英国语文美国语文（英语英美文化英国的）

【词汇学习】

floral adj. 花的，花似的； 以花装饰的

e.g. There's a floral pattern on the curtain. 窗帘上有花卉图案。

emblem n. 象征，标记； 纹章，徽章

e.g. The eagle was an emblem of strength and courage. 鹰是力量和勇气的象征。

archer n. 弓箭手，射箭运动员

e.g. The archer strung his bow and aimed an arrow at the target. 弓箭手拉紧弓弦将箭瞄准靶子。

sermon n. 布道； 讲道

e.g. The minister preaches a sermon now and then. 牧师不时地讲道。

【正文学习】

Each country in Britain has its own floral emblem.

England - rose

The national flower of England is the rose. The flower has been adopted as England's emblem since the time of the Wars of the Roses - civil wars (1455-1485) between the royal house of Lancaster (whose emblem was a red rose) and the royal house of York (whose emblem was a white rose).

Scotland - thistle

The national flower of Scotland is the thistle, a prickly-leaved（adj. 叶子多刺的） purple flower which was first used in the 15th century as a symbol of defence. The Scottish Bluebell is also seen as the flower of Scotland.

Wales - daffodil

The national flower of Wales is the daffodil, which is traditionally worn on St. David's Day（圣大卫日）. The vegetable called leek（n. 韭葱） is also considered to be a traditional emblem of Wales.

There are many explanations of how the leek came to be adopted as the national emblem of Wales. One is that St David advised the Welsh, on the eve of battle with the Saxons, to wear leeks in their caps to distinguish friend from foe. As Shakespeare records in Henry V, the Welsh archers wore leeks at the battle of Agincourt in 1415.

Northern Ireland - shamrock

The national flower of Northern Ireland is the shamrock, a three-leaved plant similar to clover. An Irish tale tells of how Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Trinity（n. 三位一体）. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day.