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essay questions of unit 1

2022-03-31 来源:小侦探旅游网


Unit One: The Country

1. Briefly discuss the international influence which the UK exercises on today’s world stage.

By the turn of the 20th century, the United Kingdom had built up a huge overseas empire, which at its height in 1922 encompassed almost a quarter of the world’s land surface, the largest empire in history. Today it has fourteen overseas territories, all remnants of the British Empire. British influence can continue to be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies. Queen Elizabeth II remains the head of the Commonwealth of Nations and head of state of each of the Commonwealth realms.

It was the world's first industrialised country and the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries, but the economic cost of two world wars and the decline of its empire in the latter half of the 20th century diminished its leading role in global affairs. The UK nevertheless remains a major power with strong economic, cultural, military and political influence worldwide. It is a developed country, with the fifth (nominal GDP) or sixth (PPP) largest economy in the world. It is a nuclear power and has the second or third highest defence spending in the world. It is a Member State of the European Union, holds a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, and is a member of the G8, NATO, OECD, World Trade Organization and the Commonwealth of Nations. The UK today pursues an active global approach to foreign policy, which invariably involves a close military and political relationship with the United States. Britain's global presence and influence is further amplified through its trading relations and its armed forces, which maintain approximately eighty military installations and other deployments around the globe.

2. Discuss the differences between the terms of “British Isles”, “United Kingdom”, “Great Britain”, and “England”.

(1) The British Isles

The British Isles is a geographically term which includes Great Britain, the whole of Ireland, and all the offshore islands, most notably the Isle of Man which has its own parliament and laws. Or, in detail, it is consists of the following islands:

 Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales)

 Ireland (the Republic of Ireland, a country west of England across the Irish Sea (not part of the United Kingdom)

 Northern Ireland ( part of the United Kingdom)

 The Orkney and Shetland Islands (islands off the northeast coast of Scotland)

 The Isle of Man (an island in the Irish Sea)

 Hebrides (including the Inner Hebrides, Outer Hebrides and Small Isles).

All are islands off the northwest coast of Scotland.

 The Isle of Wight (an island off the southern coast of England)  Isles of Scilly (an island off the southwest coast of England)  Lundy Island (an island off the southwest coast of England)

 The Channel Islands (a group of small islands in the English Channel, off

the coast of Normandy, France. The principal islands of the group include Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark.)  Plus about five thousand other offshore small islands.

Map of the British Isles

(2) Great Britain

Great Britain can be a geographical term referring to the island on which England, Wales and Scotland are situated, together with numerous smaller islands, which comprise the main territory of the United Kingdom. It has an area of 229,850 km² (88,745 sq. mi.) and is the largest island of the British Isles. Great Britain can also be a political term serving as the official name for the two kingdoms of England and Scotland, and the principality of Wales.

Great Britain

Great Britain is very often, but incorrectly, used as a synonym for the sovereign state properly known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or the United Kingdom (UK) for short, but Great Britain and the United Kingdom refer to different areas. If you look at the full name of the UK, you will see that the UK includes Great Britain AND Northern Ireland.

Great Britain United Kingdom

Sometimes people use the shortened name Britain instead of Great Britain, to mean the same thing, but in the strict sense Britain only refers to England and Wales. The name Britain goes back to Roman times when they called England and Wales \"Britannia\" (or \"Britannia Majoro be distinguished from \"Britannia Minor\ie Brittany in France). The Roman province of Britannia only covered the areas of modern England and Wales. The area of modern Scotland was never finally conquered.

(3) The United Kingdom

The official name of the United Kingdom (UK) is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Island. It is made of:

 England - The capital is London

 Scotland - The capital is Edinburgh  Wales - The capital is Cardiff

 Northern Ireland - The capital is Belfast.

People in the UK are called British although they have different nationalities. The United Kingdom (UK) was formed in on January 1, 1801 and constituted and still constitutes the greater part of the British Isles. In history it was the union of what were once four separate nations: England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. When the Irish Free State ceased to be part of the Union in 1922, the title changed to include “Northern Ireland”.

The United Kingdom

(4) England

Located in north-west Europe and in the southern part of Great Britain, England is the largest country (historically it is called a country or nation) in Great Britain and the UK. It is sometimes wrongly used in reference to the whole United Kingdom, the entire island of Great Britain, or indeed the British Isles. This is not only incorrect but can cause offence to people from other parts of the UK. England has not had a separate political identity since 1707, when Great Britain was established as a political entity. There is no government or parliament just for England.

England

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