Chapter1Land and People.docx

Chapter1Land and People.docx

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Chapter1LandandPeople

　　了解英国不同名称的含义，英国的地理特征、河流和湖泊、气候的特点以及影响气候的因素，了解英国的人口结构及其特点。

　　1.DifferentnamesforBritainanditsparts　　　　

　　2.GeogphgracicalfeaturesofBritain　　　　　　

　　3.RiversandLakesinBritain　　　　　　　　　

　　4.Britain'sclimateandfactorsthatinfiuenceit　　

　　5.DistributionofBritain'spopulation　　　　　　

　　6.CompositionoftheBritishpopulation

　　7.CharacteristricsoftheEnglish

　　8.CharacteristricsoftheWelsh

　　9.CharacteristricsoftheScots

　　10.CharacteristricsoftheIrish

　　11.ImmigrantsinBritain

DifferentNamesforBritainanditsParts 

Officialname

TheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland（simply,Britain,theUntiedKingdom,orUK）

Geographicalnames

TheBritishIslesaremadeupoftwolargeislandsandhundredsofsmallones.ThetwolargeislandsareGreatBritainandIreland.

GreatBritainisthelargerofthesetwoislands,onwhichliethethreemaindivisionsoftheUnitedKingdom:

England,ScotlandandWales.Englandisthelargest,mostpopulousandgenerallyspeakingtherichestsection.Sopeopletendtouse‘England’and‘English’whentheymean‘Britain’and‘British’.ButitisnotacceptabletotheScotsandtheWelsh,becausetheyhaveacultureandalanguageoftheirownandtheydonotregardthemselvesasEnglish.

Irelandisthesmallerofthesetwoislands.Itisdividedintotwopoliticalunits:

NorthernIreland,whichisthefourthdivisionoftheUnitedKingdom;andtheRepublicofIreland（Eire）,whichisanindependentcountryonthesouthernpartofIreland.

TheBritishEmpireandtheBritishCommonwealth

TheBritishEmpireisthenameinusewhenBritainruledanempirewithonefourthoftheworld’speopleandareaasaresultofimperialistexpansion.ItwasreplacedbytheBritishCommonwealthin1931whentheformerBritishcoloniesbecameindependenceoneafteranother.

TheBritishCommonwealthortheCommonwealthofNationsisafreeassociationofindependentcountriesthatwereoncecoloniesofBritain.Membernationsarejoinedtogethereconomicallyandhavecertaintradingarrangements.Atpresentthereare50membercountrieswithintheCommonwealth.

GeographicalFeatures

GeographicalpositionofBritain

Britainisanislandcountrywithanareaof244,100squarekm.ItliesintheNorthAtlanticOceanoffthenorthwestcoastofEurope.ItisseparatedfromtherestofEuropebytheEnglishChannelinthesouthandtheNorthSeaintheeast.Itscoastislongandhasgooddeepharbours.Searoutesextendfarinland,providingcheaptransportation.

TheEnglishChannelbetweenEnglandandFranceisquitenarrowandthenarrowestpartistheStraitsofDover,underwhichachanneltunnel,orChunnel,hasbeenbuiltin1994,sothatEnglandandFrancearejoinedtogetherbyroad.

GeographicalfeaturesofBritain

BritainhasbeenslowlytiltingwithNorth-WestslowlyrisingandtheSouth-Eastslowlysinking.

Thenorthandwestaremainlyhighlands,withraisedbeachesintheScottishmountainousareaprovidingthemainfarming,settlements,industrialareasandrouteways.

Theeastandsoutheastaremostlylowlands,whicharepartoftheGreatEuropeanPlain,withitslevellandandfertilesoilprovidingmuchgoodfarmland

ThegreaticeoftheIceAgeleftGreatBritainwithspectacularmountainscenery,especiallyinSnowdonia,theLakeDistrict,andtheScottishHighlands.

GeographicalfeaturesofEngland

EnglandoccupiesthelargestsouthernpartofGreatBritainwithanareaofmorethan130,000squarekm.

Thesouthwestandwestarelargelyaplateau,withrollingplains,downs,andoccasionalmoors,exceptfortheSevernvalleyandtheCheshire-Lancashireplain.

TheeastofEnglandismainlyanopencultivatedplain,narrowinginNorthYorkshiretoapassage,andinNorthumberlandtoacoastalstrip.

ThePenninesaretheprincipalmountainchainfromNorthMidlandstotheScottishborder.

TheScafell（978m）,thehighestpeakofEngland,isintheLakeDistrictinthenorthwestEngland.

GeographicalfeaturesofScotland

ScotlandisinthenorthofGreatBritainwithanareaof78,760squarekm.ItscapitalisEdinburgh.

TheHighlandsinthenorthareamountainousplateauwithacoastlinedeeplyindented.BenNevis（1,343m）,thehighestinBritain,islocatedhere.

TheCentralLowlandscomprisemostlytheForthandClydeValleys,coalironfieldsanddairypasture.ThisisthemostimportantareainScotland,whichcontainsmostoftheindustryandpopulation.

TheSouthernUplandsaretherollingmoorlandcutbyrivervalleys.

Scotlandhasabout800islands,includingtheOrkneys,Shetlands,andHebrides,andhundredsoflakes.

GeographicalfeaturesofWales

WalesisinthewestofGreatBritainwithanareaof20,761squarekm.ItscapitalisCardiff.

MostofWalesismountainous,withhillsrisingsteeplyfromtheseaandratherflatonthetop.Muchofthecountryispasture,butonly12%ofthelandisarable.

AmassifwithlowlandfringerunsalongtheEnglishborderandsouthcoast,rockyinthenorthandcoalbearinginthesouth.

Snowdonia（1,085m）inthenorthwestisthehighestinWales.

GeographicalfeaturesofNorthernIreland

NorthernIrelandtakesupthenorthernfifthofIrelandandhasanareaof14,147squarekm.ItscapitalisBelfast.

Ithasarockyandwildnortherncoastline,withseveraldeepindentations.

TheuplandsofCountyAntrimlieinthenortheastofthecountry.

ThemountainsinthesoutheastgraduallygivewaytothecentrallowlandsoftheLoughNeaghbasin.

RiversandLakes

Rivers

Importanceoftherivers

RiversinBritaindonotfreezeinwinter.Theyplayaveryimportantroleinthecountry’seconomy.

ThegreatportsofLondon,Liverpool,andGlasgowareallconnectedtotheseabyrivers.

Riversontheeastcoast—theTweed,theTyne,theTees,andtheThamesriversallfaceNorthSeaportsontheEuropeancontinent.Theyarealsoclosetorichfishinggrounds.

Riversonthewestcoast—theClyde,theMersey,andtheSevernriverscarryrawmaterialstobusymanufacturingcitiesinland.

Threemajorrivers

TheSevernRiver（338km）isthelongestriverinBritain,risingincentralWales,flowingthroughWestCentralEngland,andouttotheBristolChannel.

TheThamesRiver（336km）isthesecondlargestandmostimportantriverinBritain,risinginsouthwestEngland,flowingthroughtheMidlandsofEngland,andoutintotheNorthSea.

TheClydeRiver（171km）isthemostimportantinScotland,risinginDumfries,passingthroughGlasgow,andenteringtheFirthofClyde.

Lakes

TherearemanylakesBritain,especiallyinnorthernScotland,theLakeDistrictinnorthwestEngland,andNorthWales.

TheLoughNeaghinNorthernIrelandisthelargestlakeinBritain,whichcoversareaof396squarekm.

TheLakeDistrictisoneofthepopulartouristattractionsinBritain,wellknownforitswildandbeautifulsceneryand15lakes.ItisalsothehomeoftheLakepoets–WilliamWordsworth,SamuelTaylorColeridge,andRobertSoutheyofthe19thcentury.

Climate

Amaritimetypeofclimate

Theweatherisrainy,changeableandunpredictable.IthasbeensaidthattheuncertaintyabouttheweatherhashadadefiniteeffectupontheEnglishman’scharacter.Ittendstomakehimcautious,forexample.

Theclimateisafavorableonewithmildwinters,coolsummers,asteadyreliablerainfallthroughoutthewholeyear,andasmallrangeoftemperature.Soeveninwinteronecanstillseestretchesofgreengrassintheopencountry,intheparks,andaroundthehouses.

FactorswhichinfluencetheclimateinBritain

Thesurroundingwaterstendtobalancetheseasonaldifferencesbyheatingupthelandinwinterandcoolingitoffinsummer.

Theprevailingsouthwestwinds（theWesterly）blowoverthecountryalltheyearroundbringingwarmandwetairinwinterandkeepingthetemperaturesmoderate.

TheNorthAtlanticDrift,whichisawarmcurrent,passesthewesterncoastoftheBritishIslesandwarmsthem.

Rainfall

Britainhasasteadyreliablerainfallthroughoutthewholeyear,withtheaverageannualrainfallover1000mm.

TheWesterlyblowsoverBritainalltheyearround,bringwarmandwetairfromtheAtlanticOcean,andcausesheavyrainfallinthewestofthehighlandsandmountains.Butthereisnotsomuchrainfallintheeastbecausetheairgetswarmeranddrierafterclimbingoverthehighlandsandmountains.

AsaresultofrainfalldistributioninBritain,thereisawatersurplusinthenorthandwest,andawaterdeficitinthesouthandeast.

Naturalcalamities

Sometimesthereareseveralmonthsofdrought,andatothertimestoomuchraincausesflooding.

Fog,smog,frostandseveregalesoftencausegreatdamagestocropsandtopeople’slife.

In1952,thesulphurdioxideinthefour-dayLondonsmogleft4000peopledeadordying.SincethenmostcitiesinBritainhaveintroduced“clearairzones”wherebyfactoriesandhouseholdsareonlyallowedtoburnsmokelessfuel.

The　People

DistributionandcompositionofBritain'spopulation

Britainhasapopulationofabout57million.Thisisaverylargepopulationforsuch

asmallcountry.Soitisadenselypopulatedcountrywithanaverageof237peoplepersquarekilometer.

Itisunevenlydistributed.90%ofthepopulationisurbanandonly10%isrural.Ontheotherhand,therearesomequitelargetractsofbarren,hillycounty,especiallyinNorthernScotland,whicharealm