英语国家概况试题库

英语国家概况试题库

I.Read the following unfinished statements or questions carefully. Foreach unfinished statement or question, four suggested answers markedA, B, C and D are given. Choose the one that you think best completesthe statement or answers the question. Write the letter of the answeryou have chosen in the corresponding space on the answer sheet. (10%)
1.The Constitution of the United States was framed in Philadelphia in_________.

2.In the United States, the Department of ______ advises the Presidenton foreign relations.

3.Representatives in the Unites States are elected _________.

A.annually B.every two years C. every three years D. every

6.Which of the following is NOT regarded as one of the three basicreligious beliefs?

7.Which of the following is NOT a power of the President in the U.S.?

A.To veto the bills passed by the Congress
B.To appoint federal judges when vacancies occur C.To propose legislation to the Congress
D.To make laws
8.The first Catholic President in the U.S. was _______.

leaderGandhi, _______ was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 19.

10.In 1972, U.S. President _____ made a trip to China to improverelations with the People’sRepublic of China.

11.________ were the ancestors of the English and the founders ofEngland.

12.________ is the smallest of the four parts of Great Britain.

13.All of the following are major national parties in Great Britainexcept ________.

publicschools
16.Through the examination called “the11 plus”,students with academic potential go to _____.

17.Which of the following is not involved in making the foreign policyin Britain?

A.The Queen
B.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office
C. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet

C.The UK citizens above the age of 18 D. The UK resident citizens ofthe Irish Republic
19.Halloween is celebrated on __________.

A.October 31st B. November 5th C. March 17th D. December 25th
20.All of the following was invented in Britain except ________.

II.Define terms

1.Billof Rightsin the United States
[TheBill of Rightsconsists of the first ten amendments which were added totheConstitution in 1791. It was passed to guarantee freedom andindividualrightssuch as freedom of speech, the right to assemble in public places,therightto own weapons and so on.]

2.Judicial review

[Judicial review refers to the power of the Supreme Court to decidewhether
[It is also known as the Bush Doctrine. In an addressdelivered to the West
Point graduates, President Bush, for thefirst time, put forward the strategy
of preemption. Bypreemption, the US means that when it determines that a
countrywhich is repressive and hostile to the US has acquired or produced
weapons of mass destruction or has the potential to have suchweapons, the
US should use force to remove this threat to USsecurity and should not wait
till the danger becomes imminentor until the US is attacked.]

4.The House of Lords
[TheHouse of Lords consists of the Lord Spiritual, who are theArchbishopsandmost prominent bishops of the Church of England; and the Lords

5.Comprehensive schools (in Britain)
[Comprehensiveschools are the most popular secondary schools in Britaintoday.Such schools admit children without reference to their academicabilitiesand provide a general education. Pupils can study everything fromacademicsubjects like literature to more practical subjects like cooking.]

6.Constitutional monarchy (in Britain)
[Constitutionalmonarchy is a monarchy in which the powers of the ruler arerestrictedto those granted under the constitution and laws of the nation. InBritain,the Queen is the official head of state, but her powers are largelytraditionaland symbolic. The constitution allocates the rest of thegovernment’spower to the legislature and judiciary.]
7.Federalism

[Afederal system is one in which power is shared between a central

authority and its constituent parts, with some rights reserved toeach.]
appeared a phenomenon that historians called thecounterculture. It

rejectedcapitalism and other American principles. They had morals different

fromthose taught by their parents. Some groups of youth tried toconstruct

differentways of life. Among the most famous were the hippies. They

soughtnew experience through dropping out and drug taking. But it was

music,rock music in particular, that became the chief vehicle for thecounter

culturalassault on the traditional American society. The counterculture

exerted a great influence upon people’s attitudes toward socialmorals,

marriages, career and success.]

S. .. . ...

9.Affirmative Action
[Itis a program that seeks to redress past discrimination through activemeasuresto ensure equal opportunity, as in education and employment.]

10. Blues (music)
[Blues refers to a type of slow, sad musicfrom the Southern US, from the city
of New Orleans. It isderived from a blend of field chantey and spiritual – a
formof hymn singing prevalent in African American Christian churches. The
tradition of the vocal ballad usually accompanied by a guitaralso
contributed to the form of Blues. The music of the Blueshas a peculiar,
poignant sadness. The lyrics of the bluespieces are sardonic filled with wry,
11. Sep. 11 terroristattack
[On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked fourAmerican passenger planes,
two smashing into the World TradeTowers, one into the Pentagon, and the
fourth one smashing intothe fields in Pennsylvania as a result of the struggle
by thepassengers. 3,000 innocent lives were lost in the terrorist attacks.The
whole world was shocked, and anti-terrorism became apriority on the
agenda of the majority of the countries allover the world.]

[TheHouse of Commons is the real center of British political life becauseit ittheplace where about 650 elected representatives (Members of Parliament)makeand debate policy. These MPs are elected in the General Elections andshouldrepresent the interests of the people who vote for them.]

13. Grammar schools
[It is a type of secondary schools inBritain. Grammar schools select children
at the age of 11through an examination called “11 plus”. Those children with
thehighest marks go to grammar schools, which lay emphasis on advanced
academic subjects rather than the more general curriculum ofthe
comprehensive schools and expect many of their pupils to goon to
universities.]

14. Puritanism
[Puritans were those who followed the doctrineof John Calvin and wanted to purify the Church of England. Theybelieve that human beings are predestined by God before they areborn. Some are God’s chosen people while others are damned to hell.Neither church nor good work can save people. The sign of being God’select is success in his work or prosperity in his calling. They alsoargue that everyone must read the Bible in order to find God’s willand establish a direct contact with God. These beliefs have produceda great impact upon American culture.]

15.New Deal
[TheNew Deal refers to the domestic reform program of the administrationof Franklin D. Roosevelt. It is generally considered to consist oftwo phases. In the first phase (1933—1934),attempts were made to provide recovery and relief from the GreatDepression through programs of agricultural and business regulation,inflation and price stabilization. In the second phase (1935—1941),social and economic legislation was provided to benefit the mass ofworking people.]

1. What are the four basic requirements for secondary school studentswho want to apply for a respected university in the United States?

[Fourrequirements for university applicants in the United States: highschoolrecords;recommendations from high school teachers; impression duringinterviewsby the university; scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Tests.]

2.Describe briefly the three-tiered national court system of the U.S.

[Americafederal court system consists of three levels: the Supreme Court,federalcourt of appeal, and federal district court.]

3.Describe the four categories of institutions which comprise thesystem of higher education in the United States.

[American higher education system is composed of four categories: theuniversity which can confer bachelor’s, master’s and doctoraldegrees; the . .. S. . . .

four-yearundergraduate institutions; the technical training institution; andthetwo-year college or community college.]

4.Listthe roles of the monarchy in Britain today.

[Therole of the monarch today is primarily a symbol of tradition and theunityof the state. Besides, she is legally the head of the executive, anintegralpart of the legislature, head of the judiciary, commander in chief ofthearmed forces, and supreme governor of the Church of England. She alsoactsas advisor of the Prime Minister.]

5.What factors play an important role in the contemporary foreignpolicy of

[Answer: Contemporary foreign policy of UK is influenced mainly bythree
UK?

6.Itis said that British history has been a history of invasions. Whatare the major invasions?

[Themajor invasions in the history of Britain include the Romaninvasion in 43 A.D.,theinvasion by the Angles and the Saxons, the invasion by the VikingsfromScandinavia,and the Norman Conquest.]

7.Illustrate the principle of checks and balances with examples.

power.Example of checks and balances: the president has the power to vetobillsand suggest bills; the judges are appointed by the president; theCongresscan impeach the president; the Supreme Court has the power todecidewhether a law or directive is constitutional (judicial review).]

8.What are the major functions of British Parliament?

[Thefunctions of British Parliament are: to pass laws; to vote fortaxation; toscrutinizegovernment policy, administration and expenditure; and to debatethemajor issues of the day.]

9. What were the major ideas in the Declaration of Independence?
It also explained the philosophy of government: the power ofgovernment
came from the consent of the governed and thepurpose of government
was to secure the rights mentioned above.The theory of politics and the
guiding principles of theAmerican Revolution mainly came from John
Locke.]

10.What are the powers of the US president?

[The president can propose legislation to Congress. He can veto anybill passed by Congress. But the veto can be overridden by atwo-thirds vote in

bothhouses. The president can appoint federal judges as vacancies occur.Heis the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. He has other broadauthoritiesin running departments and handling foreign relations.]

11.What are the two major concerns of many Americans about theirpolitical system? Why?

[One concern is about the high cost of campaigning for public office,which
may force candidates to spend more time raising moneythan dealing with
important issues. The other concern is aboutthe influence of the organized
interest groups, which providemost of the money for political campaigns
and thus pressurizethe government officials to make policies in their favor.]
[American religion is characterized by three major features. One isthe
harmonious co-existence of various religions. The second isthe co-existence
of strong religious beliefs and socialprogress. The Third is independence of
church in terms offinance and building, and little concentration on doctrine
orreligious argument.]

IV.Comment.

1. Is American President directly elected by the people? Give reasonsto support your idea. 2. Describe the procedures of Americanpresidential election. . .. S. . . .

3.Discuss the factors which have contributed to the specialrelationship between Britain and the United States.

4.Comment on the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s in America.

5.Discuss the structure of British government today.

6.Discuss the racial problems between black and white in the UnitedStates. 7. How does the US Constitution divide power among the threebranches of government? How do the branches check and balance eachother?

8.Make a comparison and contrast between British government andAmerican government.

9.Analyze the major principles of government in the Constitution ofU.S.