自考英语学位考试试题及答案

全国2009年4月高等教育自学考试 英语国家概况试题 课程代码：00522 I. 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. Write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space on the answer sheet. (50 points, 1 point for each) 1. Strictly speaking, “the British Isles” refers to_______. A. Great Britain B. Ireland C. the United Kingdom D. Great Britain and Ireland 2. Which of the following kings was responsible for the complete establishment of the feudal system in England? A. Edward I B. Henry II C. Alfred the Great D. William the Conqueror 3. The spirit of the Great Charter was ______. A. a limitation of the powers of the king B. a guarantee of the freedom of the serfs C. a limitation of the powers of the Church D. a declaration of equality among all people 4. Which of the following is NOT true about the result of the Black Death? A. Much land was left untended. B. There was a terrible shortage of labour. C. The surviving peasants had lost their power of bargaining. D. Landowners tended to change from arable to sheep-farming. 5. The War of Roses that took place from 1455 to 1485 was fought between ______. A. Britain and France B. the Parliament and the Crown C. the working people and the aristocrats D. two branches of the Plantagenet family 6. The English Renaissance was largely literary, and it achieved its finest expression in the so-called ______. A. Romantic poetry B. Romantic fiction C. Elizabethan poetry D. Elizabethan drama 7. British constitutional monarchy is a system under which the powers of the ______ are limited by Parliament or the constitution. A. church B. king or queen C. government ministers D. Bishop’s court 8. The Tories in Britain were the forerunners of ______, which still bears this nickname today. A. the Labor Party B. the Liberal Party C. the Conservative Party D. the Social Democratic Party 9. Which of the following was NOT included in the six-point demand of the Chartist Movement? A. Equal electoral districts B. Voting by secret ballot C. The vote for all adult males D. The vote for all adult females 10. During the First World War, Britain was allied with ______. A. Turkey B. the Central Powers C. France and Russia D. Germany and Austria-Hungary 11. Who was the man that led Britain in the crisis of the Second World War? A. George VI B. Theodore Roosevelt C. Neville Chamberlain D. Sir Winston Churchill 12. The new policies adopted by Mrs. Thatcher and Conservative Government after the 1979 election was known as ______. A. Thatcherism B. the New Deal C. New Frontier D. Keynesianism 13. Over the past one thousand years, the British ______ has been broken only once between 1649 and 1660. A. Cabinet B. Parliament C. Monarchy D. Privy Council 14. Who has the power to appoint the Prime Minister in Britain? A. The Queen B. The Parliament C. The House of Lords D. The Church of England 15. In Britain, a full meeting of ______ is called only when a Sovereign dies or announces his or her intention to marry. A. the Privy Council B. the Parliament C. the House of Commons D. the House of Lords 16. Which of the following is NOT involved in the British judicial responsibilities? A. Attorney General B. Ministry of Justice C. The Lord Chancellor D. The Home Secretary 17. Bank holidays in Britain refer to ______. A. official public holidays B. holidays for the banks only C. public holidays except for the banks D. holidays for the financial institutions only 18. Which statement about the British universities is NOT true? A. They enjoy academic freedom. B. They cannot appoint their own staff. C. They are governed by royal charters. D. They provide their own courses and award their own degrees. 19. ______, the most popular sport in England as well as in Europe, has its traditional home in England where it was developed in the 19th century. A. Basketball B. Tennis C. Football D. Baseball 20. London’s Metropolitan Police Force is directly under the control of _______. A. the Prime Minister B. the Lord Chancellor C. the Home Secretary D. the Attorney General 21. Which statement about the Puritans is NOT true? A. The Puritans did not allow religious dissent. B. The Puritans were poor artisans and unskilled peasants. C. They were dissatisfied with the political corruption in England. D. They went to the United States to establish what they considered the true church. 22. The largest racial and ethnic minority in the U.S. is the ______, which accounts over 12.1% of the population. A. blacks B. Asians C. Indians D. Hispanics 23. The three well-known authors who penned the Federalist Papers are ______. A. Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and John Jay B. George Washington, James Madison and John Jay C. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay D. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Adams 24. When Abraham Lincoln was elected president, the southern states broke away and formed a new nation called ______. A. the Southern States of America B. the Federalist States of America C. the Confederate States of America D. the Anti-confederate States of America 25. With the development of industry and extension of railroad network in the early 20th century in the U.S.A., there appeared ______. A. a rapid growth of cities B. an influx of foreign goods C. an increase of urban ghettos D. a great increase in the number of farms 26. In the early 19th century, ______ actively used the Sherman Antitrust Act to stop monopolistic business mergers in the United States. A. J.P. Morgan B. Woodrow Wilson C. Henry Rockefeller D. Theodore Roosevelt 27. The Red Scare in 1919 and 1920 was a typical example of American ______. A. religious intolerance B. intolerant nationalism C. Progressive Movement D. deregulation of big trusts 28. In the early 1930s, the American foreign policy was isolationist, but the ______ suddenly changed the whole situation, which propelled the U.S. into the Second World War. A. Pearl Harbor attack B. bombing of Guam island C. seizing of American merchant ships D. sinking of American passenger ships 29. In 1962, President ______ finally decided on the use of naval force to prevent military material and arms from entering Cuba and demanded Soviet removal of the missiles there. A. Nixon B. Truman C. Johnson D. Kennedy 30. In 1853, in the ______, another 30,000 square miles of Mexican land were added to the territory of the U.S.A. A. Atlantic Purchase B. Mexican Purchase C. Gadsden Purchase D. Louisiana Purchase 31. The four problems that face the economy of the United States are______. A. unemployment, inflation, financial crisis and trade deficit B. unemployment, inflation, financial deficit and trade deficit C. mortgage losses, inflation, financial deficit and trade deficit D. unemployment, market failures, financial deficit and trade deficit 32. Which statement about the U.S. Constitution is NOT true? A. It is the supreme law of the land. B. It is the oldest written constitution in the world. C. It was adopted in 1781 at the Second Continental Congress. D. It provides the basis for political stability, economic growth and social progress. 33. The American President usually takes an oath of office, administered by the ______ of the United States in January. A. Chief Justice B. House Speaker C. Secretary of State D. Senate Majority Leader 34. The U.S. Constitution provides that the ______ shall be President of the Senate. A. Vice President B. Secretary of State C. Senate Majority Leader D. Senate Minority Leader 35. Which one of the following is NOT government-run at the U.S. federal level? A. Motor vehicle B. The road system C. National defense D. The postal service 36. It is generally agreed that U.S. higher education began with the______. A. Civil War B. Independence War C. founding of Harvard College D. founding of Princeton University 37. Formal education in the United States consists of ______. A. kindergarten, junior and senior education B. junior, elementary and secondary education C. elementary, secondary and higher education D. kindergarten, secondary and higher education 38. In his Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway ______. A. expresses the idea of facing defeat courageously B. shows the basic goodness and wisdom of ordinary people C. praises the ideas of equality and democracy and the joy of common people D. describes the sharp contrast of wealth and poverty in Chicago and New York 39. In the early part of the 19th century, ______ was the center of American writing. A. Boston B. Detroit C. New York City D. Philadelphia 40. The most important patriotic holiday in the U.S. is ______. A. Halloween B. Veterans’ Day C. Thanksgiving Day D. Independence Day 41. The capital city of Ireland is ______. A. Cork B. Dublin C. Galway D. Waterford 42. Historically, Ireland has been free of ethnic conflicts because of its ______. A. racial unity B. racial homogeneity C. multi-culturalism D. high rate of emigration 43. Ireland has the following demographic features EXCEPT ______. A. a late marriage age B. an excess of females in the population C. a high proportion of bachelors and spinsters of all ages D. a low birthrate compounded by a century of emigration 44. Which of the following is a typical bilingual city in Canada? A. Ottawa B. Calgary C. Toronto D. Vancouver 45. Which of the following statements about immigration in Canada is NOT true? A. It is estimated that one-third of Canadians were born in other countries. B. Immigration has always been an important source of its population growth. C. Immigration has played an important role in the development of its economy. D. in the past Britain and Western Europe were the principal sources of Canadian immigration. 46. In terms of land area, Canada is the ______ largest country in the world. A. second B. third C. fourth D. fifth 47. The head of state of Australia is ______. A. the Governor B. the President C. the Prime Minister D. the Queen of England 48. ______ is the only city on the western coast of Australia with a population of over one million. A. Perth B. Sydney C. Brisbane D. Melbourne 49. A ______, where two parts of the earth’s crust meet, runs the length of New Zealand. A. fault line B. built area C. dormant volcano D. geothermal area 50. The Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 was an agreement between ______. A. the Maori whalers and the British Crown B. the Maori people and the British missionaries C. the Maori traders and the British missionaries D. the chiefs of the Maori people and the British Crown II. Give a one-sentence answer to each of the following questions. Write your answer in the corresponding space on the answer sheet. (30 points, 3 points for each) 51. What are the main functions of the British Parliament? 52. What were the two countries Elizabeth I successfully played off against each other for nearly 30 years? 53. What was the outcome of the English Civil War? 54. What are the three main Christian festivals in the U.K.? 55. What were the three cornerstones of American postwar economic boom? 56. What was the most important document produced between China and the United States when President Nixon visited China in 1972? 57. What is the most central function of the U.S. Congress? 58. What are the two major parties that dominate American politics at the federal, state and local levels? 59. What are the two official languages used in Ireland? 60. Who are the native people living in Australia? III. Explain each of the following terms in English. Write your answer in the corresponding space on the answer sheet in around 40 words. (20 points, 5 points for each) 61. Open University 62. The Speaker (of the House of Commons in Britain) 63. Muckrakers 64. The stock market crash of 1929