英语国家概况（主要英美概况）课件01.pptVIP

辅导课程一 主讲教师：肖 丹 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Chapter 1 Land and People I. Different Names for Britain and its Parts When people refer to Britain, they often use different names such as Britain, Great Britain, England, the British Isles, the United Kingdom or the UK. The British Isles are made up of two large islands and hundreds of small ones. The two large islands are Great Britain and Ireland. Great Britain is the larger of these two island. There are three political divisions on the island of Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales. England is the largest, most populous and generally speaking the richest section. So people tend to use “England” and “English” when they mean “ Britain” and “British”. Britain has been one of the most important countries in the world. The British Empire gradually disappeared and it was replaced by the British Commonwealth or the Commonwealth of Nations in 1931. The Commonwealth (of Nations) is a free association of independent countries that were once colonies of Britain. Member nations are joined together economically and have certain trading arrangements. The commonwealth has no special powers. The decision to become a member of the Commonwealth is left to each nation. At present there are 50 member countries within the Commonwealth. II. Geographical Features Britain is an island country. 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. The English Channel between England and France is quit narrow and the narrowest part is called the Straits of Dover, which is only 33 km across. Britain covers an area of 244,100 square km. England occupies the largest. It has an area of more than 130,000 square kilometers which takes up nearly 60% of the whole island. The Pennines are the principal mountain chain. Scotland has an area of 78,760 square kilometers. It is in t