英語國家社會與文化入門(上冊)知識要點整理

1、. . . .Unit1.（選擇、判斷、填空）1.The flag of Britain : Union Jack 2.The capital of each country :England LondonScotland Edinburgh Wales CardiffNorthern IrelandBelfast3. The time joining the British parliament: However, in 1707 by agreement of the English and Scottish parliaments, Scotland joined the Union.

2、4. Difference between the British Isles ,UK, Great Britain , and England:l British Isles: the island of Great Britain the island of Ireland surrounding islesl UK=Great Britain + Northern Irelandl Great Britain =England +Scotland + Wales 5. The four major invasions in the history of Great Britain : A

3、t first, England was occupied by Celtic people. Then in 43AD Britain was invaded by the Roman empire. Result: England and Wales became a part of the Roman empire for nearly 400 years. the Angle-Saxon invaded.Result: The land they lived became" Angle-land",later changed into England, the la

4、nguage they spoken became English.the Vikings invaded.Result in a certain cultural divide between northerners and southerners in England, which can be expressed as "Saxon" versus "Dane". the Normans , William of Normandy invaded this country.Result: This marks the last time that

5、an army from outside the British Isles succeeded in invadingLondon: (P18)Unit2（選擇、判斷、填空）Northern Ireland (often called "Ulster"after an ancient Irish kingdom)1. Activities to seek Irish independence :l Home -rulel The Easter Rising of 1916: was the most spectacular event, in which the rebe

6、ls took over Dublin's Post Office, forcing the British to retake it by military means. 2.Political parties:l the Sinn Fein party legall SDLP: Social Democratic and Labour Partyl IRA: Irish Republican Army (illegal)3. Political troubles in Northern Ireland (famous):l Indigenous Roman Catholics vs

7、. Protestant immigratesl Partition(分割) : The southern 26 counties would form an independent "free state", while the 6 north-eastern counties would remain a part of the UK. (即26 Republic Ireland ,6 Northern Ireland )4.the Good Friday Agreement :(了解下，P36)Unit 31.Process of state building:The

8、 process of state-building has been one of evolution rather than revolution.2.The oldest institution of government in Britain :Britain is both a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. 3.Divine right of kings : It was held that the sovereign derived his authority from God, not from hi

9、s subjects. 4.Magna Carta :limits on the king's ability to abuse his royal power. 5.the Bill of Rights :ensured that the King would never be able to ignore Parliament. ( William of Orange 時期)6.The Constitution :(P49)7.The functions of parliament :（P49）8.Parliament: l The queen : (symbolised ,tra

10、ditional ) She is legally head of the executive, an integral part of the legislature, head of the judiciary, commander in chief of the armed forces and "supreme governor" of the Church of England，a confidante to the Prime Minister（了解下）l The House of Lords ： do not receive salaries ，both se

11、xist and elitist (了解下) Lords Spiritual hereditary peers Lords Temporal life peersl The House of Commons (P49) 重要Unit41.The importance of general elections:(P67) 重要2.The electoral campaigns :(P67)3.The formation of the government :(P67)4.The class system in the UK:(P67)5.Ethnic relations in the UK:(P

12、67) 了解下6.The main political parties in the UK:l The Conservative party (newest) : setting up the National Health Service l The Labour party: From 1979 to 1997, the Conservative Party won 4 elections in row l The Liberal Democrats: a party of the "middle"Margaret-Thatcher 改革(There were also

13、 negative consequences) 了解下Unit5(判斷、選擇、填空)1、Absolute Decline 2、Relative Decline of the UK economy: (P81) 重要3、the reason for its relative decline :(了解下)the country had gone heavily into debt in order to finance the warthe era of empire was overLarge military expensesOutdated industries and less-compe

14、titive productsA lack of close relationship between industry and banks4. The division of British industries :Primary industries (mining industry 礦業(yè))Secondary industries (steelindustry鋼鐵業(yè))Tertiary industries (insurance 保險， the selling of goods)5.The City: The name given to the historic area at the ce

15、ntre of London6.The London Stock Exchange: The heart of the City （倫敦的中心是倫敦城，倫敦城的中心是倫敦證券交易所）Unit6（填空、選擇、判斷）1.Beowulf :One of the oldest of these early "Old English" literary works is a long poem from Anglo-Saxon times called Beowulf. 2.Geoffrey Chaucer：The Canterbury Tales 3.Elizabethan Dra

16、ma:Marlowe ： The Tragical History of Dr Faustus William Shakespeare ： Romeo and Juliet The Taming of the Shrew Hamlet A Midsummer Night's Dream tragedies Othello comedies Twelfth Night （重要） King Lear The Tempest Macbeth. history plays：Richard III, Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V. Julius Caesar

17、， Antony and Cleopatra 4.The 17th Century:John Milton : Paradise Lost 5.The 18th Century:Jonathan Swift : Gulliver's Travels6.The Romantic Period:William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge：Lyrical Ballads （marked the beginning of the Romantic Period. ） George Gordon, Lord Byron Three men Joh

18、n Keats Percy Bysshe Shelley7.The Nineteenth Century Novel:Mary Shelley: Frankenstein Sense and SensibilityJane Austen Pride and Prejudice Emma Charlotte : Jane Eyre the Bronte sisters Emily: Wuthering Heights AnnElizabeth Gaskell : North and South Oliver Twist Charles Dickens David Copperfield Grea

19、t Expectations The Return of the NativeThomas Hardy Tess of the DUrbervilles Jude the Obscure 8.Female writers in the 19th century of Britain: Mary Shelley Jane Austen the Bronte sisters Elizabeth Gaskell9.20th Century Literature :Twentieth century literature can be broadly divided into two stylisti

20、c periods: Modernism, and Postmodernism.Joseph Conrad ： The Heart of Darkness Mrs. Dalloway Virginia Woolf To the Lighthouse Orlando A Room of One's Own D. H. Lawrence : Sons and LoversUnit71. The purpose of the British education system:1 provide children with literacy and the other basic skills

21、 2 socialise children3 children are taught practical skills4 learn the rules and values5 participate in the community6 contribute to the economic prosperity of an advanced industrial economy. 2. The influence of the church on schooling:l education was voluntary and many of the schools that existed w

22、ere set up by churches.l religious education was the only subject l Daily prayers and singing hymns is still a regular part of school life3. The National Curriculum：l All children throughout the country must study the following subjects: English, mathematics, science, religious education, history, g

23、eography, technology, music, art, physical education, and a modern foreign language. l All children throughout the country must pass national tests and schools.l All teachers are told what to teach and their schools are now ranked according to how well they perform this task. 4. State school:93% of

24、pupils receive free education from the public sector.5. Independent school(public schools/ private school):Independent schools are not part of the national education system.Etor schoolLarrow schoolWinchester college6. Comprehensive school:Entrance exams were abolished.Such schools provide a general

25、education. Pupils can study everything from academic subjects like literature and sciences, to more practical subjects like cooking and carpentry.7. Grammar school：Those who show academic potential are admitted to the grammar schools where the emphasis is on advanced academic work rather than the mo

26、re general curriculum of the comprehensive schools. 8.GCSE：General Certificate of Secondary Education9. GCEA：General Certificate of Education-Advanced10. GNVQs：General National Vocational Qualifications11. The universities in Britain：British universities are public bodies，except one university, the

27、University of Buckingham. 12. The Open University：The Open University offers a non-traditional route for people to take university level courses and receive a university degree , through textbooks, tv and radio broadcasts, correspondence, videos, residential schools and a network of study centres.Un

28、it81. Countries to establish UN:2. The permanent members of the UN Security Council:the Soviet Union, the United States, China ,France, UK3. The foundations of Britain's foreign policy:The contemporary foreign policy of the UK is greatly influenced by its imperial history and also by its geopoli

29、tical traits4. The making of Britain's foreign policy:(P128)5. The relationship between Britain and the EU (P128)The decision joined the EEC ( psychological , natural , controversial ) The UK has always been less enthusiastic about giving up its national sovereignty to a European government.6. T

30、he commonwealth: Britain is also a member of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of states .There are 50 members of the Commonwealthhich is made up mostly of former British colonies.7. NATO ( North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ) : protect member states against aggressionThe purpose of NATO pro

31、vide a foundation for security in Europe provide a forum for transatlantic defence cooperation 8. Special relationship with US: has gone through many up and downs9. Independent nuclear weapons capability:Britain is a traditional sea power.Unit91. The division of British media: （降序排列）1 TV2 Newspaper

32、(In Britain, most advertising is carried in newspapers)3 Radio 4 Magazine2. The functions of the British media:1 Entertainment2 Provide British people with information about political and social issues3 Provide weather reports4 Carry advertising5 Used for educational purposes6 Provide a forum for pe

33、ople to write letters or phone in to express their views or seek advice7 Help Britain engender national culture3. Oldest newspaper:The world's oldest national newspaper : The ObserverThe British oldest daily newspaper: The TimesThe very names of British newspapers-The Times, The Observer, The Gu

34、ardianstill suggest that the function of the paper is to offer the electorate objective reports about what is happening in the country4. Papers issued internationally:The Financial Times is printed in Frankfurt, France, Hong Kong, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Madrid. ( (Daily)Telegraph / The N

35、ews of the World )5. Quality press and gutter press:The Daily Telegraph The Times The Sun gutter press The Guardian Quality press The Observer6. Fleet street:It is also known as the Street of Shame7. BBC:(P144)Unit101.Sports born in Britain :Cricket, football, lawn tennis, golf, rugby FA Cup:(Footba

36、ll Association Cup)2.Football violent sport Gentle sport3.Tennis Wimbledon Wimbledon is where the world's best players gather to compete on grass courts. It is one of the major events of the British sporting calendar and probably the most famous tennis event in the world.4. Cricket:Cricket was one of the very first team sports in Britain to have organised rules and to be played according to the same rules nationally.5. Golf:The game of golf was invented by the Scottish.6. Horse sports: Flat racingl Horse racing steeplechasing T