1、人文知识 英语国家社会与文化,人文知识的考察范围宽泛.但并不要求有很深的研究,所以,主要是把握好出题的方向和侧重点.,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.,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 Palace,2000:The titles of English nobilityThe features of Irish landscapeThe longest
2、river in BritainThe legislative branch in U.K.The Hundred Years War,2001: The founding of HarvardThe settlement of Anglo-SaxonsThe official name of U.K.The economic activity of Canada,2002: Wall Streetthe financial centerBig Ben, Benjamin HallThe compulsory education in U.K.Three branches of U.S.A.
3、government,2003: The location of CaliforniaBritish news agencyThe founding fathers of U.S.A.The geography of Canada,2004:1920s in U.S.A.The largest river in U.S.A.The discovery of the New WorldThe first settlement in America,2005: The capital city of CanadaHow long the U.S. President servesThe impor
4、tant cities in U.S.A.The state church in England,2006: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,2007: 1. The origin of the current British population 2. The Head of State of Canada is represen
5、ted by the Governor-general 3. The author of the Declaration of Independence 4. The original inhabitants of Australia,2008: The largest city in Canada.The legislative branch of the U.S. governmentThe oldest sport in U.S.A.The head of the executive branch in New Zealand,2009: The Head of State of New
6、 ZealandThe capital of ScotlandThe author of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. presidentThe cities located on the eastern coast of Australia.,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,The 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. T
7、he origin of the population 4. Big Ben, Benjamin Hall 5. The capital of Scotland (2009),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 worlds people and land area The Commonwealth
8、 (of Nations): 1931, 50 independent members, economic ties,2. 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 narr
9、ow sea passage which separates England and France and connects the Atlantic Ocean and North Sea. The narrowest partthe Straits of Dover,3. Three political divisions: England: south, the largest, the most populous, the richest London, The Pennies , ScafellScotland: north, Edinburgh 3 natural zones (t
10、he Highlands, the Lowlands, the Uplands), Ben NevisWales: west, Cardiff,4. Rivers and Lakes: The longestthe Severn The second longest and the most importantThames The largest lakeLough Neagh in Northern Ireland Lake District: 15 lakes, the Lake poets (William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and
11、Robert Southey),5.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,The Scots, Welsh & Irishthe CeltsCeltic: the languag
12、e spoken by WalesThe National Eisteddfodaua Welsh festival of the arts to keep Welsh language and cultureGaelic: one of the Celtic language spoken in Highlands,历史: The titles of English nobilityThe Hundred Years War,备考点: The Origins of a Nation 1. The first known settlersIberians 2. The Celts (700 B
13、.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 Hadrians Wall,4. The Anglo-Saxons: Three Germanic tribes Tuesday (Tiu), Wednesday (Woden), Thursday (Thor), Friday (Freya) derive from the name of
14、 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 Canterbury,5. The Viking and Danes: Alfredthe father of the British navy, Alfred the Great King Alfred defeated the Danes and came to an agreeme
15、nt with them in 879.,6. The Norman Conquest: The Battle of Hastings1066, Duke William vs. Harold Williamking of England in Westminster Abbey the feudal system; the Grand CouncilDomesday Book a property record The Tower of London, a historical sight, located in the center of London, was built by Will
16、iam the Conqueror,The Shaping of the Nation The Great Charter:King John, 1215 the foundation of English libertiesthe spiritthe limitation of the kings power 2. All Estates Parliamentthe beginning of Parliament, the “Model Parliament”, 1265,3. Black Deaththe deadly epidemic disease spread by rat flea
17、s in 14th century. It reduced Englands 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,Transition to the Modern Age: The Wars of Roses (1455-1485): The battles between the House of Lancaster( re
18、d) and York (white). Henry Tudor united the two and brought about the rule of the Tudors. 2. The English Reformation: (1529-1534) Henry VIIIs reform in breaking English Churchs connection with the Pope and switching to Protestant theology,1535: the Supreme Head of the Church of England 3. Bloody Mar
19、y: 300 Protestants burned The monarch who lost Calais4. Elizabeth I: A time of confidence and achievements The Armanda (the Spanish fleet) was defeated by the British navy,5. The English Renaissance: (rebirth) A cultural movement that arose the rise of the bourgeoisie. The thinkers who worked for fr
20、eedom and enlightenment were humanists. The English Renaissance was literary: Thomas More “Utopia” Shakespeare: Elizabethan drama,6. The Divine Rights of Kings: Charles I The king rules with the authority of God 7. The Civil Wars (1642-1651) The Cavaliers ; the RoundheadsOliver Cromwell and the New
21、Model Army Cromwell as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England (1653),8. 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 Right
22、s, there began the constitutional monarchy.,The 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 qui
23、ckest in textiles. “The workshop of the world”,3. 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.,4. The Chartist Movement (1836-1848) The working class tried to realize the “peoples charter” about universal
24、 suffrage. The first nationwide working class movement 5. The first colonyNewfoundland,1583,6. 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 Ocean7. The Statute of Wes
25、tminster (1931) The dominions became independent states in all but name,8. The Opium War: 1840, an aggressive war against China 1842, Treaty of Nanjing,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 th
26、e “Silicon Glen” in Britain.Margaret Thatcher:The first woman Prime Minister“iron lady” for the tight control of monetary policy.,政治 考过题目: Westminster PalaceThe legislative branchPrime Minister, Cabinet,The components of the English Parliament: the Sovereign, the House of Lords, the House of Commons
27、The British Constitution consists of conventions, common law, statue lawThe 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.,6. The party with the second largest number of seats becomes the official O
28、pposition, 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.,9. Downing Streetthe most important street in London where the Home Office, the
29、 Treasury, the War Office are located. 10. The Speakerthe presiding officer of the House of Commons (英国下议院的主持),教育,社会,文化传统 考过题目:Big BenThe Old UniversityNews AgencyMajor Journal, The Observerthe compulsory educationthe state church in England,The religious leader of the Church of England is Archbisho
30、p of Canterbury2. Easter is connected to the coming of spring, the resurrection of Christ, and the eating of Easter eggs3. Westminster Abbey: It is a veritable national shrine (真正的国家神殿), where the countrys greatest literary and scientific figures are buried.,4. Eton is a famous public school. (compr
31、ehensive school, state school) 5. The most typical English sportsCricket reflects the English character: comparative slowness and quietness,6. 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 Twe
32、nties: jazz, silent films 9. The Swinging Sixties: the permissive age The Beatlesa popular music group,10. The Timesthe most famous of all British papers and the oldest.The Daily Telegraph; the Guardian 11. The Economistthe most influential periodical in BritainThe Spectator,12. Boxing Daythe first
33、weekday after Christmas, when Christmas gifts or boxes are traditionally given to household employees and other service workers. 13. Hogmanay(In Scotland) New Years Eve and the parties, drinking, etc. 14. Guy Fawkes DayNovember 5th,Ireland 考过题目: The features of Irish landscape,The Emerald Isle refer
34、s to Ireland, due to the green countryside.The largest riverthe Shannon riverThe highest peakCarrantuohillNational DaySt. Patricks Day, March 17thNational FlowerShamrock (三叶草)Official LanguagesIrish and English,7. The arrival of St. Patrick in AD 432 converted the Irish to Christianity. 8. All Irela
35、nd is first brought under English control by Henry VIII 9. The oldest university in Ireland is the University of Dublin,10. 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 Ulysse
36、s, James Joyce introduced the stream of consciousness technique.,The United States of America: 地理, 人口及基本事实 考过题目 The location of CaliforniaThe largest riverThe important cities,America is the 4th largest country in the world.The largest state of U.S. is _. Florida B. Texas C. Massachusetts D. Nevada
37、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.,4. The Rockies, the backbone of the North American continent, is also known as the Continental Divide. 5. Lake Superior is the largest freshwat
38、er 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 its the chief center of the War of Independence and the 1st industrial area.,7. The Mississippi Riverthe most importa
39、nt river in U.S.A. It is called the “Father of Waters” or “Old Man River”. 8. The Niagara Falls,9. Yellowstone National Park: the oldest national park in the world and the largest wildlife preserve in the U.S.A.Old Faithfulthe most famous gayer (喷泉) in Yellowstone. 10. Grand Canyonits walls show lay
40、ers that tell the story of the formation of the earth.,11. 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 th
41、e blacks. 14. “Baby boom” refers to the great increase of birth rate between 1946 and 1964.,15. 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
42、,历史考过题目: The founding fathers of America1920s in Americathe discovery of the New Worldthe first settlement in Americathe President in the Civil Warthe author of the Declaration of Independence,Who wrote the Declaration of Independence and later became the U.S. President? Thomas Jefferson B. George W
43、ashington C. Thomas Paine D. John Adams,16001900: The discoverer of AmericaChristopher Columbus Magellanthe 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 Flowerthe ship which took Puritans to America in
44、1620. Plymouththe first colony,In 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. Thi
45、s is known as the Boston Tea Party.,7. 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,9. The shots at Lexington signaled the beginning of the War of Independ
46、ence. 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.,12. The Constitutional Convention:1787 Philadelphia, to revise the Ar
47、ticles 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.,14. The Gettysburg victory was the turning point of the Civil War. 15. In the Civil War, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclam
48、ation and the Homestead Bill. 16. President Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory from France and doubled the countrys territory. 17. The Westward Movement: 1815-1830, moving westward to open the vast area of wilderness in America.,19001945:The “Open Door Policy”: advanced by Theodore Roosevelt i
49、n Sino-American relations, that is, invading China by means of force and culture. The stock market crash : 1929 to 1933,3. In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt promiseda “new deal” to get America out of thedepression. In his inaugural speech, he said that “theonly thing we have to fear is fear itself.” 4.
50、 In the early 1930s, the American foreign policy was isolationism, that is, to keep America out of the fighting in Europe and Asia.,1945: 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,
