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Chapter OneChapter One
Geography, People Geography, People and Language and Language
Contents
GeographyI
PeopleII
The English LanguageIII
I Geography
1. Geographical Feature 2. Climate 3. Major Cities
Map of the UK
Read the map to find:Atlantic Ocean North SeaIrish Sea The English Channel (The
Channel Tunnel )The Republic of Ireland
Geography
The official title of the UK the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
The UK is made up of:
Great Britain (the formerly separate England and Scotland, and Wales. )
Northern Ireland Numerous smaller islands
Title and Make up of the UK
Location and territory
Location of the UK:
The mainland areas lie between latitudes 49°N and 61°N and longitudes 8°W to 2°E
Total territory: 242,910 square kilometers
Interesting Fact: Interesting Fact: No one in the UK lives more than 120 km (75 miles) from the sea.
Topography
Northern Ireland: It’s mostly hilly.
Wales: It’s mostly mountainous. South Wales is less mountainous than North and Mid Wales.
Scotland: Its geography is varied, with lowlands in the south and east and highlands in the north and west.
England: it consists of lowland terrain, with some mountainous terrain in the north-west, north and south-west.
Ben Nevis in Scotland — the highest point in UK
Rivers and Lakes
The longest river: Severn River (354 kilometers long) The second longest river: Thames (332 kilometers long) The largest Lake: Lough Neagh
Thames
Lake District
Lake poets
"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" ---William Wordsworth
I wandered lonely as a cloudThat floats on high o'er vales and hills,When all at once I saw a crowd,A host, of golden daffodils;Beside the lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shineAnd twinkle on the milky way,They stretched in never-ending lineAlong the margin of a bay:Ten thousand saw I at a glance,Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
Lake poets
The waves beside them danced; but theyOut-did the sparkling waves in glee:A poet could not but be gay,In such a jocund company:I gazed---and gazed---but little thoughtWhat wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lieIn vacant or in pensive mood,They flash upon that inward eyeWhich is the bliss of solitude;And then my heart with pleasure fills,And dances with the daffodils.
2. Climate
Main characteristics: Temperate, with warm summers, cold winters and
plenty rainfall
Three major features: Winter fog Rainy days Instability/changeability
3. Major Cities — London
The River Thames
the capital of England and of Great Britain
the political center of the Commonwealth
a major port
one of the world's leading banking and financial
centers.
Landmarks & Symbols of London
The palace of Westminster
Landmarks & Symbols of London
Westminster Abbey
Big Ben
Landmarks & Symbols of London
St. Paul's Cathedral
Landmarks & Symbols of London
Hyde Park
Tower of London
Landmarks & Symbols of London
Tower Bridge
Buckingham Palace
Landmarks & Symbols of London
London Eye
Major Cities—Edinburgh
Capital of Scotland
administrative, financial, legal, medical and insurance center of Scotland
beautiful scenery
renowned architecture
Landmarks & Symbols of Edinburgh
Edinburgh Castle
Palace of Holyrood
Major Cities—Cardiff
Europe's youngest capital city
has been the capital city of Wales for around 50 years
home to an enormous amount of urban regeneration and restoration
has recently become one of the most fashionable cities in the United Kingdom.
Landmarks & Symbols of Cardiff
Cardiff City Hall
Landmarks & Symbols of Cardiff
Millennium StadiumCardiff Castle
Major Cities—Belfast
City Hall
the second largest city
capital of Northern Ireland
an important historic city
Landmarks & Symbols of Belfast
Belfast Castle
II People
Overall population: over 60 millions
Distribution: England: about 50 million Scotland:over 5 million Wales: around 3 million Northern Ireland: about 1.7million
Ethnicity
The majority of this population are descendents of the Anglo-Saxons
Most people in Wales and Scotland are descendents of the Celtic people
The Irish people were also Celtic in origin immigrants
Percentage of total UK Population
Ethinc Groups of total White British 85.7% White Irish 1.2% White (other) 5.3% Mixed race 1.2% Indian 1.8% Pakistani 1.3% Bengali 0.5% Other Asian (non-Chinese) 0.4% Black Caribbean 1.0% Black African 0.8% Black (others) 0.2% Chinese 0.4% Other 0.4%
III The English Language
1. Old English 2. Middle English 3. Modern English 4. Standard English
1. Old English (5th ~ 11th)
Language of Angle-Saxons
Influenced by Old Norse Latin and Greek words Danish words
Beowulf
The most famous work from the OldEnglish period is the epic poem ”Beowulf”(approximately AD 900)
Hwæt! We Gar-Dena in geardagum,þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon,hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon.Oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum
2. Middle English (11th ~ 15th )
Status French replaced English as the official language, and English
became the Language of lower class big — pork sheep — mutton cattle — beef
Development English increased in importance after the Black Death
The Canterbury Tales
written by Geofery Chaucer, 14 the century
Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote
And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Geoffrey Chaucer
3. Modern English (15th~ )
The printing press—brought standardization of English
Samuel Johnson’s dictionary—established a standard form of spelling
Renaissance—assimilated foreign words throughout the Renaissance
The Industrial Revolution—necessitated the introduction of new words for new things and ideas
The rise of the British Empire or the Commonwealth of Nations—led to the assimilation of words from many other languages
Othello
by William Shakespeare 1603
La: Tho in the trade of warre, I haue flaine men, Yet doe I hold it very ftuft of Confcience. To doe no contriu’d murrher; I lacke iniquity Sometimes to doe feruice: nine or ten times, I had thought to haue ierk’d him here, Vnder the ribbes.
Oth.: Tis better as it is. Which can be translated as:La: Though in the trade of war I have slain man,
Yet do I hold it very stuff o’ the conscience. To do no contrived murder: I lack iniquity Sometimes to do me service: nine or tem times I had thought to have yerk’d him here under the ribs.
Othello: ‘Tis better as it is.
Shakespeare
4. Standard English
based on the speech of the upper class of southeastern England
adopted as a broadcasting standard in the British media
also called as Queen’s English or BBC English
based on the London dialect
becoming a universal Lingua Franca—the world language
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