01. Country and people

Geographically speaking:

• Lying of the north-west coast of Europe.

• The largest island is called Great Britain.

• Contain 4 country: Scotland, Northern Island, England (biggest), Wales.

Looking for a name:

• The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Island: its official name.

• The United Kingdom:

ü at the Eurovision Song Contest.

ü at the United Nation.

ü in the European parliament.

• GB: banking and car sticker.

• Great Britain: at the Olympic Games.

• Britain: in writing and speaking that is not especially formal or informal.

*Why is Britain "Great"? It was first used to distinguish it from the smaller area in France which is called "Brittany" in modern English.

The four nations:

A. Identify the symbols:

1.National flag of the United Kingdom:

The Union Jack or The Union Flag: It was made up of 3 crosses:

-Up right redcross: St. George's Cross (patron saint of England)

-Whitediagonal cross: St. Andrew's Cross (patron saint of Scotland)

-Reddiagonal cross: St. Patrick's Cross (patron saint of Ireland)

*Wales:

Reddragon ( Dragon of Cadwallader) passant on a greenand whitefield Þtudor royal arms.

2. Others:

England

Wales

Scotland

Ireland

Plants

rose

leek/daffodil

thistle

shamrock

Colors

white

red

blue

green

Patron Saint

St. George

St. David

St. Andrew

St. Patrick

Saint's day

23 April

1 March

30 November

17 March

3.Monarchy:

Constitutional monarchic:

-King or Queen: head of State

-Parliament:

+House of Lords

+House of Common: new bill are introduced and debated here.

B. The tokens of national identify:

1.Surnames:(family name, last name)

-Mac (Mc): Scotland, Ireland.

-O (O'Brien): Ireland.

-Smith or Brown (The Smith): England, Scotland.

2.First names for men:

-John: England

-Ian: Scottish

-Sean: Irish

ðcommon through Britain.

3.Clothes:

Kilt (skirt): is worn by men. It is the symbol of Scottishness.

+Pattern: checked

+Material: wool

+Color: colorful

4.Characteristic:

-The Irish are supposed to be great talkers (good at eloquence).

-The Scots have a reputation for being careful with money.

-The Welsh are renowned for their singing ability (good at singing).

5.Nicknames:

Men are sometimes known and addressed as:

-John: Scottish

-Paddy/Mick: Irish

-Dai/Taffy: Welsh

ðthe person using these names is not a friend or using it in the plural form or consider as insulting.

6. Musical instruments:

-The harp: is a stringed musical instrument which has a number of individual strings running at an angel to its soundboard, which are plucked with the fingers.

-Bagpipes: a reed instrument of a melody pipe and one or more accompanying drone pipes protruding from a windbag into which the air is blown by the mouth or a below.

The dominance of England:

*Why and how does England dominate the UK?

• England is the biggest country in the UK:

-England is a country in the UK and occupies most of the southern two thirds of Great Britain. The total area of England is 130,410 square km (50, 352 square mi).

-England used to be known as England, meaning the land of the Angles, people from continental -Germany, who began to invade Britain in the late 5th century, along with the Saxons and Jute.

• England contains about 84% of the UK population..

• The capital of the UK is in England:

-The capital, seat of government, and the largest city in the United Kingdom is London. 
London is also is the capital of England.

-All of Great Britain has been ruled by the UK government in London since 1707. (In 1999 the first elections to the newly created Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales took place leaving England as the only part of the Great Britain with no devolved assembly or parliament).

• TheEnglish language comes from England:

-Asit names suggest, the English language, today spoken by hundreds of millions of people around the world, originated as the language from England, where it remains the principal tongue today.

-English is the official language of the UK and the first language of the vast majority of the population. Both Wales and Scotland have their own languages but English is spoken in both countries more.

• The British Royal family live in England.

• Most of the world assumes that British people are "English" unless specified otherwise:

This of course is wrong. British people can be Scottish, Welsh, Irish (living in Northern Ireland) or English. The Scots and the Welsh are proud of their separate identities and tend to be more forward about referring to themselves as Scottish or Welsh.

• Culture: British culture is specifically English.

• Public:

-Finance: bank of English.

-The Queen: Elizabeth II. She covers all over 4 countries.

-The Anglo – American relations.

• The names of publications and organizations:

British are the people with the largest amount of reading newspapers in the word. Some newspaper with over 200 pages, sometimes with supplement.

Ex: Times – Times Educational Supplement.

03. Geography

Overview (generalization of the physical geography):

• A notable lack of extremes.

-Notable = remarkable

-Extremes = too hot, too long, too short.

• Geography elements: mountains, flat land, hills, rivers, volcano.

-Mountain : none of them are very high

-Flat land: you can't travel far without encountering high hills.

-River: notbig

-Volcano: sleeping, not active

-Earthtremos: no more than rattle tea cups.

Climate:

• Rainfall:

*Comparedto the other countries in European , How wet is Britain?

*Britain rains all the time. It is true?

No – The image of Britain is a country of wet and foggy land.

-London gets no more rain in a year than other major European cities, and less than other country.

-Look at the bar chart of Annual total precipitation in some European cities.

+The cities with the most rainfall are Milan and Cardiff.

+The city with the least rainfall is Athens (Greece).

+London has the rainfall of 600 mm.

ðmoderate

• Weather:

-Britain doesn't have a climate.

*It only has weather. Why?

-The weather changes all the time. You are not sure of dry day. There can be cool (even cold) days in July and some quite warm days in January.

ðchangeability

• Temperature:

-Temperature: lack of extremes

-The temperature of the hottest month:

ðnot too hot

-The temperature of the coldest month.

ðnot too cold

Land and settlement:

• Britain has neither towering mountain ranges norimpressive large rivers, plains or forests.

ðlack of extremes.

• The scenery changes noticeably over quite short distances Þvariety.

Ex: a journey of 100 miles seems twice as far.

• Human influence has been extensive.

- Most of the forests have disappeared.

- The fields in southern England are enclosed with hedgerows.

• Much of the land is used for human habitation.

- Because of their habitual concern for privacy and over of the countryside.

- English and Welsh people don't like living in blocks of flats in city center and the countries.

The environment and pollution:

*In Britain, do they have such pollution?

In the past, they did. They were heavily polluted. At present, it improves a lot.

1.Air pollution:

-Britain is one of the industrialized nations in the world.

-Machine replaced people. A lot of factories are set up. When machinery was in operation, it released a lot of smoke.

Þ"smog" (smoke + fog).

-Its cities werethe first to suffer this atmospheric condition

Þheavily polluted

Þcaused 4000 – 8000 deaths in 1952.

2.Water pollution:

-The River Thames was polluted because fish could not live there in the 20thcentury.

-People who fell into the Thames were rushed to hospital to have their stomach pumped.

3. Noise pollution:

Because Britain is an industrialized country, a lot of factories and plants were built in the past Þa lot of noise, but it was in the past. At present, there is less noise.

London:

• What is London made up of? = Which city (cities) made up of London?

-Westminster, another "city" outside London walls, that these national institutions met.

-The square mile (also known simply as "the City" ) is home to the country's main financial organizations.

-the West End and the East End.

• The Features:

1.The contract:

-The West End: many theaters, cinemas, expensive shops.

-The East End: poorer residential area (slums), immigrant group.

2.London is a multi – cultural society:

-More than 300 languages spoken.

-More than 70 differentcountries.

3. Tourism to London:

Cultural variety – a long history.

SouthernEngland:

1."Commuter land":

-outer suburbs of London.

-the most densely populated area.

-inhabitants travel into London to work every day.

2. The County of Kent: is knownas "the garden of England " because of the many kind of fruit and vegetables grown there.

3. The Downs:a series of hills in a horseshoe shape to the south of London, are used for sheep farming.

4.The West Country:has an attractive image of rural beauty in British people's mind.Some parts of the West Country are well-known for their dairy produce, such as Devonshire cream, and fruit.

5. East Anglia:it is the only region in Britain where there are large expanses of uniformly flat land.

The Midlands of England:

1.Brimingham:is Britain's second largest city. (sometimes known as the Black Country).

2.The Industries: pottery, China, fishing

3.Tourism: Shakespeare's birth place.

Northern England:

1.Geography:the Pennines mountains run up the middle of northern England like a spine.

• large deposits of coal: used to provide power

• iron ore: used to make machinery

2.The prototypeof noisy, dirty, factories symbolize the Industrial Revolution is found in the once – industrial north of England.

3.Population:

-Open and uninhabited countryside is never far away from its cities or towns.

-The typically industrial landscape and the very rural landscape interlock.

4. The geography and the art:

-In the north – western corner of the country is the Lake District.

-The Romantic poets Wordsworth, Coleridge and Southey lived here and wrote about its beauty.

Scotland: (to the North)

1. The economy:tourism, whisky production.

2. The geography:

-The southern uplands: just north of the border with England.

-The central plains: further north.

-The highlands: mountains, deep valleys, numerous small islands off the wet coast.

3. Two major cities:Glasgow, Edinburgh.

• Glasgow:

-Glasgow is associated with heavy industry and some of the worst housing conditions in Britain.

-Glasgow has a strong artistic heritage.

+European city of culture.

+Immigrants from Ireland Þthe echo of same divisions in the community that exist in Northern Ireland.

• Edinburgh:

-Capital of Scotland.

-It is associated with scholarship, the law, and administration.

Wales: (to the West)

1. The industrial revolution in the north of England:

-Locate the prototype coal mine in south Wales.

-It is the only part of Britain with a high proportion of industrial villages.

2. Topography:

Most of the rest of Wales is mountainous. The area around Mount Snowdon in the north – west of the country is very beautiful and is the largest National Park in Britain.

Northern Ireland:

-Capital: Belfast.

-It is famous for linen and shipbuilding.

-Economy: agriculture.

EXERCISE:

I. Match:

1. Big Ben: The nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, and often extend to refer to the clock tower.

2. East End of London: An area of central London containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses.

3. The London Eye: A giant Ferris wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London, England.

4. The Palace of Westminster: The meeting palace of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, these two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

5. The Square Mile: widely referred to as the City (often written on maps as "City" and differentiated from the phrase "the city of London" by capitalizing the world City). It is home to Britain's main financial organizations.

6. The Thames Estuary: the place in which the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea.

7. Tower Bridge: A suspension bridge in London which crosses the River Thames (built 1886-1894).

8. Tower of London: A historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England.

9. West End of London: An area of central London containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment venues.

10. Westminster Abbey: A large, mainly Gothic, church in the City of Westminster, London.

II. Word or Phrase:

1. The edges of hills facing out to sea on the south coast of England:cliffs

2. Areas of land where there are no towns or cities (the opposite of "urban"):rural

3. A combination of smoke and fog: smog

4. The area surrounding the outer suburbs of London: commuter land

5.The flat, watery area in East Anglia: The Fens

6. An area of Glasgow famous in the past for its terrible housing conditions: The Gorbals

III. Put the following in order from north to south:

The Athens of north ÞThe European City of Culture ÞBradford ÞLeeds ÞManchester ÞLiverpool ÞMount Snowdon ÞNottingham ÞDerby ÞLeicester ÞBirmingham ÞShakespeare's country ÞThe Capital of UK ÞCardiff ÞThe Downs

III. Fill in the gaps:

It is part of English folklore that the north and south of the country are irredeemably different from each other. The north is full of poor but honestworkers; the south is full of rich softies who live off the sweat of the northerners. In the south of England all the men wear bowler hats and suits and carry briefcaseson the train to work in the cityevery day. In the north, they all wear workman's overalls and cycle to work in the local factorycarrying sandwiches. In the south, they are polite, but a bit soft and hypocritical. In the north they are plain speakingand hard, suspicious of strangers but actually very friendly.These two stereotypes are well-known in England. But they cannot be completely true. After all, most of the heavy industryin the north has closed down. In any case, people in Britain move arounda lot in their lifetimes, so that lots of the people in the south of England must be northerners and vice-versa. Nevertheless, it is true that housescost much more in the south than they do in the north. But even here the picture is complicated. Ten of the poorest areas in the country are actually in London.

05. Attitudes

*What does "attitudes" means?

-Viewpoint, ideas, thinking about someone or something.

-The attitudes of British people = the ideas of British people towards everyday life.

"It is best to be cautions about accepting such characterizations too easily."

Stereotypes and change:

A. A land of tradition:

1. Red bus: London's famous red buses were privatized.

2. Political continuity.

3. Attendant ceremonies:

-The annual ceremony of the state opening of Parliament.

-"Trooping the color". – the changing of the guard outside Buckingham Palace never changes.

B. A land of changes:

1. Fewer local parades.

2. Fewer sayings or proverbs:

The English language has fewer sayings or proverbs in common everyday use than many other languages.

3. Wearing a bowler hat:

-The stereotyped image of the London "city gent" includes the wearing of a bowler hat.

ÞThis type of hat has not been commonly worn for a long time.

4. Food and drinks:

-The traditional "British" breakfast is a large "fry-up".

-In fact, very few people in Britain actually have this sort of breakfast. Most just have the cereal, tea and toast or even less.

English versus British:

-People are confused with the words British and English.

-British= English, Scottish, Northern Irish, Welsh.

-People in the country are very similar but not identical.

-The British like to remember the old safer time.

A multicultural society:

- Immigrants: Asians ( Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistanis,...), Europeans, Africans.

- Own language, typical clothes, shops, customs.

- 13% of population.

- These foreign cultures influence the British culture.

Being Different:

Proud of being different:

-Driving of the left side.

-Double – decker bus.

-Hackney carriage– cab. Asquith taxi.

-System of measurement.

• System of measurement:

+length (inch, finger, hand, yard)

+volume (gallon, cup, pint)

+weight (ounce, pound, grain, stone)

+temperature (Fahrenheit)

• Other information:

+government tried to change this measurement.

+financial year starts on April.

+they don't want to give up their currency (pound sterling)>

Love of natural and animals:

-Life in towns and cities.

-Nature (peace, no crime, beauty).

-Hostels.

-Most favorite hobby is gardening.

-"Lost without their dog".

-Animals are taken seriously.

-Wildlife programmer in TV.

Formality and informality:

-Don't be bothered with titles (Mr, Mrs).

-Don't shake hand when meeting, no convention to kiss.

-Request without the "magic words".

-Washing up the dishes at friend's house.

-Charity works for people in need.

Privacy and sex:

-It's considered very rude to ask people about their privacy even though you know them very well.

-Modern people are very open Ûembarrassment.

-Politicians prefer traditional family values Ûpeople have different opinions.

EXERCISE:

I. Correct order:

But the fact that the British value tradition does not mean that they practice it. Most people, for example, think fondly of the traditional "British Breakfast", but they hardly ever eat it. The second reason concerns the confusion between Britain and England. Of course, English culture dominates Britain. Nevertheless, there are some reason concerns the confusion between Britain and England that are largely confined to the English. Anti-intellectualism is an example. Finally, it should be remembered that Britain is a multicultural society where some ethnic group hold attitudes which diverge considerably from the mainstream.

II. Word or Phrase:

1. the black and white stripes across road for pedestrians: zebracrossings

2. a feature of a law which means that it can be (not exactly broken out but flouted): loophole

3. small plots of land rented by local governments on which people grow plants: Allotments

4. an event at which second-hand items are sold: Jumble Sale

5. the habbit of controlling the expression of emotions, especially sad ones (supposedly typically British): stiff upper lip

III. Matching:

1. an organization of people who like walking in the countryside: The Rambler's Association

2. an organization of people to fight local crime: The National Trust

3. an organization which helps to preserve the countryside: Neighborhood Watch

4. an organization which looks after the wellbeing of animals: RSPCA

5. security cameras in public places: CCTV

III. Extension:

Every year, tens of thousands of people applyfor British citizenship. However, concernedthat citizenship was being treated to lightly, the British governmenthas introduceda number of changes in the last decade or so. One is that you have tosit a test of the English language. Another is that, instead of getting it through the post, you now receiveyour citizenship at a semi-public ceremony. And since 2005, applicants have hadan extra hurdle to jump. They have to passa test about life in Britain. The test is based on an official book called Life in the UK and the pass mark is 75%. It's a tough test. Before its launch, it was revealed that most groups of born-and-bred British citizens, including teachers, were unable to achievethe pass mark. It response to complaints about this, government said it's a test of knowledge of the set book. At least this last requirement ensuringthat all new British citizens are capable of cramming for exams! Perhaps it's a sneaky way of raisingstandards of exam performance in the country!

23. Holidays and Special Occasions

Typical British Holidays:

In the past

Now

-Seaside holiday

-Caravan and camping holiday

-Package holidays.

-Activity holidays.

-Working holidays.

-Hiking holidays.

-Cheap long – haul flights.

-Exotic destinations.

Seaside holiday:

-The social class: The upper class started the fashion for seaside holidays in 18thcentury Þmiddle class Þworking class (20thcentury).

-The accommodation:

+Hotels, resorts for rich people.

+Boarding houses for average income/low income people.

§ B&B (Bed and Breakfast).

§ Full boarding houses ( bed + 3 meals).

-The activities:

+day time:

§ Adults (sit in deck, chairs, go for a paddle with their skirts or trouser – legs hitched up. They do not bother to go swimming. Some adults who swim can change into swimming costumes in beach huts/ bathing huts/ beach cabins).

§ Children: go for donkey rides, make sandcastles, buy ice – creams, swim in the sea.

+night time: people situated on the pier.

Holiday camp:

-Visitor stay in chalets in self – contained villages with all food and entertainment organized for them.

-Event: "knobbly knees"

Caravanholiday:

A caravan is a vehicle without an engine that can be pulled by a car or van. It contains beds and cooking equipment so that people can live or spend their holiday in it.

Package holiday: flights and accommodation are paid through a travel agent.

Hiking: in the country and sleeping at youth hostels.

Activities holiday

Working holiday:

-It does not mean people go to work. They help to repair an ancient stone wall.

-Take part in an archeological dig.

-Pick up fruit.

Christmas:

-At family level, family reunion.

-The commercialization of Christmas (selling, buying and trading).

24thof December: Christmas Eve.

25thof December: Christmas Day.

26thof December: Boxing Day.

Christmas in Britain:from 24thDecember to New Year Þpresent gifts on 23rdDecember.

+Every November in Oxford Street a famous personality ceremoniously switches on the Christmas light's (decorations) officially marking the start of the start of the period of frantic Christmas shopping.

+Buying: presents for Christmas.

+Christmas cards: most shops do nearly half of their total business for the year.

-Christmas decorations:

+Christmas trees.

+Christmas cards.

+Holly and mistletoe plants.

+Christmas lights.

+A "crib".

-Christmas activities: 6 typical activities

+The singing of carols.

+Going to church.

+Gifts given by Santa Clause or Christmas father.

+Christmas dinner / eating.

New Year:

-Time for friend.

-People eat and drink a lot of alcohol.

-Traditional celebration at Trafalgar Square.

-Singing the song Auld Land Syne.

-"First Footing".