英语国家概况期末复习资料.docVIP

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Chapter 1 Geography, People and Language The full name: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . It is made up of many islands collectively known as the British Isles. Great Britain and Ireland are two main islands of the British Isles. The River Thames (second longest and most important), originates in southwestern England -----North Sea. Scotland ( Edinburgh ) important river:Clyde River kilts Wales( Cardiff ). The Severn River is the longest river of Britain------flow through western England. Northern Ireland (Belfast) Lough Neagh----the largest lake in the British Isles. Climate: temperate, with warm summers, cool winters and plentiful precipitation(降雨量) Three major features: winter fog, rainy day, instability London---Buckingham Palace, Guildhall (市政厅), St. Paul’s Cathedral, The Tower Bridge of London The majority people of te population is descendants of the Anglo-Saxons, a Germanic people from Europe. Most people in Wales and Scotland are descendants of the Celtic people, including the Irish people English belongs to the Indo-European family of languages. English is in the Germanic group. Germanic group: East Germanic, North Germanic, West Germanic. English evolved from the West Germanic group. = 1 \* GB3 \* MERGEFORMAT ①Old English: influenced by Old Norse spoken by the Vikings and was related to the German and Dutch languages and ended with the Norman Conquest, when the language was influence by the French-speaking Normans. ?Middle English: William the Conqueror invaded and conquered and the Anglo-Saxons (Numerous French words came into the English vocabulary) ?Modern English(15 century): William Caxton brought standardization to English, and spelling and grammar became fixed. The first dictionary published in 1604. Samuel Johnson: A Dictionary of the English Language was influential in a standard form of spelling. Standard E