英美概况课后习题答案.docx

英美概况课后习题答案.docx

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英美概况课后习题答案

1.WhatisthefullnameoftheU.K.?

----UnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland

2.WhydotouristsfromallovertheworldliketogotoScotland?

----TheyliketoenjoythebeautifulScottishscenery,todrinkScotchwhiskyandtoseeScotsmenwearingkiltsandplayingbagpipes.

3.HowmanyperiodscanthedevelopmentoftheEnglishlanguagebedividedintoandwhatarethey?

----ThedevelopmentoftheEnglishlanguagecanbedividedintothreeperiods:

OldEnglish,MiddleEnglishandModernEnglish.

4.WhydidEnglishbecomemoreimportantafterBlackDeath?

----ThelaboringandmerchantclassesgrewineconomicandsocialimportanceaftertheBlackDeath,soEnglishalsogrewinimportancecomparedtoFrench.

1.WhoaretheBritishPeople?

----ThefirstknowninhabitantsinBritainwereCeltswhoaretheancestorsoftheWelsh,ScottishandIrishpeople.ThencametheAnglos,theSaxonsandtheJuteswhobroughtwiththemtheEnglishlanguage.ManypeoplefromotherEuropeancountriescamelater,andinmoderntimestherearealotofimmigrantsfrommanyformerCommonwealthcountriesfromeverypartoftheworld.Britainisacountryofmixedcultures,andtheBritainpeoplearealsocomposedofpeoplefromdifferentethicandculturebackgrounds.

2.WhatisStandardEnglish?

----StandardEnglishisbasedonthespeechoftheupperclassofsoutheasternEngland.Itiswidelyusedinmediaandtaughtatschools.Itispreferredbytheeducated,middle-classpeople.IthasdevelopedandhasbeenpromotedasamodelforcorrectBritainEnglish.Itisalsothenormcarriedoverseas.Today,StandardEnglishiscodifiedtotheextentthatthegrammarandvocabularyaremuchthesameeverywhereintheworldwhereEnglishistaughtandused.

1.WhatarethetwocomponentsoftheBritishParliament?

----theHouseofCommonsandtheHouseofLords.

2.WhatweresomeofQueenVictoria'smajorachievement?

----QueenVictoriamadetremendousachievementsinalmosteveryaspect.Shepromotedfurtherindustrialrevolution,thebuildingofrailwaysandthegrowingoftradeandcommerce.Bytheendofherreign,Britainhaddevelopedtoanempireincludingaquarteroftheglobalpopulationandnearlyaquarteroftheworld'slandmass.

3.WhatwerethetwocampsinEuropeinWorldWar1?

----TheCentralPowerswhichincludedGermany,Austria-Hungary,theOttomanEmpireandBulgariaandtheAlliedPowerswhichweremainlycomprisedofFrance,theRussiaEmpire,theBritainEmpire,ItalyandtheUnitedStates.

4.WhydidBritaincooperatecloselywiththeUnitedStatesafterWorldWar2?

----BecausetheywerealliedduringthewarandsharedthesameworriesabouttheformerSovietUnion.

1.WhatweretheresultsoftheIndustrialRevolutioninBritain?

----TheIndustrialRevolutionchangedBritaininmanyways.First,industrialcountryincreaseddramatically.Britainbecamethemostadvancedindustrialcountryandalsothefinancialcenterintheworld.Second,urbanizationtookplace.Manynewcitiessprangup.Third,itcausedgreatchangesintheclassstructure.Theoldsocialclassesdeclined,andnewonesemergedanddeveloped.

2.TheRiseandFalloftheBritishEmpire?

----ColonizationofNewfoundland,thefirstBritishcolonyoverseas,in1583markedthebeginningoftheBritishEmpire.By1837,BritishhadlongbeenanempirewhichincludedthecoloniesinCanada,Australia,NewZealand,IndiaandmanysmallstatesintheWestIndies.Bytheendof19thcentury,theBritishEmpireincludedaquarteroftheglobalpopulationandnearlyaquarteroftheworld'slandmass.Duringthemid-19thcentury,theBritishgovernmentconsolidatedtheexistingcoloniesbybringingthemunderthedirectcontrolofthegovernment.BeforeWorldWar1,Britainhadthelargestcolonialempireintheworld.However,BritainsufferedgreatlosstoitsmanpowerinthetwoWorldWarsandexhausteditsreservesofgold,dollarsandoverseasinvestment.MostofBritain'scoloniesgainedindependencesincethe1940s,whichinevitablyledtothefalltheEmpire.

1.WhatarethethreefunctionsoftheHouseofCommons?

----todraftlaws,toscrutinize,criticizeandrestraintheactivitiesofthegovernment,andtoinfluencefuturegovernmentpolicy.

2.WhyistheConservativePartysometimescalledthe"Right"?

----BecausetheConservativePartyissupportedbylandownersandbusinessmen,whoareoftenfromthemiddleandupper-middleclass.

3.WhatkindofpublicimagedoesLiberalDemocratshaveinBritain?

----TheLiberalDemocratsisperceivedas"middle"betweentheConservativeandtheLaborParty.Itiscomparativelyflexibleandpragmaticinitsbalanceoftheindividualandthesocial.ItemphasizestheneedforachangeinBritain'sconstitutionalarrangementstomakethegovernmentmoredemocraticandaccountable.

4.Whyareindependentcandidatesunlikelytowininthegeneralelection?

----Becauseeveniftheywereelected,theywouldbepowerlessinParliament.Therefore,itisnotpossibleformanypeopletovoteforindependentcandidates.

1.WhatdoBritishelectoralcampaignsusuallyinvolveduringtheprocessofageneralelection?

----Theelectoralcampaignsusuallyinvolveadvertisinginnewspapers,door-to-doorcampaigningandleaflets.Themainpartiesaregivenshortperiodsoftimeonnationaltelevisiontopresenttheirpoliciestothepublic.Apartfromtheparties'ownpublicity,newspapersandTVprogramsspendalotoftimediscussingthecampaign,interviewingpoliticians,andpredictingtheresults.

2.WhatistheCommonwealthofNations?

----TheCommonwealthofNationsisavoluntaryassociationofindependentsovereignstates,allofwhichacknowledgetheBritishmonarchasthehead.TheCommonwealthisnotapoliticalunionofanysort,anditsmemberstateshavefullautonomytomanagetheirinternalandexternalaffairs.Itisprimarilyanorganizationinwhichcountrieswithdiverseeconomicbackgroundshaveanopportunityforcloseandequalinteractionaftergainingindependence.ThemajoractivitiesoftheCommonwealtharedesignedtoadvocatedemocracy,humanrights,andtopromoteeconomiccooperationandgrowthwithinitsmembers.

1.WhatwasthenegativeaspectofThatcher'sreformintheearly1980s?

----Itsnegativeaspectwasarapidincreaseinunemployment.In1982,theunemploymentratereachedtheleveloftheGreatDepressionyears,withthreemillionpeopleoutofwork.

2.WhatarethecharacteristicsofBritain'sagriculture?

----British'sagricultureischaracterizedbyasmallportionofthepopulationengagedinagriculturalactivitieswithahighdegreeofmechanization.Althoughitemploysamere1%ofthecountry'slaborforce,itmeetsaround60%ofthenationaldemands.

3.WhathappenedtoBritain'sbeefindustryinthemid-1990s?

----British'sbeefindustrywashitbadlybyBSE,resultinginabanonbeefexportsin1996.

4.WhataresomeofthepopulartouristattractioninBritain?

----ThepopulartouristattractionsinEnglishinclude:

theDorsetandtheEastDevonCoast,theLakeDistrict,Stonehenge,WindsorCastle,universitytownsofOxfordandCambridge,TowerofLondon,St.Paul'sCathedralandsoon.

1.WhatwerethemajorcausesofBritain'srelativeeconomicdeclineinthepostwarperiod?

----British'seconomyexperiencedarelativedeclineinthepostwarperiodforseveralreasons.First,BritishsufferedagreatlossesinthetwoWorldWarsandhadgoneheavilyintodebttofinancethewar.Second,theeraoftheBritishEmpirewasover.IndiaandotherBritishcolonies,whichprovidedrawmaterialandlargemarketforBritishgoods,gainedtheirindependence.Third,Britishwasforcedtomaintainanexpensivemilitarypresenceinmanyoverseaslocationsuntiltheendof1960s.Fourth,BritishhadtomakesubstantialfinancialcontributionstoNATOandUNSecurityCouncil.Finally,BritishfailedtoinvestinindustryafterWorldWar2whereasitscompetitorslikeGermanyandJapancaughtupwithBritishbuyinvestinginthemostmodernequipmentandmeansofproduction.

2.WhydodevelopednationslikeBritainencouragethedevelopmentoftheserviceindustry?

----Theserviceindustryhasplayedanincreasinglyimportantroleineconomyinthedevelopmentcountries.Ontheotherhand,itrequiresalargegroupofpeopleworkinginitsothatabundantemploymentopportunitiesareprovided.Ontheotherhand,theserviceindustrycauseslittlepollution.

1.WhatusedtobethemajorfunctionsofgrammarschoolsandvocationalschoolsinBritain?

----Themajorfunctionsofgrammarschoolsweretotrainthemostacademicallycapablestudentsandpreparethemforuniversity,whereasthemajorfunctionsofvocationalschoolsweretohelplesssuccessfulstudentstolearnatrade.

2.WhatkindofsubjectsdoBritaincomprehensiveschoolsprovide?

----Britishcomprehensiveschoolsprovideageneraleducation,offeringbothacademicsubjectslikeliteratureandscience,andpracticalsubjectslikecookingandcarpentry.

3.InwhatwaysdoBritainuniversitiesenjoycompleteacademicfreedom?

----Britishuniversitiesenjoycompleteacademicfreedombecausetheycanappointtheirownstaff,decidewhichstudentstoadmit,providetheirowncoursesandawardtheirowndegrees.

4.HowdostudentsintheOpenUniversityreceivetheireducation?

----Thestudentsfollowuniversitycoursesthroughtextbooks,TVandradiobroadcasts,correspondence,video,andanetworkofstudycenters.

5.WhatroledoesthemediaplayinBritainleisureculture?

----ThemediaplaysanessentialroleinBritishleisureculturesinceithelpstoshapethepublic'sopinion,determinepeople'smoralandpoliticalorientationandconsolidateorunderminetheruleofagovernment.

1.Whatarethegene