英语国家概况复习纲要
I.
Term Explanations.
1. British Isles 2. British Commonwealth 3. Highland Zone 4. Lowland Zone
5. Domesday Book 6. Black Death 7. Greater London 8. Indo-European Language Family
9. Stonehenge 10. Julius Caesar 11. Hadrian’s Wall 12. King Arthur 13. Gunpowder Plot 14. Great Fire of London 15. Protestantism 16. Constitutional Monarchy 17. Parliament 18. Prime Minister 19. Cabinet
20. The Great Lakes 21. Western Myth
22. The Pilgrim Fathers 23. American Revolution 24. Civil War 25. Cold War
26. Hispanics 27. WASP 28. Ethnic Minorities 29. Gold Rush 30. The New World
31. Federalism 32. Separation of Powers 33. General Election 34. Public Schools/Universities 35. Bilingual Education II. Simple Questions.
1. What is the United Kingdom geographically and politically composed of?
2. Why can’t the term “English” be used to address all the people of the UK?
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3. What are the two major natural regions in the UK? What does each zone consist of ?
4. How does the weather in the UK affect British life?
5. What patterns of settlement and immigration has the UK demonstrated in history?
6. How has English language evolved in history? Why is it said that it is important to the UK’s class structure?
7. What are the Celtic languages? Are they still living?
8. What are the key elements in “Britishness” that the citizens of the UK share?
9. Who were the main foreign invaders of Britain at different times in British history? What contributions have they respectively made to the British culture, or what impacts have they had?
10. What was the social background for the Reformation to take place in England?
11. What major achievement did the Elizabethan era witness?
12. How did the UK Parliament come into being? How did the major political parties evolve?
13. How did Christianity emerge and develop in English society? What role has it played throughout English history?
14. How did the English Industrial Revolution proceed form the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century and beyond? How has it impacted
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British society?
15. What are the characteristics of the British Constitution?
16. What are the functions of Parliament? How does the law-making process work?
17. What is the most pronounced feature of the United States in terms of its geography?
18. What are the characteristics of “Middle America” , geographically, culturally, and politically?
19. What makes the Northeast stand out as a unique cultural region? 20. In terms of cultural geography, what is the image of the Midwest in the American mind?
21. How did the South and the North differ from each other in their economic development before the Civil War?
22. What were the main reasons that made the United States the world’s leading industrial power in the late 19th and early 20th centuries? 23. What were the chief causes of the Great Depression? Did the New Deal solve the problems brought about by the Depression? Why or Why not?
24. In your opinion, why did the United States end its isolationist policy and adopt, instead, and interventionist policy in international affairs after World War II?
25. Why is the United States called “a nation of immigrants”?
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26. What kind of discrimination do minority people nowadays face in the United States, now that no formal or legal discrimination exists in the land? In what forms does discrimination against ethnic minorities show itself?
27. What kind of life do Native Americans live on the “Indian Reservations”? Why do they live there?
28. The United States is one of the youngest nations in the world, and yet it has the world’s oldest written constitution in force. Why is that? 29. What does federalism mean in American politics?
30. How often is the general election held, and how often is the midterm election held in the U.S.? 31.
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