英美社会文化复习资料
第一部分
英国概况
The United Kingdom
Land and People
I. Different Names for Britain and its Parts
1.Geographical names: the British Isles, Great Britain and England.。
2. Official name: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
3. The British Isles are made up of two large islands-Great Britain (the larger one) and Ireland, and hundreds of small ones.
4. Three political divisions on the island of Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales.
(1) England is in the southern part of Great Britain. It is the largest, most populous section.
(3) Wales is in the west of Great Britain. Capital: Cardiff
(4) Northern Ireland is the fourth region of the UK. Capital: Belfast.
II. Geographical Features
1.Geographical position of Britain:
Britain is an island country surrounded by the sea. It lies in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north coast of Europe. It is separated from the rest of Europe by the English Channel in the south and the
North Sea in the east.
Britain does not share land border with any other countries except the Republic of Ireland.
III. Rivers and Lakes
Severn River is the longest river in Britain (338km).
Thames River is the second longest and most important river in Britain. (336km)
IV. Climate
1. Britain's favorable climate
Britain has a maritime climate-winters are not too cold and summers are not too hot. It has a steady reliable rainfall throughout the whole year. The temperature varies within a small range.unequal
V. The People
The ancestors of the British people are Anglo-Saxons, the Scots, Welsh, Irish and Celts.
British History
I. Roman Britain (55BC-410AD)
1.British recorded history begins with the Roman invasion. In 55BC and 54BC, Julius Caesar, a Roman general, invaded Britain twice. In AD 43, the Emperor Claudius invaded Britain successfully. For nearly 400 years, Britain was under the Roman occupation, though it was never a total occupation.
2. Roman’s influence on Britain.
The Roman built many towns, road, baths, temples and buildings. They make good use of Britain’s natural resources. They also brought the new religion, Christianity, to Britain.
II. The Anglo-Saxons (446-871)
1. Basis of Modern English race: the Anglo-Saxons.
In the mid-5th century a new wave of invaders, Jutes, Saxons, and Angles came to Britain. They were three Teutonic tribes.
The Jutes, who fished and farmed in Jutland, came to Britain first. A Jutish chief became th
e King of Kent in 449. Then the Saxons, users of the short-sword from northern Germany, established their kingdom in Essex, Sussex and Wessex from the end of the 5th century to the beginning of the 6th century. In the second half of the 6th century. In the second half of the 6th century, the Angles, who also came from northern Germany and were to give their name to the
English people, settled in East Anglia, Mercia and Northumbria. These seven principal kingdoms of Kent, Essex, Sussex, Wessex, East Anglia, Mercia and Northumbria have been given the name of Heptarchy.
2. The early Anglo-Saxons converted to Christianity.
The Anglo-Saxons brought their own Teutonic religion to Britain. Christianity soon disappeared, except among the Celts of Cornwall, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. In 597, Pope Gregory I sent St. Augustine, the Prior of St. Andrew’s Monastery in Rome, to England to convert the heathen English to Christianity. In 579 St. Augustine became the first Archbishop of Canterbury. He was remarkably successful in converting the king and th
e nobility, but the conversion of the common people was largely due to the missionary activities of the monks in the north.
3. The Early Anglo-Saxons make the contributions to the British state. The Anglo-Saxons laid the foundations of the English state. Firstly, they divided the country into shires, with shire courts and shire reeves, or sheriffs, responsible for administering law. Secondly, they devised the narrow-strip, three-field farming system which continued to the 18th century. Thirdly, they also established the manorial
system. Finally, they created the Witan（council or meeting of the wisemen）to advise the king, the basis of the Privy Council which still exists today.
III. The Norman Conquest (1066)
1. Reasons for William’s invasion of England after Edward’s death.
It was said that King Edward had promised the English throne to William, but the Witan chose Harold as king. So William led his army to invade England. In October 1066, during t
he important battle of Hastings, William defeated Harold and killed him. One Christmas Day, William was crowned king of England, thus beginning the Norman Conquest of England.

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