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1、GeneralintroductiontoBritainTheUnitedKingdom,consistingofGreatBritain(England,Wales,andScotland)andNorthernIreland,istwicethesizeofNewYorkState.England,inthesoutheastpartoftheBritishIsles,isseparatedfromScotlandonthenorthbythegraniteCheviotHills;fromthemthePenninechai
2、nofuplandsextendssouththroughthecenterofEngland,reachingitshighestpointintheLakeDistrictinthenorthwest.TothewestalongtheborderofWales—alandofsteephillsandvalleys—aretheCambrianMountains,whiletheCotswolds,arangeofhillsinGloucestershire,extendintothesurroundingshires.Im
3、portantriversflowingintotheNorthSeaaretheThames,Humber,Tees,andTyne.InthewestaretheSevernandWye,whichemptyintotheBristolChannelandarenavigable,asaretheMerseyandRibble.GovernmentTheUnitedKingdomisaconstitutionalmonarchyandparliamentarydemocracy,withaqueenandaparliament
4、thathastwohouses:theHouseofLords,with574lifepeers,92hereditarypeers,and26bishops;andtheHouseofCommons,whichhas651popularlyelectedmembers.Supremelegislativepowerisvestedinparliament,whichsitsforfiveyearsunlessdissolvedsooner.TheHouseofLordswasstrippedofmostofitspowerin
5、1911,andnowitsmainfunctionistoreviselegislation.InNov.1999hundredsofhereditarypeerswereexpelledinanefforttomakethebodymoredemocratic.TheexecutivepoweroftheCrownisexercisedbythecabinet,headedbytheprimeminister.Englandhasexistedasaunifiedentitysincethe10thcentury;theuni
6、onbetweenEnglandandWales,begunin1284withtheStatuteofRhuddlan,wasnotformalizeduntil1536withanActofUnion;inanotherActofUnionin1707,EnglandandScotlandagreedtopermanentlyjoinasGreatBritain;thelegislativeunionofGreatBritainandIrelandwasimplementedin1801,withtheadoptionofth
7、enametheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandIreland;theAnglo-Irishtreatyof1921formalizedapartitionofIreland;sixnorthernIrishcountiesremainedpartoftheUnitedKingdomasNorthernIrelandandthecurrentnameofthecountry,theUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland,wasadoptedin1927
8、.HistoryStonehengeandotherexamplesofprehistoriccultureareallthatremainoftheearliestinhabitantsofBritain.Celticpeoplesfollowe
