英语国家社会与文化入门简答题.docx

英语国家社会与文化入门简答题.docx

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英语国家社会与文化入门简答题

英语国家概况

（1）

（2）问题库答案

1."Britishhistoryhasbeenahistoryofinvasion".Pleaseillustratethispointwiththeexamplesfromthetext.HowdideachoftheinvasionsinfluenceEnglishculture?

1.Britishhistoryhasbeenahistoryofinvasions.BeforethefirstcenturyADBritainwasmadeupofmanytribalkingdomsofCelticpeople:

apowerfulcultureoriginatingincentralEurope.Thenin43ADBritainwasinvadedbytheRomanempire,andEnglandandWales（thoughnotScotlandorIreland）becameapartoftheRomanempirefornearly400moregroupsofinvadersweretocomeaftertheEnglish:

fromthelate8thcenturyon,raidersfromScandinavia,theferociousVikings,threatenedBritain'sshores….

2.WhataresomegeneralcharacteristicsofScotland?

2.Scotlandisthesecondlargestofthefournations,bothinpopulationandingeographicalarea.Itisalsothemostconfidentofitsownidentitybecausealoneamongstthenon-EnglishcomponentsoftheUKithaspreviouslyspentasubstantialperiodofhistoryasaunifiedstateindependentoftheUK.ThusitisnotabigleapfortheScottishtoimaginethemselvesindependentagain.

Physically,ScotlandisthemostruggedpartoftheUK,withareasofsparselypopulatedmountainsandlakesinthenorth（TheHighlands）,andinthesouth（TheSouthernUplands）.Three-quartersofthepopulationlivesinthelowlandzonewhichspansthecountrybetweenthesetwohighlandareas.ThelargestcityisGlasgow,inthewestofthiszone.Scotland'scapitalcityisEdinburgh,ontheeastcoastfortymilesawayfromGlasgow.Itisrenownedforitsbeauty,anddominatedbyitsgreatcastleonahighrockinthecentreofthecity.Bothcitieshaveancientandinternationallyrespecteduniversitiesdatingfromthe15thcentury.

3.DescribeWales'unificationwithGreatBritain.

3.WaleswasalwaysunderpressurefromitsEnglishneighbours,particularlyaftertheNormanconquest,whenNormanbaronssetupcastlesandestatesinWalesundertheauthorityoftheEnglishCrown.SomebriefcampaignsaretheonlytimesinhistorywhenWaleshasexistedasaunifiedindependentnation.

4.ArethereanydifferencesbetweenEnglandandWalesintermsofculturaltradition?

thereare.Thecloselong-standingrelationshipmeansthatmodernWaleslackssomeoftheoutwardsignsofdifferencewhichScotlandpossesses—itslegalsystemanditseducationsystemareexactlythesameasinEngland.Oftenofficialstatisticsaregivenfor"EnglandandWales".However,Walesisdifferent,andoneofthekeymarkersofthatdifferenceistheWelshlanguage—theoldBritishCeltictonguewhichisstillindailyuse.

5.WhyisNorthernIreland,accordingtotheauthor,sosignificantintheUnitedKingdom?

Whatisthepoliticalproblemthere?

5.Until1921thefullnameoftheUKwas"TheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandIreland",notonly"NorthernIreland",becausethewholeislandofIrelandwaspoliticallyintegratedwithGreatBritain,andhadbeensince1801,whileBritain'sdominationoftheIrishdatedbackcenturiesevenbeforethatdate.ButIrishdesiresforanindependentIrishstatewereneverlost,andoneofthekeyissuesinlatenineteenthcenturyBritishpoliticswasacampaigninparliamentforwhatwascalled"home-rule"—IrishpoliticalcontrolofIrishaffairs.TheHomeRuleBillwasfinallypassedin1914,buttheprocesswasovertakenbytheFirstWorldWarandwassuspendedforthedurationofthewar.

6.WhataresomeofthefactorsinIrishandEnglishhistorythataffectthesituationinNorthernIrelandtoday?

6.Alongwiththepoliticalcampaignforhome-rulethereweregroupswhofollowedamoredirectmethodofpursuingIrishindependence,engaginginguerillaorterroristactivitiesagainstBritishinstitutionsandtheBritishmilitaryforces.DuringtheFirstWorldWarandimmediatelyafter,thisactivityincreased,sometimesbrutallysuppressedbyBritishforces.

7.DifferentpartiesandgroupsintheUnitedKingdomhavedifferentsolutionstothepoliticalprobleminNorthernIreland.Pleasesumuptheirdifferentattitudes.

7.MargaretThatcher'sgovernmentdidnotgiveintothisdemandforpoliticalstatusand11prisonersstarvedtodeath.ThiseventrevitalisedthepoliticalcampaignofSinnFein,thelegalpoliticalpartywhichsupportstheIRA'srighttofight.ItsleadersspokeofatwincampaignforunionwithIreland,bothpoliticalandmilitary,whichtheycalledthepolicyof"TheBulletandtheBallotBox".

8.HastheauthorofferedasolutiontothepoliticalprobleminNorthernIreland?

8.Theproblemlayinthe"commitmenttopeacefulmethods"aspectofthepossibletalks.Province-wideelectionsareplannedunderacomplexformulatoensureawiderangeofrepresentationonthebodywhichwillcarryoutthesetalks,inanattempttogivethemlegitimacy.WithouttheparticipationofSinnFeinandtheIRAitishardtoseethemsucceeding.NorthernIrelandispoisedonthebrink—anewpeacefulfuture,orareturntotheviolencethathasclaimed3150livessofar.

9.Whatistheoldestinstitutionofgovernment?

9.TheoldestinstitutionofgovernmentistheMonarchy（rulebytheking）.

10.WhatisthenameofthecharteroflibertyandpoliticalrightsgrantedbyKingJohnin1215?

10.ItwasagangoffeudalbaronsandtheChurchwhichopposedsomeofKingJohn's（1199—1216）policies.Thisoppositionwassopowerfulthatthekingfinallygrantedthemacharteroflibertyandpoliticalrights,stillknownbyitsmedievalLatinnameofMagnaCarta.MagnaCartaplacedsomelimitsontheking'sabilitytoabusehisroyalpower.ThisisstillregardedasBritain'skeyexpressionoftherightsofcitizensagainsttheCrown.

11.DoyouthinkElizabethanDramaoccupiesasignificantpositioninBritishliterature?

WhoisthemostimportantfigureinElizabethanDrama?

Whataresomeofhismajorworks?

11.Shakespeareisthemostimportantfigureatthattime.Heexcelsineachkind.ThetragediesincludeRomeoandJuliet,Hamlet,Othello,KingLear,andMacbeth.AmongthecomediesareTheTamingoftheShrew,AMidsummerNight'sDream,TwelfthNight,andTheTempest.Hishistoryplays,basedonEnglishhistory,includeRichardIII,RichardII,HenryIV,andHenryV.JuliusCaesarandAntonyandCleopatraaretragediesonclassicalthemes.

12.WhatdowecallthegroupofimportantParliamentarians?

12.TheHouseofCommons.

13.WhichpartyformsthegovernmentandwhobecomesPrimeMinister?

13.ThepartythatwinsmostvotesingeneralelectionandtheleaderofthiswinningpartywouldbecomePrimeMinister.

16.WhocanstandforelectionasanMP?

16.AnyonewhoiseligiblevotetocanstandasanMP.Itisnecessaryonlytomakeadepositof500pounds（aquiteeasilyobtainableamountintheUK）whichislostifthecandidatedoesnotreceiveatleast5%ofthevote.

17.Whatarethethreemajorparties?

Whichpartyisthepartythatspentmosttimeinpower?

17.Therearethreemajornationalparties:

TheConservativepartyandtheLabourpartyarethetwobiggest,andanygeneralelectionisreallyaboutwhichofthosetwoisgoingtogovern.Butthereisathirdimportantparty,theLiberalDemocrats,whousuallyreceiveuptoabout20%ofthevotes:

notenoughtoformagovernment,butenoughtohaveabigimpactonwhichoftheothertwopartiesdoesso.TheConservativePartyspentmosttimeinpower

19.WhenwastheBritisheconomydominantintheworld?

19.Bythe1880stheBritisheconomywasdominantintheworld,producingonethirdoftheworld'smanufacturedgoods,halfitscoalandiron,halfitscotton.

20.BywhattimewastheUKovertakenbyothercountries,suchastheUSandGermany?

20.Butevenby1900thiswasnolongerthecase,theUKhavingbeenovertakenbyboththeUnitedStatesandGermany;andcertainlyfrom1945untilthepresent,thestoryoftheUKeconomyisusuallythoughtofasoneofdecline.

21.Whichcountrydoesitrefertoas"theJewelintheCrown"?

Whendiditgainitsindependence?

21.India,popularlyknownas"TheJewelintheCrown"oftheBritishEmpire,gaineditsindependencein1947.

22.Whataresomeofthepositiveandnegativeeffectsofnon-whiteimmigrantsonBritishsocietyaccordingtotheauthor?

22.ThishasanumberofconsequencesforBritishsociety,mainlypositive,thoughwithsomeindirectnegativeeffects.Onthepositivesidesuchimmigrantgroupsbringtheirculturewiththem,whichincreasesthevarietyandinterestwithinBritishculture:

forexample,theUK,whichusedtohaveabadreputationforfood,nowhasacuisineasvariedasany,withIndianandChineserestaurantsineverycommunity,aswellasmanyothervarietiesinbiggercities.Thisvarietyinrestaurantfoodhasresultedinmoreexperimentationathome,sothatshopsnowcarryamuchwidervarietyofgoodstosupplythedemand,andtherearemanyTVprogrammesandbooksdevotedtoallkindsofdifferentcooking.Thenegativesideofthingslieslargelyintheattitudeofsomeoftheirwhiteneighbours.

23.WhatisthegeneralsituationofracialrelationsintheUK?

23.Whilethereisagrowingethnicminoritymiddle-class,andmanyindividualsuccessstories,bymostmeasurestheimmigrantpopulationisworse-offeconomicallyspeakingthanthewhitepopulationasawhole.Individualsfromethnicminoritiesaremorelikelytobeunemployed;andtheyareunder-representedinpoliticstoo,thoughtherearenowanumberofblackandAsianMPs.ButtherearealsoanumberofsmallpoliticalpartiesintheUKwithovertlyracistpolicies.

24.WhyisGeoffreyChaucer,whowroteinMiddleEnglish,stillreadandstudiedtoday?

24.WiththeNormanConquestin1066BritainenteredtheMiddleAges（1066—1485）,andthelanguageoftheroyalcourtbeca