英语国家概况-英国--课后问答题[1]

英语国家概况课后问答题

Book 1

Chapter 1 Questions for Thought:

1.What was the British Empire? What do you know about it? In what way is the “Empire” still felt in Britain and

in the international field?

Key points:

1. Before the end of WWII, the British Empire was one of the most powerful empires; it enjoyed the name of “an empire on which the sun never set” due to its overseas colonies on the world.

2. People of the British Empire are descendents of the Anglo-Saxons.

3. A system of monarchy was observed still on today’s Britain, which went through the history. The Queen is still the Head of the Commonwealth.

4. the “Empire” still can be felt in the following ways:

a. there are still close relationships between the UK and the fifty or more countries which used to be its former colonies, and which maintain links through a loose organization called the Commonwealth of Nations.

b. it became one member of the European Union since 1973.

c. the effect also lies in the makeup of the British population itself. Newly immigrants mainly came from the former colonies, specially from India and Caribbean area.

d. today the Monarch represents the country in many occasions.

e. class exists and lords and peers are obvious evident of the imperial past.

2.Why does the author say that it is not possible to sum up the British people with a few simple phrases?

Key points:

Reasons: 1. regional differences---England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland 2. racial differences 3. class differences 4. cultural differences---Highland vs Lowland 5. religious differences---protestants vs Catholics (main in Northern Ireland)

3.“British history has been a history of invasion”. Please illustrate this point with the examples from the text.

How did each of the invasions influence English culture?

Key points:

4.What are some general characteristics of Scotland? How did Scotland become part of the union of Great Britain? Key points:

1.The Celts originally lived on Scotland, they kept their own culture and language—the Gealic.

2.Around the AD 6th C, people from Northern Ireland invaded the South-west --- the lowland zone. They were called Scots and gave the modern country of Scotland its name.

3.The Scottish people have a strong sense of nationality and desire for cultural independence. They observed some old customs and tradition, like the Highland tradition. Today, bagpipe, and tartan are considered as the souvenir of the Scottish history.

4.The division between highland and lowland Scotland remains a cultural divide today, in much the same way as north and south England see themselves as different from each other.

5.Scotland has a great tradition of innovation in the arts, philosophy and science.

Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous novel Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 《吉基尔医生与海德先生》shows that: Scotland was superficially fully integrated into the UK, but concealed beneath this is a still-strong Scottish identity.

Union with England in 1707

1. In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I of England died. James the 6th of Scotland took the throne, called James the First of England; uniting the two thrones

2. Scotland maintained its separate political identity.

3. In 1707, Scotland joined the Union by agreement of the English and Scottish Parliaments

4. Scotland sends 72 representatives to the London Parliament.

5.Describe characteristics of Wales and Wales’ unification with Great Britain.

Characteristics:

1. capital: Cardiff, on the south coast

2. rich coal deposits

3. attract foreign investment from Japan and U.S, etc.

-- new industries to replace coal and steel

4. smallest on the British mainland; close to central England; hilly and rugged

5. retains a powerful sense of difference from England

6. retains its own language; 19% population speaking Gaelic

Unification with Great Britain

1. 1267, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd(卢埃林·阿普·格鲁菲德), forced the English to

acknowledge him as Prince of Wales by a military campaign, and unified Wales as an independent nation.