英语国家概况

1ReferenceBooksofthisCourseAnIntroductiontoBritainandAmerica(来安方,河南人民出版社2002.8)ABriefIntroductiontoBritainandAmerica(温洪瑞,山东大学出版社2004.7)English-SpeakingCountries:ASurvey(余志远,外语教研出版社1996.12)AmericanCulture（狄艳华编著，吉林科学技术出版社,2003.1ASurveyofMajorEnglish-SpeakingCountries(周宝娣,重庆大学出版社,2004.9)UnderstandingtheU.S.andtheU.K.(许鲁之,青岛海洋大学出版社1997.1)SurveyofBritain&America(张奎武,吉林科技出版社2003.3)ATouroftheBritishandAmericanCulture(白树勤主编,中国商务出版社,2004.5)AmericanIssues(editedbyIrwinUngerandRobe5rtR.Tomes,1999byPrentice-Hall,Inc.)America–ANarrativeHistory(editedbyGeorgeBrownTindallandDavidE.Shi,W.W.Norton&CompanyLtd.,1996)TheAmericanCentury(editedbyWalterLafeber,RichardPolenbergandNancyWoloch,McGraw-Hill,Inc.,1992)PortraitofAmerica(editedbyStephenB.Oates,HoughtonMifflinCompany,1991NationalflagandTheNationalanthemTheredcross:EnglandThewhitesaltire:NorthernScotlandTheredsaltire:NorthernIrelandTheNationalAnthem:“GodSavetheQueen”TheUnitedKingdomSomeotherislesScotlandEnglandWalseGreatBritainNorthernIrelandNorthernIrelandRepublicofIrelandIrelandTheBritishIsles2EnglandBritainGreatBritainUKTheUnitedKingdomTheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIrelandThetotalterritory:244,110squarekilometersGreatBritain:223,000squarekilometersNoEnglishChannel9000yearsagoNorthwestoftheEuropeanContinentacrosstheEnglishChannel,thenarrowestpartcalledStraitofDoverEnglandScotland:unitedwithEnglandinthe14thcenturyWales:withtheActofUnion,England,ScotlandandWalesformedGreatBritainNorthernIreland:1801,Ireland,1921,NorthernIrelandremainedwiththeUnionLondon:TheCityofLondon,InnerLondonandOuterLondontoitseastisEastEnd(poor)WestisWestEnd(prosperous)3Edinburgh:thecapitalofScotland(oneoftheimportantfinancialandtransportationcentersinBritain)Cardiff:thecapitalofWales(centerofironandsteelindustryinBritainBelfast:thecapitalofNorthernIreland(mostlyindustries)Othercities:Birmingham,Glasgow,Liverpool(ports),Manchester(oldcity)PlymouthHighlandZoneHighlandsofScotland:BenNevis(本尼维斯山)(thehighestmountainof1,343metershigh,oneoftheleastpopulatedareastheCentralLowlandsofScotland:valleyareasrichincoalfieldswithlargepopulationtheSouthernUplands:abundantwithmoorlandandwoodlandThePennies(奔宁山脉):the“BackboneofEngland”TheLakeDistrictofCumbria:themostspectacularview,calledLakePoets(湖畔诗人)(poetssuchasWordsworth)TheWelshMassif:richincoaldepositsTheLowlandZoneTheMidlandsofEngland:ThePlainofLancastria:betweenthePenninesandtheIrishSeaTheNorthEasternLowlands:easternsideofthePenninesThelongestriver:RiverSevern(355km)4Themostimportantriver:Thames(332km)flowingthroughLondonbeforeemptingintotheNorthSeaComparativelywarmerinwinterandcoolerinsummerNortherntemperatezone/maritimetypeofclimateThehottestmonths:JunetoAugust(20to32℃)Thecoldestmonths:DecembertoFebruaryPlentyofrainfallandfogChangeableandunpredictableweatherFactorsinfluencingtheclimateAnislandcountrywithplentyofseawatersTheprevailingsouthwestwindsbringingwetairandkeepthetemperaturesmoderateTheNorthAtlanticDrift,awarmcurrent,passingthewestcoastoftheBritishIslesandwarmingthemOriginsDecedentsoftheAnglo-SaxonsandJutes(Germanicpeople):tall,havingblondhairandblueeyesliveinEnglandMostpeopleinWalesandScotlandaredecedentsoftheCelticpeopleCharactersofBritishpeopleIndirectcommunicationInformalityNocomplaints&patientFriendly5Polite&quietConservatismPopulationDistributionOver80%inEnglandamong60millionpeopleinBritainOver5millioninScotlandOver3millioninWalesOver1.7millioninScotlandEnglishLanguagebelongstoIndo-EuropeanlanguagefamilythedevelopmentofEnglishlanguage---OldEnglish:originatedinGermaniclanguage(Anglo-Saxons,NorthEurope,450-1150)differentfrommodernEnglishinphonology,morphologyandsyntaxMiddleEnglish:afterNormanconquest(1150-1450)(theEnglishvocabulary:French,Latin,Greekandwordsfromotherlanguages)(CanterburyTalebyGeoffreyChaucer)ModernEnglish(1476-):thankedtotheprintingpresstoEnglandin1476,mostbookswereprintedinLondonandwerewrittenintheLondondialect.ItcanbesubdividedintoEarlyModernEnglish(1450-1650),i.e.thelanguageofShakespeare,AuthoritarianEnglish(1650-1800),MatureModernEnglish(1800-1920)6LateModernEnglish(1920-present),thelanguagewelearntoday.3000-2000BCIberiansearliestsettlersdark-hairednomadicStoneAgehuntersusersofflintnowrittenrecordsstonemonuments(Stonehenge)700BCCelts=BritonsnativesofthiscountryfromtheUpperRhineland(France,BelgiumandsouthernGermany)fair-hairedCeltsTreatingIberiansasslavesAncestorsofthehighlandScots,theIrishandWelshpeopleKingArthurRomanConquest(55BCand54BCto410AD)InvadedbyJuliusCaesarin55BCand54BCandleft,conqueredbyClaudiusin43a.D.Reasonsforinvasion:--OnceCeltsofferedFrancetheirhelp,Romanswantedtoteachthemalesson7--RomanwantedtoenlargetheirterritoryandenrichedtheirpocketsInfluenceLatinalphabetwithCaesar’sdiaryCivilization:buildingroads,Romantemples,baths,andtheatersandChristianitylimitedinfluencesonBritain:nointermarriageandnoequalityMainreasonforleavingInA.D.410,theRomanEmpiredeclining,alltheRomantroopsbacktothecontinenttojointhecivilwarthereandneverretu