Unit 1 A Brief Introduction to the United.pptVIP

Unit 1 A Brief Introduction to the United Kingdom 1 The Union Jack (the National Flag) The national flag of Wales The red cross of St George (England) The white cross on a blue background of St Andrew (Scotland) The red diagonal cross of St Patrick (Ireland) UK national song : God save the queen God save our gracious Queen, Long live our noble Queen, God save the Queen, Send her victorious?Happy and glorious?Long to reign over us, God save the Queen. Thy choicest gifts in store, on her be pleased to pour. Long may she reign, may she defend our laws, and give us ever cause, to sing with heart and voice, God save the Queen. a complicated country with a complicated name 1 British Isles 2 Great Britain 3 England 4 the United Kingdom (UK) 5 the British Commonwealth/ the Commonwealth of Nations 6 the European Union (EU) The Characteristics of Britain 1 Cultural differences between immigrants and the British 2 Class difference between a white-collar worker and a blue-collar worker 3 Regional differences between “Highland” and “Lowland” in Scotland between north and south in England 4 Economic differences between north and south between the capital and the provinces The Significant role of London London Eye Big Ben The Commonwealth 1 Bears no resemblance to the Empire of the past. 2 Modern Commonwealth is a voluntary free association of 54 independent sovereign states, each responsible for its own policies but co-operating together in their common interests. 3 32 members of the Commonwealth are republics, e.g. India 4 17 are monarchies with Queen Elizabeth II as Head of State, e.g. Australia, Canada 5 5 have national monarchs, e.g. Fiji Commonwealth (cont.) The former colonies share many things in common 1 English as the official language of government 2 English law 3 Many people have British relatives, particularly in New Zealand, Australia, Canada and South Africa, where Britain is still referred to as the “mother country