英语国家概况第一章.ppt

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1、A Survey of Major English-Speaking Countries The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandChapter 1 Land and PeopleKey words:the Union Jack,the British Isles,Great Britain,dependent territory,Highlands,Lowlands,North Atlantic Drift,Mayday,Anglo-Saxons,Old English,Middle English,Received S

2、tandard English 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.Of all the islands,the largest one is called Great Britain.The second largest one is Irela

3、nd,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 comprises England,Wales,and Scotland.(3)England As for the great importance of England in the U.K.,people oft

4、en 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)British Empire of the worlds land area and population (5)British Commonwealthworldwide association of nations and thei

5、r dependencies,whose members share a common commitment to promoting human rights,democracy,and economic developmentAll members accept the British monarch as the symbolic head of the CommonwealthAlmostallmembersof the Commonwealth were once ruled by Britain as part of the British Empire.(6)Official n

6、ame:the U.K.=the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland2.Position Britain is an island country surrounded by the sea.It lies in the North Atlantic Ocean 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 ea

7、st.3.National flag:the Union JackRed cross:EnglandWhite saltire(X形十字):ScotlandRed saltire:Northern Ireland4.National Anthem:God Save the Queen God save our 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

8、 I Topography1.Square measure:224,110 square kilometers2.Constituents:England (London)Great Britain(90%)Scotland(Edinburgh)two main islands of Wales(Cardiff)the British Isles UK Northern Ireland(Belfast)Orkney islands minor islands Shetland islands HebridesTopography Geographic Divisions:Great Brita

9、inHighland Zone (north)Highlands of Scotland Central lowlands of Scotland Southern Uplands the Pennies the Lake District of CambriaLowland zone(south)Midlands of EnglandPlain Of LancastriaNorth Eastern Lowlands(1)Highlands of Scotland:Tartan,bagpipe,whisky Highland ZoneTartan is a pattern,commonly c

10、alled plaid(格子花呢),that consists of stripes of varying widths and colors,crossing at right angles against a solid background.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 Sco

11、tland from grain such as barley.chains of great mountains in north hilly,barren,least populated highest mountain:Ben Nevis（1,343ms）Features:Ben NevisSummit of Ben NevisScottish Highlands(2)Central lowlands Most important part of Scotland Most populated(3/4)Edinburgh:known as the Athens of the North,

12、a tribute to its world-renowned architecture and cultural calendar.Edinburgh,ScotlandEdinburgh 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 Engla

13、nd”(5)The Lake District of Cambria Lake Poets in 19th centuryWilliam Wordsworth,Robert Southy,Samuel Taylor ColeridgeTypical Pennine sceneryPennines or Pennine Chain,mountain range,sometimes called the“backbone of England,”The range is sparsely populated.Sheep raising,quarrying,and tourism are impor

14、tant economic activities Lowland ZoneThe Midlands of England:southern end of the Pennines;most developed and populatedPlain of Lancastria:western side of the PenninesNorth Eastern Lowlands:eastern side of the PenninesLowland BeltPlain of LancastriaNorth Eastern LowlandsNorthern Ireland rugged mounta

15、ins huge plateau Lake Lough Neagh(largest freshwater lake)Mountains of Northern IrelandA great fishing lakeRivers 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 continuat

16、ion of a warm current that flows from the Straits 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,mo

17、stly drizzles.1.General Features:May Day 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 go

18、ing out from their homes to pick Mayflowers 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:MaydayMaypole startMaypole dancing in a schoolMaypole finished Season of ripening and

19、harvest Days are fine,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)WinterPart III Natural Resources(1)It has rich ene

20、rgy resources such as coal,oil and gas.(2)(2)England is the 8th largest producer of crude oil and natural gas liquid in the world at present.(3)(3)It is also self-sufficient in non-metallic minerals like sand,gravel(沙砾),chalk(白垩),salt,limestone,etc.Part IV People(1)Population:60 million(2)(2)Distrib

21、ution: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 the 7th centu

22、ries: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,Australians,and New Zealand

23、ers 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 familiar things and an inclination to be su

24、spicious 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 are of no use value.b.deference:English society

25、 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 employment,marriage,family,income and many other things concer

26、ning 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(1)Official language:English,which means the language of the An

27、gles,one of the three groups which went to England between the 5th century and the 7th century.(2)(2)English has changed a lot.Its development can be divided into 3 periods:Old English,Middle English,and Modern English.Features:a)an inflected language.b)strong and weak forms of verbs.c)nouns and adj

28、ectives 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 the Normans invaded England in 1066.Old English 古英语古英语Features:a)The animals have

29、 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 bec

30、ame simpler.d)Word order became important in understanding sentences.Middle English 中古英语中古英语Definition:it refers to the language used in England from 1066 to the end of the 15th century.Modern English 现代英语现代英语Features:a)It changed the pronunciation from 18 to 20 distinctive b)vowels while spelling r

31、emained unchanged.c)b)The biggest change was in the vocabulary,which became d)enriched by the Renaissance and Reformation.e)c)English has a large number of dialects.The Great Vowel Shift in the 15th and 16thcenturies marked the transition of Middle English to Modern English.In the 20th century,the e

32、ducated people began to develop a class dialect known as the Received Standard English based on the language used at Eton,Oxford and Cambridge.This became wide spread because the public media such as the British Broadcasting Corporation adopted it.Questions to think about:1.What is the topography like in Great Britain?2.Why is the climate so mild in Great Britain?3.Does England have rich natural resources?4.Who are the English people?5.What is English and what changes it has experienced?