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Chapter1landandpeople1.TheBritishIsles,GreatBritainandEnglandaregeographicalnames,nottheofficialnamesofthecountry,whiletheofficialnameistheUnitedKingdom,butthefullnameistheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland.TheBritishCommonwealthisafreeassociationofindependentcountriesthatwereoncecoloniesofBritian.2.Britainisanislandcountry.ItliesinthenorthAtlanticOceanoffthenorthcoastofEurope.ItisseparatedfromtherestofEuropebytheEnglishchannelinthesouthandtheNorthSeaintheeast.3.ThenorthandwestofBritainaremainlyhighland,whilethesouthandsouth-eastaremostlylowlands.4Yes,ithasafavourableclimate,becauseithasamaritimetypeofclimate---wintersaremild,nottoocoldandsummersarecool,nottoohot.Ithasasteadyreliablerainfallthroughoutthewholeyear.Ithasasmallrangeoftemperature,too.5.ThefactorswhichinfluencetheclimateinBritainarethefollowingthree:1)Thesurroundingwatersbalancetheseasonaldifferences;2)theprevailingsouth-westwindsbringwarmandwetairinwinterandkeepthetemperaturesmoderate;3)theNorthAtlanticDrift,awarmcurrent,passesthewesterncoastoftheBritishIslesandwarmsthem.Thenorthwesternparthasthemostrainfall,whilethesouth-easterncorneristhedriest.6.Britainhasapopulationof57million.Itisdenselypopulated,withanaverageof237peoplepersquarekilometre.Itisalsoveryunevenlydistributed,with90%ofthepopulationinurbanareas,10%inruralareas.Geographically,mostBritishpeopleliveinEngland.Ofthetotalof57millionpeople,47millionliveinEngland,14millionliveinLondonandSoutheasternEngland.7.ThethreenaturalzonesinScotlandare:theHighlandsinthenorth,thecentralLowlands,andthesouthernUplands.8.TheancestorsoftheEnglishareAnglo-Saxons,whiletheScots,WelshandrishareCelts.9.TheWelshareemotionalandcheerfulpeople.TheScotsarehospitable,generousandfriendly.IrishareknownfortheircharmandvivacityaswellasforthebeautyoftheirIrishgirls.ThroughouttheyeartheyhavefestivalsofsonganddanceandpoetrycalledEisteddfodau.OntheseoccasionscompetitionsareheldinWelshpoetry,music,singingandartandinthiswaytheykeeptheWelshlanguageandWelshculturealive.10.HundredsofyearsagoScotsandEnglishProtestantsweresenttoliveinNorthernIreland.SincethentherehasbeenbitterfightingbetweentheProtestantsandtheRomanCatholics.Theformerarethedominantgroup,whilethelatterareseekingmoresocial,politicalandeconomicapportunities.ThebritishGovernmentandthegovernmentofIrelandarenowworkingtogethertobringpeacetoNorthernIreland.Chapter2TheOriginsofaNation1.In55BCand54BC,JuliusCaesar,aRomangeneral,invadedBritaintwice.InAD43,theEmperorClaudiusinvadedBritainsuccessfully.Fornearly400yearsBritainwasundertheRomanoccupation.Thoughitwasneveratotaloccupation.BritishrecordedhistorybeginswiththeRomaninvasion.2.BritainwasundertheRomanoccupationfornearly400years.TheRomansbuiltmanytowns,roads,baths,templesandbuildings.TheymakegooduseofBritain’snaturalresources.Theyalsobroughtthenewreligion,Christianity,toBritain.However,althoughBritainbecamepartoftheRomanEmpire,RomaninfluenceuponBritainwasverylimited.TheRomanstreatedtheBritainsasasubjectpeopleofslaveclass.theyneverintermarried.TheromanshasnoinfluenceonthelanguageorcultureofordinaryBritains.3.TheAnglo-SaxonsreferredtothethreeTeutonictribeswhoinvadedBritaininthemid-5thcentury.TheywereJutes,SaxonsandAngles.Inthe7thcentury,theAnglo-SaxonsinvadedBritainandthethreetribessettledindifferentpartofbritainwhichwasdividedintomanysmallkingdomsofKent,Sussex,Wessex,EastAnglia,MerciaandNorthumbria.SotheyhavebeengiventhenameofHeptarchy.4TheAnglo-SaxonsbroughttheirownTeutonicreligiontoBritainwhentheyinvadedBritain,andChristianitywasonlyafringebelief.So,in579,PopeGregoryIsentSt.AugustinetoEnglandtoconverttheheathenEnglishtoChristianity.Augustinewasverysuccessfulinconvertingthekingandthenobility,andbecamethefirstArchbishopofCanterbury.Buttheconversionofthecommonpeoplewaslargelyduetothemissionaryactivitiesofthemonksinthenorth.Manysamllmonasteriessprangupthroughouttheocuntry.5.Thoughtheanglo-Saxonswerebrutalpeople,theylaidthefoundationoftheEnglishstate.Firstly,themodernnamesof“England”and“English”derivedfromtheAngles.Secondly,theydividedthecountryintoshires,withshirecourtsandshirereaves,orsheriffs,responsibleforadministeringlaw.Thirdly,theydivisedthenarrow-strip,three-fieldfarmingsystemwhichcontinuedtothe18thcentury.Fourthly,theyalsoeatablishedthemanorialsystem,wherebythelordofthemanorcollectedtaxesandorganizedthelocalarmy.Finally,theycratedtheWitantoadvisetheking,thebasisofthePrivyCouncilwhichstillexiststoday.6.TheVikingsweretheNorwegiansandtheDanesfromDenmark.TheyattackedvariouspartofEnglandfromtheendofthe8thcentury.Theybacameaseriousprobleminthe9thcentury,especiallybetween835and878.TheyevenmanagedtocaptureYork,animportantcenterofChristianityin867.TheygainedcontrolofthenorthnadeastofEngland.7.AlfredwasthekingofWessex.HedefeatedtheDaneswhoattackedEnglandandreachedanagreementwiththemin879.TheDanesgainedcontrolofthenorthandeast,whileAlfredruledtherest.HealsoconvertedsomeleadingDanesintoChristains.Alfredisknownas“thefatheroftheBritishnavy”ashefoundedastrongfleettobeattheDanesatsea,toprotectthecoastsandtoencouragetrade