England, the largest and most populous section, is in the southern part of Great Britain. Scotland is In the north part and its capital is Edinburgh. Wales is in the west of Great Britain with Cardiff as its capital. Northern Ireland is the fourth region of the U. K. with Belfast as its capital. The Greater London is the capital of the U. K., which lies in southeast England. The Commonwealth is a free association of independent countries that were once colonies of Britain. It was founded in 1931, and has 50 member countries until 1991.
West End (伦敦西区): (伦敦西区):
the western section of central London, England, noted for its fashionable districts and its shops and theaters, such as Mayfair （梅费尔高 级住宅区）and 级住宅区）and Hyde Part （海德公 园）. 园）.
Further Information on TextText-Related Details
East End (伦敦东区)： (伦敦东区)
a section of eastern London north of the Thames River. It was long a densely populated workingworking-class and immigrant area centered around the docks and warehouse, although most of the VictorianVictorian-build slums described by Charles Dickens and Henry Mayhew were wiped out by bombing raids during World War II.
Difficult Points of the Text
1. However, a visitor to Royal Row would be deceived by first appearance. (L. 10) What impressions will Royal Row give a visitor at the first glance? And why does the author say one would be deceived by the first appearance?
It consists of Scotland, Wales and England, and also about one-sixth of oneIreland (the Northern part). The rest of Ireland is self-governing. The full selftitle of the U. K. is therefore “The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.” Its total area is Ireland.” 244, 110 square kilometers, making it one of the countries with the longest coastline. There are three political divisions on the island of Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales.
4. … and they’re always breaking down. They’re filthy, too. (L.42) What does “they refer to here?
“They” refers to the lifts in the new They” b too many of them, London’ll soon
join up with Scotland! (L. 33) What is implied by this sentence?
The sentence implies that there isn’t enough land in London to build isn’ council houses.
5. Jim keeps himself to himself. (L.61) Paraphrase this sentence. Jim often stays alone. ( or: Jim makes little contact with other people.)
6. That lot! They ought to be locked up. (L. 67) What does the word “lot” mean here?
the River Thames (泰晤士河)： (泰晤士河)
a river of southern England flowing about 338 km, eastward to a wide estuary on the North Sea. Navigable for large ships as far as London, it is the principal commercial waterway of the country. In its upper course above Oxford it is often called Isis.
“Lot” here means “a group of people Lot” who have many things in common”. common” Here “that lot” refers to Rob Milligan lot” and his gang.
A visitor to Royal Row might think people living there are very poor due to the poor conditions the houses are in. Actually they are not so poor. Inside the houses it is usually very comfortable, and people living there enjoy quite a happy life. Their children are well dressed and well fed. Many families have new cars.
Unit 9 Introducing the British
Background Information
1. Geography: The British Isles are situated in the northwest of Europe. They are cut off from the continent by the English Channel. On the north and the east the Isles face the North Sea and on the west they face the Atlantic Ocean. The United Kingdom is that part of the British Isles ruled over by the Queen.
3. You mean you’d rather stay in this place? (L.37) What does the speaker want to convey by emphasizing the word “this”? The speaker says it in an emphatic tone to make known his opinion. He thinks those houses are not comfortable for people to live in and is quite surprised to learn that there are people who prefer them to new flats.
Population:
The population of the U. K. is about 60 million, of which the majority (94%) consists of the English (80%), the Welsh, the Scottish and the Irish. In addition, there are Indians, West Indians, Pakistanies, Africans, Bangladeshis, Chinese, and Arabs. English is the official language, but not all of the British people speak it.
The Church of England (or Anglican Church) has the largest number of adherents of any religion in Great Britain, accounting for 48 percent of the population, and most of its members reside in England. The second largest religion, numerically, is Roman Catholicism (16%), whose members reside throughout the kingdom. Other religious include protestantism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Sikhism.