英美概况名词解释

名词解释：
1. Great Britain: shortened as Britain ,it can be a geographical term ,referring to the island on
which England ,Wales and Scotland are situated ,together with numerous smaller islands .
2. The Union Flag :also known as the Union Jack ,it is the national flag of the United Kingdom .
3. God Save the King Queen : the national anthem of the United Kingdom.
4. Lake Poets: English poets at the turn of the 19
th
century who lived in the Lake District of
England and were inspired by it to create romantic works .
5. Domesday Book(土地财产清册)：The written record of a census and survey of English
landowners and their property made by order of William the Conqueror in 1085-1086 .
6. Black Death (黑死病)：also known as the Black Plague ,it was a devastating pandemic(流行
的) that first struck European in the mid-14
th
century .
7. Gunpowder Plot(火药阴谋)：conspiracy of a group of English Catholics to blow up the House
of Parliament where King James I was present on 5 November , plan was
discovered and Guy Frank was caught and burnt alive .In England ,5 November is
celebrated with bonfire ,fireworks and the burning of the effigies.(肖像)。
8. The Petition of Right （权利请愿书）：a document produced by the English Parliament in the
run-up to the English Civil War .It was addressed to Charles I of England in 1628.
9. The Hundred Years' War: The Hundred Years’ War refers to the war between Englan
d and France that lasted intermittently from 1337 to 1453. The causes of the war wer
e partly territorial and partly economic. ①The territorial causes were related with the
possession by the English kings of the large duchy of Aquitaine in France, as the F
rench kings grew stronger, the y increasingly coveted this large slice. ②The economic
causes were connected with cloth manufacturing towns in Flanders, which were the
importer of English wool, but they were loyal to the French king politically. Besides,
England's desire to ③s top France from giving aid to Scots and ④ a growing sense
of nationalism were the other causes.一。
The English's being driven out of France is ① regarded as a blessing for both countrie
s. If the English had remained in France, the superior size and wealth of France would h
ave ②hindered the development of a separate English national identity, ③ while France
was hindered so long as a foreign power occupied so much French territory.
10. Constitutional monarchy (君主立宪制):The United Kingdom ,as the name implies, rem
ains a monarchy, but one with limited power
11. Social Security (社会保障):The Social Security system is designed to secure a basic st
andard of living for people in financial need “from the cradle to the grave”.
12. The church of England :The Church of England ,also called the Anglican Church(英
国国教),is the established or national church in England .
13. Westminster Abbey :a famous church located in London ,where English monarchs are
crowded and distinguished English subjects are buried .The Poets’ Corner contains th
e graves of great English writer ,including Geoffrey Chaucer and Robert Browning.

14. The American Revolution: also known as the War of Independence or Revolutionary,
it began in 1775 and concluded in 1783, it ended two centuries of British rule for m
ost of the North American colonies and created the United States of America.
15. The Great Lake: these are the most important lakes in America, extending about 1,60
0 kilometers and forming a section of the boundary between the United Stated and C
anada.
16. The Confederacy ：this refers to the eleven states in the South that seceded from the
Union(i.e. the United states )in 1860-1861 to establish what they called the Confederat
e States of America .
17. The Pilgrim Fathers: In American history, “pilgrims” refers to the group of individuals
who were the founders of Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts. The name “Pilgrim Fath
ers” is given to those members who made the first crossing on the famous Mayflower,
which laded at Plymouth harbor in December 1620.
18. WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant): as a term, it refers to people of English desc
ent who believe in Protestantism.
19. The New World: as a phrase, it refers to North and South America. By contrast, the
phrase---the Old World---refers to Europe, Asia and Africa.
20. Slavery: Southern slavery was ended only with the victory of the northern states in th
e Civil War of 1861-1865. The U.S. Constitution was then amended to outlaw slavery
, and to grant automatic citizenship to any person born in the United States.
21. Gold Rush: it refers to the discovery of gold by a carpenter, named James Marshall,
in California in 1848, when word of the discovery spread, people everywhere rushed t
o California to garner instant fortunes, creating the legendary Gold Rush.

名词解释：
22. Great Britain: shortened as Britain ,it can be a geographical term ,referring to the island on
which England ,Wales and Scotland are situated ,together with numerous smaller islands .
23. The Union Flag :also known as the Union Jack ,it is the national flag of the United Kingdom .
24. God Save the King Queen : the national anthem of the United Kingdom.
25. Lake Poets: English poets at the turn of the 19
th
century who lived in the Lake District of
England and were inspired by it to create romantic works .
26. Domesday Book(土地财产清册)：The written record of a census and survey of English
landowners and their property made by order of William the Conqueror in 1085-1086 .
27. Black Death (黑死病)：also known as the Black Plague ,it was a devastating pandemic(流行
的) that first struck European in the mid-14
th
century .
28. Gunpowder Plot(火药阴谋)：conspiracy of a group of English Catholics to blow up the House
of Parliament where King James I was present on 5 November , plan was
discovered and Guy Frank was caught and burnt alive .In England ,5 November is
celebrated with bonfire ,fireworks and the burning of the effigies.(肖像)。

29. The Petition of Right （权利请愿书）：a document produced by the English Parliament in the
run- up to the English Civil War .It was addressed to Charles I of England in 1628.
30. The Hundred Years' War: The Hundred Years’ War refers to the war between Englan
d and France that lasted intermittently from 1337 to 1453. The causes of the war wer
e partly territorial and partly economic. ①The territorial causes were related with the
possession by the English kings of the large duchy of Aquitaine in France, as the F
rench kings grew stronger, the y increasingly coveted this large slice. ②The economic
causes were connected with cloth manufacturing towns in Flanders, which were the
importer of English wool, but they were loyal to the French king politically. Besides,
England's desire to ③s top France from giving aid to Scots and ④ a growing sense
of nationalism were the other causes.一。
The English's being driven out of France is ① regarded as a blessing for both countrie
s. If the English had remained in France, the superior size and wealth of France would h
ave ②hindered the development of a separate English national identity, ③ while France
was hindered so long as a foreign power occupied so much French territory.
31. Constitutional monarchy (君主立宪制):The United Kingdom ,as the name implies, rem
ains a monarchy, but one with limited power
32. Social Security (社会保障):The Social Security system is designed to secure a basic st
andard of living for people in financial need “from the cradle to the grave”.
33. The church of England :The Church of England ,also called the Anglican Church(英
国国教),is the established or national church in England .
34. Westminster Abbey :a famous church located in London ,where English monarchs are
crowded and distinguished English subjects are buried .The Poets’ Corner contains th
e graves of great English writer ,including Geoffrey Chaucer and Robert Browning.
35. The American Revolution: also known as the War of Independence or Revolutionary,
it began in 1775 and concluded in 1783, it ended two centuries of British rule for m
ost of the North American colonies and created the United States of America.
36. The Great Lake: these are the most important lakes in America, extending about 1,60
0 kilometers and forming a section of the boundary between the United Stated and C
anada.
37. The Confederacy ：this refers to the eleven states in the South that seceded from the
Union(i.e. the United states )in 1860-1861 to establish what they called the Confederat
e States of America .
38. The Pilgrim Fathers: In American history, “pilgrims” refers to the group of individuals
who were the founders of Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts. The name “Pilgrim Fath
ers” is given to those members who made the first crossing on the famous Mayflower,
which laded at Plymouth harbor in December 1620.

39. WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant): as a term, it refers to people of English desc
ent who believe in Protestantism.
40. The New World: as a phrase, it refers to North and South America. By contrast, the
phrase---the Old World---refers to Europe, Asia and Africa.
41. Slavery: Southern slavery was ended only with the victory of the northern states in th
e Civil War of 1861-1865. The U.S. Constitution was then amended to outlaw slavery
, and to grant automatic citizenship to any person born in the United States.
42. Gold Rush: it refers to the discovery of gold by a carpenter, named James Marshall,
in California in 1848, when word of the discovery spread, people everywhere rushed t
o California to garner instant fortunes, creating the legendary Gold Rush.