人教版 必修5 背景资料The people of the United Kingdom.doc

The people of the United Kingdom The United Kingdom is a nation of cities. The United Kingdom is one of the most urban nations in the world. Eighty percent of its people live in cities. London has almost 8 million people. London is the center of British life. It is the nation’s leader in economics, politics, art, education, and entertainment. It is one of the world’s great cities. People from all over the world visit London. People from many parts of the world now live there， you can hear African， Asian， and other languages spoken there. it is the capital of the United kingdom. Almost everyone in the United Kingdom speaks English. Some people in Wales speak only Welsh. Generally, however, everyone in the United Kingdom can talk with everyone in the United Kingdom can talk with everyone else. This is one way in which the nation is united. Another way in which the people are united is by their religion. Ninety-five percent of the British people are Protestant. The Anglican Church is the largest in England. The Presbyterian Church is the largest in Scotland. Although religion is a unifying idea for most of the nation， it divides the people in Northern Ireland. Most British citizens read and write English. This is mainly because free elementary and secondary education is given to each child in the United Kingdom. Children go to school between the ages of five and sixteen. University education， however， is limited to those who can pass strict tests. Oxford and Cambridge are two very old and respected universities in the United Kingdom. Each has been in existence for more than 600 years. There are more than forty other major universities. The British system of education has influenced the systems of education used in many other nations. Many of these nations were former colonies of Great Britain or are related to the United Kingdom today. The British people have had influence in many other parts of the world. For example， the many British ideas about society which affe