英美概况

英美概况课程简介•《英美概况》是为非英语专业学生开设的语言文化类通识选修课程之一。•该课程内容包括主要英语国家，英国和美国的社会文化背景介绍，如地理概况、政体、经济、历史、文学、风俗习惯、教育体制、社会生活、外事、媒体、文化生活、体育艺术等等。•通过该课程的学习，了解英美国家的各方面情况及其文化传统，有助于开阔视野，扩大知识面，加深对世界的了解。•文化背景知识有助于促进语言应用能力的提高，增强对英语学习的兴趣，调动学习的积极性，为英语学习提供帮助。LectureoneGeographyPopulationAnthemsandflagsClimateMountainsandriversGeographicalfeatures•WheredoesBritainLie?•Whatisitsfullname?•WhatisthetotallandareaoftheUnitedKingdom?•WhatisBritishIsles(不列颠群岛)?•Howlongdoesitscoastlinerun?Geographicalfeatures•CanyoudescribethelandfeaturesofGreatBritain?•WhatpartsdoesthelargestislandofGreatBritainconsistof?•WhatcountriesareneighborsofBritain?OriginofBritain•DuringtheIceage,BritainwasconnectedtotheEuropeanmainland,butthemeltingoftheglacierscausedthesealeveltorise,creatingtheislandofGreatBritainandmanyofitsneighboringsmallerislands.•ItisseparatedfromthecontinentbytheNorthseaatitswidest,andbytheEnglishChannelatitsnarrowestpoints.AtthenarrowestpointFranceandEnglandareonly22miles(35km)apart.theMapofU.K.•BritainissituatedinWesternEuropeandisseparatedfromtheEuropeancontinentbytheNorthSea,theStraitofDover(多佛海峡)andtheEnglishChannel.•Itisaninsularcountry.Itscoastlineruns12,429km,Itisoneofthecountrieswithlongestcoastline.•TothewestofitliestheAtlanticOcean,acrossandbeyonditisAmerica.•TheStraitsofDoverbetweenFranceandEnglandisquitenarrowanditis33kmacross.•In1985theBritishgovernmentandtheFrenchgovernmentdecidedtobuildachanneltunnel(英吉利海峡隧道)undertheStraitsofDoversothatEnglandandFrancecouldbejoinedtogetherbyroad.•ThischanneltunnelwasopenedtotrafficinMay1994aftereightyearshardwork.Theneighboringcountries•BritainfacesScandinaviaPeninsular(Norway,SwedenandDenmark)tothenortheastandtotheNorthliesIceland.•TothesouthacrosstheEnglishChannelliesFranceandBelgiumandtotheeastacrossNorthSealieGermanyandHolland.•ThefullnameistheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland,usuallyshortened,abbreviatedtotheUnitedKingdomorU.K.,GreatBritain,BritainorinformallyEngland.GreatBritain(England,ScotlandandWales)NorthernIrelandtheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland•Thetotalareaisabout244,820squarekilometers.•ItIsover1,000km.fromsouthtonorthanditisabout500km.fromwesttoeast.•BritishIsles•Britain•GreatBritainTwolargeislandsseveralsmallonestwostatesTheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland.England,WalesScotland•BritainismadeupofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland.•Britainisdividedintohighlandareaandlowlandarea.•Ithaslargemountainranges(山脉):thePenniesinthemiddle,theCambriansinthewest,andtheGrampiansinthenorth.•ImportantriversasThamesRiver,theSevernRiver,MercyRiver,theHumber,theClydeRiverandtheForth.EnglandEngland•EnglandoccupiesthesouthernpartofGreatBritainandisimportantpartoftheKingdominwealth,size,andpopulation.•Ithasanareaofmorethan130,000squarekilometersandittakeupnearly60%ofthewholeisland.•Thewestandsouthwestisaplateau(高地）,withrollingplain（起伏的平原）,downs（丘陵）andmoors（荒野）.England•Thewestcoastisdeeplyindented(锯齿状的）.Theysupplymanysplendidharborsforships.•Thesouthcoastisfairlystraight,alineoflowcliffsbackedbyrollingdowns.•Thelongtail,whichputsintosea,iscalledCornwall（康沃尔郡）andithasmanyremainsoftheancientBritons.•ManyoflegendsofKingArthurareassociatedwithCornwall.•LondonisCapitalofEnglandandBritain.•England’shistoryasnationgoesfarbackintime,anditsinfluencehasreachedacrosstheworld.•EnglandboastsgreatwriterincludingShakespeare,DickensandJaneAustin.•Famouspopsingersandgroups,includingtheBeatles,Queen,EltonJohnandOasis.•Thenationalsportisfootball:famousfootballplayersincludeDavidBeckhamandMichaelOwen.•ActorsandactressesincludeHughgrant,KateWinsletandDameJudiDench.ScotlandScotland•ScotlandisinthenorthofGreatBritain.Itretaineditsownparliamentuntil1707,when,bytheActofUnion（联合法）,ScotlandandtheKingdomofEnglandandWaleswereconstitutionallyjoinedastheKingdomofGreatBritain.•InScotlandtherearethreenaturalzones:TheHighlandsinthenorth,thecentralLowlandsandthesouthernUplands.Scotland•Scotlandhasanareaof78,760squarekilometers.•ItissituatedinthenorthofGreatBritainwithagoodnumberofmountainsandislands.•Thereare800islandswhichcontainHebrides,ShetlandandOrkneyislands.•EdinburghisthecapitalofScotland.•Scotlandisrecognizedasoneofthefrontrunnersinscientificandtechnologicaldevelopment,withdiscoveriessuchaspenicillinandp53gene(thebody’snaturalanti-canermechanism),andthecloningofDollythesheep.•Kilt•ThecapitalofScotlandEdinburghisfamedforthehistoriccastlesandtheRoyalMiles(皇家一英里),aswellasterrificshoppingandathrivingnightlife.•ScotlandUnionwithEnglandin1707a.1603QueenElizabeththefirstdiedchildlessb.JamesthesixthofScotland—JamesthefirstofEnglandLanguage:Gaelic（苏格兰本地语）•苏格兰短裙上的格子，素有一“格”一阶级的说法，说“苏格兰短裙等于一部大英帝国的历史”，一点儿也不夸张。据说，英国苏格兰格子注册协会记载着几百种不同的格子图案，有些以姓氏命名，代表着不同的苏格兰家族。黑灰格被称为“政府格”。也有特别为皇室成员定制的格子图案，贵族的身份高贵，他们穿着的格子图案也被称为“贵族格”。•在17世纪和18世纪，苏格兰高原部落之间的战争终年不休，战场上的男人们便以所穿的格子图案来辨认敌我，有点儿像现在的“军服”。WalesWales•ThecapitalofWalesisCardiff(加的夫).•WalesisinthewestofGreatBritain.Ithasanareaof20,761squarekilometersandittakeuplessthan9%ofthewholeisland.•MostofWalesismountainous.Thehillsrisesteeplyfromtheseaandratherflatontop.•Thetitle“Prin