The U.K.

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4) what are the factors that led to the end of British empire?

First, the two world wars in the earlier 20th century gradually weakened Britain's power. Britain lost a great number of people, the sea supremacy in the world and was into huge national debt in order to support the wars. Then, in 1921, the Republic of Ireland became independent from the United Kingdom. Furthermore, after the World War II, in the wave of national liberation and a movement of national independence throughout the world, most of Britain's colonies became independent. Therefore, British Empire completely fell apart in the late 1960s.

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3) Hundred Years War: The Hundred Years War was a series of wars from 1337 to 1453 and fought between England and France over territory, trade, and the throne. At first, the war was in Britain's interests, but with the use of guns and gunpowder in France and the resistance of the French people, Britain lost its superiority and was defeated by France.

5) Glorious Revolution: It refers to the "bloodless revolution" in Britain in 1688, when the Parliament declared William and his wife Mary as the joint sovereigns. They signed the Bill of Rights passed by the Parliament, which guaranteed the authority of Parliament and limited the power of the monarch.

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1) the significance of the great charter

The Great Charter is the document King John was forced to sign in 1215. It covered a wide field of law and feudal rights but the most important clauses were: No extra taxes should be imposed on nobles without the permission of the Great Council; no free man should be arrested or penalized or banished in any way unless convicted by a jury; merchants would be allowed to move about freely; in addition, the nobles should be entitled to declare war against the King if the King seriously violates the provisions of the Great Charter.

The Great Charter was of progressive significance and considered as an important turning point of English history. It granted to the townspeople freedom of trade and self-government. The merchants and craftsmen appeared for the first time as a political force in the British history. It also lays a foundation for the British constitutional monarchy and provides basic principles for the protection of civil rights in the Western World.

2) the influences of industrial revolution in the UK

The Industrial Revolution accelerated the process of modernization and the economic development of Britain, and also had a significant impact on the British society. Firstly, the industrial productivity was dramatically increased because of the inventions of machines. Britain became the most advanced industrial country and also the financial center in the world. Secondly, it promoted the process of urbanization in Britain. With numerous free labors moved into cities and towns, many new cities such as Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and Sheffield sprang up and became Britain's industrial centers. Thirdly, it also brought with some changes in class structure. The capitalist class replaced the old aristocrats and became the most important force in the country.

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2) how do you understand the role of British Monarch in the parliament?

The Queen or the King is the official head of Parliament, and plays a constitutional role in opening and dissolving Parliament, approving Bills before they become law, and appoint the Prime Minister after election. However, in reality, their role is broadly ceremonial and symbolic without real power. The Monarch has no right to determine decisions made in Parliament. The importance of the Monarch is its effect on public attitude.

4)what are the common practices of criminal trials in the UK?

In criminal trails, the accused is presumed innocent until proved guilty and presented by a law. Trails are in open court, and in most cases, they are tried before lay justices without a jury of 12. Only in more serious cases are the trails tried before the jury,which decides guilty or innocent.

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2) Parliament is the legislative body in the UK, which first officially appeared in the 13th century. It is the supreme law-making body in the country and enjoys a number of major powers. According to the constitution, it consists of three parts: the Monarch, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons.

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2) how do you understand the relative decline of British economy after WWII?

The decline is relative to some other country rather than absolute. That is, although its economy has been improved, its competitors have improved more rapidly; hence its economic dominance has been overtaken. The British economy was still increasing, but at a slower pace.

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2) the different routes of economic growth in contemporary China and the UK

The forms of the economic developing path are different .Britain is taking the path of capitalist economy, while China is taking the road of market economy and commodity economy with Chinese characteristics.

Different national economic development process. After the industrial revolution, Britain directly into the period of industrial economic development, and then gradually into the road of modern economic development. However，after the founding of China, China's economy basement was agricultural economy , the development of industrial economy was slow. After the reform and opening up, China's economy was transformed from agricultural economy to industrial economy.

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1)what are the characteristics of British Humor?

Typical British Humor usually contains two features: self-mockery and Irony. Self-mockery, which means laughing at oneself, is to laugh at one's own faults, failures and embarrassments and even one's own ideal. Irony is defined as a character speaking on a subject, about which the audience knows more than himself. It is the presentation of a lack of self-awareness. It can be easily found in many literature works, TV comedy, magazine articles, or tabloid newspaper reporting in the UK.

5)what are the two types of British newspapers?

Traditionally British newspapers have been divided into "quality" and "tabloid" varieties. The quality press usually reports in-depth articles of political and social issue, and carries high-quality reviews and feature articles. The "tabloids", smaller format newspaper with compact page size, usually carries gossips, scandals, and stories about celebrities and politicians with catchy headlines and colored photos.

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3) Standard English: The English adopted as a broadcasting standard in the British media nowadays is called Standard English, or Queen's English. It is based on the speech of the Upper Class of southeastern England and the London dialect. Standard English has becoming a universal Lingua Franca.

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1)the development of English language

The development of English language experienced three mayor stage: Old English, Middle English and Modern English. Old English was spoken and written by Anglo-Saxons and their descendants between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century. It is a western Germanic language and is greatly influenced by the Old Norse. Middle English began with the Norman Conquest in 1066. During this stage of English development, many French words were brought into the English vocabulary and became part of it. Modern English started from the end of 15th century. The dialect of London was accepted as standard pronunciation. Moreover, English was greatly improved with a large vocabulary for various purposes by borrowing from other origins during and after the Renaissance and Industrial Revolution in the UK.

2）British newspaper culture

Reading newspaper is one of the favorite leisure activities to British people. There are about 130 daily and Sunday newspapers, and over 2,000 weekly newspapers in the UK. Traditionally British newspapers have been divided into “ quality”, serious-minded newspaper and the more populist, “tabloid” varieties. The quality press have The Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian. Their readers are mostly well-educated, Middle Class and Upper Class people. The “tabloids” have The Sun and The News of the World. These newspapers are normally read by people from Lower and Working Class.

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5)compare the admission of universities between China and the UK?

Admission in the UK is based on student's A-level results, school references, high school records, and sometimes their performance in the university's interview. Although the most important factor is student's A-level results, other factors are also important that influence the result of student's application to universities. However, in China, the only criterion of university admission is student's results in the College Entrance Examination, while other factors are not considered.

Beside, although both in China and the UK examinations are taken as a way to pick up candidates for further study, differences are quite obvious. A-level is more flexible in time and form. Students have the freedom to choose the courses in the exam, and they can choose whether to take all the subjects all of a piece or to take each one at a different time. The same subjects can taken for more than once. The CEE in China is fixed in time and can only be taken once in a year. The options of subjects are more limited compared with that of A-levels.