2010年北京第二外国语学院812综合考试（英2）真题及详解
Part One英美社会文化(50分)
I. Fill in the blanks with proper words: (每题 2 分)
1. In 1215, some feudal barons and the Church forced King _________ to sign the _________ to place some limits on the King’s power.
2. The British Constitution consists of statute law, _________ and _________.
3. There are three major parties in the UK: _________, the Labour party and _________.
4.The two oldest universities in Britain are _________ and _________.
5. The US federal government consists of the following three branches: the executive, _________ and _________.
6．“WASP” stands for _________.
7. According to John Locke, the right to govern comes from an agreement or _________ voluntarily entered into by free people.
8.The Three Faiths in the US refer to Protestant, _________ and _________.
9.The first Catholic president in the US was _________.
10. Some of the programs to equalize educational opportunities for all groups by giving special preference to members of minority groups are called _________.
答案：
1.John, Magna Carta
2. common law, conventions
3. the Conservative party, the Liberal Democratic party
4.Oxford, Cambridge
5. the legislative, the judicial
6. White Anglo-Saxon Protestant
7.Social contract
8.Catholic, Jewish
9.J.F. Kennedy
10. affirmative action programs
II. Tell what you know about the following in your own words:
1. The Bill of Rights of 1689
答案：
The Bill of Rights of 1689
In 1688, King James II’s daughter Mary and her husband William were invited by the politicians and church authorities to take the throne, on condition that they would respect the fights of Parliament. The Bill of Rights was passed in 1689 to ensure that the King would never be able to ignore Parliament.
2. The Commonwealth
答案：
The Commonwealth
In the author’s opinion, the Commonwealth is a voluntary association of states which is made up mostly of former British colonies. There are 50 members of the Commonwealth: many of these are developing countries like India and Cyprus; others are developed nations like Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The Commonwealth was set up as a forum for continued cooperation and as a sort of support network.
3.The Times
答案：
The Times
The Times began publishing in 1785 and it is the United Kingdom’s oldest daily newspaper.
4. The three traditions of Christmas in Britain
答案：
The three traditions of Christmas in Britain
Three are three Christmas traditions which are particularly British: one is the Christmas Pantomime, a comical musical play. The main male character is played by a young woman while The main female character, often an ugly woman called “the Dame,” is played by a man. Another British Christmas tradition is to hear the Queen give her Christmas message to her realm over the television and radio. A third British tradition is Boxing Day, which falls on the day after Christmas. Traditionally, it was on Boxing Day that people gave Christmas gifts or money to their staff or servants. Now that most British people do not have servants, this custom is no longer observed. However, a new Boxing Day custom has emerged, in the cities: shopping. Shops open up to sell off all their Christmas stock decorations, food, cards, and gift items at low prices.
5.Puritanism
答案：
Puritanism
Puritans were those who followed the doctrine of John Calvin and wanted to purify the Church of England. They believe that human beings were predestined by God before they were born. Some were God’s chosen people while others were damned to hell. No church nor good works could save people. The sign of being God’s elect was the success in his work or the prosperity in his calling. They also argued that everyone must read the Bible in order to find God’s will and establish a direct contact with God. These beliefs had great impact on American culture.
