英语专业英语国家概况 课后名词解释 专八也会用的

Anglo-Saxons : They were two groups of Germanic peoples who settled down in England from the 5 th century . They were regarded as the ancestors of the English and the founders of England .

Sinn Fein : Sinn Fein is a legal political party in Northern Ireland which supports the IRA to fight for the union of Ireland . The leaders of Sinn Fein prefer union with Ireland by a twin campaign , both military and political which they call the policy of “the Bullet and the Ballot Box “ . It believes that without the participation of Sinn Fein the political problem of Northern Ireland cannot be thoroughly solved .

Home Rule : Ireland had long been dominated by Britain , but Irish desire for an independent Irish state was never lost .”Home Rule “refers to a campaign for Irish affairs. The Home Rule Bill was finally passed in 1914 , but the process was overtaken by the First World War and was suspended for the duration of the war .

The Bill of Rights of 1689 : In 1689 , 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 rights of Parliament . The Bill of Rights was passed in 1689 to ensure that the King would never be able to ignore Parliament.

The functions of Parliament : The functions of Parliament are : to pass laws , to vote for taxation , to scrutinize government policy , administration and expenditure and to debate the major issues of the day .

The House of Commons : The House of Commons is the real centre 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 people who vote for them . The importance of general elections : General elections are very important in

western democracy . According to the author , they provide opportunities for people to influence future government policies and to replace those incompetent political leaders . Privatization in the 1980s : The British economy went through a particularly bad period in the 1970s , with high rates of inflation and devaluation of the Pound . Therefore , in the 1980s , when the Conservative party under Margaret Thatcher was in power , an extensive programme of privatization was carried out . Many state-owned businesses (such as steel , telecom , gas , aerospace ) were turned into private companies .