英语专业八级人文知识讲座PPT

nullnull人文知识 英语国家社会与文化null人文知识的考察范围宽泛.但并不要求有很深的研究,所以,主要是把握好出的方向和侧重点.null测试要求: 能基本了解主要英语国家的地理、历史、现状、文化传统等.null考题回顾 1999 年: 1. The Observer 2. The geographical location of North America 3. The old universities in U.K. 4. Westminster Palacenull2000: The titles of English nobility The features of Irish landscape The longest river in Britain The legislative branch in U.K. The Hundred Years’ Warnull2001: The founding of Harvard The settlement of Anglo-Saxons The official name of U.K. The economic activity of Canadanull2002: Wall Street—the financial center Big Ben, Benjamin Hall The compulsory education in U.K. Three branches of U.S.A. government null2003: The location of California British news agency The founding fathers of U.S.A. The geography of Canadanull2004: 1920s in U.S.A. The largest river in U.S.A. The discovery of the New World The first settlement in Americanull2005: The capital city of Canada How long the U.S. President serves The important cities in U.S.A. The state church in England null2006: The President in the Civil War 2. The capital city of New Zealand 3. The natives of Australia 4. The Prime Minister in Britain is head of the Cabinet null2007: 1. The origin of the current British population 2. The Head of State of Canada is represented by the Governor-general 3. The author of the Declaration of Independence 4. The original inhabitants of Australia null2008: The largest city in Canada. The legislative branch of the U.S. government The oldest sport in U.S.A. The head of the executive branch in New Zealandnull2009: The Head of State of New Zealand The capital of Scotland The author of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. president The cities located on the eastern coast of Australia.null参考书籍: 英语专业八级人文知识及改错(上海外国语大学何树主编) 英语国家概况(余志远主编) 网络资料nullThe United Kingdom: 地理、人口及基本事实考过题目: 1. The longest river (2000) 2. The official name (2000) 3. The origin of the population 4. Big Ben, Benjamin Hall 5. The capital of Scotland (2009)null备考点: Official name vs. Geographical Names: The British Isles, Great Britain and England The British Empire: a big empire on which the sun never set ( 1900); 1/4 of the world’s people and land area The Commonwealth (of Nations): 1931, 50 independent members, economic tiesnull2. Geographical position: It lies in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north coast of Europe. It is separated from the rest of Europe by the English Channel in the south and the North Sea in the east. The English Channel: The Channel is a narrow sea passage which separates England and France and connects the Atlantic Ocean and North Sea. The narrowest part—the Straits of Dover null3. Three political divisions: England: south, the largest, the most populous, the richest London, The Pennies , Scafell Scotland: north, Edinburgh 3 natural zones (the Highlands, the Lowlands, the Uplands), Ben Nevis Wales: west, Cardiff null4. Rivers and Lakes: The longest—the Severn The second longest and the most important—Thames The largest lake—Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland Lake District: 15 lakes, the Lake poets (William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey)null5.The People : The English: Anglo-Saxons; England—”Angle” land; Anglo-Saxons: Germanic tribe The English people and the English language– the union of Norman conquerors and the defeated Anglo-Saxons The Norman: the native of Normandy nullThe Scots, Welsh & Irish—the Celts Celtic: the language spoken by Wales The National Eisteddfodau—a Welsh festival of the arts to keep Welsh language and culture Gaelic: one of the Celtic language spoken in Highlands null历史: The titles of English nobility The Hundred Years’ War null备考点: The Origins of a Nation 1. The first known settlers—Iberians 2. The Celts (700 B.C.) 3. Romans: 55 B.C. Julius Caesar; 43 A.D. Claudius Christianity was first brought to England by Romans. In order to keep back the Picts & Scots, the Hadrian’s Wallnull4. The Anglo-Saxons: Three Germanic tribes Tuesday (Tiu), Wednesday (Woden), Thursday (Thor), Friday (Freya) derive from the name of Teutonic Gods The Witan (council of the wiseman to advice the king) 597: Pope Gregory I, St. Augustine, conversion to Christianity, the first Archbishop of Canterburynull5. The Viking and Danes: Alfred—the father of the British navy, Alfred the Great King Alfred defeated the Danes and came to an agreement with them in 879. null6. The Norman Conquest: The Battle of Hastings—1066, Duke William vs. Harold William—king of England in Westminster Abbey the feudal system; the Grand Council Domesday Book– a property record The Tower of London, a historical sight, located in the center of London, was built by William the ConquerornullThe Shaping of the Nation The Great Charter: King John, 1215 the foundation of English liberties the spirit—the limitation of the king’s power 2. All Estates Parliament—the beginning of Parliament, the “Model Parliament”, 1265 null3. Black Death—the deadly epidemic disease spread by rat fleas in 14th century. It reduced England’s population from 4 million to 2 million by the end of the 14th century. 4. The Peasant Uprising: Wat Tyler, 1381 Precipitated by the collection of Poll Tax nullTransition to the Modern Age: The Wars of Roses (1455-1485): The battles between the House of Lancaster( red) and York (white). Henry Tudor united the two and brought about the rule of the Tudors. 2. The English Reformation: (1529-1534) Henry VIII’s reform in breaking English Church’s connection with the Pope and switching to Protestant theology null1535: the Supreme Head of the Church of England 3. Bloody Mary: 300 Protestants burned The monarch who lost Calais 4. Elizabeth I: A time of confidence and achievements The Armanda (the Spanish fleet) was defeated by the British navynull5. The English Renaissance: (rebirth) A cultural movement that arose the rise of the bourgeoisie. The thinkers who worked for freedom and enlightenment were humanists. The English Renaissance was literary: Thomas More “Utopia” Shakespeare: Elizabethan drama null6. The Divine Rights of Kings: Charles I The king rules with the authority of God 7. The Civil Wars (1642-1651) The Cavaliers ; the Roundheads Oliver Cromwell and the New Model Army Cromwell as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England (1653) null8. The Glorious Revolution: To reject James II, William of Orange from Holland was invited to be joint rulers with Mary (James’ daughter). With no bloodshed, nor execution of the king. At their acceptance of the Bill of Rights, there began the constitutional monarchy. nullThe British Empire The Enclosure Movement: The 15th century, the cloth industry increased the value of wool. To covert land into pastures, the nobility and merchants began to enclose the land. 2. The Industrial Revolution: Changes occurred earliest and quickest in textiles. “The workshop of the world”null3. The East India Company: An English trade company formed at the end of the 16th century. It served as a tool of exploiting the Indian people.null4. The Chartist Movement (1836-1848) The working class tried to realize the “people’s charter” about universal suffrage. The first nationwide working class movement 5. The first colony—Newfoundland,1583 null6. The Treaty of Versailles (1919) Signed at the Paris Peace Conference Britain took Palestine & Mesopotamia from Turkey and seized many German colonies in Africa and in the Pacific Ocean 7. The Statute of Westminster (1931) The dominions became independent states in all but namenull8. The Opium War: 1840, an aggressive war against China 1842, Treaty of Nanjing null经济 The economic policy Britain pursued in the 1950s and 1960s was based on the theory of John M. Keynes. The area between Glasgow and Edinburgh is the “Silicon Glen” in Britain. Margaret Thatcher: The first woman Prime Minister “iron lady” for the tight control of monetary policy.null政治 考过题目: Westminster Palace The legislative branch Prime Minister, CabinetnullThe components of the English Parliament: the Sovereign, the House of Lords, the House of Commons The British Constitution consists of conventions, common law, statue law The real center of power in the Parliament is the House of Commons. There is no written constitution. A parliament has the maximum duration of five years.null6. The party with the second largest number of seats becomes the official Opposition, with “shadow cabinet”. 7. The House of Lords is the ultimate court of appeal in civil cases of Great Britain. 8. The jury in England usually consists of 12 ordinary, independent citizens summoned by the court.null9. Downing Street—the most important street in London where the Home Office, the Treasury, the War Office are located. 10. The Speaker—the presiding officer of the House of Commons (英国下议院的主持) null教育,社会,文化传统 考过题目: Big Ben The Old University News Agency Major Journal, The Observer the compulsory education the state church in EnglandnullThe religious leader of the Church of England is Archbishop of Canterbury 2. Easter is connected to the coming of spring, the resurrection of Christ, and the eating of Easter eggs 3. Westminster Abbey: It is a veritable national shrine (真正的国家神殿), where the country’s greatest literary and scientific figures are buried. null4. Eton is a famous public school. (comprehensive school, state school) 5. The most typical English sports—Cricket reflects the English character: comparative slowness and quietnessnull6. The home of golf is Scotland. 7. The most famous music and art festival in Britain –The Edinburgh International Festival of Music and Drama 8. The Roaring Twenties: jazz, silent films 9. The Swinging Sixties: the permissive age The Beatles—a popular music group null10. The Times—the most famous of all British papers and the oldest. The Daily Telegraph; the Guardian 11. The Economist—the most influential periodical in Britain The Spectatornull12. Boxing Day—the first weekday after Christmas, when Christmas gifts or boxes are traditionally given to household employees and other service workers. 13. Hogmanay—(In Scotland) New Year’s Eve and the parties, drinking, etc. 14. Guy Fawkes Day—November 5th nullIreland 考过题目: The features of Irish landscapenullThe Emerald Isle refers to Ireland, due to the green countryside. The largest river—the Shannon river The highest peak—Carrantuohill National Day—St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th National Flower—Shamrock (三叶草) Official Languages—Irish and English null7. The arrival of St. Patrick in AD 432 converted the Irish to Christianity. 8. All Ireland is first brought under English control by Henry VIII 9. The oldest university in Ireland is the University of Dublin null10. The two political parties: Fianna Fail and Fine Gael 11. 93% of the population are Roman Catholics 12. There are 2 official languages in Ireland: Irish and English 13. In Ulysses, James Joyce introduced the stream of consciousness technique. nullThe United States of America: 地理, 人口及基本事实 考过题目 The location of California The largest river The important citiesnullAmerica is the 4th largest country in the world. The largest state of U.S. is _____. Florida B. Texas C. Massachusetts D. Nevada 3. Alaska and Hawaii are the two newest states in America. Alaska (Juneau) has the largest land area of all the states, while Hawaii (Honolulu) the smallest.null4. The Rockies, the backbone of the North American continent, is also known as the Continental Divide. 5. Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world. The five lakes are all located between two countries except Lake Michigan. (Huron, Ontario, M, Erie, S) 6. New England is called the “birthplace” of America, as it’s the chief center of the War of Independence and the 1st industrial area. null7. The Mississippi River—the most important river in U.S.A. It is called the “Father of Waters” or “Old Man River”. 8. The Niagara Falls null9. Yellowstone National Park: the oldest national park in the world and the largest wildlife preserve in the U.S.A. Old Faithful—the most famous gayer (喷泉) in Yellowstone. 10. Grand Canyon—its walls show layers that tell the story of the formation of the earth. null11. People living in New England were originally called Yankees, which came to stand for all Americans. 12. The first immigrants in American history came from England and the Netherlands. 13. The largest of the ethnic minorities in America is the blacks. 14. “Baby boom” refers to the great increase of birth rate between 1946 and 1964.null15. Houston is called the chemical capital of the world, and also the home of the U.S. space center. 16. What is (are) the nickname(s) of the U.S.A.? A Uncle Sam B Brother Jonathan C Yankee D All of the above null历史考过题目: The founding fathers of America 1920s in America the discovery of the New World the first settlement in America the President in the Civil War the author of the Declaration of IndependencenullWho wrote the Declaration of Independence and later became the U.S. President? Thomas Jefferson B. George Washington C. Thomas Paine D. John Adamsnull1600—1900: The discoverer of America—Christopher Columbus Magellan—the first who sailed round the earth and proved the earth was round The British established 13 colonies along the east coast of North America. May Flower—the ship which took Puritans to America in 1620. Plymouth—the first colonynullIn 1766, Stamp Tax was collected to support the army stationed in America. In 1773, according to the Tea Act, the East Indian Company sold tea to the colonies and made profit. Some Boston residents boarded an English ship in Boston Harbor, and the tea into the sea. This is known as the Boston Tea Party. null7. The First Continental Congress: 1774 Philadelphia a protest against objectionable laws 8. The Second Continental Congress: 1775 Philadelphia the decision to fight for freedom and independence null9. The shots at Lexington signaled the beginning of the War of Independence. 10. The Saratoga defeat was the turning point of the War of Independence, leading to the alliance between U.S. and France. 11. In September, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed. Britain recognized the independence of U.S.A.null12. The Constitutional Convention: 1787 Philadelphia, to revise the Articles of the Confederation 13. The Bill of Rights: the first ten amendments put into the Constitution in 1791, which include freedom of speech, the right to assemble, etc.null14. The Gettysburg victory was the turning point of the Civil War. 15. In the Civil War, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and the Homestead Bill. 16. President Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory from France and doubled the country’s territory. 17. The Westward Movement: 1815-1830, moving westward to open the vast area of wilderness in America.null1900—1945: The “Open Door Policy”: advanced by Theodore Roosevelt in Sino-American relations, that is, invading China by means of force and culture. The stock market crash : 1929 to 1933 null3. In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt promised a “new deal” to get America out of the depression. In his inaugural speech, he said that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” 4. In the early 1930s, the American foreign policy was isolationism, that is, to keep America out of the fighting in Europe and Asia.null1945—: 1. President Truman made the open declaration of the containment policy in 1949. 2. Martin Luther King, Jr., a famous leader of the black movements in 60s, advocated non-violent Civil Rights Movement. Rosa Parks, Montgomery Malcolm X, black nationalism null 3. In 1972, President Nixon visited China and met Mao Zedong and the two countries issued the Shanghai Communique, and the diplomatic relations were established in 1979. 4. The longest war in U.S. history is the Vietnam War. null5. The Counterculture Movement was a movement of revolt against moral values, the aesthetic standards, the social relations of the conventional society. 6. President Kennedy inspired many to work to eliminate poverty and to end segregation and voting rights abuse. His program was called the New Frontier. 7. The Watergate Scandal forced Nixon to resign in 1973. null8. 1970s-1980s, there was a rise in New Right conservatism and due to this trend, Ronald Reagan was brought to White House. 9. Desert Storm: The military attack launched by the U.S. on Iraq by claiming Iraqi invasion and annexation of Kuwait in 1991. null政治 考过题目 Three branches of American government How long the President serves the legislative branch of the governmentnullThe American constitution is the oldest written constitution in the world. It was drawn up in 1787. The Bill of Rights: the first ten amendments put into the Constitution in 1791, which include freedom of speech, the right to assemble and other democratic rights.null2. The Supreme Court has the power to interpret the Constitution. 3.The U.S. President can appoint the federal court judges, preside over the government, and veto laws passed by the Congress. 4. Impeachment is the only way that the President can be removed from office. null5. The political system of America is based on the following principles: federalism, the separation of powers, and the respect for the constitution and the rule of law. 6. The American judiciary is headed by the Supreme Court. 7. The emblem of the Republican party is elephant, while that of the Democratic is donkey.null8. The system of checks and balances: The constitution limits the power of each government branch, and prevents any branch from gaining undue power. The balance is always kept among the three branches. 9. “Winner-take-all” principle: If the candidates of a party for “electors” in a given state receive a majority of the total votes, the party will have all the electoral votes.null教育,社会,文化传统 已考题目： The founding of Harvard Wall Street—the financial center the oldest sport in U.S.A.nullThe higher education is not free and compulsory. In the U.S., the elementary school usually covers grades 1—6, and the high school 7—12. Jazz is considered America’s unique contribution to music, which developed out of the music of the early American Negroes. “The Lost Generation” refers to the young people in the post WWI era.null5. ______ is not a nationally observed holiday of America. Christmas B. Easter Sunday C. Thanksgiving Day D. Independence Day 6. The most important place in America on New Year’s Eve is Times Square in New York City. 7. The theme of Thanksgiving Day is peace and plenty.nullCanada 已考题目： The most important economic activity The geography of Canada The capital city The Head of State—the Governor-general The largest citynullThe name “Canada” comes from Indians, who used the word “kanata” to describe a settlement. Two men are important in the discovery of Canada: John Cabot and Jacques Cartier. 3. 1756—1763 Seven Years’ War The war between France and Britain With the defeat of France, its colonies in North America were ceded to Britain The Treaty of Paris null4. By Canada Act of 1791, Upper Canada and Lower Canada were created. 5. Canada was divided into Upper Canada and Lower Canada in 1791 and they were united again in 1840. 6. The British North America Acts in 1867 created the dominions of Canada, and the Statute of Westminster in 1931, Canada became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. null7. In Canada, Quebec differs from the other provinces because it has a strong French culture. 8. Quebec’s legal system is based on French civil law. 9. Every province in Canada has an elected Legislative Assembly except in Quebec and New Foundland. 10.The largest university in Canada is the University of Toronto. null11. The National Flag of Canada is the Maple Leaf Flag, is a base red flag with a white square in its center,