held that the sovereign derived his authority from God, not from his subjects. T

26、his was used by the kings as an excuse for abusing power. And the dispute over the power of the king and the parliament led to the civil war.4. the Civil war set the rights of the Parliament. The monarch was kept but his power was limited. The constitution was set up to guarantee rights of people. M

27、onarch became a symbol of the country. 2. How did the doctrine of the “divine right of kings”, according to the author, lead to the English Civil War? What do you know about the causes of the English Revolution in the 17th century?King James I believed the divine right of kings, so did his descent-C

28、harles I.Charles I called his t Parliament only when he needed to collect money. The Civil War was caused by a dispute over the power of the king against Parliament in the 17th C. The Republican “roundheads”, led by Oliver Cromwell, wanted to abolish the monarchy and to reassert the rights of Parlia

29、ment. In 1642, the royalists were defeated and King Charles I was executed in 1649.The English Civil War not only overthrew feudal in England but also shook the foundation of the feudal rule in Europe. It is generally regarded as the beginning of modern world history. The Civil War was in essence a

30、capitalist revolution because capitalism paved its way of development after the war.3. What is the history of English parliament? What role did the parliament play in the Civil War?In medieval times, a group of leading, wealthy barons who were summoned by the king several times a year to give the ki

31、ng some extra money. This was the Great Council. By the 13th C., representatives of counties, towns and cities were also included in order to raise more money. This was the beginning of what we know as Parliament today.In the Civil War, the parliament was opposite to the monarchy in their dispute ov

32、er the power. The Republican “roundheads”, led by Oliver Cromwell, wanted to abolish the monarchy and to reassert the rights of Parliament.4. Discuss the major characteristics and the main content of the British constitution.Britain, like Israel, has no written Constitution. The foundations of the B

33、ritish State are laid out in statute law(成文法), which are laws passed by Parliament; the common laws(普通法,判例法), which are laws established through common practice in the courts; and conventions(习惯法), which are rules and practices not existing legally, but regarded as vital to the workings of governmen

34、t.5. Why the parliament is supreme in the British sate? What function does parliament have? What role does the Queen and the Prime Minister play in British government?Parliament is supreme in the British state because it alone had the power to change the terms of the Constitution. There are no legal

35、 restraints upon Parliament. It can make or change laws,functions:1) passes laws2) provides the means of carrying on the work of government by voting for taxation3) scrutinize government policy, administration and expenditure and to debate the major issues of the day.the roles of the Queen/King1.

36、60;     symbolize the tradition and unity of the British State2.      legally head of the executive, (行政部)3.      an integral part of the legislature(立法机关)4.      head of the judiciary(司法部)5.  &#

37、160;   commander in chief of the armed forces6.      “supreme governor” of the Church of England- most Britons felt the Queens important jobs were:1.        represent Britain at home and abroad2.      

38、;  set standards of good citizenship and family life3.        a confidante(知己的女友) to the Prime Minister, offering valuable observations on the running of government  Role of the Prime MinisterKing George I was “imported” from Germany in 1714 and was not i

39、nterested in politics, so he left the job of chairing cabinet meetings to one of his cabinet ministers, called the prime minister. Later in 1832, elections replaced appointment. The party with the most supporters in the Commons forms the government and the leader of that party becomes Prime Minister

40、.Today Prime Minister and his cabinet compose of the entity of the government.6. What kind of institution is the House of Lords? What role does it play in British government?Its one house of the Parliament, but the power of making law and collecting taxes mainly resides on the House of Commons. The

41、House of Lords consists of the Lords Spiritual(上议院的神职议员), who are the Archbishops and most prominent bishops of the Church of England; and the Lords Temporal(上议院的世俗议员), which refers to those lords who either have inherited the seat from their forefathers(called hereditary peers) or they have been ap

42、pointed(by the sovereign, at the suggestion of the Prime Minister and were called life peers(终身贵族). The lords mainly represent themselves instead of the interests of the public Chapter 4PoliticsQuestions for Thought:1. Who can stand for election as an MP in the UK? Why are small parties and independ

43、ent candidates powerless in the election campaign for the formation of a government?Anyone who is eligible to vote can stand as an MP. It is necessary only to make a deposit of 500 pounds which is lost if the candidate does not receive at least 5% of the vote.Because even they were to win the seat t

44、hey would be powerless in parliament against the big parties representatives (p54, para1)2. What are three big parties in the UK? What are some of the similarities and dissimilarities between the three parties?They are the Labor party, the Conservative party and the Liberal Democratic party.the Labo

45、ur party- one of the 2 biggest parties in the UK. It is also the newest party, created by the trade union movement at the end of the 19th century. It is a socialist party, believing that a society should be relatively equal in economic terms, and that the government should redistribute the wealth be

46、tween the rich and the poor. It also thinks that the government should provide a range of public services for all the people.the Conservative party - one of the 2 biggest parties in the UK. It is basically the party of the individual, protecting the individual s right to acquire wealth and to spend

47、it as he/she wants. It advocates economic policies which are favourable to businessmen, such as low taxes. From 1979 to 1997, the Conservative party won 4 consecutive elections and was in power for quite a long period of time.the Liberal Democrats- the 3rd biggest party and often seen as a party of

48、the “middle”, occupying the ideological ground between the two major parties. They are comparatively flexible and pragmatic in their balance of the individual and the social. They emphasize the need to change the Britains constitutional arrangements to make the government more democratic and account

49、able.Similarities: 1. they all support the capitalist system2. generally speaking, they all are the active participants and supporters of representative democracy3. they share some similar beliefs in their political and socioeconomic ideologyDissimilarities:1. they represent the interests of differe

50、nt social groups2. they have different opinions on the governments role in social economy and they each take different economic policies during their administration3. What are some of the recent political trends in the UK? Are these trends more democratic or undemocratic? What is the authors opinion

51、?recent political trends- The 1970s were a decade of problems in the UK. The economy did badly, with high inflation and low growth. Big private companies started to go bankrupt, and the nationalized industries were seen as inefficient.- In 1979, the Labour government faced a vote of no confidence, w

52、hich it lost, causing a general election. This was won by the Conservative under their leader Margaret Thatcher, who became the UKs first woman Prime Minister- the policies of the Conservative:1. privatise nationalized industry (successful, companies become efficient and profitable   

53、  * negative consequences of the policy: 1) Unemployment went up    2) Poverty increased  3) Government welfare payments have become less generous. So the society became less equal-a  time of “private affluence and public squalor”一部分个人富裕起来,而大部分百姓的生活却贫困化, 公众福利制度也处于困境)2.

54、cut tax rates (a less re-distributive taxation system削弱再分配性质的税收制度)Summary of the political trend in the 1980s: British politics move to the “right”, away from the “public” and toward the “private”; away from the “social”, and toward the “individual”.Chapter 5The UK EconomyQuestions for Thought:1. De

55、fine “absolute decline and relative decline” in the UK economy. How does the author explain the reason for absolute decline and relative decline?To be brief, absolute decline refers to all kinds of the indexes indicate economy declines, for example, the GDP and GNP declines, the currency devalued, u

56、nemployment increased, the economy retrogresses, the countrys economic status ranks behind its former rank. Peoples living standard become lowered, and the comprehensive national strength falls behind others. While relative decline refers to economy develops in a relatively low speed. Compared to it

57、s former economic strength and the index of GNP,GDP, the present economic development is relatively slower. Absolute and relative decline of the British Economy1.      By the 1880s, dominant in the world- 1/3 of the worlds manufactured goods; 1/2 of the worlds coal, iron and

58、 cotton; shipping greater than the sum of the rest of the world2.      By 1900, overtaken by the U.S and Germany3.      From 1945(the year when WWII ended) until present, thought of as relative decline because of steady economic growth and rapidly in

59、creasing living standards and still remaining one of the Group of Seven industrial economies(七大工业国:US, UK. Germany, France, Japan, Italy and Canada), but other countries developed more rapidly, so it slip from being the 2nd largest economy to being the 6th.4.      causes for

60、 the relative decline1) gone into heavy debt to finance the war(selling many accumulated overseas assets, borrowing large amounts from the US and Canada)2) British colonies which used to provide raw materials and big markets gained independence the end of the era of empire  *Supplementary note: In the 17th C., trade between Britain and India started, which was undertaken by a trading company called the East India Company. In 1813, Britain took over the company. At that time, the company controlled nearly all the official and administ