內容簡介
《英美概況》第一版於2010年出版後，因其語言通俗易懂、內容新穎、趣味性強而深受廣大師生喜愛，多次重印。但出版至今的四年多來，世界發生了很大變化，尤其是英美兩國的政治、經濟和軍事。為了給廣大師生提供最近的成果，有必要對此書進行必要的修訂。
新修訂的教材體例保持了原版的風貌，只是對部分內容進行了更新，使其更符合英美國家現實。譬如，英國現任首相是卡梅倫，2013年英國的GDP為2.522萬億美元，人口是6 410萬;美國的GDP則為16.8萬億美元，人口是3.161億。另外，概要、歷史、政治、經濟、軍事、文化與教育、宗教、文學藝術等內容也根據最新成果作了更新。
參加本書修改版的教師分別為：概要(劉雪，部寒)、歷史(張軍燕，宋艷梅)、政治(王春玲，王莉，王曉琳)、經濟(韓小寧，劉白玉)、軍事(頓小慧，王建波)、文化與教育(劉夏青，劉璐絲)、宗教(包芳)、文學藝術(包芳，顧征)。“保持樂觀”部分由劉白玉編寫，“附錄”部分由扈珺編寫。
目錄
Part One The United Kingdom
Chapter 1 Brief Introduction to the United Kingdom 3
1. Brief Introduction 3
2. Location and Area 4
3. Climate 4
4. Topography 5
5. Rivers and Lakes 7
6. Mountains and Hills 8
7. Population 8
8. Languages 9
Notes 10
New Words 12
Exercises 15
Chapter 2 History of the United Kingdom 19
1. Early Settlers 19
2. The Roman Invasion of Britain 19
3. Anglo-Saxon Conquests 20
4. Viking Challenge and the Rise of Wessex 21
5. Norman Conquest 21
6. Tudor England (1485-1603) 23
7. The House of Stuarts (1603-1714) 24
8. The Hanoverians (18th-19th Century) 26
9. Two World Wars (1918-1945) 27
10. 21st Century 30
Notes 31
New Words 33
Exercises 35
Chapter 3 British Politics 37
1. Introduction 37
2. The Monarchy 37
3. The Parliament 38
4. The British Government 40
5. The General Election 43
6. Political Parties 45
7. The Judicial System 47
Notes 49
New Words 50
Exercises 51
Chapter 4 Economy of the United Kingdom 53
1. General Introduction 53
2. Economic Sectors 57
3. Global Financial Crisis Impacts upon the UK and the World Economy 60
Notes 63
New Words 64
Exercises 66
Chapter 5 The Military 69
1. Overview 69
2. History 69
3. Structure 72
4. Equipment 74
5. Uniforms 75
6. Recruitment 76
Notes 78
New Words 78
Exercises 80
Chapter 6 Culture and Education 83
1. Introduction 83
2. Culture 83
3. Education 89
Notes 95
New Words 95
Exercises 96
Chapter 7 Religion 101
1. General Introduction 101
2. Role in History and Modern Society 102
3. Christianity 103
4. Other Religions 106
5. Religious Views about Social Issues 108
Notes 110
New Words 111
Exercises 113
Chapter 8 Literature and Arts 117
1. Literature 117
2. Arts 124
Notes 127
New Words 129
Exercises 130
Part Two The United States
Chapter 1 Brief Introduction to the United States of America 135
1. Brief Introduction 135
2. Location and Area 136
3. Climate 137
4. Topography 138
5. Rivers and Lakes 138
6. Mountains and Hills 140
7. Population 141
8. Languages 142
Notes 143
New Words 144
Exercises 147
Chapter 2 History of the United States 151
1. The Discovery of the New World 151
2. The Colonial Period (1600-1763) 151
3. The Independence War of America (1763-1783) 154
4. Territory Expansion and the Westward Movement (1789-1849) 154
5. The Civil War 155
6. The US Imperialism and World War I 157
7. World War II (1939-1945) 158
8. Post World War II 159
9. Toward the 21st Century 160
10. The 21st Century 161
Notes 162
New Words 164
Exercises 165
Chapter 3 American Politics 167
1. Why Government 167
2. The United States Constitution 167
3. Federalism 168
4. The United States Congress 169
5. The Executive Branch 171
6. The Federal Judiciary 172
7. The Legislative Process 173
8. Voting in America 173
9. Political Parties 175
Notes 177
New Words 178
Exercises 179
Chapter 4 Economy of the United States 181
1. Introduction 181
2. Economic Sectors 186
Notes 191
New Words 193
Exercises 194
Chapter 5 The Military 197
1. Overview 197
2. History 198
3. Structure of the U.S. Army 202
4. Personnel 202
5. Equipment 203
6. Recruitment 204
Notes 205
New Words 205
Exercises 208
Chapter 6 Culture and Education 211
1. Introduction 211
2. Culture 211
3. Education 216
Notes 222
New Words 223
Exercises 224
Chapter 7 Religion 227
1. General Introduction 227
2. The Principal American Religions 227
3. Characteristics of American Religion 232
4. Religion in Today’s America 234
5. Religious Views about Social Issues 235
Notes 236
New Words 237
Exercises 238
Chapter 8 Literature and Arts 243
1. Literature 243
2. Arts 252
Notes 255
New Words 256
Exercises 257
Appendix I: Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom 259
Appendix II: Presidents of the United States 265
References 273
