英语国家文化入门

1、遂溪县广播电视大学,英语国家概况 辅导教师：梁文君,课程简介,英语国家社会与文化入门 网络课程的教学目标是帮助英语学习者了解和扩大有关主要英语国家（英国、美国、加拿大、澳大利亚、新西兰）的社会与文化的背景知识，如地理、历史、政治、社会生活和文化传统等方面的概况。同时，通过有关题目的学习以及相关的配套练习，使学习者扩大词汇量、增强阅读能力，达到提高英语整体水平的目的。网络课程除课文、词汇、中文讲解、注释、练习外，还选配了丰富的图形资料、视频素材和补充材料，并提供相关网站，以全面的资料、翔实的内容、活泼友好的界面和强大的检索功能帮助学生学习英语国家国情，使学生对相关知识点的理解从文字发展到形象，从

2、单纯抽象的思维上升到感性与理性的结合，从而较好地实现学习目的。,英国: 英国概况、北爱尔兰、英国的政府、政治、经济、文学、体育、节假日、教育制度、社会问题、对外关系、媒体 澳大利亚: 国土、人民和历史、政治生活、经济、文化与社会生活 新西兰: 国土、人民和历史、政治制度、教育和经济,学习指导,本课程是一门知识性课程，内容丰富，信息量大。要想学好这门课，学习者应培养适合自己的学习方法。这里我们提出几个建议，仅供大家参考，并希望大家在网上交流学习心得体会，互相学习，共同进步。 第一，本课程按国家分成五大部分。这些国家的题目有相同之处，也有不同之处；从语言难易程度看，很难说哪个国家的内容最容易或哪个

3、国家的内容最难。所以学习者可以自己选择一个国家入手。但我们建议先学习英国这部分，因为英国毕竟是英国文化的发源地，在这五个国家中其历史最悠久，其他四个国家均与英国有着社会与文化诸多方面的联系。,第二，学习一个单元要从Guide 开始，这是我们师生见面的机会，更重要的是，主讲老师会提出一些问题让大家思考，强调强调重点，以便大家带着问题阅读。阅读课文后不要忘记做练习。练习的设计从易到难，目的是巩固所学的知识，让学生自己检查一下是否掌握了主要内容。第三，为了帮助大家更有效地自学，每个课文里的生词用的是粗体字，如parliament，鼠标放上去就会出现中文注解。难句下面有下划线，同样，将鼠标放在句子上，

4、就会出现中文解释。,第四，为了更好地、更深刻地理解课文内容，要注意利用给大家提供的背景注释。因为课文篇幅有限，许多重要人物、事件等只能一笔带过，背景注释将这些干巴巴的名字具体化、形象化。注释的词或词组用斜体和下划线标明，只要把鼠标放上就会出现一个窗口，里面有英语注释，有的还有图像。注释是辅助自主学习的一个好工具。注释的内容不要求记住，更不会出现在测试中，因此不要把注释看成负担。有些大篇幅的精美图片放在注释里，等待大家去发现和欣赏。第五，如果对某个题目特别感兴趣，请大家充分利用E-Library, 它为学生进一步学习开辟了空间，那里不仅有补充阅读材料，还有相关网址，大家可以根据自己的情况和兴趣去

5、获取信息。,第六，图文并茂是本课程的特色之一。每一课里都有许多引人入胜的图形资料，课文中讲到的地理、历史、人口、事件、风土人情、社会问题等等都配有相应的图片。我们的目的是尽量为大家创造一个身临其境的感觉，让教学内容变得更有趣、更生动，使大家对知识点的理解从文字语言发展到形象、从单纯抽象的思维上升到理性与感性的结合。我们相信，学习知识的过程应该是个乐趣，而不是负担。,The United Kingdom,Introduction: The United Kingdom1. Great Britain2. Northern Ireland 3. The Government of the Unit

6、ed Kingdom4. Politics5. The UK Economy6. British Literature7. Sports in Britain8. British Holidays and Festivals9. British Educational System10. British Society: Housing, Class, and Race11. British Foreign Relations12. British Media,Introduction : The United Kingdom,Focal Points A complicated countr

7、y with a complicated name The effects of its imperial past A member of the European Union A multiracial society Remarkable class, regional and economic differences A significant role of London,Unit 1: Great Britain,Focal Points A cultural and economic dominance of England Invasion from the Roman emp

8、ire Settlement of the Anglo-Saxons King Arthur Vikings from Scandinavia William the Conqueror The legend of Robin Hood Parliaments dominance over the throne Physical features of Scotland A cultural division between highland and lowland The Battle of Bannockburn Independence of Scotland for 300 years

9、 Union with England in 1707 A strong Scottish identity A brief introduction of Wales A history of invasions Wales unification with the UK Campaigns for independence,Unit 2: Northern Ireland,Focal Points Population and physical features of Northern Ireland Economy of Northern Ireland The Home Rule Bi

10、ll The Easter Rising of 1916 The Sinn Fein Party The religious conflicts between the Irish and the British A partition of Ireland in 1921 A Civil Rights Movement The presence of British soldiers on Northern Ireland since 1969 IRAs violence in the 1970s Bloody Sunday The collapse of the power-sharing

11、 Cooperation between the British and Irish governments IRAs refusal to hand over their weapons Future for Northern Ireland still in doubt,Unit 3: The Government of the United Kingdom,Focal Points King Egbert Divine right of kings The civil war Charles I Roundheads Magna Carta The Great Council Willi

12、am of Orange The Bill of Rights of 1689 The Cabinet The prime minister George I The Constitution The power and the functions of the Parliament The roles of the monarch The House of Lords Life peers The House of Commons,Unit 4: Politics,Focal Points The importance of general elections The formation o

13、f the government Vote of no confidence The electoral campaigns The procedure of general elections The Conservative party and the Labour party The Liberal Democrats The National Health Service Recent political trends in the UK Margaret Thatcher John Major Tony Blair,Unit 5: The UK Economy,Focal Point

14、s Absolute decline and relative decline of British economy The privatisation in the 1980s The main sectors of the UK economy Primary industries Secondary industries Tertiary industries/service industries Agriculture Energy production The offshore oil industry The manufacturing industry The City of L

15、ondon The London Stock Exchange The aerospace industry Frank Whittle Concorde,Unit 6: British Literature,Focal Points Beowulf The Canterbury Tales Stories about King Arthur William Shakespeare John Milton The Romantic poets of the 19th century The Bronte sisters Charles Dickens Sir Walter Scott Robe

16、rt Louis Stevenson Modernism Postmodernism Joseph Conrad Virginia Woolf D.H. Lawrence E.M Foster,Unit 7: Sports in Britain,Focal Points Football The FA and the FA Cup Tennis Wimbledon Cricket Golf Hunting Horse racing Equestrianism The Grand National The Royal Ascot Hunt Saboteurs Fishing,Unit 8: Br

17、itish Holidays and Festivals,Focal Points Christmas The traditions of Christmas The Christmas Pantomime The principal boy and the Dame The Boxing Day and its traditions Easter Ramadan Trooping the Colour Bonfire Night (Guy Fawkes Night) and the traditions The Battle of the Boyne William of Orange (K

18、ing Billy) St Patricks Day The Christian Trinity Hogmanay First-footing Robert Burns Haggis Halloween and the traditions The Druids The Eisteddfod,Unit 9: British Educational System,Focal Points The purpose of the British education system The relationship between education and social class The influ

19、ence of the church on schooling Comprehensive school Grammar school The National Curriculum Public school GCSE GCEA GNVQs Old Universities Open University,Unit 10: British Society: Housing, Class, and Race,Focal Points Owner-occupation Four main types of British home Flats Terraced houses The semi (

20、 semi-detached houses) Detached houses Class system in the British society Upper middle-class and lower middle-class The hereditary aristocracy Oxbridge Life peers Ethnic relations in Britain,Unit 11: British Foreign Relations,Focal Points Britains imperial prime Active in setting up the United Nations The end of the great British empire Foreign policy influenced by its history and geopolitical traits Long-term physical separation from the European continent The involvement of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office The Treasury A parliamentary demo