人教高中英语高二上UNIT5-3

 The island of Ireland¹ lies west of Britain and is the westernmost island of the British Isles². Although a small country, it has an amazing history of over 5,000 years. Few places on the planet³ are as packed with history as Ireland. Everywhere you look there are castles and historical⁴ places. In Ireland the past is part of the present, part of the people and part of its culture.
       For much of its history, Ireland lay hidden behind its bigger neighbour, Great Britain. In fact, Ireland was part of the United⁵ Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland for many centuries until the 1920s. In 1921, the southern part of Ireland became independent and the Republic of Ireland was founded. It is a state that covers more than 70,000 square kilometres, or five-sixths of the island of Ireland. It has four provinces, which altogether consist of 26 counties⁶ and 6 urban⁷ areas. Northern Ireland is part of the UK. The Republic of Ireland is a member of the European Union, and uses the euro (欧元).
       Ireland has a mild⁸ sea climate. The coldest months are January and February with air temperatures between 4 to 7℃ during the day. The warmest months are July and August, when it is a quite cool 14 to 16℃. The sunniest months are May and June, with about five to seven hours of sunshine per day. As Ireland is surrounded by water, it comes as no surprise that it rains quite a lot, just as in England and Wales⁹.
      The population of the Republic of Ireland is thought to be about three million. Of those, over one million live in Dublin. Ireland has a young population, with 44% of the population under the age of 25.
      There are two official languages in Ireland: Irish¹⁰, which is the national language, and English, which is the language of the majority of the population. Until the early nineteenth century, almost everyone in Ireland spoke¹¹ Irish. The change to English happened quickly. By 1891 more than 85% of the population spoke English. Since Ireland became independent, the Irish government has rccognised that if nothing is done, this part of Irish culture will disappear. A growing number of schools teach in the Irish language and radio and TV programmes have helped nearly 20% of the Irish people to develop language skills in both languages.
      The earliest Irish art is found carved on monuments¹² dating from 2,500 - 2,000 BC. The large, typical Irish stone crosses, seen across the country, date from the ninth and tenth centuries. Although Irish culture mostly developed under the wings of Great Britain, it has a quality of its own. It tings with magic and there is a dark and mysterious feeling to it. The many castles that are found everywhere around Ireland add to that idea. There is for example the famous Blarney Castle, which is known¹³ for the story of the Blarney Stone. The Stone is believed to have come from Scotland¹⁴, where in early times it was used by kings because of its magic powers. One day the King of Ireland saved an old woman from drowning (淹死). The old lady turned out to be a witch¹⁵. To thank the king, she told him the secret of the Stone. The spell of the Blarney Stone is that you can become fluent¹⁶ in English in return for kissing the Stone.

1 Ireland   

n.爱尔兰(西欧国家)；爱尔兰岛(西欧)

参考例句：

• Ireland lies to the west of England.爱尔兰位于英格兰之西。
• Dublin is the capital of Ireland.都柏林是爱尔兰的首都。

2 isles   

岛( isle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the geology of the British Isles 不列颠群岛的地质
• The boat left for the isles. 小船驶向那些小岛。

3 planet   

n.行星

参考例句：

• Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun. 海王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Rubbish, however, is only part of the problem of polluting our planet. 然而, 垃圾只是我们这个星球的污染问题的一个方面。

4 historical   

adj.历史的，史实的，历史上的

参考例句：

• The book is based on historical events.这本书是根据历史事件写成的。
• We have shared the same historical experiences.咱们有着共同的历史遭遇。

5 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

6 counties   

郡，县( county的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The deposits spread for 100 kilometers across four counties. 这些矿藏绵延一百公里，跨越四个县。
• The Jinggang Mountains stand where the boundaries of four counties meet. 井冈山位于四县之交。

7 urban   

adj.都市的，住在都市的，习惯于都市的

参考例句：

• Traffic is a major urban problem.交通是城市的一个主要问题。
• The spread of urban areas endangers wildlife.扩大城市面积危害着野生物。

8 mild   

adj.温暖的，暖和的，（天气，尤指冬天）；性情温和的

参考例句：

• That coat is too heavy for such a mild day.这样暖和的天气，穿那件大衣太厚了。
• He is mild of manner.他举止温和。

9 Wales   

n.威尔士(在大不列颠岛西南部)

参考例句：

• The company are opening up a new factory in Wales.公司将在威尔士开一家新工厂。
• She teaches English at the University of Wales.她在威尔士大学教英语。

10 Irish   

n.爱尔兰语；爱尔兰人；adj.爱尔兰(人)的

参考例句：

• He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。
• The two volumes of collected Irish Stories are printed.两卷本的《爱尔兰故事集》已经印好了。

11 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

12 monuments   

纪念碑( monument的名词复数 )； 遗迹； 遗址； 丰碑

参考例句：

• The work is one of the great monuments of English literature. 此作品是英国文学的不朽名作之一。
• The monuments of men's ancestors were the most impressive exhortations. 先辈们的丰碑最能奋勉人心的。

13 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

14 Scotland   

n.苏格兰

参考例句：

• He has been hiking round Scotland for a month.他围着苏格兰徒步旅行了一个月。
• Scotland is to the north of England.苏格兰在英格兰之北。

15 witch   

n.巫婆，女巫；vt.施巫术，迷惑

参考例句：

• The witch changed the prince into a frog.巫婆把王子变成了青蛙。
• The heartless witch cast a spell on the poor little girl.狠心的女巫对孤苦无助的小女孩施了妖术。

16 fluent   

adv.流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• She is fluent in five languages.她通晓五种语言。
• My father speaks fluent English.我父亲讲一口流利的英语。