英美国家概括 名词解释 英国部分
万圣节图片大全-文艺晚会开场白
英美国家概括 名词解释
The United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland
Unit 1
1.
London
London is the largest city located in
the south of the country.
It is dominant in
Britain in all sorts of ways. It is the cultural
and business center and the headquarters of
the vast
majority of Britain’s big companies.
It is not only the financial
center of the
nation, but also one of the three major
international financial centers in the world.
2. Robin
Hood罗宾汉，英国传说中的一位著名绿林好汉，在森林里
盘踞，以劫富济贫杀贪官污吏为宗旨。
Robin Hood was a Saxon nobleman. As he could
no longer put
up with oppressions压迫 from the
Normans, he became an
outlaw反叛者 and hid
himself with his band of “merry men” in
the
forest. From this secret place, he went out to rob
from
the rich to give the poor.
3. Anglo-
Saxons盎格鲁-撒克逊
They were two groups of
Germanic日耳曼 peoples who
settled down in
England from the 5
th
century. They were
regarded as the ancestors of the English and
the founders of
England.
4. King
Arthur 亚瑟国王，6世纪时英格兰统治者，圆桌骑士的领袖，
有关他的传说很多。
It is said that he was the King of England in
the 5
th
century
and united the British
and drove the Saxons back with his
magical
sword, Excalibur. His real existence is in doubt.
He is
the central figure of many legends.
5. King Harold哈罗德国王，英格兰最后一位撒克逊民族的国王，
1066年诺
曼底法国入侵英格兰时，在关键的Hastings
战斗中被
杀。从此英格兰被征服，诺曼底统治者当了英国国王，即威廉一
世。
He
was the Saxon King whose army was defeated in the
Battle of Hastings in 1066, when William the
Conqueror
invaded England from France.
Unit 2
1. The Easter Rising复活节起义。1916年复活节
清晨（4月26日，
星期一）“爱尔兰共和兄弟”和共和军的战士们在帕尔斯和康纳利
领导下，
发动了一次反英的武装起义，占领了都伯林总邮局，宣
布成立爱尔兰共和国。但是，由于时机不成熟和筹
划不周，五天
后就被镇压下去了。16名领导人被处死，160人受到军事审判，
122人被判
处有期徒刑。
In order to gain independence,
different Irish groups had
been
fighting against the British institutions and the
British
military forces. One such activity was
the Easter Rising
which took place in 1916.
The rebels造反者，反叛者 occupied
Dublin’s Post
Office and forced the British to take it back by
military force. The leaders of the rebellion
were executed by
the British authorities.
2. The Provisional IRA 爱尔兰共和军的“临时派”，主张使用暴力，
坚持“不承认、不参加现政府机构”的政策，但也未完全放弃政
治斗争。
In 1919,
a group calling itself the IRA (Irish Republic
Army)
expended fighting for Irish freedom and
independence. The
Provisional IRA is the
radical faction基本的派别 of the IRA.
They prefer
the use of force and believe that armed force is
the only way to get the British out and to
have a unified
Ireland.
3. Sinn Fein 新芬党，北
爱政党之一，成立于1905年，该党主张英
国政府从北爱撤走，使南北统一。该党的宗旨是确保国际上
承认
爱尔兰是一个独立的共和国国家。1970年分裂为“正式派”和“临
时派”。
Sinn Fein is a legal political party in
Northern Ireland which
supports the IRA to
fight for the union of Ireland. The
leaders of
Sinn Fein prefer union with Ireland by a twin
campaign运动，战役，竞选活动, both military and
political
which they call the policy of “the
Bullet and the Ballot
Box”
暴力和民主手段，他们主张用政治或军事手段解决爱尔兰的统一.
It
believes that without the participation of Sinn
Fein the
political problem of Northern Ireland
cannot be thoroughly
solved.
4. Home Rule自
治法案。1912年在下议院提出自治法案，遇到北爱
尔兰统一派和保守党的强烈反对。该法案搁置至1
914年才被乔治
五世国王签署成为法律。由于第一次世界大战爆发，北爱尔兰自
治问题未觉，
随后发生了1916年复活节起义，改变了南爱公众的
看法，南爱不接受北爱自治法案。
Ireland had long been dominated统治 by Britain,
but Irish
desire for an independent Irish
state was never lost. “Home
Rule” refers to a
campaign for Irish control of Irish affairs.
The Home Rule Bill was finally passed in 1914,
but the process
was overtaken压倒，搁置 by the
First World War and was
suspended for the
duration of the war.
5. The Good Friday Agreem
ent《北爱和平协议》。1998年4月10
日在美国参议员乔治·米歇尔的斡旋下，英爱两国政府与
参加北
爱多党谈判的各党派之间达成的和平协议。该协议于1998年5
月22日在北爱和爱尔
兰全民公决中获得通过。该协议规定只有在
北爱大多数人赞同的情况下才能改变北爱目前的政治地位。目
前
北爱由爱尔兰政府，英国政府及北爱执行委员会三方共同参与管
理。Good
Friday 是每年复活节礼拜天前一周的周五。
As a result of multi-
party negotiations, the Good Friday
Agreement
was approved on 10 April 1998. This agreement
assures the loyalist亲英派 community共同体，公众 that
Northern Ireland remains保持，仍是 part of the
United
Kingdom and it won’t change its
political status unless the
majority of the
people of Northern Ireland agree. Under the
terms条款 of the agreement, Northern Ireland
should be
governed by three separate
jurisdictions管辖权: that of
Republic of Ireland,
that of Great Britain and that of its own
elected executive行政上的，行政部门的 government of ten
minister执行者，部长，大臣.
Unit 3 The
Government of the United Kingdom
1. The Bill
of Rights of
1689《权利法案》，英国议会通过的限制国
王权力，确立英国君主立宪制的宪法性文件。
In 1689, King James II’s daughter and her
husband William
were invited by the
politicians and church authorities to take
the
throne, on condition that they would respect the
rights
of Parliament. The Bill of Rights was
passed in 1689 to ensure
that the King would
never be able to ignore Parliament.
2.
The Constitution
Britain has no written
Constitution. The foundations of the
British
state are laid out in statue law成文法, which are
laws
passed by Parliament; the common
laws普通法，判例法, which
are laws established
through common practice in the courts;
and
conventions习惯法.
3. The functions of Parliament
The functions of Parliament are: to pass laws,
to vote for
taxation, to scrutinize government
policy, administration and
expenditure and to
debate the major issues of the day.
4. The
House of Lords上议院
The House of Lords consists
of the Lord Spiritual, who are
the Archbishops
and most prominent bishops of the Church
of
England; and the Lords Temporal, which refers to
those
lords who either have inherited the seat
from their
forefathers or they have been
appointed. The lords mainly
represent
themselves instead of the interests of the public.
5. The House of Commons
The House of
Commons 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.
Unit 4
Politics, Class and Race
1. The importance of
general elections
General elections are very
important in western democracy.
According to
the author, they provide opportunities for
people to influence future government policies
and to replace
those incompetent没能力的 political
leaders.
2. The formation of the government
651 members of parliament are elected in the
general
election representing 651
constituencies in the UK. The party
which
holds a majority of those “seats” in parliament
forms
the government, with its party leader as
the Prime Minister.
3. The electoral campaigns
Before a general election, the political
parties would start
their electoral campaigns
in order to make their ideologies
and policies
known to the public. The campaign involves
advertisements in newspapers, door-to-door
campaigning
postal deliveries of leaflet and
“party electoral broadcasts”
on the
television. The parties also try to attack and
criticize
the opponents’ policies. Therefore,
these campaigns
sometimes can be quite
aggressive and critical.
4. Class system in
British society
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. People of different classes
may differ in the
kind of newspapers they
read, in the way they speak and in
the kind of
education they receive. One of the distinctive
features about the British class system is
that aristocratic
titles can still be
inherited.
5. Ethnic relations in the UK
The coming of immigrant groups from other
parts of the
world has greatly enriched
British culture. But ethnic
relations are also
sometimes tense: the local people view the
newcomers as a threat to their way of living;
and despite
much official actions to minimize
racism, both subtle and
overt oppression
remains. The immigrant population is not
well-
off economically. They face problems of
unemployment,
under-representation in politics
and unfair treatment by
police and by the
justice system.
Unit 5 The UK
Economy
1. Relative decline of the UK economy
The UK has experienced an economic decline
since 1945. But
this is a relative decline
rather than an absolute one. Britain
is
wealthier and more productive than it was in 1945,
but
since other countries developed more
rapidly, it has slid from
being the second
largest economy to being the sixth.
2.
Privatization in the 1980s
The British economy
went through a particularly had period
in the
1970s, with high rates of inflation and
devaluation of
the Pound. Therefore, in the
1980s, when the Conservative
party under
Margaret Thatcher was in power, an extensive
programme of privatization was carried out.
Many
state-owned business (such as steel,
telecom, gas, aerospace)
were turned into
private companies. Privatisation was
successful in controlling inflation but at the
same time
unemployment rate increased rapidly.
3. Main sectors of the UK economy
The UK
national economy can be divided into three main
areas:
primary industries, such as
agriculture, fishing and mining;
secondary
industries which manufacture complex goods from
those primary products; and tertiary
(or service) industries
such as banking,
insurance, tourism and retailing.
4. “The
City”
“The City “refers to the historic area
at the center of
London. It is one of the
biggest financial centers in the world
with
the greatest concentration of banks, insurance
companies and business dealing in commodities.
At the heart
of the city is the London Stock
Exchange.
5. The aerospace industry in the UK
The UK’s aerospace industry is the third-
largest in the world,
producing the full range
of aerospace products form civil and
military
aircrafts to missiles, satellites and jet engines.
It
produces 2% of the UK nation output,
accounting for 8% of
manufactured export
goods.
Unit 6 British Literature
1.
Elizabethan Drama
The general flowering of
cultural and intellectual life in
Europe
during the 15
th
and 16
th
centuries
is known as the
Renaissance. In British
culture, one of the most successful
and long-
lasting expressions of this development lay in
drama.
That was the period of the reign of
Queen Elizabeth
(1558-1603). The first
professional theatre in London opened
in 1576,
and the others followed, performing the plays of
many notable playwrights, including
Christopher Marlowe,
Ben Johnson and William
Shakespeare.
2.
The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales
written by Geoffrey
Chaucer is the
most important work in Middle
English literature. It is made
up of a series
of stories told by 31 pilgrims to entertain each
other on their way to the Christian Church at
Canterbury in
southeast England. It’ quite
noticeable for its diversity, not
only in the
range of social status among the pilgrims, but
also
in style or the stories they tell.
3.
The King James Bible
King James I ordered the
translation of the Holy Scripture,
which came
to known as the King James Bible. It appeared in
1611. Although it was not the first English
translationrond
there have been many
translations since, the King James
Version
will probably never be matched for majesty of
language. For many generations it has had a
greater influence
on style and standards of
taste than other single work in
English
literature.
4. Romanticism
Roughly
the first third of the 19
th
century makes
up English
Literature’s romantic period.
Writers of romantic literature
are more
concerned with imagination and feeling than with
the power of reason. A volume of poems called
Lyrical Ballads
written by William Words worth
and Samuel Taylor Coleridge
is regarded as the
romantic poetry’s “Declaration of
Independence.” Keats, Byron and Shelly, the
three great
poets, brought the Romantic
Movement to its height. The
spirit of
Romanticism also occurred in the novel.
5. The
Bronte sister
Perhaps the most famous literary
family in British history
are the Bronte
sisters, who were influenced by the Romantic
Movement. Charlotte, Emily and Ann were
daughters of the
vicar of a village church in
Yorkshire. Although they were
poor, they were
educated and respectable. In their short
lives, they didn’t produce much, but their
works are among
the best-loved novels in
English: Charlotte Bronte’s
Jane
Eyre
and Emily’s
Wuthering Heights.
6.
Modernism
Modernism refers to a form of
literature mainly written
before WW II. It is
characterized by a high degree of
experimentation. It can be seen as a reaction
against the 19
th
century forms
of Realism. Modernist writers express the
difficulty they see in understanding and
communicating how
the world works. Often,
Modernist writing seems
disorganized, hard to
understand. It often portrays the
action form
the viewpoint of a single confused individual,
rather than from the viewpoint of an all-
knowing impersonal
narrator outside the
action. One of the most famous English
Modernist writers is Virginia Woolf.
Unit 7 British Education System
1.
Comprehensive schools
Comprehensive schools
are the most popular secondary
schools in
Britain today. Such schools admit children without
reference to their academic abilities and
provide a general
education. Pupils can study
everything form academic
subjects like
literature to more practical subjects like
cooking.
2. Grammar schools
It is a
type of secondary school in Britain. Grammar
school
select children at the age 11, through
and examination called
“the 11-plus”. Those
children with the highest marks go to
grammar
school. 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.
3. Independence schools
Independent schools are commonly 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 not part of
national education system, but the quality of
instruction and
standards are maintained
through visits from Her Majesty’s
Inspectors
of Schools. These schools are restricted to the
students whose parents are comparatively rich.
4. The Open University
The Open
University was founded in Britain in the 1960’s
for
people who might not get the opportunity
for highest
education for economic and social
reasons. It’s open to
everybody and does not
demand the same formal education
qualifications as the other universities.
University courses
are followed through TV,
radio, correspondence, videos and a
net of
work of study centers. At the end of their studies
at
the Open University, successful students
are awarded a
university degree.
Unit 8 British Foreign Relations
1. The
foundations of British foreign policy
The
contemporary foreign police of the UK is greatly
influenced by its imperial history and also by
its geopolitical
traits. As Britain lost its
empire so recently, British
policy-makers
frequently forget that Britain is not as
influential as it used to be in world affairs.
Another decisive
influence upon the way
Britain handles its external affairs is
geopolitical attitude to Europe.
2. The
making of Britain’s foreign policy
The general
direction of Britain’s foreign policy is mainly
decided by the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The
Foreign and
Commonwealth Office, 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 Defense 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.
The Treasury makes decisions on how much money
other
departments can have each year.
3.
Britain and the EU
Britain joined the
European Economic Community in 1973
which is
now called the EU. Britain’s participation in the
EU
remains controversial. At the center of the
controversy is
the fact that it is not clear
about what the EU is and what is
will become.
The UK has always been interested in
encouraging free trade between countries and
is therefore
very supportive of the EU as a
free trade area. Britain like to
regard the EU
as a place where economic cooperation is
possible and where a flow of trained personnel
and goods are
possible. But Britain has always
been less enthusiastic giving
up its national
sovereignty to a European government.统治权
4.
Britain and the United States
The Britain
foreign policy is also affected by its
relationship
with the United States. During
World II, the two countries
were closely
allied and continued to work together closely in
the postwar years, because they had many
things in common
about the past and the world
situation. Even today, Britain
and American
policy-makers share the general ideas in many
respects. However, Britain’s “special
relationship” with the
United States has gone
through many ups and downs. The
Britain are
beginning to realized that their own foreign
policy
actions can be limited by the United
States. But both sides
have worked hard
to maintain the “special relationship”.
5. The
Commonwealth 英联邦
In the author’s opinion, the
Commonwealth is a voluntary
association of
states which is made up mostly of former
British colonies. There are 50 members of the
Commonwealth:
many of these are developing
countries like India and Cyprus;
others are
developed nations like Australia, Canada and New
Zealand. The Commonwealth was set up as a
forum for
continued cooperation and as a sort
of support network.
Unit 9 The British
Media
1. Quality paper
They belong to one
of the categories of the national dailies.
The
quality papers carry more serious and in-depth
articles
of particular political and social
importance. They also carry
reviews, such as
book reviews, and feature articles about
high
culture. These papers are also referred to as “the
broadsheets” because they are printed on large
size paper.
The readers of such newspaper are
generally a
well-educated middle class
audience.
2. Tabloids
A tabloid is a small
format newspaper with color photos and
catchy headlines. Tabloids are
interested in scandals and
gossip usually
about famous people. They also carry lots of
crime, sports and sensational human interest
stories so as
to attract readers. Stories are
short, easy to read and
often rely more on
opinions than fact. They belong to a
category
of national papers different form qualities paper.
3. The Times
The Times began publishing in
1785 and it is the United
Kingdom’s oldest
daily newspaper.
4. The BBC
The full name
is the British Broadcasting Corporation. It was
founded in 1926 as a public service radio
station and later
moved into television. It
had been Britain’s main public
service
broadcaster. It currently has two TV channels. BBC
1
specializes in shows with a broad appeal
while BBC 2 supplies
viewers with
documentaries and shows aimed at particular
social groups. The BBC also provides the World
Service which
broadcasts in English and 42
other languages throughout the
world.
Unit 10 Sports, Holidays and Festivals in
Britain
1. Football hooligans
2.
Cricket and “fair play”
3. Wimbledon
4.
The three traditions of Christmas in Britain
There are three Christmas traditions which are
particularly
British: one is the Christmas
Pantomime, a comical musical
play. The main
male character is played by a young woman
while the main female character, often ugly
woman called
“the Dame,” is played by a man.
Another British Christmas
tradition is to hear
the Queen give her Christmas message
to her
realm over the television and radio. A third
British
tradition is Boxing Day, which falls
on the day after
Christmas. Traditionally, it
was on Boxing Day that people
gave Christmas
gifts or money to their staff or servants.
Now
that most British people do not have servants,
this
custom is no longer observed. However, a
new Boxing Day
custom has emerged, in the
cities: shopping. Shops open up
to sell off
all their Christmas stock decoration, food, cards
and gift items at low prices.
5. Orange
Marches
6. Eisteddfod