英语国家社会与文化考试重点

Puritanism:1pilgrims are a group of early settles in New England from England 2in 1620 to escape religious persecution 3the pilgrims left for New England onboard the mayflower,landing at Plymouth Rock 4in the New England the puritans hoped to build a city upon a hill an ideal community 5in spite of their own quest for religious freedom, the puritans practiced a form of intolerant moralism. The Declaration of independence is a statement adopted by the second continental congress on july4 1776, which announced that the 13American colonies then at war with Great Britain were now independent states,and thus no longer a part of the british empire 2it justified the independence of the united states by listing colonial grievances against King George3 and by asserting certain natural rights,including a right of revolution. The Watergate scandal was a political scandal which occurred during the Nixon administration 2the scandal began with the arrest of five men for breaking and entering into the democratic party headquarters at the Watergate office building 3Journalists investigating the incident discoveres that the burglars had been employed by Nixon`s re-election committee 4The White House made matters worse by trying to conceal its connection with the break-in 5on August 9 Richard Nixon become the only US president to resign from office Three branches of Amreican: legislative ,executive, judicial branches because powers are not compeletly separated,each branch requires the consent of the others for many of its actions.the goal is to prevent any dominant power from rising in the government. America`s Foreign affairs :1early presidents focused foreign there were little political relationships with European countries,though sporadic military conflicts.2 president James Monroe in 1823 asserted that the United States should stay out of European affairs and that European powers should not interfere in the affairs of America`s backyard,it defined US policy in latin America and justified Westward Expansion across the north American continent. Won from war:1 the power to shape a new poster order as the true leader in international affairs. 2face new challenges shortly after the end of World war.its undisputable leadership position propelled it for the first time in history towards an activies,expansionist and a global diplomacy. Before 911: 1GeorgeW bush was at the peak of its strength 2Soviet union disintegrated in 1991 ,united states the only superpower in the world 3economy experienced a sustained growth in 1991to1999.4the mood of elites and the public could be described as optimistic, confident and self-assured. The supreme court: 1the highest judice body in the United states,and leads the federal judiciary. 2it consists of the chief justice and eight associate justices 3armed with the right of judicial review has a check on the legislative,executive. the cold war :1the continuing state of policial conflict,military tension and economic competition existing world war two 2between the soviet union and united states3featured periods of relative calm and of international high tension 4ended after the soviet uniondisintegrated in 1991,leaving the US as the dominant military power. Economic reason behind war of independence :By the 18th century, regional patterns of development had become clear: the new England colonies relied on shipbuilding and sailing to generate wealth; plantations in Marryland, Virginia, and the Carolinans grew tobacco, rice, and indigo; and the middle colonies of New York generate crops and furs. The standards of living were generally high. With the economic boom in the colonies, disputes developed with England over taxatio and other matters; Americans hoped for a modification of English axes and regulations that would satisfy their demand for more self-government,which ultimately led to the call independence and the ceation of new nation- the united states. New Deal :President Franklin D.Roosevelt launched the New Deal to alleviate the most serious economic crisis in the nation’s history, the Great Depression. New Deal legislation extended federal authority in banking, agriculture, and public welfare. It established minimum standards for wages and hours on the jobs, which served as catalyst for the expansion of labour unions in industries like steel, automobiles, and rubber. Programmes and agencies that today seem indispensa ble to the operation of the country’s modern economy were created: perhaps most notably, the social security system providing pensions to the elderly. Many of the most important laws and institutions that define American’s modern economy can be traced to the New Deal era. The Great Society was a set of domestic programmes proposed on the initiative of President Lyndon B.Johnson. Two main goals of the Great Society social reforms were the elimination of poverty and racial injustice. New major spending programmes that addressed education, medical, care(health care for the elderly), food stamps(food assistance for the poor), urban problems, and transportation were launched during this period. The Great Society in scope and sweep resembled the New Deal domestic agenda of Franklin D.Roosevelt, but differed sharply in types of programmes enacted. Wall Street is a street in lower Manhattan, New York City. It runs east from Broadway to South Street on the East River, through the historical centre of the Financial District. It is the first permanent home of the New York Stock Exchange; Wall Street is also shorthand for the” influential financial interests” of the American financial industry, which is centred in the New York City area. Several major US stock and other exchanges remain headquartered on Wall Street and in the Financial District, including the NYSE, NASDAQ, and others. Hollywood is the US film industry centre. It is located in Los Angeles, California. There are big movie companies, including the Warner Bros. Pictures, Universal Studios, Columbia Pictures, and Paramount Pictures. They dominate the movie industry today, and films produced by them are not only very popular within the US, but also all around the world. The annual Oscar Award attracts the attention of millions of movies fans. Hollywood has become the synonym of American film. Characteristic of Higher education: in the Unites States is characterized by a stratification system. Second, it is also known for diversity in terms of institutional size, type, control, programme emphasis and climate, and population served. By the end of the 20th century, the number of colleges and universities in the United States had exceeded 3,700. A majority of this total are private with control vested in religious denominations, professional organizations, and other private foundations. Admit student:Admission to an institution of higher education is governed by each college or university. Though weighted and evaluated differentially by each institution, the general criteria used to determine admission include successful completion of high school., grades 9-12; high school grade point average and class rank; minimal course of studies in areas of English, mathematics. and sciences; and result from standardized tests such as the SAT and the ACT. Higher competititive:Because more and more people in the United States today choose to attend colleges and university, and colleges students tend to pursue further studies or higher degrees. Thus competition heats up when a higher percentage of high school completers begin to enroll in college. This, on the one hand, reflects the accessibility of higher education, while on the other hand, highlights the emphasis placed on college education. vocational school:As industrialization grew, American school system also expanded. Public high schools were pressured by industry and parents to train students for jobs. This had resulted in the construction of two types of high schools: vocational and general. In a vocational school, students are taught the skills needed to perform a particular job. Most high school offer both types of programmes. Vocational courses such as typing , sewing, mechanical drawing and stenography are commonly seen in the high school curriculum. pragmatism :American scholar John Dewey developed the philosophy of pragmatism, which claims that the only worthwhile knowledge is knowledge that can be used. This school of thought has gratly influenced American educators in what they choose to teach, and also in the teaching techniques. They do not want to teach sheer facts which will quickly be forgotten; instead, they want to teach attitudes and skills which will help produce useful, responsible and happy adults. Community colleges :After finishing high school, US students will be faced with various higher education options. Community colleges are open option. Most community colleges offer variety of certificates and two-year associate degree programmes. Community colleges are public institutions supported in large part by gobernment funding and taxes. Bill of rights of 1689:the parliament`s place in british political life Vote their local member of parliament:1the image of the party leader 2the policies he offers to the electorate Queen take to adapt:1 retain a popular image by attending charities 2offering to pay taxes 3opening up Buckingham Palace to visitors. Britain major parties:1Conservative party prefers private enterprise and freedom of government control 2Labour party wants more social just and equality. The two run the government by turns Constitutional monarchy: the head of state but the real power rests with the parliamentary government Parliamentary supremacy: parliament is a legislature and once statute law is passed, none of the other branches of the government can change unless through parliament itself Judicial review: the power of the judiciary to examine the actions of government ministers to determine whether they are lawful according to statute law The cabinet: the executive group of ministers usually has about 20in number, who are chosen by the prime minister to determine government policies and coordinate government departments. Collective respondsibility: cabinet ministers assume respondsibility for all cabinet decisions and form a united front to parliament and the country by refusing to make public the differences of opinion before or after a cabinet decision UK before 1750:hands,animals,water power 19th century the british ships took most of the shipping in Europe and british seagoing shipping was greater than that of the rest of the world, the shipping made great contribution to british national income. Shipbuilding :1great increase in the size of ships 2ghnological innvation British trading successful:1Uk`s dominance in the world economy in the 19th century2british goods were competitive at world market 3manufacturers needed overseas outlets to sell their surplus goods 4british financial services Pattern of trade:20th century manufactured goods declined, services in the trade increased New industries:1ues electricity as a source of power 2more science based 3many are multinational Financial services:1accounts for 5percent of nation wealth and one million jobs with London 2as the third largest financial centre after New York and Tokyo Great exhibition of 1851:held in London 2display latest technological development 3a symbol for UK as the workshop of the world the workshop of the world :a term used describe the UK economic situation, for it was far advanced in manufacturing industry trade surplus: the idea trade should not get restricted by protection in the form of tariffs, custom duties or import quotas that are designed to protect the domestic economy from foreign competition. Multi-national: international firms that operate across national borders. The headquarters are in one country with many workers in others countries. Pub culture :pub is a popular public place and for many people is of a social occasion,on which people talk not only to friends but also to strangers in a completely relaxed atmosphere. BBC: the british broadcasting corporation is a public enterprise financial by a license fee, two channels of BBC1\2 Quality papers: newspapers that aim at the education reader, contain more serious topics .the daily quality papers include the (times\guardian\daily telegragh\independent) Romantic movement: 1an emphasis on passion and pursuit of natural beauty 2a shift to the use of language of common men to convey poetic ideas 3 convey democratic beliefs and revolutionary character in a literary world. Require for primary and secondary: 1begin education in the state system at 5 2the majority receive their secondary education at comprehensive schools 3schllo leaving age is 16 but can stay another 2 years prepare for higher education. Two basic types after 1945:It`s hoped children could go to the schools that would most suit them with bright students going to a more academic oriented grammar school and less able children to a secondary modern school. Assisted placed scheme of 1980s:1the conservative government set up the scheme in order to help bright children but of financially pressed families to enter independent schools.2now most population of independent school is day students 3a lot more students there study science and technology to meet the need of university and careers 4some public schools part of the independent sector begin to accept girls in order to gain able students.