当前位置： >>
2014英美概况习题精选revised
Understanding the United KingdomPart 1 Geography and History of UK Section 1 The Land I. Choose the correct answer and circle the letter before it. 1. The highest mountain peak in Brita
in is in _____. A. England B. Scotland C. Wales D. Northern Ireland 2. The longest river in Britain is the _____ River. A. Severn B. Thames C. Mersey D. Humber 3. The largest lake in Britain is located in _____. A. England B. Scotland C. Wales D. Northern Ireland 4. The highest mountain peak in Britain is called _____. A. Ben Nevis B. Cross Fell C. Snowdonia D. Scafell 5. The Lake District is well-known for _____. A. its wild and beautiful scenery B. its varied lakes C. the lake Poets D. all of the above three 6. Which of the following is NOT the feature of British climate? A. coldness B. more rainy days C. changeability D. more fogs Keys: 1. B 2. A 3. D 4. A 5. D 6. A II. Translate the following into Chinese1.The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合 王国 2.The strait of Dover 多佛海峡 3. the English Channel 英吉利海峡 4.Greenwich 格 林 尼 治 5..The Britain Isles 大不列颠岛 6.The Thames River 泰 晤 士 河 7.The Severn River 塞汶河 8.Lake Neigh 讷湖 9. Lake District 湖区 10.Edinburgh 爱 丁 堡111.Glasgow 格拉斯哥 12. Cardiff 加的夫 13. Stonehenge 史前时期巨大石柱 14. the British Isles 不 列 颠 群 岛 15.the English Channel 英吉利海峡 16. maritime climate 海洋性气候；海岸气候 17. loanwords 外 来 语 ， 外 来 词 18.. Old English 古英语（略作 OE） 19. Roman Catholic church 罗马天主教会； 罗 马公教 20. .Middle English 中世纪英语；中古英语 （约 1150－约 1475 年间的英语）III. Select the letter of the answer that best matches each term on the left. ___ 1. Northern Ireland a. church leader of a diocese ___ 2. Charlotte Bronte b. Ulster ___ 3. archbishop c. Middle Valley ___ 4. Ben Nevis d. church leader of a province ___ 5. bilingual education e. Britain‘s highest mountain ___ 6. Central lowland f. author of Jane Eyre ___ 7. bishop g. teaching in two languages(Key: 1.b2.f3.a4.e5.g6.c7.d)Section 2 The People I. Choose the correct answer and circle the letter before it. 1. The English people are descendants of . A. Celts B. Romans C. Anglo-Saxons D. Danes 2. Middle English took shape about a century after the Conquest. A. Roman B. Anglo-Saxon C. Norman D. Danish 3. The established church of Britain is . A. The Church of England B. Free church C. The United Reformed Church D. The Church of Scotland24. Easter is kept, commemorating the of Jesus Christ. A. Coming B. Birth C. Death D. Resurrection Keys: 1. C 2. C 3. A 4. D II．Match the names of the cities with the descriptions. Column A Column B __f__1. Liverpool a. the steel manufacturing center of Britain __c__2. Hulls b. the former center of textile industry of Britain __a__3. Sheffield c. the fishing port in Humberside __b__4. Manchester d. the largest city in Britain __g__5. Glasgow e. the second largest city in Britain __d__6. London f. the district of Merseyside __e__7. Birmingham g. the largest city in Scotland __i__8. Belfast h. the capital of Wales __j__9. Edinburgh i. the capital of Northern Ireland __h__10.Cardiff j. the capital of Scotland III. Translate the following into Chinese1.Modern English 现 代 英 语 2.The Church of England 英格兰圣公会 3.Christmas 圣 诞 节 4.Easter 复活节 5.Westminster Abbey 西 敏 寺 大 教 堂 6.City of London 伦敦城 7.Outer London 外 伦 敦 8.Poets' Corner 诗人角 9. Birmingham 伯明翰IV. True or False 1. England is smaller than the combined territory of Scotland and Wales. 2. The first Christian church was established at Canterbury, England, in 597. 3. The Scottish language is derived from Old English. 4. What kind of language to speak is not important in Great Britain. 5. The present-day English people have inherited the physical characteristics of the Germanic people and the Celts. (Key: 1. F (still larger) 2.T 3. F (Old Celtic language) 4. F (extremely important) 5. T Section 3 Early Man and the Feudal Society I. Choose the correct answer and circle the letter before it.31. The earliest settlers on the British Isles were the ___________. A. Celts B. Gaels C. Iberians D. Brythons 2. In 43 A.D., Roman under _______ conquered Britain. A. Julius Caesar B. Claudius C. Augustine D. the Pope 3. Roman Britain lasted until the year of ______ when all Roman troops went back to the continent. A. 400 A.D. B. 410 A.D. C.445 A.D. D.449 A.D. 4. Which of the following was NOT a thing of value left behind by Roman? A. Welsh Christianity B. the Roman Roads C. cities D. enormous wealth 5. The Great Charter was made in the interest of _______. A. the King B. the feudal lords C. the townsmen D. the merchants Keys: 1. C 2. B 3. B 4. D 5. B II. Rearrange the following historical events in the order in which they took place. 1. __d____ a. Norman Conquest 2. __b____ b. Anglo-Saxon Conquest 3. __e____ c. the birth of Parliament 4. __a____ d. Roman Conquest 5. __c____ e. Danish Conquest III. Translate the following into Chinese 1. Roman Conquest 罗马征服 2 . Anglo-Saxon settlement 盎格鲁 撒克逊人的定居 3. Edward, the Confessor 信教者爱德华 4. Battle at Hastings 哈斯丁斯战役 5. the Great Charter 大宪章 6. Model Parliament 模范会议 7. Stonehenge 巨石阵 8. King Arthur 亚瑟王 9. Vikings 维京人/北欧海盗 10. the Canterbury Tales 坎特伯雷故事集 11. Danelaw 丹麦法律施行区 12. Picts 皮克特人 13. Julius Caesar 尤里乌斯 凯撒 / 凯撒 大帝 19. Hadrian‘s Wall 哈德良长城 20. Robin Hood 罗宾汉 IV. Select the letter of the answer that best matches each term on the left. 1. King Alfred a. itinerant justices 2. knights b. the Father of British Navy 3. Prince of Wales c. heir to the English throne 4. circuit judges d. sworn men 5. Witan e. wise men (1-b 2-d 3-c 4-a 5-e ) V. True or False 1. The Celts laid the foundations of the English state. 2. Old English originated in Normandy. 3. The Norman Conquest strengthened the cultural connection between the Anglo-Saxons and their relatives in north Europe. 4. The Norman cavalry defeated the Anglo-Saxon troop at Hastings. 5. The bi-linguistic period in English history drew to an end by the late 18th century. (1.F 2.F 3.F 4.T 5.F) Section 4 Decline of Feudalism and the Bourgeois Revolution I. Choose the correct answer and circle the letter before it.41. _______ launched the Hundred Years‘ War. A. Edward Ⅰ B. Edward Ⅱ C. Edward Ⅲ D. Henry Ⅲ 2. War of Roses were fought _____ between the Lacastrians and the Yorkists from 1455 to 1485. A. constantly B. irregularly C. continuously D. intermittently 3. The House of Tudor was founded in _______. A. 1455 B. 1465 C. 1475 D. 1485 4. The British Bourgeois Revolution took place in the ______ century. A. 15th B. 16th C. 17th D. 18th 5. Which of the following statements about the Renaissance is NOT true? A. the Renaissance was a revival of interest in many things that the early Middle Ages had cared about. B. the Renaissance was a cultural movement by humanists. C. the Renaissance spread into England under the Tudor. D. During the Renaissance, the theatre attained great popularity under Elizabeth. 6. The Dglorious revolution‖ of 1688 put ____ on the throne. A. Charles Ⅰ B. Charles Ⅱ C. James Ⅱ D. William of Orange Keys: 1.C 2.D 3.D 4. C 5.A 6. D II. Translate the following into Chinese 1. Puritan 清教徒 2. The Hundred Years‘ War 百年大战 3. Short Parliament 短期议会 4. Long Parliament 长期议会 5. Black Death 黑死病 6. Restoration of the Stuart 斯图亚特王朝复辟 7. DGlorious Revolution‖ 光荣革命 8. the Wars of Roses 玫瑰战争 9. humanism 人文主义 10. Renaissance 文艺复兴 IV. Select the letter of the answer that best matches each term on the left. 1. Armada a. flower of the feudalism 2. knights b. peasant leader 3. Watt Tyler c. state church 4. Tudor Monarchy d. New Monarchy 5. Protestantism e. Invincible Fleet 6. Established religion f. Protestant ideology (1-e 2-a 3-b 4-d 5-f 6-c) V. True or False 1. Feudalism was established in England soon after the Anglo-Saxon conquest. 2. The Hundred Year‘s War continued without interruption for more than 100 years. 3. The ending of the Wars of the roses marked the beginning of the Middle Ages. 4. The Tudor Monarchy was the transitional stage from feudalism to capitalism in English history. 5. Elizabethan drama rejected humanism and regarded life as a tragedy. (1.F 2.F 3.F 4.T 5.F) Section 5 The Industrial Revolution and the Chartist Movement Ⅰ. Choose the best answer and circle the letter before it.51. The British Industrial Revolution first began in the industry. A. iron and steel B. textile C. coal-mining D. ship-building 2. invented the Dspinning Jenny.‖ A. James Hargreaves B. Richard Arkwright C. Edmund Cartwright D. James Watt 3. The author of Wealth of Nations is . A. Adam Smith B. David Richardo C. Thomas Malthus D. Robert Owen Keys: 1.B 2.A 3.A II Match the inventions in Column B with the inventors in Column A. Column A Column B 1. c James Hargreaves a. spinning machine run by water power 2. a Richard Arkwright b. the steam engine 3. d Edmund Cartwright c. the DSpinning Jenny‖ 4. b James Watt d. the power loom III. Key Terms: 1. gunpowder plot 火药阴谋（1605 年英国天主教徒在国会地下室放置炸药企图炸死国王） 2. natural selection 自然选择；物竞天择说 3. Origin of Species 物种起源 IV. Select the letter of the answer that best matches each term on the left. 1. Oliver Cromwell A. Glorious Revolution 2. Darwin B. Lord Protector 3. Cavaliers C. author of Origin of Species 4. White Revolution D. Author of Jane Eyre 5. Charlotte Bronte E. Royalists (1. B 2. C 3. E 4. A 5. D) Section 6 The British Empire and British Imperialism What wars of aggression were waged by Britain against China in the 19th century? A: In 1840, the British colonists(殖民者) launched an aggression(侵略) war against China and forced the corrupt(堕落的,腐败的) Qing government to conclude the Treaty of Nanking in 1842, whereby(靠那个,凭那个) Hong Kong was ceded to Britain as colony and five ports (Shanghai, Fuchow, Amoy(厦门), Ningpou and Canton(广东,旧称)) were opened as a trade ports, and the colonists were granted special privileges for travel and missionary in China. From 1856 to 1860, Britain and France jointly waged a war of aggression against China and occupied such major cities as Canton, Tientsin(天津) and Peking(北京,旧称). They plundered(掠 夺) and burned down the Yuan Ming Yuan Palace and forced the Qing government to conclude the Treaty of Tientsin and the Treaty of Peking. In 1900, Britain allied(有联系的,同盟的) with seven imperialist(帝国主义) powers, invaded China in an attempt to further dominate over China. Ⅰ.Choose the correct answer and circle the letter before it. 1. The first British colony was . A. New England B. Newfoundland C. West Indies D. India 2. The British colonists forced the Qing government to conclude the Treaty of in 1842. A. Peking B. Nanking C. Tientsin D. Canton 3. Which of the following is NOT the feature of imperialism ? A. foreign territorial expansion B. export of capital C. free competition D. monopoly64. Which is NOT the member country of the Triple Alliance ? A. Germany B. France C. Austria-Hungary D. Italy 5. Which was NOT the member country of the Triple Entente ? A. Britain B. France C. Russia D. Italy 6. Which of the following is NOT true of the depression in1930s ? A. Factories closed B. Banks failed C. Foreign trade shriveled D. Unemployment rate was low 7. In which year did Japan attack Pearl Harbor ? A. 1939 B. 1940 C. 1941 D.1942 8. Mrs. Thatcher failed to win the general election in1990 mainly because of . A. the slow development of the British economy B. the high inflation C. the high rate of unemployment D. the high rate of taxes 9. China and Britain established the diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial rank in the year of . A. 1950 B. 1954 C. 1972 D. 1997 Keys: 1.B 2.B 3.C 4.B 5.D 6.D 7.C 8.C 9.C II．Translate the following into Chinese 1. the Treaty of Nanking 南京条约 2. the British Commonwealth of Nations 英联邦 3. tobacco plantations 烟草种植园 4. Opium War 鸦片战争 5. BBC 英国广播公司 6. carefree lifestyle 无忧无虑的生活方式 III．True or False 1. During the Second World War more than 4.5 million people were sent to fight overseas. 2.Under the leadership of Tony Blair, the Labor Party promised to turn Britain into a socialist state. 3.After the loss of Egypt and the Suez Canal, people no longer regarded Britain as a great power. 4.The Second World War turned Britain into a creditor nation. 5.The British voters deserted Churchill because they wanted to put the war behind them. (1.T 2. F(He abandoned the idea) 3. T 4. F(a debtor nation) 5. T) Part 2 Political System and Economy of UK Section 1 Parliament and Government I．What power does the Queen have theoretically? Why is it said she has no real power at all in reality? The queen has all the power: she is the head of the executive branch of government and give she may pardon criminal offenses an she is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and the temporal head of the church of E she also confers all titles of rank and appoints judges, officers of the armed forces, governors, bishops and diplomats. It is the monarch who has the power to conclude treaties, to declare war upon and make peace with other nations. II. Choose the correct answers. 1. Which of the following is NOT true of British political system? A. Britain has no codified constitution. B. Britain is a federal state. C. Britain still keeps an old-fashioned government. D. British government is established on the basis of constitutional monarchy. 2. In Britain, government cannot spend any money without the permission of________.7A. the Queen B. the Prime Minister C. the House of Commons D. the House of Lords 3. The British government ministers are responsible to _____ for the work of their department. A. A. the House of Lords B. Parliament C. the Cabinet D. the Privy Council 4. All the government ministers of Britain must be members of ________. A. the House of Lords B. the House of Commons C. the Privy Council D. Parliament 5. Civil servants who are concerned with administration are forbidden ________. A. to be voters at elections B. to be candidates for parliament C. to continue their work when government changes D. to compete with others for a higher rank Keys: 1.B 2.C 3.B 4.D 5.B III. Translate the following into Chinese 1. the House of Lords 贵族院, 英国上议院 2. the House of Commons 平民院亦称下院 3. the Lord Chancellor 大法官 4. the Foreign and Commonwealth Office 外交及联邦事务部 5. the Home Office 内政部 6. Mr. speaker 下院议长 7. the Cabinet 内阁 8. life peers （英）终身贵族（子孙不能承袭的） 9.lord temporal [复数]Lords Temporal(英国)上议院的世俗议员(指上议院中非宗教界的议员即 非主教或大主教的贵族议员) 10.constitutional monarchy 君主立宪制度 11. law lords 英国上议院高级法官 12. Buckingham Palace 白金汉宫（英国皇宫） 13. head of the state 国家元首 14.lords spiritual （英）上议院神职议员 IV. Matching ___ 1. the crown a. lower-upper class ___ 2. motions b. symbol of supreme executive power ___ 3. monarch c. king or queen ___ 4. gentry d. proposals of legislation ___ 5.Lord of Chancellor e. the opposition ___ 6. minority party f. important person (1. b 2. d 3. c 4.a 5.f 6.e) V. True or False 1. Most proposals for legislation are put forward by the opposition party 2. The British prime minister can select any British citizen for the office of foreign secretary. 3. The British supreme court of appeals is the Upper House 4. The British House of Lords is composed of three types of peers. 5. The queen appoints the leader of the minority party as prime minister. 6. The British queen is free to dissolve Parliament. 7. British Members of Parliament are selected for a term of five years. Keys: (1. F (by the cabinet) 2. F (select one cabinet member) 3. T 4. F (three types of lords) 5. F (the leader of majority party) 6. F (The queen‘s dissolving the Parliament is normally done at the request of PM) 7. T) Section 2 Party politics and judiciary 1. The Conservative and the Labour parties have been in power by turns ever since the end of __________. A. the 19th century B. the end of the First World War8C. the Second World War D. 1960s 2. The general election in Britain is held every ___ years. A. 3 B. 4 C. 5 D.6 3. The party that has the majority of seats in ____ will form the government in Britain. A. the House of Commons B. the House of Lords C. the Privy Council D. the Cabinet Keys；1.C 2.C 3.A II: Key Terms: 1 the Conservative Party 保守党 2 the Labour Party 工党 3. major parties 主要政党 4. general election 大选 5. silence right 沉 默 权 6. hung jury 悬 而 不 决 的 陪 审 团 7. circuit judges 巡回法官 8. independent candidate 独立候选人 III. Select the letter of the answer that best matches each term on the left. 1.constable a. accused 2. summary offence b. state-owned 3. constituency c. freedom of belief 4. defendant d. between the left and the right 5. religious freedom e. soliciting votes 6. magistrate f. senior lawyer 7. nationalized g. electoral district 8. political center h. petty offence 9. barrister i. police officer 10. canvassing j. Justice of the Peace （1--i 2--h 3--g 4--a 5--c 6--j 7--b 8--d 9--f 10--e ） IV. True or False. 1. Political questions are dealt with by law courts in Britain. 2. To protect its national independence, Britain puts its national law above the European Union law. 3. Britain is the first country t institute jury trial. 4. Nearly all the British voters regard their local candidates as independent candidates. （1.F 2. F 3. T 4. F） Section 3 Economy and Cities I. Key Terms 1. visible trade 有形贸易 2. invisible trade 无形贸易 3. Poets' Corner 诗人角 4. denationalization 非国有化 5. value added tax 增值税 6. West End 伦敦西区 7.government subsidies 政府补贴 II. Select the letter of the answer that best matches each term on the left. 1. Adam Smith a. famous car maker 2. Rolls Royce b. mail marketing 3. junk mail c. center of electronic industry 4. Silicon Glen d. privatization 5. denationalization e. center of newspaper industry 6. Fleet Street f. author of the Wealth of Nations (1-f 2--a 3--b 4--c 5--d 6--e) Part III. True or False.91. Britain is fully self-sufficient in food grain. 2. Britain has unfavorable conditions for agricultural development. 3. Today many British shipping firms operate under foreign flags to reduce cost money. 4. British agriculture is labor-intensive. 5. British farms employ more than 10% of the nation's total population. (1. F 2. F 3. T 4. F 5.F) Part 3 Society and Culture of UK I. Key terms 1.stocks and bonds 股票及债券 2. nuclear family 核心家庭；基本家庭 3.afternoon tea 下午茶 4. independent schools 私立学校 5. Oxbridge 牛津和剑桥大学 6. the Middle Ages 中世纪，中古时期 7. inheritance taxes 遗产税，继承税 II. Select the letter of the answer that best matches each term on the left. 1. English gentleman A. children‘s duty to parents 2. filial piety B. discoverer of law of motion 3. Issac Newton C. public examinations 4. eleven plus D. public school 5. Eton College E. patterns of behavior and thinking (1. E 2.A 3. B 4. C 5.D) III. True of False 1. According to British tradition, the bond of marriage is stronger than any previous family bonds. 2. In English history a married woman‘s legal existence was suspended during marriage. 3. English people like to drink coffee just as Americans do. 4. Students in English public schools are free to wear the low-waist jeans on the campus. 5. English public schools stress the importance cultivating obedience. (1. T 2. T 3. F (they prefer tea) 4. F (they are forbidden to wear those jeans) 5. T) Understanding the United States Part 1 Geography Section 1 The Land I. Choose the best answer and circle the letter before it. 1. The continental Unite States is situated in the _____ part of North America. A. northern B. southern C. central D. eastern 2. The United States is the ______ largest country in the world in terms of area. A. third B. forth C. fifth D. sixth 3._____ is the largest state of the United States in area. A. Hawaii B. Texas C. Alaska D. Pennsylvania 4. River _______ flows through New York City. A. Missouri B. St. Lawrence C. Colorado D. Hudson 5. Of the five Great Lakes, Lake _______ is wholly within the US. A. Superior B. Michigan C. Huron D. Erie 6. Niagara Falls is located on the US Canadian boundary between_________. A. Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. B. Lake Huron and Lake Erie.10C. Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. D. Lake Superior and Lake Michigan Keys:1.C 2.B 3.C 4.D 5.B 6.C II. Translate the following into Chinese 1. Alaska: 阿拉斯加 2. the Mississippi River: 密西西比河 3.the Hudson River: 哈德逊河 4.DGold Rush‖: 淘金热 5.Hawaii: 夏威夷 6.the DMotor City‖: 汽车城 7. Continental climate 大陆性气候 8.the Appalachian Mountains: 阿巴拉契亚山 9. Statue of Liberty 自由女神像 10.Niagara Falls: 尼亚加拉瀑布 11. Bering Strait 白令海峡 12. Silicon Valley 硅谷 13. Grand Canyon 大峡谷 III. Match the names of states in Colum A with their major features in Colum B. Colum A Colum B c 1.Washington a. the leading state in the production of coal __d _ 2.Texas b. the leading state in the production of copper __b _ 3.Arizona c. the leading state in growth of trees of commercial value __a _ 4.Pennsylvania d. the leading state in the production of oil IV. Match the names of the cities in Column A with their features in Column B. Column A Column B. 1. __c_ Washington D.C. a. the third largest city of the US 2. _ d _ New York b. the film center and the second largest city of the US 3. __a _ Chicago c. the seat of the federal government 4. __b _ Los Angeles d. the largest city in the US 5. _ g_ Philadelphia e. DSpace City, USA‖ 6. __h _ Detroit f. the largest leather, shoe and wool market 7. __e _ Houston g. the seat of the Continental Congress 8. __j San Francisco h. DMotor City ,USA‖ 9. _ f__ Boston i. one of Americans top steel-making areas 10. I__Pittsburgh j. the city that has the largest Chinatown V. Select the letter of the answer that best matches each term on the left. 1. Old Man River a. steel-making center 2. American Ruhr b. America‘s national bird 3. Pittsburgh c. ice box 4. Bald eagle d. Ohio River 5. Alaska e. Life on the Mississippi 6. Mark Twain f. Mississippi (1f 2d 3a 4b 5c 6e) VI. True or False 1. The central part of the United States is composed of big mountains. 2. The Niagara Falls is situated on the Mississippi River. 3. The Great Plains covers a distance of about 640 kilometers from east to west. (1F 2F 3F) Section 2 The People Ⅰ.Choose the best answer and circle the letter before in. 1. The dominant ethnic group in the United States today is ____.11A. the Black people B. WASPs C. Asian Americans D. Hispanics 2. The ____ constitute the largest ethnic-racial minority group in the United States. A. American Indians B. Hispanics C. Black D. Asian Americans 3. The _ _are at the very bottom of the society in the United States. A. Blacks B. Hispanics C. non-WASPs D. Asians 4. The state of ___ is the largest in population today. A. New York B. Colorado C. Arizona D. California 5. Hispanics in the US speak _____ A. English B. Spanish C. French D. their native languages 6. ____ outnumber other religious groups in the United States. A. Methodists B. Congregationalists C. Quakers D. Protestants Keys: 1.B 2.B 3.A 4.D 5.B 6.D II. Match the names of the ethnic or racial groups with the percentage of the total population they make up at present in the United States. 1. _b__ American Indians a. 70% 2. _a__ White people b. 0.9% 3. _c__ Black people c. 12.8% 4. _d__ Hispanics d. 12.3% 5. _e _ Asian American e. 3.5% III Translate the following into Chinese. 1.melting pot: 大熔炉 2.WASPs: 白人盎格鲁.撒克逊新教徒 3.Hispanics 说西班牙语的人/拉丁美洲人 4. Religious persecution 宗教迫害 5. inheritance tax 遗产税 6. Racial segregation 种族隔离 7. White supremacist 白人至上主义者 IV. True or False. 1. The US population has been characterized by the lack of multiplicity. 2. American families with low income have to live in the suburbs. 3. The glue of nationhood for Americans is the American ideal of individual liberty and equal justice. 4. The traditional dividing line between the South and the North is the Potomac River. (1F 2F 3T 4T) Part 2 History Section 1 The Early Colonization 1. Who were Puritans? Which of the 13 colonies did Puritans set up? A: Puritans are who represented the rising bourgeoisie of the time and wished to Dpurify‖(使纯 净) the Church of England, the established church, with the King as its head. The 13 colonies are: Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Delaware, New Netherland, Pennsylvania, and New England. I. Choose the correct answer and circle the letter before it. 1. Christopher Columbus was a(n) _ navigator . A. English B. French C. Italian D. Spanish 2. The New World discovered by Columbus was named after . A. Amerigo Vespucci B. Christopher Columbus C. Ferdinand Magellan D. Marco Polo123. The earliest British settlement on North America was . A. Plymouth B. Jamestown C. Quebec D. St. Louis 4. The Puritans‘ first settlement on North America was . A. Jamestown B. Plymouth C. New Orleans D. Virginia Keys: 1.C 2.A 3.B 4.B II. Translate the following into Chinese. 1. American Indians 美洲印第安人 2.Christopher Columbus 3. Mayflower Compact 五月花公约 4. Jamestown 5. New England 新英格兰 6. self-governing colonies哥伦布 詹姆士城 自治殖民地Section 2 American Revolution 1. What important decisions did the Second Continental Congress make? A: One of the first decisions it made was to establish a regular army, with George Washington as commander-in-chief(总司令). On July 4th, 1776, it adopted the Declaration of Independence(独 立宣言), which Marx calls the Dfirst declaration of the rights of the individual‖. I. Choose the correct answer and circle the letter before it . 1. The Second Continental Congress was held in . A. New York City B. Boston C. Philadelphia D. Valley Forge 2. Karl Marx called the Declaration of Independence . A. the first decision made by the Second Continental Congress B. the first declaration of the rights of the individual C. the first Bill of Rights D. the first Constitution of the United States 3. The Constitutional Convention was held in in May 1787 . A. Boston B. New York C. Philadelphia D. Washington D. C. Keys: 1.C 2.B 3.C II. Translate the following into Chinese. 1.the Stamp Act 印花税法 2. the Sugar Act 糖税法 3.Boston Massacre 波士顿屠杀案 4. Boston Tea Party 波士顿倾茶事件 5.the Second Continental Congress 第二次大陆会议 6. the Declaration of Independence 独立宣言 7. Bill of Rights 人权法案 8. Slave trade 奴隶贸易 9. plantation economy 种植园经济 III. Select the letter of the answer that best matches each term on the left. 1) Indians a. popular American song 2) Pilgrims b. opponents of independence 3) Hawthorne c. total authority 4) Yankee Doodle d. Toltec civilization 5) Thomas Paine e. human rights 6) loyalists f. Forefathers 7) absolute powers g. Common Sense 8) unalienable rights h. The Scarlet Letter (1. d 2. f 3. h 4. a 5. g 6. b 7. c 8. e) IV. True or False. 1. The Indians were nomadic hunters on horseback before the European came. 2. The ship known as the Mayflower carried the first group of 102 Separatists into New England13in 1620. 3. The Articles of Confederation established a Congress in which each state had one vote. (1. F 2. T 3. T) Section 3 American Civil War 1. Interpret the cause of the American civil war in terms of economy. A: The swiftly growing industries in the North required the restriction(约束,限制) of slavery as well as its expanding territory so as to provide capitalist production with raw materials(原材料), markets and an abundant labor supply. The slave economy of the South was an obstacle to industrial growth and expansion. 2. Interpret the cause of the American civil war in terms of politics. A: Politically, after the establishment of the federal government, the planters dominated the scene for many years. After Lincoln was elected President, the slave states almost immediately began to secede from the Federal Union. I. Choose the correct answer and circle the letter before it. 1. The United States purchased Louisiana territory from in 1893. A. Indians B. Spain C. France D. Russia 2. The novel Uncle Tom‘s Cabin was written by _______. A. Harriet Beecher Stowe B. Ernest Hemingway C. O‘Henry D. William Faulkner KEYS：1.C 2.A II. Rearrange the following historical events in the order in which they took place. 1. d a. Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. 2. e b. The rebels fired in Fort Sumter. 3. b c. The Union troops took over Richmond. 4. a d. The Confederate Stated of America was formed. 5. c e. .Lincoln assumed office. III. Translate the following into Chinese. 1. Louisiana Purchased 购买路易斯安那 2. The Confederate Stated of America 美国南部同盟 3. Emancipation Proclamation 解放黑奴宣言 4. free states 自由州 5. slaveholding states 蓄奴州 6. Gone with the Wind 飘 7. Ku Klux Klan 三K党 8. export-oriented economy 以出口为主的经济 IV. Select the letter of the answer that best matches each term on the left. 1.Underground Railroad a. Honest Abe 2.Federal Reserve Bank b. investigative journalists 3.Lincoln c. Standard Oil Company 4.Muckrakers d. America‘s central bank 5.Rockefeller e. Uncle Tom‘s Cabin 6.Harriet Beecher Stowe f. mounted herders 7.Cowboys g. Liberty Line (1g 2d 3a 4b 5c 6e 7f) V. True or False 1. America‘s new industrial cities were modeled on the old ones in Europe. 2. The American Civil War was a conflict between two political economies. (1F 2T)14Section 4 US Imperialism I. Fill in the following blanks with proper words or expressions. 1. The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7th, 1941. 2. In the first two decades after World War II, the US government adopted a policy of Cold War and Dcontainment‖(遏制,遏制政策) in its relationship with the Soviet Union(苏联). This policy was later replaced by the policy of contention(竞争) for world hegemony(霸权主义). 3. President Nixon visited China in February 1972. In the year of 1979, the United States established diplomatic relations with China. II. Translate the following into Chinese. 1. the New Deal 新政 2. Truman Doctrine 杜鲁门主义 3. political hierarchy 政治层次结构 4. isolationism 孤立主义 5.Far West 美国远西区；美国中西部（尤指密西西比河西部地区） 6. Utopian socialist 乌 托 邦 社 会 主 义 者 7. League of Nations 国 际 联 盟 8. Red Scare 红色恐慌 9. D-day 诺曼底登陆 10. baby-boomers 在婴儿潮时期出生的人 III. Select the letter of the answer that best matches each term on the left. Part One: 1. unchecked government a. Moby Dick 2. Herman Melville b. America for Americans 3. Honolulu c. sandalwood 4. Monroe Doctrine d. government with total power (1. d 2.a 3. c 4.b) Part two : 1. Wright brothers a. first man on the moon 2. Black Thursday b. I do not lie. 3. Neil Armstrong c. for low-income Americans 4. Martin L. King d. pre-emptive strike 5. President Johnson e. Flyer 6. Jimmy Carter f. Great Society 7. President Bush g. I Have a Dream 8. Food stamps h. stock market crash (1e 2h 3a 4g 5f 6b 7d 8c) V. True or False 1. The US Constitution upholds democracy based on equality and political liberalism. 2. Jefferson‘s supporters were forefathers of the Democratic Party. 3. American people are actually under two governments with separate powers. 4. State law courts would punish offenders against federal laws. 5. The Lost Generation glorified the way of life pursued by rich people. 6. The hippies finally became symbols of success based on conservatism. 7. The first major test of the anti-terrorism efforts was the Gulf War of 1990. 8. The Iraq war has become one of the top issues of America‘s 2008 election. (1. T 2.F 3.T 4.F 5.F 6.T 7.F 8.T)15Part 3 Political System Section 1 Government System I. Fourteen Departments 1. The Department of State 国务院 2. The Treasury Department manages government finances 财政部 3. The Department of Defense 国防部 4. The Department of Justice 司法部 5. The Department of the Interior 内政部 6. The Department of Agriculture 农业部 7. The Department of Labor 劳工部 8.The Department of Commerce 商务部 9. The Department of Health and Human Services 卫生和人民服务部 10. The Department of Education 教育部 11. The Department of Housing and Urban Development 住房和城市发展部 12. The Department of Transportation 交通部 13. The Department of Energy 能源部 14. Department of the Security of the National Territory and Resources 国土资源安全部 II. Choose the correct answer: 1. The Constitution of the United States was framed in _____ in 1787. A. Washington B. Boston C. New York D. Philadelphia 2. The President of the United States exercises the _____ power. A. Legislative B. executive C . judicial D. veto 3. The Power of the US president has _____. A. Remained the same as prescribed in the Constitution B. kept enlarging C. kept belittling D. varied from generation to generation 4. ____ has the veto power in legislation in the United States. A. President B. Vice-President C. Secretary of State D. Speaker 5. Congress can veto the President‘s veto by a ____ vote of the full membership of both houses. A. Two-fifths B. two-thirds C. three-fourths D. three-fifths 6. Under the US Constitution, the President has the power to ____ without the consent of the Senate. A. appoint high officials B. sign a treaty with other nation C. declare war upon other nations D. sign an executive agreement with other nation 7. The Constitution of the United States says that only ____ can declare war upon other nations. A. the President B. Congress C. Department of Defense D. The National Security Council 8. The Department of ____ advises the President on foreign relations. A. Defense B. State C. Commerce D. Labor 9. FBI and Federal Prisons are among the responsibilities of the Department of _______. A. State B. Defense C. Justice D. Commerce 10. The number of Representatives from each state is fixed according to the size of _____ the state has. A. the territory B. the economy C. the voters D. the population 11. Representatives in the United States are elected ______. A. annually B. every two years C. every three years D. every four years 12. Impeachment of the President should be _______. A. proposed by the Senate and decided on by the House B. proposed by the House and decided on by the Supreme Court C. proposed by the House and decided on by the Senate16D. proposed by the Senate and decided on by the Supreme Court Keys: 1. D 2. B 3. B 4. A 5. B 6. D 7. B 8. B 9. C 10. D 11. B 12. C III. Match the names of the departments or agencies with their corresponding duties or responsibilities. 1. c Department of State a. national security 2. d Department of Interior b. government finances 3. a Department of Defense c. foreign affairs 4. f Department of Labor d. welfare of Indians 5. g Department of Justice e. issuing patents 6. e Department of Commerce f . settling labor disputes 7. b Treasury Department g. federal prisons 8. i US Information Agency h. operating post offices 9. j Department of Energy i. operating the VOA 10. h Service j. energy conservation IV. Translate the following into English 1. Separation of powers 三权分立 2. the National Security Council 国家安全委员会 3.the Central Intelligence Agency 中央情报局 4.Congress 国会 5.the United states information Agency 美国新闻总署 6.the Supreme Court 最高法院 7. federalism 联邦制度 8. Congressional districts 选举区 9. rule of law 法制 10. judicial review 司法审查 11. impeachment power 弹劾权 V. Select the letter of the answer that best matches each term on the left. 1. judicial proceedings a. division of power 2. sovereignty b. approved by the Senate 3. separation of power c. judicial process 4. senatorial approval d. supreme power (1c 2d 3a 4b ) VI. True or False 1. The United States is divided into eleven appeals region knows as Dcircuits‖. 2. The jury is composed of judges. 3. The US Congress can override the president‘s veto by a two-thirds majority. 4. Members of the US Senate are called Senators. (1T 2F 3T 4T) Section 2 State Government and Party Politics I. Choose the correct answer: 1._____ is the most important part of a state government A.The executive B. The legislature C. The Judicial D. The Governor 2 The chief executive of a state is the ______. A. Governor B. sheriff C. Supreme Court D. council 3 Two political parties emerged in the middle of the 19th century United States over the issue of _______. A. Slavery B. committee C. Congress D. campaign 4. The General Election Day is set on _____ A. The first Tuesday after the first Monday in October17B. The first Tuesday after the first Monday in November C. The first Monday after the first Tuesday in November D. The first Monday after the first Tuesday in October 5. The newly elected President takes up office on ______. A. January 10th B. January 20th of the next year C March 10th D. April 20th of the next year Keys: 1. B 2. A 3. A 4. B 5. B II. Key Terms 1. Party platform 竞选纲领 2. The Election Day 竞选日 3. executive orders 行政命令 4. Great Depression 大萧条 5. the US Capitol 美国国会大厦 6. party nominees 党的提名人 7. election year 大选年 III. Select the letter of the answer that best matches each term on the left. 1. impeachment a. state law-making body 2. platform b. candidate for vice-president 3. Electoral College c. for committing high crime 4. state legislature d. a political party‘s statement 5. running-mate e. presidential electors (1c 2d 3e 4a 5b ) IV. True or False. 1. The nomination national party convention is to elect presidential electors. 2. American voters are not concerned with the candidate‘s moral character. 3. The states make laws in areas in which the federal government has no authority to made federal laws. (1T 2F 3F) Part 4 Society and Culture Section 1 American Culture I. Key Terms: 1. Pilgrims 朝圣者 2. freedom of press 出版自由， 新闻自由 3. knowledge right 知情权 4. soft drinks 软饮料；不含酒精的饮料 5. expansionists 领土扩张论者；扩张主义者 II. True or False 1. The Wealth of Nations advocated economic freedom and equality 2. Americans generally don‘t believe that a happy life depends on liberty and equal rights 3. American dress is characterized by extravagance and elaborate design. 4. Only a small number of the early immigrants were owners of land. 5. The American style is often more formal than that of many European countries. 6. Americans regard it good to be separated from fellow countrymen. (1.T 2. F (They believe so.) 3. F (by simplicity and comfort) 4. F (almost all of them were.) 5. F (more informal) 6. F ( not good)) Section 2 American Education and Holidays I. Key Terms:181. community college 社区学院，社区大学 2. alumni funds 校友基金 3. publish or perish 出版或完蛋 4. Times Square 时代广场 5. Santa Claus 圣诞老人 6. Easter bunny 复活节兔子 7. Boxing Day 节礼日；圣诞节后的第一个工作日 8. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 无名战士纪念碑 II. Select the letter of the answer that best matches each term on the left. 1. know-how A. Easter Sunday 2. government grants B. pumpkin pie 3. All Hallow‘s Eve C. built by Pilgrims 4. Egg rolling D. shopping center of New York 5. Thanksgiving Day E. expertise 6. Plymouth colony F. children‘s holiday 7. Fifth Avenue G. money given by government (1. E 2. G 3. F 4. A 5. B 6. C 7. D) III. True or False 1. The rank of associate professor carries no tenure (任期) in America. 2. American children are told Easter bunny brings Easter basket filled with sweets and gifts. 3. Many Americans admire Abraham Lincoln for his criticism of the American dream. 4. The US army marks Independence Day celebration by firing a thirteen-gun salute. 5. The eggs and hare are considered to represent fertility and new life. (1. F(carries a tenure) 2. T 3. F (for his realization of the dream) 4. T 5. T)Reading ComprehensionPassage 1 England The country of England is where the English language developed. This language is now used everywhere in the world. It has become the language used most on the Internet and for international trade. Buckingham Palace is the home of the royal family. It is in London, the capital city of England which is also called Britain, where a new queen or king is crowned. This special ceremony takes place at Westminster Abbey, a beautiful church. When Princess Diana married Prince Charles, they had a wedding ceremony at another church called Saint Paul‘s Cathedral. Since London is the capital city, the Parliament Building is where government leaders do their business. On one end of this building is a clock tower. The large clock is called Big Ben. There are other famous towers in London. One is called the Tower Of London and it was used as a prison. Many famous people have been sent there, such as a wife of King Henry IV in the 16th century. Today it is a museum for tourists where you can visit to see instruments of torture. There is also a display of the Crown Jewels, a very valuable collection of diamonds, rubies and other stones of great beauty. Many are placed in crowns worn by the kings or queens long ago. The Tower Bridge has four towers. This bridge is over the Thames River. This river goes through19the middle of London and past Windsor Castle, another home of the royal family. It is a very safe place in time of war. Another famous place is the town called Stratford on Avon. Stratford is the city name and the river Avon flows through this city, so it means Stratford is on the Avon River. It is the home of William Shakespeare, the best writer of plays. He wrote about 50 plays and they are still performed everywhere English is spoken. There are two famous universities in England. They are called Cambridge and Oxford. The school name is the same as the city name, so Cambridge University is in Cambridge, England. Oxford University is in Oxford. 1. In time of war, the royal family will live at_____ . A. Westminster Abbey B. Windsor Castle C. Buckingham Palace D. Saint Paul‘s Cathedral 2. Big Ben can be found in a tower at_____. A. the Tower Bridge B. the Tower of London C. the Parliament Building D. Oxford 3. Shakespeare wrote many plays. The river near his home is called ______. A. Cambridge B. the Thames River C. the Avon River D. the English Sea Passage 2 Scotland, Ireland, Wales These three countries used to have their own government. Today they are part of Britain. However, they have kept their original language, which is called Gaelic. Many of their people can speak both English and Gaelic. The modern name for the Gaelic language in Ireland is Irish. In Scotland, it is Scottish and in Wales, it is Welsh. I t is the same name as the people, for the Scottish people speak the Scottish language. In Scotland there is a castle and major city called Edinburgh. Often there is a performance by bagpipers, who are musicians playing traditional Scottish music on the bagpipes. The traditional clothing is a kilt, which is worn by men but looks like a woman‘s skirt. It must be short, stopping at the knees, for these musicians must walk as they play. In one of their lakes which is called a loch, people believe they have seen a monster that looks very much like a Chinese dragon. The lake‘s name is Ness so they call this creature the Loch Ness Monster. There is a world famous poet from Scotland. His name is Robert Burns and his poems are found in many English books for students. Ireland‘s capital city is Dublin. I t was here that Saint Patrick taught the Irish people about God. The people loved their teacher and when a church was built many years later, they called it Saint Patrick‘s Church. In the town of Killarney, there is a Blarney Castle. I t is said there is a magic stone there and whoever kisses this stone will be given the gift of eloquence. The United States President John F. Kennedy is descended from the Irish Kennedy family. He had the gift of eloquence. Cardiff is the capital of Wales. Though this is a very small country, it has produced two well-known people. They are the poet Dylan Thomas and the actor Richard Burton. Ireland and Wales are both known for their love of music. Ireland has produced professional dancers who tour the world. Wales has strong singers in both men‘s and women‘s voices. 1? Scottish bagpipers must march when they play so they wear_____. A. a kilt B. a skirt C. a dress D. short trousers 2. If you kiss the Blarney Stone in Killarney, you will receive the gift of_____ . A. humor B. intelligence C. speaking well D. wisdom203. The Loch Ness monster has been seen in _______. A. the ocean B. a river C. the mountains D. a lake Passage 3 Kilt In Europe, men do not usually wear skirts. But the Scottish national clothing for men is a kind of skirt. It is called a kilt. The Scottish like to be different. They are also proud of their country and its history, and they feel that the kilt is part of that history. That‘s why the men still wear kilts at traditional dance and on national holidays. They believe they are wearing the same clothes that Scottish men always used to wear. That‘s what they believe. However, kilts are not really so old. Before 1703, Scottish men wore a long shirt and blanket around their shoulders. These clothes got in the way when the men started to work in factories. So, in 1730 a factory owner changed the
the kilt. That‘s how the first kilt was made. Then, in the late 1700s Scottish soldiers in the British Army began to wear kilts. One reason for this was national feelings: The Scottish soldiers wanted to be different from the English soldiers. The British Army probably had a different reason：A Scottish soldier in a kilt was always easy to find! The Scottish soldiers fought very hard and became famous. The kilt was part of the fame, and in the early 1800s men around Scotland began to wear kilts. These kilts had colorful stripes(条纹) going up and down and across. In the 1700s and early 1800s, the color of the stripes had no special meaning. Men sometimes owned kilts in several different colors. But later the colors became important to the Scottish families. By about 1850, most families had special colors for their kilts. For example, men from the Campbell family had kilts with green, yellow and blue stripes. Scottish people often believe that the colors of the kilts are part of their family history. In fact, each family just chose the color they liked best. This is not the story you will hear today if you are in Scotland. Most Scottish people still believe that kilts are as old as Scotland and that the colors are as old as the Scottish family. Sometimes feelings are stronger than facts! 1. This text is mainly about _______? A. soldier‘s clothes in Britain B. the history of Scotland C. Scottish kilts D. Scottish families 2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A. The English soldiers were the first to wear kilts. B. It was hard then to tell the Scottish soldiers from the English ones. C. Colors are not specially designed in the first kilts. D. The factory owner made the first kilt from long shirts to make his workers different from others. 3. Scottish soldiers were dressed in kilts partly because of______. A. the colors B. the weather C. national feelings D. the design 4. The colors of the kilts are______. A. not part of the Scottish family history B. older than the Scottish family history C. for the Campbell family only D. mainly green, yellow and blue 5. From the last paragraph we can infer that ______. A. the European people are full of strong feeling B. there are no stories about kilts in Scotland today C. the British like to do things not on facts D. the Scottish prefer to keep their tradition rather than believe the fact21Passage 4 British People ------ Sports Lovers It seems that the Englishman just cannot live without sports of some kind. A famous French humourist once said that this is because the English insist on behaving like children all their lives. Wherever you go in this country you will see both children and grown-ups knocking a ball about with a stick or something, as if in Britain men shall always remain boys and women girls! Still, it can never be bad to get exercise, can it? Taking all amateur(业余) and professional sports in Britain into consideration, there can be no doubt that football is at the top of the list. It is called soccer in the United States. The game originated in Britain and was played in the Middle Ages or even earlier, though as an organized game, or Dassociation football‖, it dates only from the beginning of the 19th century. The next is rugby, which is called Dfootball‖ in the United States. It is a kind of foot ball played by two teams of fifteen players rather than eleven. In rugby, an oval-shaped ball is used which can be handled as well as kicked. It is a pretty rough game. In summer, cricket is the most popular sport. In fact, it has sometimes been called the English national game. Most foreigners find the game rather slow or even boring, but it enjoys great popularity among the British. Tennis rates high on the list, too. It was introduced into England from France in the 15th century, but it was from England that it spread to practically every country in the world. Table-tennis, or Dping-pong‖, surely is not played on a great scale as in China or Japan. Basketball and volleyball were introduced into in during the late 19th century from America and are gaining popularity. Horse-back riding, swimming, rowing and golf all attract a lot of people. 1. The main purpose of Paragraph 1 is to tell us that the English _____. A. are all sports lovers B. behave like children C. like to kick a ball around D. can remain young all their lives 2. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true about football and rugby? A. They differ in the shape of the ball. B. They are played by different numbers of players. C. They both can be handled. D. They both can be kicked. 3. From the second and the third paragraph, we know that ______. A. Americans love football most of all B. British people love rugby most of all C. Americans and British people may call the same thing differently D. football originated in Britain in the 18th century 4. The game that was never played in Britain until the late 19th century _______. A. basketball B. tennis C. rugby D. football 5. What would be the best title for this passage? A. The Most Popular Sports B. The English Sports C. History of Sports D. Sports in Britain Passage 5 Elizabeth I The birth of Elizabeth to Henry VIII‘s second wife, Anne Boleyn, was awkward as Anne was pregnant with Henry‘s child when they married. At that time in English history, the king could not divorce without the Roman Catholic Pope‘s permission. Henry was married to his first wife Catherine who did not produce a son and after Elizabeth‘s birth, Anne was killed. Henry decided to divorce Catherine to marry a younger wife to produce an heir. The pope refused, causing the king to declare himself the leader of the Church of England. He then married ６ wives in all and only one son survived. This son followed Henry as king with the name Edward VI.22He was sick so his reign was only six years until his death. His half-sister Mary became queen for five years and she reassigned the pope as head of the English church. However, upon her death, Elizabeth became queen in 1558 and reigned for 45 years until 1603. She never married and was widely respected because she ruled without the help of a father, husband or son‘s advice. She also returned the leadership of the church back to England with herself as the leader but she appointed an archbishop at the Canterbury Cathedral to take over all religious duties. She chose good officials and maintained good relationships with parliament. Mary‘s widower was King Philip of Spain and he tried to get Elizabeth to marry him. However, she remained single throughout her reign so she is called the Virgin Queen. In 1588, Philip sent the powerful Spanish navy to fight England because Queen Elizabeth had aided the Netherlands when they were still a Spanish possession. England‘s navy fought well against the famous Spanish Armada, which caused the world to recognize England as a new sea power. Due to Elizabeth‘s long and essentially peaceful reign, the arts of England grew in great stature. It was the age of the plays of Shakespeare, and Marlow. Bacon and Spenser were writing great literature. The contributions of these great writers of literature caused the world to recognize the significance of British literature in the academic world. With the reign of Elizabeth who was sometimes called DGood Queen Bess‖, England became strong in the military and academic fields. Elizabeth is still revered warmly by the English people. 1. Elizabeth‘s FATHER Henry VIII remarried often to gain____. A. the love of young women B. political alliance C. religious freedom D. a son 2. Philip, the king of Spain, was Elizabeth‘s ____ A. enemy B. friend C. brother-in-law D. suitor 3. British literature flourished when England was a ____ A. peaceful country B. profitable country C. powerful country D. religious country Passage 6 William Shakespeare William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in the town of Stratford-on-Avon. The title means the town was named Stratford and it was on the Avon River. He married his wife Anne Hathaway when he was only 18years old. They had a baby girl in 1583 and twins (boy and girl) in 1585.Today, tourists can visit the thatched cottage that was their home. Little is known of Shakespeare until 1592 when he showed up in London as an actor. He joined a troupe of actors called the Lord Chamberlain‘s Men. When James l became the king of England, they changed the name of their troupe to the King‘s Men. It was the most famous acting troupe in London and Shakespeare invested his money in it as a shareholder and he became its principle playwright. In 1599, this troupe built a theatre in London called The Globe. It was the most impressive theatre at that time and it became the showpiece for all of Shakespeare‘s plays. He wrote nearly 50 plays. Many of the phrases he used became very common in the English language. His interest in writing for entertainment caused him to research and write about English history. His first plays have the names of the kings like Richard II, Richard III, Henry IV and King John. However, his interest in that famous love story from Verona, Italy, caused him to write the well-loved Romeo and Juliet. He then wrote some comedies like the Comedy of Errors, As You Like It, Twelfth Night and Much Ado about Nothing. His A Midsummer Night‘s Dream has been a favorite of young people as23there is some silliness that even the youngest spectator will understand. However, his best plays were tragedies like Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Anthony and Cleopatra. These plays reveal his skill in moving his audience emotionally as they watch the story come to life. Shakespeare died in 1616.There was no collection of his plays at that time. Seven years later, two of the actors in his troupe gathered the plays and published them. Now the world recognizes Shakespeare as the greatest playwright of all time. 1. William Shakespeare grew up in____. A. a seaport city B. a town by a river C. the countryside D. London 2. A Midsummer Night‘s Dream is a _____ A. historical play B. tragic play C. comedy D. love story 3. Hamlet, Macbeth, and Othello are____ A. romantic heroes B. father figures C. dramatic roles D. tragic plays Passage 7 Isaac Newton Newton () was an English mathematician who laid the foundations for physics as a modern scientific discipline. Everyone knows the story that when he was sitting under a tree, he watched an apple fall to the ground. As he thought about the reason of its falling. He reasoned that both apples and planets are similar in that they are objects that respond to a force that attracts them. The year of this observation was 1666 when he was 24 years old. Newton was educated at Trinity College in Cambridge. He was so brilliant that he was offered a full professorship at age 27 in mathematics, also at planet movement for 21 years because everyone thought his reasoning was faulty. He told his friends that he would print nothing about his ideas because it would attract too much attention, which would interfere with his scientific work. However, in 1687, he finally published a three volume book entitled mathematical principles of Natural philosophy. Today, it is considered the greatest scientific work ever written. Newton believed that the law of gravity made the universe run like a huge clock, as if designed by a master designer. Scientists who read this work during his lifetime did not believe Newton‘s theory of gravitational pull was correct. One claimed that Newton would not have twenty followers of his research in his lifetime. Actually, there were even less, because very few scientists seemed interested in his work. Newton said, DJust give me the mass, and the position of the motion of a system of heavenly bodies at any given moment and I will calculate their future positions and motions by a set of rigid and unerring mathematical calculation. I will calculate the tides of the oceans and the motions of the waters and the earth. For the earth attracts the moon and the moon attracts the earth, and the force of each in turn tends to keep them in a state of perpetual resistance. D Newton also developed the mathematical system that is called calculus. His studies of white light led to the understanding that light is made up of many colors. However, the most important theory was his theory of gravitational pull, which is the basis of all flights into space today. 1. In his lifetime, Newton‘s theory of gravity was _______. A. respected B. strange C. not believed D. welcomed 2. Newton believed the universe was _______. A. formed naturally B. running in perfect order C. a big puzzle D. difficult to explain 3. The moon and the earth stay in perfect balance because of24A. attraction B. resistance C. motion D. attraction and resistance Passage 8 Charles Darwin Origin of Species The English scientist, Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809, the same day that Abraham Lincoln was born. Darwin caused a change in thinking about evolution, whereas Lincoln caused a change in the role of the black slave allowing the black man to be free man in American society. Darwin‘s father tried to influence his son to become a worthy student in school. However, Charles did not like to study Latin or Greek, which was required for a classical education. Instead, he made a secret laboratory in his father‘s garden where he could experiment in chemistry and physics. His headmaster had a very low opinion of his scholarly abilities. So his father decided to send him to Edinburgh, Scotland, to medical school. However, Charles couldn‘t bear the sight of surgical demonstrations. One time, a child was being operated on without any painkiller or anesthesia. The child began to scream in agony and Charles ran from the room. Those screams haunted his mind for many years. Since he failed at medical school, his father sent him to study theology at Christ‘s Church at Cambridge University. However, in his own words, he said his time was sadly wasted‖ in playing, drinking, singing, flirting and card playing.‖ But he found a science professor there who recommended he sail as a naturalist on the ship called the Beagle. This ship would travel for 5 years exploring South America and the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean. On these islands, he observed the world‘s largest turtles, the iguana lizards, and finches, a type of bird. These birds were on different islands and varied from each other, especially in their beaks. Darwin took many notes on this long adventure. When he returned to England, his body was broken and he was essentially ill for the rest of his life. However, he came to the interesting conclusion that certain finches adapted better to their environment in a process called natural selection. Those species more fitted to their environment would be the ones most likely to breed and succeed in producing the next generation. In 1859, he wrote On the Origin of Species, which became the most significant book ever written on the theory of evolution. His ideas have had more influence than anyone concerning how living species developed over time. 1. Darwin failed in the three schools of _____. A. Science, Philosophy, Medicine B. the Classics, Medicine, Theology C. History, Science, Medicine D. the Classics, Language, Religion 2. Darwin‘s theory of evolution came from his study of __________. A. giant turtles B. finches C. iguana lizards D. many animals 3. On the Origin of Species is about ________. A. scientific discoveries B. very old life forms C. development over time D. animal descriptions Passage 9 Winston Churchill The most difficult war of the 20th century was World War ll. The bravery and leadership of Winston Churchill caused him to be named by the American Time Magazine as DMan of the Century.‖ He was Britain‘s most outstanding statesman during this time and he became an author in his later years. Winston was born in 1874 to an American mother and a British father. His family was wealthy but his parents were too busy to raise a son properly. They sent him to a military school to become a25soldier. However, Winston preferred writing to becoming a soldier so he left the military to become a correspondent for a London newspaper. He covered the Boer War in the 1890‘s and was captured. The Boers were Dutch people who lived in South Africa. The war lasted three years from 1899 to 1902 and the British won. Winston wrote about his escape from captivity in 1899, which was very interesting reading to the people living in London. Upon his return home, Winston was elected to the House of Commons in Parliament. He became known as a powerful speaker. He was able to work well with his colleagues so together they could pass significant British laws. He became Minister of Finance in 1924.There was much unrest by workers without jobs but Winston had little compassion for them. So it was in 1929, he could not find enough colleagues to support him. Therefore he had to leave his significant post but he retained a seat in Parliament. He continued his writing career for 10 years and was little remembered until 1939. The Second World War had begun and a new prime minister was needed to face the German threat. Winston won the post and he began to reveal great determination in the face of the enemy. It was his ability to stand up to great pressures in the war that won him the admiration of people at home and abroad. His role at Yalta in 1945 with USA President Franklin Roosevelt and Russia‘s Josef Stalin was very important. After the war, he wrote the History of the Second World War and then the History of the English Speaking People. These works were so impressive that he received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1953. 1. Winston‘s writing career began as a ____. A. London reporter B. newspaper correspondent C. South African journalist D. magazine writer 2. Winston‘s fame was primarily because of his job as a ____. A. member of Parliament B. finance minister C. prime minister D. historical author 3. His two famous books revealed his_____. A. insights of history B. journalism background C. pride in Britain D. award-winning ability Passage 10 Princess Diana Few people have had an emotional impact on the world as Diana did. Britain has the most visible image of a true monarchy. Though the power of the royal family is not significant in the political sense, it has an emotional power because the British people love their Queen Elizabeth and all the members of her family. Diana was born in 1961 in Sandringham, England. Prince Charles was looking for an appropriate bride in the late 1970‘s . He knew that the Spencer family had a long tradition of producing leaders for British society so when he met Diana Spencer, he began to think she could be his princess. After an introduction, they began to see each other often and they fell in love. Diana was only twenty years old when she married Charles in 1981. The marriage ceremony took place in St. Paul‘s Cathedral, one of the most beautiful churches in London. A royal marriage is worldwide news. This meant that the procession and wedding events were all on worldwide television. Diana was stunning in her wedding dress, which had an extremely long train, that trailed behind her as she walked. The mighty pipe organ played processional music for the procession of the bride and groom into26the church. Trumpets were heard playing a fanfare at the beginning of the processional. It was one of the most beautiful weddings of the 20th century. The British people fell in love with their new princess. Once she became accustomed to her new life in the royal family, she began to be active. She was very concerned for people in the world who had severe problems. Some referred to her as being like a patron saint for war victims, the sick, the homeless, and those who faced discrimination. Her compassion led her to many countries and this gave her a world image of genuine concern. She had two children named Prince Henry and Prince William. Due to marital problems, this beautiful person divor