英语国家概况精讲系列13-16

英语国家概况精讲系列 (13)

  I. Trade Unions and the Labour Party

    工会和工党

    1. The Trade Union Act of 1871 legalized the trade unions and gave financial security.

    1871年通过的《工会法》使工会合法化并给其财政保障。

    2. The Labor Party had its origin in the Independent Labor Party（ILP）, which was formed in January, 1893. In 1900, representatives of trade unions, the ILP, and a number of small socialist societies set up the Labor Representation Committee （LRC）。 The LRC changed its name to the Labor Party for the general election called for in 1906.

    工党起源于独立工党，于1893年1月成立。1900年，工会代表，独立工党和许多小型社会主义社团一起成立了工人代表委员会。1906年的大选迫使工人代表委员会及时更名为工党。

    II. Colonial Expansion

    殖民扩张

    1. The growth of dominions

    自治领的兴起

    English colonial expansion began with the colonization of Newfoundland in 1583. Encouraged by Britain's control of the seas, especially by the rising tide of emigration, British colonialists stepped up their expansion to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, in the late 18th and the early 19th centuries. By 1900, Britain had built up a big empire, "on which the sun never set". It consisted of a vast number of protectorates, Crown colonies, spheres of influence, and self-governing dominions. It included 25% of the world's population and area.

    英国殖民扩张开始于1583年纽芬兰的殖民化。在18世纪末、19世纪初，受到海外移民浪潮的鼓舞，英国殖民者很快加他们的扩张到加拿大、澳大利亚、新西兰。到1900年英国已建立了"日不落"的大英帝国，包括受保护国、英国殖民地、势力范围和自治领，占世界人口与面积的25%.

    Canada was ceded to Britain by the 1763 Treaty of Paris. French rights were guaranteed by the Quebec Act of 1774. The Canada Act of 1791 divided Canada into Upper Canada where the British had settled, and Lower Canada populated by the French. The British North America Act of 1867 established Canada as a dominion.

    1763年签订的《巴黎条约》将加拿大割让给英国。1774年的《魁北克法》保证了法国的权益。之后，1791年《加拿娃哈哈》把加拿大分为上加拿大和下加拿大，前者是英国人的定居地，后者是法国人的居住点。1867年《英国北美法案》确定加拿大为自治领。

    English began to transport convicts to Australia in 1788. Free settlement began in 1816, and no convicts were sent to Australia after 1840. The gold rushes （1851-1892） brought more people to Australia, and in 1901 the six self-governing wer united in one dominion-the independent Commonwealth of Australia.

    1788年英国人开始把囚犯流放到澳大利亚。1816年开始可以自由定居，1840年后囚犯不再流放到澳大利亚。1851年至1892年的淘金热使更多的人拥到澳洲。1901年，六个自治领统一为一个自治领-澳大利亚独立联邦。

    New Zealand became a separate colony of Britain in 1841, achieved self-government in 1857, became a dominion under the British crown in 1907 and was made completely independent in 1931.

    1841年新西兰成为独立殖民地，1857年实现自治，1907年成为英皇属下的自治领，1931年完全独立。

    1. The Conquest of India

    征服印度

    The British East India Company established in 1600. By 1819 the British conquest of most India was almost complete. After the muting of Bengal army in 1857, the control of India passed to the British Crown and Queen Victoria became Empress of India in 1877.

    1600年英国东印度公司的建立是经济渗透的实例。到1819年英国对印度的征服已基本完成。1857年东印度公司孟加拉军队的当地士兵发动兵变后，1858年印度改由英国君主统治。1877年维多利来女王正式成为印度女皇。

    2. The Scramble for Africa

    对非洲的掠夺

    At the beginning of the 19th century British possessions were confined to forts and slave trading posts on the west coast. Over the 19th century the interior of Africa was gradually discovered and colonized by Europeans. Britain led the way in the race. Apart from the colonies in the South and West, Britain was also involved in the North East in Egypt and the Sudan.

    19世纪初英国的占领地局限于西海岸的堡垒和奴隶交易点。整个19世纪欧洲人逐渐发现并殖民了非洲内陆。在这场瓜分竞赛中英国占了较大的优势。除了不断扩张的南部和西部殖民地后，英国又凯觎东北的埃及和苏丹。

    3. Aggression against China

    侵略中国

    In 1840, the Opium War broke out between Britain and China. Since then, Britain gradually invaded many coastal areas and imposed a series of unequal treaties upon China.

    1840年英国和中国发动了鸦片战争。从那时起，英国逐渐侵略了中国的许多沿海城市，并签定了许多不平等条约。

英语国家概况精讲系列 (14)

VI. Twentieth Century

    二十世纪

    1. Britain and the First World War

    英国和第一次世界大战

    The Work War I was fought from 1914 to 1918 primarily between two European Power blocs： "the Central power". Germany and Austria-Hungary, and the "Allies", Britain, France and Russia. During the war, the Britain lost much. Apart from the loss of manpower, there had been considerable disruption of the economy and society. Out of the war settlement came the establishment of the league of Nations.

    第一次世界大战是从1914年至1918年，战争主要在两大欧洲集团间进行："同盟国"，包括德国和奥匈帝国，和"协约国"，包括英国、法国和俄罗斯。一战中英国损失惨重。除了劳动力损失，还有巨大的经济与社会瓦解。

    2. Britain Between the Two World Wars

    两次世界大战期间的英国

    The effects of the New York Stock Market Crash of 1929 soon spread throughout Europe and by 1931 Britain was entering the Great depression.

    1929年纽约股票交易所崩溃的影响迅速波及欧洲，到1931年英国进入经济大萧条。

    3. Britain and the Second World War

    英国与第二次世界大战

    As Adolf Hitler and Nazism showed off their aggressive momentum in Europe, Chamberlain, the Prime Minister, found his policy of appeasement of German aggression was no longer tenable, and was forced to declare war on Germany on September 3,1939.

    当阿道夫希特勒及纳粹主义显示他们对欧洲的侵略意图时，首相张伯伦发现他的绥靖政策已站不住脚，只得于1939年9月3日对德宣战。

    4. Postwar Britian

    战后的英国

    （1） One of the most far-reaching consequences of the War was that it hastened the end of Britain's empire.

    二战最为深远的结果之一是加速了大英帝国的瓦解。

    （2） In 1952 Princess Elizabeth was crowned Queen Elizabeth II. Many people through television saw the ceremony.

    1952年伊莉莎白公主加冕成为伊莉莎白女王二世。新发明的电视使许多人看到了加冕仪式的过程。

    （4） In January 1973, Britain became a full member of the European Economic Community which was still called the Common Market in 1973. Britain witnessed the first oil shock in 1973.

    1973年1月，英国终于成为欧洲经济共同体的正式成员国。1973年仍称为共同市场。1973年英国经历了第一次石油禁运。

    （5） Mrs Thatcher

    撒切尔主义

    Thatcherism referred to the policies put forward by Margaret Thatcher, the first woman prime minister in England in 1979. The main contents of her policies included the return to private ownership of state-owned industries, the use of monetarist policies to control inflation, the weakening of trade unions the strengthening of the role of market forces in the economy, and an emphasis on law and order. To some extent her program was successful and she led one of the most remarkable periods in the British economy.

    1979年撒切尔夫人成为英国第一任女首相。她提出的政策被为"撒切尔主义".其内容包括国有工业私有化，采用货币主义政策以控制通货膨胀，削弱工会的影响，加强市场因素在经济中的作用，强调法律和秩序。在一定程度上讲，她的计划是成功的。她领导英国经济度过了一段最繁华的时期之一。

英语国家概况精讲系列 (15)

 The Economy 英国经济

    I. The Evolution of the British Economy since the War

    The evolution of the British economy since WWII falls into three periods：

    二战后英国经济发展可分为三个阶段：

    （1） Steady development in the 50s and 60s： The British economy in this period is characterized by slow but steady growth, low unemployment and great material prosperity with rising standards of consumption.

    （1）战后50-60年代平稳发展时期。其主要特点是经济缓慢而持续增长，失业率低，物质丰富，人民消费水平不断增长。

    （2） Economic recession in the 70s： In the 1970s among the developed countries, Britain maintained the lowest growth rate and the highest inflation rate, and the high record of trade deficits.

    （2）70年代经济滞胀。在70年代，英国在所有的发达资本主义国家中，始终保持最低经济增长率，最高的通货膨胀率，和最高的贸易赤字纪录。

    （3） Economic recovery in the 80s： An outstanding feature of the economic recovery in the 80s was its length, lasting seven years. Another was the improved financial position of the government, with stronger current account of the balance of payments.

    （3）80年代经济复苏。一个显著特点是时间长，复苏持续了7年。另一个特点是国际收支大大盈余，政府金融地位最高。

    Measures taken by Mrs. Thatcher's government to improve the economy

    Mrs. Thatcher's government took numerous measures to improve the efficiency of the economy during the past decade, using both macroeconomic and microeconomic policies.

    撒切尔政府运用宏观经济政策和微观经济政策，采取许多措施提高经济效益。

    （1） Macroeconomic measures were directed towards bringing down the rate of inflation and achieving price stability.

    宏观经济政策直接针对降低通货膨胀率和维持物价稳定。

    （2） Microeconomic policies were aimed at working with the grain of market forces by encouraging enterprise, efficiency and flexibility.

    微观经济政策旨在通过鼓励实业，效率和灵活性共同努力提高市场竞争力。

    Reasons for the British coal mining is called a "sick" industry today.

英语国家概况精讲系列 (16)

Reasons for the British coal mining is called a "sick" industry today.

    英国煤矿被称为"生病"工业的原因。

    Today the coal industry in Britain is on the decline，the number of miners, collieries and the total output have been falling.

    如今的英国煤矿业衰退，从而导致矿工、煤矿的数量和总产量都大大下降。

    The reasons for the decline are as follows： exhaustion of old mines, costly operations of extraction, poor old equipment, little investment, fall in demand due to imports of cleaner, cheaper and more efficient fuels, etc.

    煤工业衰退的原因包括：老煤矿的枯竭，昂贵的提炼费用，破旧的设备，极少的投资，由于进口更干净、更便宜、更高效的燃料导致的需求下降等等。

    Britain's oil and natural gas

    英国的石油和天然气

    Natural gas was discovered in 1965 and oil in 1970 under the North Sea. Today Britain is not only self-sufficient in oil but also has a surplus for export. The transport and domestic heating systems mostly depend on oil. So does the food supply, because most agriculture is highly mechanized. Modern farming requires things which are all oil-based.

    在1965年及1970年在北海发现天然气和石油。今天英国的石油不仅能自给自足，还有盈余供出口。交通和家庭供热系统主要依靠石油，因为大部分农业的高度机械化，食品供应也靠石油。

    Main problems associated with Britain's iron and steel industry today.

    如今英国钢铁工业的主要问题。

    British iron and steel industry is declining for the following reasons：

    英国钢铁工业衰退的原因如下：

    1. Local supplies of iron ore have become exhausted；

    当地贮备枯竭；

    2. Old fashioned furnaces for making coke cannot recover valuable by-products；

    他们生产焦炭的老式炉不能提取有价值的副产品，

    3. Blast furnaces, steelworks, and rolling mills are often separated from each other and thus cannot perform as well as more compact operation；

    高炉、钢铁厂和轧钢厂经常分开，导致不如更紧凑的企业出效益；

    4. Many steelworks have to be closed down, causing major unemployment in an area.

    许多钢铁厂倒闭，导致该地区的大批人失业。