4.The Magna Carta
Also known as the Great Charter, it was a document signed in 1215
by King John under compulsion by the powerful barons. Its purpose
was to make the monarch recognize the rights of the barons , or in
other words, to limit the powers of the monarch. It has been
popularly regarded as an important political document in the
history of England.
5.The English
Renaissance
(1)
Renaissance was a cultural movement in Europe from the
14th century to the 16th century.
(2)It originated in Italy and began to come to England in the late
15th century.
(3)The
English Renaissance was largely literary, and
achieved its finest expression in poetry, drama and prose.
(4)The greatest Literary writer of the
English
Renaissance was William Shakespeare.
6.The Reform Act of 1832
(1)It is also known as the Greater Charter of 1832, it was passed
by Parliament in 1832.
(2)According to the Act, “rotten boroughs” were abolished, and
parliamentary seats were redistributed more fairly among the
growing industrial towns.
(3)It also gave the vote to many householder and tenants who were
required to have certain property.
7. Charles Darwin
(1) A famous British scientist in the 19th century.
(2) He has been especially remembered for his important book “The
Origins of Species” in which he developed his theory of
evolution.
(3) The theory of evolution caused evident reaction of the
Victorians and contributed to the decay(消亡) of Victorianism.
8. the Victorian Age
(1)It refers to the monarchy of Britain under Queen Victoria from
1837 to 1901, the longest reign in British history.
(2)The Victorian Age was an age of national development and
national optimism.
(3)The Victorians were very religious and conservative in family
life. It was also, in its later stages, an age of
imperialism.
9. the Statute of Westminster
(1) In 1931, the British Parliament passed a bill which later has
been known as the Statute of Westminster, according to which,
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Southern Ireland, New Foundland and
South Africa turned into “Dominions”.
(2) These self-governing dominions enjoyed the right of
self-government both internally and externally, although they still
regarded the British monarch as their head of state (Southern
Ireland and South Africa later became completely independent and
New Foundland became part of Canada).
(3) This marked the disruption of the British Empire and the
establishment of the British Commonwealth.
10. The European Economic Community
(1) Also known as the Common Market, it was established by the
Treaty of Rome on January 1, 1958.
(2) Originally it was composed of six Western European
countries——France, West Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium and
Luxemburg.
(3) Britain did not become a full member of the Community until
1973. Today, there are altogether 12 members in the
Community.
11. Thatcher’s Privatization
(1) It was one of the major reforms adopted by Mrs. Thatcher’s
government in the 1980s.
(2) It was a return of the state enterprises nationalized in the
1940s and 1950s to privatization, that is to be returned to the
private hands again.
(3)major privatizations included British Petroleum, British
Aerospace, British Telecom, British Airways,British Steel,National
Bus Company, etc.
(4) It was an attempt to cure the “British disease”, and was
successful to some extent.
12. Invisible earnings (无形收益
)
(1) The wealth created by Britain’s service industries is called
invisible earnings.
(2) Invisible earnings fall into three main types: receipts and
payments for services supplied abroad, interests, profits and
dividends arising out of British investment overseas and foreign
currency brought into the country by visiting tourists.
(3) Britain’s invisible earnings are second only to that of the
United States.
13. the British Constitution
It is not written in any single document. It is made up of Statute
law, common law and Conventions. It is more flexible than the
written constitution of other countries.
14. British Parliament
It includes three elements: the Crown, the House of Lords and the
House of Commons. It is the Supreme law-making authority in
Britain. The real center of parliamentary power lies in the House
of Commons. Its other functions include: to control and criticize
the executive government; to control the raising and the spending
of money.
15. the Jury System
(1) A legal System that has been established in England since the
time of King Henry II.
(2) In England the jury consists of 12 ordinary, independent
citizens summoned by the court.
(3) The jury does not pass sentence, but decides the issue of guilt
or innocence.
16. The Civil Law
The Civil Law deals with disputes between individuals about their
rights, duties and obligations; and dealing between individuals and
companies, and between on company and another.
17. “either way” offences
“either way” offences refer to theft, the less serious cases of
burglary (盗窃) and some assaults (袭击,人身攻击).
18. the Church of England
(1) Also called the Anglican Church, it is one of the many
Protestant sects (教派) which broke away from Roman Catholic church
during the Reformation in the 16th century.
(2) It is an established church which means that it represents the
official state religion.
(3) Its religious leader is the Archbishop of Canterbury and its
secular (世俗的) leader is the British Monarch.
19. Free churches
(1) Also known as Non-Conformist Churches in England, Free churches
are protestant sect that have separated from the established church
of England. (2) These include the Methodist, the Congregational,
the Baptist, and the Quakers, and many others. (3) All these sects
agree on the essentials of Christianity, but have different forms
of service and points of emphasis.
20. The Quakers (贵格派或教友派
)
(1) Also known as the Religious Society of Friends. The Quakers are
a Protestant group that originated in England in the 17th century,
under George Fox.(2) They refuse to participate in the church of
England services.(3) They advocate simple living and hard work and
believe in complete equality and fraternity(兄弟般友情).
21. The welfare state
(1) It is a system of government by which the state provides the
economic and social security of its citizens through its
organization of health services, pensions, and other
facilities.
(2) Britain began to try this system in the postwar years and it
has ever since been regarded as a welfare state.
22. The “eleven plus”
(1) Under the old selective system of secondary education in
Britain, the “eleven plus” is the examination taken by children in
their last year at primary school.
(2) The results of this examination determine the kind of secondary
schooling each child will receive.
(3) Those with the highest marks go to grammar school; other
children may go to technical schools or secondary modern
schools.
(4) In the 1960s and 70s, this examination was abolished and has
ever since gradually been replaced by comprehensive schools which
take children of all abilities.
23. Grammar schools
(1) It is a type of state secondary schools in Britain. It has been
in existence since the 16th century.
(2) These schools concentrate on academic subjects and expect many
of their children to take higher examinations and go on to
universities.
(3) Now, its importance in the British educational system has been
largely diminished due to the growth of comprehensive
schools.
24. Pubic school
(1) It is a kind of independent privately-owned secondary boarding
schools in Britain.
(2) These schools are financially supported by tuition fees and
private funds.
(3) Most of their students come from rich families and are very
likely to go on to famous universities.
(4) The word “public” is a traditional one with little meaning
today since far from being public these schools are restricted to a
comparatively small section of the population.
25. Prep schools (准备学校
)
(1) Also called preparatory schools. They are private elementary
schools in Britain, which prepare their students for public
schools. (2) The prep school curriculum differs considerably from
that of the state junior schools, and there is a distinctive
emphasis on classical subjects. (3) At the age of thirteen, the
pupils will take the “common entrance” examination for admission to
a public school.
26. Open University
(1) As a new type of higher education, Open University only
appeared in Britain in 1969.
(2) It is open to everybody, especially to people who have missed
the opportunity for higher education.
(3) It does not demand the same formal qualification as the other
universities.
(4) It uses modern communications means such as television, radio
or correspondence.
(5) It is non-residential although there is a network of study
centers throughout the country for contact with tutors and fellow
students.
(6) After passing the examinations of all required course, students
are awarded a university degree.
27. The Times
(1) It is the most famous of all British national newspapers and is
read by the most important British all over the
