(完整版)英语国家概况重要知识点

What are the differences between Britain and the British Isles, Great Britain, England, the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth?
~The British Isles, Great Britain and England are geographical names, not the official names of the country, while the official name is the United Kingdom, but the full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The British Commonwealth is a free association of independent countries that were once colonies of Britain. Describe the geographical position of Britain.
~Britain is an island country. It lies in the north Atlantic Ocean off the north coast of Europe. It is separated from the rest of Europe by the English Channel in the south and the North Sea in the east. Whereabouts in Great Britain are mostly highland and lowland?
~The north and west of Britain are mainly highland, while the east and southeast are mostly lowlands.
Does Britain have a favourable climate? Why? Yes, it bas a favourable climate. Because it has a maritime type of climate—winter is mild, not too cold, and summer is cool, not too hot. It has a steady reliable rainfall throughout the whole year. It has a small range of temperature, too. What are the factors which influence the climate in Britain? Which part of Britain has the most rainfall and which part is the driest?
~The factors which influence the climate in Britain are the following three: (1) The surrounding
waters balance the seasonal
differences by heating up
the land in winter and
cooling it off in summer; (2)
The prevailing southwest
winds bring warm and wet
air in winter and keep the
temperatures moderate; (3)
The North Atlantic Drift, a
warm current, passes the
western coast of the British
Isles and warms them.
The northwestern part
has the most rainfall, while
the southeastern corner is
the driest.
Describe the distribution
of Britain’s population.
~Britain has a population of
about 57 million. It is
densely populated, with an
average of 237 people per
square kilometer. It is also
very unevenly distributed,
with 90% of the population
in urban areas, 10% in rural
areas. Geographically, most
British people live in
England. Of the total of 57
million people, 47 million
live in England, 14million
live in London and
southeastern England.
What are the three
natural zones in Scotland?
~The three natural zones in
Scotland are: the Highlands
in the north, the central
Lowlands and the southern
uplands.
What is the difference
between the ancestors of
the English and Scots,
Welsh and Irish?
~The ancestors of the
English are Anglo-Saxons,
while the Scots, Welsh and
Irish are Celts.
What are the differences
in character and wpeech
between southern
England and northern
England? How do the
Welsh keep their language
and culture alive?
~The English have many
differences in regional
speech. The chief division
is between southern
England and northern
England. Generally
speaking southerners speak
the type of English closer to
BBC English. They do not
have a special accent
except the Cockneys from
the East End of London.
However, the northerner
speak broader English than
southerners, and often leave
out the article “the” and the
possessive adjectives “my”,
“your”, “their”, etc.
The Welsh are
emotional and cheerful
people, They are music
lovers and are proud of
their past. Throughout the
year thy hold competitions
in Welsh poetry, music,
singing and art, and in this
way they keep the Welsh
Language and Welsh
culture alive.
What is the main problem
in Northern Ireland?
~Hundreds of years ago
Scots and English
Protestants were sent to live
in Northern Ireland. Since
then there has been bitter
fighting between the
Protestants and the Roman
Catholics. The former are
the dominant group, while
the latter are seeking more
social, political and
economic opportunities.
The British Government
and Government of Ireland
are now working together
to bring peace to Northern
Ireland.
What do you know about
the Roman invasion of
Britain?
~In 55BC and 54BC, Julius
Caesar, a Roman general,
invaded Britain twice. In
AD 43, the Emperor
Claudius invaded Britain
successfully. For nearly 400
years Britain was under the
Roman occupation, though
it was never a total
occupation. British
recorded history begins
with the Roman invasion.
Why was the Roman
influence on Britain so
limited?
~Britain was under the
Roman occupation for
nearly 400 years. The
Roman built many towns,
roads, temples and
buildings. They also
brought the new religion,
Christianity to Britain.
However，although Britain
became part of the Roman
Empire, Roman influence
upon Britons was very
limited. The Roman treated
the Britons as a subject
people of slave class. They
never intermarried. The
Romans had no influence
on the language or culture
of ordinary Britons.
Who were the
Anglo-Saxons and how
did the heptarchy come
into being?
~The Anglo-Saxons
referred to the three
Teutonic tribes who
invaded Britain in the
mid-5th century. They were
Jutes, Saxons and Angles.
In the 7th century, the
Anglo-Saxons invaded
Britain and three tribes
settled in different parts of
Britain which was divided
in many small kingdoms.
Among them, there were
seven principal kingdoms
of Kent, Essex, Sussex,
Wessex, East Anglia,
Mercia and Northumbria
have been given the name
of Heptachy.
How were the early
Anglo-saxons converted
to Christianity?
~The Anglo-Saxons
brought their own Teutonic
religion to Britain when
they invaded Britain, and
Christianity was only a
fringe belief. So, in 579,
Pope Gregory I sent St
Augustine to England to
convert the heathen English
to Christianity. Augustine
was very successful in
converting the king and the
nobility, and became the
first Archbishop of
Canterbury. But the
conversion of the common
people was largely due to
the missionary activities of
the monks in the north.
Many small monasteries
sprang up throughout the
country.
What contributions did
the early Anglo-Saxons
make to the English state?
~Though the Anglo-Saxons
were brutal people, they
laid the foundations of the
English state. Firstly, the
modern names of
“England”and “English”
derived from the Angles.
Secondly, they divided the
country into shires, with
shire courts and shire
reeves, or sheriffs,
responsible for
administering law. Thirdly,
they devised the
narrow-strip, three-field
farming system which
continued to the 18th
century. Fourthly, they also
established the manorial
system, whereby the lord of
the manor collected taxes
and organized the local
army. Finally, they created
the Witan to advise the king,
the basis of the Privy
Council which still exists
today.
Who were Vikings and
how did thry invade
Britain?
~The Vikings were the
Norwegians and the Danes
from Denmark. They
attacked various partsof
England from the end of the
8th century. They became a
serious problem in the 9th century, especially between 835 and 878. they even managed to capture York, an important center of Christianity in867. they gained control of the north and east of England(“the Danelaw”).
What do you know about King Alfred? What makes him worthy of the title of “Alfred the Great”?
~Alfred was the king of Wessex. He defeated the Danes who attacked England and reached an agreement with them in 879. The Danes gained control of the north and east, while Alfred ruled the rest. He also converted some leading Danes into Christians.
Alfred is known as “the father of the British navy”as he founded a strong fleet to beat the Danes at sea, to protect the coasts and to encourage trade. He reorganized the Saxon army to make it more efficient. He even translated Bede’s “Ecclesiastical History of the English People”from Latin to English. He also established schools and formulated a legal system. All this made him worthy of his title “Alfred the Great”.
Why did the William the Conqueror invade England after Edward’s death?
~It was said that King Edward had promised the English throne to William but the Witan chose Harold as king. So William led his army to invade England. In October 1066, during the important battle of Hastings, William defeated Harold and killed him. On Christmas Day, William was crowned king of
England, thus beginning the
Norman Conquest of
England.
What were the
consequences of the
Norman Conquest?
~The Norman Conquest of
1066 is one of the best
known events in English
history. It brought about
many consequences.
William confiscated
almost all the land and gave
it to his Norman followers.
He replaced the weak
Saxon rule with a strong
Norman government. So
the feudal system was
completely established in
England. Relations with the
Continent were opened, and
civilization and commerce
were extended.
Norman-French culture,
language, manners, and
architecture were been
introduced. The church was
brought into closer
connection with Rome, and
the church courts were
separated from the civil
courts.
Why do we say that the
English nation is a
mixture of nationalities of
different origins?
~The population of Britain
is made up of the English,
the Scottish, the Welsh, the
Irish, the Northern Irish and
other peoples. The
formation is complicated
because England was
invaded by different races
at various times from
Europe.
Besides the early
settlers, the Iberians and the
Celts, including Gaels and
Britons, Roman occupied
Britain for nearly 400 years
after 55BC. Then the
invasions of Anglo-Saxons
helped to form English race
and language and laid the
foundation of the English
state. After that, were the
invasions of the Vikings
and Danes. Finally, in 1066,
William of Normandy
invaded England and began
the age of the Norman
Conquest which resulted in
great French influence.
Therefore, many
different peoples of
different origins are living
in Britain. That’s the reason
why we say English nation
is a mixture of nationalities
of different origins.
What was feudalism like
in England under the rule
of William the
Conqueror？
~Under the rule of William,
the Conqueror, the feudal
system in England was
completely established.
According to this system,
the king owned all the land
personally. William gave
his barons large estates in
return for military services
and a proportion of the
land’s produce. These
estates were scattered all
over the country so that the
barons could not easily
combine to rebel the king.
Then, the barons parceled
out land to the lesser nobles,
knights and freemen, also
in return for goods and
services. At the bottom of
the feudal scale were the
serfs. One peculiar feature
of the feudal system of
England was that all
landowners must take the
oath of allegiance not only
to their immediate lord, but
also to the king.
How did King Henry II
consolidate monarchy?
~Henry II took some
measures to consolidate the
monarchy. He forced the
Flemish mercenaries to
leave England; recalled
grants of Royal lands made
by Stephen; demolished
scores of castles built in
Stephen’s time;
strengthened and widened
the powers of his sheriffs
and relied for armed
support upon a militia
composed of English
freemen.
How did King Henry II
reform the courts and the
law?
~Henry II greatly
strengthened the king’s
court and extended its
judicial work. He divided
the country into six circuits
and appointed itinerant
justices who apply the law
impartially.
In Henry II’s reign, a
common law was
established which overrode
local law and private law
and was common to the
whole people.
The jury system
replaced old English
ordeals and old Norman
trials. At that time, a jury
was composed of 12 men
and the jurors function was
to act as witnesses, not to
hear evidences and give
verdict.
As part of his legal
reforms, Henry II insisted
that all clergymen charged
with criminal offences be
tried in the king’s court
instead of in the Bishop’s
courts.
What was the quarrel
between King Henry II
and Thomas Becket?
~As part of his legal
reforms, Henry II wished to
reform certain abuses in
church government and
insisted that all。