英语国家概况 第二课 英国概况 Introduction to the UK

AnIntroductiontoEnglish-SpeakingCountries英语国家概括张学力QQ：1772708276邮箱:[e-mail]1.Geography1.GeographicFeaturesIslandcountry;nopartofBritainisveryfarfromthecoast;good,deepharbors.Tilting:①risinginNorth-West,highland;②sinkinginSouth-East,lowland.Weather:mildtemperature;plentyofrainfallTopographicMapoftheUK2.PopulationDistributionLandarea:244,820skqTotalpopulation:60,943,912(2008)(18thintheworld)Distribution:AdministrativeDivisionPopulation(mid2007)England51.1millionScotland5.1millionWales3.0millionNorthernIreland1.8millionUnitedKingdom60,975,000England:about84%Scotland:roughly8.5%Wales:5%NorthernIreland(since1921):lessthan3%.Source:OfficeforNationalStatistics;NationalAssemblyforWales;GeneralRegisterOfficeforScotland;NorthernIrelandStatisticsandResearchAgency(updatedJan2008)itismorethantwiceasdenselypopulatedasFrance(106/sqk),eighttimesasdenselypopulatedastheUSA(31/sqk)and100timesasdenselypopulatedasAustralia(2/sqk).Britainisarelativelydenselypopulatedcountry248people/skq,6thintheworld.(2007)1st.Bangladesh1023/skq2ed.Japan:338/sqk3rd.India:333/sqk11th.China:138/sqk20th.USA:31/skqMapofPopulationDensitySource:NationalStatisticswebsite:PrehistoricBritainBCRomanBritain43ADAngloSaxonBritain450VikingBritain793MedievalBritain1066TudorBritain1485StuartBritain1603GeorgianBritain1714VictorianBritain1837ModernBritain1902+PrehistoricBritainThefirstmenandwomencametoBritainovertwoandahalfmillionyearsago.Theywerehuntersandgatherersoffoodwhousedsimplestonetoolsandweapons.B.CEVENTS500,000PeoplemigratetoBritainfromEurope.6500ThelandbridgejoiningBritaintoEuropeisfloodedasthesealevelrises.BritainbecomesanIsland.2,100BronzeAgebegins2,000Stonehengecompleted750IronAgebegins:ironreplacesbronzeasmostusefulmetal.Populationabout150,000.500TheCelticpeoplearrivefromCentralEurope.RomanBritainTheRomanswerethefirsttoinvadeBritainandcametoBritainnearly2000yearsago.Eventoday,theruinsofRomanbuildings,forts,roads,andbathscanbefoundalloverBritain.BritainwaspartoftheRomanEmpireforalmost400years!theRomanarmiesleftbythetimeofaround410AD.ManyEnglishwordsarederivedfromthelatinlanguageoftheRomans.RomanBritainTimeEvents55BCJuliusCaesarheadsfirstRomanInvasionbutlaterwithdraws43ADRomansinvadedandBritainbecamepartoftheRomanEmpire122-128EmperorHadrianbuildsawallontheScottishBorder140RomansconqueredScotland401-410TheRomanswithdrawfromBritain:AngloSaxonsmigrantsbegintoSettleAnglo-SaxonBritainTheRomanarmyleftBritainaboutAD410.WhentheyhadgonetherewasnostrongarmytodefendBritain,andtribescalledtheAngle,Saxon,andJute(theAnglo-Saxons)invaded.TheylefttheirhomelandsinnorthernGermany,DenmarkandnorthernHollandandrowedacrosstheNorthSeainwoodenboats.TheAnglo-SaxonsruledmostofBritainbutneverconqueredCornwallinthesouth-west,Walesinthewest,orScotlandinthenorth.Theydividedthecountryintokingdoms.MissionariesfromRomanspreadChristianityacrosssouthernBritain.VikingBritainTheVikingAgeinBritainbeganabout1,200yearsagointhe8thCenturyADandlastedfor300years.793FirstinvasionbytheVikings866-877InvasionoftheGreatDanish(Viking)Army871KingAlfreddefeatstheVikingsbutallowsthemtosettleinEasternEngland926EasternEngland(Danelaw)isconqueredbytheSaxons1042EdwardtheConfessorbecomesKingTheMiddleAges-MedievalBritain(Normans)TheMiddleAgesinBritaincoverahugeperiod.NormanConquestbeganin1066TheNormansbuiltimpressivecastles,imposedafeudalsystemandcarriedoutacensusofthecountry.1066TheBattleofHastings:WilliamofNormandydefeatsHaroldwithaluckyshotandbecomesKingofEngland-NormanConquest1078WorkstartsonTheTowerofLondon1167OxfordUniversityFounded1215TheMagnaCartaissignedbyKingJohn1314heBattleofStirlingBridgeTheScotsunderWilliamWallacedefeattheEnglish1337-1453HundredYears'WarwithFrance1348-1349TheBlackDeatharrivedinEnglandandkillednearlyhalfofthepopulationTheBlackDeathMovingthroughEuropeTudorBritainTheTudorswereaWelsh-EnglishfamilythatruledEnglandfrom1485to1603-oneofthemostexcitingperiodsofBritishhistory.HenryVIIIsplitwithCatholicismandmadehimselfheadoftheChurchofEngland.HenryVIII1485TheWaroftheRosesendsattheBattleofBosworth.HenryVllcrownedking1534HenryVIIIformsthe'ChurchofEngland'.1536ActofUnionjoinedEnglandandWales1558ElizabethIbeginsher45yearreign1588TheEnglishdefeattheSpanishArmada1600FirstBritishinvolvementintheIndiancontinent-EastIndiaCompanyformed.PopulationofBritainjustover4millionStuartBritainTheStuartshadruledScotlandsince1371,butJamesVIofScotlandwasthefirstStuartkingofEngland.1603JamesVIofScotlandbecomesJamesIofEnglandunitingthetwokingdoms1620ThePilgrimFatherssetsailforNewEnglandfromPlymouth,aboardthe'Mayflower'1649KingCharlesexecuted1653CromwellproclaimedLordProtector1660RestorationoftheMonarchyunderKingCharlesII1689BillofRights1707ActofUnionbetweenScotlandandEnglandGeorgianBritainIn1714theBritishthronepassedtoaGermanfamily,theHanoverians1721SirRobertWalpolebecomesthefirstPrimeMinis