lecture英國(guó)人的性格英國(guó)節(jié)日英國(guó)與

1、Lecture 4 (Part One)The English Character1English Characteristics (1)To other Europeans, the best known quality of the British, and in particular of the English, is reserve.A reserved person is one who does not talk very much to strangers, does not show much emotion, and seldom gets excited. It is d

2、ifficult to get to know a reserved person; he never tells you anything about himself, where he lives, how many children he has & what his interests are. 2Reasons for the English Reserve(1)It is believed that the English reserve has much to do with the weather in England. The meteorological condition

3、s are special and the weather is changeable & unpredictable. 3In England, it is said that one can experience 4 seasons in the course of a single day. The uncertainty about the weather has had a definite effect upon the Englishmans character. It tends to make him careful cautious & restrained. The En

4、glish weather has also helped to make the Englishman adaptable. 4Reasons for the English Reserve(2)Other people think that the English reserve has something to do with the fact that Britain is an island that is separated/isolated from the European Continent. The isolation has contributed to the caut

5、ious nature of the British people. They tend to be very shy, reserved and easily embarrassed. They are not outgoing. Therefore, people from other parts of the world may think them not easy to get along with.5English Characteristics (2)Closely related to English reserve is English modesty. Within the

6、ir heart, the English are perhaps no less conceited than anybody else, but in their relations with others they value at least a show of modesty. 6Self-praise is felt to be ill-bred. Self-depreciation is typically English, & mixed with their reserve, it often produces a sort of general air of indiffe

7、rence which appears to foreigners as a pose, difficult to understand & even irritating.7English Characteristics (3)The famous English sense of humor is similar. Its starting-point is self-depreciation & its great enemy is conceit. Its ideal is the ability to laugh at oneself-at ones own faults, ones

8、 own failures & embarrassments, even at ones own ideals. 8The English do not laugh at a cripple or a madman, a tragedy or an honorable failure. Sympathy or admiration for artistic skill are felt to be stronger than laughter.9English Characteristics (4)Since reserve, a show of modesty & a sense of hu

9、mor are part of his own nature, the typical Englishman tends to expect them in others. He secretly looks down on more excitable nations & likes to think of himself as more reliable. He distrusts exaggerated promises & shows of affection & is even more distrustful of any kind of self-praise.10English

10、 Characteristics (5)Finally sportsmanship. It is an English ideal that not all Englishmen live up to. It must be realized that sport in its modern form is almost entirely a British invention. Boxing, rugby, association football, hockey, tennis & cricket were all first organized & given rules in Brit

11、ain. Rules are the essence of sport & sportsman-ship is the ability to practice a sport in obedience to its rules. In Britain they are highly valued.11Sportsmanship as an ideal is applied to life in general. One of the most elementary rules of life is never hit a man when hes down-in other words, ne

12、ver take advantage of a mans misfortune. (fair play, playing fair)12Politeness in Britain (1)British habits of politeness are on the whole very informal. There are no complicated greetings. e.g. A simple good morning or a cheery wave of the hand across the street is quite satisfactory.Handshakes are

13、 only exchanged on a first introduction or on special occasions or as a token of agreement or congratulation.13Excuse me is used as an advance apology for troubling somebody.Sorry expresses regret for an accidental disturbance or breach of manners.14Politeness in Britain (2)Politeness towards women

14、is less observed today than it used to be. It is still considered polite to give up ones seat to a woman who is standing, to open doors for her, to help her on & off with the coat, to help her alight from the bus, to allow her to exit from the elevators first, to carry things for her, to protect her

15、 from the traffic, & so on. The maxim Lady first is well known.15The same principle applies to old people. They are respected because they are felt to be in need of protection & support.16 (Part Two) Culture of England英國(guó)文化17AbstractEnglands greatest artistic contributions have come in the fields of

16、theatre, literature and architecture. Although there is not an equivalent tradition in painting and sculpture, England is a treasure house of masterpieces from every age and continent thanks to its rapacious （強(qiáng)奪的） past. 18Castles and CathedralsMost visitors are overwhelmed by the stately homes of th

17、e aristocracy, and Englands fine collection of castles and cathedrals. Unfortunately, this significant architectural heritage has failed to lead to anything more inspiring in the 20th century than motorways, high-rise housing and tawdry （廉價(jià)而俗麗的） suburban development. 19English literatureAnyone who h

18、as studied English literature at school will remember plowing （用犁耕田） through Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dickens and Morrissey, and painful though it might have been at the time, no-one can deny Englands formidable （巨大的）contribution to the Western literary canon （圣典）. 20The English LanguagePerhaps England

19、s greatest cultural export has been the English language, the current lingua franca of the international community. There are astonishing regional variations in accents, and it is not unusual to find those in southern England claiming to need an interpreter to speak to anyone living north of Oxford.

20、 21Religious BeliefsThe majority of English who profess religious beliefs belong to the Church of England, which became independent of Rome in the 16th century. Other significant protestant churches include Methodist, Baptist and the Salvation Army. One in 10 Britons consider themselves Catholic, an

21、d there are now over a million Muslims and sizeable Hindu and Sikh populations. 22ChurchesDespite this variety of religions, most English are fonder of their churches as architectural icons （圖標(biāo)） of Grandeur （莊嚴(yán)，偉大，壯麗） and stability than as houses of religious piety. 23 English FoodPerhaps the least

22、appealing aspect of English culture is the food, which is stodgy （易吃飽的，塞滿(mǎn)的）, uninspiring and expensive. Although London is experiencing a renaissance （復(fù)興） in quality, creative cuisine (烹調(diào)風(fēng)格), travelers in the provinces or those on a budget should be prepared for uninventive, overcooked meat-and-two-

23、veg and an assortment of fish n chips, eggs and bacon, and smashed potatoes and sausages.24Lecture 4 (Part Three)Major UK Holidays25Major UK Holidays(1)New Year Day （元旦） January 1stGood Friday耶穌受難日 March/April the Friday before Easter DayEaster Day 復(fù)活節(jié) April the first Sunday a month after March 21 M

24、ay Day Holiday五朔節(jié) May 1st Mothers Day the second Sunday of MayOfficial Birthday英王官方誕辰 the second Saturday of June 26Major UK Holidays(2)Fathers Day the third Sunday of JuneHolloween October 31All Saints Day November 1Remembrance Sunday（停戰(zhàn)紀(jì)念日） the Sunday prior to December 11Thanksgiving Day the last

25、Thursday of NovemberChristmas Day December 25thBoxing Day 節(jié)禮日 December 26th27Major UK Holidays(2)New Years Day, May Day & the Summer holiday are sometimes known as Bank Holiday. Originally they were given as additional days off work when the banks also closed down.28Lecture 4 (Part Four)Britain & th

26、e World29The CommonwealthThe modern Commonwealth is a voluntary, free association of 50 independent sovereign states each responsible for its own policies but co-operating together in their common interests & promoting international understanding. It began in the early 20th century when the older co

27、lonies of Britain became independent. The aim of the Commonwealth originally was to preserve & spread democratic principles in countries in different continents, across racial boundaries & provide a global network of alliances among democratic states.30Members of the CommonwealthAntigua & Barbuda, A

28、ustralia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Britain, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, Dominica, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, The Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, St C

29、hristopher & Nevis, Saint Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Western Samoa, Zambia, Zimbabwe.31Commonwealth CountriesThe above underlined countries have Queen Eli

30、zabeth as Head of State. The other countries are republics.The Queen has an important role as the symbol of Commonwealth unity.“The Commonwealth bears no resemblance to the empires of the past. It is an entirely new conception built on the highest qualities of the spirit of man; friendship, loyalty

31、& the desire for freedom & peace.” (Queen Elizabeth II, Radio Broadcast, Christmas 1953)32Relations with Europe: the European CommunityIt was founded in 1958, when 6 countries signed the Treaty of Rome, their primary concern being to restore their economies which had suffered the aftermath of the 2 world wars in Europe.Further integration, particularly regarding economic aspects, were achieved with the ratification of the Single European Act in 1986.33The Aims of the ECTo reduce & remove restrictions between th