英语国家社会与文化知识要点汇总

Unit OneIntroduction& Unit 1The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries课程名称：英语国家社会与文化本课内容：The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries授课时间：90分钟教学目的:通过本节课的教学，使学生了解英语国家社会与文化课程的主要内容与要求，了解文化的概念；同时对英国有一个总体上的了解。

教学意义:帮助学生了解主要英语国家的社会与文化概貌，如地理、历史、政治、经济、社会生活和文化传统等方面的基本知识。

教学重点:文化的概念；英国基本情况。

教学难点:英国概况教学方式：以电子课件为主，辅以少量板书的课堂讲授。

教学内容: (详见下页）1.什么是文化？2．英国国土与人民英国的不同名称及其区域3. 伦敦概况教学方法：采取教师教授为主，结合学生课堂讨论。

时间分配: What is culture? (10 分钟.);What’s th e relation between Culture and society? (10 分钟);Why should we learn culture (10 分钟);UK- a complicated country with a complicated name(40 分钟)A Brief Idea about London. (20 分钟)课堂板书:1. Culture-the foundation of communication2. The four parts of UK3. Main cities of EnglandLondonBirmingham-second largest city of England.Liverpool-second largest port of EnglandManchester- industrial and commercial centre.课后作业: Exercises in Unit 1Unit OnePart One1.What is culture?Culture-the foundation of communicationCulture is very abstract and complicated. Concretely speaking, it refers to all the aspects of social life, such as, the values, the practices of a society and social conventions, education, politics, art or literature,language,ideas,etc.文化即是人们所思,所言(言语和非言语),所为,所觉的总和.文化是无处不在的,具体说来,包括社会生活的一切方面,如:价值观念,生活行为方式,社会规范等,乃至艺术,政治,经济, 教育,修养,文学,语言,思想等.2. What’s the relation between Culture and society?1)Culture is a separate idea from society, although culture and society areinterrelated and cannot exist without each other.2)Culture is a system of values (or beliefs) and norms (or behaviour). A societyis a system of interrelationships which connect or bind individuals together.3. Why should we learn culture?1)Requirement of communication2) Language and culture are inseparable3)Culture acquisition is important for the study of literature.Part TwoUK- a complicated country with a complicated nameⅠStatus in the worldEffects of its Imperial Past--“an empire in which the sun never set”（日不落帝国）:1.one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding memberof NATO, and of the Commonwealth,2. Member of European Union and the Group of seven3.The make-up of the British population (Immigration has produced a populationof which 1 in 20 are of non-European ethnicity.)II. The effects of its imperial past* The days of empire ended after World War II1. The effects were mainly encountered in the close relationships which exist with the 50 or more colonies of that empire, and which maintain links through Commonwealth of Nations. But more important international relation is its membership in the European Union since 1973.2. The makeup of the British population--- immigration from India, Pakistan, or Caribbean (西印度群岛与中南美洲海域) countries in the 1950s and1960s. 1/20 are non-European ethnicity.III.The features of British society:1.a multiracial societyRacial, gender, class, regional and economic differences in the societya multi-racial society: most are Christians and because of immigration, many are Muslims;gender difference: male and female live different livesclass difference: the class structure of UK society is relatively obvious (A white-collar worker’s lives are very different from a blue-collar worker’s.) economic and regional difference within each of the 4 countries:-- difference between highland and lowland Scots-- difference between north and south England (South is on average more wealthy than the north)2. a society with class-structure3. a society with difference of region difference: highland and lowland Scots，north and south England，the capital and provinces.Part ThreeMain cities of England1. London2. Birmingham-second largest city of England.3. Liverpool-second largest port of England4. Manchester- industrial and commercial centre.London--cultural,bussness,and financial centre1. One of the most famous cities of the world, London is England's capital and a favourite for tourists from all over the world who flock there in their millions. It has a history stretching back almost 2000 years, A population of 7.5 million people, and some of the most famous tourist attractions in the world.2.London Attractions:Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.The Tower of London,Tower Bridge,St Paul's Cathedralthe River ThamesCountless fascinating museums, art galleries and famous theatres.The English Royal Family reside in London at Buckingham Palacewhere you can see the famous 'Changing of the Guard'and muchmore.3. A significant role of LondonWhen a man is tired of London, you are tired of life for there is in London all that life can afford.—Samuel Johnson London is dominant in UK in all sorts of ways.1)It is the largest city in the country with abo ut one seventh of the nation’spopulation.2)It is seat of government.3)It is the cultural centre.4)It is the business centre.5)It is the financial centre of the nation.6)London is a huge weight in Britain’s economic and cultural life, and to someextent the rest of the country lives in its shadow.For reference英国历代国王与王后Geographical features1.Geographical positionThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) is situated north-west of the European continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. It has a total land area of 244,100 square kilometres, of which nearly 99% is land and the remainder inland water. From north to south it is about 1,000 kilometres long.(1) Northwest of Europe(2) North Atlantic Ocean(3) Separated from the rest of Europe by the English Channel2.Geographical features(1) An island country, surrounded by sea(2) Highlands in the north and west(3) Lowlands in the east and southeastA. Part of the great European PlainB. Level land and fertile soilC. farming(4) 3 natural zones in ScotlandA. the highlands in the northB. the central lowlandsC. the southern uplands. Rivers and LakesImportant role of rivers in the country’s economy1.Important Rivers(1)the Severn RiverA.the longest in the countryB.only 338 kilos long(2)the Thames RiverA.the 2nd longestB.the most important riverC.336 kilos longD.Oxford and London are on the river(3)River ClydeA.the most important in ScotlandB.important commercial waterway2.the Lake District(1)in northwest England and North Wales(2)popular tourist attractions(3)the home of the Lake PoetsA.William WordsworthB.Samuel Taylor ColeridgeC.Robert SoutheyClimate1.Typical feature of Britain’s climate“Other countries have a climate; in England we have weather.”The statement is often made by Englishmen to describe the peculiar meteorological conditions of their country.A maritime type of climate(1)rainy---abundant rainfallThe uncertainty about the weather tends to make the Englishmen cautious.“A foreigner may laugh when he sees the Englishman setting forth on a brilliantly sunny morning wearing a raincoat and carrying an umbrella, but he may well regret his laughter later in the day!”(2)changeable and unpredictable, no clear cut of 4 seasons“In no country other than England, it has been said, can one experience four seasons in the course of a single day! Day may break as a balmy spring morning; an hour or so later black clouds may have appeared from nowhere and the rain may be pouring down. At midday conditions may be really wintry with the temperature down by about eight degrees or more centigrade. And then, in the late afternoon the sky will clear, the sun will begin to shine, and for an hour or two before darkness falls, it will be summer.”(3)Mild: no extremesIn England one can experience almost every kind of weather except the most extreme.temperature: 4-6℃ in winter, 12-17℃ in summer2.Factors influencing the climate(1)the surrounding waters(2)the prevailing south-west winds(3)the North Atlantic Drift (warm current)3.Rainfall(1) a steady reliable rainfall throughout the year(2)uneven distribution of rainA. a water surplus in the north and westB. a water deficit in the south and eastUnit TwoThe History of England课程名称：英语国家社会与文化本课内容：The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries授课时间：90分钟教学目的:通过本节课的教学，使学生了解英国历史，尤其是英格兰的历史；掌握主要历史事件及人物。