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专八人文知识材料英美概况

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人文知识

英语国家社会与文化

主要题型

1. 自然地理概况

2011

31. The northernmost part of Great Britain is _______.

A. Northern Ireland B. Wales C. England D. Scotland

2009

32. The capital of Scotland is ________.

A. Glasgow B. Edinburgh C. Manchester D. London

2. 历史

2011

32. It is generally agreed that _______ were the first Europeans to reach Australia’s shores.

A. the French B. the Dutch C. the British D. the Germans

2010

34. The Emancipation Proclamation to end the slavery plantation system in the South of the US was issued by ________.

A. Abraham Lincoln B. Thomas Paine

C. George Washington D. Thomas Jefferson

3. 政治（现状）

2009

31. The Head of State of New Zealand is ________.

A. the governor-general B. the Prime Minister

C. the high commissioner D. the monarch of the United Kingdom

2008

According to the United States Constitution, the legislative power is invested

in _______.

A. the federal government B. the Supreme Court

C. the Cabinet D. the Congress

4. 风俗传统

2008年

Which of the following is the oldest sport in the United States?

A. baseball B. tennis C. basketball football

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

American D. -

2000年:

1. The titles of English nobility

2. The features of Irish landscape

3. The longest river in Britain

4. The legislative branch in U.K.

5. The Hundred Years’ War

2001年:

1. The founding of Harvard

2. The settlement of Anglo-Saxons

3. The official name of U.K.

4. The economic activity of Canada

2002年:

1. Wall Street—the financial center

2. Big Ben, Benjamin Hall

3. The compulsory education in U.K.

4. Three branches of U.S.A. government

2003年:

1. The location of California

2. British news agency

3. The founding fathers of U.S.A.

4. The geography of Canada

2004年:

1. 1920s in U.S.A.

2. The largest river in U.S.A.

3. The discovery of the New World

4. The first settlement in America

2005年:

1. The capital city of Canada

2. How long the . President serves

3. The important cities in U.S.A.

4. The state church in England

2006年:

1. The President during the American Civil War was _________.

A. Andrew Jackson B. Abraham Lincoln

C. Thomas Jefferson D. George Washington

2. The capital of New Zealand is ____________.

A. Christchurch B. Auckland C. Wellington D. Hamilton

3. Who were the natives of Australia before the arrival of the British settlers?

A. the Aborigines B. the Maori C. the Indians D. the Eskimos

4. The Prime Minister in Britain is head of __________.

A. the Shadow Cabinet B. the Parliament

C. the Opposition D. the Cabinet

2007年:

1. The current population in the United Kingdom are descendants of all the following tribes except ________.

A. the Anglos B. the Celts C. the Jutes D. the Saxons

2. The Head of State of Canada is represented by _______.

A. the Monarch B. the President

C. the Prime Minister D. the Governor-General

3. The Declaration of Independence was written by __________.

A. Thomas Jefferson B. George Washington

C. Alexander Hamilton D. James Madison

4. The original inhabitants of Australia is _________.

A. The Red Indians B. the Eskimos

C. the Aborigines D. The Maoris

2008年:

1. The largest city in Canada is ___________.

A. Vancouver B. Montreal C. Toronto D. Ottawa

2. According to the United States Constitution, the legislative power is invested in _______.

A. the federal government B. the Supreme Court

C. the Cabinet D. the Congress

3. Which of the following is the oldest sport in the United States?

A. baseball B. tennis C. basketball D. American football

4. The head of the executive branch in New Zealand is _________.

A. the President B. the Governor-General

C. the British Monarch D. the Prime Minister

5. The Canterbury Tales, the collection of stories told by a group of Pilgrims on their way to Canterbury, is an important poetic work by __________.

A. William Langland B. Geoffrey Chaucer

C. William Shakespeare D. Alfred Tennyson

2009年:

1. The Head of State of New Zealand is ___________.

A. the Governor-General B. the Prime Minister

C. the high Commissioner D. the Monarch of the United Kingdom

2. The Capital of Scotland is ___________.

A. Glasgow B. Edinburgh C. Manchester D. London

3. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence and became the United States of America?

A. Thomas Jefferson B. George Washington

C. Thomas Paine D. John Adams

4. Which of the following cities is located on the eastern coast of Australia?

A. Perth B. Adelaide C. Sydney D. Melbourne

2010年

1. Which of the following is Incorrect?

A. The British Constitution includes the Magna Carta of 1215.

B. The British Constitution includes Parliamentary acts.

C. The British Constitution includes decisions made by courts of law.

D. The British Constitution includes one single written constitution.

2. The first city ever founded in Canada is ______.

A. Quebec B. Vancouver C. Toronto Montreal

3. When did the Australian Federation officially come into being?

A. 1770 B. 1788 C. 1900 D. 1901

D. -

4. The Emancipation Proclamation to end the slavery plantation system in the South of the United States was issued by _____.

A. Abraham Lincoln B. Thomas Paine C. George Washington D. Thomas Jefferson

2011年：

1. The northernmost part of Great Britain is:

A. Northern Ireland B. Scotland C. England D. Wales

2. It is generally agreed that ________ were the first Europeans to reach Australia’s shores.

A. the French B. the Germans C. the British D. the Dutch

3. Which is known as the Land of Maple Leaf?

A. Canada B. New Zealand C. Great Britain D. The U.S.A.

2012年：

1. The Maori people are natives of ___________.

A. New Zealand B. Australia C. Ireland D. Canada

2. The British monarch is the Head of __________.

A. Parliament B. Government C. State D. Government

3. Americans celebrate Independence Day on ___________.

A. October 11th B. July 4th C. May 31st September 6th

4. Canada is bounded on the North by ___________.

A. the Great Lakes B. the Atlantic Ocean

C. the Pacific Ocean D. the Arctic Ocean

The United Kingdom

自然地理概况:

1. Official name: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

D. Northern -

Geographical Names: British Isles, Great Britain and England

2. Union Jack: the national flag of U.K.

3. Geographical position: the English Channel

4. Four political divisions: England (London), Scotland (Edinburgh), Wales (Cardiff), Northern Ireland (Belfast)

5. The Commonwealth: a free association of independent countries

6. Rivers and Lakes: the Severn; Thames; River Clyde; Lough Neagh

7. Mountains: Ben Nevis (the highest); Scafell (the highest in England); Snowdonia (the highest in Wales)

8. The People: English (Anglo-Saxons); (the Celts) Welsh; Scottish; Irish.

9. Eisteddfodau

10. Places of historical interest: the Tower of London (William the Conqueror); Big Ben; Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament); Westminster Abbey (coronation, wedding ceremony); St. Paul’s Cathedral (London; Protestant Church); Tower Bridge (14; suspension bridge close to the Tower of London; River Thames); Speakers’ Corner (London Hyde Park)

历史备考点:

The Origins of a Nation

1. The first known settlers—Iberians

2. The Celts (700 .): three waves—Gaels; Brythons; Belgae

3. Romans: Julius Caesar (55 .); Claudius (43AD, successful invasion); Christianity

4. The Anglo-Saxons: three Germanic tribes (Jutes, Anglos, Saxons)

5. The Viking and Danes: Alfred the Great—“the father of the British navy”

6. The Norman Conquest: 1066, the best-known event in English history

The Shaping of the Nation

1. The Great Charter: 1215, King John, the statement of the relationship between the Crown and the baron; a guarantee of the freedom of the Church; a limitation of the power of the king (the spirit of the Great Charter or Magna Carta)

2. The beginning of parliament: All Estates Parliament—Simon de

Montfort, 1265

3. Black Death: the deadly epidemic disease; the 14th century; reduced the population from 4 million to 2 million;

4. The Hundred Years’ War (1337—1453)

4. The Peasant Uprising: 1381, Wat Tyler (killed) and Jack Straw; to rebel the Poll Tax; a telling blow to villeinage.

Transition to the Modern Age

1. The Wars of Roses (1455-1485): the battles between Lancaster (red rose) and York (white rose)

2. The English Reformation: (1529-1534) Henry VIII, began with a struggle for divorce (Catherine of Aragon) and ended in the freedom from the Papacy

3. Bloody Mary: 300 Protestants

4. Elizabeth I: the defeat of Armada (the Spanish fleet)

5. The English Renaissance: (rebirth) largely artistic; Elizabethan Drama (Christopher Marlowe, Ben Johnson and William Shakespeare)

6. The Divine Rights of Kings: Charles I

7. The Civil Wars (12-16; 17-19): between the Cavaliers and Roundheads; Oliver Cromwell

8. The Restoration

9. The Glorious Revolution: 1688, the smooth takeover of English throne by William of Orange

10. The Bill of Rights (16) and the constitutional monarchy

11. The Gunpowder Plot of 1605: Guy Fawkes; a national annual celebration (bonfire and firework display) on the 5th of November

12. 1707, the Act of Union joined England and Scotland (Anne)

1801: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

1921: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The British Empire

1. Whigs and Tories (the forerunner of the Conservative Party)

2. The Enclosure Movement

3. The Industrial Revolution: the mechanization of industry; the late 18th

and early 19th century

4. The Chartist Movement (1836-1848)—“the first broad, really mass, political formed, proletarian revolutionary movement” (Lenin)

5. The Labor Party

6. The first colony—Newfoundland, 1583

7. The East Indian Company

8. The Opium War: 1840

9. WWI: the Central Power (Germany and Austria-Hungary); the “Allies” (Britain, France and Russia)

10. The Roaring Twenties: women with cropped hair and short dresses; two imports from America: jazz, silent films

11. The Swinging Sixties—the permissive age; pop music (the Beatles turned their hometown of Liverpool into a place of pilgrimage)

12. 1973: a full member of the European Economic Committee

13. Thatcherism: the policies put forward by Margaret Thatcher (the iron lady)

14. The Statute of Westminster (1931)

政治

1. The Constitutional Monarchy

2. The monarch

3. The components of the English Parliament

4. The British Constitution: unwritten

5. Prime Minister; the Cabinet; Lord Chancellor

6. The Official Opposition; the “shadow cabinet”

7. Downing Street No. 10—the official residence of the Prime Minister

8. The Speaker—presiding over the House and enforcing the rules of order

9. The vote of no confidence (不信任投票)

10. Multi-party system

教育,社会,文化传统

1. NHS—the National Health Service

2. Established religion: the Church of England; the Presbyterian in Scotland

3. Football: soccer, the 19th century; Rugby; Cricket; golf

4. Eton—public school (公学)

5. Universities: the oldest university—Oxford; the University of Cambridge; the University of St. Andrews; the University of Edinburgh

6. Stratford-on-Avon: the birthplace of William Shakespeare

7. Newspapers: the Observer (the world’s oldest national newspaper); the Times (1785, the oldest daily newspaper in U.K.); the Guardian; the Daily Telegraph

Periodicals: the Economist: Spectator; The New Statesman (新政治家)

BBC-the most important broadcasting company

News Agencies: the Reuters 路透社(founded in 1851 by German); Press Association (报纸联合社); Extel Financial Ltd. (金融新闻社)

8. Easter: the resurrection of Christ, the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox

9. Hogmanay

10. Boxing Day: December 26th

11. Queen’s Birthday: Buckingham Palace; Trooping the Color (女王阅旗仪式)

Ireland

1. The Emerald Isle: the rich green countryside

2. The largest river—the Shannon River

3. Two official languages: Irish, English

4. National Day: March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day

5. Parliament: the House of Representatives (Dail Eireann); the Senate (Seanad)

6. The two political parties: Fianna Fail; Fine Gael

7. The oldest university in Ireland: the University of Dublin

8. Roman Catholics: 93% of the Irish population

9. Ulysses: James Joyce’s masterpiece

The United States of America:

地理, 人口及基本事实

1. The United States of America: the States, the US or Uncle Sam

2. American National Flag: 1777

3. The Rocky Mountains—the backbone the continent; the Continental Divide

4. The Mississippi—the world’s third longest continental river, “Father of Waters”, “Old Man River”.

5. The Rio Grande River: the natural boundary between Mexico and the United States

6. The Five Great Lakes: Huron; Ontario; Michigan; Erie; Superior

7. The Niagara Falls—between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie

8. Yellowstone National Park—the oldest national park in the world and the largest wildlife preserve in the U.S.A.

9. The Statute of Liberty—New York Harbor

10. Grand Canyon—the state of Arizona

11. Alaska and Hawaii—the two newest states in USA

12. Alaska; Rhode Island; Texas

13. New England—the birthplace of America

14. Thomas Edison—the Wizard of Menlo Park (门洛帕克的奇才) （新泽西州东北部的爱迪生纪念塔）

15. Thomas Jefferson—the first one to inaugurate in New York City

1600—1900:

1. The discoverers of America: Christopher Columbus; Amerigo Vespucci

2. The first colony—Jamestown, Virginia, 1607

3. The 13 colonies: along the east coast

4. May Flower: 1620, Plymouth, the state of Massachusetts

5. Stamp Tax: British East India Company; tea at lower prices in colonies

6. The Boston Tea Party: 1773

7. The First Continental Congress: 1774, Philadelphia;

8. The Second Continental Congress: 1775, Philadelphia

9. The War of Independence

10. The Declaration of Independence: drafted by Thomas Jefferson, July 4th, 1776

11. The Treaty of Paris: 1783, the independence of the United States

12. The Constitutional Convention: 1787

13. The Bill of Rights: the first ten amendments of the Constitution

14. Abraham Lincoln: Emancipation Proclamation; Homestead Bill: 1865

16. The Louisiana Territory

17. The Westward Movement

18. KKK: Ku Klux Klan

1900—1945:

1. The “Open Door Policy”

2. The 1920s—material success and spiritual frustration

3. The Great Depression—1929-1933

4. “New Deal”—Franklin D. Roosevelt “the only thing we have to fear is feat itself”

5. WWI—a yearlong neutrality policy

6. Isolationism—1930s, to keep the U.S. out of the war in Europe and Asia

7. 1941, the Atlantic Charter

8. WWII—(guiding principles) establishing postwar political structure in accordance with American interests and preventing Soviet Union from over-expansion

1945—:

1. The containment policy; the Truman Doctrine; the Marshall Plan

2. The Civil Rights Movement

3. The Sino-US relations: 1972; 1979

4. The Vietnam War: 1950-1975

5. Baby-boomer: 1946-1961, helped to bring an end to the Vietnam War

5. The Counterculture Movement

6. The New Frontier: John F. Kennedy

7. The Watergate Scandal—Nixon, the first to resign in American history

8. New Right conservatism

9. Desert Storm

政治

1. The American constitution; 1787, 17; the oldest written constitution

2. The Bill of Rights

3. The Separation of three powers

4. The Congress: the Senate; the House of Representatives

5. The President can appoint the federal court judges, preside over the government, sign and veto laws passed by the Congress;

6. Impeachment

7. The judicial branch: the Supreme Court

8. The bipartisanship—the Republican (elephant); the Democratic (donkey)

9. The Democratic: Anti-Federalists; Thomas Jefferson

10. The Republican

11. “Winner-take-all” principle: applied in all states except Maine

教育,社会,文化传统

1. The higher education: two-year colleges, four-year colleges and universities.

2. The best research universities: Harvard (1636), Yale, Princeton, Columbia, MIT (on the east); Stanford, Berkeley (on the west)—private.

3. Three functions of the higher education: teaching, research and public service.

4. The age of the students admitted by schools: 6

5. Graded schools: elementary schools (grades 1—8); high school (9—12).

6. No national system of education

7. Three main types of popular music: Jazz (U.S.’s unique contribution to music); Rock-and-roll; the Western Country music.

8. “The Lost Generation”

9. Important cities:

Washington D.C. (1800, John Adams ordered the transfer of the capital

from Philadelphia to Washington D.C.);

New York City (city of the world; Times Square; the United Nations;

Manhattan—the heart of the city; Wall Street; Broadway);

Chicago—the second largest city; “Great Center Market of U.S.” San Francisco—the Golden Gate Bridge Los Angeles—Hollywood and Disneyland

Philadelphia—the city for two Continental Congress; the capital city from

1790 to 1800; founded by William Penn, meaning “the city of Brotherly Love”; the cradle of American liberty

Huston—“the Pearl in the Gulf”; “the Space City of the U.S.A.” Detroit—the motor city;

10. Independence Day: July 4th, the birthday of the nation;

11. Halloween: October 31st

12. Thanksgiving Day: a typical American holiday

13. Veterans’ Day

14. The plane—1903, the Wright brothers

15. Newspaper and magazines: the New York Times; Washington Post; the Los Angeles Times; the Wall Street Journal; Time; Newsweek; Readers’ Digest

16. The largest public library: Library of Congress; Metropolitan Museum: the 5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City: the Empire State Building: Manhattan, New York City

17. Sports: football; baseball; basketball

Canada

1. The National Day: July 1 (1867)

2. The origin of the name “Canada”: “kanata”

3. The national flag: Maple Leaf Flag, white square in the centre, a red stylized 11-pointed maple leaf

4. Two discoverers of Canada: John Cabot; Jacques Cartier

5. Official languages: Bilingualism—English, French; the official Language Act (1969)

6. Important cities: Ottawa(the capital, the 4th largest city); Vancouver (the 3rd largest city, ice-free harbor); Montreal (the 2nd largest city); Toronto (the largest city)

7. Seven Years’ War: 1756-1763; between France (defeated) and England

8. Quebec: the largest province; strong French culture

9. The Constitutional Act of 1791: Upper Canada; Lower Canada

10. The British North America Acts in 1867: the dominion; the Statute of Westminster in 1931: independence.

11. The head of state: Britain’s monarch, who is represented by the Governor General

12. The Parliament: the Crown, the Senate and the House of Commons

13. Constitution: partly written, partly unwritten

14. Political parties: the Liberal Party; the Progressive Conservative Party

15. Universities: the Laval University; the University of Toronto

16. Media:

Newspapers; the Toronto Star; the Globe and Mail; Le Journal De Montreal

Magazines: MacLean’s; News Weekly

Australia

1. “The Land Down Under”

2. Population: Indigenous Australians; mainly of British descent;

3. Australia’s National Day: January 26

4. Great Barrier Reef: the longest coral reef in the world

5. National flower: wattle; national bird: lyrebird

6. Important cities: Canberra; Sydney; Melbourne; Brisbane; Adelaide; Perth; Darwin

7. 1901: the Commonwealth of Australia; 1931: independence

8. Elementary education: 5-11; secondary education: 11-18

9. Animals: koala; kangaroos

10. William Dampier; James Cook

11. 1788, as a colony to receive convicts from Britain

12. Multiculturalism: 1973

13. Politics: a federation; a written Constitution; Legislature

14. The head of state: Britain’s monarch, represented by the Governor General

15. The gold rushes: 1850s

16. The Sydney Morning Herald (先驱报): the oldest newspaper in Australia

New Zealand

1. National Day: December 6th, 1840

2. The land of the long white cloud

3. Cities: Auckland; Wellington

4. Official language(s)

5. Haka: a dance performed to daunt the enemy and to prepare warriors for the battle

6. The International Date Line

7. fault line: the cause of the frequent earthquakes

8. The Kiwis: the national symbol

9. James Cook--the first Englishman to visit New Zealand

10. Abel Tasman: the first European to visit New Zealand in 12

11. 1840: the Treaty of Wantagi

12. No single written constitution

13. The head of state: Britain’s monarch, represented by the Governor

General

14. Only one chamber: the House of Representatives

15. the world’s biggest farm

16. General election in New Zealand is held every 3 years since 1879; the National Party, the Labor Party

17. Universities: University of Auckland; University of Canterbury

参考资料:

余志远主编《英语国家概况》北京：外语教学与研究出版社，2005。

谢福之主编《英语国家概况》北京：外语教学与研究出版社，2007。

訾缨主编《英语国家概况》北京：北京大学出版社，2010。

何伟主编《英语专业八级人文知识及改错》世界图书出版公司，2008。

黄任主编《英语专业八级考试人文知识满分突破》长春：吉林出版集团有限责任公司，2012。

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