《英语国家概况》串讲讲义.docVIP

Part One: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Chapter 1 Land and People --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Different Names for Britain and its Parts Strictly speaking, the British Isles, Great Britain and England are all geographical names. They are not the official name of the country. 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 islands. It forms the United Kingdom with Northern Ireland - the northern part of Ireland. So the official name of the United Kingdom is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. There is another country called the Republic of Ireland or Eire on the British Isles. It takes up the remainder of Ireland - the southern part of Ireland. It has been an independent republic since 1949 and its capital is Dublin. 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. Britain has been one of the most important countries in the world. About a hundred years ago, as a result of its imperialist expansion, Britain ruled an empire that had one fourth of the worlds people and one fourth of the worlds land area. It had colonies not only in North America, but also in Asia, Africa and Australia. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 【例题】Strictly speaking, “the British Isles” refers to_______. (0904) A. Great Britain B. Ireland C. the United Kingdom D. Great Britain and Ireland 【答案】D （P3.para2） 【解析】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 islands. It forms the United Kingd