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1、第一章 Land and People英国的国土与人民I. Different Names for Britain and its Parts英国的不同名称及其各构成部分 1.Geographical names: the British Isles, Great Britain and England.地理名称:不列颠群岛，大不列颠和英格兰。2.Official name: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.官方正式名称:大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国。3.The British Isles are made up
2、of two large islands-Great Britain (the larger one) and Ireland, and hundreds of small ones.不列颠群岛由两个大岛大不列颠岛（较大的一种）和爱尔兰岛，及成千上万个小岛构成。4.Three political divisions on the island of Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales.大不列颠岛上有三个政治区:英格兰、苏格兰和威尔士。(1) England is in the southern part of Great Britain. It
3、 is the largest, most populous section.英格兰位于大不列颠岛南部，是最大，人口最稠密的地区。(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苏格兰位于大不列颠的北部。它有三大自然区:北部高地，中部低地及南部山陵。首府:爱丁堡。(3) Wales is in the west of Gr
4、eat Britain. Capital: Cardiff威尔士位于大不列颠的西部。首府:加的夫(4) Northern Ireland is the fourth region of the UK. Capital: Belfast.北爱尔兰是英国第四个区域。首府:贝尔法斯特。5.The Commonwealth (of nations) is a free association of independent countries that were once colonies of Britain. It was founded in 1931, and has 50 member cou
5、ntries until 1991.英联邦是曾为英国殖民地的、但现已独立国家所构成的自由联合体。它成立于1931年，至1990年止已有50个成员国。 II. Geographical Features 英国的地理特性 1.Geographical position of Britain:英国的地理位置: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
6、 of Europe by the English Channel in the south and the North Sea in the east. 英国是一种岛国。它位于大西洋北部，与欧洲大陆的北海岸隔海相望。南面的英吉利海峡和东面的北海将它与欧洲其他部分隔开。 2.The north and west of Britain are mainly highlands; and the east and southeast are mostly lowlands.英国的西部和北部重要是高地，东部和东南部重要是低地。 III. Rivers and Lakes 河流与湖泊 Ben Nevi
7、s is the highest mountain in Britain (1,343m).本尼维斯山为英国最高峰，海拔1,343米。Severn River is the longest river in Britain (338km).塞文河是英国最长的河流。全长338公里。Thames River is the second longest and most important river in Britain. (336km).泰晤士河是英国第二大河，也是英国最重要的河。全长336公里。Lough Neagh is the largest lake in Britain which i
8、s located in Northern Ireland. (396 square kilometres).讷湖（内伊湖）是英国最大的湖，位于北爱尔兰。面积为396平方公里。River Clyde is the most important river in Scotland.克莱德河是苏格兰最重要的河流。Snowdonia is the highest mountain in Wales.（1,085m）斯诺多尼亚是威尔士的最高点，海拔1,085米。IV. Climate 气候 1. Britains favorable climate 英国有利的气候条件:Britain has a ma
9、ritime 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. 英国属于海洋性气候:冬季但是于寒冷，夏季但是于炎热。全年有稳定可靠的降雨量，气温变化幅度小。 2.The factors influence the climate in Britain:影响英国气候的因素:1）The surrounding wat
10、ers tend to balance 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，夏天则使气温减少，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 tem
11、peratures moderate;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，使气温合适；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。 3.Rainfall 降雨量: Britain has a steady reliable rainfall throughout the whole year. The average annual rainfall in Britain is over 1,00
12、0mm. There is a water surplus in the north and west, and a water deficit in the south and east.英国全年降雨量稳定，平均降雨量超过1000毫米。 英国北部、西部雨量过多，但是南部、东部有所缺少。 III.The origins of the English Parliament 英国议会的来源The Great Council is known to be the prototype of the current British Parliament. In 1265, Simon de Montfo
13、rt summoned the Great Council, together with two knights from each county and two citizens from each town. It later developed into the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Its main role was to offer advice. There were no elections or parties. And the most important part of Parliament was the Hou
14、se of Lords.大议会是当今英国议会的原型。1265年，西门德孟福尔召开大议会，各县有两名骑士，各镇有两名市民参与。大议会发展到后来演变成议会，分为上议院和下议院。其作用是征询而非决定；也没有选举和政党。议会的最重要的部分是上议院。 I. Whigs and Tories 辉格党人和托利党人These two party names originated with the Glorious Revolution (1688).这两个政党名称皆来源于1688年的光荣革命。The Whig were those who opposed absolute monarchy and suppo
15、rted the right to religious freedom for Nonconformists. The Whig were to form a coalition with dissident Tories in the mid-19th century and become the Liberal Party.辉格党人是指那些反对绝对王权，支持新教徒宗教自由权利的人。辉格党人在19世纪中叶与持不批准见的托利党人组盟构成自由党。The Tories were those who supported hereditary monarchy and were reluctant t
16、o remove kings. The Tories were the forerunners of the Conservative Party.托利党人是指那些支持世袭王权、不肯清除国王的人。托利党是保守党的前身。I. Trade Unions and the Labour Party 工会和工党1. The Trade Union Act of 1871 legalized the trade unions and gave financial security.1871年通过的工会法使工会合法化并给其财政保障。2. The Labor Party had its origin in the Independent Labor Party(ILP), which was formed in Janu
