英语国家文化概况试题.doc

英语国家文化概况试题
I. Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F)
1. Great Britain includes 3 constituent countries: England, Scotland, and Wales.(T)
2. . Independent schools get money mainly through the private sector and tuition rates, with some government support.(T)
3. Britain is not a member of the NATO due to its disagreement with some European countries in defense policy. (F)
4. Britain has a written constitutions of the sort which most countries have.(F)
5. Conservative party prefers policies that protect individual’s rights.(T)
6. New England was established by English puritans.(T)
7. The US Constitution set up a federal system with a strong central government.(T)
8. There are more Catholics than Protestants in the US. (F)
9. Harvard College was originally founded to train government officials. (F)
10. Americans have to join a political party in order to vote or to be a candidate for public office. (F)
II. Choose the answer that best pletes the statement or answers the question:
1. Which of the following is NOT considered a characteristic of London?(d)
a. The cultural centre.
b. The business centre.
c. The financial centre.
d. The sports centre.
2. Which of the following kings was executed in the civil war? (c)
a. James I.
b. James II.
c. Charles I.
d. Charles II.
3. By whom is a “vote of no confidence” decided? (a)
a. The House of mons.
b. The House of Lords.
c. The two major parties.
d. The Prime Minister.
4. If a student wants to go to university in Britain, he will take the examination called ______ (a)
a. General Certificate of Education-Advanced.
b. General Certificate of Secondary Education.
c. the mon entrance examination.
d. General National Vocational Qualifications.
5. How many counties are there in Northern Ireland? (b)
a. 26
b. 6
c. 32
d. 20
6. Which of the following statements was correct around the time of American Revolution?(a)
a. The American had the mixed blood of Europeans or their descendants.
b. The American had the mixed blood of Europeans with American Indians.
c. The American had the mixed blood of Europeans with blacks.
d. The American had the blood of English and their descendants only.
7. Which of the following is NOT guaranteed in the Bill of Rights?(b)
a. The freedom of religion.
b. The freedom of searching a person’s home by police
c. The freedom of speech and of the press.
d. The right to own weapons if one wishes
8. The following were some of the characteristics of Protestantism except_____?(c)
a. Challenging the authority of the Pope.
b. Salvation through faith.
c. Salvation through the church.
d. Establishing a direct contact with God.
9. The following were the founding fathers of the America except_____.(c)
a. George Washington
b. Thomas Jefferson.
c. William Pann.
d. Benjamin Franklin.
10. The expenditure on American public schools is guided or decided by _____.(d)
a. Teachers
b. Students
c. Headmasters
d. Boards of education
III. Tell what you know about the following in your own words?
1. The House of mons
Answer: the House of mons is the real center 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 the people who vote for them.
2. The importance of general elections
Answer: General elections are very important in western democracy. They provide opportunities for people to influence future government policies and to replace those inpetent political leaders.
3. Class system in British society
Answer: The class system does exist in British society. Most of the British population would claim themselves to be either of middle-class or working-class, though some people would actually belong to the upper middle-class or lower middle-class . class divisions are not simply economic, they are cultural as well. One of the distinctive features about the British class system is that aristocratic titles can still be inherited.
4. Independent schools of the UK
Answer: Independent schools are monly called public schools which are actually private schools that receive their funding through the private sector and tuition rates, with some government assistance. Independent schools are the part of national education system in the UK.
5. The monwealth
Answer: The monwealth is a voluntary association of states which is made up mostly of former British colonies. Many of them are developing countries like India; others are developed nations like Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The monwealth was set up as a forum for continued cooperation and as a sort of support net work.
6. The Declaration of Independence
Answer: The Declaration of Independence was mainly drafted by Thomas Jefferson and 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 rights such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
7. The Bill of Rights of the US
Answer: The Bill of Rights 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 speech, the right to assemble in public places, the right to own weapons and so on.
8. Three Faiths in the US
Answer: Americans were considered to e in three basic varieties: Protestant, Catholic and Jewish. In terms of numbers, the Protestants are the strongest, the Catholics are next the Protestants and Jewish are the smallest among the three groups.
9. High education of the US
Answer: In America, high education refers to education on the college level. American higher education includes four categories of institutions,. They are the university, the four-year undergraduate institution (the college), the technical training institution and the two-year or munity college. Some are supported by public funds and some by private funds.
10. The Cold War
Answer: By the end of WWII, the United States, which had not suffered as much as other allied countries, became the strongest country in the world. As the possessor of atomic tombs and much of the world’s gold reserve and industrial production in its hand, the policy-makers of the US wanted a world order dominated by the US, a world market free and open to American goods and services. In pursuing this goal, the US encountered determined resistance from the Soviet Union. Gradually the two wartime allies fell apart and the Cold War began.
IV. Questions for consideration (此部分没有标准答案，是发挥题，写出要点即可)
1. “British history has been a history of invasion.” Please illustrate this point with the examples. How each of the invasions influence English culture?
Main points: 4invasions :Roman Empire, Angles and Saxon, Vikings and Normans
2. What are the three big parties in the UK? What are some of the similarities and dissimilarities between the three parties?
Main points: the Conservative party , the Labor party and the Liberal Democrats
3. What is the Open University in Britain? What do you think of this system?
Main points: the open university offers a non-traditional route for people to take university level courses and receive a university degree. People can register without having any formal educational qualifications. They follow university courses through textbooks, TV, radio broadcasts, a network of study centers net and other ways.
4. In what way did Puritanism influence American culture?
5. What are some of the major powers of each of the three branches of the US government? How are the three branches supposed to check and balance each other?
6. What is the goal of education in the United States? Discuss the similarities and differences in Great Britain, the United States and China concerning the goals of education.
7. What is the relationship between government and religion in American?
8. What is the US containment policy? Is it successful? Illustrate your point with facts.
注：这部分论述题答案是open的，有一些是根据课本内容要求学生分析并写出自己的观点，没有标准答案