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一、地理知识（Geography）
1. The full name of the United Kingdom is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Great Britain consists of England, Scotland and Wales. The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh, the capital of Wales is Cardiff and the capital of the Northern Ireland is Belfast.
2. The longest river is the Severn River. The second and most important river is the Thames River. River Clyde is the most important river in Scotland. The Lake District in northwest England is one of the most popular tourist attractions and also the home of the Lake Poets. The largest lake in Britain is the Lough Neagh（内伊湖）in Northern Ireland. The Pennines in England are the most important mountain chain in Britain. The English Channel between England and France is quite narrow and the narrowest part is the Strait of Dover（多佛海峡）. In May 1994, the “Chunnel” that joins England and France was open to traffic.
3. Britain enjoys a maritime（海洋性的）climate.
二、历史知识（History）
1. The first known settlers of Britain were the Iberians（伊比利亚人）. The earliest settlers of Britain were the Celts who were ancestors of the Scots, the Irish and the Welsh. Anglo-Saxons were the forefathers of the English people (England). The Welsh are emotional and cheerful people. They love music and are proud of their past. The Scots are hospitable and generous. Irish is the official language of the Republic of Ireland.
2. Julius Caesar invaded Britain for the first time in 55 BC. Christianity was introduced into Britain by the Romans.
3. The Norman Conquest took place in 1066 AD. William the Conqueror defeated Harold the Great at the battle of Hastings. He built the London Tower. His conquest changed the tribal England into a feudalist country. Anglo-Saxon (Old English) and French (official language) prevailed in England. This phenomenon is called bilingualism（双语现象）.
4. The Magna Carta (or The Great Charter) was a document signed in 1215 by King John under compulsion by the powerful barons.
5. The Hundred Years' War（英法百年战争）: A war between England and France which lasted, on and off, for a hundred years from 1337 to 1453. Black Death（黑死病）prevailed during this period. Finally, England was completely defeated by France, and Calais（加来，法国北部一港口城市）was the only part of France that was still in the hands of the English.
6. The Wars of the Roses（玫瑰战争）is the name given to the struggle (1455-1485) for the throne of England between two branches of the English royal family: the Houses of Lancaster, whose badge was a red rose and York, whose badge was a white rose. In the battle Richard Ⅲ lost his crown, and Henry Tudor (Henry Ⅶ) won. Thus, the Tudor Dynasty was established in England.
7. Henry Ⅷ was responsible for the Reformation（宗教改革）because he broke from the Roman Pope (Roman Catholicism), and this Reformation made England convert to Protestant theology（新教神学）.
8. Under the influence of the Reformation came the Renaissance (1350-1650), and the essence of Renaissance was humanism whose spirit was fully revealed in Shakespeare's dramas.
9. The Civil War (1642-1646) is called the Puritan Revolution or the Bourgeois Revolution or the English Revolution. Oliver Cromwell was the leader of the English Revolution, and King CharlesⅠwas beheaded.
10. The Glorious Revolution（光荣革命）took place in 1688, and after the Bill of Rights in 1689 Constitutional Monarchy（君主立宪制）was established. Two political parties arose: Whigs（辉格党）and Tories（托利党）. The former later developed into the Liberal Party, and the latter developed into the Conservative Party.
11. During the 18th century Britain defeated Napoleon's fleet at the Battle of Waterloo.
12. The invention of the steam engine was the most important invention during the Industrial Revolution.
13. The Chartist Movement（1836-1848）（宪章运动）was the first nationwide working class movement and drew attention to serious problems.
14. Charles Darwin wrote The Origin of Species（《物种起源》）which contributed to the decay of Victorianism（维多利亚思想）.
三、政治体制（Politics）
1. Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ is the present monarch（君主）. Her power is only symbolic.
2. The monarchy is the oldest institution of government. Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ is the current Queen and Head of the Commonwealth（英联邦国家）. The Commonwealth is a voluntary, free association of 50 independent sovereign states that were once colonies of Britain. Every two years the Commonwealth Conference is held, when the Heads of States meet. It has no special powers.
3. The British Parliament consists of the Sovereign, the House of Lords whose head is the Lord Chancellor（上议院院长 /大法官）and the House of Commons. It is the Speaker（议长）who presides over the meeting in the House of Commons and sees that parlia-mentary procedure is followed.
4. There are two major parties in Britain: the Labor Party（工党）and the Conservative Party（保守党）.
5. The Prime Minister serves on five-year term, and he forms the Cabinet（内阁）. Tony Blair is the youngest Labor Party leader and the youngest Prime Minister till now.
6. Britain has no written Constitution. The foundations of the British state are laid out in statute laws, which are laws passed by Parliament; the common laws, which are laws established through common practice in the courts and conventions.
7. Scotland Yard/New Scotland Yard（伦敦苏格兰警场）is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of the British capital, London.
四、宗教（Religion）
1. The Bible consists of the Old Testament and New Testament.
2. Trinity（三位一体）in Christianity is the union of God, Jesus and Holy Spirit. They are three aspects of the same God.
3. The Church of England（英国国教）is Britain's established Church.
五、媒体（Mass Media）
1. Middle English began in 1066; Modern English started from about 1500 AD.
2. BBC stands for the British Broadcasting Corporation; VOA stands for the Voice of America.
3. RP English means Standard English. RP means Received Pronunciation.
4. Famous newspapers include: Financial Times （《金融时报》）， The Guardian （《卫报》）(the world's oldest national newspaper)， The Times （《泰晤士报》）(the oldest daily national newspaper)， The Observer （《观察家报》）(the world's first Sunday newspaper) and The Economist （《经济学家》）(magazine).
六、教育（Education）
1. Compulsory education in the UK extends from 5 to 16 years old. Some famous “public schools” include Eton（伊顿公学），Harrow（哈罗公学）and Westminster（威斯敏斯特公学）.
2. Among the most prestigious universities are the University of Oxford（牛津大学）founded in 1185 and the University of Cambridge（剑桥大学）founded in early 13th century.
七、节日、体育和音乐（Festivals, Sports and Music）
1. Christmas, December 25th, celebrates the birth of Christ. Easter（复活节）is the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ, and Guy Fawkes Day（盖伊·福克斯之夜）, November 5th, is a national festival, which originated from the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 when the plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament on November 5 was discovered and the thief conspirator, Guy Fawkes, was hanged.
2. Cricket（板球）is the most typical English sport. The main tournament for tennis is the annual Wimbledon（国际温网比赛）. Scotland is the home of golf.
3. In the 1960s, a new pop culture emerged in Britain. Four Liverpool boys joined a group and called themselves the Beatles（甲壳虫乐队）.
4. Wales is famous for its Eisteddfod（威尔士艺术节）.
八、其他
1. The qualities of the British are reserve, modesty, sense of humor, and sportsmanship.
2. The National Health Service (NHS)（国民健康保险制度）was established in the UK in 1948.
一、地理知识（Geography）
1. The USA lies in central North America with Canada to its north, Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico to its south, the Atlantic Ocean to its east and the Pacific to its west.
2. The USA is the fourth largest country in the world, after Russia, Canada and China. It has 50 states. Alaska is the largest in area and Rhode Island the smallest. On the mainland, Texas is the largest state of the country. Hawaii was the 50th state added to the US, whose most important industry is tourism. Mauna Loa（莫纳罗亚火山）, the world's largest active volcano, is located in Hawaii.
3. New England includes six states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. New England is called the birthplace of America. It was the chief center of the American War of Independence. New Englanders were originally called Yankees. Yale University, Harvard University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are located here.
4. There are many famous national parks in the Rockies（落基山脉）, and the most famous one is Yellowstone National Park（黄石公园）. The Grand Canyon（大峡谷）in north-west Arizona is one of nature's most impressive sights.
5. California has the biggest population in the United States. Hollywood is located in California. Salt Lake City has the Great Salt Lake. The city is also the worldwide headquarters of the Mormon Church（摩门教）.
6. The Mississippi River is the longest river in the USA, and it is also called “Father of Waters” or “Old Man River”. The Rio Grande River（格兰德河）forms a natural boundary between Mexico and the United States.
7. The Great Lakes（五大湖区）are the most important lakes in the United States. They are Lake Superior (the largest freshwater lake in the world), Lake Michigan (the only one entirely in the US), Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. They are shared by the US and Canada except Lake Michigan.
8. The Midwest includes 12 states, and is America's most important agricultural area. It is also the country's leading center of heavy industry. Chicago, the largest and busiest port on the Great Lakes, is the largest industrial and commercial center of the area. Detroit is known as the automobile capital of the world.
9. New York City, nicknamed as “Big Apple”, is the largest city in the US, the headquarters of the United Nations, and the financial capital of the world. Washington D.C. is the capital of the US. Atlanta（亚特兰大）is the headquarters of the CNN and Coca-Cola, as well as the home of Martin Luther King.
二、历史知识（History）
1. In 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered the New Continent. The first English colony in the New Continent was founded at Jamestown in Virginia in 1607. The Pilgrims crossed the Atlantic Ocean in the ship Mayflower in 1620 and landed at Plymouth. The helpful Indians helped them survive the severe environment. Hence the first Thanksgiving celebration was held to give thanks to God.
2. The American War of Independence occurred in 1775. The Battle of Lexington（莱克星顿枪声）was the beginning of the war, and the Battle of Saratoga（萨拉托加大捷）was the turning point of the war because the American troops defeated the British in the battle.
3. Thomas Jefferson drafted The Declaration of Independence , which was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. The Flag of the United States (Stars and Stripes)（星条旗）has 50 stars on the flag. There are three colors: white, red and blue. The Stars and Stripes Forever （《星条旗永不落》）is the national anthem.
4. The War of 1812 was the last war fought between the United States and Britain.
5. The American Civil War started in 1861, and ended in 1865. Abraham Lincoln was the President who signed the Emancipation Proclamation （解放黑奴宣言）and delivered the world-famous speech Gettysburg Address （《葛底斯堡演说》），in which he said, “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”（“民有、民治、民享的政府将与世长存。”）
6. The years between the Civil War and the start of the 20th century is called the Gilded Age（镀金时代）. The name is borrowed from Mark Twain's novel with the same title. This age was an era of industrial development.
7. The Great Depression lasted from 1929 to 1933, and the New Deal（新政）by Franklin D. Roosevelt relieved the depression.
8. The bombing of Pearl Harbor brought America formally to war with the Axis Powers（轴心国）.
9. The Civil Rights Movement（民权运动）prevailed in the 1950s. An incident concerning a black woman Rosa Parks sparked the movement. Martin Luther King became a national leader of the Civil Rights Movement. His speech “I Have a Dream” inspired the blacks and America.
10. The Vietnam War (1950-1975) was the longest war America ever fought abroad. The policy of containment of communism led the United States into war in Vietnam.
11. The Watergate Scandal（水门事件）happened on the night of June 17, 1972. Nixon was the first president to resign in US history. In the same year President Nixon visited China.
三、政治体制（Politics）
1. The American Constitution is the oldest written constitution in the world. It was drawn up in 1787 and went into effect in 1789. The Bill of Rights (1791) is the term used for the first ten amendments to the Constitution. The Constitution sets up a strong national government called the Federal Government（联邦政府）. There are also state and local governments.
2. American government has three branches. This political system is Separation of Powers or Checks and Balances（三权分立制度）. The three branches are the legislative（立法权）(Congress), the executive（行政权）(the President), and the judicial（司法权）(the State Supreme Court).
3. American presidential election occurs every four years.
4. America has a two-party system: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.
5. American Dream/American Myth is the belief that any individual, no matter how poor, can achieve wealth and fame through diligence and virtue. The American Dream symbolized American belief in equality of opportunity. It attracted a lot of people in the other parts of the world to immigrate to America and inspired them to rise on the social and economic scales.
四、宗教、教育（Religion and Education）
1. WASP refers to White Anglo-Saxon Protestant who came to America in pursuit of religious freedom. People enjoy religious freedom in the US.
2. Three Faiths refer to the three faiths model of American religion. They are Protestant, Catholic and Jewish.
3. Education in America is a function of the state, not the federal government. Local boards of education are policy-makers of schools and local taxation is the major source of school financing. The system of higher education in the United States has three principal functions: teaching, research and public service.
4. College depends on three sources of income: student tuition, endowments and government funding.
5. The Ivy League（常春藤联盟）consists of eight institutions of higher education located in the eastern part of the United States. They are Brown University（布朗大学），Columbia University（哥伦比亚大学），Cornell University（康乃尔大学），Dartmouth College（达特茅斯学院），Harvard University（哈佛大学），Pennsylvania University（宾州大学），Princeton University（普林斯顿大学）and Yale University（耶鲁大学）.
五、媒体、节日、体育、建筑及音乐（Mass Media, Festivals, Sports, Architecture and Music）
1. Major newspapers are The New York Times （《纽约时报》）， Washington Post （《华盛顿邮报》）， USA Today （《今日美国》）， The Wall Street Journal （《华尔街日报》）and Los Angeles Times （《洛杉矶时报》）. Major magazines are Reader's Digest, TV Guide, National Geographic and Time （《时代》）.
2. TV networks include CBS (the Columbia Broadcasting System), NBS (the National Broadcasting System), ABC (the American Broadcasting Company), CNN (Cable News Network).
3. American traditional festivals include Christmas, Thanksgiving Day (the fourth Thursday in November), Halloween (October 31), Valentine's Day (February 14) and Independence Day (July 4).
4. Sears Tower in Chicago used to be the tallest building in the world.
5. Jazz music is America's greatest contribution to world music.
1. Canada is the world's second largest country. Maple is the symbol of Canada. The Mackenzie is the longest river, and the St. Lawrence is the second longest and the most important river.
2. The three largest cities in Canada are Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver; Ottawa is the Capital City. Quebec is the first city ever founded in Canada.
3. Seven Years' War: A war between the French and the British through the 17th century in which the French were defeated and the whole land of Canada (meaning“settlement”) came under the British rule.
4. In 1931 by the Statute of Westminster Canada was formally declared to be a sovereign nation and became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
5. Canada's Constitution is partly unwritten and partly written.
6. English and French (bilingualism) are the two official languages in Canada.
7. The oldest university is Laval University, and the largest is the University of Toronto.
1. Australia is called by the West “the Land Down Under”.
2. The Dutch (Abel Tasman) were believed to be the first Europeans who reached Australia's shores. The first Englishman to reach Australia was William Dampier. It was James Cook, an English navigator, who finally put Australia on the map in 1770. January 26 is Australia Day. On January 26, 1788 Captain Philip raised the Union Jack in Australia. On January 1, 1901, the Commonwealth of Australia (the Australian Federation) came into being. The first Prime Minister was Edmund Barton.
3. Great Barrier Reef is a spectacular ribbon of reefs and islands extending for more than 2,000 meters along Australia's east coast.
4. The native people in Australia are Aborigines.
5. Canberra (meeting place) is the capital city of Australia. Sydney is the capital of New South Wales, the oldest and largest city and chief port of Australia. Melbourne is the capital of Victoria on Port Philip Bay, and the second largest city in Australia.
6. Australia has three major political parties: the Australian Labor Party (the largest single party), the Liberal Party of Australia (LP), and the National Party of Australia (NP).
1. New Zealand is located in the Southern Pacific Ocean. Wellington is the capital of New Zealand. Auckland is the biggest city and port. It is called the world's biggest farm. Trade is New Zealand's livelihood.
2. The native people of New Zealand are Maoris. It was Abel Tasman, a Dutchman, who first discovered New Zealand. The first Englishman to visit New Zealand was Captain James Cook.
3. The kiwi（几维鸟）is a national symbol and New Zealanders refer to themselves as Kiwis.
4. Dublin is the capital of Ireland. It is a Catholic country.
5. Shamrock（三叶草）is the national flower of Ireland. Shannon River is Ireland's longest river.