-
.
Culture Knowledge Contest
（
American
Culture
）
August
31, 2014
Part I
Single-Choice Questions
Directions:
Read
the
following
unfinished
statements
or
questions
carefully.
For
each
unfinished
statement
or
question,
four
suggested
answers
marked
[A],
[B],
[C]
and
[D]
are
given.
Choose
the
one
that
you think best
completes the statement or answers the
question
.
1. The
strong American belief in individualism can be
divided into
idealism and ____________.
[A ] realism
[B]
protestantism
[C] materialism
[D] volunteerism
3.
“Priesthood of all believers” means
____________.
[A] every priest must be a devoted
believer
[B] every believer should
confess to God through the priest
[C]
every believer is his or her own priest
[D] every priest should be responsible
for the believers
4. Which
of the following statements about American
education is
TRUE
?
[A] The majority of the
private schools are associated with particular
churches.
.
.
[B] Religious schools that
serve middle-class students receive money
from the national government.
[C]
After twelve years of
school, American students receive a bachelor’s
degree diploma at graduation.
[D] American schools attach the
greatest importance to developing
students’ academic skills.
5. Which of the following statements
about American Frontier is
TRUE
?
[A] The frontier experience began in
about 1890 and is still continuing
in
the American West today.
[B] There are
two types of heroic rugged individualists: man
against
wilderness and man against man.
[C] The settling of the frontier did
little to affect the lives of the
American Indians.
[D] The
can-do spirit came from the willingness of the
pioneers to work
together on a
cooperative project for the good of all.
6. Most American people
strongly believe in individual freedom, and
therefore they do
NOT
like ____________.
[A] being self-reliant
[C] a big
government
[B] making a lot of money
[D] religious freedom
7. The
American saying “Say what you mean and mean what
you say”
reflects that American people
value ____________.
[A] competition
[B]
optimism
.
.
[C]
performances
[D]
assertiveness
8. American
culture is also a culture of its own and above
everything else
____________ is most
important.
[A] diversity
[C] nationality
[B] individuality
[D] unity
9. One of the most
important values associated with American
Protestantism is the value of
____________.
[A] self-improvement
[B] equality of
opportunity
[C] optimism
[D] rugged individualism
11.
The strong American belief in individualism has
strengthened
American’s
____________ and hard work.
[A] inventiveness
[B]
promptness
[C] frankness
[D] assertiveness
12. In the U.S., the president can
____________ a bill from Congress, but
the bill can still become law if at
least ____________ of the members in
each house vote for it when it is voted
on again.
[A] void, 1/3
[B] void, 2/3
[C]
veto, 1/3
[D]
veto, 2/3
13. Scholars who see the
United States as a “salad bowl” emphasize
____________.
[A] the great
extent of racial and ethnic assimilation
[B] the distinct differences between
racial and ethnic groups
[C] the rapid
growth of population
.
.
[D] the great diversity in religious
beliefs
14. In American
society, the “boomerang kids” refers to
____________.
[A] the
children living with the single parent
[B] the children born in 1950s
[C] the children returning home after
graduation from college
[D] the
children living separately from their parents
16.
The
presidential
election
in
the
United
States
is
held
every
____________ years.
[A] 2
[B]
4
[C] 6
[D] 8
17. ____________ was
American
’
s first president.
[A] George
Washington
[C]
James Madison
[B] Thomas Jefferson
[D] Andrew Jackson
18.
The
Cold
War
was
the
continuing
state
of
conflict,
tension
and
competition
that
existed
after
World
War
II.
On
the
one
side
were
the
____________ and its satellites, and on
the other were the powers of the
Western world under the leadership of
the United States.
[A] Germany
[C] the Soviet Union
[B]
Cuba
[D] Britain
19.
Child
education
in
the
United
States
is
compulsory.
The
ages
for
compulsory education vary by state
beginning at ages ____________ and
ending at the ages of fourteen to
eighteen.
[A] four to five
.
[B] five to six
.
[C] six to eight
[D]
five to eight
20. According
to the US Constitution,
Congress
’
s essential
function is to
____________.
[A] declare laws
[C] make laws
[B] pass laws
[D] execute laws
21.
The
Senate
is
the
upper
chamber
of
Congress.
It
consists
of
100
members,
with
____________
senators
elected
from
each
state,
regardless of the
size of the state
’
s
population..
[A] one
[B]
two
[C] three
[D] four
22. The
history of the English language is divided into
three periods. The
period from 1150 to
1500 is known as the ____________.
[A]
Old English period
[B] Anglo-Saxon period
[C]
Middle English period
[D] Modern English period
23.
The
first
permanent
English
settlement
in
North
America
was
____________.
[A]
Philadelphia
[C] Jamestown
[B] Plymouth
[D] Boston
24. ____________ is the symbol of the
American Democratic Party.
[A] The
donkey
[B] The bull
[C] The bald
eagle
[D] The elephant
25.
Who
is
the
only
American
president
to
have
served
more
than
two
terms?
.
.
[A] Bill Clinton
[B]
George Washington
[C] Franklin D.
Roosevelt
[
D] Abraham Lincoln
27. ____________ are the two major
political parties in the United States.
[A] The Labor Party and the
Independence Party
[B] The Independence Party
and the Republican Party
[C] The Republican Party and the Labor
Party
[D] The Democratic Party and the
Republican Party
28.
The
upper
chamber
of
the
American
Congress
is
called
____________.
[A] the House of Commons
[C]
the House of Representatives
[B] the
Parliament
[D]
the Senate
31.
____________
a
popular
tourist
destination
in
Hollywood.
It
comprises more than 2,500 five-pointed
stars which bear the names of a
mix
of
actors,
musicians,
directors,
producers,
musical
and
theatrical
groups, fictional characters, and
others.
[A] Hollywood Walk
of Fame
[B]
Hollywood Boulevard
[C] Universal Studios
[D] Disneyland
32.
“A man is not made for defeat … A man
can be destroyed but not
defeated.”
From which novel is this
passage taken?
[A]
In Our Time
[B]
A Farewell to Arms
[C]
The Old Man and the Sea
[D]
For Whom the Bell Tolls
33. The
national anthem of the United States is
____________.
.
.
[A]
The Battle Hymn of the
Republic
[B]
God Save the Queen
[C]
The Star-
Spangled Banner
[D]
American
Soldier
34. ____________ was
a singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, businessman,
and
philanthropist.
He
was
called
the
King
of
Pop.
He
popularized
a
number
of
complicated
dance
techniques,
such
as
the
robot
and
the
moonwalk.
[A] Michael Joseph Jackson
[B]
Bob Dylan
[C]
Beetles
[D] Elvis Presley
35. ____________ is a
street in Manhattan, New York. There are a lot of
theatres
at
both
sides
of
the
street
and
it
has
become
a
synonym
of
musicals.
[A]
the 5
th
Avenue
[B] Avenue de New-York
[C]
Park Avenue.
[D] Broadway
36.
____________
is
often
regarded
as
the
greatest
American
woman
poet and she wrote over 1,700 short
lyric poems in her life time.
[A] Anne
Bradstreet
[B] Robert
Frost
[C] Emily Bronte
[D]
Emily Dickinson
40.
____________
is
an
American
syndicated
talk
show
that
aired
nationally
for
25
seasons
from
1986
to
2011
and
remains
the
highest-rated talk show in American
television history.
[A]
Daily Show
[B] Oprah
Winfrey Show
[C] Talent Show
[D] Ellen Show
.
.
41. In America,
____________ are given to recognize outstanding
work
in the television industry.
[A] Grammy Awards
[B] Tony Awards
[D]
Emmy Awards
[C] Academy Awards
42.
____________, located in New York City, is the
largest art museum
in the United States
and one of the ten largest in the world.
[A] The Metropolitan Museum
of Art
[B] National Museum of
American Art
[C] Hirshhorn
Museum
[D] National Museum of Air
and Space
45. ____________
is a film about a German businessman who saved the
lives of more than a thousand mostly
Polish-Jewish refugees during the
Holocaust by employing them in his
factories.
[A]
The Pianist
[B]
Schindler's
List
[C]
Sophie’
s Choice
[D]
Pearl Harbor
46. When is Halloween celebrated every
year?
[A] On October 31
[B]
On February 14
[C] On May 30
[D]
On November 11
47. American
Independence Day falls on ____________.
[A] May 30
[B] October 31
[C] March 20
[
D] July 4
48. Thanksgiving Day is originated in
____________.
.
.
[A] England
[B] America
[C] Scotland
[D] Canada
49.
April Fool's Day began in
____________
.
[A]
America
[B]
Germany
[C] France
[D]
Italy
50.
When
first
introduced
to
someone,
one
should
address
and
be
addressed
as Miss, Ms., Mrs. or Mr. followed by the
____________.
[A] first name
[C] nick name
[B] surname
[D] middle name
51. Among the five Great Lakes, only
____________ is wholly within the
United States.
[A] Erie
[B]
Superior
[C]
Michigan
[D] Huron
52. If
you are invited to a business lunch, ask
____________ what he or
she recommends
before placing your order, so that you will have
an idea
as to an appropriate price
range for your meal.
[A]
the restaurant owner
[B] the waiter
[C] the chef
[D] the host
53.
How many dimes is a US dollar?
[A] 10
[B] 5
[C] 25
[D] 4
54. How
many cents is a US quarter?
[A] 10
[B] 5
[C] 25
[D] 4
55. Marriage in America is considered
____________.
[A] more
important to the parents
[B] a pure religious affair
[C] rather burdensome
[D] a pure individual matter
.
.
56. When was
Coca-Cola first created?
[A] In 1765
[B] In 1885
[C] In 1925
[D] In 1995
57.
The
KFC
(chain
restaurants
from
the
United
States)
is
the
abbreviation of which of the following?
[A] Kentucky Fried Cake
[B] Kentucky Fried Chicken
[C] Kentucky Frying Cake
[D] Kentucky
Frying Chicken
58. Which
number is unlucky in Western culture?
[A] 7
[B] 8
[C] 13
[D]
14
60. Handshaking is a
popular tradition among professionals in America.
Handshaking should be ____________ and
last between 3-5 seconds.
[A] extended
[B] interrupted
[C] light
[D]
firm
61. There are ____________ states
in the United States of America.
[A] 46
[B] 48
[C]
50
[D] 52
62.
____________
is the largest state in area in the U.S.A.
[A] Florida
[B] Louisiana
[C]
Alaska
[D]
California
63. ____________ is known as
the nation's
abundant production of
oats, wheat, and corn.
[A] The North
[B] The South
[D]
The Mideast
[C] The Midwest
.
.
64. ____________ is the coldest and
deepest of the five Great Lakes.
[A]
Superior
[B] Huron
[C] Michigan
[D] Ontario
65. Washington, the capital
of the US, is on the ____________ river.
[A] Delaware
[B] St. Laurence
[C]
Hudson
[D] Potomac
66. The highest mountain in
the U.S. is Mount ____________.
[A] Appalachian
[C] Rocky
[B] Mekinley
[D] Great Smoky
67.
The
1970s
and
early
1980s
saw
the
onset
of
stagflation.
After
his
election
in
1980,
President
____________
responded
to
economic
stagnation with
free-market oriented reforms.
[A] Jimmy
Carter
[B]
R
onald Reagan
[C] George Bush
[D]
Bill Clinton
68. Seattle, a household
name in many movies such as
Sleepless
in Seattle
or
Finding Mr. Right
(
北京遇上西雅图
)
, is a
coastal seaport city in the
state of
____________.
[A] California
[B] Massachusetts
[D] New York
[C]
Washington
70. ____________
has developed a big steel-making industry and is
the
largest producer of iron and steel
in the United States.
[A] Chicago
.
[B] Detroit
.
[C] Pittsburgh
[D]
New Orleans
71. ____________, bordering
on Lake Erie, is a famous automobile town.
It is the home of American gods: Ford,
General Motors and Chrysler.
[A]
Chicago
[C] Pittsburgh
[B] Detroit
[D] New Orleans
72.
____________ was the first company to introduce
assembly lines for
mass production of
cars.
[A] General Motors
[B] American Motors Corporation
[C]
Chrysler
[D]
Ford
74.
–
October 5, 2011) is the
co-founder,
chairman, and CEO of Apple
Inc., an American multinational corporation
headquartered in the world-famous
Silicon Valley in ____________.
[A]
California
[B] Texas
[C] Arizona
[D] Florida
75. Bill Gates, who formally dropped
out of Harvard in his junior year, is
the
former
chief
executive
and
chairman
of
Microsoft
Corporation,
an
American
multinational
corporation
headquartered
in
Redmond,
____________.
[A] Colorado
[B]
Ohio
[C]
Washington
[D] Virginia
78.
The
Grand
Canyon,
a
steep-
sided
canyon
carved
by
the
Colorado
River in the United States in the state
of ____________, is known for its
.
.
visually overwhelming size
and its intricate and colorful landscape.
[A] New Mexico
[B] Wisconsin
[C] Louisiana
[D] Arizona
79. As a prominent American landmark,
the Golden Gate Bridge has been
one of
the most internationally recognized symbols of
____________. It
has
been
declared
one
of
the
Wonders
of
the
Modern
World
by
the
American
Society of Civil Engineers.
[A] Los
Angeles
[B] San
Francisco
[C]
Washington D.C.
[D] New York
80. Already a huge tourist attraction
and favorite spot for honeymooners,
____________ is the collective name for
three waterfalls that straddle the
international
border
between
Canada
and
the
United
States;
more
specifically, between the province of
Ontario and the state of New York.
[A]
Iguasu Falls
[C]
Angel Falls
[B] Victoria
Falls
[D]
Niagara Falls
81. ____________, widely
held to be the first national park in the world,
is known for its wildlife and its many
geothermal features, especially Old
Faithful Geyser, one of the most
popular features in the park.
[A]
Yellowstone
[B] Great Smoky Mountains
[C] Grand Canyon
[D]
Yosemite
82. In late
____________, the NBA Playoffs
(
季后赛
) begin..
[A]
May
.
[B] April
.
[C] March
[D] June
83. Broadcast on
live TV to a world-wide audience, Armstrong
stepped
out of ____________
11
onto the lunar surface
and described the event as
[A] Challenger
[B] Columbia
[C]
Apollo
[D]
Discovery
84.
____________
is
the
United
States
government
agency
that
is
responsible for the civilian space
program as well as for aeronautics and
aerospace research.
[A]
CIA
[B] NACA
[C] NASA
[D] NSA
85.
All
of
the
following
festivals
are
of
some
religious
nature
except
____________.
[A] Easter
[B]
Thanksgiving
[C] Halloween
[D]
Memorial Day
87. ____________ is an
American professional golfer who is among the
most successful golfers of all time. He
has been one of the highest-paid
athletes in the world for several
years.
[A]
[B]
Venus Williams
[C] Michael Phelps
[D]
Jeremy Lin
88. The US Open is a
hardcourt ____________ tournament which is held
annually in late August and early
September over a two-week period.
[A]
golf
[B] ice hockey
[D] cricket
[C] tennis
.
.
90. The
Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World)
is a colossal
neoclassical sculpture on
Liberty Island in ____________.
[A] San
Francisco
[B] Washington D.C.
[C] Los Angels
Part II
Multiple-Choice
Questions
Directions:
Read
the
following
unfinished
statements
or
questions
carefully.
For
each
unfinished
statement
or
question,
four
suggested
answers marked
[A], [B], [C] and [D] are given. Choose
the ones
that
you
think best complete the statement or answer the
question.
1. The U.S.
President can decide ____________.
[A] what foreign policies to make
[B] who become the judges of the
federal courts
[C] whether the law is
unconstitutional
[D] who should
be included in the cabinet
2. The John
Harvard statue i
s actually nicknamed
the “st
atue of three
lies”
because of all the inaccuracies inscribed on it.
They are
____________.
[A]
That isn’t John Harvard.
[B]
John Harvard wasn’t the
founder of Harvard University.
[C]
Harvard wasn’t founded
in 1638.
[D] New York City
.
.
[D] Harvard was originally called the
New College. And its mission was
to
train clergy.
3. Which of the following
presidents had been impeached when they were
in office?
[A] Richard Nixon
[C] Andrew
Johnson.
[B] Bill
Clinton
[D] Jimmy Carter
4. Which two universities worked
together to create a new non-profit
venture---EDX?
[A] Yale
University
[B]
Stanford University
[C] Massachusetts
Institute of Technology
[D]
Harvard University
6. English as a
language borrowed a lot of words from the
following
languages: ____________.
[A] Latin
[B] Greek
[C]
French
[D] German
7.
Which of the following English words came from
Chinese?
[A] zebra
[B] Tai Chi
[C] ketchup
[D]
mahjong
8. Which of the following are
the descriptions of Uncle Sam?
[A] He
has long white hair and a beard.
[B] He
wears a waistcoat and striped trousers.
[C] He wears tall hat with a star.
[D] He used to be an
inspector of army supplies.
10.
We have different ways of saying
“cheap”. Which of the following
phrases
are right?
.
.
[A] On sale
[B] A good deal
[C] A bargain
[D] A steal
12. The United States has one of the
largest diplomatic presences of any
nation. Only a few countries
don
’
t have formal diplomatic
relations with
the United States. They
include ____________.
[A]
Laos
[B] Vietnam
[C]
North Korea
[D] Cuba
13.
In
most
public
schools
and
private
schools
in
the
United
States,
education is divided into three levels:
____________.
[A] elementary school,
[C] higher
school
[B] middle school
[D]
high school
15.
The possible
reasons
why
many
American
parents
would
choose to
homeschool their children are
____________.
[A] they wish to add
religious instruction
[B]
they
feel
they
can
more
effectively
tailor
a
curriculum
to
suit
an
individual
student
’
s academic strengths
and weaknesses
[C] they
can
’
t afford a school
[D]
they feel that the negative social pressures of
schools are harmful to a
child
’
s proper
development
16.
Which
of
the
following
higher
institutions
are
members
of
the
Ivy
League?
[A] Yale University.
[B] Columbia
University
[D] Princeton
University
[C] Harvard
University
17.
Of the following words, which ones belong to
British English?
.
.
[A]
lift
[B] truck
[D]
lorry
[C] elevator
18.
British
English
and
American
English
are
two
major
geographical
varieties of
English spoken respectively in Great Britain and
the United
States.
Their
distinctions
can
be
seen
in
the
following
aspects
____________.
[A]
pronunicaiton
[B] spelling
[C] grammar
[D] vocabulary
19. Suspicious of any power
concentration, the framers of the American
Constitution
distributed
power
among
the
three
branches
of
the
federal
government. The three branches are
____________.
[A] Congress
[B] the executive branch
[C]
the
judicial
branch
[D] the supreme court
20. The major powers of the American
Congress include ____________.
[A]
levying federal taxes
[B] regulating
commerce with foreign states and among states
[C] declaring wars
[D] deciding what government programs
will receive funds
21. Which of the
following movies have won the Oscars?
[A]
Million
Dollar Baby
.
[B]
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