英语国家社会
文化入门课程习题
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

习题要求

 

为配合教师教学和学生自主学习,我们以考试试卷的形式配备了大量的课后练习题, 以帮助学生复习、归纳所学内容,从而帮助学生记忆各种信息,巩固和提高文化和语言知识。每套试卷分为: I填空题(Fill the Blanks),II多项选择题(II. Tick the correct answer in each of the following)及III问答题(Questions for Thought)三部分。

I. Fill the Blanks: 该部分重点考察每章的重点内容, 以填空题的形式出现以使学生掌握更加详尽的关于英文化的背景知识。

II. Tick the correct answer in each of the following 该部分重点考察学生对多种信息的的灵活掌握情况,以提高学生对所学内容的综合掌握程度。

IIIQuestions for Thought该部分可供学生进行课上和课外的口语练习之用或者用英语开展跨文化比较讨论时使用。

所有试题均能够在课本上找到答案,希望学生在学习时能够从分利用这些试题,以能更好的学习英美文化与语言知识。

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
英语国家社会与文化入门(上册)
Test Paper One

 

I. Fill in the blanks:

1. Britain consists of _____ nations, including England,_____, _______ and ______.

2. Britain is a country with a history of invasions. In 43 AD Britain was invaded by_______, in

the late 8th century  they experienced _______ raids from Scandinavia and in the 11th century they suffered invasions from _______

3. The Anglo-Saxons began to settle in Britain in ________ century.

4. The capital of Britain is ______ which has great influence on the UK in all fields

including_______, _______  and _______

5. Charles the First, king of Britain, was executed, because he attempted to _____ in the English Revolution.

6. Name two Scottish cities which have ancient and internationally respected universities:_______ and______.

7. The battle of Bannockburn led by Robert the Bruce succeeded in winning the full

independence of _______

8. Both the Scottish and Welsh people elect their members of parliaments to the London Parliament and each holds_______ and. _______ seats respectively.

9. The capital of Scotland is ______, which is well-known for its natural

10. Although Wales is the smallest of the three nations on the_____ mainland, it's good at getting  _______from abroad, particularly Japan and _____.

II. Tick the correct answer in each of the following:

    1. Three of the following are characteristics of London. Which of the four is the exception?

      A. London is a political, economic and cultural centre of the country.

      B. London has a larger population than all other cities in England.

      C. London is not only the largest city in Britain, but also the largest in the world.

      D. London has played a significant role in the economic construction of the country.

    2. The Tower of London, a historical sight, located in the centre of London, was built by

      A. King Harold  B. Robin Hood    C. Oliver Cromwell  D. William the Conqueror

    3. Who were the ancestors of the English and the founders of England?

      A. the Anglo-Saxons  B. the Romans   C. the Vikings   D. the Romans

    4. Which is the largest city in Scotland?

      A. Cardiff    B. Edinburgh    C. Glasgow     D. Manchester

5. Why did the Scottish Kings decide to form an independent singular Scottish state in the

ninth century?

      A. They needed a unified independent nation to fight against Viking raids.

      B. They felt it necessary to develop their own industry.

      C. They were threatened by the Anglo-Saxons' invasion.

      D. They had to do it in order to resist the English.

    6. Where do the majority of people in Scotland live?

      A. in the Highlands      B. in the Lowlands

      C. in the Uplands        D. in the west of Scotland

    7. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

      A. Wales was invaded by the Romans.

      B. Wales was occupied by the Anglo-Saxons.

      C. Wales was conquered by the Normans.

      D. Wales was threatened by the English.

    8. Which of the following parties-in Scotland still wants an independent Scotland?

        A. the Labor Party               B. the Liberal Party

C. the Scottish Nationalist Party     D. the Conservative Party

9. When did Scotland join the Union by agreement of the English and Scottish

parliaments?

           A. in 1715      B. in 1688      C. in 1745       D. in 1707

10. Llywelgn ap Gruffudd is more than a simple historical figure for the Welsh. He is almost considered the legendary hero of Welsh nationalism because

          A. he became the first Prince of Wales in 1267.

          B. he brought the English under his control.

          C. he led a historic uprising against the English.

          D. he unified Wales as an independent nation.

Questions for Thought

1. "British history has been a history of invasion". Please illustrate this point with: the examples from the text. How did each of the invasions influence English culture ?

2. What are some general characteristics of Scotland ? How did Scotland become part of the union of Great Britain ?

3. Describe characteristics of Wales and Wales' unification with Great Britain.

4. Are there any differences between England, Scotland and Wales in terms of cultural tradition?

 

Test Paper Two

     

I. Fill in the blanks:

1.  The Home Rule Bill was finally passed in ______, but the process was overtaken by      and was ______ suspended for the duration of the war.

2.  To pursue Irish independence, the most spectacular event in the Irish history was

   ______of 1916, in which the rebels occupied Dublin's ______ and forced the British to take

it back by______

3.  As Protestants were the majority of the province, they controlled the local ______and used that power ______to support their economic and social ______ in the area. Therefore Catholics in Northern Ireland began______ movement in the 1960s, campaigning for ______

4.  The ______ IRA believed that they had made enough progress so that they could

concentrate on ______, and run candidates for ______.

5.  The ______ IRA separated from the officials, because they felt that ______ was the only way to get the British out.

6.  Threatened by the IRA in the early 1970s, the Protestants formed their own illegal______

    groups and took revenge on______.

7.        In 1971 the Northern Irish government took the action to imprison terrorist suspects from

both sides without______ , a policy known as ______.

8. In the 1980s convicted IRA prisoners started a campaign for the status of being                ______by starving themselves. The British government didn't ______to this demand for political status and ______ prisoners starved to death.

9.  1972 was the worst year of the troubles which included 13 Catholics who had been taking part in a peaceful ______. They were shot dead by ______ . This day has now been mythologized    as ______.

10. A series of big bombs in London in the late 1980s and early 1990 increased ______

   on the British government to come up with ______.

11. Sinn Fein, the legal ______ Party, supports the IRA's right to fight. Its leaders spoke of a twin campaign for union with ______, both political and military, which is known as the policy of ______.

12.  In August 1994, the IRA declared ______ with the efforts made by John Hume, the leader

of _______, and Gerry Adams, the leader of ______.

13.  It's hard to make talks successful between the British and Irish governments without the

participation of ______ and ______.

14.  R.U.C. stands for ______.

II. Tick the correct answer in each of the following:

1. In the seventeenth century, the English government encouraged people from Scotland and Northern England to emigrate to the north of Ireland, because

      A. they wanted to increase its control over Ireland.

B. they had too many people and didn't have enough space for them to live in.

C. they intended to expand their investment.

D. they believed that Ireland was the best place for them.

2. In 1969, the first British soldiers were seen on Northern Ireland Street. They came fast

      A. to maintain traffic order in Northern Ireland.

      B. to protect the Catholic people.

      C. to protect the Protestant people.

      D. to replace the Royal Ulster Constabulary since they were unable to keep social order.

3. Northern Ireland is the smallest of the four nations, but is quite well-known in the world for

      A. its most famous landmark, the "Giant's Causeway".

      B. its rich cultural life.

      C. its low living standards.

D. its endless political problems.

4. Faced with conflicting demands the British government chose a compromise and organized a partition of Ireland, because

 A. the British government wouldn't be able to control Ireland any longer by force.

 B. the British government intended to satisfy both sides ——— Catholics as well as Protestants.

 C. Catholics in Ireland demanded a partition of Ireland.

 D. Protestants welcomed the idea of partition.

5. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

 A. Sinn Fein is the legal political Party in Northern Ireland.

 B. Those who want to unite Northern Ireland with Britain are called Unionists.

 C. Social Democratic and Labor Party is a very important political Party in Britain.

 D. Those who show their loyalty to the British Crown are called Loyalists.

6. In the early 1970s, the IRA

  A. killed many Protestants and Catholics.

  B. burned down the houses of Catholics.

  C. murdered individuals at random.

  D. carried out a series of bombing and shooting and attacked the security forces as their main target.

7. 1972 was the worst year of the political troubles in Northern Ireland, because

  A. 13 Catholics were shot dead by the police.

    B. 468 people were killed in Northern Ireland.

    C. the government carried out a policy known as "internment".

    D. Bloody killing of 468 people fortified Catholic opposition to the British presence

in Northern Ireland.

 8. Why did the British government decide to replace the Power-Sharing policy with "direct-rule" from London?

    A. The Power-Sharing policy was not accepted by the majority of Protestants.

    B. The Northern Irish Parliament could not govern the province effectively.

    C. The Power-Sharing policy couldn't be carried out.

    D. All the above.

 9. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

   A. In 1981, some convicted IRA prisoners went on a hunger-strike.

   B. They demanded for the status of being "political prisoners" by starving themselves.

   C. Margaret Thatcher's government gave in to their political demand.

   D. The death of prisoners revitalized the political movement of Sinn Fein.

10. How many counties do you know there are in Northern Ireland?

     A. 26      B. 6      C. 32      D. 20

Questions for Thought

1. Why is Northern Ireland, according to the author, so significant in the United Kingdom ? What is the political problem there ?

2. What are some of the factors in Irish and English history that affect the situation in Northern Ireland today ?

3. Different parties and groups in the United Kingdom have different solutions to the

political problem in Northern Ireland. Please sum up their different attitudes.

4. Has the author offered a solution to the political problem in Northern Ireland ?

 

Test Paper Three

 

I. Fill in the blanks:

1. _______, the ancestor of the present Queen, Elizabeth 11, united England under his rule

in 829.

    2. The doctrine of the "divine right of kings" held that _______, _________

    3. During the civil war in the 17th century, those who represented the interests of Parliament

are called _______ and those who supported the King were called _______

    4. In 1215, some feudal barons and the Church forced King _______ to sign the _______ to

place some limits on the King's power.

    5. In medieval times, kings would summon a group of wealthy barons and representatives of counties, towns and cities--- called _______ to raise money.

    6. In 1689, Parliament passed _______ to ensure that the King would never be able to ignore

     Parliament.

    7. In the 18th century, King George I left the job of chairing cabinet meetings to one of his ministers who later came to be called _______.

    8. In Britain, the official head of state is _______ while the real centre of political life is in ______

    9. The British Constitution consists of _______, _______, and _______.

   10. The most important function of the Parliament is to _______._______,

   11. Strictly speaking, the Parliament today consists of _______, _______

      and _______.

   12. The fund the Queen received to repair the fire damage to ______

caused a lot criticism from the public about the monarchy, and the Queen later decided to open, _______ to summer tourists to raise money.

   13. Life peers should be nominated by _______ and appointed by _______.

   14. According to tradition, most peerages can only be passed through the _______ lines.

II. Choose the correct answer from each of the following:

1. Which of the following is NOT characteristic of British government?

  A. It offers the Queen high political status and supreme power.

  B. It is both a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy.

  C. It is the oldest representative democracy in the world.

  D. It has no written form of Constitution.

2. Which of the following king was executed in the civil war?

  A. James I        B. James II      C. Charles I     D. Charles II   

3. What happened in 1215?

  A. It was the year of Norman Conquest in British history.

  B. Forced by barons, King John signed the Magna Cart&

  C. Henry IV granted the Commons the power to review money grants.

  D. King Egbert united England under his rule.   

4. Which of the following is NOT true about the Great Council?

  A. They included barons and representatives from counties and towns.

  B. They were sometimes summoned by the kings to contribute money.

  C. They later developed into what we now know as the Cabinet.

  D. They represented the aristocrats as well as the communities.

5. Under whose reign was the Bill of Rights passed?

  A. James II    B. William of Orange   C. Oliver Cromwell   D. George I

6. Which of the following is NOT true about the Constitution?

  A. It is a document which lists out the basic principles for government.

  B. It is the foundation of British governance today.

  C. Conventions and Laws passed by Parliament are part of the Constitution.

  D. The common laws are part of the Constitution.

7. Which of the following about the Parliament is NOT true?

  A. There are no legal restraints upon Parliament.

  B. Strictly speaking, the Queen is part of the Parliament.

  C. Parliament has the supreme power of passing laws.

  D. Parliament has no power to change the terms of the Constitution.

8. Which of the following about the Queen is NOT true?

  A. The Queen selects the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.

  B. The Queen symbolizes the tradition and unity of the British state.

  C. The Queen acts as a confidante to the Prime Minister.

  D. The Queen is the temporal head of the Church of England.

9. Which, of the following about the House of Lords is NOT true?

  A. Lords do not receive salaries and many do not attend Parliament sittings.

   B. It consists of the Lords Spiritual and the Lords Temporal.

   C. The lords are expected to represent the interests of the public.

   D. Most of the lords in the House of Lords are males.

10. Which of the following about the House of Commons is NOT true?

 A. Members of Parliament elect the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.

B. MPs receive salaries and some other allowances.

C. MPs are expected to represent the interests of the public.

D. Most MPs belong to the major political parties.

Questions for Thought

1.       What are some of the characteristics of the British constitutional monarchy? How has the English monarchy evolved gradually to the present constitutional monarchy?

2. How did the doctrine of the "divine fight of kings", according to the author, lead to the

English Civil War? What do you know about the causes of the English Revolution in the 17th

century?

3. What is the history of English parliament? What role did the parliament play in the Civil War?

4. Discuss the major characteristics and the main content of the British constitution.

5. Why does the author say that parliament is supreme in the British state? What functions does

parliament have? What role does the Queen ( King ) and the Prime Minister play in British

government?

6. What kind of institution is the House of Lords? What role does it play in British government?

 

Test Paper Four

 

I. Fill in the blanks:

1. The UK is divided into _______ constituencies with each of them represented by a member in _________

2. The party which wins the majority seats in parliament forms _______and its party leader becomes _________

3. Normally, a government can be in power for _______ years, and then it has to resign and hold

 a general election.

4. If a government loses a _______ in the House of Commons, it has to resign.

5. The electoral register refers to _______.

6. The amount of time given to each party in the "party electoral broadcasts" is proportional to

the _______ which the party received at the previous election.

7. In order to be fair, the amount of money a candidate can spend in his is strictly limited.

8.        The media conducts  _______ to try to predict the result of the election.

9.        There are three major parties in the UK: _______ _______ and _______.

10. _______  was established by the Labor government in 1948, providing health care for all

   the people.

11. From 1979 to 1997, _______ won 4 consecutive elections and was in power for quite a       long time.

12. _______ is the leader of the Conservative party while _______ is the leader of the

   Labor party.

II. Choose the correct answer from each of the following:

    1. Which group of people can NOT vote in the general election?

      A. members in the House of Commons      B. Lords in the House of Lords

      C. the UK citizens aboyee the age of 18 D. the UK resident citizens of the Irish Republic

   2. By whom is a "vote of no confidence" decided?

     A. the House of Commons               B. the House of Lords

     C. the two major parties                 D. the Prime Minister

   3. Which of the following is NOT true about the electoral campaigns?

     A. Big parties can buy time to broadcast their policies on the television.

     B. There is a limit on the amount of money candidates can spend in their constituency

campaign.

     C. Candidates and their supporters go door-to-door persuading voters to vote for them.

     D. Candidates criticize each other's policies to show how good their own policies are.

   4. How many seats in the House of Commons should a party hold at least in order to win the election?

     A. 651       B. 326       C. 626               D. 351

   5. Which of the following party adopts a "fatherly" sense of obligation to the poorer people

in the society?

     A. the Conservative party                B. the Liberal Democrats

     C. the Party of Wales                   D. the Labour party

   6. Which of the following description about the Conservative party is NOT true?

     A. It has been in power for an unusually long period of time.

     B. It prefers policies that protect individual's rights.

     C. It receives a lot of the funding from big companies.

     D. It is known as a party of high taxation levels.

   7. Which government lost a vote of no confidence and was forced to resign in 1979?

     A. the Conservative government           B. the Liberal government

     C. the Labour government                D. the radical government

8. Which period of time in British history was described as "private affluence and public squalor"?

     A. the 1940s         B. the 1970s    C. the 1980s         D. the 1990s

9. Which of the following about the "poll tax" is NOT true?

     A. It was introduced by the Conservative government.

     B. It was introduced by the Labour government.

     C. It was an attempt to change local government taxes.

     D. It was criticized by many citizens.

10. Who is the leader of the Labour party at present?

     A. John Major     B. Tony Blair    C. Harold Wilson     D. Margaret Thatcher

Questions for Thought

1. Who can stand for election as an MP in the UK? Why are small parties and independent candidates powerless in the election campaign for the formation of a government?

2. What are the three big parties in the UK? What are some of the similarities and dissimilarities between the three parties?

3. What are some of the recent political trends in the UK? Are these trends more democratic or undemocratic? What is the author's opinion?

4. The author says that John Major's conservatives remain unpopular in 1997. What reasons does the author give for this political situation?

 

Test Paper Five

 

I. Fill in the blanks:

  1. "The Jewel in the Crown" of the British Empire -- _______ which provided  _______   and a big market for British goods, gained independence in 1947.

  2. A low rate of _______ coupled with a very high rate of _______is a characteristic of the

UK economy.

  3. Since 1945, the UK economy has experienced _______decline rather than_______ decline.

  4. In the 1970s, the devaluation of the UK currency forced the Labour government to borrow

money from _______.

  5. In 1979, the Conservative party under _______came into power and carried out a

programme of _______.

  6. In recent years, Britain is second only to the U.S. as a destination for _______.

  7. The UK economy can be divided into three main sectors: _______ industries, secondary

industries and _______  industries.

8. The beef industry was hit badly by _______ which caused a ban on beef exports in 1996.

  9. Since the discovery of oil and gas under the _______, Britain has gained a strong position

in the offshore oil industry.

  10. Glaxo-Wellcome is the biggest _______ company in the world while _______is the second largest paint manufacturer in the world.

  11. _______ is one of the busiest share-dealing centers in the world.

  12. Englishman Frank Whittle developed the world's first practical _______ in 1937.

II. Choose the correct answer from each of the following:

    1. Which of the following statements about the UK economy is NOT true?

      A. Britain remains one of the Group of Seven large industrial economies.

      B. Britain has experienced a relative economic decline since t945.

      C. There has been a period of steady decreasing of living standards.

      D. Some smaller economies have overtaken the UK in terms of output per capita.

2. Which of the following was NOT the reason for the relative economic decline since

1945?

      A. Britain did not invest in modern equipment and new products.

      B. Britain spent a high proportion of its national wealth on the military.

      C. Britain had been heavily in debt to finance the war.

      D. Britain had carded out the nationalisation of the businesses.

    3. Which of the following livestock has the biggest number in the UK?

      A. beef battle        B. dairy cattle        C. chicken        D. sheep

    4. Where is the best agricultural land in Britain?

      A. in the southeast of England

      B. in the northeast of England

      C. in the southeast of Scotland

      D. in the northeast of Scotland

    5. Which of the following is NOT a company in the energy sector?

      A. Shell        B. ICI        C. RTZ        D. British Gas

    6. Which of the following used to be the last independent car company in the UK?

      A. Ford

      B. Peugeot

      C. Rover

      D. BMW

     7. In aerospace industry, which two countries are ahead of Britain?

       A. the U.S. and Germany

       B. the U.S. and Russia

       C. Germany and Russia

       D. France and Russia

    8. Which civil airline was started in 1924 after the First World War?

      A. Imperial Airways

      B. British Airways

      C. Hawker-Siddeley Aviation

      D. the British Aircraft Corporation

    9. What did Frank Whittle do in 1937?

      A. He invented the first jet plane.

      B. He developed the fast jet engine.

      C. He made the first powered flight.

      D. He made the trans-Atlantic flight.

   10. Which company became an important aero-engine manufacturer after WWI?

      A. Boeing             B. Rolls Royce  

C. McDonnel-Douglas         D. Hawker-Siddeley Aviation

   11. British Aerospace was the merger of which two companies?

      A. the British Aircraft Corporation and Hawker-Siddeley Aviation

      B. the British Aircraft Corporation and Rolls Royce

      C. Hawker-Siddeley Aviation and GEC Avionics

      D. Hawker-Siddeley Aviation and Rolls Royce

Questions for Thought

1. Please define "absolute decline and relative decline" in the UK economy. How does the author

explain the reasons for the absolute decline and relative decline?

2. What did the Conservative Party under Mrs. Margaret Thatcher promise to do to the UK national economy in 1979? The word "reform' in the national economy was also popular when Mrs. Margaret Thatcher formed the government and decided to change the UK economy. What was her radical reform programme? Was the pragramme successful according to the author?

3. What are the three main areas in national economies? Describe the development of each of the

three areas in the UK economy,

4. The author believes that Britain, like most developed economics, has seen a relatively shrinking of the importance of secondary industry and a spectacular growth in tertiary or service industries. Why is it so? Do you see a similar growth in tertiary industries in China in the past 20 years? How is this growth related to the reform and opening up to the outside world?

 

Test Paper Six

 

I Fill in the blanks:

  1. One of the oldest of the early "old English" literary works is called, _______.

  2. _______ is generally regarded as Geoffrey Chaucer's masterpiece.

3. Shakespeare's plays fall into three categories. They are _______, _______ and_______.   4. Name two of the tragedies written by Shakespeare:           and

  5. Charlotte Bronte and Emily Bronte are noted for their novels______ and _______ which

are largely the love stories of a woman for a man.

  6. Charles Dickens and Elizabeth Gaskell are regarded not only as _______ but also as social_______ in the 19th century.

  7. The author of lvanhoe was _______; Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was done by

_______ ; Charles Dickens  wrote _______ and _______ among many other works.

    

8. Twentieth-century literature can be broadly divided into two stylistic periods: _______and

_______.

  9. Virginia Woolf was one of the most famous writers of the _______ century. Her work was concerned with the individual consciousness, especially the _______consciousness. She sometimes used the technique called _______ in her writing.

  10.  The Heart of Darkness was written by           ; the French Lieutenant's Woman

 was done by _______ and the author of 1984 was _______..

  11. The most famous novel by John Fowles was called _______.

  12. Smiley's People was written by _______.

II. Choose the correct answer form each of the following:

   1. Which of the following books is written by Geoffrey Chaucer ?

     A. The Canterbury Tales    B. Beowulf   C. The Ulster Cycle   D. Morte D'Arthur

   2. What flourished in Elizabethan age more than any other form of literature ?

     A. Novel      C. Drama        B. Essay                D. Poetry

   3. Among the following writers, who was NOT one of the great trio?

     A. Ben Johnson                 C. Geoffrey Chaucer

     B. William Shakespeare           D. Christopher Marlowe

   4. Which of the following did NOT belong to Romanticism ?

     A. Keats                       C. Wordsworth

     B. Shelley                      D.E.M.Foster

    5. Which of the following is a tragedy written by Shakespeare ?

      A. Dr. Faustus                   C. Frankenstein

      B. Hamlet                       D. Sense and Sensibility

    6. Which of the following was the most famous Scottish novelist ?

      A. D.H. Lawrence                C. Robert L. Stevenson

      B. Charles Dickens               D. Walter Scott

7. Several gifted women played a part in 19th-century literature. Which of the following is

an exception ?

      A. Virginia Woolf                C. Jane Austen

      B. Emily Bronte                 D. Charlotte Bronte

    8. Which of the following writers was NOT associated with Modernism ?

      A. D.H. Lawrence                C. Charles Dickens

      B. E.M. Forster                  D. Virginia Woolf

    9. Which of the following is generally considered to be the masterpiece by Joseph Conrad ?

      A. Sybil                         C. Bleak House