英语国家概况课后习题（附答案） Chapter 1
Ⅰ.Read the following statement and decide whether they are ture(T) or false (F). —F—1.People in different parts of Britain like to use the name England to refer
to their country.
—T—2.The Severn River is the longest river of Britain ,which originates in
Wales and flows through western England.
—F—3.Today more than half of the people in Wales still speak the ancient Welsh
language.
—F—4.In terms of population and area,Northern Ireland is the second largest
part of Britain.
—F—5.Although the climate in Britain is generally mild ,the temperature in
northern Scotland often falls bellow-10℃ in January.
—T—6.The majority of the people in Britain are descendants of the Anglo--Saxons.
—T—7.The Celtic people were the earliest known inhabitants of Britain.
—F—8.English evolved into what is now described as Modern English from the
late 16th century.
Ⅱ.Choose the best answer to complete each of the following statements. 1. The two main islands of the British Isles are—A—
A.Great Britain and Ireland B.Great Britain and Shcotland C.Great Britain and England D.Great Britain and England 2. —B—is the capital city of Scotland.
A.Belfast B.Edinburgh C.London D.Cardiff
3. Among the four parts of the United Kingdom, —D—is the smallest. A.England B.Scotland
C.Wales D.Northern Ireland
4. English belongs to the —C—group of the Indo-European family of
languages.
A.Celtic B.Norman C.Germantic D.Roman
5. The introduction of Christianity to Britain added the first element of -—D—words to English.
A.Danish and Finnish B.Dutch and German C.French and Italian D.Latin and Greek
6. The evolution of Middle English was reinforced by the—A—influence. A.Norman B.Dutch C.German D.Danish
7. Samuel Johnson’s dictionary was influential in establishing a standard
form of—C—.
8. At present,nearly —C—of the world’s populations communicate in
English.
A.half B.a quarter C.one third D.one fifth Ⅲ.Give brief answers to the following questions.
1. Why do tourist from all over the world like go to Scotland?
2. How many periods can the development of the English language be divided intoand what are they?
3. Why did English become more important after the Black Death? Ⅳ.State your understanding of the following questions. 1. Who are the British people? 2. What is Standard English?
Chapter 2
Ⅰ.Read the following statements and decide whether they are true(T) or false(F). —T—1.Birtish history before 55 BC is basically undocumented. —T—2.The Anglo Saxon came to Britain in the 5th century.
—F—3.The chief or king of the Anglo Saxon tribes exercised power at their own
will.
—T—4.The Viking began to attack the English coast in the 8th century.
—T—5.Henry Ⅱ built up a large empire which included England and most of
france.
—F—6.The Magana Carta was designed to protect the rights of both the
privileged class and townspeople.
—F—7.The Hundred Years’War was a series of wars fought between the British
and the Vikings for trade and territory.
—T—8.In an effort to make a compromise between different religious
factions,Queen Elizabeth Ⅰactually defended the fruit the Reformation. Ⅱ. Choose the best answer to complete each of the following statements.
1. The—D—attack on Rome ended the Roman occupation in Britain in 410.
A. Norman B. Danish C.Celtic D.Germanic
2. By the late 7th century, —D—became the dominant religion in England.
A. Celtic Christianity B. Anglo Saxons Christianity C.Germanic Christianity D. Roman Christianity
3. The—C—marked the establishment of feudualism in England.
A.Viking invasions B. signing of the Magna Carta C.Norman Conquest D.adoption of common law 4. The end of the Wars of the Roses led to the rule of—C— A.the House of Valois B. the House of York
C. the House of Tudor D. the House of Lancaster
5. The direct cause ofor the Reformation was King Henry Ⅷ’s effort
to—A—.
A.divorce his wife B.break with Rome
C.support the Protestant D.declare his supreme power over the church 6. The English Civil War broke out in1642 between —B—
A.the Protestant and the Puritans B.the Royalist and the Parliamentarian
C.the nobles and the peasants D.the aristocrats and the Christians 7. —A—was passed after the Glorious Revolution.
A.The Bill of Rights B.The Act of Supremacy C.The Provisions of Oxford D.The Magna Carta
8. The Industrail Revolution was accomplished in Britain by the middle of
the —C—century.
A.17th B.18th C.19th D.20th
Ⅲ.Give brief answers to the following questions.
1.What were Queen Victoria’s major achievements? 2.What were the two camps in the World WarⅠ?
3.Why did Britain cooperate closely with the Uinited States after World War Ⅱ?
Ⅳ.State your understanding of the following questions.
1.What were the results of the Industrail revolution in Britain? 2.Explain the rise and fall of the British Empire.
Chapter 3
Ⅰ.Read the following statements and decide whether they are true(T) or false(F). —T—1.Conventions are regarded less important than the statutory law in the
working of the England government.
—F—2.The British monarchy has never been interrupted throughout the
history.
—F—3.In reality,the British King or Queen is the house of all government
powers.
—F—4.The British Parliament is the law making body of the Commonwealth of
Nations.
—F—5.The members of the House of Commons are appointed rather than
elected.
—T—6.The British Prime Minister is the leader of the minority party in
Parliament.
—F—7.Cabinet members are chosen by the Prime Minister from various
political parties in Parliament.
—T—8.The legal systems in England ,Wales,Scotland and Northern Ireland are
much similar in terms of law,orgalizations and practice.
Ⅱ. Choose the best answer to complete each of the following statements.
1. The British government is characterized by a division of powers between three of the following branchs EXCEPT the—C—.
A.judiciary B.legislature C.monarchy D.executive
2. The importance of the British monarchy can be seen in its effect on—D—.
A.passing bills B.advising the gowernments C.political parties D.public attitude
3. As a revising chamber ,the House of Lords is expected to—B—the House
of Commons.
A.rival B.complement C.criticize D.inspect 4. —A—is at the center of the British political system.
A.The Cabinet B.The House of Lords C.The House of Commons D.The Privy Council 5. The main duty of the British Privy Council is to —B—. A.make decisions B.give advice
C.pass bills D.supervise the Cabinet
6. Generally speaking,the British Parliament operates on a —B—system. A.single party B.two party C.three party D.multi party
7. The politices of the Conservative Party are characterized by pragmatism
and—D—.
A.government intervention B.nationalization of enterprises C.social reform D.a belief in individualiam 8. In Britain,the parliamentary general election is held every—C—years. A.three B.four C.five D.six Ⅲ.Give brief answers to the following questions.
1. What are the three functions of the House of Commons? 2. What kind of public image does the Liberal Democrats have in Britain? 3. Why are independent candidates unlikely towin in the general elections? Ⅳ.State your understanding of the following questions.
1. What do British electoral campaigns usually involves during the process of a general election?
2. What is the Commonwealth of Nations?
Chapter 4
Ⅰ.Read the following statement and decide whether they are ture(T) or false (F). —T—1.Britain was the first industrialized nation in the world.
—T—2.The British economy experienced a relative decline during the postwar
period.
—F—3.Limited resources and high unemployment rate were persistent.
—F—4.Thatcher’s revolution turned out to be agreat success in dealing with all
the British economic and social problems.
—T—5.The economic approach adopted by Tony Blair was different from that of
the old Labor Party and the Conservetive Party.
—T—6.Blair made the Bank of England independent in oder to separate politics
from economic policy.
—F—7.Britain is an important oil exporter since its oil industry has a long
history.
—T—8.Nuclear power is one of the major energy sources in Britain. Ⅱ.Choose the best answer to complete each of the following statements.
1. The —A— in the early 1970s worsened an already stagnant economy in Britain.
A.oil crisis B.high inflation rates C.large imports D.unemployment problem
2. Of the following practices, —C—did not belong to Thatcher’s social welfare reform.
A.reducing child benefits
B.shortening the period of unemployment benefits C.reducing unemployment D.lowering old age pension
3. The Blair government was successful in the following aspect EXPECT—D—.
A.limiting government spending B.keeping inflation under control C.reducing unemployment D.reducing inequality 4. Britain has devoted about—C—of its land area to agriculture. A.50% B.60% C.70% D.80%
5. Britain’s important fishing areas include all the following EXCEPT—D—. A.the North Sea B.the English Channel
C.the area around the Irish coast
D.the sea area between Britain and Ireland
6. Coal mining industry in Britain provides—B—of the energy consumed in
the country.
A.one third B.one fourth
C.one fifth D.two thirds
7. The car industry in Britain is mostly —A—.
A.foreign owned B.state owned C.joint owned D.privately owned
8. Of the following sectors in Britain, —C—has experienced spectacular
growth since the end of the World War Ⅱ.
A.agriculture B.the energy industry
C.the service sector D.the manufacturing industry
Ⅲ.Give brief answers to the following questions.
1.What was the negative aspect of Thatcher’s reform in the early 1980s. 2.What are the charactoristics of Britain’sagriculture?
3.What happened to Britain’s beef industry in the mid 1990s? Ⅳ.State your understanding of the following questions.
1.What were the major causes of Britain’s relative economic decline in the