英国概况1.docx
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英国概况1.docx
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英国概况1
英美文化与概况
BritishandAmericanStudies
(BritishPart)
UnitOne
大学英语第一教研室余非
2011年2月
Unit1TheCountryandthePeople
1.GeographicFeatures
2.ClimateandWeather
3.PeopleandReligion
4.OfficialandLocalLanguages
1.GeographicFeatures
1.1Component(组成部分)
ØTothewestandofftheEuropeanContinent,severalthousandofislandsexistontheContinentalShelf.TheyaregenerallycalledtheBritishIsles.
ØOfalltheseisles,thelargestoneiscalledGreatBritain.Forthesakeofconvenience,GreatBritainisoftenshortentoBritain.
ØTheislandofGreatBritainrunsnearly1,000kilometersfromsouthtonorth.Itextends,atthewidestpart,about500kilometersfromwesttoeast.
ØStilltothewestofGreatBritainisIreland,thesecondlargestisland.Itispoliticallydividedintotwoparts,theRepublicofIrelandandNorthernIreland.
ØTheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland(U.K.)ismadeupofGreatBritain,NorthernIrelandandanumberofsmallerislandsaroundthem.ThetotalareaofU.K.isover240,000squarekilometers.Itstotalpopulationisabout59.6million(2001)
ØTraditionally,GreatBritainisdividedintothreecountriesorpoliticalregions:
Englandinthesouth,Scotlandinthenorth,andWalesinthesouthwest.
ØEnglandisthelargestandmostdevelopedofallthethree.Itsareaisabout130,000squarekilometers,whichtakesupalmost60%ofthewholeisland.Itspopulationismorethan50million,whichmakesup85%ofthecountry’stotalpopulation.TheimportanceofEnglandissogreatinBritainthatsomeforeignersjustsay“England”whentheymeanBritain,andtheysaythe“Englishpeople”whentheymeantheBritishpeople.
ØScotlandisthesecondlargestbothinareaandpopulation.Ithasanareaofabout78,760squarekilometers.Itspopulationismorethan5million.
ØWalesisthesmallestofthethreebothinareaandpopulation.Itsareaisabout20,700squarekilometersanditspopulationisabout2.7million.
ØNorthernIreland‘sareaisabout14,000squarekilometers,anditspopulationisabout1.5million.
Supplement1:
✧Ireland
ØIrelandwasanindependentkingdombeforetheAnglo-Normaninvaderscame.HenryVIIIwasthefirstEnglishkingtoconquerIrelandandforceEnglishlawontheIrishpeople.Soonaftertheconquest,largenumbersofScottishimmigrantscameinandestablishedacolonyinUlster(阿尔斯特),anothernameforNorthernIreland.
ØTheIrishpeopleweremostlyRomanCatholicsandtheywereopposedtotheEnglishoccupation.TheEnglishGovernmentputdowntherebellionmadebytheIrishpeopleandpassedthePenalLaw(刑法)in1690,whichdeprivedtheIrishCatholicsofalltheirlegalrights.
ØIrishpeopleneverstoppedfightingforindependence.TheirsuccessfulstrugglefinallyledtotheestablishmentoftheRepublicofIrelandin1927withinBritishCommonwealth(英联邦).In1948IrelandwithdrawfromCommonwealthanddeclareditselfarepublic.
ØHowever,sincemostoftheimmigrantsfromBritainwereProtestants(新教徒),theyrefusedtoseparatethemselvesformtheirhomecountry.Theyheldthenortheastoftheisland,anduptonowtheycontinuetokeepitwithintheUnitedKingdom.Itistoday’sNorthernIreland.
Supplement2:
✧IrishRepublicanArmy(IRA)
ØNowadays,inNorthernIrelandthereareone-thirdofpeoplearestillRomanCatholics,whodemandindependencefromBritainthatisdominatedbyProtestantism(新教徒,新教徒主义).
ØTherefore,someradicalRomanCatholicsorganizedamilitarygroupfightingfortheindependenceofNorthernIreland.Itoftenresortstoterroristcampaigns(战役;活动)ofbombing,murderingandarson.Thepoliticalwing(派别)ofIRAiscalledSinnFein.(爱尔兰新芬党).
1.2PhysicalFeatures(自然特色)
ØLeavingIrelandononeside,TheislandofGreatBritaincanbedividedintotwopartsaccordingtoitsgeographicfeatures:
theHighlandZoneinthenorthandwestandtheLowlandZoneinthesouthandsoutheast.
ØBritainisanislandcountry,withitscoastlinerunningabout8,000kilometers.
ØGreatBritain’scoastlineishighlyirregularwithmanybaysandinletsthatprovidelotsofharborsandsheltersforshipandboats.
ØAsanislandcountry,GreatBritaindoesnotsharealandborderwithanyothercountriesexcepttheRepublicofIreland.
ØTothenorthofGreatBritaintheseawayisopenandleadstotheArcticOcean(北冰洋).
ØAcrosstheNorthSeaBritainfacessuchcountriesasHolland,Germany,DenmarkandNorway.
ØTothesoutheastandacrosstheEnglishChannelisFrance,whichislinkedwithBritainbyatunnelcalledtheChannelTunnel(海峡隧道),opentotrafficin1994,wasbuiltbyBritishandFrenchprivateinvestors.Themaintunnelis50-kmlongatanaveragedepthof40metersbelowtheseabed.
ØThetunnelhasgreatsymbolicimportanceasanunbrokenlinkbetweenBritainandtheEuropeanContinent.
ØTheHighlandsofScotland:
Scotlandisamountainouscountry,withitshighlandstakingupoverhalfofthecountry.BenNevis,thehighestmountaininBritain,withanelevationof1,300metersinNorthScotland.
ØTheCentralLowlands(MiddleValley)ofScotland:
LyingtothesouthoftheHighlandsofScotlandisagreatvalleywhichformstheCentralLowlandsofScotland,alsocalledtheMiddleValley.ItisthemostimportanteconomicregioninScotlandandaccommodatesthree-quartersofScotland’stotalpopulation.
ØTheSouthernUplands:
ThelandonthesouthernsideoftheCentralLowlandsofScotlandisknownastheSouthernUpland.Theareaincludessomeveryoldmountainswithroundtops.
ØThePennines(PennineChains奔宁山脉):
inthenorthernpartofEngland,includesomeoldmountainswhichmakeupakindofplateau.PennineChainsrunabout120kilometersfromsouthtonorth,knownasthebackboneofEngland.(seePPT)
ØTheLakeDistrict:
well-knownforitsuniquelakes,issituatedonthewesternsideofthePennines.TheareahasthefinestsceneryinBritain.Itisalsowell-knowninthehistoryofEnglishliteraturebecauseitwashometoLakePoets(湖畔[派]诗人),suchasWilliamWordsworth华兹华斯(1770-1850);RobertSouthey(1774-1843).
ØTheWelshMassif:
ThismassifembracesallthehillmassesthatneartothewestofmiddlepartofEngland.
2.ClimateandWeather
2.1CharacteristicofClimateandWeather
ØBritainhasmaritimeclimateandchangeableweather.
ØBritishpeoplearefondofdiscussingtheweather.Perhapsitisnothingmorethanahabit,butthehabithassomethingtodowiththechangeabilityoftheEnglishweather.
ØEventhemostreliableEnglishweatherexpertsfindithardtogiveacorrectandreliableweatherforecast.
ØAnothercharacteristicoftheEnglishclimateisitsmildor“strange”temperature.Thetemperatureinwinteris“toohigh”andinsummer“toolow”ifcomparedwithweatherinothercountriesofthesamelatitude.
ØInspiteofitsmaritimeclimate,Britainstillhasdiscernableseasons.
ØBroadlyspeaking,theEnglishsummerconsistofJune,JulyandAugust.Insummerthedaysarelong:
thesunrisesbefore4:
00a.m.anddoesnotsetuntilafter8:
00p.m.
ØThetemperatureinsummerisnotveryhigh,onlyabout20°Cmostoftime,seldomover32°C.Inwinter,eveninthecoldestmonth,theaveragetemperatureseldomdipsbelow3°C.
ØTheEnglishweatherisalsocharacterizedbyabundantrainfall.Theannualaveragerainfallisabout1,000mminmostpartsofEngland.Morethanhalfofthedaysoftheyeararerainydays.
ØInLondon,forexample,therearemorethan160rainydayseachyearwhileinthewestpartofthecountryrainydaysnumbermorethantwohundred.
2.2FactorsInfluencingEnglishWeather
ØTheshoreoftheBritishIsles,especiallythewesternshores,arebathedbyawarmdriftofwater.ItiscalledtheNorthAtlanticDrift,whichisacontinuationoftheGulfStreamoriginatingintheGulfofMexico.
ØTheBritishIslesliewhollywithinwhathaslongbeencalledthewesterlywindbelt.Generallyspeaking,thewestwindisthedominantwindinBritain.ComingfromtheAtlanticOcean,thewindismildandmoist.
ØTherearenumerousriversandinletsinBritain.Theyallowtheoceanicinfluencestocomeinlandeasily.
2.3InlandWater
ØSinceBritainhasamoistclimatewithmuchrainfall,riversandlakesarenumerous.
ØMostriversinBritainarenotlongbecausethecountryisnotlarge.
ØThelongestriveristheSevernRiver(塞文河),whichruns355kilometersandemptiesintotheBristolStrait.(布里斯托尔海峡)
ØThesecondlongestandmostimportantriveristheThamesRiver(泰晤士河),whichis332kilometerslongandrunsthroughthesouthofEngland,themostimportantplaininBritain.
ØMostofthelargelakesintheUnitedKingdomarelocatedintheuplandareasofScotlandandnorthernEnglandalthoughLoughNeaghinNorthernIrelandisthelargestlakeintheUnitedKingdom.
ØLochLomond(洛蒙德湖),onthesouthwesternedgeoftheHighlandofScotland,isthelargestontheislandofGreatBritain.
3.PeopleandReligion
3.1People
ØTheUnitedKingdomhasapopulationof59.6million(2001),withanaveragepopulationdensityof244personspersqkm.
ØBritish’spopulationisoverwhelminglyurban,withabout90%livinginurbanareasand10%livinginruralareas.
ØLikeU.S.A,theUnitedKingdomisalsoamelting-potofdifferentcultures.Ithasadiversepopulationthatincludespeoplefromalmosteverycontinentoftheworld,suchasIndians,ChineseandAfricans,butamajorityofthemarewhitewesterns.
ØImmigrantsfromIndiamakeup1.5%ofthepopulation;Chinese,0.3%;andAfricans,0.03%.
ØAsianandblackminoritiesarestillsufferingfromdiscriminationanddisadvantages.
ØHowever,theBritishgovernmenthaspassedlawstoensurefairnessandjusticeforethnicminorities.TheRaceRel
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