1、Lecture 4(Part One)The English CharacterEnglish 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 difficult
2、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.Reasons for the English Reserve(1)It is believed that the English reserve has much to do with the weather in England.The meteorological conditions are special and
3、 the weather is changeable&unpredictable.In 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 English weather has also help
4、ed to make the Englishman adaptable.Reasons 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 cautious nature of the British peo
5、ple.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.English Characteristics(2)Closely related to English reserve is English modesty.Within their heart,the English are perhaps no le
6、ss conceited than anybody else,but in their relations with others they value at least a show of modesty.Self-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 indifference which appears to foreigners as a pose,di
7、fficult to understand&even irritating.English 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 own failures&embarrassments,even at ones own ideals.The
8、 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.English Characteristics(4)Since reserve,a show of modesty&a sense of humor are part of his own nature,the typical Englishman tends to expec
9、t 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.English Characteristics(5)Finally sportsmanship.It is an English ideal that not all En
10、glishmen 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 Britain.Rules are the essence of sport&sportsman-ship is the ability to practice a sport in obe
11、dience to its rules.In Britain they are highly valued.Sportsmanship 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,never take advantage of a mans misfortune.(fair play,playing fair)Politeness in Britain(1)British hab
12、its 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 only exchanged on a first introduction or on special occasions or as a token of agreement or congratulatio
13、n.Excuse me is used as an advance apology for troubling somebody.Sorry expresses regret for an accidental disturbance or breach of manners.Politeness in Britain(2)Politeness towards women is less observed today than it used to be.It is still considered polite to give up ones seat to a woman who is s
14、tanding,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 from the traffic,&so on.The maxim Lady first is well known.The same principle applies to old people.They are respected b
15、ecause they are felt to be in need of protection&support.(Part Two)Culture of England英国文化英国文化Abstract Englands greatest artistic contributions have come in the fields of theatre,literature and architecture.Although there is not an equivalent tradition in painting and sculpture,England is a treasure
16、house of masterpieces from every age and continent thanks to its rapacious（强夺的）强夺的）past.Castles and Cathedrals Most visitors are overwhelmed by the stately homes of the aristocracy,and Englands fine collection of castles and cathedrals.Unfortunately,this significant architectural heritage has failed
17、 to lead to anything more inspiring in the 20th century than motorways,high-rise housing and tawdry（廉价而俗丽的）廉价而俗丽的）suburban development.English literature Anyone who has studied English literature at school will remember plowing（用犁耕田）用犁耕田）through Chaucer,Shakespeare,Dickens and Morrissey,and painful
18、though it might have been at the time,no-one can deny Englands formidable（巨大的）巨大的）contribution to the Western literary canon（圣典）圣典）.The English Language Perhaps Englands greatest cultural export has been the English language,the current lingua franca of the international community.There are astonish
19、ing 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.Religious Beliefs The majority of English who profess religious beliefs belong to the Church of England,which became independent of Rom
20、e in the 16th century.Other significant protestant churches include Methodist,Baptist and the Salvation Army.One in 10 Britons consider themselves Catholic,and there are now over a million Muslims and sizeable Hindu and Sikh populations.Churches Despite this variety of religions,most English are fon
21、der of their churches as architectural icons（图标）图标）of Grandeur（庄严，庄严，伟大，壮丽）伟大，壮丽）and stability than as houses of religious piety.English Food Perhaps the least appealing aspect of English culture is the food,which is s t o d g y （易 吃 饱 的，塞 满 的）易 吃 饱 的，塞 满 的）,uninspiring and expensive.Although London
22、 is experiencing a renaissance（复兴）复兴）in quality,creative cuisine(烹调风格烹调风格),travelers in the provinces or those on a budget should be prepared for uninventive,overcooked meat-and-two-veg and an assortment of fish n chips,eggs and bacon,and smashed potatoes and sausages.Lecture 4(Part Three)Major UK H
23、olidaysMajor UK Holidays(1)New Year Day（元旦）元旦）January 1st Good Friday耶稣受难日耶稣受难日 March/April the Friday before Easter Day Easter Day 复活节复活节 April the first Sunday a month after March 21 May Day Holiday五朔节五朔节 May 1st Mothers Day the second Sunday of May Official Birthday英王官方诞辰英王官方诞辰 the second Saturda
24、y of June Major UK Holidays(2)Fathers Day the third Sunday of June Holloween October 31 All Saints Day November 1 Remembrance Sunday（停战纪念日）停战纪念日）the Sunday prior to December 11 Thanksgiving Day the last Thursday of November Christmas Day December 25th Boxing Day 节礼日节礼日 December 26thMajor UK Holidays
25、(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.Lecture 4(Part Four)Britain&the WorldThe Commonwealth The modern Commonwealth is a voluntary,free association of 50 independent sover
26、eign 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 colonies of Britain became independent.The aim of the Commonwealth originally was to preserve&spread democrati
27、c principles in countries in different continents,across racial boundaries&provide a global network of alliances among democratic states.Members of the Commonwealth Antigua&Barbuda,Australia,Bahamas,Bangladesh,Barbados,Belize,Botswana,Britain,Brunei,Canada,Cyprus,Dominica,The Gambia,Ghana,Grenada,Gu
28、yana,India,Jamaica,Kenya,Kiribati,Lesotho,Malawi,Malaysia,The Maldives,Malta,Mauritius,Namibia,Nauru,New Zealand,Nigeria,Pakistan,Papua New Guinea,St Christopher&Nevis,Saint Lucia,St Vincent&the Grenadines,Seychelles,Sierra Leone,Singapore,Solomon Islands,Sri Lanka,Swaziland,Tanzania,Tonga,Trinidad&
29、Tobago,Tuvalu,Uganda,Vanuatu,Western Samoa,Zambia,Zimbabwe.Commonwealth Countries The above underlined countries have Queen Elizabeth 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 e
30、mpires of the past.It is an entirely new conception built on the highest qualities of the spirit of man;friendship,loyalty&the desire for freedom&peace.”(Queen Elizabeth II,Radio Broadcast,Christmas 1953)Relations with Europe:the European Community It was founded in 1958,when 6 countries signed the
31、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.The Aims of the EC To reduce&remove
32、restrictions between the member countries:-by the removal of internal trade barriers -by enabling a free flow of capital&perhaps the eventual introduction of a common currency -by allowing citizens of all the member states to seek jobs in any of the member countries without having to acquire a work
33、permit To develop common policies on transport,agriculture&external trade.Members of European Community The original 6 members were West Germany,France,Belgium,Luxembourg,Italy,Netherlands.1994,in addition to these 6,the other 9 members are Britain,Irish Republic,Denmark,Spain,Portugal,Greece,Sweden
34、,Austria&Finland.Britain&the United Nations Britain is fully committed to the principles of the UN&its Charter&believes that all member states should ensure that the functions of the organization maintain peace,assist developing nations&protect human rights&freedoms.The Security Council of the UN is constituted with 15 members,5 countries,Britain,China,USA,France&the Soviet Union to have permanent seats and a permanent power of veto.
