大学英语泛读第九单元.pptVIP

Unit 9 Introducing the British Background Information 1. Geography: The British Isles are situated in the northwest of Europe. They are cut off from the continent by the English Channel. On the north and the east the Isles face the North Sea and on the west they face the Atlantic Ocean. The United Kingdom is that part of the British Isles ruled over by the Queen. Population: The population of the U. K. is about 60 million, of which the majority (94%) consists of the English (80%), the Welsh, the Scottish and the Irish. In addition, there are Indians, West Indians, Pakistanies, Africans, Bangladeshis, Chinese, and Arabs. English is the official language, but not all of the British people speak it. Further Information on Text-Related Details East End (伦敦东区)： a section of eastern London north of the Thames River. It was long a densely populated working-class and immigrant area centered around the docks and warehouse, although most of the Victorian-build slums described by Charles Dickens and Henry Mayhew were wiped out by bombing raids during World War II. the River Thames (泰晤士河)： a river of southern England flowing about 338 km, eastward to a wide estuary on the North Sea. Navigable for large ships as far as London, it is the principal commercial waterway of the country. In its upper course above Oxford it is often called Isis. West End (伦敦西区): the western section of central London, England, noted for its fashionable districts and its shops and theaters, such as Mayfair （梅费尔高级住宅区）and Hyde Part （海德公园）. Sheffield (设菲尔得)： a borough of north-central England east of Manchester. The highly industrialized city has l