the British Empire
/ðə ˌbrɪtɪʃ ˈempaɪə(r)/
/ðə ˌbrɪtɪʃ ˈempaɪər/
- the countries ruled by Britain starting in the late 15th century until a peak around 1920 when the British Empire included around a quarter of the world's population. British colonies (= places taken over by a foreign country and settled by people from that place) included parts of North America, islands in the West Indies, India, Australia, New Zealand and several countries in Africa. Many of them became colonies at a time when several European countries, including Britain, France, Spain and the Netherlands, were competing for trade around the world and for new sources of raw materials. Most of these colonies became independent during the 20th century, when it was generally recognized that it was not morally acceptable to take over other countries and exploit them, and many colonies had growing nationalist movements for independence. Through the Commonwealth many of the countries still have political and economic links with Britain. Perhaps the most important and lasting cultural influence of the British Empire has been the spread of the English language which is still either an official language or taught as a second language in many countries.
大英帝国：大英帝国统治的国家始于15世纪后期，直到1920年左右达到顶峰，当时大英帝国约占世界人口的四分之一。英国殖民地（由外国占领并由该地方的人定居的地方）包括北美部分地区，西印度群岛，印度，澳大利亚，新西兰和非洲的一些国家。当包括英国，法国，西班牙和荷兰在内的几个欧洲国家争夺全球贸易和新的原材料来源时，其中许多成为了殖民地。这些殖民地大多数在20世纪成为独立国家，当时人们普遍认为，接管其他国家并对其进行剥削在道义上是不可接受的，许多殖民地为争取独立而不断发展的民族主义运动。通过英联邦，许多国家仍与英国保持着政治和经济联系。大英帝国最重要和持久的文化影响也许是英语的传播，英语在许多国家中仍然是官方语言或作为第二语言授课。