英国国家文化

Lecture1Introduction：TheLand&PeopleDistinguishthefollowingterms：1.TheBritishIsles2.Britain3.GreatBritain4.TheUK5.TheUnitedKingdom6.TheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritain&NorthernIreland7.EnglandTheBritishIsles(TheUK&Ireland)TheUnitedKingdomUKislocatedinthenorthwestoftheEuropeancontinent,separatedbytheEnglishChannel.What’sthedifferencebetweenBritain&theUK?BritainisshortforGreatBritainwhichconsistsof___parts:England,Scotland&WalesSometimeswesimplycalltheUKBritain.BritishpeoplearereferredtoastheBritish,Britons,orinformallyasBritsorBritishers.Location:WesternEuropeArea:total:244,820sqkmland:241,590sqkmPopulation:63,047,162(July2012)Officialname:TheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIrelandFormofgovernment:ConstitutionalmonarchyCapital:London,EnglandTheUnionFlag(TheUnionJack)QueenElizabethIIDavidCameron,LeaderoftheConservativeParty,appointedPrimeMinisteron11May2010,astheheadofacoalitionbetweentheConservativesandtheLiberalDemocratsattheageof43.TheCameronMinistryisthefirstcoalitiongovernmentintheUKaftertheWWII.ConservativePartyleaderMargaretThatcher(1979-1990)ConservativePartyleaderJohnMajor(1990-1997)LabourPartyleaderTonyBlair(1997-2007)LabourPartyleaderGordonBrown(2007-2010)SystemofGovernment▪TheUnitedKingdomisaConstitutionalMonarchy(立宪制君主国).▪Themonarch(君主)theoreticallyholdsallthepower,butinpracticethispowerisexercisedbytheParliament,headedbythePrimeMinister.SomeDistinctionsoftheUKTheUKismadeupof4differentparts,sowhendiscussingBritain&theBritishsomeconsiderationhastobemade.E.g.,awomanfromScotlandwouldnotbepleasedifweweretocallheran“Englishman”.SheisScottish&female&seesheridentityasdifferentfromthatofmen&separatefromtheEnglish.Britainisasocietywithaveryobviousclass-structure:themiddleclass&theworkingclass.Thecultureofafactoryworkerwhosefatherwasafactoryworkermaybequitedifferentfromthatofastockbrokerwhosefatherwasastockbroker:theytendtoreaddifferentnewspapers,watchdifferentTVprograms,speakwithdifferentaccents,dodifferentthingsintheirfreetime&havedifferentexpectationsfortheirchildren.Differencebetweenthecapital&theprovinces:LondonisdominantintheUK:It’sthelargestcity,withabout1/7ofthenation’spopulation.It’stheseatofthegovernment.It’stheculturalcentre,hometoallthemajornewspapers&TVstations.It’salsothebusinesscentre,headquartersofmostBritain’sbigcompanies.It’sthefinancialcentreofthenation&oneofthemajorinternationalfinancialcentersintheworld.AssuchitcombinesthefunctionsofBeijing,Shanghai&Guangzhou,orNewYork,Washington&LosAngelesinonecity.LondonisahugeweightinBritain’seconomic&culturallife.Tosomeextent,therestofthecountrylivesinitsshadow.EnglandSt.George’sCross(England’sFlag)England&theEnglishCapitalCity:LondonLanguages:English,GaelicPopulation:53million(2011)People:EnglishTheThamesRiverPalaceofWestminster(威斯敏斯特宫):VictoriaTower,HouseofLords,HouseofCommons,BigBen,ThamesRiver10DowningStreetBuckinghamPalaceTowerBridgeLondonBridgeTowerofLondonTrafalgarSquare(特拉法尔加广场)WestminsterAbbey（威斯敏斯特大教堂/西敏寺）StPaul'sCathedralBritishMuseumSwissRe.Headquarters30StMaryAxe(TheGherkin)统称：瑞士再保险总部大厦又名：圣玛利艾克斯30号大楼绰号：小黄瓜，子弹头TheGreenwichmeridianlineatnightRoyalObservatoryStonehenge（英国最著名的史前遗迹：巨石阵）CropCircle（2012年巨石阵对面出现新的麦田怪圈）TheLondonEye(alsoknownastheMillenniumWheel,isagiantFerriswheelinLondon)InsideviewofthecapsuleLookingupatthecapsuleaboveusAtthetop!450feetabovethegroundTheviewaswegethigherViewofWestminsterfromtheLondonEyeTheLondonUndergroundScotlandScotlandandtheScotsCapitalCity:EdinburghLanguages:EnglishPopulation:5.25million(2012)People:Scot,theScottish“TherearetwoseasonsinScotland:Juneandwinter.”--BillyConnolly(比利·康诺利，苏格兰著名的喜剧大师)EdinburghCastleOldTown--EdinburghViewofEdinburghfromArthur’sSeat（名为亚瑟王座的251米高的小山）GeorgeSquareandGlasgowCityHallManWearingKiltPlayingBagpipesScottishDanceBenNevis,(TheBen),1344m,thehighestmountaininScotlandandtheUKWales&theWelshCapitalCity:CardiffPopulation:3millionLanguages:English,WelshPeople:theWelshCaernarfonCastle,WalesConquestofWalesbyEnglandTheconquestofWalesbyEnglanddidn’ttakeplacein1066,whenEnglandwasconqueredbytheNormans,butwasgradual,notbeingcompleteduntil1282,whenKingEdwardIofEnglanddefeatedLlywelyntheLast,Wales'slastindependentprince,inbattle.EdwardconstructedaseriesofgreatstonecastlesinordertokeeptheWelshundercontrol.ThebestknownareatCaernarfon,ConwyandHarlech.Snowdon,WalesMuchofWales'sdiverselandscapeismountainous,particularlyinthenorth¢ralregions.SnowdoninthenorthisthehighestpeakinEngland&Walesat1113m.NorthernIrelandandtheIrishCapital:BelfastPopulation:1.8million(2011)NorthernIrelandisoftencalledUlster.Unionists（mainlyprotestants新教）marchagainsttheCatholic(天主教)IrishwhoresentedtheNorth’sseparationfromtheSouthHomework:ReadUnit1&Unit5inourtextbookanddotheexercisesaftereachunit.PrepareforLecture2:StereotypesoftheBritish.(stereotype:Astandardizedpictureorimpressionofapersonoracountry刻板印象，传统模式)Readtheessay“NeverTrustAppearances”inourmailbox.Video：London（9’30”）