英美概况名词及简答

名词解释

1.The functions of the Parliament:

to pass laws, to vote for taxation, to scrutinize（仔细审查） government policy, administration and expenditure （花费使用）and to debate the major issues of the day.

2. The four invasions in the history of Britain.

the 1st Invasion: Roman Britain，

the Second Invasion: Anglo-Saxon Invasion the Third Invision: Viking Invasion (800–1066)

the Fourth Invision: Norman Conquest

3, The containment policy

The US put into effect the containment policy in the late 1940s.

By containment, the US would use whatever means, including military force, to prevent the SU from breaking out of its sphere of influence. In order to contain communism ,the US fought two wars in Asia:the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

4.The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act

Congress passed it in 1944, and it was soon popularly called the ―GI Bill of Rights‖ (军人重新安置法) . GI was a nickname for the American soldier, which came from the abbreviation for ―Government Issue‖—the uniforms and other articles ―issued‖ to a Soldier (免费发给士兵的军装和其他物品). The Act promised financial aid, including aid for higher education to members of the armed forces after the end of World War II.

5.Grammar School

It is a type of secondary schools in Britain.select children at the age 11, through an examination called ―the 11-plus‖.Those children with the highest marks go to grammar schools. These schools lay emphasis on advanced academic subjects rather than the more general curriculum of the comprehensive schools and expect many of their pupils to go on to universities.

6.Declaration of Independence

It was mainly drafted by Thomas Jefferson and was adopted by the Congress on July 4, 1776, when the people of 13 English colonies in North America were fighting for their freedom and independence from the British colonial rule. The document declared that all men were equal and that they were entitled to have some unalienable (不可剥夺的) rights such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It also explained the philosophy of governments: the powers of governments came from the consent of the governed and the purpose of governments was to secure the rights mentioned above. The theory of politics and the guiding principles of the American Revolution mainly came from John Locke.(约翰 洛克英国哲学家)

http://www.77cn.com.cnprehensive schools

Comprehensive schools are the most popular secondary schools in Britain today. Such schools admit children without reference to their academic abilities and provide general education. Pupils can study everything from academic subject to more practical subjects like cooking.

8.The Bill of Rights (US)

The Bill of Rights (US) consists of the first 10 amendments which were added to the Constitution in 1791.The Bill of Rights was passed to guarantee freedom and individual rights such as freedom of religion, of speech and of the press., the right to assemble in public

places, the right to own weapons and so on.

9.Puritanism

Puritans were those who followed the doctrine of John Calvin and wanted to purify the church of England. They believed that human beings were predestined by God before they were born(他们深信人的命运是生前就由上帝注定的。这是清教主义的命运天定说). Some were God’s chosen people while others were damned to hell. No church nor good works could save people. The sign of being God’s elect was the success in his work or the prosperity in his calling. (一个人工作上的成功或事业上的兴旺是上帝选民的标志) They also argued that everyone must read the Bible in order to find God’s will and establish a direct contact with God. (他们还说人人都要读«圣经»，从中探索上帝的意志，与上帝建立直接的联系).These beliefs had great impact on American culture.

10.The Making of Britain’s Foreign Policy

The general direction of Britain’s foreign policy is mainly decided by the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office,（外交部） the main government department, plays a significant role in the making of Britain’s foreign policy. Many other government ministries such as the Ministry of Defence also play a part in formulating and carrying out the government’s decisions. But an extremely influential player in Britain’s foreign policy is the Treasury.[ tr ri] The Treasury makes decisions on how much money other departments can have each year.

11.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.

12.The Anglo-Saxons

They were two groups of Germanic peoples who settled in England from the fifth century. They were regarded as the ancestors of the English and the the founders of England.

13.The three traditions of Christmas in Britain

Three typical British traditions on Christmas are: the Christmas Pantomime[ pænt ma m] 童话剧, the Queen’s speech over the TV and radio, and the Boxing Day.

14.The Strategy of Preemption

In an address delivered to the West Point graduates, President Bush, for the first time, put forward the strategy of preemption, which is formalized in the National Security Strategy issued in Sept. 2002.

By preemption, the US means that when it determines that a country which is repressive and hostile to the US has acquired or produced weapons of mass destruction or has the potential to possess such weapons, the US should use force to remove this threat to US security and should not wait till the danger becomes imminent or until the Us is attacked. This is known as Bush Doctrine.

15.The House of Commons : The House of Commons is the real …… 此处隐藏：16791字，全部文档内容请下载后查看。喜欢就下载吧 ……