《英语国家概况自学考试大纲》的考核目标

Part One  The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

 
Chapter 1  Land and People
I. Different Names for Britain and its Parts
 
Chapter 2  The Origins of a Nation
I．Early Settlers
3．The Celts
II．Roman Britain
III．The Anglo-Saxons
Ⅳ．The Viking and Danish Invasions
V．The Norman Conquest
 
Chapter 3  The Shaping of the Nation
Ⅰ．Norman Rule
1. William’s Rule
Ⅱ．The Great Charter and the Beginning of Parliament
1. The Great Charter
Ⅲ．The Hundred Years’ War with France
Ⅳ．The Black Death and the Peasant Uprising
 
Chapter 4  Transition to the Modern Age
Ⅰ．Transition to the Modern Age
Ⅱ．The English Reformation
Ⅲ．Elizabeth I
1. Elizabeth and Parliament
2. Elizabeth’s Religious Reform
3. Elizabeth’s Foreign Policy
Ⅳ．The English Renaissance
VII. The Civil Wars
VIII. The Commonwealth
IX. The Restoration and the Glorious Revolution of 1688
 
Chapter 5  The Rise and Fall of the British Empire
Ⅰ．Whigs and Tories
Ⅱ．Agricultural Changes in the Late 18^th Century
Ⅲ．The Industrial Revolution
Ⅳ．The Chartist Movement
VII．Twentieth Century
1. Britain and the First World War
3. Britain and the Second World War
4. Postwar Britain
 
Chapter 7  Government and Administration
Ⅰ．The Monarchy
Ⅱ．Parliament
1. The House of Lords
2. The House of Commons
Ⅲ．The Cabinet and Ministry
Ⅳ．The Privy Council
 
Chapter 8  Justice and the Law
IV．The Judiciary
V．Police
 
Chapter 9  Social Affairs
Ⅰ．Health and Social Services
1．The National Health Service
Ⅲ．Religion
1．Established churches
Ⅳ．Festivals and Public Holidays
1．Christian festivals
2．Other festivals
3．Public holidays
 
Chapter 10  Cultural Affairs
Ⅰ．Education
3．Higher education
Ⅱ．The Media
1．Newspapers
Ⅲ．Sports
Ⅳ．The Arts
3．Drama
 

Part Two  The Republic of Ireland

 
Chapter 11  Geography and History
I. Geographical Features
II. Climate and Weather
III. Population and Religion
IV. Historical background

Part Three  The United States of America

 
Chapter 14  Population, Race and Ethnic Groups
I.  Introduction
IV. Racial and Ethnic Minorities
1．Blacks
 
Chapter 15  American History  (I)
Ⅰ．Discovery of the New World
Ⅱ．The Colonial Period
Ⅲ．The War of Independence
Ⅳ．A New Form of Government
Ⅵ．Territorial Expansion and Westward Movement
Ⅶ．The Civil War
Ⅷ．Rapid Growth of Capitalism after the Civil War
 
Chapter 16  American History  (II)
Ⅰ．Economic Development
Ⅱ．Progressivism
Ⅲ．World War I and the United States
Ⅳ．The United States in the 1920s
Ⅴ．The Great Depression and the New Deal
Ⅵ．World War II and the United States
 
Chapter 17  American History  (III)
Ⅰ．The Origins of the Cold War
Ⅱ．The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan
V．McCarthyism
VII．American Society During the Postwar Boom: 1945-1960s
VIII．The Cuban Missile Crisis
IX．The Vietnam War
X．United States’ Relations with China
XII．Watergate Scandal
 
Chapter 18  The Economy
(Two paragraphs)
Ⅰ．The Economic System of the United States
V．Foreign Trade
VI．Problems in the U.S. Economy
 
Chapter 19  Political Institutions
Ⅰ．The U.S. Constitution
1．The Federal system
2．Separation of powers: checks and balances
3．Provisions for amendment
Ⅱ．The Executive Branch
1．The Presidency
2．Presidential Powers
Ⅲ．The Legislative Branch
2. Powers of the House and Senate
3. Officers of the Congress
4. Functions of the Congress
Ⅴ．Political Parties (two-party system)
 
Chapter 20  Education
Ⅰ．Characteristics of American Education
Ⅱ．Elementary and Secondary Education
Ⅲ．Higher Education
Ⅴ．Education Reforms
 
Chapter 21  Literature, Architecture and Music
Ⅰ．American Literature
1．Washington Irving
2．Emerson and Hawthorne
3．Mark Twain
4．Whitman and Dickinson
5．Theodore Dreiser
6．T. S. Eliot
7．Ernest Hemingway
8．Hughes and Wright
 
Chapter 22  Holidays and Festivals
Ⅰ．New Year’s Day
IV．Valentine’s Day
VI．Easter Day
VIII．Independence Day
IX．Halloween
XI．Thanksgiving Day
ⅩII．Christmas Day
 

Part Four  Canada

 
Chapter 23 Geography and History
Ⅰ．Geographic Features
4. Geographic regions
Ⅱ．The making of Canada
1．The European discovery
3．Self-government and Confederation
4．The Canadian nation
 
Chapter 26  Society and Culture
I．Canadian Society
1．Population
2．Immigration
3．Bilingualism
4．Multiculturalism

Part Five  Australia

 
Chapter 27 Land and people
Ⅰ．The Geographical Structure
    1．The Great Western Plateau
2．The Eastern Highlands
3．The Central Eastern Lowlands
Ⅱ．Climate
3. Causes and effects of the hot and dry climate 
Ⅳ．People
1．Population
2．Population density and distribution
Ⅴ．Australia’s Built Environment
1．Sprawling cities
2．Rural areas
Ⅵ．Political Divisions  
1．New South Wales
2．Victoria
3．Queensland
4．South Australia
5．West Australia
6．Tasmania
 
Chapter 32  Society and Culture
IV．Australian Culture
1．Aboriginal culture
2．Modern Australian culture

Part Six  New Zealand

 
Chapter 33   The Making of New Zealand
Ⅰ．Geography
Ⅱ．Climate
Ⅲ．Plants and Animals
Ⅳ．Historical Background
2．The Treaty of Waitangi 1840
VI. Maoritanga
5. Race relations