高二上朗读unit 05

　　Unit5 The British Isles²
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 mainland³ 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 Isle¹ 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．

1 isle   

n.小岛，岛

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 boat left for the paradise isle of Bali.小船驶向天堂一般的巴厘岛。

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 mainland   

n.大陆，本土

参考例句：

• The new bridge will link the island to the mainland.新的桥梁将把该岛与大陆连接在一起。
• Hong Kong's prosperity relies heavily on mainland.香港的繁荣在很大程度上依赖于大陆。