英语国家概况期末复习资料

英语国家概况期末复习资料

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Chapter 1 Geography, People and Language

1.The full name: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and

Northern Ireland .

It is made up of many islands collectively known as the British

Isles. Great Britain and Ireland are two main islands of the British

Isles.

2.The River Thames(second longest and most important),

originates in southwestern England -----North Sea.

3.Scotland ( Edinburgh ) important river:Clyde River kilts

4.Wales(Cardiff ). The Severn River is the longest river of

Britain------flow through western England.

5.Northern Ireland (Belfast) Lough Neagh----the largest lake

in the British Isles.

6.Climate: temperate, with warm summers, cool winters and

plentiful precipitation(降雨量) Three major features: winter fog,

rainy day, instability

7.London---Buckingham Palace, Guildhall (市政厅), St.

Paul’s Cathedral, The Tower Bridge of London

8.The majority people of te population is descendants of the

Anglo-Saxons, a Germanic people from Europe.

Most people in Wales and Scotland are descendants of the

Celtic people, including the Irish people

9.English belongs to the Indo-European family of languages.

English is in the Germanic group.

10.Germanic group: East Germanic, North Germanic, West

Germanic. English evolved from the West Germanic group.

11.①Old English: influenced by Old Norse spoken by the Vikings and was related to the German and Dutch languages and

ended with the Norman Conquest, when the language was

influence by the French-speaking Normans.

②Middle English: William the Conqueror invaded and

conquered and the Anglo-Saxons (Numerous French words came

into the English vocabulary)

③Modern English(15 century):William Caxton brought

standardization to English, and spelling and grammar became

fixed. The first dictionary published in 1604. Samuel Johnson: A

Dictionary of the English Language was influential in a standard

form of spelling.

12.Standard English is based on the speech of the upper class

of southeastern England. It is also called “the Queen’s English”

or “BBC English”. A third of world’s population use English.

Chapter 2 History

Roman Period 43-410 Christianity was brought to Britain

Roman Rule 1066-1381 Magna Carta; Black Death

Transition to Modern Age 1455-1688 The war of Roses;

English Renaissance

Rise of Britain Empire 1688-1900 Industrial Revolution;

Colonial Expansion Fall of British Empire 1914-1945 WWI, WWII,

Great Depression

1. Recorded history in Britain began in the year 55BC, when

Julius Caesar and his Roman troops invaded the island. In 410,

Germanic barbarian attack Rome, ending the Roman occupation.

2.Celtic→Spain and France Anglo-Saxon→Germanic Tribes

3. It is believed hat the Norman Conquest of England marked

the establishment of feudalism

4. Henry II began the rule of the House of Anjou(安茹王朝) in

England, also known as the House of Plantagenet(金雀花王朝). He improved the courts of justice, introduce the jury system and

institutionalized common law.

5. The Magna Carta is regarded as the foundation of the

British constitutionalism

6. Henry III wages wars. The outraged nobles, led by Simon

de Montfort, drafted the Provision of Oxford(牛津条约) to limit

the King’s power by calling regular meetings of 15-member

Privy Council(枢密院). Simon de Montfort facilitated the modern

idea of a representative parliament.

7.The Wars of the Roses: the House of York( white rose) and

the House of Lancaster( red rose)→winner. Henry Tudor became

King Henry VII and started the rule of the House of Tudor.

8. In 1584, King Henry VIII issued the Act of Supremacy 《至尊法案》. In 1651, Cromwell destroyed Charles II’s army, which

marked the end of the Civil Wars. In 1660 Parliament decided to

restore Charles II to the throne which put an end to the

Commonwealth.

9. In 1688, Glorious Revolution happened. In 1689,

parliament passed the Bill of Rights.

10.19世纪中期，工业革命完成。

11.The British Empire began with the colonization of

Newfoundland in 1583. By the end of 19th century, the British

Empire included about 1/4 of the global population and the

world’s landmass.

12.South African is the fourth self-government dominion of

the British Empire after Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

13.The Central Powers: mainly Germany, Austria-Hungary,

Turkey

The Allies: mainly France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy

14.The process of decolonization transformed the British