英国国家概况知识点.doc

U.K.Official name：The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland .Size: 242,514 square kilometers (93,635 square miles).Location：is a country situated in the British Isles，which lie off the northwest coast of the European continent.4 political divisions：Scotland，England，Wales，Northern IrelandCapital：London, Located on the bank of the River Thames in southeast England.Ben Nevis:英国最高山the highest mountain，本尼维斯山脉1343m,in Scotland.Lough Neagh：英国最大湖泊the largest lake，内伊湖396平方千米，in Northern Ireland.Thames River：英国最重要河流the important river,泰晤士河(母亲河/第二长河)336km，in EnglandBritish Isles：不列颠群岛（包括大不列颠岛、爱尔兰岛、马恩岛及附近的5500多个小岛；群岛上有英国和爱尔兰共和国）.Great Britain= Scotland + England + WalesJulius Caesar： (100 BC44 BC凯撒大帝)Rome general, statesman and historian. He invaded Britain(55 BC), crushed the army of his political enemy Pompey(48 BC), pursued other enemies to Egypt, where he installed Cleopatra as queen(47 BC), returned to Rome, and was given a mandate by the people to rule as dictator until he was murdered(44 BC).Romans Influence：Christianity spread / Eg: Roman bath house in Bath, England.?Constantine the Great：(272-337) The first Christian EmperorAngle & Saxons：Three invasions：Germanic tribesmen、Vikings (known as Danes)、 NormansAlfred the Great：“The Father of the British Navy”William the Conqueror：created a new and more powerful country under one king, eventually ruled over the whole island called Great Britain, built “The Tower of London”.Hundred Years War：1337-1453,was fought on French soil and throughout the western region of the Continent and at sea.Joan of Arc：French military leader and national heroine of the 15th century, who at the age of 17 took up arms to establish the rightful king on the French throne. She claimed to have heard God speak to her in voices. These claims eventually led to her trial for heresy and her execution by burning at the stake.Black Death：A disease spread by rat fleas. Also known as the Black Plague, it was a devastating pandemic that first struck Europe in the mid-14th century, killing between a third and two-thirds of Europes population, including about one-third of Englands population.Reformation：改革/创新?Henry VIII：一生有六位王后,进行了多项改革。Initiated a revolution in 1533, separating the English church from Rome and establishing himself head of the church. In the 1530s, Henry VIIIs power was greatly enlarged, especially by transferring the end of his reign, Wales and Ireland were officially incorporated into England in1536 and 1541, respectively, creating a union of the Crowns. Renaissance：the cultural and artistic movement that was associated with the pan-European Renaissance originating in northern Italy in the 14th century. Eg: Edmund Spenser (The Faerie Queen), Christopher Marlowe ( Dr. Faustus), William Shakespeare, Sir Thomas More( Utopia),Sir Francis Bacon(Essays)Civil War：The war included a series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians(“roundheads”)and Royalists(“cavaliers”) from 1642 until 1651.Essentially,the Civil War was a constitutional issue between a king who claimed to rule by divine right and represented the feudal nobility ,and a Parliament representing country gentry, merchants and artisans ,who claimed real sovereignty.Charles I：son of James I ,succeeded to the throne in 1625.Oliver Cromwell：With the declaration of the Commonwealth ,Oliver Cromwell became the Lord Protector, introducing republicanism, which, although short-lived, would permanently alter British society.Winston Churchill：(1940-1945;1951-1955)Prime Minister , an eloquent orator.Constitutional monarchy(君主立宪)：Constitution(宪法)UK has no written constitution. It mainly consists of:1)Statute Laws成文法2)Common Law普通法3) Conventions习惯法4)Ancient documents 5)European Union Laws欧盟法；Monarchy(帝王/君主)The British Monarchy is the longest reigning monarchy in the world. “to reign but not rule”Parliamentary democracy(议会民主)：Elizabeth II：The present Sovereign-Queen Elizabeth II, was born on April 21, 1926, and came to the throne on February 6, 1953. Her Majesty is: 1. Sovereign of the UK 2. Head of State of 15 other realms 3. Head of the Commonwealth. The Queen is the symbol of the whole nation.Prime Minister：Parliament：The division of the Parliament(议会): 1.the Crown 2.the House of Lords 3.the House of Commons. Address: the Palace of Westminster in London. Maximum duration: 5 years. House of Commons: 1.the Lower House 2.with real power 3.651 Members of Parliament 4. members are elected every 5 years from constituencies. House of Lords: 1. the Upper House 2.members: a. the lords temporal b. the lords spiritual c. the law lords.Official residence：10 Downing Street(Prime Ministers official residence)Political Parties: the Labour Party - in opposition; the Conservative Party - in power; the Liberal Democratic Party Keynesian(凯恩斯主义者/理论)：that advocate government monetary and fiscal programmes, designed to increase employment and stimulate business activity.Thatcher(撒切尔夫人)：the real Iron Lady of the former British Prime Minister(1979-1991)Privazation：In 1979,the Conservative governments under Margaret Thatcher implemented a radical shift from public ownership to privazation, believing that it would improve efficiency, reduce government spending, increase economic freedom, and encourage share ownership.Farm crops：The most important farm crops-wheat, barley, oats, sugar beets, potatoes and rapeseed.Welfare state(福利社会)：Following the Second World War, the state introduced a series of legislative and policy reforms known as the “welfare state”, providing effective and comprehensive social welfare to the most disadvantaged. It is a system of government by which the state provides the economic and social security of its citizens through its organization of health services, pensions, and other facilities.Conformist churches(国教教堂)：2provinces of Canterbury and York：State schools：The vast majority of children; Non fee-paying; Co-educational day school; Governing body: parent representatives, head teacher, serving teachers, governors, members of the local community.Public schools( Independent schools)：A small number of children; Private fee-paying schools; Day and boarding schools; Single-sex; Fees + charitable foundations; Near 100% university acceptance rate.Open university:1.Adults of all ages 2.through TV, radio, produced books, audio/video cassettes, correspondence courses and local study programmes 3.no entry qualifications, no admission interviews, no barriers of any kind.Cricket：used to be the English national sport in the 1950s, played and watched by all social classes of men. Today, cricket is still popular in England, but is less important in Scotland or Wales.Tennis：is the highest profile sport for the two weeks of the Wimbledon Championships, but otherwise struggles to hold its own in the country of its birth.Football：Cultural centrality; National sport; National teams & domestic competitions: Scottish Premier League; the FA Cup; the FA Premier League; Football is the most popular female sport in England.Newspaper：1.national daily newspaper: The Sun 17%; 2.Sunday newspaper: The News of the World 19%; 3. Men outnumber women.BBC：It is the abbreviation of British Broadcasting Corporation. It has both radio and television services. Top ChannelsMost popular stationBBC ONEBBC Radio 2ITV 1BBC Radio 4Channel 4BBC Radio 1BBC TWO BBC FIVEU.S.A.Size: 9,363,123 square kilometresLocation：The forty-eight contiguous states lie between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Canada and Mexico. The two states that share no boundaries with the rest of the country, Alaska and Hawaii, are located in the far northwest corner of the continent and the middle of the Pacific Ocean, respectively.Mississippi River:“Old Man River” The Mississippi is not merely a useful river; it also serves as a potent geographic symbol the traditional dividing line in America between“East” and “West”.Appalachians（阿巴拉契亚山脉）:The Appalachians on the east stretch almost unbroken from Alabama to the Canadian border and beyond. They are much-eroded old mountains ( the highest elevation is less than seven thousand feet) and are set back from the Atlantic by a broad belt of coastal lowland.Rockies(洛基山脉): Great Lakes: Lake Michigan; Lake Ontario; Lake Huron; Lake Erie; Lake Superior.Thomas Jefferson: The 3rd president of U.S.A(1801-1809).Abraham Lincoln : The 16th president of U.S.A(1861-1865).New England settlers: these people were committed to turning the New World into the Kingdom of God.Mayflower： In 1620, a group of English Puritans, now known as the Pilgrim Fathers, landed at Cape Cod, near Boston, after sailing in the small ship the Mayflower for months.Independent war: the Boston Tea Party, finally led to the outbreak of the American Independence War. 1776-1783; “Treaty of Paris”; 1783, the United States became independent.Civil War: Abraham Lincoln was elected president and opposed the expansion of slavery. Some southern states formed the Confederate States of America in 1861; a war to abolish slavery.Great Depression: The stock market crash in 1929; Massive unemployment, factory and mill closings, and mortgage foreclosures; A breakdown of the nations entire economy.Red Scare(布尔什维克/红色恐慌): for instance, in addition to the anti-Communist “Red Scare” of 1919, there was also a highly controversial immigration policy issue.Franklin Roosevelt: The 31th /32th president of U.S.A (1933-1941 /1941-1945), and is the only U.S. president to have served more than two terms.New Deal: The aim was to save American democracy and the capitalist system. The programs and policies to promote economic recovery and social reformVietnam War（越南战争1950-1975）: the Anti-War Movement；the Civil Rights Movement； the Counterculture Movement ； the Feminist Movement。Civil Rights Movement：It was a fight between the White and the Blacks and the fight of the Blacks for racial segregation and racial discrimination. Martin Luther King Jr.: In Civil Rights Act of 1964, he prohibited discrimination in public facilities.Watergate Scandals: President Richard Nixon in 1972, the illegally sabotage and espionage of Nixons Committee to Re-elect the President. Impeachment .Nixon: The 37th president of U.S.A(1968 -1974),唯一任两届总统和两届副总统的人，尼克松访华。Asian Americans character(亚裔美国人): “boat people”/ Asian Indians/ Descendants of Chinese. “ model minority ”: industriousness; “yellow peril”: discrimination.Chinese (gold mines + railroad)Hawaii(1/5)West Coast,CaliforniaJapaneseWest Coast,HawaiiKoreansWest Coast,HawaiiEast IndiansWest Coast,HawaiiFilipinosHawaii(3/5)Federalism: 1. a kind of compromise between unitary and confederate political organizations. 2. a division of power between a central and regional government.Seperation of powers(三权分立)：The rold of congress: The legislative branch of the federal government. Congress included Senate and House of Representatives. Congress makes all laws. Each state has two Senators, regardless of population, and, since there are 50 states, then there are 100 senators.President: 1. the head of state 2.the head of government 3.the military commander-in-chief 4.chief diplomat The President has the power :1.to make treaties (with the advice and consent of the Senate) 2.to nominate and receive ambassadors. 3. to pardon criminals convicted of offences against the federal government, enact executive orders;4.to appoint Supreme Court justices and federal judges (with the consent of the Senate). Parties: Two political parties: the Democratic Party; the Republican Party. The Democratic Party is sometimes represented as a donkey, while the Republican Party is sometimes featured as an elephant.John D. Rockefeller:Henry FordEducation: I. Elementary and Secondary Education; II. Higher Education; III. Goals and Purposes of EducationHarvard College: The beginning of higher educationthe founding of Harvard College in 1636Universities:Industrial Revolution:CanadaOfficial name: the Dominion CanadaCities: 1. Toronto: located on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario/the largest city in Canada. Leading financial and manufacturing centre2. Montral-the second largest city in Canada/The official language of Montreal is French/the worlds largest French-speaking city outside France.3.Vancouver-a coastal city and major seaport in southwestern British Columbia/the third largest in the country/the second largest Chinatown in North America after San Francisco/A scenic, rapidly growing commercial, transportation, and forest-products manufacturing centre.4Ottawa-capital of Canada/countrys fourth largest city/Centre of high-tech researchLocation : Canada is in the north America, extending from the Atlantic ocean in the east to the Pacific oceanIn the west and North were in to the Arctic Ocean.Capital: OttawaSize: 99810 province & 3 territories: British Columbia（大不列颠哥伦比亚省）,Alberta（阿尔伯塔省）, Saskatchewan（萨斯喀彻温省）, Manitoba（曼尼托巴省）, Ontario（安大略省）, Quebec（魁 北克）, New Brunswick（纽宾士域省）, Prince Edward Island（爱德华王子岛）, Nova Scotia（新斯科舍）和Newfoundland/Labrador（纽芬兰省）。 三个特别行政区是: Yukon（育空）和Northwest Territories（西北行政区）和一个新行政区NunavutThe Great LakesGreat Bear: the largest lakeGreat Slave: the second largest riverSt. Lawrence: the second longest riverWaters function: 1. agricultural , industrial, urban, recreational purposes merical transportation 3.power production 4.salmon fishing industryBaffin Island: the largest islandCanadian Shield: the biggest and the most distinctive natural and geographical vegin in CanadaToronto: the largest city, located in the northwestern shore of lake Ontario, leading financial and Manufacturing centreMontral: the second largest city in Canada, the official languages is France，the worlds largest French-speaking city outside France.Ottawa: capital of Canada, fourth largest city, centre of high-tech researchQubec: Quebec is differs from other provinces because it has a story French Culture. Their official languages is France, this province is famous for maple product.(sweet maple syrup糖浆）Indigeous people: the Inuit and the IndiansSeven Years war：(1765-1763)Under the treaty of Paris ,which ended the war in 1763,france officially ceded New France to Britain .Upper Canada: was further up the river. the boundary between the two was the Ottawa river, which today separates the provinces of Quebec and Ontario.Lower Canada: in 1791, the British divided Quebec into colonies, lower Canada was in the area of present-day southern Quebec, along the lower section of St. Lawrence river.Canadian Pacific Railway: With Macdonalds strong support, the Canadian pacific railway was completed in 1885, giving enormous impetus to the westward migration, political stability and economic prosperity in Canada.Natural Resources: a wide range of resources:hewer of woods and drawers of water1. Agriculture (the most important wheat-producing province is Saskatchewan.2. Forest (green gold; the third largest timber-producing country in the world. 3. The mineral reserves.(more than 60 varieties; worlds largest of reserves of asbestos石棉。Canadas mineral products export rank first in the world.4. Electrical power(rank first)5. Fish(the most important wildlife resource)Parliament: It is the legislative branch of Canada. It separated into three parts. (Governor General House of common senate)Parties：1.progressive conservatives 2.liberals 3.new demonstrative party 4.bloc QuebecoisBilingualism: 3 areas of federal policy .1.language of service work 2.language of work 3.equal participation of both English-speaking and French-speaking Canadians in all federal institutions. Multiculturalism: Federal government gave the name multiculturalism to its policy, recognizing the costoms and contributions of Canadas ethnic groups.OxbridgeAustraliaLocation: in the southern hemisphere, Australia is often referred to by the Europeans as the land down under.Official name: the commonwealth of AustraliaSize: 7.69Physical features: 1.western plateau 2.central lowlands 3.eastern highlandsGreat Dividing Range:Climate: 1.sunshine 2.dry (Rainfall is rather uneven)Flora: golden wattle金荷欢Fauna: kangaroo6 states + 2 territories: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Aoustralia, Northern Territory,Western Australia, Tasmania, Australian capital TerritoryCapital: Canberra, “Garden citySydney:new york in southern hemisphere, the biggest city in AustraliaOutback: Australians often use the term outback for the interior and centre of the western plateau and its northern plains.Arthur Phillip: A penal colony was established in New South Wales by Captain Arthur Phillip on 26 January, 1788, which became Australia Day.Penal colony:New South Wales: the birth place of Australia, premier statemost populousAustralia Day: first JulyThe head of nation:Gough Whitlam: Labor party, Slogan: “Its time.”It was time for a change in Australia after the bitterness of the Vietnam War year. Reforms: foreign relations, race relations, womens rights, welfare.Food industry: Canola, vegetables, oat, barley, maize, potatoes, fruits, tobacco, soybeans, wheat, sugar?/?Great Barrier Reef:Government: two part. 1. Federal government 2.state governmentParliament: the governor general 2.the senators (76, 6years term) 3.the house of representatives (105members, 3years a term, more powerful)Labor Party:White Australia Policy: 1901, a racist immigration policy made by the British colonists against colored people, until 1973, encouraging immigrant group to form state and national associations to maintain their cultural.