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英国概况
III. Explain the following terms. 1. the Hardian’s Wall:
It was one of the two great walls built by the Romans to keep the Picts out of the area they had conquered. 2. Alfred the Great Alfred was a strong king of the wisemen. It was created by the Anglo-Saxons to advise the king. It’s the basis of the Privy Council which still exists today. 3. William the Conqueror William was Duke of Normandy. He landed his army in Oct, 1066 and defeated King Harold. Then he was crowned king of England on Christmas Day the same year. He established a strong Norman government and the feudal system in England. 4. the battle of Hastings In 1066, King Edward died with no heir, the Witan chose Harold as king. William, Duke of Normandy, invaded England. On October 14, the two armies met near Hasting. After a day’s battle, Harold was killed and his army completely defeated. So this battle was very important on the way of the Roman conquest. 5. Domesday Book Under William, the feudal system was established. William sent officials to compile a property record known as Domesday Book, which completed in 1086. It was the result of a general survey of England made in 1085. It stated the extent, value, the population, state of cultivation, and ownership of the land. It seemed to the English like the Book of doom on Judgment Day. 6. the Great Charter King John’s reign caused much discontent among the barons. In 1215, he was forced to sign a document, known as Mangna Cara, or the Great Charter. It has 63 clauses. Though it has long been regarded as the foundation of English liberties, its spirit was the limitation of the king’s powers, keeping them within the bounds of the feudal law of the land. 7. the Hundred Years’ War It referred to the intermittent war between France and England that last from 1337 to 1453. The causes were partly territorial and partly economic. When Edward III claimed the French Crown but the French refused to recognize, the war broke out. At first the English were successful, but in the end, they were defeated and lost almost all their possessions in France. The expelling of the English was a blessing for both countries.
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8. Joan of Arc She was a national heroine of France during the Hundred Years’ War. She successfully led the French to drive the English out of France. 9. the Black Death It was the deadly bubonic plague who spread through Europe in the 14th century. It swept through England without warning and any cure, and sparing no victims. It killed between half and one-third of the population of England. Thus, much land was left untended and labour was short. It caused far-reaching economic consequences. 10. the Wars of Roses They referred to the battles between the House of Lancaster and the House of York between 1455 and 1485. The former was symbolized by the red rose, and the latter by the white one. After the wars, feudalism received its death blow and the king’s power became supreme. Tudor monarchs ruled England and Wales for over two hundred years. 11. Bloody Mary Henry VIII’s daughter and a devout Catholic. When she became Queen, she persecuted and burnt many Protestants. So she was given the nickname ―Bloody Mary‖. Mary is also remembered as the monarch who lost the French port of Calais. 12. 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. 13. Oliver Cromwell The leader during the Civil War who led the New Model Army to defeat the king and condemned him to death. Then he declared England a Commonwealth and made himself Lord of Protector. He ruled England till the restoration of Charles II in 1660. 14. the Bill of Rights In 1689, William and Mary accepted the Bill of Rights to be crowned jointly. The bill excluded any Roman Catholic from the succession, confirmed the principle of parliamentary supremacy and guaranteed free speech within both the two Houses. Thus the age of constitutional monarchy began. 15. Whigs and Tories
It referred to the two party names which originated with the Glorious Revolution of 1688. The Whigs were
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those who opposed absolute monarchy and supported the right to religious freedom for Nonconformists. The Tories were those who supported hereditary monarchy and were reluctant to remove kings. The Whigs formed a coalition with dissident Tories and became the Liberal Party. The Tories were the forerunners of the Conservative Party. 16. James Watt The Scottish inventor who produced an efficient steam engine with rotary motion that could be applied to textile and other machinery. 17. Winston Churchill Prime Minister of Britain during the Second World War. He took over Chamberlain in 1940 and received massive popular support. He led his country to final victory in 1945. He was defeated in the general election of 1945, but returned to power in 1951. 18. Agribusiness It refers to the new farming in Britain, because it’s equipped and managed like an industrial business with a set of inputs into the farm of processes which occur on the farm, and outputs or products which leave the farm. The emphasis is upon intensive farming, designs to give the maximum output of crops and animals. 19. the British Constitution There is no written constitution in the United Kingdom. The British Constitution is not set out in any single document, but made up of statute law, common law and conventions. The Judiciary determines common law and interprets statues. 20. Queen Elizabeth II The present Sovereign, born in 1926, came to the throne in 1952 and was crowned in 1953. The Queen is the symbol of the whole nation, the center of many national ceremonies and the leader of society. 21. the Opposition In the General Election, the party which wins the second largest number of seats becomes the official 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. 22. the Privy Council Formerly the chief source of executive power. It gave the Sovereign private (―privy‖) advice on the government of the country. Today its role is mainly formal, advising the Sovereign to approve certain government decrees and issuing royal proclamation. Its membership is about 400.
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23. Common law A written law gathered from numerous decisions of the courts and other sources. 24. the jury A legal system established in England since king Henry II. The jury consists of ordinary, independent citizens summoned by the court: 12 persons in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 15 persons in Scotland. In criminal trials by jury, the judge passes sentence but the jury decide the issue of guilt or innocence. 25. the NHS The National Health Service was established in the UK in 1948 and based first on Acts of Parliament. This Service provides for every resident a full range of medical services. It is based upon the principle that there should be full range of publicly provided services designed to help the individual stay healthy. It is now a largely free service.
26. comprehensive schools State secondary schools which take pupils without reference to ability and provide a wide-ranging secondary education for all or most of the children in a district. About 90 per cent of the state secondary school population in GB attend comprehensive school. 27. public schools Fee-paying secondary schools which are long-established and have gained a reputation for their high academic standards, as well as their exclusiveness and snobbery. The boys’ public schools include such well-known schools as Eton and Harrow, and girls’ famous schools include Roedean. Most of the members of the British Establishment were educated at a public school.
1. What do you know about the Roman invasion of Britain? —— In 55 BC and 54 BC, Julius Caesar, a Roman general, invaded Britain twice. In AD 43, the Emperor Claudius invaded Britain successfully. For nearly 400 years Britain was under the Roman occupation, though it was never a total occupation. British recorded history begins with the Roman invasion.
2. Why did the William the Conqueror invade England after Edward’s death? —— It was said that king Edward had promised the English throne to William but the Witan chose Harold as king. So William led his army to invade England. In October 1066, during the important battle of Hastings, William defeated Harold and killed him. On Christmas Day, William was crowned king of England, thus beginning the Norman Conquest of England.
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