英语国家概况
名词解释
1. The civil rights movement (1955–1968) refers to the reform movements in the United States aimed at abolishing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring suffrage in Southern states. 2. A federal system A federal system is one in which power is shared between a central authority and its constituent parts with some rights reserved to each. 3. King Arthur It is said that he was the King of England in the 5th century and united the British and drove the Saxons back with his magical sword, Excalibur. His real existence is in doubt. He is the central figure of many legends. 4. The Anglo-Saxons They were two groups of Germanic peoples who settled down in England from the 5th century. They were regarded as the ancestors of the English and the founders of England. 5. Riverdance Riverdance is a very popular form of dancing based on Ireland’s intricate folk dances which are rearranged and modernized and adapted onto current stage performance. Dancing is traditionally part of Irish culture. It is usually accompanied by the Irish pipe and fiddle. The music usually sounds fast and furious. Most of the action is from the waist down, with the arms held rigidly at the sides. 6. The House of Commons The House of Commons is the real centre of British political life because it is the place where about 650 elected representatives (Members of Parliament) make and debate policy. These MPs are elected in the General Elections and should represent the interests of people who vote for them. 7. The Commonwealth It is a voluntary association of states which is made up of Britain and mostly of former British colonies. There are 54 members of the Commonwealth including one currently suspended member: many of these are developing countries like India and Cyprus; others are developed nations like Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The Commonwealth was set up as a forum for continued cooperation and as a sort of support network. 8. Maoritanga Maoritanga means ―Maori culture‖. It refers to all the elements of the rich cultural heritage of the indigenous people in New Zealand, including their language, customs and traditions. 9. The “Washminster” form polity The ―Washminster‖ form of polity is adopted by the Australian government. It is a mixture of the US Washington system of government and the British Westminster system. This means that the political
structure of the government is based on a Federation of States with a three-tier system of government. However, the chief executive is a Prime Minster, instead of a President as in the US system. 10 Martin Luther King, Jr. A black Baptist minister, he was the leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. To promote his philosophy of nonviolent protest against segregation and other kinds of social injustice, King organized a series of "marches", including the March on Washington of August 1963, when King delivered his famous "I have a dream" speech. As a civil rights leader, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He was assassinated in the city of Memphis in April 1968.
简答题
1. Explain your understanding of how the United States is governed according to its constitution, including its polity and the check and balance mechanism of governing. In the course of the Convention, the delegates designed a new form of government for the United States. He plan for the government was written in very simple language in a document called the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution set up a federal system with a strong central government. A federal system is one in which power is shared between a central authority and its constituent parts, with some rights reserved to each. The Constitution also called for the election of a national leader, or president. It provided that federal laws would be made only by a Congress made up of representatives elected by the people. It also provided for a national court system headed by a Supreme Court. There are three branches of the federal government: legislative branch, executive branch and judicial branch. The legislative Branch is made up of elected representatives from all of the states and is the only branch that can make federal laws, levy federal taxes, declare war or put foreign treaties into effect. It consists of a Congress that is divided into two houses: The House of Representatives and The Senate. The chief executive of the United States is the president, who, together with the vice president, is elected to a four-year term. Under a Constitutional Amendment passed in 1951, a president can be elected to only two terms. The power of the presidency are formidable, but not without limitations. And the president has the authority to appoint federal judges as vacancies occur, including members of the Supreme Court. Under the Constitution, the president is primarily responsible for foreign relations with other nations. The judicial branch is headed by the Supreme Court, which is the only court specifically created by the Constitution. Federal judges are appointed for life or voluntary retirement, and can only be removed from office through the process of impeachment and trail in the Congress. The Supreme Court today consists of a chief justice and eight associate justices. When Americans talk about their three-part national government, they often refer to what they call its system of "checks and balances". This system works in many ways to keep serious mistakes from being made by
one branch or another. But sometimes they do not work the way as they are supposed to work. Here are a example of checks and balances: If Congress proposes a law that the president thinks is unwise, the president can veto it. And the Senate must approve all treaties and confirm all appointments before they become official. In this way the Congress can prevent the president from making unwise appointments. 2. How do you understand the saying:” British history has been a history of invasion.”? British history has been a history of invasions. Before the 1st century AD Britain was made up of tribal kingdoms of Celtic people. They brought the central European culture to Britain. Then in 43AD, Roman Empire invaded Britain and controlled it for slave society but also disseminated their Catholicism. However, in the 5th century, the Roman Empire rapidly waned in power and Britain was conquered by the Angles and the Saxons. In order to defend the Saxons, a great leader—King Arthur appeared. He created the "round table" to satisfy all the knights' requirement of having equal precedence. Thus it gradually formed the monarchy in Britain as a more democratic system. Whether Arthur's a real person in the history or not, Anglo-Saxons did succeed in invading Britain and they were the forefathers of the English. In the 8th century, the Vikings from Denmark controlled the northern and eastern England. A Anglo-Saxon hero, king Alfred the Great fought against the Vikings with the truly English. And that's why there's a certain cultural difference between northerners and southerners in England. Later, the Normans from northern France, under the leading of William of Normandy, killed the king and William became the First of England. They imported a ruling class that French-speaking Norman aristocracy ruled Saxon and English-speaking population. In this condition, there weren't a lot of rebellions among the English people. That directly formed an English unique character: a richly unconventional interior life hidden by an external conformity. Even today, we can still find this personality from the British people through their lifestyles. In fact, such invasion is a peaceful history of joining together the various parts of the British Isles and the power gradually transferred from the monarch to the parliament. So the constitutional monarchy has been established in Britain. 3. Which foreign festival do you like best and why? Among all those foreign festivals, Christmas is my favorite. and I believe it's also the biggest and best loved holiday in many western countries. There are plenty of reasons for me to love Christmas. In western countries, schools close for the holiday period, as do shops and offices, so people can spend time at home with their families. While Christmas has a
Christian meaning--it commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ--celebrations of the Winter Solstice have taken place since ancient times and some "Christian" traditions such as decorating the house with evergreen plants like holly and ivy, or kissing under a twig of mistletoe, are actually Celtic or pagan traditions. Nowadays, Christmas is celebrated by most Britons by exchanging gifts and Christmas cards, preparing holiday foods, and decorating homes and workplaces with coloured lights, Christmas trees and ornaments. There are three Christmas traditions which are particularly funny. One is the Christmas Pantomime, a comical musical play. The "panto " is usually based on a version of a traditional children's story like Cinderella, written to include songs and jokes which can be enjoyed by adults and children. The main man character--the "principal boy"--is played by a young woman. In the days when women wore long skirts, it was considered rather naughty to see a woman appear in an outfit which revealed the shape of her legs. The main female character is a middle-aged, often ugly woman called "the Dame." The Dame is played by a man, often a famous actor or sportsman. When he appears in heavy make up, skirts and woman's shoes, it is considered very humorous. The audience is encouraged to cheer the hero on and boo when the villain appears. Another Christmas tradition in British is to hear the Queen give her Christmas message to her realm over the television and radio. The British Queen is also the Queen of other nations, like Canada and Australia, and so her message is broadcast to her millions of subjects throughout the world. She usually talks about the year that has passed and expresses her hopes for the future. The third funny tradition, which is also celebrated in countries with British heritages, is Boxing Day, which falls on the day after Christmas. Traditionally, it was on Boxing Day that people gave Christmas gifts or money to their staff or servants. Now that most British people do not have servants, this custom is no longer observed and most people cannot even tell you what one is supposed to do on Boxing Day. Some think it involves the sport of boxing and others think it has something to do with the Boxer uprising in China. However, a new Boxing Day custom has emerged, in the cities at least: shopping. Shops open up to sell off all their Christmas stock decorations, food, cards and gift items at low prices. But for most people, however, Boxing Day is a day for visiting, eating and relaxing.