英语国家社会与文化入门

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1、英语国家社会与文化入门（上）Unit 1 A Brief Introduction to the United Kingdom IThe full n ame of the country of UK is the Un tied King dom of Great Brita in and Northern Irela nd.UK in cludes 4 parts: the isla nd of Great Brita in is made up of En gla nd, Scotia nd and Wales, and Norther n Irela nd.Differe nt peo

2、ple who bel ong to differe nt class will tend to read differe nt n ewspaper,watch different television programmes, speak with a different accent, do different things in their free-time, and have differe nt expectati ons for their childre n.Before the 1st cen tury AD Brita in was made up of many trib

3、al kin gdoms of Celtic people.In 43 AD Britai n was inv aded by the Roma n Empire and En gla nd and Wales became a part of the Roma n Empire for n early 400 years.After Roman time, Britain was under threat from outside, this time from Germanic peoples: the An gles, and the Sax on.In the 5th century

4、AD it is said that a great leader appeared,united the British, and with his magical sword, Excalibur, drove the Saxons back. This is the story of King Arthur.Accord ing to lege nd Arthur gathered a compa ny of kni ghts to him and con flict betwee n his knights led to Arthur creating the famous -roun

5、d table II at which all would have equal precede nee.Anglo-Saxon invaders were the forefathers of the English, the founders of Yngle-land llor -England lias it has become know.From the late 8th cen tury on raiders from Scandin avia, the ferocious Viki ngs, threate ned Britain shores.The n ext in vad

6、ers were the Norma ns, from n orther n Fran ce, who were desce ndants of Viki ngs.Under William of Normandy they crossed the English Channel in 1066.William took the English throne, and became William the First of England.Robin Hood was a Saxon n oblema n oppressed by the Norma ns,who became an outl

7、aw, and with his band of -merry men llhid in the forest of Sherwood in the north midlands of England and they went out to rob from the rich to give to the poor.Charles the First attempt to overrule parliament in the 1640s led to a civil war in which parliame ntary forces were victorious, and the ki

8、ng was executed. And the n En gla nd was ruled by parliame ntleader, Oliver Cromwell.The largest city of Scotland is Glasgow and the capital city is Edinburgh.Scotla nd was not conq uered either by the Roma ns or the An glo-Sax ons.Like En gla nd Scotla nd bega n to experie nee Viking raid in the 9t

9、h cen tury.Under the leadership of Robert the Bruce, the Scots were victorious at the Battle of Banno ckbur n, lead ing to 300 years of full in depe nden ce.In 1603, Quee n Elizabeth the First of En gla nd died childless, and the n ext in line to the throne was James the Sixth of Scotland, so he als

10、o became Jamesthe First of England, uniting the two thron es.In 1707 by agreement of English and Scottish parliaments, Scotland joined the Union.The Scotland Act 1998 provided for the establishment of the Scottish Parliament and Executive.Scottish writes have given the world such well-known work as

11、Walter Scotts romances of highla nd Scotia nd an d-Auld Lang Syne 11 (by Robert Bur ns)The capital city of Wales is Cardiff.Unit 2 A Brief Introduction to the United Kingdom IIThe capital city of Northern Ireland is Belfast.The most famous Iandmark of Northern Ireland is the -Giant s causeway, a roc

12、ky promontory made up of black hexagonal columns.From the time of Queen Elizabeth I the new settlers, loyal to the British crown and Protestant in religious persuasion, were granted land, position, and privileges which had been systematically take away from the indigenous, Roman Catholic population.

13、-Great hatred, little room II was the way the moder n poet W. B. Yeats described the situati on. Un til 1921 the full n ame of the UK was Fhe Un ited Kin gdom of Great Britai n and Irela nd , not only -Northern Ireland , becausethe whole island of Ireland was politically integrated with Great Britai

14、n.The Easter Rising of 1916 was the most spectacular event, in which the rebels took over DublinsPost Office, forcing the British to retake it by military means.In 1919 a group calling itself the IRA (Irish Republican Army) expanded the fighting.In the end the conflict became too great to ignore, an

15、d as the Sinn Fein party, who were supporters of the Irish terrorists, gained most of the Irish seats in the British parliament, Irish independence became inevitable.In 1921 the southern 26 counties formed an independent -free state| while the 6 north-eastern counties remained a part the UK.In 1969,

16、 the first British soldiers were seen on Northern Irish streets.The official IRA thought enough progress had been made that they could concentrate on a political process, and run candidates for elections, but a strong faction felt that armed force was the only way to get the British out, and separat

17、ed from the officials, calling themselves the -Provisio nal IRA .In 1971 the Northern Irish government took the desperate step of imprisoning terrorist suspects from both sides without trial, a policy known as -internment , which targeted primarily Catholic men in the North.In 1972 468 people were k

18、illed in Northern Ireland and that day has now been mythologiesed as -Bloody Sunday , an important symbol of British oppression.In 1973, an agreement was reached between the main political parties in Northern Ireland, and importantly, the British and Irish governments, which led to a new form for th

19、e Northern Irish Parliament, with a Power-Sharing mechanism.The Sinn Fein party spoke of a twin campaign for union with Ireland, both political and military, which they called the policy of -The Bullet and the Ballot Box .As a result of multi-party negotiations, aided this time by the intervention o

20、f the United States Senator George Mitchell, the Good Friday Agreement known also the Belfast Agreement, emerged on 10 April 1998.Unit 3 The Government of the United KingdomBritain is arguably the oldest representativedemocracy in the world, with roots that can be traced over a thousand years.The ol

21、dest institution of government is the Monarchy.The power of the mon archy was largely derived from the ancient doctri ne of theivine right of kings IIThe opposition was so powerful the king finally granted a gang of feudal barons and the Church a charter of liberty and political rights, still know b

22、y its medieval Latin name of Magna Carta, which is still regarded as Britains key expression of the rights of citizens against the Crown.The civil war which brought the Roundheadsto power in the 17th century was rooted in a dispute over the power of the king vis- -vis Parliame nt.In 1689 Parliament

23、passed the Bill of Rights which ensured that the King would never be able to ignore Parliament.In 1832, when a system for choosing the House of Commons by popular election replaced the monarchs job of appointing representatives, the modern political system was born.The party with the most supporters

24、in the Commons forms the government, and by tradition, the leader of that party becomes Prime Minister.Britain is both a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarch.yBritish governance today is based upon the terms and conditions of the constitution.Israel and Britain are the only two count

25、ries without written constitutions of the sort which most countries have.The foundations of the British state are laid out in statute law, that is, laws passed by Parliament; the common laws, which are laws which have been established through common practice in the courts, not becauseParliament has

26、written them; and conventions, which are rules and practices which do not exist legally, but are neverthelessregarded as vital to the workings of government.Parliament is supreme in the British state becauseit alone has the power to change the terms of the Constitution.Strictly speaking, the Parliam

27、ent today consists of the Queen, the House of Lords and the House of Commons.The role of the monarchy today is primarily to symbolize the tradition and unity of the British state.There are 724 Lords and 646 Members of Parliament in the House of Commons.Unit 4 Politics, Class and RaceIn 1928 it reach

28、ed the current level of about 99% can vote (those excluded are Lords, certain categoriesof conv icted crim in als, the legally insane, and reside nt foreig n citize ns - except UK resident citizens of the Irish Republic)After a government has been in power for 5 years it has to resign and hold a ene

29、ral electionI,in which all British adults are given the chance to vote again for their constituencys MP.Anyone who is eligible to vote can stand as an MP. It is necessary only to make a deposit of 500 pounds which is lost if the candidate does not receive at least 5% of the vote.There are three majo

30、r national parties: The Conservative party and the Labour party are the two biggest, and any general election is really about which of those two is going to govern. But there is a third important party, the Liberal Democrats.The Labour party is the newest of these three, created by thegrowing trade

31、union movement at the end of the nineteenth century.The Conservative party is the party that spend most time in power.The Liberal Democrats are the third biggest party, and to some extent may be seen as a party of the -middle I occupy ing the ideological ground betwee n the two main parties.Margaret

32、 Thatcher is the UKs first woman Prime Minister.The car-worker probably reads a paperlike The Sun: a newspaperwith little heard news and more about TV soap operasthe Royal family and sport. The university teacher might read The Guardian: a larger newspaper with longer stories covering national and i

33、nternational news, -high IIculture such as theatre and literature, and so on.Unit 5 The UK EconomyThe UK is now the worldssixth largest econom.yThe UK is not only a member of the G7, G8, G20 major economies, but also a member of the World Trade Organization.Firstly, the country had gone heavily into

34、 debt in order to finance the war, selling many of its accumulated overseas assets, and borrowing large amounts from the United States and Canada.Secon dly, the ear of empire was over. I ndia, popularly known as-The Jewel in the Crow n I I of the British Empire, gained its independence in 1947.Third

35、ly, despite the relatively rapid and trouble-free process of decolonization, Britain has still forced to maintain a substantial and expensive military presence in many overseas locations until the process was completed.Fourthly, although Britain was quite badly damaged by German bombing during the w

36、ar, its industry survived comparatively unaffected. This failure to invest sufficiently in industry also reflects a long-standing and continuing problem in the UK econom.yNational economies can be broken down into three main areas: -primary II industries, such as agriculture, fishing, and mining; -s

37、econdaryl industries, which manufacture complex goods from those primary products; and tertiary industries, often described as services, such as banking, insurance, tourism, and the selling of goods.Britains agricultural sector is small but efficient, producing 58% of the UKs food needs with only 2%

38、 of its workforce.Scottish ports land the majority of the fish caught.Three of the biggest ten companies in Britain are to be found in the energy sector: Shell, British Petroleum (BP), and British Gas.The Worldslargest mining company, RTZ, is a UK company which operates mines all over the world.The

39、British company Glaxo-Wellcome is the biggest drug company in the world.70% of the UKsworkforce are employed in the service sector.London is one of the top three financial centres in the world. It has the greatest concentration of foreign banks in the world, accounts for 20% of all international ban

40、k-loans, and is the worlds largest foreign exchange market. As well as banking, dealing in commodities and in sura nee are importa nt processesi n -The City Ihe n ame give n to the historic area at the centre of London where all this business is concentrated, at the heart of which is London Stock Ex

41、change, one of the business share-dealing centres in the world.Aerospace is one of the UKs highest value adding manufacturing sectors.Unit 6 British LiteratureThe major literature competition is the annual Booker Prize.Much early British writing was concerned with Christianity: Anglo-Saxons produced

42、 beautifully illustrated versions of the Bible: the most famous of these is the Book of Kells.One of the oldest of these early -Old English II litrary works is long poem from Anglo-Saxon times called Beowulf.One work from Norman Conquest times often studied today by middle school and college student

43、s is The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, who was the first court poet to write in English.There was a general flowering of cultural and intellectual life in Europe during the 15th and 16th century which is known as-The RenaissanceI.Christopher Marlowesmost famous play is The Tragical History o

44、f Doctor Faustus, the story of a man who sold his soul to the devil in return for power.William Shakespeare is probably the best-known literary figure in the world.The tragedies include Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth.Among the comedies are The Taming of the Shrew, A Midsum

45、mer Nights Dream, Twelfth Night, and The Tempest.A permanent monument of English literature style commemorates Jamesname. He ordered the translation of the Holy Scriptures known as the King James Bible(1611).The Essays of Frances Bacon made popular in English a literary form widely practiced afterwa

46、rd.The literary giant of the 17th century, John Milton was much bound up in Puritan Revolution. The most famous pamphlets is Areopagitica. During his retirement from public life he produced his masterpieces: Paradise Lost, its sequel, Paradise Regained, and the poetic tragedy Samson Agonistes.Johnth

47、anSwifts name is linked with the fanciful account of four voyages known to us as GuliversTravels.Scotland produced a much-loved poet, Robert Burns, who wrote in Scottish dialect.Daniel Defoe ?s first and greatest novel appearedin 1719, which was Robinson Crusoe, the most famous tale of shipwreck and

48、 solitary survival in all literature.Two poets offered what had been called romantic poetrys -Declaration of IndependenceI. This was a volume of poems called Lyrical Ballads, written by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.George Gordon, Lord Byronslarge body of work includes the partly au

49、tobiographical Childe HaroldsPilgrimage. Don Juan owed its title.John Keatssart is nowhere greater thanin the two pomes -Ode on a Grecian UrnI and IOde to a Nightingale.IPercy Bysshe Shelleys writing has a wide range. The lovely musical quality of his work appears in the fine verses of-Ode to the We

50、st WindI and -To a SkylarkIThe spirit of Romanticism also occurred in the novel, notably in Mary Shelleys (the poet Shelly wsife) Frankenstein, the story of science gone wrong through the disastrous consequences of an arroganstcientist s attempts to create life.Most of Sir Walter Scotts themes came

51、from medieval and Scottish history and he wrote a number of romantic novels.JaneAusten, who excelled at this form of writing, is indeed one of the greatest of all English novelists. A delightful, almost flawless stylist, she has devoted admirers of her Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and

52、 Emma, among other works.Perhaps themost famous literary family in British history are the Bronte sisters, and they too were influenced by the Romantic movement. Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre and Emily s Wuthering Heights are the most successful.Charles Dickens produced Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist,

53、David Copperfield and Great Expectations.Later in the 19th century Robert Louis Stevenson also wrote Scottish historical romances, The Adventures in Treasure Island and Kidnappedthrill readersyo ung and old. His most famous short novel was The strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.Among Thomas

54、Hardys better-known novels are The Return of the Native, Tess of the Durbervilles, and Jude the Obscure.20th century literature can be broadly divided into two stylistic periods: Modernism, and Postmodernism.One of the most famous of English modernist writers is Joseph Conrad, whosemost famous novel

55、 is The Heart of Darkness.Virginia Woolf is another writer associated with Modernism, and one of the most famous writers of the century. Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, and Orlando are among her best-known books.D.H. Lawrence wrote Sons and Lovers.Unit 7 British Education SystemMany people thi nk

56、school is just about teach ing childre n what are ofte n called he three Rs II -reading, riting and rithmetic I But the purpose of the British education system is also to socialize children.The school (or college) tie is a clear marker of social class.Education in the UK is compulsory. Children are

57、legally obliged to attend school from the age of 5 (4 in Northern Ireland) to 16.State schools are funded by local and central government. The government also sometimes assists schools established by religious groups.In the private sector there are independent schools which are commonly, but confusi

58、ngly, called public schools. Independent schools receive their funding through the private sector and through tuition rates, with some government assistance.Between the ages of 5 to 11, pupils mainly attend state sector primary schools.From the age of 11 up to around the age of 19, students attend s

59、econdary schools.General Certificate of Secondary Education are themain means of assessingpupils progress in their final 2 years of compulsory education.Other pupils who decide not to go to university may choose to take vocational training.So far, the UK has only one privately funded university, the

60、 University of Buckingham.Oxford and Cambridge date from the 12th and 13 centuries.The Open University offers a non-traditional route for people to take university level courses and receive a university degree.Unit 8 British Foreign RelationsBritain was active in setting up the United Nations and, i

61、n recognition of its continuing importance to world politics it was awarded a seat on the UN Security Council.The contemporary foreign policy of the UK is greatly influenced by its imperial history and also by its geopolitical traits.The Prime Minister and Cabinet decide on the general direction of

62、Britains foreign policy.The main government department involved is of course the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.The Ministry of Defence, although it is considered less important than the FCO, is an important play.The Department of Trade and Industry is concerned with formulating international trade

63、 policy and managing British commercial relations with other countries.A less obvious, but extremely influential play in Britain s foreign poly is the Treasury.Britain is one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, along with Russia, China, the US and France.In 1973 the

64、 United Kingdom joined the European Economic Communit,ynow EU.Through its involvement in NATO, Britain was committed to European defence cooperation Britain is also a member of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of states which is made up mostly of former British colonies.The keystone of Brit

65、ish defence policy is its participation in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, more commonly known as NATO.Unit 9 The British MediaThe observer, which is still published every Sunday, first appeared in 1791, making it the worlds oldest Sunday newspaper,while The Times, which began publishing in 1785, is the United Kingdoms oldest daily newspaper.This watchdog function, keeping an eye on the government, is one of the reasons why afree press is considered s