《英语国家概况》英国`期末整理

1、The United KingdomStep1 The Country & People1、Geographical locationThe UK is an island country.The UK is located in the northwestern Europe.The UK is a country of island surrounded by North sea (to its east), Atlantic ocean (to its north), Irish sea (to its west and between Great Britain and Ire

2、land), English Channel（英吉利海峡）and Strait of Dover（多佛尔海峡）(to its south).2、Common-sense knowledgeNational Anthem：上帝保佑女王"god save the queen"（男性君主为"god save the king"）National Flower：RoseThe Capital: London3、Area and populationArea: 244, 820 sqkmPopulation: 60.9 million(2008) The most

3、 densely populated area: England (84%) The least densely populated area: Scotland The least populated area: Northern Ireland (less than 3%)4、British Commonwealth (1931) P9 (expressing in English)British Commonwealth Also known as the Commonwealth of Nations, it is an association comprising the Unite

4、d Kingdom and fifty or so former British colonies that are now sovereign states with a common allegiance to the British Crown, including Canada, Australia, India, and many countries in the West Indies and Africa. It was formally established by the Statute of Westminster in 1931. Among the members of

5、 the Commonwealth, sixteen sovereign states separately recognize Queen Elizabeth as their monarch and are named the Commonwealth Realms. It includes the UK itself, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, among others. 英联邦(Commonwealth of Nations)，是以英国为主导的国家联合体，由英国及其自治领和其他已独立的前殖民地、附属国组成，由54个主权国家（含属地）所组成，

6、成员大多为前大英帝国的殖民地或附属国。各自治领地地位平等，彼此的内政和外交完全独立；共同效忠于英王，皆为自由结合的英联邦的成员。该组织元首为英国女王伊丽莎白二世，同时身兼英联邦王国内的16国的国家元首。 英联邦成员国及其附属国占据了全球五分之一的土地及四分之一的人口。成员国在许多领域进行商讨和合作，包括贸易、金融、国防、教育、技术、科研、法律、医药和农业。英联邦不是一个国家，而是一个松散的组织。 英联邦是英国对联邦其他成员国在政治、军事、财政经济和文化上施加影响的组织。5、Capital city LondonLondon is in the Southeast of the nation a

7、nd is situated on the Thames River near its mouth.London is the largest city and largest port in the UK.The political center: Buckingham palace（白金汉宫，英国皇宫）, Palace of Westminster/ House of parliament（国会大厦）, Downing street（唐宁街）The financial center: One of the three major international financial center

8、s in the world. (Paris and New York)The heart of arts and culture: The University of London (the largest university in the UK), British museum（大英博物馆）City of Fog（雾都）London is divided into the City of London (金融城) and the County of London ( includes all the suburbs and part of the countryside around L

9、ondon, is divided into 32 boroughs 区，自治市镇，城区).6、Tourist Attractions in LondonThames River（泰晤士河）Tower Bridge（伦敦塔桥）Palace of Westminster/House of parliament（威斯敏斯特宫/国会大厦）威斯敏斯特宫（Palace of Westminster），又称国会大厦（Houses of Parliament）是英国国会（包括上议院和下议院）的所在地。威斯敏斯特宫是哥德复兴式建筑的代表作之一。Westminster Abbey（威斯敏斯特教堂）Politic

10、al significance：Royal wedding ceremony & Royal tombCommemoratory significance：Tombs of many famous people “Poets corner”（诗人之角）Who was the first literary figure buried here? -Chaucer (father of English history)Who was the last royal family member buried here? -Diana (Rose of England)In the right

11、picture, whose tomb is it? -NewtonWho built it? -Edward the confessor（忏悔者）Swiss Re Tower（瑞士再保险塔）London Eye（伦敦眼）Millennium Bridge（千禧桥）Greenwich observatory（格林威治天文台）Canary Wharf（金丝雀码头）Millennium Dome（千年穹顶）St Pauls Cathedral（圣保罗大教堂）London Tower（伦敦塔）Canary Wharf Tower（金丝雀码头塔）One Canada Square第一加拿大广场HSBC

12、 Tower汇丰银行塔 8 Canada Square第八加拿大广场Citigroup Centre 花旗集团中心Buckingham Palace（白金汉宫）the residence of the queen（女王住处）7、Different names for Britain and its parts8、Topography（地形） Rising in North-West cause highlands there; Sinking in South-East cause lowlands.9、Filling in the blanks1）The British Isles a ge

13、ographic term which includes two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland island, and 5,000 small islands.2）Great Britain comprises only England , Scotland and Wales.3）Ireland island includes Northern Ireland and southern Ireland. Northern Ireland is a part of the UK, while southern Ireland became a

14、n independent country Republic of Ireland.4）The UK is made up of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is made up of England, Scotland and Wales.5）Three termsBritish Isles（不列颠群岛）：Two large islands and hundreds of small onesBritain：Great Britain and Northern IrelandGreat Britain：Englan

15、d, Wales and Scotland10、Terms & Capitals & FeaturesTermCapitalFeaturesEnglandLondonThe most populous and densely populated area（人口密度最大，人口最多）ScotlandEdinburgh爱丁堡its population density is the lowest（人口密度最小）WalesCardiff加的夫Northern IrelandBelfast贝尔法斯特The least populous（人口最少）11、Rivers & Lakes

16、 The longest river: the Severn（塞汶河）The 2nd but most important river: Thames（泰晤士河）The largest lake in the UK: Lough Neagh（内伊湖，英国最大的淡水湖）Lough Lomond（洛蒙德湖）, on the southwestern edge of the High-lands of Scotland, is the largest on the island of Great Britain.12、Climate & WeatherChangeable Mild temp

17、erature Abundant rain fall1. mid-latitude oceanic climate（中纬海洋性气候）a. Favorable one, winters are mild not too cold and summers are cool not too hot; b. Steady reliable rainfall throughout the whole year; c. Small range of temperature. 2. Factors a. The surrounding waters tend to balance the seasonal（

18、季节性的）differences by heating up the land in winter and cooling it off in summer; b. The Westerlies（盛行西风带）blow over the country all the year round bringing warm and wet air in winter and keeping the temperatures moderate;c. The North Atlantic Drift（北大西洋暖流）, which is a warm current, passes the western

19、coast of the British Isles and warms them.3. Rainfall a. General: Britain has a steady reliable rainfall throughout the whole year. The average annual rainfall in Britain is over 1,000 mm; b. Character: Water surplus in north and west; Water deficit in south and east;c. Reservoirs（水库）have to be buil

20、t in highland areas such as Central Wales, the Lake District and the Scottish Highlands（苏格兰高地）. Step2 History of the United Kingdom13、A brief timeline of British history0. Early history史前43A.D.1. Roman years 罗马人占领时期：55BC410AD Early2. Anglo-Saxon Britain and Anglo-Saxon Heptarch盎格鲁撒克逊时期 Britain与Danis

21、h invasion丹麦统治时期：449年1066年 3. Norman Britain 诺曼底王朝10661154 4. House of Plantagenet 雀花王朝11541399 Medieval5. House of Lancaster 兰开斯特王朝13991461 Britain6. House of York 约克王朝14611485 7. House of Tudors都铎王朝14851603 Religious reformation8. The House of Stuart斯图亚特王朝 16031714 British Bourgeois Revolution9.Ho

22、use of Hanover汉诺威王朝17141917 Industrial revolution Victorian Britain World War One10.House of Windsor温莎王朝1917 World War Two14、The earliest known settlers on the British Isles were Iberian.（英国土著居民是利比亚人）15、The Normans were the last invaders in history to conquer the British Isles.（诺曼底入侵是历史上最后一次外族入侵）16、

23、1.什么是诺曼底征服（封建社会的开始）？When Edward the confessor died in 1066 without a male heir, Harold claimed the throne, but 3 days later, Duke of Normandy, William, crossed the Channel, killed Harold and defeated the English army at the battle of Hastings. Weeks later, he was crowned as William at Westminster Ab

24、bey in London on Christmas Day 1066.2. William, duke of Normandy (Northwest of France, close to British Channel)（位于法国西北部）3. The Battle of Hastings（黑斯廷斯战役）4. FactsThe Battle of Hastings in 1066 made William, the Conqueror the first Anglo-Norman king of England.5. SignificanceIt is the last invasion o

25、f England by foreigners while English history regards it as a hidden blessing.6. In 1067, William started building the Tower of London, the great fortress （要塞，堡垒）which demonstrated his power and dominated the city of London.17、1. Henry在位期间三大事件： 在位国王: Henry三大事件：Henryfounded the Plantagenet Dynasty;Th

26、e jury of 12 sworn men system（12人陪审团制度）were introduced;The royal/common law（普遍法）replaced the feudal law（封建法）.2. King John and “The Great Charter”King John was defeated in a war with France and lost Normandy in 1204. The lords got angry and forced him to sign a long document on June 17th, 1215. This

27、document is known as The Great Charter (also named Magna Carta), later regarded as the basis of the modern English constitution.Contents：（略看）no tax should be made without the approval of the councilno freeman should be arrested or imprisoned except by the law of the landIf the king attempted to free

28、 himself from law, the vassals（封臣）had the right to force the king to obey it.Significance：（略看）The Great Charter was made in the interest of the feudal lords, great and small. It had a progress significance. It granted to the towns people freedom of trade and self-government. The merchants and crafts

29、men in England appeared for the first time as a new political force.3. Beginning of ParliamentHenry (son of King John) heavily taxed the lords to pay tributes（贡品） to the Pope（罗马教皇）to defeat the lords.Simon de Montfort（蒙特福德爵士）, defender（守护者）of the Great Charter, reformed the Great Council with two kn

30、ights each county（郡，县）and two representatives each town（城镇）.It later developed into the House of Lords（上议院）and the House of Commons（下议院）. The Earliest English Parliament （All Estates Parliament各等级议会）was summoned in 1265 in Westminster after the capture（捕获，俘虏）of Henry .4. In 1295, King Edward summone

31、d the “All Estates Parliament” more than 400 hundred members in all. As that parliament was followed as a model, it became known in history as the “Model Parliament（模范国会）”.18、Hundred Years War（百年战争）A series of war waged from 1337 to 1453 by France and England. France won eventually.It was the longes

32、t war in the world. (1337-1453)19、The Black Death（黑死病）P21名词解释Black Death Also known as the Black Plague, it was a devastating pandemic that first struck Europe in the mid-14th century, killing between a third and two-thirds of Europes population, including about one-third of Englands population.1348

33、 -1350/ in mid-14th centuryCause: the deadly bubonic plague（鼠疫）Consequence-The lords was in shortage of the labor (about one half of the population in England died of this disease).-Wage labor demanded higher wages and greater freedom.20、Wat Tyler's Uprising (1381) （瓦特泰勒起义）It marked the beginnin

34、g of the end of Serfdom（农奴制）in medieval England.21、Wars of the Roses (14551485)（玫瑰之战）The name "Wars of the Roses" has its origins in the badges associated with the two royal houses, the Red Rose of Lancaster and the White Rose of York. The Wars of the Roses (14551485) were a series of civi

35、l wars fought over the throne of England between adherents of the House of Lancaster (feudal landowner) and the House of York (commercial-minded). Both houses were branches of the Plantagenet royal house, tracing descent from King Edward .（金雀花王朝的两分支兰开斯特&约克为争夺王位，均为爱德华三世的后裔）It marked the ending of

36、 the Middle Ages in European history and the beginning of modern world.22、Religious reformationImmediate cause: Henry s divorce(Henry was not permitted to divorce Catherine, a Spanish princess.)Henry's elder daughter Mary was a Catholic and a militant（好斗的）Catholic at that. Her efforts as queen t

37、o restore Catholicism to England made her the most unpopular queen in British historyand the means that she used to pursue her aims earned her the nickname "bloody Mary"（血腥玛丽）. Elizabeth（伊丽莎白一世）(7 September 1533 24 March 1603) was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558

38、 until her death（在位时间）. She is the greatest Queen in Britain and the Virgin QueenThe British colony Virginia was named for her honor. Elizabeth's reign brought in one of the most glorious eras of British history. The Arts flourished, this was the age of Shakespeare and Bacon. The Golden Age（Eliz

39、abeth为什么好？）Under Elizabeth's rule, England advanced in such areas as foreign trade, exploration, literature and the arts.The English navy defeated the Spanish Armada（西班牙无敌舰队）. During her reign, the age of exploration began with the explorers such as Francis Drake claiming new lands for England a

40、nd introducing new materials and foods. The American State, Virginia, is named after the virgin Queen.In government, Elizabeth was more moderate than her father and siblings. One of her mottoes was video et taceo: "I see, and say nothing". 我已经嫁给了英格兰。我是妇道人家，但我有囊括四海的帝王胸怀，一个英格兰国王所应该有的胸怀。伊丽莎白一

41、世23、The “Glorious Revolution” (1688)什么是“光荣革命”？The revolution was glorious because it was bloodless. Prince William of Orange, ruler of the Netherlands, and his wife Mary accepted the invitation to become king and queen. It was established that a monarch could rule only with the support of Parliament

42、.By that time, the Cavaliers and Roundheads had settled down to become Englands first political parties: the Tories and the Whigs（保守党和自由党）. 24、The Industry revolution took place mainly in England.The Industrial Revolution began in the age-old wooltextile industry.Advantages for industrial revolution

43、:1. peace at home2. a climate that encouraged inventors and inventions3. surplus labor4. increasing demand in the market25、Victorian BritainQueen Victoria (reigned 1837 - 1901)Britain became the most powerful and richest country in the world（日不落帝国）.From the late 1850s onwards, the Whigs became the L

44、iberal Party.(1900-1906)Charles Darwin's（达尔文）on the Origin of Species（物种起源）was published in 1859.By 1850, a nation-wide railway system had been constructed.The London Underground was the world's first underground railway with its first line opened in 1863.In 1882, incandescent electric light

45、s（白炽灯）were introduced to London streets.The Opium War started.（鸦片战争）26、British Empire（大英帝国）The British Empire began with the founding of Newfoundland（纽芬兰）in 1583 and fell after the end of the Second World War.（两次世界大战后英受挫，虽为战胜国）27、Major events in the two World WarsWomen staged a movement that led to

46、a limited voting franchise for them in 1918, and full equality with men in 1928.Step3 British Government and Politics28、British Constitution is mainly made up of:Statutory Law成文法Common Law/ Judge-made law判例法Conventions习惯法Constitution features1. No written form2. Changes in constitution can be more e

47、asily3. Constitutional monarchy（君主立宪制）4. Parliamentary sovereign（议会制）5. Representative democracy（代表共和制度）6. The rule of law29、The monarchy（君主制）(King/ Queen/ Crown)The monarchy is supposed to reign but not rule;the Crown mainly performs ceremonial duties whose work consists largely of signing papers;t

48、he monarch formally summons and dismisses Parliament and the ministers of the Cabinet;serves as head of the judiciary, commander in chief of the armed forces, and Supreme Governor of the Church of England and the Church of Scotland;gives the royal assent（御准）to bills before they become law;presides o

49、ver the State Opening of Parliament;has the right to be informed and consulted on every aspect of national life and review all important government documents;regularly she chairs the Privy Council and meets with the Prime Minister in the Buckingham Palace to be advised and to advise about state affa

50、irs;also attends numerous artistic, industrial, scientific and charitable events of national and local interest.30、GovernmentThe Legislature立法机构The Executive行政机构The Judiciary司法机构Basic Structure of UK Central Government：31、The Legislature（立法机构）The parliament is the Britain's supreme legislature.

51、It has the power to make, unmake, or change any law. Besides, it determines the revenue and expenditures of the government.ParliamentKing or Queenthe House of Lords（上议院）the House of Commons（下议院）Functions of ParliamentThe maximum duration of Parliament is five years and is dissolved by the Crown on t

52、he advice of the Prime Minister.（最长任期五年）1. passes bills that are proposed by the gov.;2. votes the taxation and expenditures of the gov.;3. scrutinizes/examines government policies and administration;4. debates the major issues of the day.32、The House of LordsThe House of Lordsthe Lords Spiritual（上议

53、院神职议员）Lords Temporal（上议院世俗议员）33、The hereditary PeersDuke公爵Marquis侯爵Earl 伯爵Viscount子爵Baron男爵34、The House of LordsHead: Lord Chancellor（上议院院长/大法官）Main function: bring the wide experience of its members into the process of lawmaking.The House of Commons Head: The speaker of the Lower house（下议院议长）Three main functions of the house of commons: to pass laws, bills and acts of Parliament;to examine, criticize and restrain the actions of the government;to influence the future government p