Chapter1landandpeople1.whatarethedifferencesbetweenBritainandtheBritishIsles,GreatBritain,England,theUnitedKingdomandtheBritishCommonwealth?TheBritishIsles,GreantBritinaandEnglandaregeographicalnames,notheofficialnamesofthecountry,whiletheofficialnameistheUnitedKingdom,butthefullnameistheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland.TheBritishCommonwealthisafreeassociationofindependentcountriesthatwereoncecoloniesofBritian.2.DescribethegeographicalpositionofBritian?Britainisanislandcountry.ItliesinthenorthAtlanticOceanoffthenorthcoastofEurope.ItisseparatedfromtherestofEuropebytheEnglishchannelinthesouthandtheNorthSeaintheeast.3.WhereaboutsinGreatBritainaremostlyhighlandandlowland?ThenorthandwestofBritainaremainlyhighland,whilethesouthandsouth-eastaremostlylowlands.4.DoesBritainhaveafavourableclimate?why?Yes,ithasafavourableclimate,becauseithasamaritimetypeofclimate---wintersaremild,nottoocoldandsummersarecool,nottoohot.Ithasasteadyreliablerainfallthroughoutthewholeyear.Ithasasmallrangeoftemperature,too.5.whatarethefactorswhichinfluencetheclimateinBritain?WhichpartofBritainhasthemostrainfallandwhichpartisthedriest?ThefactorswhichinfluencetheclimateinBritainarethefollowingthree:1)Thesurroundingwatersbalancetheseasonaldifferences;2)theprevailingsouth-westwindsbringwarmandwetairinwinterandkeepthetemperaturesmoderate;3)theNorthAtlanticDrift,awarmcurrent,passesthewesterncoastoftheBritishIslesandwarmsthem.Thenorthwesternparthasthemostrainfall,whilethesouth-easterncorneristhedriest.6.DescribethedistributionofBritain’spopulation.Britainhasapopulationof57million.Itisdenselypopulated,withanaverageof237peoplepersquarekilometre.Itisalsoveryunevenlydistributed,with90%ofthepopulationinurbanareas,10%inruralareas.Geographically,mostBritishpeopleliveinEngland.Ofthetotalof57millionpeople,47millionliveinEngland,14millionliveinLondonandSoutheasternEngland.7.WhatarethethreenaturalzonesinScotland?ThethreenaturalzonesinScotlandare:theHighlandsinthenorth,thecentralLowlands,andthesouthernUplands.8.WhatisthedifferencebetweentheancestorsoftheEnglishandScots,WelshandIrish?TheancestorsoftheEnglishareAnglo-Saxons,whiletheScots,WelshandrishareCelts.9.WhatarethedifferencesincharacterandspeechbetweensouthernEnglandandnorthernEngland?HowdotheWelshkeeptheirlanguageandculturealive?TheWelshareemotionalandcheerfulpeople.TheScotsarehospitable,generousandfriendly.IrishareknownfortheircharmandvivacityaswellasforthebeautyoftheirIrishgirls.ThroughouttheyeartheyhavefestivalsofsonganddanceandpoetrycalledEisteddfodau.OntheseoccasionscompetitionsareheldinWelshpoetry,music,singingandartandinthiswaytheykeeptheWelshlanguageandWelshculturealive.10.WhatisthemainprobleminNorthernIreland?HundredsofyearsagoScotsandEnglishProtestantsweresenttoliveinNorthernIreland.SincethentherehasbeenbitterfightingbetweentheProtestantsandtheRomanCatholics.Theformerarethedominantgroup,whilethelatterareseekingmoresocial,pliticalandeconomicapportunities.ThebritishGovernmentandthegovernmentofIrelandarenowworkingtogethertobringpeacetoNorthernIreland.