英语国家概况复习京江吉宇辉.docx

英语国家概况复习京江吉宇辉.docx

《英语国家概况复习京江吉宇辉.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《英语国家概况复习京江吉宇辉.docx（11页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

英语国家概况复习京江吉宇辉

KeyPoints:

PartITheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland

1.TheBritishIslesconsistsoftwolargeislands;oneiscalledIrelandandtheotherBritain.Britain,orGreatBritain,isthelargerofthesetwoislands,anditisdividedintothreeparts:

Scotland,WalesandEngland.

2.ThefulltitleofBritainistheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland,whichconsistsofScotland,Wales,EnglandandNorthernIreland.AndthepeopleinthesefourprovincesarerespectivelycalledtheScottish,theWelsh,theEnglishandtheIrish.

3.ThecapitaloftheUnitedKingdomisLondon.TherearetwoothercitiesinBritaincontainingoveramillionpeopleeach,thatis,BirminghamandGlasgow.

4.TheBritishCommonwealthofNations,ortheCommonwealth,isanassociationofcountriesandotherpoliticalunitsthatwereoncepartoftheBritishEmpire（withtwoexceptions）.Nowitiscomprisedof54independentmembersworkingtogetherinthecommoninterestsoftheircitizensfordevelopment,democracyandpeace.

5.WheredidtheBritishpeoplecomefrom?

Invaders（inchronologicalorder）

Contributions

Iberians

?

Celts

Gaels

ScottishandIrishraceandculture

Britons

Welshraceandculture

Romans

Latinalphabetandcivilization

Anglo-Saxons（andJutes）

Englishraceandlanguage

Danes

SomepeculiaritiesofdialectinNorthandEastEngland

Normans（French-speaking）

FinalunificationofEngland.Greatadministrativeprogress.EnglishcivilisationpermanentlylinkedtoFranceratherthantoScandinavia.Foundationofaristocracy.

6.Intheyear1066,DukeofNormandyclaimedtheEnglishthrone,andafterdefeatingandkillingtheSaxonkingHaroldattheBattleofHastings,hewentontoconquerthewholecountry,andtomeritthenameofWilliamtheConqueror.

7.TheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIrelandhasanareaofabout94,060squaremiles.ThepopulationoftheUnitedKingdomisabout61,414,062in2008.ThethreelargestcitiesareLondon,BirminghamandGlasgow.

8.TheBritishweatherischaracterizedbyuncertainty,andittendstomaketheEnglishmancautious.

9.ThePopRevolutionofthe1960schangedthepatternofEnglishlife.Ithasbrokendownsocialbarriersamongtheyoung.IthasalsohelpedtosweepawaymanyoftheinhibitionswhichgavetheBritishtheirreputationforbeingcoldandreserved.

10.Thepermissivesocietysawthepopularityofpopgroups,amongwhichthemostfamousaretheBeatles（madeupoffourLiverpoolboys）andtheRollingStones.

11.TheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIrelandisaconstitutionalmonarchy.QueenElizabethisnowtheheadofstateoftheUK.Sheisalsoheadofstateof15otherCommonwealthrealms,includingAustralia,Canada,NewZealand,etc.

12.ThegovernmentofBritainhasformanycenturiesbeensharedbythreesupremeauthorities:

theMonarch（i.e.theKingorQueen）,theLords（i.e.thehereditarynobility）,andtheCommons（i.e.theordinarypeople.）

13.WhatarethemainfunctionsoftheBritishParliament?

1）Examineproposalsfornewlaws;

2）Provide,byvotingfortaxation,themeansofcarryingouttheworkofgovernment;

3）Scrutinizegovernmentpolicyandadministration,includingproposalsforexpenditure;

4）Debatethemajorissuesoftheday.

14.TheBritishParliamenthasamaximumdurationoffiveyears.Atanytimeuptotheendofthisperiod,ageneralelectioncanbeheldforanewHouseofCommons.

15.MembersoftheHouseofLords（knownaspeers）consistofLordsSpiritual（seniorbishops）andLordsTemporal（laypeers）.Thereare670peersintotalinMarch2000.ThefiveranksareDuke,Marquess,Earl,ViscountandBaron.

16.TheHouseofLordsisalsothefinalcourtofappealforcivilcasesintheUKandforthecriminalcasesinEngland,WalesandNorthernIreland.

17.TheHouseofCommonsconsistsatpresentof650freelyelectedmembers,eachonerepresentingoneofthe650electoraldistrictsoftheUnitedKingdomcalledconstituencies.

18.BecausetheHouseofCommonsiselected,apartythatwinsthemajorityofCommonsseatsinageneralelectioniscalledontoformthenextgovernment.

19.TheHouseisdividedaccordingtopoliticalparties,thestrongerpartyofpartiesformingtheGovernment,andtheweakertheOpposition.

20.TheleaderoftheGovernmentisthePrimeMinister.About16or18ofthemostimportantMinisters（thenumberisnotfixed）aremembersoftheCabinet,whichisakindofsupremegovernmentcommittee,meetingregularlyinprivateunderthechairmanshipofthePrimeMinisterathisfamousaddress,No.10DowningStreet,justoffWhitehall.

21.ThepresentPrimeMinisteroftheUKisDavidCameronfromtheConservativeParty,whoformsacoalitiongovernmentwiththeLiberalDemocrats.

22.TheCabinetisalwaysanswerabletoParliament,andtheworkofeachMinisterisalwayskeptunderobservationbyanunofficialShadowCabinetorganizedbytheOpposition.

23.ThereisnowrittenconstitutioninBritain.

24.DevelopmentoftheBritishconstitution

1）BeforetheNormanConquestin1066,theAnglo-SaxonkingsconsultedtheGreatCouncil（大议事会）beforetakingmajordecisions.

2）In1215KingJohnsignedtheMagnaCarta（theGreatCharter）,whichgavesomeofhispowerstothenobles.

3）SummonedbySimondeMontfortin1264,thefirstparliamentofnoblesmettogether.

4）AftertheBloodlessRevolutionin1688,ParliamentinvitedWilliamandMarytobecomeBritain’sfirstconstitutionalmonarchs.

5）TheBillofRights（1689）（权利法案）wasthefirststeptowardsconstitutionalmonarchy.

6）TheGreatReformBillof1832andtheSecondReformBillof1867enabledaverylargesectionofthepopulationtovoteforitsgovernment.

25.InBritain,thepartyoftheRightistheConservativeParty.TheiropponentsoftencallthemtheTories,whichwastheiroldname.ThepartyoftheLeftistheLaborParty,whomtheiropponentsprefertocalltheSocialists.TheLiberalPartydescendedfromthe18th-centuryWhigs.

26.ThereisnocensorshipoftheBritishpress.ThereareninenationaldailynewspapersinBritain,asfollows:

TheTimes,DailyExpress,TheGuardian,DailyMirror,DailyTelegraph,MorningStar,FinancialTimes,TheSun,andDailyMail.ThenationalSundaynewspapersareasfollows:

TheObserver,SundayExpress,SundayTimes,SundayTelegraph,NewsoftheWorld,SundayMirror,andThePeople.

27.Withoutawarrantissuedbythelocalmagistrate,thepolicecannotenterthehouseofanypersononlyiftheyareinvitedto.Thepolicecannotusethreatsorforcetomakeasuspecttalk,andtheycannotarresthimunlesstheyhadfairlystrongevidencethathehascommittedacrime.

28.Thepolicecannotholdanyoneformorethan24hourswithoutbringinghimbeforeacourt.TheHabeasCorpusAct（人身保护法）of1679isoneofthecornerstonesofBritishjustice.

29.Everytownandboroughhasamagistrate’scourt.Magistrates,orJusticesofthePeace,astheyarecalled（J.P.forshort）,havehadverylittletraininginlawandtheyreceivenosalary.Andmagistratescanonlytrypeopleforminoroffences.

30.InLondon,prisonersaccusedofseriousoffencesaretriedattheOldBailey,theCentralCriminalCourt（中央刑事法庭）.

31.Britishjuryiscomposedoftwelvemembers（15inScotland）.Itisthejurythatwillreachtheverdictofeither“guilty”or“notguilty”.

32.InaBritishcourtoflawtheregoestherulethattheaccusedisalwaysinnocentuntilheisprovedguilty.

33.ThelegalprofessioninBritainisdividedintotwobranches:

barristers（called“advocates”inScotland）andsolicitors.

34.IrelandbecamepartoftheUnitedKingdombytheActofUnionof1801.In1922therestoftheIrelandcountryexceptNorthernIrelandbrokeawaytoformanIrishFreeStatein1921,adominionwithintheBritishEmpire,latercalledEireandnowtheRepublicofIreland.TheCapitalofIrelandisDublin.

35.TheIrishpotatocrisisinthe1840skillednearly1millionpeopleandforcedmanyotherstoleavetheirhomeland.

36.InNorthernIrelandtheStormontAgreementcompletedin1998providesforaNationalAssemblyinwhichCatholicsandProtestantsaretogovernjointly.

37.TheArchbishopofCanterburyisthePrimateofallEngland,thatistosay,heisthespiritualleaderoftheChurchofEngland.Afterhim,theArchbishopofYorkiscalledthePrimateofEnglandandunderthesetwoarchbishopscomeanumberofbishops.

38.HenryVIIIbrokefromtheRomanCatholicChurchbydenyingpapalclaimstoecclesiasticaloranyotherjurisdiction,andbydeclaringhimselfratherthanthePopeasSupremeHeadoftheChurchinEngland.

39.Everyweek,everyemployedmanandwomaninBritainhastopaytheStateacertainsumofmoneyasacompulsoryforNationalInsuranceandNationalHealth,inreturnforwhichtheStateprovidecertainallowancesandservices,e.g.intimesofsicknessorunemployment.

40.Aswellasthesedeductionsfornationalinsurance,manypeoplesufferafurtherdeductionfromtheirsalaryforincometax.

41.Thetaxleviedbylocalauthoritiesiscalledtherates（税费）.

42.Themoneypaymentsofthestatewelfaresystemwhicheveryoneisentitledtoincertaincircumstancesinclude:

familyallowances,unemployment,sicknessbenefit,widow’sbenefit,retirementpension,maternitypension,etc.

43.Inadditiontothesicknessbenefit,thereisaNationalHealthServiceprovidingfreemedicalandhospitalservicestoeverybodywhoneedsthem.

44.TheBritishWelfareStatewasplannedduringtheSecondWorldWarbytheeconomist,WilliamBeveridge.TheLaborGovernmentof1945-1950passedlawsgivingthecountryalmosteverythingforwhichBeverageasked.

45.In1972,theschool-leavingage（inEnglandandWales）wa