英国概况——总复习An Introduction to UK & USAPart ⅠThe United Kingdom1. Geographical Features1. The British Isles are situated in the northwest of Europe in the Atlantic Ocean.2. English Channel / North Sea3. England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland4. Full title: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland5. area: 244.110 Square kms / 1.000km from north to south; 500kms widest6. England: 130.000skm, 60% of Whole Island.A) Pennine mountains runs from Scottish boarder as far south as Derbyshire about 241km in the north. Altitude is 200-500meters.B) Bulk of Pennines奔宁山脉is moorland.C) Lake District to the west of PenninesD) plateau in the southwest and west, east and midlands are low-lying.7. Scotland: 78.760skm in northern part.A) Highlands & islands of Hebrides in the north, rugged, bare, mountainous. Benvis, highest peak, 1.343m.B) Central Lowlands, relatively flat.C) Southern Uplands, rolling moorland with small fertile river valleys.8. Wales on the Western Prominence. 20.700skm, 9% of the whole island.A) industrial southB) central plateaus and lakesC) Mountainous north.9. Northern Island, 14.147skm with six counties. Mountains in the north and south, separated by the fertile basin of Lough Neagh, mainly agricultural, industrial center: two ports–Belfast and Londonderry.2. Climate1) moderated by the Atlantic Gulf Stream, milder than places in the same latitude.2) equable: winters are mild, temperature exceed 4c in the west, lower in the east. July about 18c. 13c in the northern Scotland.3) changeable day-t-day conditions.4) Rainfall throughout the year. No marked dry season.3. Rivers and Lakesmany lakes and rivers but not very large.In England:1) the longest river: Severn River, 355km2) Thames River, 338km, Oxford in on it3) Clyde River in Scotland4) lakes lies in Northern Scotland & the Cumbriam Mountains and North Wales4. Natural ResourcesRich in coal, iron, tin, copper, oil and gasNo large land-based oilfield, mainly in North Sea. (also gas) Part ⅡThe People(1)Overview: Population: 56,500,000English 80%; Welsh 5%; Scots 10%; Irish 4%.1. The English: Anglo-Saxon in origin, Germanic tribes conquered in the 5th, 6th AD. Norman French, Under William ofNormandy in 1066 ? 2. Welsh, Scot, Irish: Celts from north-western Europe, invaded Britain between 700BC and 200BC.3. It was from the union of Norman conquerors and Anglo-Saxon and Jutes that the English people and English language was born.4. The Danes or Vikings invaded Britain in 8th stamped influence on the people and the language5. The English: be reserved, unemotional, courteous; shy of strangers; suspicious of change and slow to accept new ideals; solid and dependable with a high sense of honesty, duty and justice; physically and morally courageous; conscious of his place in the social order, disliking any show of emotion and lack of control.6. Welsh is an ancient Celtic language, more different from English than English is from French or German.The Welsh--- two groups:1) sheep farmers in the mountainous regions of the centre and north;2) industrial workers in the southWelsh are musical, emotional, cheerful, proud of their past, and welcoming to friends but suspicious of foreigners.The cultural pride in Wales is very strong, famous for their love of music and poetry.Eisteddfod (Welsh for a “sitting”): a national festival of music and verse in Wales in August for a week.From the hard-working lives of the Welshtwo passions emerged: rugby football英式橄榄球and choral singing7. Characteristics of the Scots: inventive, hard-working, serious-minded and cautious with money1) A) highlanders live by farming sheep and fishing, being proud, independent, hardyB) Lowlanders live in industrialized urban areas.2) Great empire builders, fierce soldiers―Devils in skirts‖ or ―ladies from hell‖: nicknames of Scottish soldiers for their bravery.3) distinctive national dress: kilt, pleated skirts9. the characteristics of Irish: introspective dreamers and poets, argumentative and aggressive.1) IRA: the Irish Republican Army on the Catholic side.2) Ulster Unionists, (Loyalists) on the Protestant side.10. Immigrants:1) escape political or religious persecution2) seek a better life3) A) from old dominions: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South AfricaB) Eastern European refugeesC) West Indies, India & PakistanD) Chinese, Greek, Turkish Cypriots, Italian, Spaniards12. Emigration: from Britain to Canada and Australia, USA (doctors, scientists) ---- “brain drain‖Part ⅢEconomy1. Characters:1. one of the most advanced manufacturing and trading nations.A) largest manufacturing industry: iron & steelB) Coal miningC) Oil and gas in North SeaD) food, beverages, tobacco productsE) mechanical engineering productsF) electric, electronics, instrument engineering productsG) paper, printing, publishing productsH) motor vehicles, transport equipmentI) metals, nonferrous有色金属,J) textiles, clothing, footwearK) chemical industry2. Trading & Finance:1) exports about 1/3 of its gross domestic product, a higher proportion than any other industrial country, 4th largest exporter in the world, 9% of world exports --- ―visible trade‖2) most important exports--- services:A) shipping, banking, insurance, tourism --- ―invisible‖ earnings / ―visible trade‖B) capital investment, (private & governmental) (direct investment)3) Bank of England: founded in 1694, issues bank notes, advises the government on financial matters, determines the bank rate.3. AgricultureReputation for its pioneering of new techniques and high efficiency, remains among the most progressive in the world. Agricultural workers account for 2% of the population.1) arable land: wheat, barley, oats2) vegetables, small fruits, potatoes, sugar beets甜菜4. Animal husbandryIn Highland Zones, tracts of grassland, green all the year --- mild climate & abundant rainfall.dairying, beef cattle, sheep5. Transportationhighly developed transportation system:1) A) large merchant fleetsB) 300 seaports2) railway system3) motor vehicles4) Airplanes, 120 commercial airportsPart ⅣThe Origins of a Nation1. early settlement (---55BC)A) the first immigrants: Iberians from Spain & Portugal about 5000 years ago.their relics: Stonehenge 石林(stone monuments) on Salisbury Plain in southwest of England.B) 3 waves: Celts from north-west Europe after 700 BC., 500 BC, and 100 BC —tall, red hair and blue eyes.C) Celtic conquerors blended with Iberian2. Roman Britain (55BC –410)1) Julius Caesar came to Britain in 55BC.2) Roman occupation lasted about 400 years.Impacts:1) brought Christianity to England2) built roads all across Britain3) towns grew up along the Roman roads4) English upper classes became completely Romanized, Roman landowners and officials.5) Social systems: laws, taxes6) Roman language---Latin7) system of writing & numbering8) written description of the land, peoples9) engineering skills, architecture3. Anglo-Saxon times (446-871)Three Germanic tribes invaded England: Angles, Saxons andJutes.4. Danish InvasionAt the turn of 8th century, Danes, or Vikings, invaded England from Norway & Denmark.5. NormansThe Norman Conquest in 1066.Consequences:1. William of Normandy and his French-speaking followers set up a strong central government which brought a new unified discipline and control to England.2. French became the official language.3. established a feudal system.4. Contacts between England & France increased.Part ⅤFeudal England1. Under William’s rule, the Normans changed Englan d to a feudal state under an absolute kingship.2. King Arthur: in 6th, the central figure of many legends about him and his Knights of round T able.3. the Magna Carta–Great Charter, a document signed in 1215 by King John, to recognize the rights of barons.4. Hundred Years’War: between England & France from 1337 to 1453 in France. French drove English partly through the inspiration of Joan of Arc (a French saint & national heroine), partly through the effective use of guns.5. Wars of the Roses: struggle for the throne of England (1455-1485)between .The houses of Lancaster, whose badge was a red rose, and York, a white rose. Impacts: the war weakened both nobility and the monarch.6. The Black Death: a deadly bubonic plague(淋巴腺鼠疫),struck Europe in middle of 14th, reached England in 1348. ?of the population died.7. Religious Revolution1) the Catholic Church:A) headed by the Pope;B) members accept the gospel of Christ and the teachings of the Bible.C) Any revolt against the traditional Christian faith was “heresy”.D) in the Middle Ages, Pope was powerful2) Protestant Church:A) whose faith and practice originated with the principles of the Reformation.B) Pope’s political power and religious authority declined in 16th, Protestant churches sprang up in Northern Europe, and in the Elizabethan age, became gradually the dominant faith.3) Henry VIII’s divorce question, married his brother’s widow, a Spanish princess, who gave a daughter, Mary, not a son.4) Bloody Mary: a devout Catholic, burnt so many protestants; succeeded by Elizabeth I.5) Elizabethan age: literary achievement, Shakespeare, an age of adventure on the sea.The English Civil War1. a bitter power struggle (1642-1648) between the monarchy and Parliament.2. the victory of the Parliament led to the execution of Charles I in 1649, and the temporary overthrow of the monarchy.3. a republic founded by Oliver Cromwell for more than ten years.4. King Charles I: divine rights to govern,Ruled without parliament, levied taxes without parliament’s approval.5. Cromwell: Roundhead leader, defeated the King Charles I.Part VI The Glorious Revolution1. in 1688, Catholic king James II fled to France.2. the throne was offered to his Protestant daughter and her husband Dutch king William.3. the Bill of Rights was passed by Parliament to restrict the power of the Monarchy.4. beginning of the Constitutional Monarchy in Britain.5. Since then every English monarch rules by permission of Parliament.6. the theories of divine or hereditary right to the throne were ended.7. Bloodless RevolutionBackground:1. The 18th century saw ascendancy of the middle class in the life of the nation, with the development of commerce & industry.2. Glorious Revolution established the authority of middle class over the crown.3. The union of Scotland and England into the nation of Great Britain --- the Act of Union of 1707.4. The Seven Years’War (1756-63) in North America (French and India War) --- which left Britain predominant in North America and in India, Britain bec ame the world’s leading colonial power.5. In the 2nd half of the 18th century, the great economic and social changes were taking place in Britain --- agricultural and home-based trades and industries gradually gave way to factory-based industries with complex machinery.6. England was a great trade nation, with much private capital ready for investment.7. Not only was trade free to move throughout the British Isles, but also there was freedom of movement between the social classes. Middle class values encouraged self-reliance and enterprising initiative.8. Political leaders were interested in commerce.9. The growing population provided a market.10. Farmers’improved methods of cultivation freed much labor, which became available for employment in the town factories, and also increased food supplies for towns.11. 18th century was a time of peace and stability.12. Foreign plunder, the newly acquired wealth after 7 years’war.Industrial Revolution first began in the textile industry, which was accelerated by important mechanical inventions ---- flying shuttle, spinning jenny, especially the steam-engine by James Watt in 1769.Results1. Factories came into being because they brought about more profits to the owners.2. New cities sprang up, population was concentrated in towns and cities.3. The power of influence of industrial capitalists grew greater.4. It gave birth a new social-economic class –proletariat who were exploited cruelly.5. It brought many economic advantages to Britain and made Britain rich and powerful.Chartist MovementThe Chartist Movement (1836-48): the industrial and commercial classes, with the support of the working classes, demanded to reform the old voting system.Part ⅧGovernment SystemConstitutional Monarchy1. The Monarch respects the Constitution.2. In law, the monarch is head of the executive, an integral part of the legislature; head of the judiciary; commander-in-chief of3. In the Glorious Revolution, William and Mary became the joint rulers of Britain, and the Constitutional Monarchy began.4. The Bill of Rights which was passed in 1689 restricted the power of the monarchy.The British Constitution1. It is unwritten2. Its components include Acts of Parliament, the Prerogative of the Crown, Conventions of the Constitution, Common Law and Parliamentary Privilege.3. It is more flexible than the written ones in other countries.Conventions of the Constitution1. They form an important part of the Constitution just as written laws do.2. They are rules which are not written down but which everyone agrees must be followed in practice.3. They include the following:1) the powers of the Crown are exercised mainly by Ministers;2) the Queen must act on the advice of Ministers;3) Ministers are responsible to parliament for their actions;4) the sovereignty of ParliamentCommon Law1. It is one of the main components of the British Constitution.2. It refers to the Bills which have been passed by courts.3. It marked a sharp decline in powers of the Monarch.The Bill of Rights1. It was the Bill passed by the Parliament in 1689 after the Glorious Revolution.2. It laid down a number of things that future monarchs could not do.3. It marked a sharp decline in powers of the Monarch.4. It marked the beginning of the British Constitutional MonarchyGeneral Election1. General Election is held at least every five years.2. The country is divided into 635 constituencies, each of which returns one Member of Parliament.3. The one who has the most votes in a constituency becomes a Member of Parliament.4. The leader of the party with the largest number of members returned to the House of Commons becomes Prime Minister.Party system in Parliament1. The leader of the party with the largest number of members returned to the House of Commons becomes Prime Minister and is invited by the Queen to form a government;2. The party with the next largest numbers of supporters in the Commons becomes the official Opposition to Government.3. The Prime Ministers and other ministers sit on thePolitical Parties1. The UK has a two-party system.2. The Conservative is major right-wing party.1)It supports free enterprise and is generally opposed to nationalization and to extending the social services. So conservatives are those whohave something to conserve and they usually hate the great changes in society.2)It believes actively in the pursuit of greater social and economic equality.3)The Labor Party is a party of moderate socialism in favor of Nationalization of key industries.4)It has always been anti-Communist.5)It is usually considered as a main party for working class people.6)It draws most of its support from highly urban and industrialized people.7)It is also supported by some middle class and intellectuals.4. The Liberal Party is the third largest political party since 1922.5. The Social Democratic Party was formed in 1981 by a small number of right-wing Labor party politicians.British Parliament1. It includes 3 elements:1) the Crown;2) the House of Lords;3) the House of Commons2. It is the supreme law-making authority in Britain.3. The real center of parliamentary power is in the House of Commons.4. Other functions:1) to control and criticize the executive government;2) to control the raising and the spending of money.The House of Lords1. Its members are peers, most of whom are hereditary.2. Its powers have been severely reduced by the Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949.3. It must pass all financial legislation sent to it from the House of Commons, and can delay other Bills for only one year.4. It has a special judicial function.5. The Lord Chancellor=SpeakerThe House of Commons1. It consists of 635 elected Members of Parliament.2. MPs have a number of privileges, eg. The freedom of speech in Parliament.3. it is by far the most powerful and important element in Parliament, therefore plays the key role in the activities of Parliament as a whole.4. The Speaker presides over the meeting in the House of Commons.Part ⅨEducation, TV, Radio, PressEducation1. a child may enter a Nursery school at the age of two or three with no formal lessons but with indoor and outdoor play; drawing, painting, listening to stories, singing, dancing, learning to realize the values of money, weights and measures.2. Two stages in formal state primary education:1）an infant stage from 5 to 7;2) a junior stage from 7-11.3. Secondary Education:1)Under the old selective system of secondary education,―the eleven plus‖ is the exam taken by children in their lastyear at primary school.2)the results of this exam determine the kind of secondary schooling each child will receive.3)Those with the highest marks go to grammar schools; other may go to technical schools and the rest go to secondary modern schools.Grammar schoolGrammar schools concentrate on academic subjects and expect many of their pupils to take higher exams and go to university.Comprehensive system1. All children, regardless of ability, can mix together.2. students study a wide variety of subjects at first. After two or three years they may study only those they like best.V oluntary schools= mission schools1. They are mostly Church of England or Roman Catholic in origin, and give a certain amount of denominational religious instruction.2. Partly maintained and controlled by the local authority.Independent schools/ Public schools1. They are supported entirely by fees and private funds (for all ages) in Britain.2. The best known of these are the “public”boarding schools for boys aged 13 to 17 or 18. They prepare students chiefly for universities.Universities1. All universities are independent and self-governing.2. They receive aid through the University Grants committee.3. They charge fees; students can get financial help from thegovernment; there are awards and scholarship.1. the old universities: Oxford and Cambridge2. The redbrick universities: provincial universities (1850-1930) as well as London University. Many were built in the favorite building material of the time --- red brick.3. the new universities: after the World War II.4. Open University: founded in 1969. It is open to everybody who may not get the opportunity for higher education. Lectures are broadcast on TV and radio.The Press1. The national dailies are generally classed as either ―quality‖ or ―popular.‖2. The “quality”papers give more comprehensive coverage of all aspects of news.3. The “popular”papers aim for a more general readership.Some important papers1. The Times: the most famous of all British papers and is read by the most important British all over the world. Politically independent, inclined to be more sympathetic to the Conservative party.2. The Guardian:1) a national paper which is equal with The Times in quality.2) It is radical in politics, favorable to the Liberal Party and tends to be rather closer in sympathy to the Labor Party than to the Conservatives. Tabloid1. It is usually printed on paper smaller than the size for a newspaper.2. It uses many pictures, strip cartoons and stories to attract readers.3. The Mirror and Sun are tabloid.BBC1. It does all sound broadcasting, in which news reporting is excellent.2. It also puts out two television programs.3. There is no advertisement.4. It is financed by payments which must be made by all who posses TV.The Welfare State1. The state should ensure that nobody should be without the means for the minimum necessities of life as the result of unemployment, old age, sickness or over-large families.2. The system of national insurance pays out benefits to people who are unemployed, or unable to earn because they are old or sick.3. Free or nearly free medical and dental care is provided for everyone under the National Health Service.4. Supplementary benefits are provided for people who live below the minimum standard.The Commonwealth1. It contains 3 groups of territories:1) “White”territories: Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where the inhabitants are mainly of British descent.2) “Non-white”territories3)Mixed territories2. a loose organization with the Queen recognized as the head.3. It was founded in 1931.4. All three groups have either achieved independence or are moving towards it.第一部分英国第一章英国地理1. The official name of the United Kingdom is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.2. There are three political divisions on the islands of Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales.3. About a hundred years ago, Britain ruled an empire that had one fourth of the world’s people and one-fourth of the world’s land area.4. The Britain Empire was replaced by the Britain commonwealth in 1931,which is a free association of independent counties that were once colonies of Britain.5. Britain is separated from the rest of Europe by the English Channel in the south and the North Sea in the east.6. Britain has, for centuries, been tilting with the northwest slowly rising, and the southeast slowly sinking. The no rth and west of Britain are mainly highlands. The southeast and east are mainly lowlands.7. The pennies, a range of hills running from north midlands to Scottish border, are the principal mountain chain.8. Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest mountain in Britain, and the Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland is the larges t lake in Britain.9. There are three natural zones in Scotland: the highlands in the north, the central lowlands, and the southern upla nds. The lowlands in the center comprise mostly the forth and Clyde valleys.10. Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast are the capitals of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.11. Scotland has about 800 islands, including the Orkney,Shetlands and Hebrides.苏格兰有800座岛屿，包括奥克内群岛，谢特兰群岛和赫不里德群岛。
