Chap.II

IRA: a militant organization of Irish nationalists, formed in 1916. Using terrorist methods, the IRA opposed the separation of Northern Ireland from the Republic of Ireland in the 1920s, and has been responsible for many raids and bomb explosions in England and in Northern Ireland. Sinn Fein: an Irish nationalist party founded in 1905 to resist British rule. After 1926 it became a small extremist group. Today it is the political wing of the IRA. (see dic.) Ulster: A historical region and ancient kingdom of northern Ireland. Largely annexed by the English Crown during the reign of James I, it is now divided between Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is often called Ulster. From the early 17th c. many English and Scottish Protestants settled in Ulster. (see dic.)
1. The English : Anglo-Saxon in origin The English people and English language are actually born from the union of Norman conquerors and the AngloSaxons. John Bull: see note East End: an extensive industrial area of London, to the east of the City of London, famous for its docks and formerly, for its slums and poverty. (Compare West End) West End: the area of west central London that contains the main fashionable shopping streets, clubs, high-class hotels, cinemas and theatres. Cockney: 伦敦老；伦敦土话 e.g. muver/ mother; nuffink/nothing; gerroff/ get off; Allo darlin/ Holley darling. Cant: jargon 黑话；行话 2. The Welsh: Celtic in origin Welsh Nationalist Party: also called Plaid Cymru founded in 1925. The party argues that Wales as a distinct nation,
Scottish words: ken = know, kirk = church, bairn= child, crofter= farmer, borough=burgh, outwith=outside Kilt: traditional dress of a Scotsman. It is a heavy pleated woolen skirt, usu. of tartan, in front of which is worn a sporran. The kilt is part of the uniform of a highlander. Bagpipe: 风笛 4. The Irish, mainly Celtic in origin , Reformation: the English Reformation began in 1534 when the Pope would not let Henry VIII divorce his first wife. Henry then declared himself head of the Church of England and dissolved the monasteries. The church of England was established on a moderate Protestant basis. (see dic.)
Chapter II Population of the United Kingdom
Population: 60,209,500 (mid-2005)
Composition:
Anglicans: 27 million (members of the Church of England) （圣公会教徒） Roman Catholics: 5.3 million (Roman Catholic Church is the Christian church of which the pope is the supreme head.) （罗马天主教徒） Presbyterians: 2 million (Presbyterian Church is a Protestant church governed by presbyters and adhering to modified forms of Calvinism.)（长老会教徒） Methodists: 760,000 (members of a Protestant denomination that grew out of the revival of religion led by John Wesley) （卫理公会教徒） Judaists: 450,000 (members of the monotheistic religion [一 神教] of the Jews)（犹itically separate state, with its own legislature and with official status for its language. Plaid Cymru’s intention, apart from securing self-government for Wales, is to safeguard its culture, traditions and economic resources. The people’s names frequently used by the Welsh are: Jones, Williams, Thomas, Edwards, Owen, Lloyd, Llewellyn …. elegiac: expressing sorrow or lamentation Arthurian legend and Holy Grail: see note Eisteddfod:诗人乐人大会节；(原是威尔士古代风俗，19 世纪重新流行，成为一个现代节日） 3. The Scots Gaelic: the Celtic language spoken or understood by about 82,000 people (1984) in the Highlands and western coastal regions of Scotland and, in an Irish form by some people in Ireland.
Exercises (chapter one)
1.C 2.D 3.A 4.C 5.C 6.B 7.D 8.A 1. northwest / English Channel / North Sea / Atlantic Ocean / the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 2. Backbone of England / England / Cross Fell / east / North Sea / moorland 3. Ireland / 1920 / parliament / counties / 26 4. Atlantic Gulf Stream / milder / very changeable 5. Bituminous / coking / 300 / central / central / South I. II.
5. Immigrants Commonwealth citizens: people of the British Commonwealth of Nations Dominion: the term first applied to the British colonies which first became self-governing under the British Crown, then independent countries within the British Commonwealth. Emigrants: people who left their country to settle in another Brain drain: the loss of trained professional personnel to a foreign country that offers better jobs.