第5章 产业、农业、商业

I. Explain the following in English

1. Mercantilism

Key: (1)It was an economic theory practiced by British government in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

(2)It held that the acquisition of gold and silver, in payment for goods exported, increased the wealth of a nation.

(3)Only by an excess of exports over imports could a country grow wealthy and self-sufficient.

(4)Britain sold its surplus products abroad for gold and silver through extensive trade.

2. Luddites

Key: (1)They were a group of workers against machines in the early 1800s in Britain.

(2)They smashed and destroyed new factory machinery, because they believed that factory machines had robbed them of their jobs.

3. Invisible earnings

Key: (1)The wealth created by Britain's service industries in called invisible earnings.

(2)Invisible earnings fall into three main groups: receipts and payments for services supplied abroad; interest, profits and dividends arising out of British investment overseas; and foreign currency brought into the country by visiting tourists.

(3)Britain's invisible earnings are second only to that of the United States.

4. The Bank of England

Key: (1)It is the nation's central bank.

(2)It is run by a governor and a group of directors appointed by the Crown.

(3)It prints and issues currency notes and controls the country's gold reserves.

5. Special development areas

Key: The most vulnerable areas-areas that had stuck to the pattern of one traditional industry only were designated development areas and special development areas. They were encouraged by government agencies to expand and diversify the local industrial pattern and were empowered to offer favorable sites, a guaranteed workforce, financial concessions and incentives to new industries establishing themselves in their region

6. William Blake

Key: (1)He was a British poet in the nineteenth century.

(2) He attacked industrialization severely in his poem Jerusalem.

(3)He referred to factories as ‘dark satanic mills' and accused them of polluting ‘England's green and pleasant land'.

7. Britain's mixed economy

Key: (1)In Britain's mixed economy, nationalized industries account for only 10 percent of the Gross National Product.

(2) The economy is largely in private hands.

(3)One tenth of the economy is controlled by foreign commercial interests.

8. The City of London

Key: The City, lying east of Westminster, is the oldest part of the capital and ranks as one of the world's most important financial centers. It contains the Bank of England; the Stock Exchange; Lloyd's , the famous insurance brokers; the Baltic Exchange for chartering cargo space , ships and planes; finance houses; merchant banks; and many of the world's top commodity markets. The City's main activity is buying and selling commodities (wool, rubber, sugar, diamonds, gold, etc.), services and finance for commercial investment, as well as stocks and shares in all kinds of businesses and industries throughout the world.

II. Fill in the blanks

1. By the end of the 18th century, the most important energy resource in Britain was _____. Next was _____.

Key: coal; water power from swift-flowing streams and rivers

2. After _____, the British government nationalized several major industries. Three of these first state-run industries were _____, _____ and _____.

Key: the Second World War; the Bank of England, coal, civil aviation.

3. The nationalization of several major industries began after _____ by the then _____ government.

Key: the Second World War; labor

4. Napoleon once called the British _____ because the UK had many small businesses.

Key: ‘a nation of shopkeepers’

5. Since 1970 _____ has created thousands of new jobs and has also involved many ancillary industries.

Key: the discovery and exploitation of oil and gas in the North Sea

III. Tick the correct answer in each of the following:

1. During the Industrial Revolution, factories came into being because _____.

A. it was more economical to manufacture goods.

B. it could provide more housing for workers.

C. power could be concentrated.

D. more workers could work together under one large roof.

【答案】A

2. Three of the following factors influenced the location of industry in Britain. Which is the exception?

A. The convenience of obtaining raw materials.

B. The convenience of having power.

C. The convenience of transportation.

D. The convenience of developing a single important industry.

【答案】D

3. The pattern of British industry has changed radically since the Second World War. This change can be seen in three of the following except _____.

A. steel, textiles and other manufacturing industries have declined.

B. service industries have grown.

C. some major industries have been nationalized.

D. small businesses have flourished.

【答案】D

4. Three of the following are the main activities of the City of London. Which is the exception?

A. Government administration.

B. Buying and Selling commodities.

C. Providing services and finance for commercial investment.

D. Stock exchanges.

【答案】A

5. Invisible earnings fall into three of the following groups except _____.

A. money made from dairy farming.

B. interest, profits and dividends arising out of British investment abroad.

C. receipts and payments for services supplied abroad.

D. foreign currency brought into the country by visiting tourists.

【答案】A

IV. Answer the questions

1. How did Britain become rich and powerful by the second half of the 19th century?

Key: It is linked, on the one hand, with the Industrial Revolution and, on the other hand, with the emergence of Britain as the world's greatest political and economic influence.

2. What were the positive side and the negative side of the Industrial Revolution in Britain?

Key: Negative side: the successes and achievements of industrialization were founded on the exploitation of working people who were forced to endure long working hours for meagre wages and to live in squalid inadequate housing, crowded together.

Positive side: Industrialization, for all its negative social effects, did bring many economic advantages and made Britain an exceedingly rich and powerful nation. It increased the population of urban areas and expanded industrial output; it encouraged technical invention and promoted competition to improve the quality of goods and services offered; it also led to better communication systems.

3. Discuss the location and re-location of industry in Britain.

Key: The area which has shown most spectacular development in recent years is the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Where once there were few employment opportunities other than fishing or crofting (Sheep farming) there is now substantial industrial activity. Since 1970 the discovery and exploitation of oil and gas in the North Sea has created thousands of new jobs and has also involved many ancillary industries in the supply of services and equipment. The fact that Britain is now self-sufficient in oil-and is even an oil exporter--has had a very favorable effect on the nation's balance of payments. As exploration and drilling operations have continued, the east of Scotland and the Shetland Islands (with Europe's largest oil terminal at Sullom Voe) has become one of Britain's more prosperous areas. By 1982, 18 separate oil fields were in operation producing 1.9 million barrels (271000 tones) a day with a further nine fields under development, all in the North Sea.

4. What are some of the characteristics of British agriculture?

Key: (1)Agriculture is one of the country's most important industries. (2)Farm efficiency and production have increased greatly over recent years in spite of the decline in manpower. (3)It has one of the highest out-put per worker in the world. (4)British farmers are dissatisfied with the EEC agricultural policy because they believe that they are supporting uneconomic farming in other parts of the EEC.

5. How has Britain tried to develop the most vulnerable areas-those areas that had stuck to the pattern of one traditional industry only?

Key: The most vulnerable areas-areas that had stuck to the pattern of one traditional industry only were designated development areas and special development areas. They were encouraged by government agencies to expand and diversify the local industrial pattern and were empowered to offer favorable sites, a guaranteed workforce, financial concessions and incentives to new industries establishing themselves in their region. Under the Industry Act of 1972 grants are available to businesses which either open new factories or offices in development areas or which move existing operations from the congested south-east to such areas. Considerable financial assistance is given by the government towards the cost of buildings, machinery and re-location of staff.

6. Discuss the relationship between Britain and the Common Market.

Key: Increased productivity and advanced mechanization have made British farms among the most efficient in the European Economic Community (Common Market). Britain now produces just over half of its total food requirements and almost three-quarters of the food crops that can be grown in its climatic zone. Farmers receive various subsidies as well as guaranteed minimum prices for certain agricultural products such as wheat, beef, eggs and butter; these prices are mostly fixed through the EEC's Common Agricultural Policy.