《英语**概况》坚持马克思主义的辩证唯物主义和历史唯物主义原则,尽量客观、如实地反映英语**的地理、历史、经济和政治概貌,尽量避免个人对这些**的误读与偏见。《英语**概况》共30章,每章都有英语课文,《英语**概况》后附有汉语参考译文,旨在帮助理解,提供翻译示例。文后有思考和练习题,便于学生课后反复练习,**记忆,使其在学到文化知识的同时,提高中英文两种语言的阅读、互译和表达水平。《英语**概况》尽量做到精选、新颖、简明、条理、易懂,以减轻学习者的压力。为了提高学习兴趣,还附有地图、插图,以提高知识的直观性和趣味性。附录中有各章练习客观题的答案,以便查阅与核对。

1. Departments
The principal government departments .include: the Treasury, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Foods,Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, Department of Education and Science, Department of Health and Social Security, Department of Trade and Industry, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Home Office, Scottish Office,Welsh Office, Northern Ireland Office, Department of Energy, and the Civil Service Department.
Most of the offices were founded before the 20th'century, while ministries and departments were established during the 20th century. Some heads of ministries are entitled "minister" or” secretary" and some have special titles, such as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Lord Chancellor. Even some old offices survive, such as Lord President of the Privy Council, Lord Privy Seal, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Paymaster-General, and Minister without Portfolio. Their duties are nominal, but the Prime Minister uses these posts to give positions in the government to people who he wants to perform special tasks.
2. Civil Service
Implementation of the Minister' s decisions is carried out by a permanent politically neutral organization known as the civil service. Its constitutional role is to support the Government of the day regardless of which political party is in power. Unlike some other democracies, senior civil servants remain in post upon a change of Government. Administrative management of the Department is led by a head civil servant known in most Departments as a Permanent Secretary. The majority of the civil service staff in fact work in executive agencies, which are separate operational organizations reporting to Departments of State. That means that besides the ministers, who are politicians, each department has a large staff of professional civil servants who do most of the work of running the department on the minister' s behalf. The civil service is non-political. Those of its members who are
…… 洪瑞同志主编的《英语**概况》如期竣稿,邀我审阅并作序,诺后,浮想联翩。
1984年,洪瑞同志留校后的**个本命年,与我一道开始编写《英语语言学基础读本》,一年后,该书由山东大学出版社出版。1996年,他做教师后的第二个本命年,与我共同编著《国外语言学统观》,由山东教育出版社出版。1997年,他与人合作主编的《英美概况》付梓前我曾为其作序,时值香港回归年。2008年,洪瑞同志迎来了他执教后的第三个本命年,亦即花甲年,我已年届古稀,��应邀为《英语**概况》作序,且恰逢北京奥运年。这一桩桩人与事的时间巧合,可归结为缘分使然。
洪瑞同志从事英语教学多年,英美概况研究一直是其专长。他既有较早参加由美籍专家执教的“中美文化研讨班”的专业基础,又有为硕士生开设学位课程《英语史》的理论深度,还有编写《英语语言学》和《英汉翻译》教材以及翻译《英汉对照实用中医文库》的广泛阅历,更有巡回全省各地辅导“英美概况”自考科目的丰富经验。以这种经历与资格,应首都经济贸易大学出版社之邀担任《英语**概况》的主编,可谓当之无愧。
《英美概况》与《英语**概况》对比如下:就本质来说,同属文化背景知识,均由温氏担纲执笔;从理论上讲,后者是前者的扩版,今本是原本的续篇;凭品位而论,两书的区别不仅是范围的扩大,也不只是时间的延续,而是主编统观全局、删繁就简、革故鼎新、突出**、与时俱进的科研创新和学术升华。本书提供的汉语译文,英语专业学生可视为翻译示例,非英语专业学生可把原文当做英语范文,自学考试者亦可借此节余时间,准备其他科目。这类利于多方学习的改进,可谓一举三得。
《英语**概况》在教学改革相继铺开和不断深入的新形势下问世,定会对英语专业教学质量的提高有所裨益,同时为培养复合型人才带来契机,也必将受到高校师生与广大读者的欢迎。这一切不也正是出版社的初衷、编写者的期望和作序人的心愿吗?

The United Kingdom
Chapter 1The Land
Chapter 2 The People
Chapter 3Economy
Chapter 4Parliament and Government
Chapter 5Party Politics and Judiciary
Chapter 6Early Man and the Feudal Society
Chapter 7Decline of Feudalism and the Bourgeois Revolution
Chapter 8The Industrial Revolution and the Chartist Movement
Chapter 9The British Empire and British Imperialism

The United States
Chapter 10 The Land
Chapter 11The People
Chapter 12American Economy
Chapter 13Government System
Chapter 14State Government and Party Politics
Chapter 15The Early Colonization
Chapter 16American Revolution
Chapter 17American Civil War
Chapter 18US Imperialism

Canada
Chapter 19Geography
Chapter 20 The Formation of the Nation
Chapter 21The Canadian Economy
Chapter 22Government and Politics

Australia
Chapter 23Geography and People
Chapter 24History
Chapter 25Economy
Chapter 26Government and Politics

New Zealand
Chapter 27Geography
Chapter 28Economy
Chapter 29History
Chapter 30Political System

KEY TO EXERCISES
REFERENCES
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