全国2008年4月高等教育自学考试
英语国家概况试题
课程代码:00522
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　　Ⅰ.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. Write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space on the answer sheet.(50 points,1 point for each)

　　1.About a hundred years ago, as a result of its imperialist expansion, Britain ruled an empire that had one fourth of the world’s people and ______ of the world’s land area.（　　　）
　　A.half
　　B.one third
　　C.one fourth
　　D.one fifth

　　2.Which of the following statements about the Celts is NOT true?（　　　）
　　A.They were ironworkers.
　　B.They were practiced farmers.
　　C.They spoke Anglo-Saxon English.
　　D.They drained much of the marshlands and built houses.

　　3.The spirit of the ______ was the limitation of the powers of the king.（　　　）
　　A.Book of Concord
　　B.Magna Carta
　　C.Domesday Book
　　D.common law

　　4.______ was above all responsible for the religious reform in England.（　　　）
　　A.Alfred the Great
　　B.EdwardⅠ
　　C.HenryⅧ
　　D.William the Conqueror

　　5.The name Wars of the Roses was, in fact, coined by the great 19th century novelist ______.（　　　）
　　A.Sir Thomas Browne
　　B.Sir Max Beerbohm
　　C.Sir Walter Scott
　　D.Sir Norman Angell

　　6.Elizabeth’s relationship with Parliament was often ______.（　　　）
　　A.peaceful
　　B.turbulent
　　C.cooperative
　　D.harmonious

　　7.______ was generally considered the transitional period between the Middle Ages and modern times,covering the years c.1350-c.1650.（　　　）
　　A.The Reformation
　　B.The Renaissance
　　C.The Restoration
　　D.The Glorious Revolution

　　8.Loosely speaking, ______ were those who opposed absolute monarchy and supported the right to religious freedom for Nonconformists.（　　　）
　　A.the Whigs
　　B.the Tories
　　C.the members of the Labor Party
　　D.the members of the Conservative Party

　　9.As a result of the agriculture enclosure in England in the late 18th century, ______.（　　　）
　　A.diet became less varied
　　B.the English tenants got benefits
　　C.farms became smaller and smaller
　　D.peasant farmers had to look for work in towns

　　10.One of the most far-reaching consequences of the Second World War is that ______.（　　　）
　　A.it improved British economy
　　B.it strengthened the British Empire
　　C.it hastened the end of the British Empire
　　D.it hastened the end of the British Commonwealth

　　11.The Prime Minister of Britain was ______.（　　　）
　　A.appointed by the Queen
　　B.elected by the Parliament
　　C.voted directly by the people of the country
　　D.selected from the members of the Parliament

　　12.Apart from Britain, the Queen is also the head of state of the following countries EXCEPT ______.（　　　）
　　A.Australia
　　B.Canada
　　C.New Zealand
　　D.South Africa

　　13.In the U.K., the public are admitted to ______ in the House of Lords and the House of Commons.（　　　）
　　A.the Stranger’s Galleries
　　B.the Tate Gallery
　　C.the National Gallery
　　D.the State Galleries

　　14.In Britain, the position of ______ is traditionally held by the Prime Minister.（　　　）
　　A.Minister of Defense
　　B.First Lord of the Treasury
　　C.Lord Chancellor
　　D.Minister of Education

　　15.______ is NOT the function of the British Parliament.（　　　）
　　A.Examining and making laws
　　B.Examining the actions of the government
　　C.Authorizing taxation and public expenditure
　　D.Maintaining the supreme authority of the Sovereign

　　16.No.10 Downing Street in London is ______.（　　　）
　　A.the official residence of the Queen
　　B.the office building of Lord Chancellor
　　C.the meeting place of the British Parliament
　　D.the official residence of British Prime Minister

　　17.There are two established Churches in Britain, that is, ______.（　　　）
　　A.the Church of Wales and the Church of Ireland
　　B.the Church of England and the Church of Wales
　　C.the Church of Scotland and the Church of Ireland
　　D.the Church of England and the Church of Scotland

　　18.______ is a public holiday in Britain.（　　　）
　　A.The National Day
　　B.Guy Fawkes Day
　　C.Boxing Day
　　D.April Fools’ Day

　　19.______ newspapers are directed at readers who want full information on a wide range of public matters.（　　　）
　　A.Quality
　　B.Popular
　　C."Mid-market"
　　D.Tabloid

　　20.The Privy Council includes ______.（　　　）
　　A.all Cabinet ministers
　　B.all the Archbishops in Britain
　　C.all members of the House of Lords
　　D.all members of the House of Commons

　　21.______ of New York used to be an important immigration reception spot.（　　　）
　　A.Ellis Island
　　B.Manhattan
　　C.Brooklyn
　　D.Long Island

　　22.______ to the Constitution, as the foundation of the American constitutional system, were called the Bill of Rights.（　　　）
　　A.The first three amendments
　　B.The first five amendments
　　C.The first ten amendments
　　D.The first twelve amendments

　　23.After much debate, the Compromise of 1850 was passed, which allowed ______ to be accepted as a free state.（　　　）
　　A.Utah
　　B.California
　　C.Louisiana
　　D.New Mexico

　　24.The Articles of Confederation in 1781 was unusual because it provided for ______.（　　　）
　　A.no king
　　B.a strong central government
　　C.civil rights
　　D.taxation powers

　　25.The Federalist Papers are regarded as the best explanation of the ______.（　　　）
　　A.19th Amendment
　　B.Articles of Confederation
　　C.Bill of Rights
　　D.U.S. Constitution

　　26.After the Civil War, ______ became a strong trend in American economy.（　　　）
　　A.disappearance of private business
　　B.increase in capital investment
　　C.monopoly by big business
　　D.nationalization of enterprises

　　27.The Peace Conference in 1919 was dominated by the Big Four, that is, ______.（　　　）
　　A.the United States, Britain, Spain and Italy
　　B.the United States, Japan, France and Italy
　　C.the United States, Britain, France and Italy
　　D.the United States, Britain, France and Russia

　　28.The Great Depression in 1929 was caused by all the following BUT______.（　　　）
　　A.stock market speculation
　　B.over-expansion of credit
　　C.too much investment in companies
　　D.lack of stability in the banking system

　　29.In his inaugural speech,______ said that"the only thing we have to fear is fear itself".（　　　）
　　A.Lyndon Johnson
　　B.Theodore Roosevelt
　　C.John F. Kennedy
　　D.Franklin Roosevelt

　　30.The Second World War came to an end in ______.（　　　）
　　A.1945
　　B.1946
　　C.1947
　　D.1949

　　31.In 1947 the Truman Administration decided to provide aid for ______ to prevent these two countries from falling into the hands of the Soviet Union.（　　　）
　　A.Poland and Romania
　　B.Germany and Italy
　　C.the U.K. and France
　　D.Greece and Turkey

　　32.Since 1945 the United States had entered a twenty-five-year period of economic boom, but its ______ industry did not experience great development.（　　　）
　　A.automobile
　　B.aerospace
　　C.housing
　　D.defense

　　33.The ______ turned out to be America’s longest war it had ever fought.（　　　）
　　A.First World War
　　B.Second World War
　　C.Korean War
　　D.Vietnam War

　　34.The U.S. Constitution allows the President to give ______ and pardons in federal criminal cases.（　　　）
　　A.absolutions
　　B.reprieves
　　C.testimonies
　　D.amnesties

　　35.In the U.S. each local school district has a governing board which is usually ______.（　　　）
　　A.elected by the voters
　　B.chosen from the teaching staff
　　C.selected from the local community
　　D.appointed by the county magistrate

　　36.In America, the Constitution provides that ______ shall be President of the Senate.（　　　）
　　A.the Speaker of the House
　　B.the Secretary of State
　　C.the Chief Justice
　　D.the Vice President

　　37.Higher education in the United States began with the founding of ______ in 1636.（　　　）
　　A.MIT
　　B.Yale University
　　C.Harvard College
　　D.Princeton University

　　38.Theodore Dreiser was the literary representative of American______.（　　　）
　　A.Romanticists
　　B.Transcendentalists
　　C.Modernists
　　D.Naturalists

　　39.In his Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway praises the old fisherman’s ______.（　　　）
　　A.courage to accept misery in life
　　B.attitude towards defeat and failure
　　C.courage to fight monsters in the sea
　　D.attitude towards the risks of high seas

　　40.One of the goals set by President Bush in his plan"America 2000"is ______.（　　　）
　　A.increasing the adult literacy rate
　　B.eliminating drugs and violence at school
　　C.bettering all the students’ foreign languages
　　D.improving the high-school graduation rate to 80%

　　41.Quebec differs from other Canadian provinces because ______.（　　　）
　　A.it is very rich in oil
　　B.it is ideal for wheat growing
　　C.it has a strong French culture
　　D.its tourist trade is very important to the economy

　　42.In 1885,Canada was linked from coast to coast because ______.（　　　）
　　A.a canal was constructed
　　B.many expressways were built
　　C.a national highway was finished
　　D.the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed

　　43.______, the second largest city of Canada, is located in Quebec（　　　）
　　A.Montreal
　　B.Vancouver
　　C.Toronto
　　D.Ottawa

　　44.Adelaide is internationally well-known ______.（　　　）
　　A.for its arts festival
　　B.for its leading role in lumbering
　　C.for its most prosperous agriculture
　　D.for its production of half of the world’s opals

　　45.Sydney, the largest city in Australia, is the capital of ______.（　　　）
　　A.Victoria
　　B.Queensland
　　C.South Australia
　　D.New South Wales

　　46.Most of the land in Australia’s rural areas is used ______.（　　　）
　　A.for grazing sheep and cattle
　　B.for dams and farm buildings
　　C.for growing vegetables and sugar canes
　　D.for growing crops like wheat and other grains

　　47.According to the Waitangi Treaty, if the Maoris want to sell land, only ______ will have the right to buy.（　　　）
　　A.the Maoris themselves
　　B.the Crown
　　C.the British citizens
　　D.the local government

　　48.The natural disasters in New Zealand may include ______.（　　　）
　　A.earthquakes, volcanoes and flooding
　　B.volcanoes, flooding and heavy snows
　　C.earthquakes, flooding, and heavy snows
　　D.volcanoes, heavy snows and earthquakes

　　49.During the 19th century, ______ was a most important reason for a century-long population decline in Ireland.（　　　）
　　A.war
　　B.flood
　　C.famine
　　D.earthquake

　　50.Today 93% of the Irish population are ______.（　　　）
　　A.Puritans
　　B.Roman Catholics
　　C.Anglicans
　　D.Christians

　　II.Give a one-sentence answer to each of the following questions. Write your answer in the corresponding space on the answer sheet.(30 points, 3 points for each)

　　51.When did the recorded history of Britain begin?

　　52.What was the military significance of the destruction of the Spanish Armada for Britain?

　　53.How many Members of Parliament does the House of Commons in the U.K. consist of?

　　54.Please write any three of the 13 colonies the British established along the east coast of North America between 1607 and 1733.

　　55.What are the three branches in the U.S. federal government?

　　56.What dose IBM stand for?

　　57.On which side did Canada fight during WWⅡ?

　　58.What kinds of vegetation are suitable for the hot dry climate in Australia?

　　59.What is partly the reason for New Zealand to have changeable weather and to be often windy?

　　60.What was the result of growing Irish nationalism in the early decades of the 20th century?

　　III. Explain each of the following terms in English. Write your answer in the corresponding space on the answer sheet in around 40 words.(20 points, 5 points for each)

　　61.bank holidays

　　62.constitutional monarchy

　　63."No taxation without representation"

　　64.the U.S. Federal system