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1、Unit 9Introducing the BritishBackground Information1. Geography: The British Isles are situated in the northwest of Europe. They are cut off from the continent by the English Channel. On the north and the east the Isles face the North Sea and on the west they face the Atlantic Ocean. The United King
2、dom is that part of the British Isles ruled over by the Queen. u It consists of Scotland, Wales and England, and also about one-sixth of Ireland (the Northern part). The rest of Ireland is self-governing. The full title of the U. K. is therefore “The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Irel
3、and.” Its total area is 244, 110 square kilometers, making it one of the countries with the longest coastline. There are three political divisions on the island of Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales. England, the largest and most populous section, is in the southern part of Great Britain. Sc
4、otland is In the north part and its capital is Edinburgh. Wales is in the west of Great Britain with Cardiff as its capital. Northern Ireland is the fourth region of the U. K. with Belfast as its capital. The Greater London is the capital of the U. K., which lies in southeast England. The Commonweal
5、th is a free association of independent countries that were once colonies of Britain. It was founded in 1931, and has 50 member countries until 1991.Population: uThe population of the U. K. is about 60 million, of which the majority (94%) consists of the English (80%), the Welsh, the Scottish and th
6、e Irish. In addition, there are Indians, West Indians, Pakistanies, Africans, Bangladeshis, Chinese, and Arabs. English is the official language, but not all of the British people speak it. In Wales many people speak Welsh (about one in four); in Scotland about 80,000 people in the Highlands possess
7、 their own Gaelic language. In such places, only when the national anthem is being sung can we hear “God Save the Queen” in English. The population is unevenly distributed with about 90% living in urban areas. The Church of England (orAnglican Church) has the largest number of adherents of any relig
8、ion in Great Britain, accounting for 48 percent of the population, and most of its members reside in England. Thesecond largest religion, numerically, is Roman Catholicism (16%), whose members reside throughout the kingdom. Other religious include protestantism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Sikhism
9、.Further Information on Text-Related DetailsEast End (伦敦 东区)： a section of eastern Londonnorth of the Thames River. Itwas long a densely populatedworking-class and immigrantarea centered around the docks and warehouse, although most of the Victorian-build slums described by Charles Dickens and Henry
10、 Mayhew were wiped out by bombing raids during World War II.the River Thames (泰晤士 河)： a river of southern England flowing about 338 km, eastward to a wide estuary on the North Sea. Navigable for large ships as far as London, it is the principal commercial waterway of the country. In its upper course
11、 above Oxford it is often called Isis.West End (伦敦西 区): the western section ofcentral London, England, noted for its fashionable districts and its shops and theaters, such as Mayfair （梅费尔高 级住宅区）and Hyde Part （海德公园 ）.Sheffield (设菲尔得)： ua borough of north-central England east of Manchester. The highly
12、 industrialized city has long specialized in the production of culery and steel.Difficult Points of the Text1. However, a visitor to Royal Row would be deceived by first appearance. (L. 10)What impressions will Royal Row give avisitor at the first glance?And why does the author say one would be dece
13、ived by the first appearance?uA visitor to Royal Row might think people living there are very poor due to the poor conditions the houses are in.uActually they are not so poor. Inside the houses it is usually very comfortable, and people living there enjoy quite a happy life. Their children are well
14、dressed and well fed. Many families have new cars.2. if we build too many of them, Londonll soon join up with Scotland! (L. 33) What is implied by this sentence?uThe sentence implies that there isnt enough land in London to build council houses.3. You mean youd rather stay in this place? (L.37)What
15、does the speaker want to convey byemphasizing the word “this”?uThe speaker says it in an emphatic tone to make known his opinion. He thinks those houses are not comfortable for people to live in and is quite surprised to learn that there are people who prefer them to new flats.4. and theyre always b
16、reaking down.Theyre filthy, too. (L.42)What does “they refer to here?u“They” refers to the lifts in the new block of flats.5. Jim keeps himself to himself. (L.61)Paraphrase this sentence.uJim often stays alone. ( or: Jim makes little contact with other people.)6. That lot! They ought to be locked up. (L. 67)What does the word “lot” mean here?“Lot” here means “a group of people who
