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1、Lecture 4 (Part One),The English Character,English 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 i
2、s difficult 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 condit
3、ions are special and 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
4、English weather has also helped 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 ca
5、utious 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.,English Characteristics (2),Closely related to English reserve is English modesty. Within
6、their 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.,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 indif
7、ference which appears to foreigners as a pose, difficult 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, o
8、nes own failures & embarrassments, even at ones own ideals.,The 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
9、 humor 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.,Engli
10、sh 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 B
11、ritain. 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.,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,
12、never take advantage of a mans misfortune. (fair play, playing fair),Politeness 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
13、are only exchanged on a first introduction or on special occasions or as a token of agreement or congratulation.,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 wom
14、en 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
15、her from the traffic, & so on. The maxim Lady first is well known.,The same principle applies to old people. They are respected because they are felt to be in need of protection & support.,(Part Two) Culture of England,英国文化,Abstract,Englands 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 （强夺的） past.,Castles and Cathedrals,Most 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 （廉价而俗丽的） suburban development.,English literature,Anyone who ha
18、s 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）.,The English Language,Perhaps Englands
19、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.,R
20、eligious Beliefs,The 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, and t
21、here are now over a million Muslims and sizeable Hindu and Sikh populations.,Churches,Despite this variety of religions, most English are fonder of their churches as architectural icons （图标） of Grandeur （庄严，伟大，壮丽） and stability than as houses of religious piety.,English Food,Perhaps the least appeal
22、ing aspect of English culture is the food, which is stodgy （易吃饱的，塞满的）, uninspiring and expensive. Although London is experiencing a renaissance （复兴） in quality, creative cuisine (烹调风格), travelers in the provinces or those on a budget should be prepared for uninventive, overcooked meat-and-two-veg an
23、d an assortment of fish n chips, eggs and bacon, and smashed potatoes and sausages.,Lecture 4 (Part Three),Major UK Holidays,Major UK Holidays(1),New Year Day （元旦） January 1st Good Friday耶稣受难日 March/April the Friday before Easter Day Easter Day 复活节 April the first Sunday a month after March 21 May D
24、ay Holiday五朔节 May 1st Mothers Day the second Sunday of May Official Birthday英王官方诞辰 the second Saturday 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） the Sunday prior to December 11 Thanksgiving Day the last
25、Thursday of November Christmas Day December 25th Boxing Day 节礼日 December 26th,Major 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.,Lecture 4 (Part Four),Britain &
26、the World,The Commonwealth,The 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
27、colonies 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.,Members of the Commonwealth,Antigua & Barbuda,
28、 Australia, 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
29、 Christopher & 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.,Commonwealth Countries,The above underlined countries have Queen E
30、lizabeth 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, loya
31、lty & 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 Treaty of Rome, their primary concern being to restore their economies which had suffered the aftermath of th
32、e 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 restrictions between the member countries: -by the removal of internal trade barriers -by enabling a f
33、ree 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 permit To develop common policies on transport, agriculture & external trade.,Members of European C
34、ommunity,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, Austria & Finland.,Britain & the United Nations,Britain is fully committed to t
35、he 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.,