英美概况知识点整理完结英美概知识点整理完结.doc

【英语王国】英美概况考点（上） Introduction 1. The definition of culture: The customs and beliefs, art, way of life and social organization of a particular country or group. 2. The dual character of language: A means of communication A carrier of culture British 1. 官方名：The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland （shortened to the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain） 2. Politically, it is a union made up of four constituent countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, plus several overseas territories. 3. Capital: London (located on the bank of the river Thames in southeast England) National flag: The Union Flag, popularly known as the Union Jack National anthem: God Save the King/Queen Head of state: Queen ElizabethⅡ 4. But more importantly in Britain’s international relations is the European Union. One of five permanent members of the UN security. A founding member of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) 5. The Irish Sea separates England from Ireland. Britain’s oil rigs are in the North Sea. The nationality of the people in Northern Ireland is British. The Lake District is in the west of England. Scotland is the British ski resort. The UK is bordered on the south by the English Channel, which separates it from the continent of Europe. It is bordered on the east by the North Sea, separating it from Belgium and Holland. 6. National Emblems England: St. George and the Rose Scotland: St. Andrew, thistle, Scottish bluebell Wales: St. David, Daffodil, leek Northern Ireland: St. Patrick, Shamrock—the trinity 7. The British Commonwealth: A voluntary association of 53 independent sovereign states, most of them are former British colonies, or dependencies of these colonies. (Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Dominica, Bangladesh, India, Ghana, Kenya) 8. England—the largest, most populous, and the wealthiest division of the United Kingdom （London—the Pennies —backbone of England—are the principal mountain chain. The highest peak of England,