英国概况

I. Fill in the blanks in the following passage. 10%

1. (1)fifth largest (2)exchange rates (3)Germany’s and Frances (4)22th highest (5)globalized

(6)financial centres (7)New York City (8)England, Scotland, Wales (9)Northern Ireland (10)European Union

2. (1)Magistrates’ Courts (2)Crown Court (3)Crown Court (4)Magistrates’ Courts (5)High Court

(Queen’s Bench Division) (6)Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) (7)County Courts (8)Court of Appeal (Civil Division) (9)The House of Lords (10)Tribunals

II. Explain the following terms. 20% 1. Norman Conquest:

(1)Duke William of Normandy invadedBritain in 1066 and defeated English King and his army. (2)William was crowned King of England and established the House of Normandy. (3)Effects of the conquest included a complete change of ruling classes in English society and ushered in a new era in English history with the introduction of feudalism. 2. Magana Carta:

(1)Magana Carta, Latin for ‘Great Charter’, is the most famous document of British constitutional history, issued by King John in 1215. (2)The purpose was to insure the rights of the Church and the customs of the town, to curb the king’s exploitation of the tax system and financial privileges and to guarantee that the king could not encroach on baronial privileges. (3)Magna Carta (1215) is a landmark in English constitutional history. 3. Glorious Revolution:

(1)Leading politicians invited William of Orange, Mary’s husband and ruler of the Netherlands, to invade England with Dutch forces and restore English liberties. (2)In 1688, William landed in England. James fled to France and gave up his throne. (3) William and Mary became joint rulers of England after accepting what became known as the Bill of Rights and set up Constitutional Monarchy. It is a Capitalist revolution with middle class as the ruling class. 4. Tripartite System:

(1)The Tripartite System was a system in secondary education. (2)The tripartite system of secondary modern, technical and grammar schools. (3) It was abolished in 1960s. 5. Welfare State:

(1)It is a state with a government which assumes responsibility for the well-being of its citizens throughout life, through a range of interventions in the market economy. (2)The welfare state would aim to offer its citizens a life with certain specified standards of living and (3) protection against the unexpected hazards of life. 6. Absolute poverty:

It can be defined by calculating “what income is required by families of different sizes to provide the minimum of food, clothing (second-hand) and shelter needed for the maintenance of merely physical health.” If a family fell below this line, then they were poor. 7. Civil liberties:

They are certain assumed rights under the system of parliamentary democracy, including (1) the freedom to organize politically, (2) the freedom of speech, (3) the freedom of the press and (4) the equality of all people under the law. 8. The rule of law:

(1) It means everybody is subject to the law; (2) laws must not be arbitrary; (3) there is only one body of law; (4) the rights of the individual are to be respected. 9. Common law:

This is law as decided by judges, their decisions in cases being arrived at after considering the customs and practices of the people involved. This kind of law evolved long before Parliament became the main law-making body. 10. The jury:

(1)The jury consists of 12 lay people who are selected at random. (2)The role of the jury is to listen impartially to the evidence from all sides. (3) After the judge sums up all the evidence at the end of a trial, the jury retire from the court and consider their verdict in private. When they have reached a unanimous agreement of either guilty or not guilty they return to the court and give their verdict to the judges.

III. 1-5 DCABB 6-10 ACDAB 11-15 BACDA 16-20 BDADC

IV. Answer the following essay questions.

1. Why is the reign of Elizabeth called Golden Age?

(1) Elizabeth I reestablished Anglicanism. (2) Important legislation enacted in her reign. (3)On the Elizabeth I, the British navy defeated the Spanish Amada. (4) The reign of Elizabeth I is a period that produced such individuals as William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser. Francis Bacon, and Walter Raleign; a period that saw the country united to become a first-rate European power with a great navy; a period in which commerce and industry prospered and colonization began. 2. What is the effect of The Wars of Roses?

(1) The Wars of the Roses occurred between Lancaster family (red rose) and York family (white rose). (2) Henry Tudor defeated York King and was crowned King as Henry VII. (3)In 1486, Henry VII married Elizabeth of York, helping to unify the two factions of York and Lancaster, and established the House of Tudor. (4)It is generally said that the wars ended feudalism in England and middle class began to play its political law in Great British. 3. What are the basic features of Britain’s economy?

(1)Britain is fortunate in having a stable political situation and well-developed economy. (2)Britain has a ‘mixed economy’ i.e. an economy in which there is some public ownership, as well as privately owned businesses.(3) Britain does not have a lot of high-grade mineral deposits, but Britain has been self0sufficient in energy since 1980.(4) Manufacturing continues to play an important role, although services now generate about three times as much gross domestic product(GDP) and four times as much employment. (5)With 1%if the word population, British is one of the largest trading nations in the world.

4. How are parliaments and Governments formed?

(1)A national campaign lasts for three week. (2) Everyone over 18 has a vote. (3) Each constituency will elect one person who will become their ‘Member’ of ‘Parliament’ or MP. Two main parties in Britain are Labour and Conservative. (4) The leader becomes the Prime Minister and selects his or her Cabinet from leading and experienced figures of their own party in the House of Commons.

Time Events or Reforms Early 17th Parishes were given the responsibility to look century after orphans and the poor who were sick and/or aged 1834 The Poor Law of 1834 sought to discourage people from applying for relief and make them stay in workhouse. 1908 1945 After 1979 Poverty again came to be regarded as a structural economic problem.National insurance schemes were established, to enable some people to cover retirement and medical costs. The Beveridge Report of 1942 help to create a system where housing, health services and social security would be provided for all and establish a National Health Service (1947) for all to receive free medical care. The welfare state is established. The benefit system tightened up private provision of pension and medical costs encouraged. Compositions King or Queen President Queen Elizabeth II Defects or Criticisms The spiraling cost of the scheme caused a rethink, and in 1834 a harsher system of relief was introduced. The unemployed, who came to be seen as responsible for their own condition. It was felt that if they tried harder, or were forced to try harder, they would be able to improve their own conditions. The schemes did not cover every people. It is too expensive -- demand for welfare has grown faster than the ability of the national income to pay for it. Too much state support weakens individual initiative and enterprise. People wanted to see more spending on the sick and disabled and wanted more benefits for retired people. Institutions The Monarch The Cabinet Parliament The Judiciary The Civil Service Main Functions (1) Head of State (2) Royal asset (3) Weekly meeting Prime Minister [Prime Minister] Ministers (1) exercise political power All MPs (2) PM chooses the cabinet [Minister] (3) responsible for department (4) collective cabinet responsibility House of Commons (1) Make new laws & alter original laws (Political; 646 elected members) (2) Debates issues House of Lords (3) Question government ministers (semi-political; 695 Lords) (4) Limit Government Judge of courts at five levels (1) Put the law into practice Headed by Lord Chief Justice (2) Deal with cases according to the laws (3) House of Lord is the Highest court Civil servants permanently employed (1) Non-political; serve the government by government (2) Top civil servants offer advice for ministers Top officials known as mandarins (3) Responsible for implementing polices