【AsyouarestudentsofEnglish,it’sverypossiblethatyou’llbeinterestedinEngland.That’swherethelanguagewasfirstspoken.ButEnglandisoftencalledbyothernames.ThisoftenconfusespeopleandIwonderifyouknowwhatthese】

　　AsyouarestudentsofEnglish,it’sverypossiblethatyou’llbeinterestedinEngland.That’swherethelanguagewasfirstspoken.ButEnglandisoftencalledbyothernames.ThisoftenconfusespeopleandIwonderifyouknowwhatthesenamesmean.So,nowIwouldliketotellyouaboutthismatterofnames.Ibelievethatyouhaveheardpeopleusethenames—England,BritainorGreatBritain.Let’sseewhateachofthesenamesmeans.

　　IfyoulookatamapofEurope,you’llseeagroupofislands--onelargerislandoffthenorthwestcoast,onesmallerandmanytinyones.ThesemakeupwhatiscalledtheBritishIsles.ThelargestislandoftheBritishIslesisBritain.ItisalsocalledGreatBritain.ThesmallerislandisIreland.

　　Britainisdividedintothreeparts:Scotland,WalesandEngland.Butsometimestheword“England”isusedinsteadof“Britain”.Whyso?

　　Inancienttimes,whatisBritainnowusedtobethreedifferentcountries.Peopleinthesedifferentcountriesspokedifferentlanguages.Overmanyyearsthethreecountriesbecameone.Englandisthelargestandrichestofthethreeandithasthemostpeople.SotheEnglishpeopletakeitforgrantedthattheirownnamestandsforthewholeisland.

　　There’sanotherthingthatconfusespeople:sometimesyoumayhearpeoplesay“theUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland”.Thatistheofficialnameofthecountry.NorthernIrelandisonlyonesixthoftheislandofIreland.Therestoftheislandisanindependentstate,calledtheRepublicofIreland.Sowehavethenamesof“England”,“Britain”,“GreatBritain”,and“theUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland”.Nowdoyouknowwhateachofthemmeans?

　　小题1:Englishwasfirstspokenin____.A．BritainB．EnglandC．GreatBritainD．Ireland小题2:Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingstatementsistrue?A．Walesistherichestofthethree.B．Scotlandisthelargestofthethree.C．SometimesEnglandisusedinsteadofBritain.D．BritainistheonlynameofthelargestislandofBritishIsles.小题3:TheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIrelandis_____.