国家概况名词解释.doc

1.The British Commonwealth 英联邦 The British Empire was replaced by the British Commonwealth or the Commonwealth of Nations in 1931.It is a free association of independent countries that were once colonies of Britain. Member nations are joined together economically and have certain trading arrangements. The Commonwealth has no special powers. The decision to become a member of the Commonwealth is left to each member nation. At present there are 50 members counties within the commonwealth2.Eisteddfod-Eisteddfod is the Welsh word for “sitting” National Eisteddfod is the most famous festival of music and verse in Wales. It takes place each August and lasts for about a week. The highlight of the festival is competition for the best epic poem about Wales written and read in Welsh. The winner is crowned Board, considered the supreme honor in Wales. In this way the Welsh people keep the Welsh language and culture alive.3Alfred the Great He was king of Wessex, one of the seven Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms. It was he who led the Anglo-Saxon to flight against the invading Danes and maintained peace for a long time. Alfred was not only a brave king at wartime, but also a wise king at peacetime. He encouraged education and introduced a legal system. He is known as “the father of the British navy”. 6、Magna Carta-It was also called the barons Charter or the Great Charter in 1215.It has many clause but the important one was that only the Grand Council could decide to collect money or not. And it has long been regarded as the foundation of English liberties but its spirit was to limit the kings power. 3.The Glorious Revolution光荣革命- In 1685 Charles II died and was succeeded by his brother James II. James was brought up in exile in Europe, was a Catholic. He hoped to rule without giving up his personal religious vies. But England was no more tolerant of a Catholic king in 1688 than 40 years ago. So the English politicians rejected James II, and appealed to a Protestant king, William of Orange, to invade and take the English throne. William landed in England in 1688. The takeover was relatively smooth, with no bloodshed, nor any execution of the king. This was known as the Glorious Revolution. 2.Elizabeth I-One of the greatest monarchs in British history. She reigned England, Wales and Ireland for 45 years and remained single. Her reign was a time of confident English nationalism and of great achievements in literature and other arts, in exploration and in battle.3、Thatcherism撒切尔主义-The election of 1979 returned the Conservative Party to power and Margaret Thatcher became the first woman prime minister in Britain. Her policies are popularly referred to as state-owned industries, the use of monetarist policies to control inflation, the wreaking of trade forces unions, the strengthening of the role of market forces in the economy, and an emphasis on law and order.2、The Gunpowder Plot of 1605火药阴谋案-The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 was the most famous of the Catholic conspiracies. On Nov. 5,1605, a few fanatical Catholics attempted to blow King James and his ministers up in the House of Parliament where Guy Fawkes had planted barrels of gun-powder in the cellars. The immediate result was the execution of Fawkes and his fellow-conspirators and imposition of severe anti-Catholic laws. The long-term result has been an annual celebration on Nov. 5, when a bonfire is lit to turn a guy and a firework display is arranged.4、The Great lakes-The Great Lakes are the five lakes in the northeast. They are Lake Superior which is the largest fresh water lake in the world, Lake Michigan (the only one entirely in the U.S.), Lake Huron, Lake Eire and Lake Ontario. They are all located between Canada and the United States expect Lake Michigan.7.Civil Service-It is the dept. to hire govt. servants. Civil servants have to pass examinations. And Civil Service grades them. 8.The Open University- It refers to a non-residential university based in Buckinghamshire. It is so called because it is “ open” to all to become students. Founding in 1969, it offers degrees and other courses for adult students of all ages in Britain and the other member countries of the European Union.9.Community Univ.： It is the unv. In Ame. It appeared in the early 20th cen. It opens to all and has developed very fast because of its lower pay and free of entrance exams. It is one of the most important American innovation/invention.  New England-New England is made up of six states of the North-East. They are Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. It is sometimes called the birthplace of America.the New Frontier-It was the President Kennedys program which promised civil rights for blacks, federal aid to farmers and to education, medical care for all and the abolition of poverty.the Opposition-In the General Election, the party which wins the second largest number of seats becomes the offcial Opposition, with its own leader and “shadow cabinet”. The aims of the Opposition are to contribute to the formulation of policy and legislation, to oppose government proposals, to seek amendments to government bills, and to put forward its own policies in order to win the next general election.eleven-plus-an examination formerly used to select school pupils at about,the age of 11 for an appropriate secondary education.The eleven-plus十一岁附加考试：（1）Under the old selective system of secondary education in Britain, the “eleven-plus” is the examination taken by children in their last year at primary school.(2)The results of this examination determine the kind of secondary schooling each child will receive.(3)Those with the highest marks go to grammar school ;other children may go to technical schools or secondary modern schools.(4)In the 1960s and 70s, this examination was abolished and has ever since gradually been replaced by comprehensive schools which take children of all abilities. Hispanics : it stand for the Spanish-speaking population of the united states, these people mainly center in new mexico. California and texas. there are three major Hispanic historically having the great the great influence on the us ,they are chicanos, the Puerto ricans and Cuban-american.HISPANIC AMERICANS refer to the Spanish-speaking population of the US, The Hispanic Group includes Mexican-American, Puerto-Ricans, Cuban-Americans and so on.The black Thursday refer to Oct 24 1929 when the stock market crash happened.Ten of millions of shares were dumped and million of dollars of paper profits were wiped our within a few hours. It signaled the beginning of the Great Depression.New frontier :In the 1960s,US president John. F. Kennedy named his program the New Frontier, promising civil rights fro black, federal aids to farmers and education, medical care for all and abolition of poverty.