大学英语泛读第9单元.pptVIP

Unit 9;Background Information;; 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 Ireland.” 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. Scotland 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 Commonwealth 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: ;In Wales many people speak Welsh (about one in four); in Scotland about 80,000 people in the Highlands possess 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 (or Anglican Church) has the largest number of adherents of any religion in Great Britain, accounting for 48 percent of the population, and most of its members reside in England. The second largest religion, numerically, is Roman Catholicism (16%), whose members reside throughout the kingdom. Other religious include protestantism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Sikhism.;Further Info