高中英语课文朗读WHAT'S IN A NAME?（节选）

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

The United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain, England—many people are confused by what these different names mean. So what is the difference between them, if any? Getting to know a little bit about British history will help you solve this puzzle.
联合王国、大不列颠、英国、英格兰——很多人对这些不同名称的含义感到困惑。如果这些名称有区别的话，那么它们的区别何在？稍微了解一下英国历史，就可以帮助你解开这个谜题。

In the 16th century, the nearby country of Wales was joined to the Kingdom of England. Later, in the 18th century, the country Scotland was joined to create the Kingdom of Great Britain. In the 19th century, the Kingdom of Ireland was added to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Finally, in the 20th century, the southern part of Ireland broke away from the UK, which resulted in the full name we have today: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Most people just use the shortened name: “the United Kingdom” or “the UK”. People from the UK are called “British”, which means the UK is also often referred to as Britain or Great Britain.
十六世纪时，邻国威尔士并入英格兰王国。随后，在十八世纪，苏格兰加入了进来，从而诞生了大不列颠王国。十九世纪时，爱尔兰王国加入，一起组成了大不列颠及爱尔兰联合王国。最后，在二十世纪时，爱尔兰南部脱离了联合王国，形成了我们如今所看到的全称：大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国。大多数人只是使用简称：“联合王国”。联合王国的人被称为“英国人”，这意味着联合王国也经常被称为英国或大不列颠。

The four countries that belong to the United Kingdom work together in some areas. They use the same flag, known as the Union Jack, as well as share the same currency and military defence. However, they also have some differences. For example, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland all have different education systems and legal systems. They also have their own traditions, like their own national days and national dishes. And they even have their own football teams for competitions like the World Cup!
同属于联合王国的这四个国家在某些领域紧密合作。像拥有相同的货币和国防一样，他们也使用同一面国旗（称为“英国国旗”）。然而，它们之间仍有诸多区别。例如，英格兰、威尔士、苏格兰和北爱尔兰在教育和法律制度上都存在着差异。它们也有各自的传统，比如有自己的国庆节和本国菜肴。它们甚至拥有各自的足球队，参加像“世界杯”之类的赛事！