英语国家概况-总结.doc

Britain
Government
The Legislature
l The United Kingdom is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch.
l A king or queen is the head of state, and a prime minister is the head of government.
l The people vote in elections for Members of Parliament (MPs) to represent them.
l Consists of the House of Lords, the House of Commons, and the Crown.
l Head of Government: Prime Minister
l Parliament (659 in House of Commons, more than 660 in House of Lords)
l Highest Court: House of Lords (Lord Chancellor is head of judiciary)
l Voting Qualifications: All citizens age 18 and over

The Executive
l The chief executive is the prime minister, who is a member of the House of Commons.
l The executive branch also includes Her Majesty’s Government, commonly referred to simply as “the government.”
l The government is composed of ministers in the Cabinet, most of whom are members of the House of Commons; government departments, each of which is responsible to a minister; local authorities; and public corporations.
l The prime minister presides over the Cabinet and selects the other Cabinet members, who join him or her to form the government that is part of the functioning executive.
l Acting through the Cabinet and in the name of the monarch, the prime minister exercises all of the theoretical powers of the Crown, including making appointments.
l Two key doctrines of Cabinet government are collective responsibility and ministerial responsibility.

The Judiciary
l Judges are appointed from among practicing lawyers.
l Barristers or advocates advise on legal problems and present cases in the lay justices' and jury courts.
l Solicitors represent individual and corporate clients and appear in the lay justices' courts.
l Lay justices need no legal qualifications but are trained to give them sufficient knowledge of the law.

Education
Primary and Secondary Education
l Up to age 5, children may have some pre-primary schooling in nursery schools, daycare or play groups.
l Between the ages of 5 to 11, pupils mainly attend state sector primary schools. These schools are called co-educated or mixed schools because they admit both boys and girls.
l From the age of 11 up to around the age of 19, students attend secondary schools. More than 80% of pupils in secondary students in England and Wales attend mixed schools ; 60% in Northern Ireland; Scotland, nearly all.

Higher education
l only one privately funded university: the University of Buckingham
l oldest universities:
1) England— Oxford (12th C.) and Cambridge (13th C.)
2) Scotland: St Andrews, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen from 14th and 15th centuries

Ireland
Government
l After independence from the Great Britain, Ireland takes a polity mixed with both the Britain and the United States
l The Government is headed by President, not the Queen.
l The President appoints the Prime Minister, not necessarily the head of the Party in power.
l The Cabinet is organized by 16 Ministers of the Government assigned by the Prime Minister
l The legislation is interpreted by a hierarchy of courts
l The executive branch of the country, checked by the legislature and the judiciary
l the parliament and the legal system
l
Education
l Irish educational system is among the cheapest and best in Europe.
l In Ireland, education is compulsory for children aged 6 to 15.
l Primary education 6-12
l Secondary education 12-18
l Higher education

America
Government
The United States of America is a constitutional, representative democracy. Power in the US ultimately derives from the citizens of the country. The nation’s leaders are chosen by elections every few years.
The Constitution of the United States is the foundational document of America which forms the basis of the laws in the US and lays out the structure of the government.
The constitution divides the government into three branches:
The Legislative branch: The congress of the United States is laid out in two houses, the upper house or Senate, and the lower house or the House of Representatives.
The Executive Branch: The executive branch of the US government is composed of the President of the United States and the Federal Bureaucracy, or all of the people who work for the President.
Judicial Branch: The United States federal court system makes up the Judicial Branch of the US government. This includes federal courts, federal appeals courts, and the US Supreme Court.
Education
l Primary school
American children start school at the age of five years. The first year at school is called kindergarten.
l Secondary school
Secondary school most commonly consists of a total of seven years, referred to as sixth
through twelfth grades
l Undergraduate school
Undergraduate school offers either a two-year degree or a four-year degree in a specific course of major.
l Graduate school
Students who have obtained a bachelor’s degree can continue their education by pursuing one of two types of degrees.

Canada
Government
l Canada’s system of government was based on the British system of parliamentary democracy,which is referred to as “west minster-style”democracy
l The official head of state is the Queen,who is also the queen of other former British colonies
l The Queen is represented by an official called a Governor-general
l Both the queen and the Governor general occupy roles which are largely ceremonial
l MPs—generally all belong to political parties
l Prime minister—the party that wins the most seats forms the government and the party leader become Prime Minister, the most important person in Canadian government
l The Cabinet—chosen by the prime minister,consists of senior MPs from the governing party
l The Senate—appointed by the governor general,who acts on the recommendation of the prime minister.
l --not like the US Senate,but analogou to the House of Lords in UK

Education
l the mandatory of school is continued to the age of 16 (some is 18).
l children start to go to the kindergarten at the age of 5.
l after finished the programs in kindergarten, children will go to Elementary & junior high/middle school.
l Before going to college, people sometimes will have a program called 'victory lap' to get ready to the college studying
l In college, students will get Bachelor's degree then they will decide whether they will have a farther study for a Master's or a Doctorate degree.

Australia
Government
l Government system: reflects both the British and North American models of liberal democracy but with unique Australian characteristics.
l Three branches: the legislature, the executive and the judiciary.
l The House of Representatives (Lower House)
² 150 members
² Functions: It determines the government, debates and passes laws, watches over government administration and expenditure, and provides a forum for public debate on issues of national importance.
² The House's other roles: debate proposed laws, watch over government expenditure, including through its committee system, and to provide a forum for public debate on issues of national importance.
l The Senate
² A check on the government of the day. It consists of 76 senators ( 12 from each state and 2 from each territory)
² An equal number of senators regardless of its population
² The Senate conducts much of its work including the budget estimates accountability process.
l Parties
² Major political parties:
² The Australian Labour Party(ALP) & the Coalition (the Liberals & the Nationals)
² Governor General –representative of the Queen

Education
l Australia has a well-developed educational system with a very high rate of participation and secondary completion.
l Education in Australia is primarily the responsibility of the individual states.
l Each state government manages the school system within their state. This means that they provide funds and regulation for their schools.
l The education system in Australia is divided into five areas:
Preschool
Primary school
Secondary/high school
Career and vocational institutions
University and other tertiary institutions

New Zealand
Government
l Independent State
l Constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy
l No written constitution, but the Constitution Act of 1986 defines the structure of the government.
l Three branches of government
l Legislative (parliament)
l Executive (departments and agencies)
l Judicial (courts)
l Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a Governor-General
l The Legislature
developed from the British parliamentary system known as the Westminster system of government,and is the law-making body of the New Zealand government.
Consists of Sovereign and House of Representatives
l The executive
-The branch of the New Zealand government is made of the Cabinet ,the Prime Minister and the public sector .
-The Governor General is appointed by the Sovereign on the Prime Minister's recommendation for a term of five years.
l The judiciary
The Judiciary applies the law by hearing and deciding cases. It is made up of judges and judicial officers
The judiciary (court system) is independent of the government

Education
l Education is freely available to everyone. Nearly all schools are run by the  stae. All these public school are secular and free
l New Zealand offers a wide range of early childhood agencies,namely kindergratens,play centers,preschools,etc.
l Schooling in New Zealand is compulsory for all children aged 6 to 16.Most children start at age 5.
l New Zealand secondary education covers Years 9 to 13. Most secondary schools are government-established.
l Tertiary education institutions in New Zealand include universities of technology and polytechnics ,colleges ,Maori tertiary educational institutions and various training establishments