全国2008年7月高等教育自学考试

　　英语国家概况试题

　　课程代码：00522

　　请将答案填在答题纸相应位置上。全部题目用英文作答

　　I. Multiple Choice Questions. (50 points, 1 point for each)

　　Directions: In this part of the test, there are 50 unfinished statements or questions. For each of the unfinished statements or questions, 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 your Answer Sheet.

　　1. Which of the following statements about the Commonwealth of Nations is NOT true?

　　A. It has no special powers.

　　B. It has 50 member countries in 1991.

　　C. Its member nations are joined together for military purpose.

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

　　2. Which of the following tribes came to Britain first?

　　A. The Jutes. B. The Gaels.

　　C. The Angles. D. The Saxons.

　　3. King Alfred made a treaty with Danes allowing them to keep the northern and eastern parts of England, which later became known as ______.

　　A. Wessex B. Sussex

　　C. Normandy D. the Danelaw

　　4. ______, king of England initiated the long, drawn-out struggle with France called the Hundred Years’ War.

　　A. Edward I B. Edward II

　　C. Edward III D. Henry III

　　5. William replaced ______, the council of the Anglo-Saxon kings, with ______.

　　A. the Witan, Parliament B. the Grand Council, the Witan

　　C. the Witan, the Grand Council D. the Grand Council, Parliament

　　6. Under Edward I, Henry III’s son, ______ was conquered (1277-1284) and came under the English Crown.

　　A. Wales B. Ireland

　　C. Scotland D. England

　　7. Magna Carta was a statement of the feudal and legal relationship between ______, a guarantee of the freedom of the church and a limitation of the powers of the king.

　　A. the Crown and the barons B. the Crown and the church

　　C. the Crown and Parliament D. Parliament and the working class

　　8. ______ summoned in 1265 the Great Council to meet at Westm来源:91exam.orginster, a meeting which has been seen as that of the earliest parliament.

　　A. King John B. Henry III

　　C. Prince Edward D. Simon de Montfort

　　9. The purpose of Henry VIII’s reform was all the following EXCEPT ______.

　　A. to alter theology in any way

　　B. to get rid of Papal interference

　　C. to make an independent church of England

　　D. to get rid of the English Church’s connection with Pope

　　10. The Restoration of the House of Stuart happened in the year 1660. The monarch who restored was ______.

　　A. Charles I B. Charles II

　　C. James I D. James II

　　11. On their acceptance of ______, William and Mary were crowned jointly in Westminster Abbey. Thus the age of constitutional monarchy began.

　　A. the Test Act B. Magana Carta

　　C. the Bill of Rights D. the Petition of Right

　　12. The English Renaissance was largely literary, and its finest representative dramatists were the following EXCEPT ______.

　　A. Ben Jonson B. Geoffrey Chaucer

　　C. William Shakespeare D. Christopher Marlowe

　　13. After the Opium War in 1840, China ceded Hong Kong to Britain and opened five ports to British trade by ______.

　　A. the Treaty of Paris B. the Treaty of Beijing

　　C. the Treaty of Nanjing D. the Treaty of Tianjin

　　14. Which of the following is NOT considered a characteristic of farming in the late 18th and early 19th centuries?

　　A. The “open-field” system.

　　B. A system of crop rotation.

　　C. Introduction of artificial fertilizer.

　　D. Introduction of new agricultural machinery.

　　15. Tories were traditionalists who were certainly against ______.

　　A. hereditary monarchy B. Parliamentary reforms

　　C. the Church of England D. strict maintenance of law and order

　　16. The Privy Council remained powerful until the 18th century when most of its work was taken over by ______.

　　A. Parliament B. the Cabinet

　　C. the House of Lords D. the House of Commons

　　17. Which of the following statements about UK’s monarchy is NOT true?

　　A. The Sovereign reigns, but doest not rule.

　　B. The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy.

　　C. The continuity of the monarchy has been broken only once.

　　D. The monarchy is the oldest institution of government, going back to at least the 7th century.

　　18. Except that ______ may not be a Roman Catholic, public offices in Britain are open without distinction to members of all churches or of none.

　　A. the Lord Chancellor B. the Prime Minister

　　C. the Home Secretary D. the Attorney General

　　19. The University Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge has been rowed on the Thames almost every ______ since 1836.

　　A. spring B. summer

　　C. autumn D. winter

　　20. The Royal National Eisteddford, which dates back to 1176, takes place in ______ for a week annually.

　　A. Wales B. London

　　C. Scotland D. Edinburgh

　　21. Between the end of the civil war and 1880, there was a big population movement in the United States, with people moving ______.

　　A. from the rural areas to cities

　　B. from the core cities to the suburbs

　　C. from the Northeast to the South and the West

　　D. from the densely-populated east coast to the sparsely-populated west

　　22. In the United States, the largest minority group is ______ while the fastest-growing minority group is ______.

　　A. the Asian-American group, Hispanics

　　B. the African-American group, European ethnic groups

　　C. the African-American group, the Asian-American group

　　D. the Asian-American group, the African-American group

　　23. The chief reasons for early settlers to come to the New Continent were the following EXCEPT ______.

　　A. to escape from poverty B. to seek better opportunity

　　C. to practice religious toleration D. to escape religious persecution

　　24. The significance of the War of Independence is the following EXCEPT that ______.

　　A. it paved the way for the development of capitalism in America

　　B. it was a historic event, by which the American people gained independence

　　C. it made both Britain and America realize that their disputes should be solved through negotiation

　　D. it had great international influence—for instance, the colonies rose up one after another to overthrow colonial rule

　　25. The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the ______ Continental Congress on ______.

　　A. First, July 4, 1767 B. First, July 14,1767

　　C. Second, July 4,1776 D. Second, July 14,1776

　　26. The Red Scare in 1919 and 1920 reflected ______ in American history.

　　A. material success B. spiritual frustration

　　C. intolerant nationalism D. rapid growth of economy

　　27. ______ realized that he could win support for the Union at home and abroad by making the war a just war against slavery.

　　A. Abraham Lincoln B. James Madison

　　C. George Washington D. Thomas Jefferson

　　28. Which of the following is NOT true about the Progressive Movement?

　　A. It happened at the turn of the 20th century.

　　B. It was an organized campaign with clearly defined goals.

　　C. It demanded government regulation of the economy and social conditions.

　　D. It was a number of diverse efforts at political, social, and economic reforms.

　　29. ______ Conference began on January 18, 1919 was actually a conference of division of colonies of Germany, Austro-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire.

　　A. The Paris B. The Yalta

　　C. The Teheran D. The Potsdam

　　30. The ______ in the 1920s was the beginning of a long economic depression in the U.S.

　　A. stock market crash B. political persecution

　　C. government corruption D. government interference

　　31. During the Second World War, American diplomacy largely was American diplomacy towards ______.

　　A. Germany and Italy B. Germany and Japan

　　C. Britain and France D. Britain and Soviet Union

　　32. The open declaration of the containment policy toward the Soviet Union was made by ______ on March 12, 1949 in a speech to the joint session of congress.

　　A. Truman B. George Kennan

　　C. George Marshall D. Franklin Roosevelt

　　33. Which of the following was related to the upsurge in births?

　　A. Oil industry. B. Automobile and housing.

　　C. Housing and defense industries. D. Automobile and defense industries.

　　34. The Supreme Court played a role in approving the lawfulness of anti-Communist hysteria by ______.

　　A. supporting the trial of Alger Hiss

　　B. supporting President Truman’s executive order

　　C. convicting 11 high-ranking Communist leaders

　　D. deciding that the Smith Act was in line with the Constitution

　　35. Which of the following is NOT true of the U. S. economy?

　　A. There is little government involvement in the economy.

　　B. The American economy is based largely on a free enterprise system.

　　C. The American economy is characterized by a high degree of monopoly.

　　D. Unemployment, inflation, financial deficit are the main problems in American economy.

　　36. In order to prevent the government from misusing its power, the writers of the Constitution worked out ______.

　　A. Bill of Rights B. checks and balances

　　C. the Articles of Confederation D. The Civil Rights Act of 1964

　　37. The origin of the American party system can be traced to ______.

　　A. the conflict between Democrats and Republicans

　　B. the constitutional debate between the Federalists and the anti-Federalists

　　C. the struggle between those who supported slavery and those who opposed slavery

　　D. the struggle between the Royalists and revolutionaries in the War of Independence

　　38. In America, it is ______ that establishes policies for the education within its boundary.

　　A. the state B. the mayor

　　C. the federal government D. the governor of the state

　　39. In 1836, ______ published his famous book Nature, which is the clearest statement of Transcendentalist ideas.

　　A. Walt Whitman B. Emily Dickerson

　　C. Nathaniel Hawthorne D. Ralph Waldo Emerson

　　40. Of all the symbols, ______ which are considered to represent fertility and new life, are most frequently associated with Easter.

　　A. the lamb and the beef

　　B. the egg and the rabbit

　　C. the pumpkin and the turkey

　　D. the spring peas and box of chocolate

　　41. Which of the following is NOT included in the Prairie Provinces?

　　A. Alberta. B. Manitoba.

　　C. Saskatchewan. D. New Brunswick.

　　42. In 1931 by ______ Canada was formally declared to be a sovereign nation and become a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

　　A. the Quebec Act B. the Act of Union

　　C. the Statute of Westminster D. the British North American Act

　　43. Why were the French troops in Canada defeated by the British during the Seven Years’ War?

　　A. Because British troops are too strong to be defeated.

　　B. Because they were not used to the weather in Canada.

　　C. Because they did not get support from the local people.

　　D. Because they did not receive the supplies they needed so badly.

　　44. Australia is politically divided into ______ states and ______ territories.

　　A. six, two B. six, three

　　C. eight, two D. ten, two

　　45. Which of the following is NOT the factor of the hot and dry climate in Australia?

　　A. Australia has few mountains.

　　B. Most of Australia is far from the oceans.

　　C. Most of Australia lies between 20°and 35°north.

　　D. The air masses are dry, sunny, and high pressure cells.

　　46. Queensland is also called ______.

　　A. the garden state B. the sunshine state

　　C. the premier state D. the state of excitement

　　47. The first Englishman to visit New Zealand was ______.

　　A. James Cook B. Abel Tasman

　　C. Jacques Cartier D. John Cabot

　　48. New Zealand is the first country in the world to get the new day because _____.

　　A. it is located in the Southern Pacific Ocean

　　B. it is just east of the International Date Line

　　C. it is just west of the International Date Line

　　D. it is located halfway between the equator and the South Pole

　　49. Ireland is divided into two political units. They are ______.

　　A. Great Britain and Ireland

　　B. the United Kingdom and Northern Island

　　C. Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland

　　D. the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland

　　50. The population of Ireland is predominantly of ______ origin.

　　A. Celtic B. Norman

　　C. Danish D. Anglo-Saxon

　　II. Answer the Questions. (30 points, 3 points for each)

　　Directions: Give a one-sentence answer to each of the following questions. Write your answers in the corresponding space on the Answer Sheet.

　　51. Why did William I have the Domesday Book compiled?

　　52. What is the British constitution made up of?

　　53. In what way is Church of England uniquely related to the Crown?

　　54. Why did Hawthorne attack transcendentalism?

　　55. What is the guiding principle of community college?

　　56. What’s the most central function of the Congress in the United States?

　　57. What are the two principal river systems in Canada?

　　58. What are the three topographical regions in Australia?

　　59. What do you know about Kiwi?

　　60. Why did Ireland refuse to join in World War II?

　　III. Term Explanation. (20 points, 5 points for each)

　　Directions: Explain each of the following terms in English. Write your answers in the corresponding space on the Answer Sheet in around 40 words.

　　61. Independent School

　　62. Wars of the Roses

　　63. Federalist Papers

　　64. Harlem Renaissance