《英语国家概况（ 1 ）》平时作业（二）答案及评分标准

（供参考）

I. Choose the correct answers (20%)

1.     C                    2.     B                    3.     C                      4.        D                    5.     C

6.     D                    7.     B                    8.     A                      9.        B                    10.    C

II. Fill in the blanks (30%)

11. 5

12. 11

13. primary

14. the birth of Jesus Christ

15. Easter

16. mortgage

17. flats

18. terraced houses

19. semi-detached houses

20. detached houses

III.   Answer each of the questions. (20%)

21. Christmas is the biggest and best loved British holiday.

22. Oxbridge stands for Oxford University and Cambridge University.

23. The two areas are South Asia and Caribbean countries.

24. The Prime Minister and Cabinet decide on the general direction of Britain's foreign policy.

25. People in Northern Ireland celebrate St. Patrick's Day on March 17.

26. China, Russia, France, Britain and the United States.

27. Oxford and Cambridge.

28. Scottish people.

29. 1400.

30. 50.

IV    Explain each of the following in no more than five sentences. (30%)

31. Comprehensive schools are the most popular secondary schools in Britain today. Such schools admit children without reference to their academic abilities and provide a general education. Pupils can study everything from academic subjects like literature to more practical subjects like cooking.

32. Tabloid is a smaller format newspaper with colour photos and catchy headlines. It carries scandals and gossip usually about famous people so as to attract readers. Stories are short, easy to read and often rely more on opinion than fact.

33. 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 countries like Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The Commonwealth was set up as a forum for continued cooperation and as a sort of support network.

34. The true royal sport in Britain is horse racing. Organized national horse races have been held throughout Britain for hundreds of years. There are two kinds of horse racing: flat racing and steeplechasing. The Grand National is the world's most famous steeplechase. And there is also the biggest social event associated with horse racing: the Royal Ascot.

35. The Royal Ascot is the biggest social event associated with horse racing in the UK. People dress up and go to show off their fashionable clothes as well to watch the races and place their bets. Women especially wear very elaborate and exotic hats. This event gets much attention from the media and the public.