英美概况试题及答案

1. Tick the correct answer in each of the following:

1. Llywelgn ap Gruffudd is more than a simple historical figure for the Welsh. He is almost considered the legendary hero of Welsh nationalism because

A. he became the first Prince of Wales in 1267.

B. he brought the English under his control.

C. he led a historic uprising against the English.

D. he unified Wales as an independent nation.

2. How many counties do you know there are in Northern Ireland?

A. 26 B. 6 C. 32 D. 20

3. Which of the following about the House of Commons in Britain is NOT true?

A. Members of Parliament elect the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.

B. MPs receive salaries and some other allowance.

C. MPs are expected to represent the interests of the public.

D. Most MPs belong to the major political parties.

4. Who is the leader of the Labor party in Britain at present?

A. John Major B. Tony Blair C. Harold Wilson D. Margaret Thatcher

5. Which company became an important aero-engine manufacturer after WWI?

A. Boeing B. Rolls Royce C. McDonnel-Douglas D. Hawker-Siddeley Aviation

6. British Aerospace was the merger of which two companies?

A. the British Aircraft Corporation and Hawker-Siddeley Aviation

B. the British Aircraft Corporation and Rolls Royce

C. Hawker-Siddeley Aviation and GEC Avionics

D. Hawker-Siddeley Aviation and Rolls Royce

7. Which of the following was a Postmodernist writer?

A. George Orwell B. Robert L. Stevenson C. Jane Austen D. Virginia Woolf

8. Which of the following about hunting is NOT true?

A. It had developed into a recreational activity in medieval England.

B. Only men participated in the hunting.

C. Modern hunters usually chase foxes nowadays.

D. It is strongly objected by animal rights groups.

9. Of which people is Robert Burn a national poet?

A. Welsh people B. Irish people C. Scottish people D. English people

10. On which day is Halloween celebrated?

A. 5 November B. 31 October C. 17 March D. 25 December

11. Which of the following is NOT true about the Eisteddfod?

A. The highlight is the crowning of the two bards.

B. It is the largest popular festival of music-making and poetry writing in Europe.

C. "Address to a Haggis" is recited.

D. Competitions are held to find the best choirs, translators, essayists and poets.

12. Which of the following schools would admit children without reference to their academic abilities?

A. Comprehensive schools. B. Secondary schools.

C. Independent school. D. Grammar schools.

13. Which of the following is NOT a true description of the situation of the ethnic minorities in the UK?

A. They are well-represented in the British parliament.

B. They are economically poorer than the white population.

C

. They are treated unfairly by the justice system.

D. They are threatened by some racist groups.

14. Britain has its nuclear naval force since

A. it's one of the developed countries in the world.

B. it's a traditional sea power.

C. it has an advanced industry.

D. it's able to produce submarines.

15. Which of the following about the tabloids is NOT true?

A. They are big format newspaper.

B. They are often called "the gutter press".

C. They mainly deal in scandals and gossip about famous people.

D. They carry stories with color photos and catchy headlines.

16. ____ is Australia's largest trading partner.

A. China B. ASEAN countries C. Britain D. Japan

17. In which of the following areas Australia and America have disagreements?

A. Trade policies.

B. American military presence in the Asian and Pacific region.

C. Establishing diplomatic relations with P. R. China.

D. Australia's membership in the UN Security Council.

18. Diplomatic relations between Australia and China was established in

A. the 1950s. B. the 1960s. C. the 1970s. D. the 1980s.

19. _____is the largest segment of the Australian economy.

A. The primary industry. B. The secondary industry.

C. The tertiary industry. D. The food-processing industry.

20. The largest manufacturing sector in Australia is _____

A. the ship-building industry. B. the Australian aerospace industry.

C. the heavy engineering industry. D. the Australian food-processing industry.

21. The sole parent pension is available to

A. all single parents.

B. single people caring for children under 16 or recipients of the child disability allowance.

C. single parents divorced with children under 16.

D. divorced or widowed old women.

22. Which of the following is NOT a part of the Australian social security programs?

A. Tertiary education assistance. B. Age pensions.

C. Pensions for war and defense widows. D. The child disability allowance.

23. "No taxation without representation" was the rallying cry of _____

A. the settlers of Virginia.

B. the people of Pennsylvania.

C. the colonists in New England.

D. the people of the 13 colonies on the eve of the American Revolution.

24. The New Deal was started by ______

A. Franklin Roosevelt. B. J. F. Kennedy. C. George Washington. D. Thomas Jefferson.

25. The latest technology that farmers have adopted is _________.

A. artificial fertilizers B. pesticide C. tractors D. computers

26. _____does NOT belong to the "Lost Generation".

A. John Dos Passos B. Ernest Hemingway C. F. Scott Fitzgerald D. John Steinbeck

27. _____was NOT written by Hemingway.

A. Light in August B. The Sun Also Ri

ses
C. A Farewell to Arms D. for Whom the Bell Tolls

28. Which of the following is NOT a black author?

A. Richard Wright B. Alan Ginsberg C. James Baldwin D. Ralph Ellison

29. The following authors were women writers who wrote novels in the late 19th and early 20th century with the exception of _____.

A. Emily Dickinson B. Edith Wharton C. Willa Cather D. Kate Chopin

30. The following writers represent new American voices except _______.

A. Toni Morrison B. Alice Walker C. T. S. Eliot D. Maxine Hong Kingston

31. To get a bachelor's degree, an undergraduate student is required to do the following except _.

A. attending lectures and complete assignments

B. passing examination

C. taking certain subjects such as history, language and philosophy

D. earning a certain number of credits at the end of the four years at college

32. Due to his firm belief in nonviolent peaceful protest in the spirit of India's leader Gandhi, ______ was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

A. John F. Kennedy B. James Farmer C. Ella Baker D. Martin Luther King, Jr.

33. The one group within the counter culture best known for their pursuit of happiness as their only goal in life was called _____.

A. the "Hippies" B. the "Beat Generation"

C. the "Me Generation" D. the "Lost Generation"

34. In the 1960s, feminism was reborn. Many women were dissatisfied with their lives, and in 1963, with the publication of _____by ______, they found a voice.

A. The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan B. Profile in Courage, John F. Kennedy

C. The Other America, Michael Harrington D. Catch in the Rye, J. D. Salinger

35. _____made the first desktop PC.

A. Bill Gates B. IBM

C. Two young amateur inventors D. Apple Computers

36. _______made the first liquid propellant rocket.

A. Robert H Goddard B. Na Germany

C. J. Robert Oppenheimer D. US military

37. ______ invented the telephone.

A. Samuel F. B. Morse B. Alexander Graham Bell

C. Thomas Alva Edison D. Reginald Fessenden

38. The tradition of the vocal ballad which contributed to the blues form was usually accompanied by_____

A. a guitar. B. a piano. C. a banjo. D. a trombone and a cymbal

39. The Progressive Conservative Party was completely wiped out in the 1933 federal election because

A. they offended the French-speaking people in Canada.

B. they governed the entire country for too many years.

C. they had bad management of the economy.

D. they were unable to represent the country as a whole.

40. "Triple alliance" in Jean-Charles Harvey's novel refer to the following except:

A. capitalists B. politicians C.

church D. French separatism

41. In which period have Canada's most famous and successful writers appeared?

A. post-war period B. period of nation-building

C. early colonial period D. pre-European period

42. What idea is most powerfully presented in Margaret Laurence's work, making her highly representative of contemporary Canada?

A. self-analysis B. women's position C. cultural difference D. political environment

43. Which of the following novels was made into an extremely successful film in 1997?

A. Lost in the Barrens B. The Two Solitudes

C. The Handmaid's Tale D. The English Patient

44. On the evidence of the past, Canada used to be so reluctant to get involved in European

squabbles that one prime minister even referred to the two world wars as "the vortex of European militarism". Who made the remarks?

A. Prime Minister Lester Pearson B. Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier

C. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau D. Prime Minister Brian Mulroney

45. In 1917, the Canadian government introduced conscription, which resulted in bitter

resentment in the French-speaking province. Which of the following is the correct name?

A. British Columbia B. Nova Scotia C. Ontario D. Quebec

46. According to the author, Canada entered into its golden age of international diplomacy in the 1950s, the period of which was capped by ____.

A. Canada's role in the Suez Crisis of 1956

B. Canada's role in the World Trade Organization

C. Canada's role in the NATO

D. Canada's role in World Health Organization

47. Who was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts made to introduce a UN peacekeeping force into the Suez Canal region during the Crisis of 1956?

A. Brian Mulroney B. Pierre Trudeau C. John Holms D. Lester Pearson

48. Whose administration worked especially hard for the international recognition of the People's Republic of China?

A. Wilfred Laurier's administration B. Lester Pearson's administration

C. MacKine King's administration D. Brian Mulroney's administration

49. The Canada-U. S. relations are so close that Prime Minister Louis St Laurent once said that it was like ______.

A. a relationship between two teammates.

B. a relationship between two brothers.

C. a relationship between two business partners.

D. a relationship between two farmers.

50. One of the historic reasons that leads Canada to empathing with the problems the Third World countries face on their way to independence is:

A. its colonial past B. its imperialist past

C. its feudal history D. its socialist-oriented economy.


II. Fill in the blanks:

1. The full name of the United Kingdom is __________________________________________.

2. The isla

nd of Great Britain is made up of ________________, ___________and__________.

3. The United Kingdom has been a member of ______________________________since 1973.

4. Britain is now a _____________society which produces a population of which 1 in 20 are of ___________________ethnicity.

5. London plays a significant role in ________________economic and cultural life. It's not only the financial ________of the nation, but also one of ___________major international financial centers in ________________.

6. Britain consists of _____nations, including England, ________, ______and ______________.

7. Britain is a country with a history of invasions. In 43 AD Britain was invaded by __________, in the late 8th century they experienced _________raids from Scandinavia and in the 11th century they suffered invasions from _____________.

8. The Anglo-Saxon began to settle in Britain in _________century.

9. The capital of Britain is ________, which has great influence on the UK in all fields including _____________, ____________ and _____________.

10. Charles the First, king of Britain, was executed, because he attempted to ______________ in the English Revolution.

11. Name two Scottish cities which have ancient and internationally respected universities: __________________ and _______________.

12. The battle of Bannockburn led by Robert the Bruce succeeded in winning the full independence of ______________.

13. Both the Scottish and Welsh people elect their members of parliaments to the London Parliament and each holds ____________and ___________ seats respectively.

14. The capital of Scotland is ____________, which is well-known for its natural ___________.

15. Although Wales is the smallest of the three nations on the __________ mainland, it's good at getting _________ from abroad, particularly Japan and __________________.

16. To pursue Irish independence, the most spectacular event in the Irish history was _________ of 1916, in which the rebels occupied Dublin's _______________ and forced the British to take it back by ____________.

17. ____________, the ancestor of the present Queen, Elizabeth II, united England under his rule in 829.

18.The UK is divided into ______constituencies with each of them represented by a member in _________________.

19. The UK economy can be divided into three main sectors: ____________industries, secondary industries and _____________industries.

20. One of the oldest of the early "old English" literary works is called ____________________.

21. ___________is a rough, fast game which was invented in Britain while ___________is a more gentle sport which owes its origin to the Church.

22. Christmas commemorates ________________________, while ___________commemorates the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

23. The two oldest universities in Britain are __________________ and ___________________.

24. Like the housing system in the US and the wealthy English-s

peaking commonwealth, the UK has a very high proportion of _________________, which means that the people own the house they live in.

25. When the Second World War was over, Britain was active in ____________the United Nations and became one of the _____permanent members of __________________________.

26. Britain has one of the world's oldest established ____________industries. The Observer, which appeared in 1791, is the world's oldest ___________newspaper, while The Times, which began publishing in 1785, is Britain's oldest ______________newspaper.

27. Australia, as the world's _________continent and _________island, has a population which is _____________ in relation to its size.

28. The smallest state is________________, an ___________in the southern corner of Australia. It is also the ___________island in Australia.

29. Nearly 50 years ago, the Australian economy depended heavily on _________________. Today, the Australian economy is more __________________and _____________________. __________________________ generates two-thirds of its production.

30. ________________________is the Australian media's leading source f overseas news.

31. Seasons in New Zealand are opposite to the _________________________, with the highest temperature in __________and __________, and the lowest temperature in ______________.

32. New Zealand's major exports are meat,________________, wood,________, _____and fruit.

33. In 1782, the Frenchman who settled in Pennsylvania first asked the question "what is an American" in his book _______________________.

34. After the War of Independence was won, the national government was called ___________, and the agreement that guided the government was _________________________________.

35. The first Secretary of Treasury of the United States was ____________________________.

36. "WASP" stands for ____________________________________________________.

37. _______________________ and _______________________are the two major American writers of the post-Revolutionary period.

38. About ______percent of American students go to __________schools and _________percent attend private schools.

39. On February 1, 1960, 4 black students from a black college in __________________, North Carolina, began their protest against the racial segregation laws by such tactics as _________, thus beginning the civil rights movement.

40. American society is a stratified one in which _____________, _____________ and _______ are unequally distributed among the population.

41. The invention of the __________________by ____________________ made it possible to obtain higher profits from agriculture. US agriculture was moving away from subsistence farming towards a food marketing enterprise.

42. The Grand Canyon is carved away for nearly 6 million years by the waters of the _________ River.

43. The two conferences for American football are AFC, which stands for __________________ and NFC, which stan

ds for ________________________.

44. Jazz music, as a musical form, was initially performed and appreciated by ______________.

45. In area, Canada is the __________________country on earth.

46. Canada preferred to establish a nation based on ____________, __________and ________.

47. Many people use the notion that American society is a __________________ while Canada is described as a __________________________.

48. Industry in Canada can be divided into three main groups: natural resources (_____________________); manufacturing (_________________); and service (_________) industries. In 1990, the primary sector, including ____________, ____________, forestry and ________________accounted for 10 percent of Canada's Gross Domestic Product. Secondary industries, including manufacturing, ______________, transport and ___________________, made up 36 percent of GDP; and the _____________sector of trade, ____________________, service and public administration, accounted for nearly 54 percent of GDP.

49. In Canadian literature Margaret Atwood sees a very common concern with the idea of ___________, and she says that this idea represents the central symbol of Canadian literature.

50. According to the author, it was Canada that "invented" the concept of _____________ and convinced the world to put pressure on South Africa's __________________policies.





. Tick the correct answer in each of the following:


1.D 2.B 3.A 4.B 5.B 6.A 7.A 8.B 9.C 10.B

11.C 12.A 13.A 14.B 15.A 16.D 17.A 18.C 19.C 20.D

21.B 22.A 23.D 24.A 25.D 26.D 27.A 28.B 29.A 30.D

31.C 32.D 33.A 34.A 35.C 36.A 37.B 38.A 39.C 40.D

41.A 42.C 43.D 44.B 45.D 46.A 47.D 48.B 49.D 50.A


II. Fill in the blanks:

1. the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

2. England; Scotland; Wales

3. European Union

4. multiracial; non-European

5. Britain's; center; the three; the world

6. four; Scotland; Wales; Northern Ireland

7. the Roman empire; Vikings; the Normans

8. the 5th

9. London; government; economy; culture

10. overrule the parliament

11. Glasgow; Edinburgh

12. Scotland

13. 72; 38

14. Edinburgh; beauty

15. British; investment; America

16. the Easter Rising; Post Office; military means

17. King Egbert

18. 651; the parliament

19. primary; tertiary/service

20. Beowulf

21. Football; tennis

22. the birth of Jesus Christ; Easter

23. Oxford; Cambridge

24. owner-occupation

25. setting up; the five; the UN Security Council

26. newspaper; national; daily

27. smallest; largest; small

28. Tasmania; island; largest

29. primary production/industry; diverse; mature; The service sector

30. The Australian Associated Press

31. northern hemisphere; January; February; July

32. diary products; fish; wool

33. Letters from an American Farmer

34. the Congress; the Articles of Confederation

35. Alexander Ham

ilton

36. White Anglo-Saxon Protestant

37. Washington Irving; James Fenimore Cooper

38. 85; public; 15

39. Greensboro; sit-ins

40. power; wealth; prestige

41. the mechanical reaper; Cyrus H McCormick

42. Colorado

43. American Football Conference; National Football Conference

44. African-Americans

45. second largest

46. peace; order; good government

47.melting pot; mosaic

48. primary industries; secondary industries; tertiary; agriculture; fishing; mining; construction; communications; finance

49. survival

50. United Nations peacekeeping; apartheid