英语国家概况

Ⅰ . Read the following unfinished statements or questions carefully. For each unfinished statement or question, four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D are given. Choose the one that you think best completes the statement or answers the question. Write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space on the answer sheet. （50 points, 1 point for each ）

1. Which of the following is true about the British Commonwealth?

A. Members of nations are joined together politically.

B. The Commonwealth has special powers.

C. The decision to become a member of the Commonwealth is made by Britain.

D. It is a free association of independent countries that were once colonies of Britain.

2. Under ___, the feudal system in England was completely established.

A. King Alfred                               B. Henry Ⅱ

C. Edward Ⅰ                             D. William the Conqueror

3. The cause of the Hundred Years’ War was ___.

A. territorial

B. economic

C. partly territorial and partly economic

D. partly territorial and partly religious

4. Which of the following is NOT true about the Anglo-Saxons?

A. They were regarded as ferocious people.

B. They established the manorial system.

C. They divided the country into different shires.

D. Their tribes were seldom at war with one another.

5. As a result of the Black Death, ___.

A. much land was left untended and there was a shortage of labour

B. landowners tended to change from sheep-farming to arable-farming

C. the government did not show much concern about the labour shortage

D. the government took several measures to raise the peasants’ wages

6. The Norman Conquest in English history happened in ___.

A. 1035              B. 1042              C. 1066              D. 1606

7. Which of the following was NOT a consequence of the Wars of the Roses?

A. Feudalism received its death-blow.

B. The great medieval nobility was much weakened.

C. The king’s power became supreme.

D. Ordinary people were greatly affected.

8. In terms of press, ___ are directed at readers who want full information on a wide range of public matters.

A. quality newspapers                          B. tabloids

C. popular newspapers                       D. mid-market newspapers

9. ___ was the transitional period between the Middle Ages and Modern Times.

A. The Hundred Years’ War                 B. Renaissance

C. The Wars of the Roses                    D. The English Civil War

10. The English Civil War is also called ___.

A. the Puritan Revolution                  B. the Chartist Movement

C. the Wars of the Roses                   D. the Hundred Years’ War

11. In December 1653, by an Instrument of Government, ___ became Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England.

A. Richard Ⅰ                                B. Oliver Cromwell

C. Charles Ⅱ                                D. James Ⅱ

12. Two of the most famous literary works of the late 17th century were ___.

A. Hamlet and Paradise Lost

B. Pilgrim’s Progress and Paradise Lost

C. Paradise Lost and Shepherd’s Calendar

D. Romeo and Juliet and Shepherd’s Calendar

13. The establishment of the British East India Company in 1600 was a case of ___.

A. economic penetration                    B. territorial aggression

C. cultural expansion                        D. military invasion

14. One of the most far-reaching consequences of World War Ⅱ was that ___.

A. the British Empire became much stronger

B. the British Empire began to disintegrate

C. the British colonialists stepped up their expansion

D. Britain entered a period of economic and financial prosperity

15. Which of the following is NOT true about the British monarchy.?

A. It is the oldest institution of government.

B. It goes back to at least the 9th century.

C. It has maintained the continuity over the past thousand years.

D. It seems that it enjoys no real power today.

16. In Britain, a parliament has a maximum duration of ___ years.

A. 3                B. 4                  C. 5                  D. 6

17. British colonial expansion began with ___.

A. the establishment of the British East India Company in 1600

B. the settlement of the Dutch East India Company at Cape Town in 1652

C. the occupation of Chinese Hong Kong in 1841

D. the colonization of Newfoundland in 1583

18. Many of Britain’s public schools have gained a reputation for ___.

A. low academic standards and snobbery

B. exclusiveness and short history

C. average academic standards, exclusiveness, and short history

D. high academic standards, exclusiveness, and snobbery

19. The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge date from ___.

A. the 10th and 11th century                 B. the 12th century

C. the 12th and 13th century                 D. the 13th century

20. In Britain, ___ formally appoints important government ministers, judges, etc.

A. the Queen                              B. the Prime Minister

C. the Lord President of the Council       D. the Speaker of the House of Commons

21. Which of the following is NOT among the five biggest cities in the United States?

A. Chicago.         B. New York.        C. Miami.            D. Los Angeles.

22. ___ , which banned slavery, was added to the American Constitution in December,  1865.

A. The Bill of Rights                     B. The Thirteenth Amendment

C. The Civil Rights Act                  D. The Voting Rights Act

23. ___ have made it possible for all sections of the American population to have higher education.

A. The research universities               B. The doctoral universities

C. The community colleges                D. The liberal arts colleges

24. Colored eggs and bunny are traditional symbols of ___.

A. Easter                                B. Christmas

C. Valentine                               D. New Year’s Day

25. ___ is one of the most popular places in the United States to celebrate the New Year’s Day.

A. The Disney Land in Florida

B. The White House Lawn in Washington D.C.

C. Hollywood in California

D. Times Square in New York City

26. The best-known speech made by civil rights leader Martin Luther King is ___.

A. “Guess who?”

B. “I have a dream”

C. “United we stand, divided we fall”

D. “First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen”

27. In the 1900s with the development of industry and the extension of railroad network, there was a ___ in the United States.

A. fast growth of population                B. rapid growth of military power

C. fast growth of labor unions               D. rapid growth of cities

28. The real American literature began ___.

A. before the Civil War                    B. after the Civil War

C. before the War of Independence         D. after the War of Independence

29. Which of the following is NOT true about the Vietnam War?

A. Drug-taking was widespread in the American Armed Forces.

B. About sixty thousand young Americans died in the war.

C. American insistence on the continuation of the war drew criticism from its allies.

D. The morale of the American soldiers was running very high.

30. MIT stands for ___.

A. the Military Institute of Texas           B. the Macy’s Instigation of Thanksgiving

C. the Miami Institution of Trade           D. the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

31. ___ was NOT among the first 13 British colonies along the east coast of North America.

A. New York                              B. Pennsylvania

C. Florida                                 D. Maryland

32. At the Constitutional Convention in September 1787, the delegates who argued for a national system called themselves ___.

A. Republicans                            B. Democrats

C. Anti-Federalists                         D. Federalists

33. The Purchase of Louisiana Territory in 1803 from France ___.

A. increased the American territory by one third

B. increased the American territory by a half

C. almost doubled the size of the United States

D. almost tripled the size of the United States

34. Which of the following pairs is correct?

A. Rockefeller-aeroplane.                  B. Henry Ford-crude oil refining.

C. J. P. Morgan-railroad.                  D. The Wright Brothers-automobile.

35. The United States did not formally take part in World War Ⅱ until Pearl Harbor because ___.

A. isolationists did not want to be dragged into the war

B. the Congress had passed one neutrality law

C. President Roosevelt did not want to offend the Axis Powers

D. all of the above

36. In order to protect Western Europe from possible Soviet expansion after WW Ⅱ , the United States decided to offer Western European countries economic aid, which later came to be  called ___.

A. the Fourteen Points                     B. the New Freedoms

C. the New Deal                         D. the Marshall Plan

37. In view of the problem of poverty in the 1960s, President Kennedy had once admitted that ___ of the American population went to bed hungry.

A. about one quarter                       B. about one third

C. about half                             D. about two thirds

38. Whenever the American economy is in trouble, the economy of other countries is affected because the United States is ___.

A. the greatest debtor in the world

B. the biggest producer of tobacco

C. the largest importer in the world market

D. the only superpower in the world

39. Membership in the House of Representatives is based on ___.

A. the number of cities in each state       B. the number of families in each state

C. the size of population in each state      D. the size of cities in each state

40. In the United States, if the parents don’t send their children to school at certain age, ___.

A. the state government will be responsible for it

B. they will educate the children themselves

C. they can save a lot of money

D. they are breaking the law

41. Canada covers about ___ of North American continent.

A. one quarter      B. two-fifths          C. two-thirds         D. three-fourths

42. By the Statute of ___ in 1931 the British Dominions, including Canada, were formally declared to be partner nations with Britain.

A. Ontario          B. Vancouver        C. Quebec           D. Westminster

43. The first British settlers in Canada were American refugees, who called themselves ___, because they refused to fight against the British Army in the War of American Independence.

A. Loyalists         B. Whigs            C. Liberals           D. Separatists

44. ___ is Australia’s main watershed where short, swift rivers flow into the Pacific Ocean.

A. The Great Western Plateau              B. The Great Dividing Range

C. The Central Eastern Lowlands           D. The Nullarbor Plain

45. Politically, Australia is divided into ___ states and two territories.

A. four             B. five               C. six                D. seven

46. Among the five Australian cities with a population of over a million only ___ lies on the Western coast.

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

47. In Ireland the basic ethnic stock is ___.

A. Celtic           B. Roman           C. Norman           D. English

48. Ireland has four unusual demographic features. Which of the following is NOT true?

A. A low birthrate.                       B. A late marriage.

C. A high proportion of unmarried people.  D. An excess of females in the population.

49. The first Englishman to visit New Zealand was James Cook , who sailed in his ship ___.

A. Endurance                              B. Endeavor

C. Explorer                                D. Enquirer

50. Which of the following statements about the climate in New Zealand is NOT true?

A. The climate in New Zealand is generally temperate.

B. Seasonal variations are less extreme.

C. Snow usually falls in the far south.

D. Summer is often uncomfortably hot.

Ⅱ . Give a one-sentence answer to each of the following questions. Write your answer in the corresponding space on the answer sheet. （ 30 points, 3 points for each ）

51. What doe the British Parliament consist of?

52. Why is King Alfred known as “the father of the British navy” ?

53. Which party did Margaret Thatcher represent in the 1970’s?

54. How was the 1920s in the United States described by many historians?

55. What does the term “indentured servants” refer to in American history?

56. What was the most important act passed in 1964 to prohibit discrimination based on color,  race, or national origin in places of public accommodation?

57. How many provinces and territories is Canada made up of?

58. What is Australia also known as in the West?

59. What does IRA stand for?

60. Why is New Zealand considered to be the first country to get the new day?

Ⅲ. Explain each of the following terms in English. Write your answer in the corresponding space on the answer sheet in around 40 words. （20 points, 5 points for each）

61. Comprehensive schools

62. Whigs （in Britain）

63. The Puritans

64. War Power Act

 

上一页：英语国家概况打印版
下一页：全国2007年4月高等教育自学考试英语国家概况试题