英语国家概况名词解释.doc

Anglo-Saxons : They were two groups of Germanic peoples who settled down in England from the 5 th century . They were regarded as the ancestors of the English and the founders of England .
Sinn Fein : Sinn Fein is a legal political party in Northern Ireland which supports the IRA to fight for the union of Ireland . The leaders of Sinn Fein prefer union with Ireland by a twin campaign , both military and political which they call the policy of “the Bullet and the Ballot Box “ . It believes that without the participation of Sinn Fein the political problem of Northern Ireland cannot be thoroughly solved .
Home Rule : Ireland had long been dominated by Britain , but Irish desire for an independent Irish state was never lost .”Home Rule “refers to a campaign for Irish affairs. The Home Rule Bill was finally passed in 1914 , but the process was overtaken by the First World War and was suspended for the duration of the war .
The Bill of Rights of 1689 : In 1689 , King James Ⅱ’s daughter Mary and her husband William were invited by the politicians and church authorities to take the throne , on condition that they would respect the rights of Parliament . The Bill of Rights was passed in 1689 to ensure that the King would never be able to ignore Parliament.
The functions of Parliament : The functions of Parliament are : to pass laws , to vote for taxation , to scrutinize government policy , administration and expenditure and to debate the major issues of the day .
The House of Commons : The House of Commons is the real centre of British political life because it is the place where about 650 elected representatives (Members of Parliament ) make and debate policy . These MPs are elected in the General Elections and should represent the interests of people who vote for them .
The importance of general elections : General elections are very important in western democracy . According to the author , they provide opportunities for people to influence future government policies and to replace those incompetent political leaders .
Privatization in the 1980s : The British economy went through a particularly bad period in the 1970s , with high rates of inflation and devaluation of the Pound . Therefore , in the 1980s , when the Conservative party under Margaret Thatcher was in power , an extensive programme of privatization was carried out . Many state-owned businesses (such as steel , telecom , gas , aerospace ) were turned into private companies . Privatization was successful in controlling inflation but at the same time unemployment rate increased rapidly .
Comprehensive schools : Comprehensive schools are the most popular secondary schools in Britain today . Such schools admit children without reference to their academic abilities and provide a general education . Pupils can study everything from academic subjects like literature to more practical subjects like cooking .
The Open University : The Open University was founded in Britain in the 1960’s for people who might not get the opportunity for higher education for economic and social reasons . It’s open to everybody and does not demand the same formal educational qualifications as the other universities . University courses are followed through TV , radio ,correspondence , videos and a net work of study centers . At the end of their studies at the Open University , successful students are awarded a university degree .
Eisteddfod Wales has a long poetic tradition. Poems written in the traditional Welsh language and style are governed by ancient codes and convention . This poetic tradition has been celebrated for centuries in eisteddfod , a Welsh word meaning a gathering where people recite verses and sing songs . Wales had been controlled by the English for hundreds of years and so English became the national language . Speaking Welsh was seen as a bad thing .The Welsh language began to die , but Welsh speaker fought hard to preserve it . One way they accomplished this was to celebrate their culture and their language each August with a really large Eisteddfod which would remind people throughout the UK of Wales’ special culture heritage .The Eisteddfod is now the largest popular festival of music making and poetry writing in Europe .
The Great Famine The Great Famine took place from 1845—48 when successive potato crops failed and many people of Ireland starved to death , or died of the diseases which preyed on malnutrition . Many left the country for the New World. The Great Famine became a watershed in Irish history , not merely because there was mass starvation and emigration , but also because the British government appeared to be indifferent to the fate of the poorest people in its nearest colony .Naturally this period is characterized by campaigns for national independence and land reform .
The Easter Rising of 1916 It was a rebellion by Irish nationalists against British rule on 24 April 1916 (Easter Monday ) . The Irish Volunteers , led by Patrick Pearse and the Irish Citizen Army , led by James Connolly , staged the uprising . The British crushed the rising within a week and executed its leaders . A wave of nationalist sentiment produced an electoral victory for Sinn Fein in 1918 .
Checks and balances The Irish system of government is based on the American principle of “checks and balances “ : that is , the power of the executive branch of government can be checked by the legislature (the two houses of parliament ) and by the judiciary , through courts which interpret the law . Enforcement is also part of the role of the courts of law , and is actually carried out by the police force .Both the legal system and the police force are conceived of as independent of political influence .
The Civil Service The civil service in Ireland is divided into sixteen Government Departments , each headed by a minister appointed by the Prime Minister . Ministers have final responsibility for those areas. The civil service is politically independent in the performance of its duties and has no involvement in party politics . In fact , party political activity is strictly forbidden for all middle and high-ranking civil servants .Recruitment to the civil service is by public competitive exams administered by the independent Civil Service Commission and is open to every citizen of the Republic . At present , there are some 30000 people employed in the civil service .
The Dreaming The Dreaming is the belief system from ancient times that has bound indigenous group together . The central principle of the Dreaming is that the people who live on the continent have special responsibilities to the land . The people don’t own the land , instead the land owns the people . The stories of the Dreaming provide principles of how people should live and interact with each other .They also provide knowledge of the land so that the indigenous people can survive in the life-threatening environment .
Terra Nullius Terra Nullius is from Latin. It means a land that is owned by no one . The British declared the Australian continent Terra Nullius to justify their invasion of the indigenous people’s land . It served to legitimize their taking possession of the land and devalue the indigenous people as uncivilized and not fully human .
Pastoralists The pastoralists are major landowners. They are usually the magistrates of their local area. They used the legal power as magistrates to force convict labourers to work hard . They built their wealth on the unpaid labour of the convicts . This is why they supported the transportation of convicts to Australia .
Emancipists The emancipists are ex-convicts who were fully or conditionally pardoned for conduct or service . They became successful farmers, lawyers, architects and government administrators. They contributed a lot to the development of Australian society . By the 1820s , a third of the richest men in the colony were emancipists , among them were Mary Reiby and James Ruse .
The “Washminster “ form polity The “Washminster “ form of polity is adopted by the Australian government . It is a mixture of the US Washington system of government and the British Westminster system . This means that the political structure of the government is based on a Federation of States with a three-tier system of government . However , the chief executive is a Prime Minster , instead of a President as in the US system .
The Governor-General The Governor-General is the formal head of the executive branch of the government .He is the representative of the Queen in Australia . However , as the British monarch as no real power in Australia , the Governor-General acts only on the advice of the Executive Council , which is made up of himself and the Cabinet .
Multiculturalism Multiculturalism was adopted in 1973s. It was comprised of 3 areas of policy : Cultural Identity , which means the right to express and share one’s cultural heritage ; Social Justice , the right to equal treatment and opportunity ; and Economic Efficiency , the need to maintain and develop the skills of all Australians regardless of their backgrounds .
The White Australia Policy The White Australia Policy was officially adopted by the Commonwealth of Australian in 1901 , in the Immigration Restriction Act . It was made to stop Chinese and other non-British migrants from entering and settling down in Australia . This was mainly achieved through a dictation test in a European language . The White Australia Policy was officially abolished in 1973.