Part V Language and Art 语言和艺术1.English Language 英语语言Old English (5th—12th) :the language spoken by the ancient Germans was called Anglo-Saxon English or old English.Middle English (12th ___ 15th) :the middle English period began soon after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The coming of the Normans with their French language also influenced the English spelling. During the period, an astonishing number of French words were carried over into English while Latin words continued to flow in, but mainly for stylistic device in writing, especially by poets.Modern English (15th___): the quality of the English language was greatly improved by extensive borrowing which enabled it to have a large vocabulary for various purposes. The expansion of the British Empire helped to spread English into many countries and places all over the world. Today English is regarded as the most important international language.英语属印欧语系，日耳曼语族，西日耳曼语支。
英语的发展经历了三个阶段。
第一个阶段是古英语时期，从公元5世纪到12世纪，这一时期的英语又称“盎格鲁—撒克逊语”。
第二阶段为中古英语时期，即从12世纪到15世纪。
法语在这一时期对英语影响很大。
中古英语在拼写发音方面较古英语发生了很大变化，由于借用了法语和拉丁语的大量词汇，中古英语同义词十分丰富，许多仍沿用至今。
第三阶段为现代英语时期。
由于英帝国的扩张，英语也随之传播到世界的各地。
今天英语已成为一门重要的国际语言。
2.natural and man-built spectacle 自然人文景观Big Ben 大本钟Tourists in London have certainly at some time heard the chimes of Big Ben on the radio. In reality this is the name of the great bell which sounds the hours, but we usually think of it as being the clock itself. It is so big that each of the minutes around its face is a foot square. It dominates the clock tower of the magnificent House of Parliament.到过英国伦敦的游客一定还对广播中传出的大笨钟报时印象深刻。
人们会以为它只是一套虚拟的报时系统，而实际上大笨钟是确有其物的。
大笨钟位于伦敦议会大厦的塔楼里。
该钟直径2.7米，高2.3米，重13.5吨，是伦敦的标志之一。
1923年英国广播公司第一次把这里的钟曲传到世界各地。
大笨钟有四面，每面直径宽7米，时针和分针的长度分别为2.75米和4.27米。
大笨钟走时非常准确，一年内的误差很少超过1秒。
Buckingham palace 白金汉宫Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the Queen, which serves as both her home and office.Buckingham palace is originally known as Buckingham House. It was builtin the 1700s for the first Duck of Buckingham, but in 1762 the Duck’s son sold it to George III who wanted as a family home. George IV thought it was not grand enough and set about rebuilding it, but the work took so long that he died before he could live in it. The next king disliked Buckingham Palace and tried to give it to parliament, which refused to take it. When Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837, the palace was still only half-finished. Victoria made more changes, but she and her family did live in it all through her reign, as have all monarchs since.白金汉宫是英国女王在伦敦居住和办公的地方。
白金汉宫最初被称为Buckingham House, 最初是于18世纪为第一位白金汉公爵所修建。
但公爵的儿子在1762年，将其卖给了乔治三世，后者想将其作为家人的住所。
但乔治四世认为他不够宏伟，就开始重新修建，但工期拖得太久，直到他去世都为完成。
后来的国王不喜欢白金汉宫，想把它交给国会，可被拒绝接受。
当维多利亚女王1837年登上王位时，宫殿仍完成了一半。
维多利亚女王又对白金汉宫做了许多修改，但在她在位期间，她的家人一直居住在此。
自那以后，所有的君王都在此居住。
Trafalgar Square 特拉法尔加广场In the famous open space there stands the statue of Lord Nelson, rising 185 feet on tall column, with four magnificent bronze lions guarding its base. Pigeons are everywhere, flying round, walking to and fro on the broad pavement around the column, perching on the hands and heads of the people who come there to feed them and to be photographed among them. Two fountains cast plumes of water into the air。
特拉加尔广场是为几年英国海军上将纳尔逊勋爵在1830年同拿破仑海战取得胜利而命名的。
纳尔逊圆柱和纳尔逊塑像是该广场的重要建筑。
纳尔逊圆柱高185英尺，方形底座的四角分别由一只雄壮的铜狮守卫。
特拉法尔加广场是伦敦著名的游览胜地，游人可以在这里的喷泉边斜线或喂鸽子，也可以在这里参加政治集会或游行示威。
The Tower of London 伦敦塔Her majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (historically as The tower), is a historic monument in central London, on the north bank of the River Thames. It is located within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and is separated from the eastern edge of London by the open space known as Tower Hill.The tower of London is often identified with the White tower, the original stark square fortress built by William the Conqueror in 1078. However, the tower as a whole is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat.The tower’s primary function was a fortress, a royal palace, and a prison (particularly for high status and royal prisoners, such as the Princes in the tower and the future Queen Elizabeth I). This last use has led to the phrase sent to the “Tower”(meaning “imprisoned”). It has also served as a place of execution and torture, an armoury, a treasury, a zoo, the Royal Mint, a public records office, an observatory, and since 1303, the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.伦敦塔是英格兰最古老最著名最宏伟的要塞之一，它坐落于伦敦市中心，濒临泰晤士河北岸。