英语国家概况
A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES
Part One The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
第一部分 大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国
第一章 国土与人民 Chapter 1 Land and People
Ⅰ.英国的不同名称及其区域 1. Different Names for Britain and its Parts
人们说到英国时常常使用不同的名称:不列颠、大不列颠、英格兰、不列颠群岛、联合王国等。这些名
称一样吗?还是有所区别? When people refer to Britain, they often use different names such as Britain, Great
Britain, England, the British Isles, the United Kingdom or the U.K. Do they mean the same thing? Or are they
different?
严格地讲，不列颠诸岛、大不列颠和英格兰都是地理名称。它们并不是这个国家的正式名称。不列颠
诸岛是由两个大岛和几百个小岛组成的。两个大岛是不列颠岛和爱尔兰岛，其中不列颠岛较大，它与爱尔
兰岛的北部一北爱尔兰构成联合王国。因此，联合王国的正式国名是大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国。但一
口气说出这么长的国名太费事，因此，人们就说不列颠，联合王国或简单地说 UK。这是不列颠岛上的一
个国家，首都是伦敦。另外还有一个国家，叫爱尔兰共和国或称爱尔兰，也位于不列颠岛上。它占据了爱
尔兰岛的其余部分，在岛的南部。1949 年始爱尔兰独立，首都是都柏林。Strictly speaking, the British Isles,
Great Britain and England are all geographical names. They are not the official name of the country. The British
Isles are made up of two large islands and hundreds of small ones. The two large islands are Great Britain and
Ireland. Great Britain is the larger of these two islands. It forms the United Kingdom with Northern Ireland—the
northern part of Ireland. So the official name of the United Kingdom is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland. But it is too much of a mouthful to say such a long name for a country, so people just say Britain,
the United Kingdom or simply U.K. This is one country on the British Isles and its capital is London. There is
another country called the Republic of Ireland or Eire on the British Isles. It takes up the remainder of
Ireland—the southern part of Ireland. It has been an independent republic since 1949 and its capital is Dublin.
大不列颠岛上有三个政治区:英格兰、苏格兰和威尔士。英格兰面积最大、人口最多，一般说来也最富
裕。因此人们常用英格兰指代英国，用英格兰人指代英国人。这有时令苏格兰人和威尔士人不快，他们不
认为自己是"英格兰人"，他们有自己的文化，甚至有自己的语言。There are three political divisions on the
island of Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales. England is the largest, most populous and generally
speaking the richest section. So people tend to use ‘England’ and ‘English’ when they mean ‘Britain’ and ‘British’.
This sometimes annoys the Scots or the Welsh who do not regard themselves as English and who have a culture
and even a language of their own.
英国一直是世界上最重要的国家之一。约一百年前，由于推行帝国主义扩张政策，英国成为一个帝国，
这个帝国占有世界上四分之一的人口，四分之一的面积。它不仅在北美，而且在亚洲、非洲和澳洲都有殖
民地。但是两次世界大 战大大削弱了英国，英国殖民地接二连三独立，大英帝国逐渐消失，1931 年由英
联邦所取代。Britain has been one of the most important countries in the world. About a hundred years ago, as a
result of its imperialist expansion, Britain ruled an empire that had one fourth of the world’s people and one fourth
of the world’s land area. It had colonies not only in North America, but also in Asia, Africa and Australia.
However, the two world wars greatly weakened Britain. The British Empire gradually disappeared and it was
replaced by the British Commonwealth or the Commonwealth of Nations in 1931.
英联邦是一个自由联合体，由曾经是英国殖民地变为现已独立的国家构成。成员国之间实行经济合作，
有一定的贸易协议。英联邦没有特别的权力，是否参加英联邦由各成员国自己决定。目前( 1991 年) ，英
联邦有 50 个成员国。The commonwealth (of Nations) is a free association of independent countries that were
once colonies of Britain. Member nations are joined together economically and have certain trading arrangements.
The commonwealth has no special powers. The decision to become a member of the commonwealth is left to each
nation. At present there are 50 member countries within the Commonwealth (1991).
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Ⅱ.英国的地理特征 II. Geographical Features
英国是个岛国，四周是海。它位于欧洲北海岸附近的北大西洋中。南面的英吉利海峡和东面的北海把
英国与欧洲的其他部分隔开。英法之间的英吉利海峡很狭窄，最狭窄的地方叫多佛尔海峡，只有 33 公里
宽。1985 年，英法两国政府决定在多佛尔海峡底修建一个隧道，把两个国家连接起来。经过八年的奋斗，
这条名为"查诺尔"的海底隧道于 1994 年 5 月通车。英国的面积为 244，100 平方公里。南北长 1000 公里，
东西最宽阔的地方约为 500 公里。因此英国的任何地方离海边都不远，海岸资源丰富。英国海岸线很长且
拥有优良的深水港。 海上通道延伸到内陆，提供了低廉的运输。Britain is an island country. It is surrounded
by the sea. It lies in the north Atlantic Ocean off the north coast of Europe. It is separated from the rest of Europe
by the English Channel in the south and the North Sea in the east. The English Channel between England and
France is quite narrow and the narrowest part is called the Straits of Dover, which is only 33 km across. In 1985
the British government and the French government decided to build a channel tunnel under the Straits of Dover so
that England and France could be joined together by road. After eight years of hard work this channel tunnel
which is called ''Chunnel'' was open to traffic in May 1994. Britain covers an area of 244, 100 square krn. It runs
1, 000 km from north to south and extends, at the widest part, about 500 kilometers. So no part of Britain is very
far from the coast and it provides a valuable resource. The British coast is long and has good, provides a valuable
resource. The British coast is long and has good, providing cheap transportation.
几个世纪以来，英国一直在缓慢地倾斜。西北部缓慢上升，东南部缓慢下沉。英国的北部与西部主要
是山地。这种上升在苏格兰西部形成了突起的海滩――山的平地。这种海滩提供了主要的农田、定居点、
工业区及通道。东部及东南部主要是低地，是"欧洲大平原"的一部分，有着平坦的土地及肥沃的土壤。尤
其是南部及英格兰东海岸有许多良田。Britain has, for centuries, been slowly tilting with the North-West slowly
rising and the South-East slowly sinking. The north and west of Britain are mainly highlands. In western parts of
Scotland this rise in the land has resulted in the formation of raised beaches - flat areas of land in an otherwise
mountainous area, which provide the main farming, settlements, and industrial areas as well as routeways. The
east and south-east are mostly lowlands. They are part of the Great European Plain, with its level land and fertile
soil. There is much good farmland especially in the south and along the east coast of England.
在冰川时代，英国覆盖着大冰块，导致英国壮观的山景，尤其是斯诺多尼亚、湖泊区及苏格兰山地，
因此英国拥有平顶的山脉、瀑布流经的山谷、带状湖、平坦的谷底、陡峭的谷倒、冰砾土及沃土。During the
Ice Age great ice covered Great Britain. Ice has been responsible for most of Britain's spectacular mountain
scenery especially in Snowdonia, the Lake District ,and the Scottish Highlands. It left Great Britain with
mountains with flat tops ,hanging valleys with waterfalls, ribbon lakes, flat valley floors ,steep valley
sides ,boulder clay and fertile soil.
1.英格兰 1. England
英格兰占了大不列颠岛南部的绝大部分面积。英格兰西面是威尔士，北面是苏格兰。面积为 130，000
平方公里，占整个岛的 60%。除了塞汶河谷及柴郡――兰开郡平原(中心为利物浦)外，其西南部和西部主
要是高原，也有起伏的平原、丘陵地及少数沼泽地，但主要是高原。从北中部延伸至苏格兰边境的奔宁山
脉是主要山脉。但英格兰的最高峰斯加非尔峰(978 米)却位于西北部的湖泊区。英格兰东部主要是开阔的
可耕种平原，此平原的海岸沼泽地和奔宁山脉之间变成一条狭窄的走廊(约克谷)，在诺桑伯兰郡则变成很
窄的海岸带。England occupies the largest, southern part of Great Britain with Wales to its west and Scotland to
its north. It has an area of more than 130,000 square kilometers which takes up nearly 60% of the whole island,
the north-west and west except for the Severn valley and the Cheshire-Lancashire plain (round Liverpool) are
largely a plateau, with rolling plains, downs and occasional moors. The Pennines, a range of hills running from
North Midlands to the Scottish border, are the principal mountain chain. But the highest peak of England, Scafell
(978m), is in the Lake District in north-west England. The east of England is mainly an open cultivated plain,
narrowing in North Yorkshire to a passage (Vale of York) between coastal moors and the Pennines, and in
Northumberland to a coastal strip.
2.苏格兰 2. Scotland
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苏格兰面积为 78，760 平方公里。位于大不列颠岛北部，拥有众多的山脉、湖泊及岛屿。它有三大自
然区:北部山地、中部低地及南部高地。北部山地 (300――1，200 多米)是一片荒芜而多石的高原，有弯曲
的海岸线，西面尤其如此。本奈维斯山海拔 1，343 米，英国的最高峰就在此地。山地西部及赫布里底群
岛 风景迷人。狭长的海湾与荒山交错，一些内海上的农场只有坐小船才能到达。中部低地，主要由福斯
和克莱德谷、煤矿和铁矿区及奶牛牧场组成。中部是苏格兰主要的工业区，人口最为稠密，是苏格兰最重
要的地区。南部高地是起伏的沼泽地(多在 240-600 米之间)，被众多小而肥沃的河谷所分割。苏格兰有 800
座岛屿，包括奥克尼群岛，设德兰群岛及赫布里底群岛，此外还有几百个湖泊。爱丁堡是苏格兰的首府。
Scotland has an area of 78,760 square kilometers. It is in the north of Great Britain with many mountains, lakes
and islands. There are three natural zones: the Highlands in the north, the central Lowlands, and the southern
Uplands. The Highlands (300—over 1,200m) are a wild, rocky, mountainous plateau with a coastline deeply
indented, especially in the west. Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Britain (1,343m) is located here. The western
part of Highlands and the islands of Hebrides are a very beautiful region. Great sea-lochs, or fiords, alternate with
wild and empty hills, and on some of the lochs there are farms which can only be reached by boat. The Lowlands
in the center comprise mostly the Forth and Clyde valleys, coal and iron fields and dairy pasture. This is the most
important area in Scotland which contains most of the industry and population. The southern Uplands, a rolling
moorland (mainly 240—600m), are cut by small fertile river valleys. Scotland has about 800 islands including the
Orkneys. Shetlands and Hebrides and hundreds of lakes. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland.
3.威尔士 3. Wales
威尔士位于大不列颠岛的西部，面积为 20，761 平方公里，占整个岛的近 9%。威尔士大部分地区是
山。山脉沿海陡峭耸起，而山顶却相当平坦。威尔士 6%为森林覆盖，大部分乡村是草原牧场――养牛养
羊，只有 12%的可耕地。威尔士形成一个山区，但周边是狭窄的低地，最宽之处是沿英格兰边境和南海岸。
山地高度在 180 米到 600 米之间，北面多岩石，南面有煤。西北部的斯诺多尼亚山(1085 米)是威尔士的最
高点。威尔士首府是加的夫。Wales is in the west of Great Britain. It has an area of 20,761 square kilometers
which takes up less than 9% of the whole island. Most of Wales is mountainous: the hills rise steeply from the sea
and are rather flat on top. 6% of Wales is covered with forest and much of the country is pasture—land for sheep
and cattle. Only 12% of the land is arable. Wales forms a massif with a lowland fringe widest along the English
border and south coast. The massif is largely between 180 and 600m, rocky in the north and coal bearing in the
south. Snowdonia (1,085m) in the northwest is the highest mountain in Wales. The capital of Wales is Cardiff.
4. 北爱尔兰 4. Northern Ireland
北爱尔兰是联合王国的第四个所属区域。它占据爱尔兰北部五分之一的面积――14，147 平方公里。
北爱尔兰北部海岸线荒芜多石，并有几处深陷的回地。东北部地区的安特里尔郡多高地，而向东南部逐渐
变成了洛尼格盆地所在的中央低地。贝尔法斯特是北爱尔兰的首都。Northern Ireland is a fourth region of the
United Kingdom. It takes up the northern fifth of Ireland and has an area of 14,147 square kilometers. It has a
rocky and wild northern coastline, with several deep indentations. In the north-east gradually give way to the
central lowlands of the Lough Neagh basin. Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland.
Ⅲ.河流和湖泊 III. Rivers and Lakes
英国的河流冬天不结冰。河流在国民经济中起着重要作用。伦敦、利物浦和格拉斯哥这些大港口全都
通过河流与海洋连接在一起。此外，东海岸的 Tweed 河、Tyne 河、蒂斯河、泰晤士河都面对着欧洲大陆上
的北海各港口，距离富饶的渔区也很近。而西海岸的克莱德河、默西河和塞汶河把原材料运到繁忙的内陆
工业城市。英国的河流并不很长，最长的塞汶河也只有 338 公里长。它发源于威尔士中部，河道呈半圆形
流经英格兰中西部，注入布里斯托尔海峡。第二大河，也是英国最重要的河是泰晤士河，全长 336 公里。
发源于英格兰西南部的科茨沃耳德山，流经英格兰中部到达伦敦，注入北海。泰晤士河流速相当慢，这对
水路运输极为有利。海轮可以沿着此河远至伦敦，而小船则可再上溯 138 公里。牛津也在泰晤士河上。克
莱德河是苏格兰最重要的河流。它发源于邓弗里斯山，全长 171 公里，流经格拉斯哥，注入克莱德河湾，
是重要的商业水路航道。Rivers in Britain do not freeze in winter. They play a very important role in the
country’s economy. The great ports of London, Liverpool and Glasgow are all connected to the sea by rivers.
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Besides, the Tweed, the Tyne, the Tees, and the Thames rivers on the east coast all face North Sea ports on the
European continent. They are also close to rich fishing grounds. On the west coast the Clyde, the Mersey, and the
Severn rivers carry raw materials to busy manufacturing cities inland. The rivers in Britain are not very large. The
longest river is the Severn River which is only 338 kilometers long. It rises in central Wales and flows in a
semicircle through West Central England to the Bristol Channel. The second largest and most important river in
Britain is the Thames River. It is 336 kilometers long. It rises in the Cotswolds in southwest England and flows
through the Midlands of England to London and out into the North Sea. The Thames flows rather slowly, which is
very favorable for water transportation. Ocean-going ships can sail up it as far as London and small ships can sail
up it for a further 138 kilometers. Oxford is also on the Thames. River Clyde is the most important river in
Scotland. It rises in Dumfries and runs 171 kilometers, passing through Glasgow, and enters the Firth of Clyde. It
is an important commercial waterway.
英国有许多湖泊，尤其是苏格兰北部、英格兰西北部的湖泊区及威尔士北部更是如此。但是，英国最
大的湖是北爱尔兰的洛尼格湖，面积为 396 平方公里。湖泊区是英国最吸引人的旅游名胜之一，它以荒野
和美丽的景色及 15 个湖而名扬天下。其中较大的湖有汶德密湖、鄂思水湖、德文水湖和柯尼斯顿水湖。
湖区也是湖畔诗人的家。例如 19 世纪的威廉.华兹华斯，塞缪尔.泰勒.柯勒律治和罗伯特.骚塞。There are
many lakes in Britain especially in northern Scotland, the Lake District in north-west England and North Wales.
However, the largest lake in Britain is the Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland which covers an area of 396 square
kilometers. The Lake district is one of the popular tourist attractions in Britain. It is well known for its wild and
beautiful scenery and 15 lakes. The largest ones are Windermere, Ullswater, Derwentwater and Coniston Water. It
was also the home of the Lake poets William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey of 19th
century Britain.
Ⅳ.气候 IV. Climate
1.海洋性气候 A maritime type of climate
当我们说到气候时，我们指的是某个地方数年时间里的平均天气状况，而非指某个地方每天的天气状
况。尽管英国人似乎总在抱怨天气下雨、变化无常、不可预测，但实际上英国的气候相当宜人，是海洋性
气候――冬季温和不冷、夏季凉爽不热，全年有稳定的降雨量。气温变化小，北方冬季平均气温是摄氏 4
－6 度，南方夏季为 12-17 度。因此即使在冬天，在开阔的乡村、公园和房屋周围，也能看见大片的绿草。
When we say climate we mean the average weather conditions at a certain place over a period of years. We don’t
mean the day-to-day weather conditions at a certain place. Though it seems that people are always complaining
about the weather in Britain because it is rainy and so changeable and unpredictable, the climate in Britain is in
fact a favorable one. It has a favorable maritime climate. Winters are mild, not too cold and summers are cool, not
too hot, and it has a steady reliable rainfall throughout the whole year. It has a small range of temperature. The
average temperature in winter in the north is 4—6 degrees C. and in summer in the south is 12—17 degrees C. So
even in winter one can still see stretches of green grass in the open country, in the parks and round the houses.
2.影响英国气候的因素 2. Factors which influence the climate in Britain
英国是个位于北纬 50-60 度之间的岛国，甚至比中国的黑龙江的最北端还要靠北。与同一纬度的其他
国家相比，英国的气候最温和，主要受以下三个因素的影响。 Britain is an island country which lies between
latitude 50 to 60 degrees north. It lies farther north than even the northernmost part of Heilongjiang Province of
China. Compared with other countries of the same latitudes it has a more moderate climate, which is influenced
mainly by three factors:
(1)四周的海水使季节差异有所平衡、冬暖夏凉。因为海洋的加热和降温作用是相对缓慢的，因此在冬
季带来暖气，夏季带来凉气。(1) The surrounding waters tend to balance the seasonal differences by heating up
the land in winter and cooling it off in summer. As the sea heats up and cools off relatively slowly it brings warm
air in winter and cool air in summer.
(2)温暖湿润的西南风吹遍全国，一年四季如此，使气温温和。(2) The prevailing south-west winds or the
Westerlies blow over the country all the year round bringing warm and wet air in winter and keeping the
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temperatures moderate.
(3)北大西洋暖流流经大不列颠群岛西海岸并使其温和。(3) The North Atlantic Drift, which is a warm
current, passes the western coast of the British Isles and warms them.
因为英国具有典型的海洋性气候，因此气候特点为气候凉爽，多云，多阵雨。气候每天都在变，很难
预测。有时甚至同一个人在同一天可以经历四季。 早上是天气晴朗的春天，一两个小时后，乌云不知从
哪里跑出来，大雨倾盆而下。到了中午，气温下降约 8 度，像寒冷的冬天。傍晚时分，天空晴朗，阳光普
照，天黑前的一两个小时里又是夏天。据说天气的不确定对英国人的性格有很大影响，例如使他们谨慎行
事。当你看到一个英国人在阳光灿烂的早上穿着雨衣拿着雨伞出门时，你可能会笑话他。但是更经常的是
一会儿就下起了毛毛细雨，当然你未必需要雨伞。Since Britain’s climate is of the maritime type, it is
characterized by cool temperature, frequent cloudy days and rainstorms. It changes from day to day, and this
makes it difficult to forecast. It is so changeable that sometimes one can experience four seasons in the course of a
single day. Day may break as a fine spring morning; an hour or so later black clouds may have appeared from
nowhere and rain may be pouring down. At midday conditions may really be wintery with the temperatures down
to about 8 degrees C. Then in the later afternoon the sky will be clear, the sun will begin to shine again, and for an
hour or two before darkness falls, it will be summer. It has been said that the uncertainty about the weather has
had a definite effect upon the Englishman’s character. It tends to make him cautious, for example. You may laugh
when you see an Englishman going out on a brilliantly sunny morning wearing a raincoat and carrying an
umbrella. However, most frequently it comes in drizzles and you don’t necessarily need an umbrella.
3.降雨量 3.Rainfall
英国全年有稳定的降雨量。平均年降雨量为 1000 多毫米。在东部和南部海岸，平均降雨量为 750－1250
毫米，只有东南部的少数地区降雨量不足 750 毫米。在西部，降雨量可达 1250-2000 毫米，西北部一些地
区则超过 2000 毫米。从大西洋吹来的暖流给整个英国一年四季带来暖湿空气。在西部，暖流遇到高地就
上升变冷，导致了大量的降雨。而东部降雨不多是因为西来的空气爬过高地后，就变暖变干，雨水就不多
了。Britain has a steady reliable rainfall throughout the whole year. The average annual rainfall in Britain is over
1,000 mm. It has 750 mm—1250 mm of rainfall along the coast in the east and south except a small area in the
south-eastern corner of the country which receives less than 750 mm. In the west there is as much as 1,250 mm to
2,000 mm of rainfall and some areas in the north-west it is over 2,000 mm. The Westerlies blow over Britain all
the year round bringing warm and wet air from the Atlantic Ocean. It rises, climbs the highlands and the
mountains in the west, becomes colder and then causes heavy rainfall. There is not so much rainfall in the east
because after climbing over the highlands and mountains the air gets warmer and drier when it descends and does
not give so much rain.
英国降雨量的分布使得北部和西部雨量过多，而南部和东部有所缺乏。因此，在像威尔士中部湖区、
苏格兰高地这样的山区就需修建水库储水，然后送到人口更多的低地工业区。As a result of the rainfall
distribution in Britain there is a water surplus in the north and west, and a water deficit in the south and east.
Reservoirs have therefore to be built in such highland areas as Central Wales, the Lake District and the Scottish
Highlands, so that water can be stored here and then transferred to the more populated and industrial areas of
lowland Britain.
4.自然灾难 4. Natural calamities
通常说来，英国的气候宜人而稳定不变，酷热严寒、干旱及漫长的雨季都很少见。据估计英国人均日
降雨量为 3-6 立方米，远远超过实际需要，但还是有些问题。有时连续几个月干旱，有时降雨太多引起水
灾。雾、烟雾、霜冻及大风时常给农作物及人们的生活造成较大损害。在 1952 年持续四天的伦敦烟雾(由
烟、脏物和雾混合而成的不健康的空气)中所含的二氧化硫，使 4000 人死亡或生命垂危。从那时起，英国
大多数城市实行了"清洁空气区"，根据此规定，工厂和家庭只许燃烧无烟燃料。 Generally speaking the
climate in Britain is favorable and equable. Extremes of heat or cold or of drought or prolonged rainfall are rarely
experienced. It is estimated that on average about 3—6 cubic metres of rain per person per day fall over Britain.
This is far more than is needed, but problems, still remain. Sometimes there are several months of drought, and at
5
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