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1.Grammar schools
It is a type of secondary schools in Britain.Grammar schools select children at the age 11, through an examination called “the 11-plus”.Those children with the highest marks go to grammar schools.These schools lay emphasis on advanced academic subjects rather than the more general curriculum of the comprehensive schools and expect many of their pupils to go on to universities.2.Affirmative Action Programs
Affirmative Action Programs were first advocated by some colleges in 1960.The purpose of the programs was to equalize educational opportunities for all groups and to make up for past inequality by giving special preference to members of minorities seeking jobs or admiion to college.3.The strategy of preemption In an addre delivered to the West Point graduates, President Bush, for the first time, put forward the strategy of preemption.By preemption, the US means that when it determines that a country which is repreive and hostile to the US has acquired or produced weapons of ma destruction or has the potential to poe such weapons, the US should use force to remove this threat to US security and should not wait till the danger becomes imminent or until the US is attacked.This has become to be known as Bush Doctrine.4.Boards of education
Boards of education refer to groups of people who make policies for schools at the state and/or district level.They also make decisions about the school curriculum, teacher standards and certification, and the overall measurement of student progre.5.Anglo-Saxons:
they were two groups of Germanic peoples who settled down in England from the 5th century.They were regarded as the ancestors of the English and the founders of England.6.The commonwealth
The Commonwealth is a voluntary aociation 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;others are developed nations like Australia and Canada.The Commonwealth was set up as a forum for continued cooperation and as a sort of support network.7.The functions of parliament
The functions of Parliament are: to pa laws;to vote for taxation;to scrutinize government policy, administration and expenditure and to debate the major iues of the day.8.The House of Commons
The House of Commons is the real center of British political life because it is the place where about 650 elected representatives(Members of Parliament)make and debate policy.These MPs are elected in the General Elections and should represent the interests of the people who vote for them.9.A federal system
A federal system is one in which power is shared between a central authority and its constituent parts, with some rights reserved to each.10.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.Nither church nor good works could save people.The sign of being God’s elect was the succe 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.11.The containment policy
The US put into effect the containment policy in the late 1940s.By containment, the US meant that it would use whatever means, including military force, to prevent the SU from breaking out of its sphere of influence.In order to contain communism, the US fought two wars in Asia: the Korean War and the Vietnam War.12.Comprehensive schools
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.13.The three traditions of Christmas in Britain
①Three typical British traditions on Christmas are: the Christmas Pantomime, the Queen’s speech over the TV and radio, and the Boxing Day.②The Christmas Pantomime: It is a comical musical play usually based on a popular traditional children’s story.There are two main characters in the play: “the principal boy”, played by a young woman, and “the Dame”, played by a man.③Another British Christmas tradition is to hear the queen give her Christmas meage to her realm over the television and radio.A third tradition is Boxing Day, which falls on the day after Christmas.People used to give Christmas gifts or money to their staff or servants on this day.And now they mostly do shopping, pay visits, enjoy eating or just relax.14.The declaration of Independence
①It was mainly drafted by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Congre on July 4, 1776, when the people of 13 English colonies in North America were fighting for their freedom and independence from the British colonial rule.②The document declared that all men were equal and that they were entitled to have some unalienable rights such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happine.③It also explained the philosophy of government: the powers of governments came from the consent of the governed and the purpose of governments was to secure the rights mentioned above.④The theory of politics and the guiding principles of the American Revolution mainly came from John Locke.15.The making The general direction of Britain’s foreign poliof Britain’s foreign policy
cy is mainly decided by the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the main government department, plays a significant role in the making of Britain’s foreign policy.Many other government ministries such as Ministry of Defense also play a part in formulating and carrying out the government’s decisions.But an extremely influential player is the Treasury.The Treasury makes decisions on how much money other departments can have each year.16.The Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights consists of the first 10 amendments which were added to the Constitution in 1791.The Bill of Rights was paed to guarantee freedom and individual rights such as freedom of speech, the right to aemble in public places, the right to own weapons and so on.17.The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act
It was paed in 1944.It was soon popularly called the “GI Bill of Rights”.GI was a nickname for the American soldier.This nickname came from the abbreviation for “Government Iue”— the uniforms and other articles iued” to a soldier.The Act promised financial aid, including aid for higher education to members of the armed forces.18.Independent schools
Independent schools are commonly called public schools which are actually private schools that receive their funding through the private sector and tuition rates, with some government aistance.Independent schools are not part of the national education system, but the quality of instruction and standards are maintained through visits from Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools.These schools are restricted to the students whose parents are comparatively rich.19.The House of Lords
The House of Lords consists of the Lords Spiritual, who are the Archbishops and most prominent bishops of the Church of England;and the Lords Temporal, which refers to those lords who either have inherited the seat from their forefathers or they have been appointed.The lords mainly represent themselves instead of the interests of the public.20.Cricket and “fair play”
Cricket was one of the first team sports in Britain to have organized rules and to be played according to the same rules nationally.The reason that fixed rules were applied to cricket so early on was a financial one: aristocrats loved betting on cricket matches and if people were going to risk money on a game, they wanted to ensure that the game would be played fairly.People from all walks of life play cricket, but in the 19th century, cricket became a sport aociated with the upper cla.It was a kind of “snob” game played by boys who attended public schools.As generations of public school boys grew up to become the civil servants and rulers of the UK and its colonies, cricket became aociated with a set of moral values, in particular the idea of “fair play” which characterized British government.
