英美概况社会生活-Social-Life.ppt

Social Life Chapter I The Family British society is based on family life and the family is a self-contained economic and social unit with mother,father and children living together alone in their own house.So marriage signifies the beginning of a new and independent family and means a great deal in British life.1.Marriage In terms of marriage no child can marry below the age of sixteen,whether with or without the parents consent.Between 16 to 18 the parents content is necessary.But over the age of 18 the parents consent is unnecessary.Nowadays it is quite normal for a girl of 16 to go out with a boyfriend.If they are together for a long time and know each other well,they will invite each other to their house to meet their parents on the basis of“going steady”.The first step towards the wedding is an engagement ring which is placed on the third finger of the girls left hand.For the wedding,many British couples go to church to have the ceremony,no matter whether they are religious or not.For the church ceremony the girl is usually dressed in a long white dress and attended by her close relatives and friends.The bride and bridegroom make considerable promises of loyalty to each other,but first of all the vicar(教区牧师)will ask them whether each is willing to marry the other.The bride is given away by a close relative to her husband,usually by her father,which indicate that the bond of marriage is stronger than any previous family bonds,stronger than the bond between the bride and her mother.After the wedding there is always a reception of a light meal to which all the relatives and friends are invited.2.Meals British meals are an important element in family life,because British meals have a great effect on family life when the family members sit together round the table at definite time.Visits at meal time are impolite.They do not expect you to be invited to share the meal.Breakfast Breakfast is often a rather hurried and informal meal,which is taken sitting at the table.A full breakfast commonly begins with a cereal(谷类),like corn-flakes（玉米片）,to which milk and sugar are added.Then fried egg,bacon(熏猪肉)or sausages(香肠)may follow with fried bread or fried potatoes.Buttered slices of toast(烤面包)conclude the meal,and tea or coffee is drunk with it.Lunch The midday lunch time is from about 12:30 to 2:00 p.m.On Sundays,the family usually sit together to lunch.The first course is a small quantity of soup.The main course consists of meat,potatoes and other vegetables.After the main course there is always a light course called the dessert or“sweet”.Afternoon tea The next meal is“tea”in the afternoon,called“afternoon tea”.At about five oclock the mother and children may have cups of tea,with slices of bread and butter,and cake.If they wait a little later for the father to come back from work,they may have“a high tea(台茶/茶餐)”,which is a heavier,cooked meal,often including a plate of chips with fried egg or fried fish.The evening meal varies from family to family.Chapter II Character and Manners性格与礼貌 The British people have their own mentalities and attitudes.They have their own way of thinking and acting.1.Exclusiveness The best-known quality of the British people and,in particular,of the English people is their exclusiveness.It is very difficult to know such a man who does not talk much,never says anything about himself,does not show much emotion and hardly ever gets excited.Perhaps there are two reasons:one is the special geographical location of Britain;the other is the distinct development of its history.2.Conservativeness The English people are so conservative that they have to wait a long time before they are prepared to try something new.Englishmen think their way of doing things is always the best,and always the most normal.One is that the British people have been slow in adopting rational reform.In the 1960s the 24 clock was at last adopted for railway timetables.The public attitude to the monarchy(君主制)illustrates conservativeness.Another example is that the British people favor the old ways.When central heating was developed in the U.S.A.the English people thought this was a horrible thing.3.Politeness In Britain,all politeness is based on the basic rule of showing consideration for others.The British people do not readily ask you to do anything inconvenient for them.In the daily life of the British“Excuse me”is heard as an apology for troubling somebody.Sorry express regret for an unconscious disturbance;also replaces“no”,when you cannot accept to a request.“pardon”or“sorry”rather than“what”is the normal polite way of asking sb.to repeat what he has said.A bare“yes”or“no”is considered very rude when you reply to an offer.They are quite particular about table manners.E.g.At table,it is advisable to sit up straight.The British people usually do not cry and shout in public.4.Love of PrivacyThe right to privacy and personal freedom is unquestioned by the British.There is a common saying among the British people,“My home is my castle.The wind can come in,but the Kings and Queens and human beings can never come in without my permission.”5.Stiff Upper LipThe British people showing their mentality is called“phlegm(冷淡、不动感情)”.It means calm and undemonstrative(含蓄的)behavior.The British do not show their feelings very much.6.Sense of HumorThe English sense of humour is self-deprecating,that is the act of laughing at oneself.An Englishman laughs at his own faults,his own shortcomings,his own failures and his own embarrassment.Chapter III Customs and HabitsThe British people have their own particular customs,particularly the customs associated with the royal family.Here are some important ones:1.John Bull Image of John Bull:he is short and fat,with a tall hat on his head and a pair of boots on his feet.It is the nicknames for Britain.英国人的绰号英国人的绰号“约翰牛约翰牛”The Nickname of theBritish People：John Bull英国人在国际上有个很通行的绰号约翰牛。这个绰号是英国人自己叫起来的。它源自1727年苏格兰作家约翰阿巴思诺特（John Arbuthnot）写的一本书，名为约翰牛的历史（The History of John Bull）。阿巴思诺特生于1667年，毕业于圣安德兽医学院，担任过英国宫廷医生，还善于写政治性的讽刺作品。1712年后，共写了5本关于约翰牛和其邻居的讽刺性寓言小册子。1727年汇辑成书，题名为约翰牛的历史。作者在书中讽刺英国在西班牙王位继承战争中所扮演的角色。他把英国人格化，把英国写成一个叫约翰牛的人物。这个人物是一个头戴礼帽、足蹬长统靴、手持雨伞的矮胖愚笨的绅士，用来比喻参与西班牙王位继承战争的英国当局。约翰牛喜欢虚张声势，也很执拗，但心地善良。从此以后，人们就把英国人称为约翰牛。这个绰号多半是形容英国人傲慢、固执。2.Talking About the WeatherWhy do Englishmen love to talk about the weather?There are perhaps two reasons.One is the uncertainty of the weather.Another reason is that talking about the weather,unlike discussing politics,seems a way of being friendly,without getting heated.The weather is a subject which is quite safe to talk about.3.Ladies First“Ladies First”is also a British custom,though it is less observed today than it used to be.But there is still the feeling that they need protection.It is still considered polite to let a woman go first,to protect her from traffic,to help her go on and get off the bus and to do many other things for her.4.Three“Dons”The British have the habit of queuing.If somebody jumps the queue(插队),the British people look down upon him or her.In England,you should never ask a woman her age.Dont try to bargain in Britain when you do the shopping.5.Three“INGS”Three“INGS”refer to betting,drinking and tipping,the end for each of which is ING.The British people are great lovers of betting.They bet mainly on horse racing and Bingo(一种用纸牌搭成方块的赌博).Drinking is a habit of the British people.Most men have the habit of drinking beer,wine and so on.There is another type of drinking,the drinking of tea.Tipping is a custom which the British have.The tipping system in Britain or in the west,consists of small extra payment of a tenth or an eighth of the price of the bill,given to waiters,taxi drivers,hairdressers.6.Three Royal Traditions1).Playing the flute is one of the royal traditions.2).The changing of the Queens guard is another of the royal traditions.There are two places in which the ceremonies take place.One ceremony is in front of Buckingham Palace.The other is at Whitehall.Both take place at eleven a.m.weekdays and at ten on Sunday.The Queens guards,dressed in red coats and black trousers,a white belt,in white gloves,with a glittering sword at the waist and a tall black fur hat on the head.3)The third is a royal ceremony involving only the monarch.Annually,the British Queen makes a parliamentary speech,the ceremony for which is rather solemn.会议的独特仪式会议的独特仪式 A Particular Ceremony of the Parliament英国议会有一个独特的仪式，至今已有300多年的历史。英国国王（女王）每年都要到议会去致词。英王乘坐金饰辉煌的马车，从白金汉宫来到泰晤士河畔的议会大厦威斯敏斯特宫（Westminster Palace）。英王在上院（the House of Lords）的王位就座后，派遣一名手持黑杖的信使去大厦另一端的下院会场，通知下院的议员到上院（the House of Commons）听英王讲话。但是当信使走到下院附近时，下院的警卫立即把大门关紧，把信使关在门外。这时信使用黑杖（Black Rod）在下院大门的铜环上连敲三下，要求进入。当下院议长（the Speaker）表示同意后，警卫才打开大门让信使进入下院。然后信使向下院传达英王旨意，并向议长深深鞠躬。此后，议长起身，带领下院议员鱼贯走入上院。议会的这一仪式起源于1642年。英王查理一世（Charles I）（16001649）是英国历史有名的暴君（tyrant）。他对抗议会（parliament），压迫清教徒（Puritan）。他在1629年解散议会，此后11年独断专行，史称为“11年暴政”（Eleven Years Tyranny）。最后他的统治被推翻，他以暴君、叛国者、杀人犯被处决。是英国历史上仅有的被处死的国王。1642年1月，查理一世闯进下院，要抓捕与国王对抗的5名议员。但议长针锋相对，慷慨陈词，说他只听从议会的指令，断然拒绝交出这5名议员。查理一世只好悻悻地离开下院。此时议员高喊：“特权！”“特权！”以抗议查理一世的粗暴行为。以后，为纪念这次反对封建特权的胜利，下院每次开会都采用这一仪式，一直到现在。不过现在已完全变成一种仪式。Chapter IV British Holidays and Festivals1.In Britain,many holidays and festivals have a Christian background.2.Christmas is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.No one knows the exact date of Christs birth,but most Christians observe Christmas on December 25.On this day,many go to church,where they take part in special religious services.During the Christmas season,they also exchange gifts and decorate their homes with Christmas trees.The word Christmas comes from Cristes maesse,an early English phrase that means Mass of Christ.Father ChristmasIts on December 25th.Merry Christmas!the traditional Christmas tree comes from a German tradition Queen Victorias husband,Prince Albert was the first man to introduce Christmas trees to Britain.Christmas is the biggest holiday in England.Schools usually have a two week holiday and all the offices and shops close over the Christmas period.It is a time very similar to Spring Festival in China,when people spend time with their families.Christmas Day Christians will go to Church on this day.On Christmas EveOn Christmas Evethe the night before Christmas Daynight before Christmas Daychildren children all all overover Britain put a stocking Britain put a stocking at the end ofat the end of their beds before they their beds before they go to sleepgo to sleep.Their.Their parentsparents usually tell them that Father usually tell them that Father Christmas will come Christmas will come during the nightduring the night.Father Christmas is very Father Christmas is very kindkindheartedhearted.He.He lands on top of each house and lands on top of each house and climbs climbs downdown the chimney into the fireplace.the chimney into the fireplace.chimneyfireplaceThe Christmas Dinner,usually at lunchtime on Christmas Day is the most important meal.Christmas Dinner:-turkey,sausages,baconRoast potatoes,boiled potatoes,carrots,cauliflower,sprouts.Dessert-Christmas pudding(made from dried fruit and nuts)with a white brandy sauceChristmas Day（节礼日）is a national holiday,and the next day(26th December),called Boxing Day is also a national holiday.It is called Boxing Day because it is the day that traditionally employers would give their employees a Christmas box containing gifts or money similar to the idea of the hong bao in China.Pantomimes（哑剧）these are traditional at Christmas.A pantomime is a comedy play and is usually based on a famous fairytale(such as Cinderella),but includes jokes and songs.The leading role of the man is always played by a woman,and there is always a“Dame”(an old woman)that is played by a man.The Queens Speech is a traditional Christmas message given by the Queen at 3pm on Christmas Day.It is broadcast on TV and lasts for about 10 minutes.The Queen will sum up the previous year and express her hopes for the coming new year.The Christmas SymbolsStar-A heavenly sign of prophecy fulfilled long ages ago-the shining hope of mankindRed-The first color of Christmas symbolizing the Saviors sacrifice for allFir tree EvergreenFir tree Evergreen-The second color of Christmas shows everlasting life.The needles point heavenward.BellBell-Rings out to guide lost sheep back to the fold-signifying all are precious in the eyes of the Lord gift bow（蝴蝶结）-Tied as we should all be tied together in bonds of goodwill forever.2.EasterFor Christians this is the most important festival.Easter includes two national holidays Good Friday(耶稣受难节)and Easter Monday(复活节后的星期一).Easter celebrates the death of Jesus Christ(crucifixion),on Good Friday,and his resurrection on Easter Sunday(复活节).The date of Easter is based on the lunar calendar and so changes every year.Easter traditions:-Easter eggs made from chocolate.The egg is supposed to represent new life and the start of Spring.In the past egg rolling was a common tradition people would roll real eggs down a hill and if your egg did not break this mean that you would have good luckEaster bunny the rabbit who brings the Easter eggs for children3.April Fools Day(April 1st)is hardly a festival,but on that day you may find that someone has given you a false message or some other ingenious(有独创性的)tricks have been played on you to make you an“April Fool”.4.A birthday is a purely personal festival.But the birthday of the British Monarch is a National day in Britain,for there is no fixed day which is a National Day in Britain.Queen Elizabeth II was born on April 21st,1926.Because the weather in April is usually not good,national celebrations are held on the second Thursday of June every year.