General Knowledge of British Culture

British humanities

Britain's humanities

First of all, from the food and drink to start --- British people drink tea history is not long, more than 200 years ago, when the Chinese tea imported into the United Kingdom, the British people still regard it as a rare commodity.

And will day, the United Kingdom has become one of the world's largest tea sales, an average of one person a year about 3. 5 kilograms of tea.

Some British people do not get up in the morning to drink a cup of strong tea, some people call it "nest tea". And the general public have to drink tea (also known as "meal tea"), more in the afternoon back to five o'clock, the content is not only tea, there are bread, butter, ham, fish.

Sausage, sandwiches, vegetables, etc., equivalent to a meal. The British love black tea, especially Chinese Keemun black tea.

In the past, they drank tea with milk or put some lemon juice, but also sugar. But with the rise of diet fever, the British gradually fell in love with unsweetened milk tea or tea with a variety of fruit juice drinks.

1, breakfast: ASDA / TESCO in the cheapest bread, with butter / jam / CHEESE. fried eggs (if you have time).

Milk. Or cornflakes in milk which is easy and convenient but can't stick to it.

2. Lunch: Brits don't take lunch seriously, they eat chips, chocolate or whatever anytime. If you don't live in a dormitory or rent a room far away from the school, you can bring your own homemade sandwiches.

The UK usually starts the lunch break at 1:00 pm, which is very difficult to adapt to when you first come here.

In the UK, lunch breaks are usually at 1:00pm.

Tomatoes, broccoli and cabbage. If you forget the time in the UK, the British dress code will tell you - when the suits are dressed and in a hurry, it must be time to go to work; once you find that the vast majority of people all over the city are wearing colorful casual clothes, it must be a leisure holiday, people are busy escaping from the office building, the city immediately became alive. The city immediately became alive.

Every building is 100 years old I couldn't get away from the theme of "British education" on two trips to the UK. In addition to proving time and time again that Britain's rigorous and enlightened teaching system, I appreciate their rational use and protection of ancient buildings, really "repair the old as the old".

In Guangzhou, houses with a history of more than a hundred years are probably called "cultural relics protection units", while in Britain, houses with a history of more than a hundred years can only be regarded as the "entry level" of the ancient buildings. Almost every school has its own representative building, the British people are proud of the old, often go to great lengths to come to these ancient buildings before the ceremony, activities.

A school in Windsor Castle, the original belongs to the private residence of a member of the royal family, and later converted into a school, a grass and trees are kept in the original, and even in the dining room, even hung with the owner of the large oil paintings; Oxford University's Brooks Campus, the ancient buildings in front of a large lawn, where you can read, sunbathing, and even kick a soccer ball, there is no concern. Classes here, the classroom has a fireplace is not strange, the door has a beautiful wood carving is not strange, the windows have openwork iron window decoration is not strange, students as in the museum to learn.

But the British teaching equipment is very advanced, almost every few years to update. So you can see the most advanced and fastest Internet labs and computer rooms in the old castle, which is something I appreciate.

It's your fault if you don't follow a timetable If the Germans like to do things by the book, I'm sure the Brits are even better. They are meticulous and organized to the point of nitpicking! Take transportation and travel for example, large and small schedules and signs are always reminding you.

When you leave the airport, you are greeted by traffic signs telling you to take the train this way, take the bus forward, and wait here for a cab; there are timetables at train stations and coach stations, and even at the most common bus stops, which change every hour and remind passengers of how many minutes there are left before the bus arrives; and at every bus stop, you are reminded that the bus will be arriving in the next few minutes, and that the bus will be arriving in the next few minutes. Vehicles will arrive; and in each place when the eye, all kinds of explanation materials are everywhere, as long as you like to take it is. So in the UK, visitors have to stick to the timetable or it's your fault.

Britain's tourist attractions generally close very early, never delayed half a beat. I visited the Princess Di's bedchamber "Ken sighton Palace" when the time is only to 4 pm, the management on the closure of the door, regardless of whether you have come a long way to visit the end; located in the flea market in Notting Hill, 6 p.m. less than the vendors began to pack up things, in their view, doing business is far from their own! In their opinion, business is far less important than their own rest time! Standard British life Walking through the streets of Britain, you will find a very uniform dress - suits and hurry - this is the standard dress of office workers.

Even if it's a nine-to-five stressful life, even if they "bussed" the night before into the wee hours of the morning, the unique elegance of the British temperament will be revealed in their bodies: a color of the suit pants, as always, clean and well-fitting, and they will even have the ingenuity to match a coat, a scarf, so that they look more Outstanding some. So you can judge: those who are casually dressed and wandering on the street are either "foreigners" or college students, they look too "out of place".

In the evening, the working class does what they do almost every day - they go to a bar hidden in every corner, order a beer, and talk to their friends until 8 or 9 pm. During football season, it can be even a little later.

I remember once I saw several groups of men and women standing on the street talking, and I wondered - do they like to stand at the intersection drinking and chatting? I was surprised to see several men and women standing in the street, wondering if they liked to stand at the intersection and drink and chat! Once you see that the whole city is dressed in colorful casual clothes, you can conclude that it must be a holiday. For the Brits, these days are reserved for the family, who go to the park, fly kites, sunbathe in the sun, or head to the mall for a family shopping spree.

For the typical office worker, "shopping" is another major holiday activity. The city comes alive with the relaxed faces and casual attire.

Entertainment in the boring life of Britain (drinking)---- In cities like Manchester and London, nightclubs are famous. In fact, good clubs are spread all over the country.

It is also common for clubs to travel the country, staying in specific locations for a few months each year. The cost of attending a club can be very expensive, and the drinks sold in clubs are almost as good as in a typical bar.

2. General knowledge of British or English culture

The general structure of an English name is: Christian name + self-given name + surname.

But on many occasions the middle name is often omitted, as in the case of George Bush, and many people prefer to use nicknames

instead of the official Christian name, as in the case of Bill Clinton.

The above mentioned Christian and middle names are also known as personal names. The personal names, nicknames, and surnames of the English-speaking peoples

are described as follows:

I. Personal Names

According to English-speaking peoples' custom, a baby is given a name by a priest or a close friend of the parents at the time of its baptism, which is called a Christian name. The person may later take a second name, after the Christian name.

The sources of English personal names are roughly as follows:

1. Adoption of names of people from the Bible, Greco-Roman mythology, ancient celebrities, or literary masterpieces as Christian names.

2. Adopting the names of ancestors' places of origin, mountains, rivers, birds, animals, fish and insects, flowers and trees, etc. as Christian names.

3. Different variants of the religious name.

4. Adoption of nicknames.

5. the use of word formation techniques to create new Christian names, such as inversion, amalgamation.

6. Using the mother's maiden name as a middle name.

Commonly used male names in the English-speaking world are James, John, David, Daniel, Michael, and common

female names are Jane, Mary, Elizabeth, Ann, Sarah, Catherine.

II. Nicknames

Nicknames include Nicknames include endearments, diminutives, and nicknames, which are often used by English-speaking people as a sign of affection among friends and relatives, and are derived from Christian names.

Nicknames are usually as follows. Usually there are the following cases:

1. Retain the first syllable. If the name begins with a vowel,

a nickname beginning with 'N' is derived, e.g. Edward =>Ned.

2. +ie or -y e.g. Don =>Donnie, Tim =>Timmy.

3. use of final syllables, e.g. Anthony =>Tony, Beuben =>Ben.

4. derivation of two nicknames from a single Christian name, e.g. Andrew =>Andy & Drew.

5. irregular derivation, e.g. one of William's nicknames is Bill . .

III. Surnames

For a long time the English had only first names and no surnames. It was not until the 16th century that the use of surnames became widespread

. The etymology of English surnames is as follows:

1. the direct borrowing of Christian names, such as Clinton.

2. the addition of affixes to Christian names to denote descent, such as the suffixes -s, -son, -ing; the prefixes M'-, Mc-,

Mac-, Fitz-, and so on, all of which denote the son or descendant of so-and-so.

3. prefixes of identity to a Christian name, as St.-, De-, Du=, La-, Le-.

4. Projection of place names, landforms or environmental features, e.g. Brook, Hill, etc.

5. those that project identity or occupation, e.g. Carter, Smith.

6. those that project personal characteristics, e.g. Black, Longfellow.

7. those that borrow names of plants and animals, e.g. Bird, Rice.

8. those that derive from the merger of two surnames, e.g. Burne-Jones.

The English surname, although it has been used for many years, has been used for a variety of purposes. Some common ones are Smith, Miller,

Johnson, Brown, Jones, Williams.

IV. A few notes

1. The earlier biblical, Greco-Roman names are not usually borrowed as family names.

2. The British used to abbreviate both the Christian name and the middle name, e.g., M. H. Thatcher, while the Americans used to abbreviate only the middle name, e.g., Ronald W. Reagan.

3. Names were sometimes preceded by interpersonal titles, such as title, rank, etc.

Dr., Prof., Pres. can be used to precede a surname. Dr., Prof., Pres. can be >

used before a family name or before a given name; Sir is used only before a Christian name or before a given name.

3. Knowledge of British Culture

Let's Learn About England I IntroductionThe British Isles have a rich history going back thousands of years. The history of the United Kingdom includes also the history of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The history is full of invaders, wars, rulers. Queens Until 1603 the English and Scottish Crowns were separated.Following the Accession of King James VI of Scotland (I of England) to the English Throne . From the end of the 17th century, monarchs lost executive power and they became subject to Parliament, resulting in today's constitutional Monarchy. The best known Queen: Elizabeth gave the name to a golden age of poets, state *** en and adventurers. Known as the Virgin Queen, or Gloriana.iv The best known King: Claims to the throne of France led to the Hundred Years' War and the loss of almost all the large English territory in France. Eduard III VThe Historical Flag When King James VI of Scotland ascended to the English throne, thereby being James I of England, the national flags of England and Scotland on land continued to be. CrossesThe Union Jack/Flag includes the Cross of St. George (England), the Cross of St. Andrew (Scotland) and the Cross of St. Patrick (Ireland). Patrick (Ireland). VI The Most Important WarsThe Hundred Years War 1336-1565 Wars of the Roses 1455-1487Civil War 1642-1645 Boer War 1901-1902World War I 1914-1918 World War II 1939-1945 VII Wales World War II 1939-1945 Walesa Celtic land of mountains and coalNorthern IrelandIt is clear today that the Irish problem has not been solved. Northern Protestants feel they have a right to determine their own rights. Northern Protestants feel they have a right to determine their own future democratically. Northern Catholics feel they have the right to be part of a united Ireland. viii ScotlandAn English army arrived to take part in the war in Scotland. ScotlandAn English army arrived to relieve the Scots siege of Stirling. Bruce defeated the English army under Edward II, who was lucky to escape with his life. The Scots victory at the Battle of Bannockburn secured plete Scots independence.ixEnglandEngland has always played an important role in the world? economy and business.xHistorical Monumentthe name of a very remarkable ancient monument in England It consists of a great collection of stones xiA Few Facts About EnglandEngland is one of the most important countries in the world. Facts About EnglandEngland is part of the United Kingdom which is made up of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. England is part of the European Union.The capital of England is London.The money used is called the pound.The population of England is 60,776,238.The language spoken is English.XIILet 's visit some important cities in England. The population of England is 60,776,238. The language spoken is English. xii Let 's visit some important cities in England. Oxford University and the University of Cambridge are both famous around the world. xiii England's Important People Famous authors - Beatrix Potter, Roald Dahl and J.K. RowlingWilliam Shakespeare - famous for writing playsQueen Elizabeth and the royal familyThe Beatles -famous for writing plays about the world. familyThe Beatles -famous singing group who became popular in the 1960sDido - English Singer14What English Kids DoEnglish kids like to play football, cricket, tennis and ball.Many kids belong to clubs like scouts, judo, karate and church clubs.Kids also like to skateboard, watch TV, ride Kids also like to skateboard, watch TV, ride bicycles and play puter games. Kids in the cities spend time in the many museums. LondonLondon EyeTrafalgar SquareBuckingham Palace XVIVisit the Sights in the Harry Potter Books!!!Go to this website for information on places that are Go to this website for information on places that are important to find - /Funtodo/England/visitharrypottersitesKing's Cross StationLondon ZooAlnwick CastleGloucester CathedralLacock Abbey seventeenWhat The English Like to EatFish and chipsTea and biscuits.

4. What is the essential general knowledge of American culture

The Melting Pot An alias for the United States.

Because the United States is a country made up of a blend of immigrants of different nationalities from all over the world. The English spoken by these immigrants is not as stratified and geographically diverse as the English spoken by the British.

They have developed similar habits and manners; the differences between urban and rural residents are not as pronounced as in other countries. Although American society is highly competitive and racially discriminatory, it has shown considerable flexibility and inclusiveness in assimilating immigrants from different ethnic groups.

As a result, the formation of a new overall culture and **** the same national consciousness, so that the United States has become "a multiracial country". The American outlook on life is based on personal struggle, self-discipline and a competitive spirit.

Yuppies and Yuffies Yuppies is a new American word based on Hippies, meaning "young urban professionals". Yuppies work in professions that require higher education, such as lawyers, doctors, architects, computer programmers, and business administrators.

They earn a high annual salary. Yuppies are very successful in their careers, complacent and proud, and live a life of luxury and extravagance.

Unlike hippies, yuppies were not decadent and did not care about political and social issues, but only cared about making money and pursuing a comfortable life. The term yuppie means "young urban failure".

Although they felt that their lives were not comparable to those of the yuppies, they did not want to feel lost and vowed to find their own place. Uncle Sam-Uncle Sam It is the nickname and symbol of America.

Uncle Sam is Uncle Sam with the abbreviation U. S.

It happens to be the same as the abbreviation for the United States. But how did it become the nickname and symbol of America? The common story is that in 1812, during the American-British War, there was a merchant in Troy who specialized in supplying beef for military use (some say it was a military ordering official) named Samuel Wilson (Samuel Wilson). Wilson (Samuel Wilson, 1776-1854), people usually call him Uncle Sam (Uncle Sam).

The U.S.

The U.S.A. *** purchased his beef boxes stamped with U.S.

The word U.S.

. People joked that the boxes with the U.

S. were Uncle Sam's.

These boxes were then sold to Uncle Sam, and the U.S. *** purchased his beef.

Later, "Uncle Sam" became a nickname in the U.S. In the 1830s, American painters depicted Uncle Sam as a long, skinny old man with a goatee, and the Stars and Stripes on his hat and pants.

Black Friday --- Black Friday "black" this word, from the martyrdom of Jesus (Good Friday). On October 19, 1987, stock prices in the New York stock market plummeted, and because it was a Friday, it was called "Black Friday" in the stock market.

On October 19, the New York stock market stock indexes generally fell sharply, surpassing the record stock crash of October 28, 1929, which triggered the Great Depression. Soon after the opening of the market on this day, that is, there was a frenzy of stock selling, the New York stock market hit a record-breaking stock market trading 604.3 billion shares, making several large U.S. companies lost a lot of money, the entire value of the shares of the 5,000 companies listed on the stock market, a day of the loss of $ 500 billion.

The plunge in stock values quickly swept through the world's large financial markets, causing great panic in the West, and this stock crash was the worst for the stock market since World War I, and one of the sharpest declines Wall Street has ever seen.

5. About the British or English cultural knowledge

British Victorian era in 1840 A.D., the Duchess of Bedford, England, Ms. Anna, every afternoon moments on the mood, a hundred boredom, and thought that this time from the formal dress, etiquette and complicated dinner party there is still a period of time, but also feel a little bit hungry, and asked the maid to prepare a few slices of toast, cream, and tea. The first thing I did was to ask the maid to prepare a few slices of toast, cream and tea.

Later, Ms. Anna invited a few close friends with tea and exquisite snacks, with a relaxing afternoon, did not expect a moment, in the aristocratic social circle at the time a fashion, the ladies tend to rush; has been to today, has been formed in a kind of elegance in the culture of afternoon tea, but also to become the orthodox "British black tea culture "This is also known as the origin of the Victorian Afternoon Tea.

Initially only at home with high-grade, elegant tea to enjoy tea, and then gradually evolved into a social tea party to entertain friends gathered, and then derived from a variety of etiquette, but now the form has been simplified a lot. Although afternoon tea has now been simplified, but the correct way to brew tea, tea to drink tea set to elegant, sumptuous refreshments, these three points are regarded as the tradition of eating tea and continue to be handed down.

Create a fully Victorian atmosphere

In the British Victorian afternoon tea tradition, the best room in the house (such as Solon), and the best china to receive the guests is absolutely necessary, and the best tea and exquisite sweets is the main character of afternoon tea; melodious classical music to accompany, coupled with a relaxed mood with a close friend **** degree of an elegant, leisurely afternoon. The most important thing to remember is that you can't have a good time with your friends.

Orthodox British Victorian afternoon tea life culture connotation

Britain in the era of Queen Victoria (1837 ~ 1901) is the British Empire's most powerful era of cultural and artistic development; people are obsessed with the pursuit of artistic and cultural connotations and exquisite taste of life.

Victoria afternoon tea is a comprehensive art, simple but not shabby, gorgeous but not vulgar ... Although the time to drink tea and eat something (refers to the pure English snacks) is the most important part of the orthodox British afternoon tea, but less good tea, magnets, music, and even a good mood, then drinking afternoon tea seems to be a beauty.

With the progress of the times and a wide variety of tea, not only the pattern of afternoon tea, more choices, if the use of an afternoon, and close friends to a period of afternoon appointment, why not a pleasing thing.