TheBritishislesismadeupoftwolargeislands①:OneiscalledIrelandandtheother1.Britain,orGreatBritain,isthelargerofthesetwoislands,anditis2intothreeparts:Scotland,WalesandEngland.

　　TheUnitedKingdomisthat3oftheBritishislesruledoverbytheQueen.ItismadeupofScotland,WalesandEngland,thatis,the4ofBritain,andalsoaboutonesixthofIreland,theNorthernpart.The5ofIrelandisselfgoverning.The6nameoftheUnitedKingdomis7“TheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland”.

　　8islargerandricherthanScotland,WalesandNorthernIreland,andhasthemost9oftheUnitedKingdom,sopeopleoftenusethe10“England”and“English”whenthey11“Britain”and“British”.ThissometimesmakestheScotsandtheWelshalittle12.TheScotsinparticulararevery13oftheirseparatenationality.TheWelshtoodonotregard14asEnglish,andhaveacultureandevena15oftheirown.

　　IrelandbecamepartoftheUnitedKingdomin1801,butforfortyyearsthe“Irish16”wasthegreatestheadacheoftheUnitedKingdom.17,Irelandisdividedintotwo:NorthernIrelandstill18totheUnitedKingdom,andin1922therestofIreland19tofoundanIrishFreeState,latercalledEireandnowtheRepublicofIreland.

　　TheRepublicofIrelanddoesnotregarditselfaspartofBritain②,andisnotnowevenasupporteroftheCommonwealthofNations(英联邦).UnlikethemajorCommonwealthcountriesitdidnotliftafingerto20BritishintheSecondWorldWarandnowwantsthewholeofIrelandtobearepublic.收起