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)becameapartoftheRomanempirefornearly400years.TwomoregroupsofinvadersweretocomeaftertheEnglish:
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?
4.Yes,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),andthelanguageofther