英語(yǔ)國(guó)家概況復(fù)習(xí)筆記TheUK

1、The UK Unit 1 1.The official name：The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Since 1927) national flag：The Union Flag OR popularly known as the Union Jacknational anthem（國(guó)歌）：GOD SAVE THE QUEEN national capital of the country ：London： Greater London大倫敦都市區(qū): the City of London + 32 borou

2、ghsbr（自治的市鎮(zhèn)） The City of London倫敦城 : at the center of the metropolitan-the financial center of the country Inner London: the City of London + its 12 boroughs Outer London: 20 boroughs br（自治的市鎮(zhèn)）surrounding Inner London2. The location and size of the country （了解）3. The terrain tren（地形）, rivers and mou

3、ntains of the countryRoughly two kinds of terrain-highland and lowland. The highland area - in the northern part of the country, comprising the mountainous regions of Scotland, Northern Ireland, northern England and north Wales. The lowland area - especially in the Midland, southern and eastern Engl

4、and. The longest river in the UK is River Severn（塞文河）. Among the most important rivers is the Thames（泰晤士河）, which is second longest but is the deepest river in the county. Ben Nevis（本尼維斯）is the highest peak of the UK.（大不列顛境內(nèi)的最高山峰， 海拔1，343.8米， 位于蘇格蘭西部的格蘭扁山脈)Lough Neagh (396km2)(內(nèi)伊湖): the largest lake

5、 in the whole country4. The natural resources of the countryCoal 煤l Britain has a rich deposit of coal with major coal mines in central and southwest of England. l For the last decades, there has been a steady decline in both coal production and number of coal mines. Petroleum ptrulim 石油l 1965 saw d

6、iscovery of big oil and oil fields under the North Sea, east of Britain. 5. The climate of the country Temperate maritime climate（溫帶海洋性氣候）What are the characteristics of the climate in Great Britain? Foggy Rainy Uncertain and changeable6. Major citiesLondon ;Edinburgh ednb:r 愛(ài)丁堡 ; Cardiff k:df 加地夫（威

7、爾士的主要海港）; Belfast belfst 貝爾法斯特（北愛(ài)爾蘭首府）;Birmingham b:mhm 伯明翰市（英國(guó)中部城市，第二大城市）Manchester: the Guardian（衛(wèi)報(bào)）Glasgow：l:su 格拉斯哥（蘇格蘭最大城市，第三大城市）7. Population Density and Population Distributionn Population density: 248 persons per square kilometer. The Population of the UK is the 3rd largest in Europe. n Popu

8、lation distribution: high urbanization (7 conurbations) 7 conurbations：Greater London大倫敦區(qū), W. Midlands西密德蘭都市郡, South Yorkshire南約克都市郡, W. Yorkshire西約克郡都市郡, Greater Manchester大曼切斯特都市郡, Merseyside默西賽德都市郡(England), Tyne& Wear泰恩及威爾都市郡(Scotland) （了解）8. Nations and the Languages Spoken1) Nations: English,

9、Scottish, Welsh and IrishEnglish (80%): descendants dsendnts 后裔 of Anglo-SaxonsWelsh, Irish & Scottish:：descendants of Celts2）Languages ：A) English (official language): B) Gaelic glk 蓋爾語(yǔ): Scotland & Northern Ireland C) Welsh wel 威爾士語(yǔ): Wales welz3) The history and development of the English language

10、(p.7)n Old English (450AD-1100 AD) influenced by Old Norse (古斯堪的納維亞語(yǔ)) spoken by Vikings (北歐海盜) and was closely related to the German and Dutch (荷蘭) languages. The introduction of Christianity added the first wave of Latin and Greek words to the language and ended with the Norman Conquest.n Middle En

11、glish (1100AD-1500AD) French replaced English as the official language in England. Numerous French words came into the English vocabulary and ended with the Black Death (黑死病).n Modern English (1500AD- present) Assimilating(吸收) words from Latin and Greek words throughout the Renaissance (文藝復(fù)興) such a

12、s William Shakespeare and the King James Bible.n Standard English= the Queens English= BBC English n Explanation of Standard EnglishStandardEnglishisbasedonthespeechoftheupperclassofthesoutheasternEngland.Itispreferredbytheeducated anditiswidelyusedinmediaandtaughtatschools.Ishasdevelopedandhasbeenp

13、romotedasamodelforthecorrectBritish English.Itisalsothenorm（標(biāo)準(zhǔn)）carriedoverseas.Today,StandardEnglishiscodifiedtotheextentthatthegrammarandvocabularyaremuchthesameeverywhereintheworldwhereEnglishistaughtandused.9. Religionn 1. Britain is a multi-faith society in which everyone has the right to religi

14、ous freedom. n 2. Christianity is the dominant religion of the country. Most of citizens are either Protestant prtstnt新教徒or Catholic.n 3. English nation: The church of England（英格蘭圣公會(huì)）is the established church of the English nation.n 4. The major non-Christian communities in Britain are the Jews, the

15、 Moslems and the Buddhists.10. Character and manners of British peoplen Conservatismn Talking about the Weathern Punctuality11. Traditions and customl Trooping the Color英國(guó)皇家軍隊(duì)閱兵儀式 around the Bucking Place in London（P.62） to celebrate the Queens Birthday Parade. (The Changing Guard ceremony) l Religi

16、ous FestivalsChristmas ( Three Christmas Traditions )Christmas pantomime pntmam (童話劇)Queens Christmas messageBoxing Day（節(jié)禮日） Easter紀(jì)念耶穌復(fù)活 Halloween12. MediaNewspaperTraditionally British newspapers have been divided into quality, serious-minded newspapers (usually referred to as broadsheets寬幅印刷品 bec

17、ause of their large size) and the more populist ppjlst 平民化, tabloid varieties.Quality Press: The Times（泰晤士報(bào)）, The Guardian（衛(wèi)報(bào)）, The Daily Telegraph（每日電訊報(bào)）Tabloid tbld 通俗小報(bào): The Sun on SundayTelevision and BroadcastBBC（the British Broadcasting Corporation）, ITV(Independent Television) 英國(guó)獨(dú)立電視臺(tái), BSkyB（

18、the British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC）英國(guó)天空廣播集團(tuán)TV programs done well by the BBC (P.60)Unit 4. British Economy 1. The Relative Decline of British Economy (Why?)n 1) The country suffered a great loss in the two World Wars.n 2) The erar時(shí)代 of the British Empire was over. n 3) Britain was still forced to

19、 maintain a substantial and expensive military presence.n 4) Britain failed to invest in industry after WWII. However, the decline is not an absolute one. The UK is not poorer than before. In fact, it is wealthier and more productive than before. The only thing is that other countries develop faster

20、 than the UK. So, the UK has experienced a relative decline.2. Recent History of British Economyn 1970 - high Inflation rate, strikesn 1979 - Reformation Program（改革方案）by Thatcher government 去國(guó)有化 privatization pravtazenn What was the content of the program?Thatcherism t(r)zm 撒切爾主義：Throughout the 1980

21、s an extensive program of privatization was carried out.-Denationalization di:nnlazen 非國(guó)有化 Government expenditure kspendt(r) 花費(fèi) was reduced； Taxation reformed； Foreign exchange controls lifted外匯管制解除 Rules governing banks loosened； Worker strikes restricted.n What was the long-term results? Inflation

22、(通貨膨脹) has been controlled Unemployment rate falling Encouraged by low interest rates, investment has increased. It is second only to the US as a destination for international direct investment. It is also itself a major source of international investment - it is the second biggest international inv

23、estor in the world.n Policies of Blair Government & Results （P.45） Policies: Blair made the Bank of England independent. In social policy, the Blair government changed the old Labor Partys practice of using tax system, public expenditurekspendt(r) 花費(fèi) and price controls to reduce inequality and put a

24、n emphasis on the minimum wage and supplementing low incomes. It also emphasized individual responsibility. Results:limit government spending keep inflation under control reduce unemployment By the end of the 20th century, British economic growth surpassed that of other major European countries.3. T

25、he Current British Economy n 1) Primary Industriesn Agriculture A. Features: small population, high mechanizationmeknazen機(jī)械化and high efficiency; but can not satisfy its domestic needs B. Chief agricultural products：wheat（小麥）,barley b:li大麥,sugar beet(甜菜) and potatoesn Energy production (5% of nationa

26、l wealth).Main energy resources: coal (Rio Tinto Group力拓集團(tuán)), oil (Shell殼牌, British Petroleum and British Gas) n 2) Secondary Industries:P.47n 3) Tertiary Industries: 65% of national wealth1. (P.50)Foreign Trade - Lifeline. Britain is both an importer and exporter in the world. 2. Finance The positio

27、n of London in the world economyCentral Bank-Bank of EnglandThe Big Four: Lloyds勞埃德, Barclays巴克萊銀行, Midland 米德蘭， the National Westminster Bank Group國(guó)民西敏寺銀行 3. Currency：Pound Sterling paund st:li 英鎊Unit 3 Political System1. Political System: Constitutional Monarchy knsttu:nl mnki 君主立憲制 dudri 司法機(jī)關(guān)政府、行

28、政部門議會(huì)（最高立法機(jī)關(guān)）、立法What does it mean by Constitutional Monarchy?n The King or Queen reignsren君主統(tǒng)治and is the head of the country, but dose not rule the country. The country is governed, in the name the Sovereign svrn 君主, but by His or Her Majestys mdsti 陛下government- a body of ministers who are responsi

29、ble to Parliament p:lmnt 議會(huì).2. Parliament君主下議院上議院Parliament:n The UK is a unitary ju:ntri 中央集權(quán)country. n The British Parliament is often referred to as supreme legislative authority（最高立法機(jī)關(guān)） of the UK. n The Main functions are making laws and supervising（監(jiān)督）government and finance.n The life of Parlia

30、ment is fixed at five years.Sovereign: Theoretically retkl 理論上, the Queen has all the power. In reality, she does everything on the advice of the Prime Minister.The significance of the Queen? P.32It represents the continuity and adaptability of the whole political system and is a symbol of British u

31、nity, an indissoluble ndsljbl (牢不可破的) bond among people who retain many regional and cultural difference.( 它代表了整個(gè)政治體系的連續(xù)性和適應(yīng)性，是英國(guó)團(tuán)結(jié)的象征，人們保留了許多地區(qū)和文化差異的不解之緣。)The House of LordsPresident: The Lord Chancellor1). The members of the House of Lords.P.332) The power of the House of Lords: P.33n a revising c

32、hamber(議事廳) for legislation（修正立法議事廳）n the highest court of appeal（最高上訴法院）n introducing bills（引入法案）, except for those dealing with financial matters.The House of CommonsChairman: Mr. Speaker - impartial（公正）in debates1) The members- The MPs（下院議員）are elected every 5 years2) The functions of the Housen

33、1. Legislation: create, abolish or amend laws.n 2. Pass bills（通過(guò)法案）proposed by government.n 3.Supervise（監(jiān)管）the government and finance: vote the taxation and expenditureskspendtz of government（表決政府的稅收和支出）, examine government policies and administration, and debate major political issues. （檢查政府政策和行政管理

34、，以及重大政治問(wèn)題的爭(zhēng)論）3. The Executive: The central government The UK government, officially known as His (or Her) Majestys Government, is centered on Whitehall in London(位于倫敦白廳). It includes:1) Prime Minister; 2) The Cabinet(內(nèi)閣) kbnt; 3) Privyprvi: Council（樞密院）; 4) Departments（部門）; 5) Civil Service（政府文職機(jī)構(gòu)）P

35、rime Minister - the really powerful leader of the UKStatus n Theheadof the government oversees the operation of the Civil Service and government departments.n The leader of the party that holds the most seats in the House of Commons. n He appoints members of the Cabinet and control it. n He recommen

36、ds a number of appointments(任命) to the Queen. （他向女王推薦了一些任命）n Prime Minister is appointed by the monarch.The Cabinet n The Prime Minister appoints up to 20 ministers to sit in the Cabinet. Members of the Cabinet are usually members of his own party in the House of Commons. They are also ministers of

37、government department.n The Cabinet is the committee at the centre of the British political system and is the supreme decision-making body in government. (政府最高決策機(jī)構(gòu))n The Cabinet meets regularly, usually once a week. 3. The Judiciaryn “No written constitution.” Why? P.30 Because it is not summarized

38、into one single document as “the British Constitution”.n The Constitution is made up of Statutessttu:ts(法規(guī)), Acts of Parliament（議會(huì)）and common law. n No Ministry of Justice（司法部）.n Court system in England: Lowest level: the magistratesmdstret courts（地方法庭）and county courts （治安法庭和郡法院） Highest level: The

39、 House of Lardsn Jury: A jury is made up of 12 citizens(陪審團(tuán)由12名公民組成). Every citizen who should be open-minded and impartial to the court case at hand.(每個(gè)公民都應(yīng)該對(duì)法院的案件進(jìn)行公正的和公正的訴訟。) A jurys job is to decide whether or not the accused (被告)they defended a guilty or not a guilty(陪審團(tuán))If the jury finds the a

40、ccused guilty(有罪), then it is for the judge to announce sentence.n No death penaltypenlti（無(wú)死刑）since1969.n The Police: The Metropolitan Police(都市警察)：whose zone of operation covers Greater London, is under the direct responsibility of the Home Secretary（內(nèi)政大臣）.n Scotland Yard（倫敦警察廳）：(officially New Sco

41、tland Yard ) the Criminal Investigation Department (英國(guó)刑事調(diào)查局)(CID), where its offices are situated close to Whitehall and the House of Parliament in London(白廳和倫敦的英國(guó)國(guó)會(huì)大廈).4. Party PoliticsThree main political parties of Britain:The Conservative Party (Its Characteristics P.36) It favors reducing the i

42、nfluence of trade unions and minimizing expenditure on social welfare.Its policies are characterized by pragmatismprgmtzm（實(shí)用主義）and a belief in individualism.這有利于減少工會(huì)的影響，最大限度地減少對(duì)社會(huì)福利的支出，其政策具有實(shí)用主義和個(gè)人主義的信念。 The Labor Party(Its Characteristics P.37)1.believe in an egalitarian(平等主義) economy2.public servi

43、ces3.nationalize a wide range of industriesIt became known as a party of high taxation. The party activities are largely funded by the trade unions.(它被稱為一個(gè)高稅收的政黨。黨的活動(dòng)主要是由工會(huì)資助的。)The Liberal Democracydmkrsi(自由民主黨)5. General Election(大選)n How long is it held? Every 5 years. n For what purpose? To elect

44、 a member of the House of Commons.n Process of General election-Direct Election (P.38)n Result: The party which has a largest number of seat will win the election. The leader of this party will be the Prime Minister. The party which wins over half of the constituenciesknsttjunsi選區(qū)的全體選民is the majorit

45、y in the House of Commons, subsequently forming the new government.6. The British Commonwealth(聯(lián)邦) of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth is an intergovernmental organization of fifty-four independent member states.(英聯(lián)邦，通常稱為英聯(lián)邦是一個(gè)政府間組織的五十四個(gè)獨(dú)立的成員國(guó)。) Queen Elizabeth II, is the current he

46、ad of the Commonwealth.All but two (Mozambique and Rwanda) of these countries were formerly part of the British Empire.（這些國(guó)家的所有，但（莫桑比克和盧旺達(dá)）以前是大英帝國(guó)的一部分。）The Commonwealth is not a political union, but an intergovernmental organization through which countries with diverse social, political, and economi

47、c backgrounds are regarded as equal in status.（英聯(lián)邦不是一個(gè)政治聯(lián)盟，而是一個(gè)具有不同社會(huì)、政治和經(jīng)濟(jì)背景的政府間組織，被認(rèn)為是平等的地位。）Unit 2 History1. Earliest Settlers1) The Iberians labrn 利比里亞人: They were nomadic nmdk （游牧的） Stone Age hunters. Their social system was a tribaltrabl部落的 society. The only Relic left by them was Stonehenge s

48、tonhend史前巨石柱2) The Celts凱爾特人: Two big waves of Celtickltk, sl-凱爾特人的 invasionnven侵襲: the Gaelslz少女, still found in Ireland and Scotland, came over as early as 600 B.C. the Britons英國(guó)人, still found in Wales, came over before 300 B.C. From the Britons came the English name for Britain. They were Tribesm

49、en部落的男子 or clansmenklnzmn同族的人.2. Roman Britain l In 55 and 54 B.C. Britain was twice invaded by Roman troopstrup軍隊(duì) under Julius Caesar, but it was conquered by the Romans under Claudiuskldis克勞迪亞斯 in 43 A. D. Britain then became a Roman province and remained so until the beginning of the 5th century.

50、l They left three valuable things: Welsh Christianity威爾士基督教, the roman roads and cities, especially London.3. Anglo-Saxonlosksn盎格魯-撒克遜人的 Britainl The three Teutonictu:t:nk日耳曼人的 groups are: Angles, Saxons and Jutes. From the Anglo-Saxon conquerors came the name “England” and “English”; England (Angla

51、-land in OE) means the land of the Anglo-Saxons.l The early Anglo-Saxons were worshipers禮拜者 of natural forces, e.g., thunder, winds and storms. Their outlook upon life and the habit of mind were entirely different from Christian teaching.The end of 7th century- all England had been Christianized使成為基

52、督教徒. By 737 the Church of England had been well organized. l Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy hept:k 七國(guó)時(shí)代Under Alfred the Great, Wessex威塞克斯 attained a high degree of prosperity and considerable enlightenmentnlatn:mnt啟蒙運(yùn)動(dòng).l Danishden丹麥的 Invasion： In the late 8th century (traditionally 787 A.D.) the Danes began

53、to attack the English coast. They made extensivekstnsv廣闊的 settlement in the eastern half of the island in the late 9th century and made York as an important center. l King Alfred the Great led people to fight against the Danes. l In 878, a peace treaty was signed between the Danes and Alfred: the ea

54、stern half of the island was to be subjected to the Danish law and come to be know as the Danelaw丹麥律法實(shí)施區(qū).Feudalfjudl:封建的 society under Anglo-Saxons (1)l In early Saxon England, the main classes of people were: (1) noblemen, with the king at the top, who were supposed to be descendantsdsndnt后裔 of God

55、s; (2) freemen, who were independent peasants holding large pieces of land; and (3) slaves, who had no land but were forced to till the land of the noblemen. Probably they came from the conquered Celts.l The development of agriculture and trade stimulated production and resulted in the accumulation of wealth in the few hands. -Private ownership came into existence.l The old system of clans and kinship had been completely displaced by the system of lords and tenants佃戶. the king - headthe earls -rule man