英国社会与文化思考题

Tellwhatyouknowaboutthefollowinginyourownwords.•1.London•Londonisthelargestcitylocatedinthesouthofthecountry.ItisdominantinBritaininallsortsofways.ItistheculturalandbusinesscentreandtheheadquartersofthevastmajorityofBritain’sbigcompanies.Itisnotonlythefinancialcentreofthenation,butalsooneofthethreemajorinternationalfinancialcentersintheworld.•2.KingArthur•ItissaidthathewastheKingofEnglandinthe5thcenturyandunitedtheBritishanddrovetheSaxonsbackwithhismagicalsword,Excalibur.Hisrealexistenceisindoubt.Heisthecentralfigureofmanylegends.•3.RobinHood•RobinHoodwasaSaxonnobleman.AshecouldnolongerputupwithoppressionsfromtheNormans,hebecameanoutlawandhidhimselfwithhisbandof“merrymen”intheforest.Fromthissecretplace,hewentouttorobfromtherichtogivethepoor.Tellwhatyouknowaboutthefollowinginyourownwords.•4.TheAnglo-Saxons•TheyweretwogroupsofGermanicpeopleswhosettleddowninEnglandfromthe5thcentury.TheywereregardedastheancestorsoftheEnglishandthefoundersofEngland.Tellwhatyouknowaboutthefollowinginyourownwords.•5.TheGoodFridayAgreement•Asaresultofmulti-partynegotiations,theGoodFridayAgreementwasapprovedon10April1998.ThisagreementassurestheloyalistcommunitythatNorthernIrelandremainspartoftheUnitedKingdomanditwon’tchangeitspoliticalstatusunlessthemajorityofthepeopleofNorthernIrelandagree.Underthetermsoftheagreement,NorthernIrelandshouldbegovernedbythreeseparatejurisdictions:thatoftheRepublicofIreland,thatofGreatBritainandthatofitsownelectedexecutivegovernmentoftenministers.Tellwhatyouknowaboutthefollowinginyourownwords.•6.ThefunctionsofParliament•ThefunctionsofParliamentare:topasslaws,tovotefortaxations,toscrutinisegovernmentpolicy,administrationandexpenditureandtodebatethemajorissuesoftheday.Tellwhatyouknowaboutthefollowinginyourownwords.•7.TheHouseofLords•TheHouseofLordsconsistsoftheLordsSpiritual,whoaretheArchbishopsandmostprominentbishopsoftheChurchofEngland;andtheLordsTemporal,whichreferstothoselordswhoeitherhaveinheritedtheseatfromtheirforefathersortheyhavebeenappointed.Thelordsmainlyrepresentthemselvesinsteadoftheinterestsofthepublic.Tellwhatyouknowaboutthefollowinginyourownwords.•8.TheHouseofCommons•TheHouseofCommonsistherealBritishpoliticallifebecauseitistheplacewhereabout650electedrepresentatives(MembersofParliament)makeanddebatepolicy.TheseMPsareelectedintheGeneralElectionsandshouldrepresenttheinterestsofthepeoplewhovoteforthem.Tellwhatyouknowaboutthefollowinginyourownwords.Tellwhatyouknowaboutthefollowinginyourownwords.•9.Theelectoralcampaigns•Beforeageneralelection,thepoliticalpartieswouldstarttheirelectoralcampaignsinordertomaketheirideologiesandpoliciesknowntothepublic.Thecampaigninvolvesadvertisementsinnewspapers,door-to-doorcampaigning,postaldeliveriesofleafletsand“partyelectoralbroadcasts”onthetelevision.Thepartiesalsotrytoattackandcriticisetheopponents’policies.Therefore,thesecampaignssometimescanbequiteaggressiveandcritical.•10.Theimportanceofgeneralelections•Generalelectionsareveryimportantinwesterndemocracy.Theyprovideopportunitiesforpeopletoinfluencefuturegovernmentpoliciesandtoreplacethoseincompetentpoliticalleaders.•11.Theformationofthegovernment•651membersofparliamentareelectedinthegeneralelectionrepresenting651constituenciesintheUK.Thepartywhichholdsamajorityofthose“seats”inparliamentformsthegovernment,withitspartyleaderasthePrimeMinister.•12.ClasssysteminBritishsociety•TheclasssystemdoesexistinBritishsociety.MostoftheBritishpopulationwouldclaimthemselvestobeeitherofmiddle-classorworking-class,thoughsomepeoplewouldactuallybelongtotheuppermiddle-classorlowermiddle-class.Classdivisionsarenotsimplyeconomic,theyareculturalaswell.Peopledodifferentclassesmaydifferinthekindofnewspaperstheyread,inthewaytheyspeakandinthekindofeducationtheyreceive.OneofthedistinctivefeaturesabouttheBritishclasssystemisthataristocratic(贵族的)titlescanstillbeinherited.1•WhatisBritain’spolicyindealingwithclimatechange?WhatwilltheBritishgovernmentdotoprotecttheworldenvironment?Whatdoyouthinkweshoulddotoprotecttheenvironment?UKPolicyonEnvironmentalProtection•TheUKgovernmenthasfollowedaforthrightpolicyintackingclimatechangesincetheKyotoProtocolwassignedin1997.UndertheagreementthegovernmenthasagreedthattheUKwillmeettoughtargetstoreducecarbonemissionsincrementallybetweennowand2020.•InNovember2000,theUnitedKingdom’sClimateChangeProgrammewaslaunchedbytheBritishgovernmentinresponsetoitscommitmentagreedatthe1992UnitedNationsConferenceonEnvironmentandDevelopment(UNCED).In2004,theUKwastheworld’s8thgreatestproducerofman-madecarbonemissions,producingaround2.3%ofthetotalgeneratedfromfossilfuels.Theaimsoftheprogrammearenotonlytocutallgreenhousegasemissionsbytheagreed12.5%from1990levelsintheperiod2008to2012(theinternationalKyotocommitment),buttogobeyondthisbycuttingcarbondioxideemissionsby20%from1990levelsby2010.UKPolicyonEnvironmentalProtection•On26November2008,aftercross-partypressureoverseveralyears,ledbyenvironmentalgroups,theClimateChangeActbecamelaw.TheActputsinplaceaframeworktoachieveamandatory80%cutintheUK’scarbonemissionsby2050.DuringtheUNCl