英语国家概况考试复习要点

1、叮叮小文库英语国家概况复习要点Part One UKThe Country1. Different Names for Britain and its PartsName： EnglandBritainGreat Britain （GB/G.B.） British IslesBritish Empire The Common wealth The Un ited Kin gdom（The UK）The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandParts： EnglandScotlandWalesNorthern Ireland2.

2、 Official name: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Geographically, the British Isles includes Great Britain, the whole of Ireland, and all the offshore isla ndsPolitically, the British Isles is made up of U.K. and Republic of Ireland.3. the highest mountain in Britain： Ben Nevi

3、s（本尼维斯山）the largest mountain range in Britain the Grampians （格兰扁山脉）4. the Iongest river： The Severn River 塞文河）The most important river in Britain and the second Iongest river:Thames （泰晤士河）5. the largest lake in Britain： Lough Neagh （内伊湖）（Northern Ireland）6. Backbone of England: the Pennies（奔宁山脉）The

4、people7. The first known settlers of Brita in were the Iberia ns.人们所知的英国最早居民是伊比利来人。8. Basis of Moder n En glish race?The earlist people known in Britai n were no mads（游牧者）from ma in la nd Europe in the Old Sto ne Ag（旧石器时代）,followed by Neolithic （新石器时代）Iberia ns （伊比利亚人）and the Beaker Folk比克人）in the B

5、ronze Age （青铜器时代）9. the con tributi ons made by An glo-Sax ons to the En glish state? .established 'Old En glish' .laid the foundations of the English state .divided the country into shires .created the 'Witan' to advise the King（the basis of the Cabinet）10. differe nt in vaders?Firs

6、t inv asi onIn 55 BC, Julius CaesarSecond Caesar's sec ond raid in 54 BCThird and final In 43 AD, Emperor Claudius, final and successful Roman inv asi on of Britai n （recorded）Left In 410, Germa nic barbaria n attack Rome, forci ng Roma n troops to leave Britain, and thus ending its occupation o

7、f the islandHistory9. Who is known as “ the father of the British navy? Sir Francis Drake10. The Norma n Conq uest and its con seque ncesThe Norman Co nquest （1066-1071）Fuse: Edward ruled for 24 years and died in Janu ary, 1066. Harold was chose n to be king. William, Duke of Normandy, heard the new

8、s of Harold 'coronation, he got very angry and claimed that he had the sole right to be king of England because Edward had promised the crown to him and that Harold had promised to help him become ki ng of En gla nd. Duke William led army and Ian ded on the coast. The two armies met at Hast in g

9、s.ConsequencesIt in creased the process of feudalism.William established a stro ng mon archy in En gla nd.He in troduced new ideas in laws.It brought cha nges in the church.The French Ian guage came along with the Norma ns.11. When was the feudal system established in England?圭寸建制度）Un der William, t

10、he feudal system was completely established.Medieval Britain （1066-1485）12. Who sig ned Great Charter? Ki ng Joh n （签署大宪章）13. Great Charter （time, conten ts, n ature）Time: Magna Carta 1215Contents:（内容）A. the king was not to exact payments from the feudal vassals without their consent;B. the laws wer

11、e not to be modified by the arbitrary action of the king;C. should the king attempt to free himself from law, the vassals had the right to force the king to obey it, by civil war or by otherwise.Nature: a feudal docume nt14. The Hundred Years ' War .Time: intermittently from 1337 to 1453 .Coun t

12、ries: France and Brita in .Factors: partly territorial and partly econo micThe En glish kings wan ted to get back the lost la nd in Fran ce.The economic interests of England and France clashed in Flanders.New n ati onal con scious ness of En gla nd .Fuse: French throne successionEdward III claimed t

13、he French Crown. TheFrench refused to recog nize the claim. .Three outsta nding stages of the warA. At first the English were brilliantly successful.B. Henry V renewed the war in 1415 and he was recognized to the French throne in 1420.C. After Henry V ' death in 1422, the French, encouraged by J

14、oan of Arc, their n atio nal heroine, drove the En glish out of Fran ce. .Two decisive reas ons for French to win:effective use of guns & “ Joan of Arc” .Sig nifica nee:The war was very expensive and it cost the English great deal of death, wealth and property, thus the feudal rule was weake ned

15、 in the war. .Effects of the war:After this war, the ruli ng Norma ns bega n to:A. regard En gla nd as their home.B. regard themselves as bel ongings to the En glish n ati on.C. reestablish En glish (la nguage) as their official la nguage.D. make effort to try to develop their in dustry(The expulsi

16、on of the En glish from France is regarded as a bless ing for both coun tries; the superior size and wealth of France would have hindered the development of separate En glish n ati onal ide ntity, while French n ati onal ide ntity was hin dered so long as a foreig n power occupied so much French ter

17、ritory.)15. The War of Roses (1455-1485) .Rival groups： the House of Lan caster & the House of York .The name of the war: The Lancastrians wore the badge of the red rose and the Yorkists wore the badge of the white rose, so the war got such a n ame. .Nature of the war： feudal civil war, for powe

18、r and wealth, for the possession of the Crow n .ReasonIn the Hun dred Years 'War, the loss was great. So the war-like n obles wan ted to recoup for the loss, thus they all wan ted to get power. The En glish n obles bega n to be divided and began to support different groups, in such a situation,

19、the war broke out. At that time, the House of Lan caster was in power and Henry VI(1422-1461) was the king and the House of York wan ted to displace the House of Lan caster. .Result:The Yorkist got complete victory, House of York 约克王朝(1461-1485) but a third House, the House of Tudor got the power. H

20、enry VII became the king. So a new importa nt Dyn asty bega n in En glish history. .Con seque nee Henry Tudor won (desce ndant of Duke of Lan caster)s powerAlthough the Wars of the Roses were waged intermittently for 30 years, ordinary people were little affected. From these wars feudalism received

21、its death blow. The great medieval nobility was much weakened and discredited. The kingnow 'became supreme. This war shook off much of the feudal burde n, so it paved way for the development of capitalism.16. The En glish Reformatio n .ReasonsA. The church of the Middle Ages had not been only a

22、religious body, but also a political and legal power as well. The greed and laz in ess of the church hin dered the social and political progress of En gla nd.B. Henry VIII had trouble in his divorce. He realized that foreign interference in En gla nd must be stopped. .CourseA. By a special act by pa

23、rliament , Henry divorced and broke with the Pope.B. In 1534, Act of Supremacy: Henry became the head of the English Church. .EffectsA. English Church became independent of Rome. The Roman Catholic church was intern ati on al, the En glish Church was strictly n ati on al.B. The new landlords formed

24、a new class- a new nobility.C. Those who want to cha nge any part of the faith were called Protesta nts.D. Henry ' s trust in Parliament allowed the House of Commons to develop rapidly. .NatureThe struggle between the English Church & Catholicism was essentially a struggle between the new “

25、nobility of'money & bourgeoisie on the one hand and the remnants of feudalism on the other. .People invo IvedA. Edward VI（1547-1553）: king after Henry Vffl ' s deathB. “ Bloody ” Mary（155558）:daughter of Catherine, reestablished Catholicism and bur nt three hun dred Protesta nts.C. Eliza

26、beth I （1558-1603）: Queen after Mary, restored Anglican Church.17. Renassaince in England is largely literary. Important repersentatives?Disti nguished Represe ntativesA. Sir Thomas More, the greatest English humanist,“ Utopia ”B. William Shakespeare（1564-1616）greatesd ramatist , 37 comedies, traged

27、ies and historiesC. poetry-Spe nser, Sidn ey, Shakespeare & DonneD. Joh n Milt on ' s Paradise Lost, 1667E. En glish materialism-Francis Bac on（1561-1626）also a statesma n& an essayist18. Civil War （1642-1649）（内战） .Background of the war （战争的背景）The absolutist rule of Charles I aroused the

28、 resista nee of the people and the bourgeoisie, Charles took coun teract ion, the war broke out. .Groups of the warA. Roun dheads-supporters of Parliame ntfree farmers; tradesme n; craftsme nB. Cavaliers/Royalists-King' s supportersCatholics; feudal lord <West & North of En gla nd> .Co

29、nsequenee1649, Charles' army was defeated, he was beheaded;i n May 1649, En gla nd was declared a Common wealth （共和政府时期）.In 1653, Cromwell was made Lord Protector护国公）for life and started his military dictatorship ope nly. The Common wealth became the Protectorate （摄政时期） and Parliament was dissol

30、ved. He became “king” in all but name.19. The Glorious Revolution of 1688 （1688 年的光荣革命）After three years ' struggle, the Whig and Tory leaders at last un ited aga inst James II. Being afraid of another revolution, the leaders of the two parties planned a coup Detat.In June 1688, the leaders of P

31、arliame nt in vited William of Holla nd to come and take the throne. William Ianded with army and he was so welcomed that James II ran away to Fran ce. William and Mary were the n crow ned as joi nt rulers. This was known in history as The Glorious Revoluti on.20. Whigs and Tories （辉格党和保守党）The Roun

32、dheadThe Whigs The Liberal PartyThe Cavaliers The Tories The Con servative Party21. The In dustrial Revolution （1780-1830）（工业革命） .Defi ni tio n（定义）During the latter half of the eighteenth century, a rapid series of extensive changes began, especially in the field of manufacturing. There were so many

33、 new inventions that the whole series of cha nges is often described as the“In dustrial Revoluti on .Inventions （发明）A. In 1750s iron smelting was revolutionized.B. In 1769, the steam engine was created by James Watt.C. In 1785, the power loom the applicati on of power to machi neryD. The use of iron

34、 and coalE. In 1764, the Spinning Jenny was inven tedG. In 1814, the first successful steam locomotive .Con seque nces of the In dustrial Revoluti on （工业革命的后果）A. The In dustrial Revolutio n was not on ly a tech no logical revoluti on but also a great social upheaval. It exerted a great in flue nce o

35、n both British society and the world.B. The In dustrial Revoluti on promoted the developme nt of producti on. It bega n to produce large qua ntity of low- priced goods in a more efficie nt manner.C. New cities came into being; populati on in creased; the home market was enl arged.D. British goods al

36、most achieved a monopoly situation in the world market. It laid afoun dati on for the“ factory of the world ”.E. A factory system was established. Workers were employed and man agers became capitalists.F. Two con flict ing classes were born .G. A series of importa nt inven ti ons in the textile in d

37、ustry marked the beg inning ofIn dustrial Revolutio n:（工业革命）Spi nning Jenny珍妮纺纱机Spi nning mule走锭细纱机Power loom动力纺纱机Steam engine 蒸汽机H . Means of transportation （交通方式）can als were dug to ship goodsthe locomotive inven ted in 1814the first railway completed in 1825large mercha nt fleetI. By the middle o

38、f 19th cen tury, the In dustrial Revoluti on was accomplished in Britai nJ.Its in flue nce： Brita in cha nged in many ways（1）dramatically in creased in dustrial productivity（2）the process of urbanization（3）changes in class structure（4）The conflict between the capitalists and the proletarians the mos

39、t important political issue22. James Watt ' s steam engine in 1765.Government and Politics23. con stituti onal mon archy, the head of state is a king or a quee n.君主立宪制国家，国家的首脑是国王或女王。24. the mon arch is supposed to reig ns but n ot rule.To reign but not to rule: perform ceremonial duties; symboli

40、c25. three elements of parliament（议会组成）The Crow nThe House of Lords The House of Commons26. The main functions of Parliament （议会的主要作用）To legislateTo vote the taxati on and expe nditures of the gover nmentTo exam ine gover nment policies and admi nistrati onTo debate major curre nt political issues27

41、. Where does the real power lie? Cabinet （内阁）Cabinet: The major decision-making body in the government28. two parties in the UK （政党）The Labour Party: believe in the supervision of industry by the government, distributi on of wealth and equal opport un ity for every oneThe Conservative Party: support

42、 private enterprise and minimal state regulation; accept the mixed economy; believe in a governing class with a natural right and special privilegesJudiciary （司法）29. There is no ministry of justice in the United Kingdom. Central responsibility lies with the Lord Chan cellor the Home Secretary and th

43、e Attor ney Gen eral.30. The jury composed of 12 members.陪审团有 12个成员。31. Scotland Yarc（伦敦警察厅）：headquarter of the Metropolitan PoliceEducation32. the compulsory education （义务教育）Primary and sec on dary educati on in the UK is compulsory. Childre n betwee n 5 -16 years old are obliged to atte nd school.

44、33. two education systemprivate schools 私立学校 public schools 公学34. the oldest university: OxfordOthers35. The largest religious festival: Christmas36. The oldest newspaper The Times37. most famous broadcasting company： the British Broadcasting Corporation （the BBC）The most desirable home: a detached

45、hous最理想的家:独立式住宅Part Two USAThe country1.50 states （the largest, the smallest, the purchased on e65。个州）Alaska the largest （阿拉斯加州）Rhode Island the smallest （罗德岛州）Texas the largest on the mainland （德克萨斯州）Alaska the purchased one（购买）2. 13 colonies （13 个殖民地）Between 1607 and 1733 the British established 1

46、3 colonies along the east coast of North AmericaDelaware特拉华 Penn sylva nia宾夕法尼亚 New Jersey新泽西Georgia乔治亚 Conn ecticut康涅狄格Massachusetts麻萨诸塞New York 纽约Maryland马里兰 South Carolina南卡罗来纳 New Hampshire新罕布什尔Virginia弗吉尼亚North Carolina北卡罗来纳Rhode Island罗德岛3. 5 great lakes, the Ion gest river?Lake Michiga n; Lak

47、e Superior; Lake Huron; Lake Erie; Lake On tario the Iongest river： the Mississippi River （密西西比河）4. who discovered the new continent?In 1492, Christopher Columbus, found America, a new con ti nent in stead of In dia.History4. Independence war1775, 13 colonies bega n rebellio n1776, proclamati on of

48、in depe ndence1777, victory at Saratoga, the turning point of American revolution1781, surre nder of Brita in1783, Treaty of Paris represe nted the formal ack no wledgeme nt of the US as an in depe ndent n ati onCauses:grow ing intense con flicts betwee n the British gover nment and the America n pe

49、ople: The British gover nment:? to bring the developme nt of the colonies un der con trol? to collect more taxes.? practiced un fair price policies? put into effect many taxes:The Stamp Act:印花税法令）an act passed by the British parliament in 1756 that raised revenue from the American colonies by a duty

50、 in the form of a stamp required on all n ewspapersa nd legal or commercialdocuments opposition by the colonies resulted in the repeal of the act in 1766the Townshend Acts唐森德条令）All goods imported into the colonies must be taxed. They were appealed in 1770.The 13 coloni es:? wan ted more power to det

51、erm ine their own bus in ess? opposed the un fair treatme nt and all these policies.? The Bost on Massacre （波士顿大屠杀）（1770）? Some British solders fired at the people, killed four and wounded many. The eve nt made the people in dig nant.? The Boston Tea Party波 士顿倾茶事件）? dem on strati on （1773） by citize

52、 ns of Bost on who （disguised as In dia ns） raided three British ships in Bost on harbor and dumped hun dreds of chests of tea into the harbor orga ni zed as a protest aga inst taxes on tea? an example of the con flicts betwee n the British? gover nment and the America n people.5. Continental congre

53、ssThe First Con ti nen tal Co ngress1774 第一次大陆会议）? held in Philadelphia in September, 1774 before the war.? en couraged America ns to refuse to buy British goods.? Colonial militia units were organized and weapons and ammunition were collected and stored since the n.Beg inning of the War? The shots

54、at Lex ington started the In depe ndence War on April 19, 1775.The Sec ond Continen tal Con gress 第二次大陆会议）? held in Philadelphia in May, 1775 three weeks after the battles of Lex ington and Con cord.? The Con gress foun ded a Continen tal Army and Navy un der the comma nd of George Wash ington, a Vi

55、rgi nia militia comma nder.The Declaration of Independence July4, 1776 （独立宣言）? drafted by Thomas Jeffers on?adopted by the Con gress on July4, 1776? declared the in depe ndence of the 13 colonies6. Civil war （内战 1861-1865）The Situatio n Before the War:Two econo mic systems in the North and the South

56、NorthCapitalist EconomySouthPla ntatio nThe Growth of the worki ng classUncle Tom ' s Cabinfree and slave states （1860）Abraham Lincoln was elected preside nt and opposed the expa nsion of slavery.Some souther n states formedhe Con federate States of America in 1861. a war to abolish slaveryUn io

57、 n armyVs. Con federate armySurpasses all other wars for the tragedy and destructive ness.Effect: put an end to the salve system in AmericaAftermath of the war:In south: KKK（Ku Klux Klan）In n orth: build ing an en terpris ing way of lifeIn west: cowboy7. Great depression （190' ）s （经济危机）The stock

58、 market crash in 1929Massive un employme nt, factory and mill clos in gs, and mortgage foreclosuresA breakdown of the nation' s entire economy8. New DealFranklin D. Roosevelt:“ New D罗a斯福新政）The aim was tosave America n democracy and the capitalist systemThe programs and policies to promote econo mic recovery and social reformAmerican Identity9. melti