Unit5 The British Isles
The idea that England stands for Fish & Chips．Speakers’ Corner, Big Ben and the Tower of London is past．Though many people around the world study its language，their view of British culture is sometimes narrow．The fact that Great Britain is made up of three countries is still unknown to many．Within Great Britain for many years now，there has been a growing movement to make the most of its cultural diversity — to see it as it really is：a nation of different countries held together by a common language and culture．
The British Isles ale a group of islands that lies off the west coast of Europe．The largest island is called Britain, which is separated from France by the English Channel，which at one point is only 20 miles wide．It forms the mainland of Great Britain and consists of three countries：Scotland in the north．Wales in the
west and England in the south and east．The island just west of Britain is called Ireland．Between Britain and Ireland，in the Irish Sea, lies the small Isle of Man．The British Isles are surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west，and the North Sea to the east．
The climate of the British Isles is mild with a lot of rain．In general，Scotland is colder throughout the year，and receives more rain．It rains a lot in England and Wales too，but the temperatures are more pleasant．In the summer months the difference in temperature between London and the north can be as much as nine degrees! The coldest months are January and February，while the warmest months are July and August．
The culture of the people of the British Isles was influenced by the culture of the people on the European mainland．In the fifth century, people from different parts of northern Europe settled in England，bringing their own culture and language with them．Their languages formed the basis for English．Some of the native population moved to the inland，mountainous parts of the islands，to Ireland，Scotland and Wales，where they continued speaking their own languages． |