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1、英语国家社会与文化入门(上)Unit1ABriefIntroductiontotheUnitedKingdomIThefullnameofthecountryofUKistheUntiedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland.UKincludes4parts:theislandofGreatBritainismadeupofEngland,ScotlandandWales,andNorthernIreland.Differentpeoplewhobelongtodifferentclasswilltendtoreadd
2、ifferentnewspaper,watchdifferenttelevisionprogrammes,speakwithadifferentaccent,dodifferentthingsintheirfree-time,andhavedifferentexpectationsfortheirchildren.Beforethe1stcenturyADBritainwasmadeupofmanytribalkingdomsofCelticpeople.In43ADBritainwasinvadedbytheRomanEmpireandEnglandandW
3、alesbecameapartoftheRomanEmpirefornearly400years.AfterRomantime,Britainwasunderthreatfromoutside,thistimefromGermanicpeoples:theAngles,andtheSaxon.Inthe5thcenturyADitissaidthatagreatleaderappeared,unitedtheBritish,andwithhismagicalsword,Excalibur,drovetheSaxonsback.ThisisthestoryofK
4、ingArthur.AccordingtolegendArthurgatheredacompanyofknightstohimandconflictbetweenhisknightsledtoArthurcreatingthefamous“roundtable”atwhichallwouldhaveequalprecedence.Anglo-SaxoninvadersweretheforefathersoftheEnglish,thefoundersof“Angle-land”or“England”asithasbecomeknow.Fromthelate8t
5、hcenturyonraidersfromScandinavia,theferociousVikings,threatenedBritain’sshores.ThenextinvadersweretheNormans,fromnorthernFrance,whoweredescendantsofVikings.UnderWilliamofNormandytheycrossedtheEnglishChannelin1066.WilliamtooktheEnglishthrone,andbecameWilliamtheFirstofEngland.RobinHoo
6、dwasaSaxonnoblemanoppressedbytheNormans,whobecameanoutlaw,andwithhisbandof“merrymen”hidintheforestofSherwoodinthenorthmidlandsofEnglandandtheywentouttorobfromtherichtogivetothepoor.CharlestheFirst’attempttooverruleparliamentinthe1640sledtoacivilwarinwhichparliamentaryforceswerevicto
7、rious,andthekingwasexecuted.AndthenEnglandwasruledbyparliament’sleader,OliverCromwell.ThelargestcityofScotlandisGlasgowandthecapitalcityisEdinburgh.ScotlandwasnotconqueredeitherbytheRomansortheAnglo-Saxons.LikeEnglandScotlandbegantoexperienceVikingraidinthe9thcentury.Undertheleaders
8、hipofRoberttheBruce