英语国家概况第一章1.ppt

1、A Survey of Major English-Speaking Countries,The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,1. Different names,(1) the British Isles 大布列颠群岛 It is a group of islands off the northwestern coast of Europe, which consists of two main islands: Great Britain, Ireland and numerous smaller islands

2、. Of all the islands, the largest one is called Great Britain. The second largest one is Ireland, which is to the west of Great Britain. Thus, British Isles dont refer to Great Britain only.,(2) Britain It is the short form for Great Britain. Officially, it should be the Great Britain, which compris

3、es England, Wales, and Scotland. (3) England As for the great importance of England in the U.K. , people often use the word “England” when they mean the country. Many foreigners are often confused, so they follow suit. However, the people in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland do not like it.,(4) B

4、ritish Empire, of the worlds land area and population,(5) British Commonwealth,worldwide association of nations and their dependencies, whose members share a common commitment to promoting human rights, democracy, and economic development All members accept the British monarch as the symbolic head o

5、f the Commonwealth Almostallmembersof the Commonwealth were once ruled by Britain as part of the British Empire.,(6) Official name: the U.K. = the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,2. Position,Britain is an island country surrounded by the sea. It lies in the North Atlantic Ocean

6、off the north coast of Europe. It is separated from the rest of Europe by the English Channel in the south and the North Sea in the east.,3. National flag :the Union Jack,Red cross: England White saltire(X形十字): Scotland Red saltire: Northern Ireland,4. National Anthem:God Save the Queen,God save our

7、 gracious Queen, Long live our noble Queen, God save our Queen! Send her victorious, Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us, God save our Queen!,Part I Topography,1. Square measure: 224,110 square kilometers 2. Constituents: England (London) Great Britain(90%) Scotland (Edinburgh) two main island

8、s of Wales (Cardiff) the British Isles UK Northern Ireland (Belfast) Orkney islands minor islands Shetland islands Hebrides,Topography,Geographic Divisions :,Great Britain,Highland Zone (north),Highlands of Scotland Central lowlands of Scotland Southern Uplands the Pennies the Lake District of Cambr

9、ia,Lowland zone (south),Midlands of England Plain Of Lancastria North Eastern Lowlands,(1) Highlands of Scotland: Tartan, bagpipe, whisky,Highland Zone,Tartan is a pattern, commonly called plaid (格子花呢), that consists of stripes of varying widths and colors, crossing at right angles against a solid b

10、ackground.,Bagpipe is a musical instrument played especially in Scotland in which air stored in a bag is forced out through pipes to produce the sound.,A strong alcoholic drink made in Scotland from grain such as barley.,chains of great mountains in north,hilly, barren, least populated,highest mount

11、ain: Ben Nevis（1,343ms）,Features:,Ben Nevis,Summit of Ben Nevis,Scottish Highlands,(2) Central lowlands,Most important part of Scotland,Most populated (3/4),Edinburgh: known as the Athens of the North, a tribute to its world-renowned architecture and cultural calendar.,Edinburgh, Scotland Edinburgh

12、is the capital of Scotland and its second largest city. The view here is of the city with the hills south of an estuary （港湾）.,(3) Southern Uplands: mostly moorland and woodland,(4) The Pennines: “backbone of England”,(5) The Lake District of Cambria,Lake Poets in 19th century,William Wordsworth, Rob

13、ert Southy, Samuel Taylor Coleridge,Typical Pennine scenery,Pennines or Pennine Chain, mountain range, sometimes called the “backbone of England,” The range is sparsely populated. Sheep raising, quarrying, and tourism are important economic activities,Lowland Zone,The Midlands of England: southern e

14、nd of the Pennines; most developed and populated Plain of Lancastria: western side of the Pennines North Eastern Lowlands: eastern side of the Pennines,Lowland Belt,Plain of Lancastria,North Eastern Lowlands,Northern Ireland,rugged mountains huge plateau,Lake Lough Neagh (largest freshwater lake),Mo

15、untains of Northern Ireland,A great fishing lake,Rivers in Great Britain,second longest river: Thames (332 km),longest river: River Severn (355 km),Part II Climate,(1) The UK enjoys a mild climate due to the North Atlantic Drift, which is a continuation of a warm current that flows from the Straits

16、of Florida in a generally northeastern direction.,(2) It has a changeable weather. It is hard to predict the weather even by the most experienced meteorologist, so weather becomes a frequent topic of discussion among people.,(3) It has abundant rainfall, mostly drizzles.,1. General Features:,May Day

17、 has been a traditional day of festivities throughout the centuries, which has many rites and celebrations include Morris dancing, crowning a May Queen, celebrating Green Man day and dancing around a Maypole. It has nothing to do with labor, this day sees people going out from their homes to pick Ma

18、yflowers for decoration of their homes and enjoy themselves by dancing around May poles in daytime and bonfires(篝火) at night.,2. Seasons:,(1) Spring,Time span: March, April, May Festival: Mayday,Maypole start,Maypole dancing in a school,Maypole finished,Season of ripening and harvest Days are fine,

19、warm and refreshing.,(2) Summer,Time span: June, July, August Temperature: not very high, around 20C, below 32 C Days are long , more than 16 hours (4 a.m.-8 p.m.).,Time span: December, January, February. Temperature: seldom below 3C,(3) Autumn,(4) Winter,Part III Natural Resources,It has rich energ

20、y resources such as coal, oil and gas. (2) England is the 8th largest producer of crude oil and natural gas liquid in the world at present. (3) It is also self-sufficient in non-metallic minerals like sand, gravel(沙砾), chalk(白垩), salt, limestone, etc.,Part IV People,Population: 60 million (2) Distri

21、bution: 80% in England 20% in Scotland (5 million) Wales (around 3million） Northern Ireland (close to 1.7 million) (3) Origins: Anglo-Saxons the Celtic permanent residents immigrants,a. Anglo-Saxons:,It refers to the three groups of Germanic people from Europe who went to England between the 5th and

22、 the 7th centuries: the Angles, Saxons, and the Jutes. These people tend to be tall, have blond hair and blue eyes. Their language became the official language of the country.,b. the Celtic People: the earliest known inhabitants of Great Britain. c. Permanent residents: a number of Italians, Greeks,

23、 Australians, and New Zealanders who have settled in the country. d. immigrants: lots of them are from Africa and Asia, they tend to live in relatively compact communities in big cities of England like London, Manchester, West Yorkshire, etc.,(4) Characteristics:,a. conservatism: an acceptance of fa

24、miliar things and an inclination to be suspicious of anything that is strange or foreign. e.g. In politics, the monarchy and the Upper House have been retained. In daily life, many rooms in England are heated by gas or electric fire, but their owners still spend money keeping dummy fireplaces which

25、are of no use value.,b. deference: English society used to be rigidly stratified and status-conscious. Everyone was told to be deferential towards those who were superior to him in wealth, status and power.,c. reservation: English people hate small talk and express their mind freely. e.g. Ones emplo

26、yment, marriage, family, income and many other things concerning private life are not topics for casual talk. Its a point of honor with English people to behave well. Gossips behind the back of others are considered as a sign of low-breeding and back-biters are unpopular.,Part V The English Language

27、,Official language: English, which means the language of the Angles, one of the three groups which went to England between the 5th century and the 7th century. (2) English has changed a lot. Its development can be divided into 3 periods: Old English, Middle English, and Modern English.,Features: a)

28、an inflected language. b) strong and weak forms of verbs. c) nouns and adjectives had cases and genders. d) word order was not very important in the meaning of the sentences. e) a number of Latin and Danish words came into the vocabulary.,Definition: it refers to the language used in England until t

29、he Normans invaded England in 1066.,Old English 古英语,Features: a) The animals have different names for their meat. e.g. pork-pig, mutton-sheep, beef-cattle (the former ones are often used by the French-speaking masters, the latter ones are often used by the English lower class people.) b) Many French words came into the English vocabulary. c) The forms of the nouns and adjectives also became simpler. d) Word order became important in understanding sentences.,Middle English 中古英语,Definition: it refe