UK-land-and-history-英语国家社会文化之英国地理和历史

UnitedKingdomLandandhistoryWhatdoyouknow…?WhatdoyouknowaboutUnitedKingdom?WhatisUKfamousfor?MajorpointsAcomplicatedcountrywithacomplicatednameandcomplicatedpopulationmake-upTheimperialpastItsclassandraceItsregionsWarm-upquestions1.Whatarethe4constituentcountriesintheU.K.?England,Scotland,Wales,andNorthernIreland2.Aloose(andvoluntary)organizationexistsamongthecountriesthatusedtobepartoftheBritishEmpire.Whatistheorganizationcalled?CommonwealthofNations3.WhendidtheU.K.becomeamemberoftheEuropeanUnion?TheUKhasbeenamemberoftheEUsince19734.WhatistheorganizationG7?IstheU.K.itsmember?ItisamemberoftheGroupofSeven(theUnitedStates,Britain,Germany,France,Japan,ItalyandCanada)RegionsoftheUKEnglandWalesScotlandNorthernIrelandOfficialname:theUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland.ThedefinitionoftheUK.,GreatBritain&England.England,Scotland,WalesNorthernIreland.GreatBritainIrelandhundredsofsmallones.TheUKGreatBritainTheBritishIsles:1.AcomplicatedcountrywithacomplicatednameEnglandUKBritishIslesGreatBritainQ:TheislandofGreatBritainismadeupofEngland,Scotland,WalesandNorthernIreland.TrueorFalse?False.BecauseNorthernIrelandisontheneighboringislandofIreland.TheUKflagconsistsofthreeelements:thecrossofSt.George(redonwhite)forEngland,thecrossofSt.Andrew(whitediagonalonblue)forScotland,andthecrossofSt.Patrick(reddiagonalonwhite)forIreland.---Nationalanthem：“Godsavethequeen”（“Godsavetheking”）---Nationalflower：Rose---Nationalbird：红胸鸽(redbreast/robin)Theimperialpastanditseffectsontoday’sUKItwasaproductoftheAgeofDiscovery,whichbeganwiththemaritimeexplorationsofthe15thcentury.By1921,Itcoveredabout36.7millionkm²,aboutaquarterofEarth'stotallandarea.Asaresult,itspolitical,linguisticandculturallegacyiswidespread.Atthepeakofitspower,itwasoftensaidthatthesunneversetsontheBritishEmpirebecauseitsspanacrosstheglobeensuredthatthesunwasalwaysshiningonatleastoneofitsnumerouscoloniesorsubjectnations.thesunneversetsontheBritishEmpireDuringthefivedecadesfollowingWorldWarII,mostoftheterritoriesoftheEmpirebecameindependent.ManywentontojointheCommonwealthofNations,afreeassociationofindependentstates.SomehaveretainedtheBritishmonarchastheirheadofstate.Theimperialeffectsontoday’sUKCloserelationshipswiththeCommonwealthcountries,whichusedtobeapartoftheBritishEmpireThemake-upoftheBritishpopulation.NowtheUKisamultiracialsociety.TheCommonwealthofNationsTheCommonwealthofNations,usuallyknownastheCommonwealth,isavoluntaryassociationof53independentsovereignstates,mostofwhichareformerBritishcolonies,ordependenciesofthesecolonies(theexceptionsbeingtheUnitedKingdomitselfandMozambique).(1)EnglandisinthesouthernpartofGreatBritain.Itisthelargest,mostpopuloussection.(2)ScotlandisinthenorthofGreatBritain.Capital:Edinburgh.(3)WalesisinthewestofGreatBritain.Capital:Cardiff(4)NorthernIrelandisthefourthregionoftheUK.Capital:Belfast.Edinburgh,capitalofScotlandCardiff,capitalofWalesEnglandScotlandRepublicofIrelandNorthernIrelandLondon,capitalofEnglandBelfast,capitalofNorthernIrelandDublin,capitalofRepublicofIrelandEnglandCapital(andlargestcity):LondonArea:130423sqkmOfficiallanguages:EnglishPopulation2008:above50million(UK:about60million)EnglandThelargestofthefournationsThelargestpopulationThedominanceinsizeisreflectedinaculturalandeconomicdominance.Itscapital,London,isdominantinUKinallfields:government,financeandculture.SymbolsofEnglandWhatimagesareassociatedwithEngland?StGeorge'sFlag:FlagofFlagofEnglandThreeLionsEmblemPrincessDiana,England'sRoseWindsorcastleLeedscastleTowerofLondonLondonBridgeRiverThamesNightviewof“BigBen”OlympicStadiumfor2012EarlyEnglandCreatedbyThreeInvasions1.RomanOccupation55B.C.-410A.D.2.Anglo-SaxonandVikingInvasions410–1066A.D.3.TheNormanInvasion(TheBattleofHastings)in1066A.D.LATINGERMAN(IC)FRENCHHistoryofInvasionsBeforethe1stcenturyAD,BritainwasmadeupofmanytribalkingdomsofCelticpeople:apowerfulcultureoriginatingincentralEurope.1.InvasionbyRomansIn43AD,BritainwasinvadedbytheRomanEmpire,andEnglandandWalesbecameapartoftheRomanEmpirefornearly400years.RoadChristianityCityofLondonFamouspeopleGaiusJuliusCaesar(100-44BC)wasaRomangeneral,statesman,Consul,andnotableauthorofLatinprose.2.InvasionbyAnglo-SaxonsAstheRomanarmiesandRomanprotectionwerewithdrawnfromBritaininAD410,andBritainwasagaindividedintosmallkingdoms,andagainitcameunderthreatfromGermanicpeoples:theAngles,andtheSaxon.KingArthurFamousCelticleaderTheswordinthestone石中剑&Excalibur王者之剑Roundtableknights:equality&friendlinessTheAnglo-SaxonssucceededininvadingBritain,andeitherabsorbtheCelticpeople,orpushedthemtothewesternandnorthernedgesofBritain.NameEnglandOldEnglishAncientkingdomsorcitiesSomeearlycitiesofanglosaxonsTheEssexvillageofFinchingfield,whichisregardedbymanyasthemostbeautifulandmostphotographedvillageinBritainthehighestchalkseacliffintheUK(at162m).SevensisterscliffsinSussexCoastalRoadsEastAnglia3.InvasionbyVikingsFromthelate8thcenturyon,raidersfromScandinavia,theVikings,threatenedBritainshores.KingAlfred,theGreatKingdomofWessexturnedthetideinthesouthag