发布时间 : 星期六 文章Lesson 2 Chapter 2 Geography of the United Kingdom更新完毕开始阅读7a1cd7ad04a1b0717ed5dd41
Lesson 2 Geography of the United Kingdom I. Different Names for Britain and its Parts
?1. Geographical names: the British Isles, Great Britain and England.
?2. Official name: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
?3. The British Isles are made up of two large islands-Great Britain (the larger one) and Ireland,
and hundreds of small ones.
?4. Three political divisions on the island of Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales.
(1) England is in the southern part of Great Britain. It is the largest, most populous section. London is the capital of England and Britain.
(2) Scotland is in the north of Great Britain. It has three natural zones (the Highlands in the north; the Central lowlands; the south Uplands) Capital: Edinburgh (爱丁堡) (3) Wales is in the west of Great Britain. Capital: Cardiff (加的夫 )
(4) Northern Ireland is the fourth region of the UK. Capital: Belfast. (贝尔法斯特) II. Geographical Features
?1. Geographical position of Britain:
Britain is an island country surrounded by the sea. It lies in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north coast of Europe. It is separated from the rest of Europe by the English Channel in the south and the North Sea in the east.
2. The north and west of Britain are mainly highlands; and the east and southeast are mostly lowlands.
III. Rivers and Lakes
?Ben Nevis (本尼维斯山)is the highest mountain in Britain (1,344m).
?Severn River(塞汶河) is the longest river in Britain (338km).
?Thames River(泰晤士河)is the second longest and most important river in Britain. (336km). ?Lough Neagh ( 洛泥格湖) is the largest lake in Britain which is located in Northern Ireland.
(396 square kilometers).
?River Clyde(克莱德河)is the most important river in Scotland. ?Snowdonia (斯诺多尼亚) is the highest mountain in Wales.（1,085m）
IV. Climate
?1. Britain's favorable climate
?Britain has a maritime climate-winters are not too cold and summers are not too hot. It has a
steady reliable rainfall throughout the whole year. The temperature varies within a small range. 2. The factors which influence the climate in Britain:
?1）The surrounding waters tend to balance the seasonal differences by heating up the land in
winter and cooling it off in summer;
?2）The prevailing south-west winds or the Westerliers blow over the country all the year round
bringing warm and wet air in winter and keeping the temperatures moderate;
?3）The North Atlantic Drift passes the western coast of the British Isles and warms them. ?3. Rainfall
?Britain has a steady reliable rainfall throughout the whole year. The average annual rainfall in
Britain is over 1,000mm. There is a water surplus in the north and west, and a water deficit in the south and east. V. The People
1. Population distribution
Britain has a population of about 60 million and it is very unevenly distributed. 90% of the population is urban and only 10% is rural. The population of Britain is made up mainly of the English (81.5%), the Scottish (9.6%), the Welsh (1.9%), the Irish (2.4%), the Northern Irish (1.8%) and other peoples (2.8%).
?2. The difference between the ancestors of the English and Scots, Welsh and Irish: ?The ancestors of the English are Anglo-Saxons, the Scots, Welsh and Irish are Celts.
?3.The difference in character个性差别：
?The Welsh are emotional and cheerful people. They are music lovers and are proud of their past. ?The Scots are said to be a serious, cautious and thrifty people, and they are also hospitable,
generous and friendly.
?The Irish are charm and vivacity.
?4. The difference in speech between southern England and northern England:
?Southerners speak the type of English close to BBC English; In northern England, regional
speech is usually \
?5. The Welsh keep their language and culture in this way:
?Throughout the year they have festivals of song and dance and poetry called Eisteddfodau (“艺
术年会”). The great event of the year is the National Eisteddfod(全国诗歌音乐比赛会). On these occasions competitions are held in Welsh poetry, music, singing and art.
?6. The main problem in Northern Ireland:
?The fight between the Protestants who are the dominant group, and the Roman Catholics, who
are seeking more social, political and economic opportunities.
?7. Immigrants:
?About three million have come to Britain to live and find work since World War II.
Largest cities, with population, rearrange the order
?Birmingham Leeds
?Glasgow London ?Sheffield
?London 7,285,000 ?Birmingham 1,013,200 ?Leeds 726,800 ?Glasgow 668,100 ?Sheffield 530,600
?Zz 4,700,000
The rank of nobility
?Duke 公爵 ?Marquis 侯爵 ?Earl/ Count 伯爵 ?Viscount 子爵 ?Baron 男爵
Some other basic facts of the UK
?The narrowest part of the British Channel is called the Straight of Dover. ?Area: 244,110 sqkm ?Population: 60,441,457 (2005 estimate) ?Population growth rate: 1.8% ?Languages：
?English (official), Welsh, Scottish Gaelic ?Religious affiliations: ?Anglican 45% ?Roman Catholic 10% ?Other protestant 9% ?Muslim 2%
?Sikh， Hindu, Jewish 20%
?Nonreligious 12%
?Others 20% ?Health and education: ?Life expectancy:
?Female 81 years old (2005 estimate) ?Male 75.9 years old (2005 estimate) ?Infant morality rate:
?5 deaths per 1,000 live births (2005 estimate) ?24 deaths per 1,000 live births (2005 estimate) PRC ?Education expenditure as a share of GNP: ?UK 4.4% PRC: 2.1% (1999-2000) ?Number of years of compulsory schooling: ?UK: 12 years PRC: 9 years
?Form of government: Constitutional Monarchy ?Head of state: Monarch
?Head of Government: Prime Minister ?Legislature: Bicameral legislature ?House of Commons: 659 members ?House of Lords: 657 members ?Voting qualification: ?Universal at age 18. ?Constitution:
?Unwritten, partly statues, partly common law and practice. ?Highest court:
?House of Lords, High Court of Judiciary (Scottish criminal cases only) ?Armed forces: ?Army, Navy, Air Force ?First– level political divisions:
?England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. ?Each has its separate units of local government ?PRC:
?23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 2 special administrative regions, and 4 municipalities
Economy
?UK PRC ?GDP (in US $ ) GDP (in US $ ) ?$1.8 trillion(2003) $1,417 billion(2003)
?GDP per capita (in US $ ) GDP per capita (in US $ ) ?$30,250(2003) $1,100(2003)