朱永涛英语国家社会与文化笔记

Unit 1 A Brief Introduction to The UnitedKingdomContents1.The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland2.England3.Scotland4.Walesl.The United Kingdom of Great Britain and NorthernIrelandName:Full name:the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandShort name:United Kingdom;UKInformal name:Great Britain;GB;Britain;EnglandInternational roles:1.a member of the Commonwealth of Nations2.a member of the European Union3.a member of the Group of Seven large developed economies.People:1/20 non-European ethnicity,Indian,Pakistan,people from Caribbean.Composition:England,Scotland,Wales,the Northern IrelandSociety:1.UK is now a multiracial society.2.Britain is divided economically,but it is a society with class-structure.Region:difference between the“highland and lowland”London:It is in the south of Britain,which is populated about 1/7 of the total population.And London is the seat of government,cultural,business,financial center with a longhistory,one of the worlds leading banking and financial centers.2.EnglandPopulation:50.714 millionArea:130 423squ.KmI.Dominance:England is dominant in fields of government,finance,culture andeconomy.And it is physically largest and hold the largest population of the fournations.2.Main features of England1)England is a highly urbanized country.2)Its largest city is the capital,London.3.A history of invasions(four invasions)Celtic people built many tribal kingdoms before the 1st century A1)In 43 AD,England was invaded by Roman Empire.2)In the5th century,England was invaded by the Angles and the Saxon fromGermany.3)From late 8th century on,England was invaded by the ferocious Vikings,theraiders from Scandinavia.4)In 1066,England was invaded by Normans from,northern France.4.Important persons and events.1)King Arthur2)King Alfred,the great3)William the Conqueror4)Robin HoodAnglo-Saxon the forefather of the English5.The periods after the Normans1)The legend of Robin Hood2)English young peoples unconventionality3)English punk rockers4)Backyard gardening of English houses3.ScotlandPopulation:5.Ill millionArea:77 080squ.KmSecond LargestMountains and lakes in the north(the highlands)and in the south(the southernupland),5/4 population in lowlandLargest city Glasgow,the capital Edinburgh Hadirians Wall(made by Roman)Edinburgh-the capital cityThe ScotsThe Scots,particularly the Highlanders,would not be called EnglishAround 6th century AD,Saxon and Iresh invaded the south part of Scotland,andthey are called Scots.The original Scottish celts,called the Picts,moved to highland.Gaelic language still spoken in some remote parts1298,William Wallaces uprising.a)The war between Scotland and Englandb)The intermarriage between the Aristocracies and even the royal familiesc)The Battle of Bannockburn in the beginning of 14th century AD and Scotlandbecame independent for 300 years.Queen Elizabeth the First died childless in 1603,James the Sixth of Scotlandbecame James the First of England,uniting the two thrones.Scotland has a great tradition of innovation in arts,philosophy and scienceRobert Burns:Auld Lang SyneRobert Louis Stevenson:Dr Jekyll and Mr HydeCapital:CardiffLanguage:WelshHistory:Edward the first named his son the Prince of Wales,and the first son ofthe monarch has held that title ever since(including the present day Prince Charles)to try to bring Wales into the British nation.Politics:as in Scotland the Welsh people elect their MPs London parliament,theWelsh have nationalist party,Plaid Cymru.(The Party of Wales).4.Wales1.Wales was dominated by England longer than the other nations of the union.2.Wales retains a powerful sense of its different from England.3.Wales did not fall to the Anglo-Saxon invaders.4.Wales had thread from England neighbors and English King,Edward the First,set about conquering Wales.5.In 16th century,Wales was brought into the UK.6.Wales had rich coal deposits-Coal-mining is a key industry for the Welsh.7.Wales is the smallest among the three nations on the British mainland,butlarger than the Northern Ireland.Unit 2 A Brief Introduction to The UnitedKingdom IIThe Government of The United Kingdom1.The Monarchy2.The Parliament3.The Birth of the Prime Minister and Cabinet4.The British Government Today5.The Constitution6.Parliament7.The Role of the Monarchy Today8.The House of Lords and the House of commons1.The MonarchyMonarchy(government system ruled by monarch(king or queen)The UK is the oldest representative democracy in the world.It dates back to the Saxons who ruled from 5th century AD until the NormanConquest in 1066.The divine right of kingsKing Albert,in 829,united the EnglandOliver Cromwell,in 1642Magana Carta,King John,in 1215Roundheads1642 18 years gap,Protectorcivil war,Republican and royalistsMagana Carta:the Great Chartera gang of feudal barons and the church which opposed some ofKing Johns policies,which is so powerful that they were finally granted acharter of liberty and political rights.Magana Carta placed some limits on the Kingsability