英國(guó)國(guó)家介紹

DoYouKnow?FocusIn1GetReady-mainDoYouKnow?Fromthefollowingvideoclip,canyoutellthedifferenceamongBritishIsles,GreatBritain,England,theUnitedKingdom,andBritishCommonwealth?1.1DoYouKnow?1.1-videoII■HaveageneralideaofthegeographicalpositionoftheUKKnowthedifferentnamesforthecountryanditscomponentsKnowsomethingaboutthetopographyoftheUKBefamiliarwiththeimportantriversandlakesintheUKKnowabouttheclimaticpatternintheUKFocusIn1.2WhereistheUKlocated?2text-mainWhatistheweatherlikeintheUK?RiversandlakesWhatdoyouneedtoknowabouttheUK?HighlandandLowlandFourcomponents1.NamesforBritainAfewnamesareoftenusedforthiscountry,andeachhasitsspecificgeographical,political,historicalorarchaeologicalimplications.(1)“TheBritishIsles”isageographicaltermthatincludesGreatBritain,thewholeofIreland,andmanyoffshoreislands.(2)“GreatBritain”oritsshortenedform“Britain”,isveryoften,butinthestrictsenseincorrectly,usedasasynonymforthesovereignstateproperlyknownastheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland.ItcanbeageographicaltermreferringtotheislandonwhichthegreaterpartsofEngland,WalesandScotlandaresituated,togetherwithnumeroussmallerislands.Itcanalsobeapoliticalterm2.1.1NamesforBritainthatdescribesthecombinationofEngland,Scotland,andWales,thethreenationswhichtogetherincludeallthelandontheisland.(3)“England”issometimeswronglyusedinreferencetothewholeUnitedKingdom,theentireislandofGreatBritain(orsimplyBritain),ortheBritishIsles.ThisisnotonlyincorrectbutcancauseoffencetopeoplefromotherpartsoftheUK.ThediversehistoryofEngland,ScotlandandWaleshasledtoverydifferentculturaltraditions.TheScotsandtheWelshhaverighttofeelaggrievedwhenevertheterm“English”iswronglyusedtomeanallthree.WhenitisalwayscorrecttocallpeoplefromEngland,Scotland,orWales“British”,peoplefromEngland1.NamesforBritain2.1.1Englandmayalsoproperlybecalled“English”,peoplefromScotland“Scottish”,andpeoplefromWales“Welsh”.1.NamesforBritain2.1.1MapoftheBritishIsles2.TheCommonwealthofNationsTheCommonwealthofNations,normallyreferredtoastheCommonwealthandformerlyknownastheBritishCommonwealth,isanorganisationoffifty-fourindependentmemberstates.Allbuttwo(MozambiqueandRwanda)ofthesecountrieswereformerlypartoftheBritishEmpire.Thememberstatesco-operatewithinaframeworkofcommonvaluesandgoalsasoutlinedintheSingaporeDeclaration.Theseincludethepromotionofdemocracy,humanrights,goodgovernance,theruleoflaw,individualliberty,egalitarianism,freetrade,multilateralismandworldpeace.TheCommonwealthisnotapoliticalunion,butanand2.1.22.TheCommonwealthofNationsintergovernmentalorganisationthroughwhichcountrieswithdiversesocial,politicalandeconomicbackgroundsareregardedasequalinstatus.2.1.2Commonwealthflag3.UnionFlagTheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIrelandusesasitsnationalflagtheroyalbannerknownastheUnionFlagor,popularly,UnionJack.ThecurrentdesignoftheUnionFlagdatesfromtheunionofIrelandandGreatBritainin1801.ItconsistsoftheredcrossofSaintGeorge(patronsaintofEngland),edgedinwhite,superimposedontheCrossofStPatrick(patronsaintofIreland),whicharesuperimposedontheSaltireofSaintAndrew(patronsaintofScotland).Wales,however,isnotrepresentedintheUnionFlagbyWales’patronsaint,SaintDavid.2.1.33.UnionFlag2.1.3TheUKflag4.“GodSavetheQueen”“GodSavetheKing/Queen”isthenationalanthemoftheUnitedKingdom.Ingeneral,onlyoneor,onrareoccasions,twoversesareeversung.Thefirstversereads,“GodsaveourgraciousQueen,/LongliveournobleQueen,/GodsavetheQueen!/Sendhervictorious,/Happyandglorious,/Longtoreignoverus:GodsavetheQueen!2.14SingaporeDeclaration2.1.2-popHaveyouheardof“SingaporeDeclaration”?

TheSingaporeDeclarationofCommonwealthPrincipleswasadeclarationissuedbytheassembledHeadsofGovernmentoftheCommonwealthofNations,settingoutthecorepoliticalvaluesthatwouldformthemainpartoftheCommonwealth’smembershipcriteria.TheDeclarationwasissuedinSingaporeon22January1971attheconclusionofthefirstCommonwealthHeadsofGovernmentMeeting(CHOGM).AlongwiththeHarareDeclaration,issuedin1991,itisconsideredoneofthetwomostimportantdocumentstotheCommonwealth’suncodifiedconstitution.WhereistheUKlocated?TheUK’sgeographicalpositionismarkedbylatitude50oNinSouthernEnglandandbylatitude60oacrosstheShetlands.TheUKisborderedonthesouthbytheEnglishChannel,whichseparatesitfromthecontinentofEurope.ItisborderedontheeastbytheNorthSeaseparatingitfromBelgiumandHolland,andborderedonthewestbytheIrishSeaandtheAtlanticOceanseparatingitfromIreland.ItsonlylandborderwithanothernationisbetweenNorthernIrelandandIreland.2.2WhereIstheUKLocated?2.2WhereIstheUKLocated?PoliticalmapoftheBritishIslesWhereistheUKlocated?Fourcomponents2.3Politically,theUKisaunionmadeupoffourconstituentcountries:England(London),Scotland(Edinburgh),Wales(Cardiff)andNorthernIreland(Belfast),plusseveraloverseasterritories.MapoftheUnitedKingdomEngland2.3Englandisthemostwell-knownoftheindividualcomponentsthatmakeuptheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland.Inthepast,EnglandruledovermanylandsthroughouttheworldthatcametobeFlagofEnglandknownastheBritishEmpire.Englandisthelargest,mostpopulous,andwealthiestdivisionoftheUnitedKingdom.ThisEnglishdominanceissuchthatmanypeopleuse“England”torefertothewholeUnitedKingdom.London,thecapitaloftheUnitedKingdom,islocatedinEngland.Scotland2.3Alandofruggedcliffsandheather-coveredhills,Scotlandisaplaceofwildnaturalbeauty.ThecapitalofScotlandisEdinburgh.Scotlandisthesecondlargestofthefournationsbothinareaandpopulation.BeforeScotlandformallyjoinedtheUnionwithEnglandin1707,ithadbeenaunifiedstateindependentoftheUKforalongtime.FlagofScotlandWales2.3WalesisthesmallestamongthethreenationsontheislandofGreatBritain.WaleshasbeendominatedbyEnglandsinceitsunionwithEnglandin1536.ThoughapartoftheUnitedKingdom,Waleshasretainedacharacterofitsown—theresultofitsCelticcultureanditsruggedlandscape.IntheWelshlanguage,WalesiscalledCymru.MuchofWalesisstillalandofpicturesquemountainsandvalleys,buttheexistenceoflargecoalfieldsinthesouthbringsindustryandurbanization.ThecapitalandlargestcityisCardiff.FlagofWalesNorthernIreland2.3TheislandofIrelandisdividedpoliticallyintotwoparts.NorthernIrelandoccupiesaboutonesixthoftheisland,inthenortheasterncorner.ItisthesmallestbothinareaandpopulationamongthefournationsoftheUK.ItisaregionoftheUnitedKingdom,alongwithEngland,Scotland,andWales.TherepublicofIrelandtakesuptherestoftheisland.Ithasbeenaseparatecountrysince1921.ThecapitalofNorthernIrelandisBelfast.FlagofNorthernIrelandNorthernIreland2.3Forabout400years,thepeopleofNorthernIrelandhavebeendividedintotwomaingroups—theRomanCatholicsandtheProtestants.Since1801,IrelandhadbeenpartoftheUnitedKingdom.In1921,theIrishIrishFreeStatedeclareditsindependence,leavingonlysixnortheasterncountiesinsidetheUniontobecalledNorthernIreland.Violentconflictspersistedbetweenthesetwogroupsduringmostofthelate1900s.Underanaccordin1998,asemi-autonomousgovernmentwasestablishedinmid-2000inthisregion.PeacefulsettlementoftheNorthernIrelandissuein1998HighlandandLowland2.4ThetraditionaldivisionofGreatBritainisintotwomajornaturalregions—aHighlandandaLowlandzone.TheyaredividedbyanimaginarylinerunningthroughEnglandfromtheRiverExeonthesouthwestcoasttothemouthoftheRiverTeesonthenortheastcoast.MapofUKTopographyThehighlandzone2.4Thehighlandzoneisanareaofhighhillsandmountainsinthenorthandwestthatarefrequentlybrokenbyvalleysandplains.Scotland,WalesandpartsofEnglandarelocatedinthiszone.ThehighestpointhereaswellasinBritainisBenNevisat1,343metres.ThePennineChain,“BackboneofEngland”,isamassiveuplandareaextendingnorthtosouthacrossEngland,startingonEngland’sborderwithScotlandandendinginthecentralEngland.BenNevisThelowlandzone2.4Thelowlandzoneinthesouthandeastconsistsmostlyofrollingplains.MostofBritain’spopulationlivesdenselyinthelowlandzone,whichcoversmostofEngland.ThemetropolisofLondonandmostofBritain’slargecitiesarelocatedinthelowlandzone.Riversandlakes2.5TheUK’slongestriver,theSevern,is338kminlength,beginninginWalesandenteringtheAtlanticOceannearBristolinEngland.ThamesinLondonThesecondlargestbutthemostimportantriveristheThames,whichflowsthroughOxfordandLondon.2.5LoughNeaghinNorthernIrelandisthelargestlakeinthecountry.

TheLakeDistrictcomprises15majorbeautifullakesandhasbecomeapopulartouristdestination.TheLakeDistrictRiversandlakesLakePoets2.5Haveyouheardofthe“LakePoets”?TheLakePoetsareagroupofEnglishpoetswhoalllivedintheLakeDistrictofEnglandattheturnofthe19thcentury.Asagroup,theyfollowednosingle“school”ofthoughtorliterarypracticethenknown,althoughtheirworkswereuniformlydisparagedbytheEdinburghReview.TheyareconsideredpartoftheRomanticMovement.ThethreemainfiguresofwhathasbecomeknownastheLakesSchoolareWilliamWordsworth,SamuelTaylorColeridge,andRobertSouthey.Theyareassociatedwithseveralotherpoetsandwriters,includingDorothyWordsworth,CharlesLloyd,HartleyColeridge,JohnWilson,andThomasDeQuincey.WhatistheweatherlikeintheUK?2.6TheoverallclimateintheUKiscalledtemperatemaritime.Thismeansthatitismildwithtemperaturesnotmuchlowerthan0oCinwinterandnotmuchhigherthan32oCinsummer.Italsomeansthatitisdampandissubjecttofrequentchanges.ThechangeabilityofweathermakestheBritishmoreadaptable,andthefrequentdrizzlesandgloomyskiesmakethemtendtosufferSeasonalAffectiveDisorder(SAD).RainfalldistributionintheUKSAD2.6-popHaveyouheardof“SAD”?SeasonalAffectiveDisorder(SAD)isamooddisorderinwhichpeoplewhohavenormalmentalhealththroughoutmostoftheyear,experiencedepressivesymptomsinwinteror,lessfrequently,insummer,springorautumn,repeatedly,yearafteryear.3.1TrueorFalseMultipleChoiceDiscussion1.TheUnitedKingdomislocatedinnorthernEurope.2.TheUnitedKingdomconsistsoffourpoliticaldivisions—England,Scotland,WalesandIreland.3.EnglandisoneofthetwolargeislandsintheBritishIsles.4.TheBritishIslesaremadeupofthreelargeislandsandhundredsofsmallones.5.WalesliesontheeastcoastoftheislandofGreatBritain.6.TheCommonwealthofNationsisafreeassociationofindependentcountriesthatallusedtobecoloniesofBritain.F()F()F()F()F()TrueorFalse3.1F()7.InScotland,ruggedmountains,greenvalleys,anddeep,bluelakesprovidesomeofthemostbeautifulsceneryinEurope.8.ThelongestriverinBritainistheThames.9.ThelargestlakeinBritainistheLoughNeaghinnorthwestEngland.10.Britain’sclimateisinfluencedbytheGulfStream,awarmoceancurrentthatsweepsupfromtheequatorandflowspasttheBritishIsles.T()F()F()T()3.1TrueorFalse1.TheBritishIslesaremadeupof_______. A.threelargeislandsandhundredsofsmallones B.threelargeislandsanddozensofsmallones C.twolargeislandsandhundredsofsmallones D.twolargeislandsanddozensofsmallonesMultipleChoice3.22.WhichofthefollowingisNOTapoliticaldivisionontheislandofGreatBritain? A.England.B.Scotland.C.NorthernIreland.D.Wales.3.2MultipleChoice3.BritainisseparatedfromtherestofEuropebytheEnglishChannelinthe_______andtheNorthSeaintheeast. A.eastB.southC.westD.north3.2MultipleChoice4.TheRepublicofIrelandwastotallyindependentintheyear_______. A.1920B.1945C.1918D.19493.2MultipleChoice5.ThehighestmountaininBritain,BenNevis,liesin______. A.theHighlandsB.theSouthernUplands C.theCentralLowlandsD.theLakeDistrict3.2MultipleChoice6.TheBritishEmpirewasreplacedbytheBritishCommonwealthortheCommonwealthofNationsin__________. A.1921B.1931C.1945D.19503.2MultipleChoice7.ThemountainsystemthePenninesisoftencalledthebackboneof_______.

A.England

B.Scotland

C.GreatBritain

D.Ireland3.2MultipleChoice8.TheregionalcapitalofNorthernIrelandis_______.

A.Glasgow

B.Edinburgh

C.Cardiff

D.Belfast3.2MultipleChoice9.WhichofthefollowingstatementsabouttheclimateinBritainisNOTtrue? A.Britain’sclimateisofthemaritimetype. B.WintersinBritainareextremelycold. C.SummersinBritainarecool. D.BritainiswarmerthanHarbininwinter.3.2MultipleChoiceDiscusswithyourclassmatestheinternationalinfluencewhichtheUKexercisesontoday’sworldstage.Discussion3.3BritishEmpireandBritishCommonwealthWorld’sfirstindustrialisedcountryAdevelopedcountryAnuclearpowerAmemberstateoftheEuropeanUnionApermanentmemberoftheUnitedNationsSecurityCouncilHints:WilliamHague:UKMustExtendInfluenceorFaceDecline

1July20104FURTHERREADINGWilliamHaguehassaidtheUKmusthavemore“globalreachandinfluence”orfacedeclineinafast-changingworld.Inhisfirstmajorspeechasforeignsecretary,hesaidtheUKmustbemuch“moreclear,focusedandeffective”inachievingforeignpolicygoals.TheUKmustbuilditsinfluenceinEurope,heargued,withmoreBritishofficialsinseniorpostsinBrussels.HealsocalledforstrongerlinkswithneweconomicsuperpowerssuchasChina,IndiaandBrazil.SpeakingattheForeignOfficeinLondon,MrHaguesaidtheUK’sglobalinfluencehadwanedunder13yearsofLabourruleandhadnottakenadvantageofnewopportunitiesanditsunrivalledlinkswithdifferentpartsoftheworld.Inhisspeech,MrHaguestressedthattheUK’srelationshipwiththeUSremainedthecountry’smostimportant,describingtheallianceas“unbreakable”.4-1“Adhocandpatchy”ButhesaidthattheUKneededtolookfurtherafield,respondtochangesineconomicpoweraroundtheworldanddevelopstrongrelationshipwithemergingpowersinAsia,theMiddleEastandLatinAmerica.“Inrecentyears,Britain’sapproachtobuildingrelationshipswithnewandemergingpowershasbeenadhocandpatchy,givingrisetothefrequentcomplaintfromsuchgovernmentsthatBritishministersonlygetintouchwhenacrisisarisesoracrucialvoteisneeded,”hesaid.4-24-3“Thisweakensourabilitytoforgeagreementondifficultissuesaffectingthelivesofmillionsaroundtheworldandoverlookstheimportanceofconsistencyandpersonalrelationshipsintheconductofforeignpolicy.”TheforeignsecretarysaidBritishdiplomacymustbemorepro-activeandagile,promotingthenationalinterestbutonethatwasnot“selfishlydefined”.“AdistinctiveBritishforeignpolicythatisactiveinEuropeandacrosstheworld;thatbuildsupBritishengagementinthepartsoftheglobewhereopportunitiesas4-4aswellasthreatsincreasinglylie;thatisateasewithinanetworkedworldandharnessesthefullpotentialofourculturallinks,”hesaid.Indoingso,theUKneededtobemoreawareofpublicperceptionsaboutitsroleintheworld,particularlyincountriessuchasPakistaninthefrontlineinthefightagainstterrorism,andusenewformsoftechnologytocommunicate.“Weoverlookinternationalopinionatourperil,”hesaid.“Wemusttryhardertogetourmessageacross.”4-5NewinitiativescouldinvolveusingnewmeansofcommunicationsuchastextmessageandTwitter,strengtheningpersonalrelationshipswithothercountries’ministers,andexploitingtheappealofBritishculture.“Playingpolitics”O(jiān)nEurope,MrHaguesaiditwas“unsustainablefiction”thatthelastgovernmenthadputtheUKattheheartofEurope,sayingithadmistaken“institutionalchange”forprogressondevelopingbetterrelationshipswithindividualmembers.4-6TheUKmustworkcloserwithgroupsofsmallerstatesinareasofmutualinterestaswellasmaintainingitscentralrelationshipswithGermanyandFrance.HesaidUKrepresentationinBrusselshaddeclined,with200fewerBritishofficialsattheEuropeanCommissionnowthanin1997.Althoughitrepresented12%oftheEUpopulation,theUKhasjust1.8%ofstaffinentry-levelpositionsatthecommission,henoted.“ItismystifyingtousthatthepreviousgovernmentfailedtogivedueweighttothedevelopmentofBritishinfluenceintheEU,”headded.4-7“TheyneglectedtoensurethatsufficientnumbersofbrightBritishofficialsenteredEUinstitutions,andsowearenowfacingagenerationgapdevelopingintheBritishpresenceinpartsoftheEUwhereearlydecisionstakeplace…Asanewgovernment,wearedeterminedtoputthisright.”ShadowforeignsecretaryDavidMilibandaccusedMrHagueof“playingpolitics”withforeignpolicy,adding,“TheideaofhimlecturingtheLabourPartyaboutjoined-upgovernment,whenthedefencesecretaryandprimeministercan’tgomorethantwodayswithoutdisagreeingaboutourmostimportantforeignpolicyobjective,isrisible.”4-8Hewenton,“TheideathatheisgoingtobringanewdynamictoourrelationshipwithChina,whenonmylastvisitasforeignsecretaryIsecuredastrategicdialoguewithoutcompare,isanon-starter.”“AndtheideathatthiscoalitionwillbringrenewedinfluencetotheEuropeanUnion,whentheprimeministerisnotevenintheroomwiththekeydecision-makersbecauseofhispoliticalalliances,isjustplainwrong.”FormerLiberalDemocratleaderSirMenziesCampbellsaidthatinthepost-colonialperiod,theUKhad“withdrawnalmostcompletely”