The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Unit 1 Geography, People and Language I. Read the following statements carefully and decide whether they are True or False. 1. The island of Great Britain is geographically divided into three parts: England, Scotland and Wales. 2. People in different parts of Britain like to use the name England to refer to their country. 3. Today more than half of the people in Wales still speak the ancient Welsh language. 4. In terms of population and area, Northern Ireland is the second largest part of the UK. 5. The longest river of Britain originates in Wales. 6. Because of political troubles, Northern Ireland has been quite significant among the four constituent parts of the UK. 7. Though the climate in Britain is generally mild, the temperature in northern Scotland often falls below -10.c in January. 8. The majority of the people in Britain are descendants of the Anglo-Saxons. 9. The Celtic people are the earliest known in habitants of Britain. 10. English changed into what is described as Modern English from the late `16th century.

II. Choose the one that best completes each of the following statements. 1. The two main islands of the Britain Isles are ____. a. Great Britain and Ireland b. Great Britain and Scotland c. Great Britain and Wales d. Great Britain and England

2. ____ is the capital city of Scotland. a. Belfast b. Edinburgh c. Aberdeen d. Cardiff

3. According to a 2005 estimate, Britain now has a population of over ____ million. a. 160 b. 600 c. 60 d. 16

4. Among the four parts of the UK, ___ is the smallest. a. England b. Scotland c. Wales d. Northern Ireland 5. Almost a quarter of the British population lives in ___ England. a. northeastern b. southeastern c. northwestern d. southwestern

6. English belongs to the ____ group of Indo-European family of languages. a. Celtic b. Indo-Iranian c. Germanic d. Roman

7. The introduction of Christianity to Britain added the first element of ___ words to English. a. Danish and Finnish b. Dutch and German c. French and Italian d. Latin and Greek

8. The evolution of Middle English was reinforced by the ____ influence. a. Norman b. Dutch c. German d. Danish

9. Samuel Johnson’s dictionary was influential in establishing a standard form of ___. a. grammar b. handwriting c. spelling d. pronunciation

10. At present, nearly___ of the world’s population communication in English. a. half b. a quarter c. one third d. one fifth

III. Give brief answers to the following questions. 1. What is the full name of the UK? 2. Why do tourists from all over the world like to go to Scotland? 3. How many periods can the development of the English language be divided into and what are they? 4. Why did English become more important after the Black Death?

IV. State your understanding of the following questions in about 100 words. 1. Who are British People? 2. What is Standard English?

Unit 2 History I. Read the following statements carefully and decide whether they are True or False. 1. The British history before 55BC is basically undocumented. 2. The Celts became the dominant group in Britain between the 8th and 5th centuries BC. 3. The name of Britain came from a Celtic tribe---the Britons. 4. The Anglo-Saxons came to Britain in the mid-5th century. 5. The chief or king of the Anglo-Saxon tribes exercised power at their own will. 6. The Vikings began to attack the English coast in the 8th century. 7. Henry II built up a large empire which included England and most of France. 8. The Magna Carta was designed to protect the rights of both the privileged class and the townspeople. 9. The Hundred Years’ War was a series of wars fought between England and Normans for trade and territory. 10. In an effort to make a compromise between different religious factions, Queen Elizabeth I actually defended the fruit of the Religious Reformation.

II. Choose the one that best completes each of the following statements. 1. The ___ attack on Rome ended the Roman occupation in Britain in 410. a. Norman b. Danish c. Celtic d. Germanic

2. By the late 7th century, ___ became the dominant religion in England. a. Celtic Christianity b. Anglo-Saxon Christianity c. Germanic Christianity d. Roman Christianity

3. Westminster Abbey was built at the time of ____. a. St. Augustine b. Edward the Confessor c. William the Conqueror d. Alfred the Great

4. The ___ marked the establishment of feudalism in England. a. Viking invasion b. Signing of the Magna Carta c. Norman Conquest d. Adoption of common law