专八人文知识从命题来看并不是很难。大多都是英语专业本科阶段应该了解的常识性问题，但涉及的范围很宽泛，备考时面对英美文学﹑文化﹑及语言学众多资料无从下手，这就要求考生对每一章的基本概念都要清楚，善于高度提炼，把书看薄。
1.Which of the following tribes first came to Britain? A Roman B Anglo-Saxons C Jutes D Celts 2.The Hundred Years’ War between Britain and France was fought ____. A from 1327 to 1453 B from 1337 to 1453 C from 1347 to 1453 D from 1357 to 1453 3.The Republic of Ireland became independent in the year ____ A 1918 B 1920 C 1945 D 1949 4.The English Civil War is also called ____ A the Puritan Revolution B the second Magna Carta C the Long Parliament D the Anglican War 5.Britain is separated from the rest of Europe by the English Channel in the ____ and the North Sea in the east, A east B south C west D north 6.The largest lake in Britain is ____. A. Loch Lomond B the Lough Neagh C Windermere D Ullswater 7.Where do the majority of people in Scotland live? A In the Highlands B In the central Lowlands C In the Uplands D In the west of Scotland 8.The two important crops in Britain are ____ A barley and corn B wheat and rice C barley and oats D wheat and barley 9 Which is the largest city in Scotland? A Cardiff B Edinburgh C Glasgow D Manchester 10 Which is the correct name to use to refer to Britain in a political way? A Great Britain B The British Isles C The United Kingdom D England 答案 1.D 凯尔特在公元前700年到英国，罗马人在公元1到5世纪统治英国，5世纪中期盎格鲁撒克逊人侵占英国，因此凯尔特人是最早踏入英国的。 3.D 爱尔兰共和国在1949年独立。 4.A 英国内战于1642年到1646年间发生，国王查尔斯与议会发生争执，实际上是国王与清教徒之间的矛盾引起的，结果议会胜利。 5.B 英国南面与法国隔着英吉利海峡。 6.B 英国最大的湖是内伊湖，最长的河流是塞文河。 7.B 苏格兰中低部适合人类生存，是苏格兰工业和人高度集中的地区。 8 D 小麦和大麦是英国最重要的庄稼。 9 C, 格拉斯格是苏格兰最大的城市和经济中心。 10 C, 提起英国，很多人会使用名字“Britain”，“England”或“British”， 但这往往会惹恼苏格兰人，威尔士人以及北爱尔兰人。从政治角度来讲，“the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”或 “the United Kingdom/UK”是英国正确的叫法。“the British Isles” 则是地理意义上的名字，包括Great Britain，the whole of Ireland （ Northern and Southern），the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man 这些岛屿。