The name “Engliand” is derived from the Old English name Englaland, which means” land of the Angles’. The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Great Britain during the Early Middle Ages. The Angles came from the Angeln peninsula in the Bay of Kiel area of the Oxford English Dictionary, the first known use of “England” to refer ti the sounthern part of the island of Great Britain occurs in 897, and its modern spelling was first used in 1538.
The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Palaeolithic period, bur it takes its name from the Angles. England became a united state in 927AD, and since the age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century, has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world. The English language , the Anglican Church , and English law- the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world -developed in England, and the country’s paliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations.
英国特色文化-特色表达一:
英格兰(England)这个名字来源于古英语England,而并非英国人sleep on it 思考出来的,这里的sleep on it 可并不是说:“睡在上面”,而是指人“彻夜思考;再三权衡”,相当于think it over.
实景链接
A: Mark, the sales manger position is available in England, and we’d like you to take it. 马克,英格兰的销售经理一职还空着,我们希望你能坐上这个位置。
B: Thank you, but I can’t decide right now. Can I sleep on it? 谢谢但是我现在还定不下来。能让我考虑一下吗?
A: Can you give me an answer tomorrow? 明天能给我答复吗?
B: Of course. 当然可以。
特色表达二:
如果有人问你英国的全程为何是U.K.时,你只需要说it’s a long story, 这并不是说英国名字的由来有一个很长的故事,而是说当你想讲一件事情却又不知道从何说起时,可以用到此句,引申为“一言难尽、说来话长”。
实景链接:
A: Why do you pretend to be Jenny’s boyfriend? 你为什么要冒充珍妮的男朋友?
B:It’s a long story. I’ll tell you some other time.一言难尽、我改天再告诉你。
A: Then just make it short. I really want to know the truth. 那就简而言之,我真的很想了解真相。
B: Well, Jenny couldn’t find a good reason to break up with David, so ……好吧,珍妮找不到和正当理由和大卫分手,所以……
拓展特色句:
1.England is not an independent country.英格兰不是一个独立的国家。
2.Three divisions on the island of Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales. 大不列颠分为三块区域:英格兰、苏格兰和威尔士。
3.The United Kingdom consists of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; and Great Britain includes England、Wales and Scotland.英国是由大不列颠以及北爱尔兰组成,而大不列颠则是由英格兰、威尔士以及苏格兰组成。
英国特色文化:
英国这个国家由许多大大小小的岛屿组成,它是一个多岛的国家,但是这个国家主要分为三部分,即所谓的“英伦三岛”:中部与南部是英格兰,北部是苏格兰群岛,西南部是威尔士。其中英格兰的面积最大,拥有全国80%的人口,是全国政治、经济、文化的中心,这也是为什么大家习惯用英格兰来泛称“英国”。此外英国在海外殖民地的总称是大英帝国(The British Empire)。