- •B 1.The uk of gb and ni, origin, constit.Parts, status
- •B 2. The geographical position of the uk.
- •B5. Scotland.
- •B 7: English bourgeois revolution
- •B8: Bourgeois Revolution (Parliament, documents, democratic trends)
- •B 11. Speak on the role of the monarch in the political life of Great Britain
- •B 12. Speak on the legislative, executive and judicial power in the United Kingdom
- •B 13.History of the British Parliament and its present- day life.
- •B 14. The main political parties of Great Britain.
- •B 15. Speak on the British natural resources, economic districts and economy in general. Great Britain and the European Union.
- •B16. Speak on the population and demographical problems in Great Britain.
- •B 17. Education in Great Britain.
- •B18 Mass media
- •B19 The British traditions and holidays
- •Calendar of special occasions
- •B21 Celtic and Anglo-Saxon invasions
- •B 22 Scandinavian invasions
- •A1. The usa. Geographical Position. Climate. Rich Resources.
- •A2. Population of the usa
- •A7 Slavery
- •A8 Civil War
- •A 11. World War I and the usa. Isolation and Prosperity of the 1920’s. Great Depression.
- •A 12. World War II and the usa. Cold war.
- •A 14. The American system of Government.
- •A 15. The us Congress
- •A 16. The us President
- •A 17 The Federal Judiciary
- •A 18 Political Parties in the usa
- •A19 Elections in the usa
- •Levels of election
- •A 23. New York
- •A 25 Agriculture in the usa.
B19 The British traditions and holidays
If you arrive in Great Britain, you’ll hear the word “tradition” everywhere. Englishmen have a sentimental love for things and traditions because they are old. They never throw away old things.
In many houses of Great Britain they have fireplaces and though their bedrooms are awfully cold, the English people don’t want to have central heating because they don’t want to have changes.
If you enter the Houses of Parliament, you’ll see the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
In the House of Lords there are two rows of benches for lords and sack of wool for the Lord Chancellor to sit on. This is so because in the old times wool made England rich and powerful. In the House of Commons which is not big and quite simple, you’ll see two rows of benches for the two parties: the government — on one side and the opposition — on the other.
If someone works in Fleet Street, you know he is a journalist, if someone works in Harley Street, you know that he is a medical man. It is also a tradition.
Calendar of special occasions
New Year's Day" (1 January)
2 January is also a public holiday in
Scotland.
St Valentine's Day (14 February)
Shrove Tuesday (Forty-seven days before Easter)
St Patrick's Day (17 March)
This is a public holiday in Northern
Ireland.
Mother's Day (The fourth Sunday
in Lent)
April Fools' Day 1 April
Good Friday'*
The strange name in English for the day commemorating Christ's crucifixion.
Easter Monday* (The day after Easter Sunday)
May Day* (The first Monday in May) In Britain this day is associated more with ancient folklore than with the workers. In some villages the custom of dancing round the maypole are acted out.
Spring Bank Holiday* (The last Monday in May)
There used to be a holiday on 'Whit Monday' celebrating the Christian feast of Pentecost.
Father's Day (The third Sunday in
June;) Millions of British fathers don't even know they have a special day.
Open Official Birthday (The second or third Saturday in June) It Is 'official* because it is not her real one. Orangemen's Day (12 July) This is a public holiday in Northern Ireland only, the holiday associated with the Catholic part of the community (St Patrick's Day) is balanced by one associated with the Protestants
Summer Bank Holiday*1 (The last Monday in August)
Hallowe'en (31 October)
Guy Fawkes' Day (5 November)
Remembrance Sunday (Second Sunday in November) This day commemorates the dead of both World Wars and of more recent conflicts. On and before this day. money is collected in the street on behalf of charities for ex-service men and women. No politician would be seen on this day Without a poppy!
Christmas Eve (24 December)
Christmas Day* (15 December)
Boxing Day" (26 December) Explanations for the origin of this name vary. One is that it was the day on which landowners and householders would present their tenants and servants with gifts (in boxes), another is that it was the day on which the collecting boxes In churches were opened and the contents distributed to the pooi.
New Year's Eve (51 December)
B 20 The national character in the British culture
The British character
People say that Irish people talk a lot. They say that the Welsh are great singers. The Scots, they say, are not a very happy or fun-loving nation, and they are also very careful with money. Generally these descriptions are not true! But it is true that there are some very good Welsh actors and singers like Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta Jones and Tom Jones.
Foreigners have ideas about what is 'British'. But some of these things are not part of most ordinary people's everyday life. The great British breakfast and afternoon tea, for example, are mostly found in hotels and 'bed and breakfast' places for tourists. And the British do not only drink tea these days. Coffee is popular too. They drink, on average, 3.39 cups of tea each day and 1.65 cups of coffee.
It takes time to know a British person well. British people are generally quite shy, and they do not make friends easily with strangers. Perhaps this is because they live on an island! And they are not good at learning foreign languages.
British people spend less money on clothes than the people of other European countries. Most of them are not very interested in clothes. Many British people wear suits to the office during the week, but at weekends they prefer to wear jeans.