BackgroundInformationoftheBritishIslesWhatisthedifferencebetweenBritishIsles(不列颠群岛),Britain,UnitedKingdomandEngland?Theseterms(术语)arefamiliar(熟悉),butpuzzlingtousChinese.TheBritishIslesaremadeupoftwolargeislands:OneisBritainandtheotherIreland.Britain,orGreatBritain,isthelargerofthetwoislands,andisdividedintothreeparts:England,ScotlandandWales.TheUnitedKingdom(UK)istheshortfortheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland.UKconsistsofScotland,WalesandEngland(i.e.thewholeofBritain),andalsoaboutone-sixthofIreland,i.e.,thenorthernpart.TherestofIrelandwhichiscalledtherepublicofIrelandisanothercountry.Englandisthelargest,andgenerallyspeaking,therichestsection.ItscapitalisLondon,whichisalsothecapitaloftheUK.LondonliesontheRiverThames.MuchofEnglandisratherflat,althoughtherearehillsinthenortheastandinthecenterofthecountry.Englishpeopletendtousethewords“England”and“English”whentheymean“Britain”and“British”.Thissometimesannoys(惹恼)theScotsandtheWelsh.ScotlandliesinthenorthoftheUK,withitscapitalEdinburgh.Scotlandhasmanylakesandmountains,andisfamousforitsbeautifulcountryside.TheScotsinparticular(尤其)areveryproudoftheirnationality;theyhavetheirownlegalsystem(法律制度),andsomeoftheirinternal(内部的)affairsaremanagedbyspecialScottishdepartments,thoughtheyhavenoseparateparliament(议会).WalesliestotheeastofEngland.ItscapitalisCardiff.EveryonetherecanspeakEnglish,butthefirstlanguageinnorthWalesisWelsh.TheWelsh,too,donotregardthemselvesasEnglish,andhaveacultureandevenalanguageoftheirown.IrelandbecamepartoftheUKin1801,butitsoongrewdiscontented,andforforty用心爱心专心yearsthe“Irishquestion”becamethegreatestheadacheoftheBritishParliament.Atlast,aftermuchbloodshed(流血),Irelanddivideditselfintotwo:NorthernIrelandandtherepublicofIreland.NorthernIreland,withitscapitalBelfast,ispartoftheUK.TheRepublicofIrelandisaseparatecountry,withDublinasitscapital.TheRepublicofIrelanddoesnotregarditselfasBritish.Itisstilldiscontented,asitresents（怨恨）theexistenceofNorthernIreland,andwantsthewholeofIrelandtobearepublic.TheUKisasmallcountry.Itspopulationisover58million.About80%ofthepopulationliveincities.Morethan80%ofthepeoplearetheEnglishpeople,andtherestaretheScottish,theWelsh,theIrish,theJewsandothers.TherearemanyfamouscitiesintheUK,suchasLondon,Belfast,Manchester,oxford,andLiverpool.AmongthemManchesterishomeofthefootballclubManchesterUnited.Oxfordisauniversitycity.LiverpoolishomeoftheBeatles,afamousgroupofpopsingers.TheUKisfamousforbeer,FishandChips,football(ManchesterUnited),LondonBridge,theTowerofLondon,BigBen,Stonehenge,ancientstonecross,oldcastles,Scottishkilts,WilliamShakespeare,CharlesDickens,theBeatles,GreenwichMeanTime(GMT),Cambridge,Oxford,Englishlanguage,fog,RiverThames,HydePark,etc.AlthoughtheUKlostitsstatusasasuperpowerafterthemiddleofthe20thcentury,itisstillaveryimportantcountryandoverthepastfiftyyearstheEnglishlanguage,hasbecomeoneofthemostimportantlanguagesintheworld.TheUKisstilloneoftherichestcountriesintheworldandoneofthesevenlargesteconomiesintheworld.TheUKisamemberoftheGroupofEight(G8),whichconsistsof:France,theUnitedStates,Britain,Germany,Japan,Italy,CanadaandRussia.JapanandtheUKareislandstates.TheUnitedStates,CanadaandRussiabelongtothelargestcountriesintheworld.France,ItalyandGermanyareneitherislandcountriesnorbelongtothelargestcountries.用心爱心专心EnglishisthemostimportantlanguageoftheInternet.Onwebsiteswherepeoplefromdifferentcountriesmeetandtalktoeachother,theyalluseEnglish,eventhoughtheirmothertonguecouldbeSpanish,RussianorChinese.用心爱心专心
