Some historical
context
Look at the map of Britain,
and you begin to understand a critical feature of British
culture. Most important, it is an island. The island fortress
of Britain has served to help Britons distinguish themselves
from their European neighbors (a headline in the London Times
of the early twentieth century read, "Heavy Fog Over Channel,
Continent Cut Off")─indeed, to help themselves against
their occasional Continental enemies. Even today, there is
a strong trend among the evident in many areas: from the reticence
of many Britons to join up with the policies of the Economic
Union (EU) to the skepticism surrounding the benefits of the
"Chunnel". A second important feature is the weather and climate.
It is always perfectly all right to talk about the weather
in Britain: everyone does it, and although it is usually just
a way of maintaining small talk, it is a key aspect of British
life. Basically, the country has a rough and challenging climate;
it allows for a "man versus nature" approach to life, promoting
everything from a preference for "sensible " clothes, to a
reverence for the never-quite-finished sheltering and cozy
home and hearth, to the Industrial Revolution. A small island,
nation, short on natural resources, densely populated by a
people created from waves of invasions over eons, resulting
in a people of strong, insular identity and conviction.
The
modern Britain is a combination of many other cultures. The
first culture of Britain was created by the Celtic peoples
who migrated to Britain and Ireland in approximately 300 B.C.
The Romans followed, then the Vikings, then the Normans (from
the north of France), and finally the Anglo-Saxons─those
peoples from Germany. The result was, among other things,
the creation of the modern English language and culture. Today,
the modern variants of the Celtic culture are mainly found
in the Scots, the Irish, and the Welsh. All inhabitants of
the island of Britain are British (or Britons); therefore,
the Scots, the Welsh, and the English are all, technically,
British. However, the English are not Scots, nor Welsh, nor
Irish. It is
very important, therefore, to identify Britons carefully;
offense is easily taken in mistaking one for the other. Great
Britain is a political term, referring to the union of the
Kingdoms of Scotland and England, the principality of Wales,
assorted minor entities, and Northern Ireland. Northern Irish
Protestants sometimes prefer to call themselves Britons rather
than Irish. Be especially careful in the terms you use to
refer to your colleagues from there Anglo-Celtic isles.
Language
notes
:
1.
English people tend to be like that.
Tend means to be likely.
e.g. Janet tends to get very angry if you
disagree with her.
2.
English (except perhaps in the North) are not noted for their
generosity and hospitality.
Noted (for) means
well known because of a special quality or ability.
e.g.
When I toured in the Netherlands, I visited a small town noted
for its cheeses.
3.
Like a sense of humor, sportsmanship is an English ideal which
not all Englishmen live up to.
Live up to
means to keep to the high standards of.
e.g. Did
the film live up to your expectations? (= Was it as good as
you expected?)
4.
When the request is granted, and at any time when you are receiving
something, however obviously you are entitled to it, you are
always expected to say "Thank you".
Entitle means
to give (someone) the right to do something or have something.
It is often used in the passive voice.
e.g. Only
members of the company are entitled to use the facilities.
Culture
notes:
1.
Physicality and Physical Space
When
possible, a small distance between speakers is preferred,
although given the density of the highly urbanized England
of today, this is not often possible. Never speak with your
hands in you pockets: keep them always firmly to your side,
stand straight, and sit with feet planted flat on the floor.
If men and women must cross their legs, it must never be ankles
over knee, and for women, it is most preferable to cross ankle
over ankle.
2. Eye
Contact
Contradictory
behaviors here: in casual conversation, especially between
people who are not that familiar with each other, eye contact
is minimal, beginning with a meeting of the eyes, and then
a looking away. This is true for social as well as business
conversation. However, when important points are being made,
interest is being shown, or a relationship desired, maintaining
direct eye contact is very important. Do not stare at people
in
public. Once eye contact is made with an individual, no other
individual can intrude on the conversation until the conversation
is completed. Avoiding eye contact is a very common way of
saying, "I want my privacy," and the English can be a very
private people, even in public.
3. Table
Manners and the Use of Utensils
The English
do not switch knives and forks. When both are used, the knife
remains in the right hand, and the fork remains in the left.
When the meal is finished, the knife and fork are laid parallel
to each other across the right side of the plate. If you put
both utensils down on the plate for any real amount of time,
it is a sign to the wait staff that you are finished, and your
plate may be taken away from you. In addition, the fork is
often held tines down, so that food is scooped up onto the
backside of the fork; do this after much practice, or with
foods that can stick to the back of the fork. There are often
many additional pieces of cutlery, and the cutlery is often
substantial. The knife above the plate is used for butter;
otherwise, if you’re unsure of which utensil to use, always
start from the outside and work your way in, course by course.
Hands are expected, when not holding utensils, to be in one’s
lap at the dinner table. At the table, pass all dishes to
your left.
Text 2
Does Anybody Really Care?
About the author:
Born
April 17, 1900, Benson, Minnesota, Edgar
Dale was acknowledged as a major contributor to the study
of educational communications. He earned the B.A. (1921)
and M.A. (1924) degrees from the University of North Dakota.
In 1928 he received the Ph.D. degree from the University of
Chicago. He was
a teacher in a small rural school in North Dakota (1918-19).
He was superintendent of schools at Webster, North Dakota
(1921-24), and a teacher at the junior high school at Winnetka,
Illinois (1924-26). His interest
in film led to a position with Eastman Kodak as a member of
the editorial staff of Eastman Kodak Teaching Films (1928-29). He took
a position with Ohio State Univ. as a research associate in
the Bureau of Educational Research and continued as professor
of education (1929-70). He was responsible for the simplification
and clarification of educational reading materials and the
development of a readability formula for measuring grade levels
of reading materials.
Dale
wrote many books and articles, including How to Appreciate
Motion Pictures (1935), Teaching with Motion Pictures
(1937), How to Read a Newspaper (1941), Audio Visual
Methods in Teaching (1946), Can You Give the Public
What It Wants? (1967), Techniques for Teaching Vocabulary
(1971), and Building a Learning Environment (1972).He produced
three readers used in the literacy program of the armed services
and chaired the committee that produced Mass Media and
Education, the fifty-third yearbook of the National Society
for the Study of Education (1954). Dale was editor of
The News Letter for some thirty-six years until his
retirement.
Dale
received the first Educational Film Library Association Award
(1961), the Eastman Kodak Gold Medal Award (1968), and the
Distinguished Services Award by the Association for Educational
Communications and Technology (1972).
Language notes:
1.The
program of the First Community Village in Columbus ,Ohio,
and other similar centers may be in a happy augury things
to come.
A happy augury is
a happy sign of coming events.
2.idiosyncrasy:
A strange or unusual habit or way of behaving that a particular
person has.
3.Is
it possible that we are rejecting the ideas of young people
in the guise of rejecting their style of dress?
In the guise of means under the appearance
of.
4.Ignazio
Silone's Bread and Wine:
Ignazio Silone(1900-1978),Italian
writer, wrote Bread and Wine in 1937.
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