英语国家概况，课件（一）chapter1(1)

Chapter I

1. Geography，People and the Language

I. Geography

Geographical Features of British Isles

Location in the World

1). Britain is located in the northwest of Europe.

2). South: cut off from the continent by the English Channel. (Britain does not share land

border with any countries except the Republic of Ireland.) 3). North and East: North Sea 4). West: the Atlantic Ocean

Name and Area

? Full name:

the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国） ? Other names:

Britain, Great Britain, England, the United Kingdom or the U.K. ? Nickname: John Bull 约翰牛

约翰牛是英国的绰号。原是18世纪英国作家约翰·阿布什诺特在《约翰·布尔的历史》中所创造的形象——一个矮胖愚笨的绅士，用来讽刺当时辉格党的战争政策。由于 “布尔”在英文中是牛的意思，故译为“约翰牛”。

AREA and Four Region

? Total area: 242,910 sq. km. ? Four regions of Great Britain : ? England 英格兰 ? Scotland 苏格兰 ? Wales 威尔士

? Northern Ireland 北爱尔兰

England Area

? The largest part of Britain, covering nearly 60% of the whole island.

? Located in the south of the island, with Wales to the west and Scotland to the north. ? The most populous and wealthiest part of the country.

? It is highly urbanized, with 80% of the population living in cities, only 2% in agriculture.

? Important River Thames River泰晤士河: is the second largest and most important river in

Britain. It rises in southwest of England and flows through the Midlands of England to London and out into the North Sea. The Thames River is famous for Tower Bridge 塔桥of London; Oxford is on the bank of Thames.

Capital City of England: London

? London is the Capital of both England and the U.K., is located in southeastern England,north bank of the Thames.

? It’s the political, industrial, cultural and financial center of the country, also a major port.

Scotland (Town of Mountains)

? Scotland occupies the northern position of Britain.

? the second largest of the four constituent part of the country both in population and area.

Geographical features of Scotland:---Three natural zones

? The northern highlands；The central lowlands；The southern uplands. ? The Clyde River(克莱德河) is the most important river in Scotland. ? Edinburgh(爱丁堡)is its capital city.

? Gaelic language (盖尔语）is still spoken by some Scots

? Scotland used to be an independent area until Act of Union in 1707. (by this Act, England,Scotland and Wales were joined as one kingdom) ? Today She still has her own legal and educational systems. ? Formous for： Scotch whisky

Kilts(苏格兰方格尼短裙) “Ladies from Hell”

? “Ladies from hell” or “devils in skirts” is the nickname of fierce Scottish soldiers.

Important River and lakes ? The Clyde River (克莱德河)

170 km long, the most important river in Scotland.

? Loch Ness (36 km)（尼斯湖）

In northern Scotland, famous for Loch Ness monster.

Capital city: Edinburgh

? Edinburgh is Scotland’s administrative, financial, legal, medical and insurance center.

? It is famous for the University of Edinburgh, one of the largest universities in Britain.

? The city is stunningly beautiful and its architecture is renowned the world over.

Wales (Town of Arts)

1. Area

About 20,758 sq. km. , less than 9% of the total area of Britain.

On the western prominence between the Bristol Channel (布里斯托海峡) and the

Dee estuary (第河湾).

2. Capital

Capital city: Cardiff （加的夫）

Undergone an urban regeneration and has recently become one of the most fashionable cities in Britain.

Severn River (赛文河): the longest river in Britain.

It rises in northeast of Wales and flows through central England to the Bristol Channel. It’s famous for periodic high bore (潮汐).

Snowdon (斯诺登山) (1,085m), the highest mountain in Wales. Language

Welsh: still be spoken by its 20% population

Northern Ireland (Town of Lakes)

Area

14,144 sq. km. , occupies the northern sixth of Ireland.

United with the UK

1920, became part of the Britain, but with a separated parliament and

self-government.

Capital: Belfast (贝尔法斯特)

Largest city and port in Northern Ireland, industrial center.

It’s a historic city full of spectacular landmarks and monuments. Also famous for shipbuilding (Titanic was built here).

Lough Neagh (内伊湖) The largest lake in Britain, which situated in Northern Ireland.

Climate Features

? Britain has a maritime climate (海洋性气候) and changeable weather. ? Mild weather: with warm summer and cool winters Frequent/ Dense Fog

Smoke-fogs: production of pollution (A Clean Air Act 《洁净空气法案》was passed in

1956)

Abundant Rainfall

Plentiful rainfall throughout the year.

Much of the rain comes down in drizzle, more than half of the year is rainy day.

Reasons

1. The Atlantic Gulf Stream --- passes the western coast of the British Isles and warms

them.

2. The prevailing warm west wind --- blows over the country all the year round bringing

warm and wet air in winter and keeping the temperatures moderate.

3. The surrounding waters --- balance the seasonal differences by heating up the land in

winter and cooling in summer.

4. The high latitude of the country --- make the wet air not evaporate easily.

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