2011
1. the Glorious Revolution
In 1685, Charles II died and was succeeded by his brother James II. James was brought up in exile in Europe, was Catholic. He hoped to rule without giving up his personal religious vies. But England was no moe tolerant of a Catholic king in 1688 than 40 years ago. So the English politicians rejected James II, and appealed to a Protestant king William of Orange, to invade and take the English throne. William landed in England in 1688. The takeover was relatively smooth, with no bloodshed, nor any execution of the king. This was known as the Glorious Revolution.
2. the Battle of Hastings
In 1066, King Edward died with no heir, the Witan chose Harold as king. William, Duke of Normandy, invaded England. On October 14, the two armies met near Hasting. After a day’s battle, Harold was killed and his army completely defeated. So this battle was very important on the way of the Roman conquest.
3. Oliver Cromwell
The leader during the Civil War who led the New Model Army to defeat the king and condemned him to death. Then he declared England a Commonwealth and made himself Lord of Protector. He ruled England till the restoration of Charles II in 1660.
4. The Chinese Exclusion Act (in USA)
It was a United States federal law passed by the US Congress in May 6th, 1882. It was one of the most significant restrictions on free immigration in US history, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers. The act was initially intended to last for 10 years and it was the first law implemented to prevent a specific ethnic group from immigrating to the United States.
5. You are required to figure out the cause, purpose, content and its effect of the Reformation in England led by Henry VIII.
Cause: Henry VIII wanted to divorce Catherine of Aragon because she could not produce a male heir for him but failed to gain permission by the Roman Pope.
A desire for change and reform in the Catholic Church had been growing for many years and now, encouraged by the success of Martin Luther in Germany, many people believed its time had come; the privilege and wealth of the clergy had also been resented for long, Henry VIII needed money.
Purpose: Henry’s reform was to get rid of the English Church’s connection with the Pope, and to make an independent Churchof England.
Content: He dissolved all of England’s monasteries and nunneries because they were more loyal to the Pope than to their English king. He established the church of England as the national church of the country and he made himself the supreme head of the church of England.
Effect: stressed the power of the monarch and certainly strengthened Henry’s position, the importance of parliament grew, England was moving from Catholicism towards Protestantism
2012
1. watergate scandal
The watergate scandal was a major political scandal that occurred in the United States in the 1970s. It refers to the arrest of people breaking into Democratic National Committee offices who worked for the re-election of Nixon and the cover-up afterwards with the support of Nixon. It led to the resignation of Nixon.
2. New England
New England is made up of six states of the North-East. They are Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. It is sometimes called the birthplace of American
3. The Ivy League
The Ivy League refers to a selective group of institutions of higher education located in the northeastern United States. These schools are associated with high academic standards and selective admissions criteria. The Ivy League include Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, Cornell University and Columbia University.
4. What were the consequences of the Norman Conquest?
The Norman Conquest of 1066 is one of the best known events in English history. It brought about many consequences. William confiscated almost all the land and gave it to his Norman followers. He replaced the weak Saxon rule with a strong Norman government. So the feudal system was completely established in England. Relations with the Continent were open, and civilization and commerce were extended. Norman-French culture, language, manners, and architecture were been introduced. The church was brought into closer connection with Rome, and the church courts were seperated from the civil courts.
2013
1. What are “norm” and “value” in cultures?
Values are defined as “an enduring set of beliefs that serve to guide or direct our behaviour”.They represent the norms of a culture and specify, for instance, what is good or bad, right or wrong, rude or polite, appropriate or inappropriate. Norms are defined as standards and rules.
2. Give some examples to illustrate that in AD 409 last Roman soldiers left Britain, but left a good deal of civilization.
In AD 409, the last Roman soldiers left Britain, they gave Britain a good deal of civilization. They left town, roads and farms. They introduced Latin alphabet, improved reading and writing skills. Latin became the official language at that time. Celtic language was displaced except some names of rivers and places. Latin word “castra”(camp) remained part of town names.
3. What is the “Bloodless Revolution” or “the Glorious Revolution” in British history?
In 1685, Charles II died and was succeeded by his brother James II. James was brought up in exile in Europe, was Catholic. He hoped to rule without giving up his personal religious vies. But England was no moe tolerant of a Catholic king in 1688 than 40 years ago. So the English politicians rejected James II, and appealed to a Protestant king William of
Orange, to invade and take the English throne. William landed in England in 1688. The takeover was relatively smooth, with no bloodshed, nor any exercution of the king. This was known as the Glorious Revolution.
4. Britain is a country lying farther north than the northernmost part of China’s Heilongjiang province. However, it has more moderate climate. Why?
The factors which influence the climate in Britain are the following three:
1) The surrounding waters balance the seasonal differences.
2) The prevailing south-west winds bring warm and wet air in winter and keep the temperature moderate.
3) The North Atlantic Drift, a warm current, passes the western coast of the British Isles and warms them.
5. What were the consequences of the Hundred Years’ War? The French drove the English out of their land. By 1453, Calais was the only part of France that was still in the hands of English. The war greatly reduced England’s population. As a result, much land was left untended and there was a terrible shortage of labor.
5. What is culture?
Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs and other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.
Culture is a learned pattern of behavior, and is a way in which a person lives his life. It is an integral part of every society, and creates a feeling of belonging and togetherness among the people of that society. Culture encompasses various aspects of communication, attitude, etiquette, beliefs, values, customs, norms, food, art, jewelry, clothing styles, etc. Every society has a different culture, which gives it an identity and uniqueness. As one famous saying goes, “Culture is what makes you a stranger when you are away from home.”
Culture is learned from the people surrounding us, our parents, guardians, relatives, etc. The distinct set of beliefs, values, traditions and behavior is passed down through generations. It is a collective phenomenon, and cannot exist in isolation in a single individual. It is shared at various levels, namely national, regional, gender, generation, corporate, social class, etc., but is also rich in diversity. Residents of a nation share certain aspects, whereas different regions within the nation have their own unique blend of beliefs, values and styles, and so on.
Meanwhile, culture is cumulative and dynamic. The culture of any particular group is constantly evolving and undergoing slow changes. Each generation brings along a new set of changes and developments in the culture of that society.
In spite of the vast cultural diversity, there are certain elements of culture that are universal. They are known as cultural universals, which comprise certain behavioral traits and patterns that are shared by all cultures around the world. For instance, classifying relations, having some form of art and music, use of jewelry, classifying people according to gender and age, etc., are common in all cultures of the world.