一般常识Common Sense篇

 　　Common Sense

　　I: What does UN stand for, do you know?
　　C: It stands for the United Nations.
　　I: Where is the headquarters of UN?
　　C: In New York City of the United States.
　　I: What are the main organs of UN?
　　C: Its main organs are General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice and Secretariat.
　　I: Do you know who is the present seretary-general of UN?
　　C: Yes, I do. The present seretary-general' is Annan.
　　I: Which countries are members of the European Economic Community (the European Common Market)?
　　C: France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg , Great Britain, Ireland, Denmark. Spain, Greece, Portugal , twelve countries altogether.
　　I: How many states are there in the U.S.A.?
　　C: There are fifty.
　　I: What's the full name of Great Britain?
　　C: Its full name is the United Kindom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
　　I: Who is the monarch 2 of the United Kingdom?
　　C: Eiczabeth II.
　　I: What are the national anthems 4 of China, America and Britain respectively?
　　C: The Chinese national anthem 3 is "The March of the Volunteers". The American national anthem is "The Star-Span-gled Banner", The British national anthem is "God Save the Queen".
　　I: What are the national flags of China, America and Britain respctively?
　　C: The Red Flag with Five Stars is the Chinese national flag. The Stars and Stripes are the American national flag. And the British national flag is called the Union Jack 5.
　　I: What is the legislative 6 in the U.S. A.?
　　C: The Congress.
　　I: What is the British counterpart of the U. S. Congress?
　　C: The British Parliament is the counterpart of the U.S. Congress.
　　I: Which organization in China functions as the U.S. Cogress or the British Parliament?
　　C: The National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China.
　　I: What are the two major parties in the U.S.A.?
　　C:' The Republican Party and the Democratic Party.
　　I: What are the two major parties in Britain?
　　C: The Conservative Party and the Labour Party.
　　I: As you know in some western countries the two major parties take turns to be in power in the government. How do you describe this kind of government?
　　C: We describe it as a seesaw 7 government.
　　I: The North-South problem is drawing more and more attention all around the world in recent years. Can you explain briefly 8 what that is?
　　C: Well, most of the developing nations are in the Southern Hemisphere,or at least relatively 9 far south ,and most of the industrially developed nations are in the north. The econmic development isn't spread out evenly; it tends to be con 1 centrated in a few areas. The North-South problem is mostly a problem of unbalanced economic development, I think.
　　I: What is GATT an abbreviation for?
　　C: GATT is an abbreviation for The General Agreement on Tariffs 10 and Trade.
　　I: The stock market puts out the Dow Jones averages every day. Do you know what that is ?
　　C: Yes, that's the average price of stocks for that day, computed 11 according to the methods of the Dow Jones Company Ltd. in the United States. In general, if the Dow Jones averages are up, then most stocks are up. If the Dow Jones averages are down, then, most stocks are probably down in price compared to the previous day.
　　I: What are the two basic causes of inflation?
　　C: That's a difficult question! But I think-we usually have inflation when demand exceeds supply, forcing costs up, and people have extra money and are willing to .spend it for things they want. Then they compete for things on the market and costs go higher and higher. Some other causes are too many issues of banknotes and too much capital construction.
　　I: When did Hong Kong's sovereignty return to China?
　　C: On July 1, 1997.
　　I: What policy has China established towards Hong Kong problem?
　　C: China will implement 12 the policy of "one state with two systems" when Hong Kong is returned to its motherland.
　　I: How many nationalities are there in China.
　　C: Fifty-six.
　　I: What are China's most important festivals?
　　C: The four most important festivals are the Spring Festival, the Lantern Festival, the Dragon-boat Festival and the Mid-autumn (Moon) Festival. Besides, we have International Labour Women's Day, Labour Day, and the National Day.
　　I: Tell me about Chinese families.
　　C: This is an interesting question. Chinese families are very close and depend on each other a lot. They will take care of their elders and help the younger ones. In a word, respectthe old and love the young.
　　I: What is your opinion about Chinese parents?
　　C: Chinese parents try to instill their chiddren with values of working hard and respecting others. I think these are very good traits but they also make some parents be a little too strict sometimes. But, overall) Chinese parents are loving and responsible parents.
　　I: China's constitution provides that the Chinese citizens enjoy freedom of religion. What religions do the Chinese usually observe?
　　C: Some observe Buddhism 13; some are Christiatts; some believe in Islam; some practise Taoism. But the majority are non-religious.