全国2005年7月高等教育自学考试

　　英语国家概况试题

　　课程代码：00522

　　Ⅰ.Multiple Choice Questions.(40 points, 1 point for each)

　　Directions: 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; and then write your answers on the Answer Sheet.

　　1．The longest river in Britain is（　　　）,which is 338 kilometers long.

　　A．the Thames River   B．the Severn River

　　C．the Clyde  D．the Tweed

　　2．（　　　）,the great Roman general, invaded Britain for the first time in 55 BC.

　　A．Julius Caesar   B．The Emperor Claudius

　　C．Boadicea   D．Agricola

　　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．Normandy

　　C．"the Danelaw"  D．Sussex

　　4．William, Duke of Normandy, is now known as （　　　）.

　　A．William Rufus  B．William the Confessor

　　C．William the Conqueror  D．William the Great

　　5．The spirit of （　　　）was the limitation of the powers of the king.

　　A．the Provision of Oxford  B．the Book of Doom

　　C．Domesday Book  D．Magna Carta

　　6．Although the Wars of he Roses were fought intermittently for （　　　）years, ordinary people were little affected and went about their business as usual.

　　A．20  B．30

　　C．40  D．50

　　7．In Ireland and the Scottish Highlands （　　　）led to mass emigration, particularly to the New World.

　　A．the Black Death   B．the Civil Wars

　　C．the Great Famine   D．land enclosure

　　8．In the United Kingdom, free medical care for everyone and financial help for the old, the sick and the unemployed, which have become available since 1948, are the foundation of （　　　）

　　A．the welfare state B．the National Health Service

　　C．the civil service D．the National Insurance Fund

　　9．Margaret Thatcher believed in the following EXCEPT （　　　）.

　　A．self-reliance B．privatization

　　C．the strengthening of trade unions D．the use of monetarist policies to control inflation

　　10．The monarchy is the oldest institution of government, going back to at least （　　　）century.

　　A．the 8th B．the 9th

　　C．the 10th D．the 11th

　　11．All criminal trials are held in open court because the criminal law presumes the （　　　）of the accused until he has been proved guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

　　A．innocence B．honesty

　　C．guilt D．impartiality

　　12．Easter is traditionally associated with the following EXCEPT（　　　）.

　　A．the Resurrection of Christ B．the eating of Easter eggs

　　C．the custom of giving presents D．the coming of spring

　　13．（　　　）is the most popular sport in England and in Europe.

　　A．Rugby B．Tennis

　　C．Snooker D．Football

　　14．Edinburgh International Festival of Music and Drama takes place for a period of 3 to 4 weeks between （　　　）when Edinburgh becomes a center of cultural activity.

　　A．July and August B．August and September

　　C．September and October D．October and November

　　15．Up to the end of WWI, there were （　　　）waves of large-scale immgration to the United States.

　　A．two B．three

　　C．four D．five

　　16．The idea of containment was first brought up by（　　　）.

　　A．Harry Truman B．Franklin D. Roosevelt

　　C．Marshall D．George Kennan

　　17．In the last great population movement in America, a large number of people moved to（　　　）.

　　A．the Northwest B．the sunbelt areas

　　C．the South D．the West

　　18．Who were the first settlers of the New England Region?

　　A．Hispanic groups. B．English Puritans.

　　C．German farmers. D．Asian Americans

　　19．The Bill of Rights is the term used for （　　　）to the Constitution of the United States.

　　A．the first ten amendments B．the last ten amendments

　　C．the tenth amendment D．the most important amendment

　　20．The Emancipation Proclamation was issued by（　　　）during the Civil War.

　　A．George Washington B．Abraham Lincoln

　　C．Thomas Jefferson D．Franklin Roosevelt

　　21．The Supreme Court played a role in approving the lawfulness of anti-Communist activities by（　　　）.

　　A．upholding the constitutionality of the Smith Act

　　B．convicting 11 highranking Communist leaders

　　C．supporting the trial of Alger Hiss

　　D．supporting President Truman"s executive order

　　22．The writers of the Constitution worked out the checks and balances in order to  （　　　）.

　　A．prevent the government from misusing its power

　　B．prevent the government from being too strong

　　C．prevent the government form being separated

　　D．prevent the government form losing its power

　　23．In America, the first period of the party system refers to the appearance of （　　　）.

　　A．the Federalists

　　B．the Anti-Federalists

　　C．the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists

　　D．the Democratic- Republicans and the Anti-Federalists

　　24．Nathaniel Hawthorne was one of those who （　　　）transcendentalism.

　　A．supported B．was indifferent to

　　C．attacked D．had nothing to do with

　　25．The first uniquely American contribution to architecture was the Skyscraper perfected by the（　　　）architect, Louis Sullivan.

　　A．New York City B．Chicago

　　C．Washington D．Detroit

　　26．Today there are altogether（　　　）departments of the U.S. government.

　　A．11 B．13

　　C．15 D．17

　　27．Which of the following is NOT associated with Halloween?（　　　）

　　A．"Trick or treat" B．"eating eggs"

　　C．bonfire D．pumpkin-lanterns

　　28．The first Thanksgiving Day was celebrated by the Puritans in Plymouth, Massachusetts on（　　　）,1621.

　　A．January 13 B．April 13

　　C．October 13 D．December 13

　　29．About two thirds of Canada"s petroleum and about four fifths of its natural gas come from（　　　）.

　　A．Alberta B．Montreal

　　C．Quebec D．Vancouver

　　30．Under （　　　）,the Upper Canada and Lower Canada were united again and given internal self-government in 1848.

　　A．the Act of Union

　　B．the British North America Act

　　C．the Quebec Act

　　D．the Statute of  Westminister

　　31．Indigenous people make up about 1.5% of the Canadian population .They are （　　　）.

　　A．Indians and Africans B．Aborigines and Indians

　　C．the Eskimo and Aborigines D．American Indians and the Eskimo

　　32．Since 1971 the Canadian government has adopted a policy of （　　　）,recognizing that cultural pluralism within a bilingual framework is the essence of the Canadian identity.

　　A．assimilation B．integration

　　C．multiculturalism D．gender equality

　　33．The main feature of Australia"s trade is that（　　　）.

　　A．it is mainly with developing countries and Great Britain

　　B．there is the decline of manufacturing industries and the high tariffs

　　C．there is over-reliance on commodity exports

　　D．it has always involved the exchange of raw materials for finished products

　　34．The history of Australia began with（　　　）.

　　A．the arrival of Aborigines

　　B．the colonization of Australia by the British

　　C．the founding of the Commonwealth of  Australia

　　D．the First World War

　　35．Victoria is also known as （　　　）.

　　A．the garden state B．the premier state

　　C．the sunshine state D．the state of excitement

　　36．The Australian Constitution can only be changed by （　　　）.

　　A．the Parliament B．the Queen

　　C．the Executive D．referendum

　　37．Ireland is one of the most （　　　）countries of Europe.

　　A．Christian B．Catholic

　　C．Buddhist D．Protestant

　　38．The population of Ireland is predominantly of （　　　）origin.

　　A．English B．Celtic

　　C．Norman D．French

　　39．In 1893 New Zealand became the first country in the world（　　　）.

　　A．to adopt the 40-hour working week

　　B．to introduce old age pensions

　　C．to introduce the Accident Compensation Act

　　D．to give women the vote

　　40．Nearly three -quarters of the population (including more than 50% of the New Zealanders) live in  （　　　）.

　　A．South Island B．North Island

　　C．Stewart Island D．the Chatham Islands

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

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

　　41.What does the British parliament consist of ?

　　42.What are the chief purposes of the penal system of Britain?

　　43.How did Elizabeth I manage to maintain a friendly relationship with France?

　　44.How many states are there in the United States? Which one is the largest and which one is the smallest in area?

　　45.What is "winner-take-all"system?

　　46.Why was Lincoln considered to be a man who lived out the American Dream?

　　47.Why were the French Troops in Canada defeated by the British during the Seven Years" War?

　　48.What does the Red Centre refer to in Australia?

　　49.When did the first European come to New Zealand and what was his name and nationality?

　　50.What kind of climate does Ireland have?

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

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

　　51.Reuters

　　52.the Gettysburg Address

　　53.the Great Lakes

　　54.the Dreaming

　　Ⅴ.Essay Questions.(10 points)

　　Directions: Write between 100-120 words on EITHER of the following topics in the corresponding space on the Answer Sheet.

　　55.What were the characteristics of the English Renaissance?

　　56.What were the consequences of the Vietnam War?