1、The necessity of leaning this course1How to learn the course more efficiently?2Course Arrangement3 The requirement of your major TEM-8 Pre-reading work In-class work After-class workMass ReadingExercise Books for References 丁国声丁国声. . 致用英语致用英语- -英语国家概况英语国家概况MM. . 外外语教学与研究出版社语教学与研究出版社, 2008., 2008. 来安
2、方来安方. . 英美文化与国家概况英美文化与国家概况MM. . 复旦大复旦大学出版社学出版社, 2008. , 2008. 王恩铭王恩铭. . 英语国家概况英语国家概况MM. . 上海外语教育上海外语教育出版社出版社, 2008., 2008. 谢福之谢福之. . 英语国家概况英语国家概况MM. . 外语教学与研外语教学与研究出版社究出版社, 2007. , 2007. Mailbox: My QQ: 123234890Chapter One When we mention the UK, What impresses you most? Section one The British Isl
3、es and Great BritainFocus questions: What is the full name of the British state? What are the differences between Britain and the British Isles, Great Britain, England, the United Kingdom? Describe the geographical position of Britain. Does Britain have a favorable climate? Why? What are the factors
4、 which influence the climate in Britain? Which part of Britain has most rainfall and which part is the driest?Different Names for Britain Why is England or the UK sometimes called ? When people say , they sometimes mean Great Britain, sometimes the United Kingdom, sometimes the British Isles - but n
5、ever England.England is sometimes, wrongly, used in reference to the whole , the entire island of (or simply ), or indeed the . This is not only incorrect but can cause offence to people from other parts of the UK. Dept.of Foreign StudiesWhat is the British Isles? The British Isles is a geographical
6、 term which includes Great Britain, the whole of Ireland, and all the hundreds of small ones, most notably the Isle of Man which has its own parliament and laws. Dept.of Foreign Studies Politically, the British Isles is made up of U.K. and Republic of Ireland.Dept.of Foreign Studies Great Britain re
7、fers to the largest island of British Isles which includes three political divisions: England, Scotland, and Wales. It is an island lying off the western coast of Europe, comprising the main territory of the United Kingdom. Dept.of Foreign Studies Is Great Britain the same as Britain? Yes, sometimes
8、 people use the shorten name Britain instead of Great Britain. And sometimes, people just say “Britain” to refer to U.K.Dept.of Foreign StudiesWhat is the official name of the UK? The official name of the UK is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom is made up o
9、f: England - The capital is London. (60%) Scotland - The capital is Edinburgh . Wales - The capital is Cardiff. Northern Ireland - The capital is Belfast. Numerous smaller islandsDept.of Foreign StudiesWhere is the UK? The UK is situated north-west of the European continent between the Atlantic Ocea
10、n and the North Sea. It has a total land area of 244,820 square kilometers. The UK is a member of the European Union (EU). one of the five permanent membership of the UN Security Council. a founding member of NATO. one membership of the Group of Eight. Dept.of Foreign StudiesGeographical location (1
11、) The UK is an _ country. The UK is located in the _ Europe.The UKislandnorthwestern Geographic location (2)The UK is a country of island surrounded by _ ( to its east), _ (to its north), _ (to its west and between Great Britain and Ireland),_ (to its south). North seaIrish seaAtlantic oceanEnglish
12、Channel and Strait of DoverMap of the UKRead the map to find:Atlantic Ocean North SeaIrish Sea The English Channel (The Channel Tunnel )The Republic of IrelandLocation and territoryLocation of the UK: The mainland areas lie between latitudes 49N and 61N and longitudes 8W to 2ETotal territory: 242,91
13、0 square kilometersNo one in the UK lives more than 120 km (75 miles) from the sea. Britain is situated in western Europe and is separated from the European continent by the North Sea, the Strait of Dover and the English Channel. It is an insular country. Its coastline runs 12,429 km, It is one of t
14、he countries with longest coastline. To the west of it lies the Atlantic Ocean, across and beyond it is America. The Physiographical Features of the UK the Highland Zone of the north and west the Lowland Zone of the south and southeastThe Highland Zone The Highlands of Scotland The Central Lowlands
15、(Middle Valley of Scotland) The Southern Uplands The Pennines The Lake District of CumbriaThe Physiographical Features of the UKNorthern Ireland: Its mostly hilly. Wales: Its mostly mountainous. South Wales is less mountainous than North and Mid Wales. Scotland: Its geography is varied, with lowland
16、s in the south and east and highlands in the north and west. England: it consists of lowland terrain, with some mountainous terrain in the north-west, north and south-west. Ben Nevis in Scotland the highest point in UKRivers and Lakes The longest river: Severn River (354 kilometers long) The second
17、longest river: Thames (332 kilometers long) The largest Lake: Lough NeaghThamesEnglandEngland A flatland country, also called Lowland zone Pennines: the backbone of England Lake district Highly urbanized -80% of population living in cities -only 2% working in agriculture Physically largest with larg
18、est population Dominance in: size/ culture/ economy -take England for UK Lake Districtin North West EnglandA popular holiday destinationbeing famous for its lakes and its mountains its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth and other poets.Lake PoetsWillia
19、m Wordsworth Samuel Taylor Coleridge Robert SoutheyPoetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings. - William WordsworthLake poetsI Wandered Lonely as a Cloud -William Wordsworth I wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high oer vales and hills,When all at once I saw a crowd,A host, of gol
20、den daffodils;Beside the lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.Continuous as the stars that shineAnd twinkle on the milky way,They stretched in never-ending lineAlong the margin of a bay:Ten thousand saw I at a glance,Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.Lake poetsThe waves
21、beside them danced; but theyOut-did the sparkling waves in glee:A poet could not but be gay,In such a jocund company:I gazed-and gazed-but little thoughtWhat wealth the show to me had brought:For oft, when on my couch I lieIn vacant or in pensive mood,They flash upon that inward eyeWhich is the blis
22、s of solitude;And then my heart with pleasure fills,And dances with the daffodils.ScotlandScotland A mountainous countrythree natural zones: The Highlands in the north the central Lowlands the southern Uplands Ben Nevis: the highest mountain in the UKA country of castlesThe highlands in Scotland：spa
23、rsely populated, with many mountain ranges dominating the region, and including the highest mountain in the British Isles, Ben NevisThe film: Brave Heart WalesWalesua mountainous countryu in the west of Great Britain. u takeing up less than 9% of the whole island. Northern Ireland Smallest among the
24、 four nations in Britain Mostly rural, low hills, beautiful lake in the south- west, rugged coastline1）The British Isles a geographic term which includes two large islands, and , and 5,000 small islands. 2）Great Britain: comprises only England, _ and _.3）Ireland island: includes Northern Ireland and
25、 southern Ireland. Northern Ireland is a part of , while southern Ireland became an independent country . 4）The UK: is made up of and . is made up of , , _ and_ Ex1: Fill in the blanks below.Great BritainIreland islandScotlandWalesThe UKRepublic of IrelandGreat BritainNorthern IrelandEnglandScotland
26、 WalesNorthern IrelandEx2: What is the reference of each picture? British Isles, the UK, Great Britain, Scotland, England, or Wales?123456The UKScotlandGreat BritainEnglandBritish IslesWalesClimate Britain is an island country and the surrounding sea gives England a varied climate. We never know wha
27、t the weather will be like from one day to the other. It can be sunny one day and rainy the next. As we have such a variable climate changing from day to day, it is difficult to predict the weather. Temperate Climate/favorable maritime climate The overall climate in England is called temperate marit
28、ime. This means that it is mild with temperatures not much lower than 0C in winter and not much higher than 32C in summer. It also means that it is damp and is subject to frequent changes. favorable maritime climate- winters are mild, not too cold and summers are cool, not too hot, and it has a stea
29、dy reliable rainfall the whole year. Dept.of Foreign StudiesSpring (March - May) Summer (June - August)wonderful sunny weather, can also be cool or wetTemperatures fluctuate from around 6- 11C. May can have very warm days - up to about 18C.Most days in summer are warm to hot, but evenings can be coo
30、l. Temperatures average around 14 - 30C, although it can be up to around 35C on some days.Autumn (September - November) Winter (December - early March)In autumn there can be very warm days, but equally there can be cool ones too. Temperatures fluctuate around the 7- 18C mark, but are likely to be mu
31、ch warmer in September than November. Winter sees Britains shortest and coolest days (about 7-8 hours of daylight) but these can be crisp and bright. Temperatures fluctuate from around 1- 5C.Warmest and coldest monthsRainfallFactors Influencing English Weather1）The surrounding waters tend to balance
32、 the seasonal differences by heating up the land in winter and cooling it off in summer; 环绕四周的海水。冬天，海水可使岛内气温升高，夏天则使气温降低，从而起到平衡季节温差的作用；2）The prevailing south-west winds or the Westerlies blow over the country all the year round bringing warm and wet air in winter and keeping the temperatures moderate
33、; 一年四季盛行的西南风和西风在冬季从大西洋带来温暖、潮湿的空气，使气温适宜；3）The North Atlantic Drift passes the western coast of the British Isles and warms them. 北大西洋暖流经不列颠群岛西海岸，使气候变暖。The English Language 1. Old English 2. Middle English 3. Modern English 4. Standard English1. Old English (5th 11th)Language of Angle-SaxonsInfluenced
34、 by Old Norse Latin and Greek words Danish wordsBeowulfThe most famous work from the Old English period is the epic poem ”Beowulf”(approximately AD 900)Hwt! We Gar-Dena in geardagum,eodcyninga, rym gefrunon,hu a elingas ellen fremedon.Oft Scyld Scefing sceaena reatum 2. Middle English (11th 15th )St
35、atus French replaced English as the official language, and English became the Language of lower class pig pork sheep mutton cattle beefDevelopment English increased in importance after the Black DeathThe Canterbury Tales written by Geofery Chaucer, 14th centuryWhan that Aprill, with his shoures soot
36、e The droghte of March hath perced to the roote And bathed every veyne in swich licour, Of which vertu engendred is the flour;Geoffrey Chaucer3. Modern English (15th )The printing pressbrought standardization of EnglishSamuel Johnsons dictionaryestablished a standard form of spellingRenaissanceassim
37、ilated foreign words throughout the Renaissance The Industrial Revolutionnecessitated the introduction of new words for new things and ideasThe rise of the British Empire or the Commonwealth of Nationsled to the assimilation of words from many other languagesOthelloby William Shakespeare 1603La: Tho
38、 in the trade of warre, I haue flaine men, Yet doe I hold it very ftuft of Confcience. To doe no contriud murrher; I lacke iniquity Sometimes to doe feruice: nine or ten times, I had thought to haue ierkd him here, Vnder the ribbes. Oth.: Tis better as it is. Which can be translated as:La: Though in
39、 the trade of war I have slain man, Yet do I hold it very stuff o the conscience. To do no contrived murder: I lack iniquity Sometimes to do me service: nine or tem times I had thought to have yerkd him here under the ribs. Othello: Tis better as it is. Shakespeare4. Standard English based on the sp
40、eech of the upper class of southeastern England adopted as a broadcasting standard in the British media also called as Queens English or BBC English based on the London dialect becoming a universal Lingua Francathe world language Section two People and the stateOverall population: over 60 millionsDi
41、stribution: England: about 50 million Scotland:over 5 million Wales: around 3 million Northern Ireland: about 1.7million Ethnicity The majority of this population are descendents of the Anglo-Saxons Most people in Wales and Scotland are descendents of the Celtic people The Irish people were also Cel
42、tic in origin immigrants Percentage of total UK Population Ethinc Groups of totalWhite British 85.7%White Irish 1.2%White (other) 5.3%Mixed race 1.2%Indian 1.8%Pakistani 1.3%Bengali 0.5%Other Asian (non-Chinese) 0.4%Black Caribbean 1.0%Black African 0.8% Black (others) 0.2%Chinese 0.4%Other 0.4%Brit
43、ish Political SystemFocus questions:1. What is a constitutional monarchy? When did it begin in Britain?2. What is the role of the Monarchy in the British government?3. What are the main function of Parliament?4. What does the Cabinet consist of? 5. What are the two major parties in Britain today?6. Who are the members of the House of Lords? What is the function of the House of Lords?British Political Systemkey words: Monarchy Parliament Government Cabinet Political Parties General Election
