从英语习语看英美文化
提要：英语习语是英语语言文化中不容忽视的重要组成部分。英语习语折射着英语语言民族在地理、历史、宗教信仰、生活习俗等方面丰富的文化信息和独特的文化特色。准确掌握英语中的习语, 能帮助我们深刻理解英语词汇中的文化内涵及文化差异, 从而更加准确、传神地使用英语。
关键词：英语习语；英美文化。
一、引言
语言是人在劳动中创造的，习语是语言特征的集中反映，它来自于普通百姓的生产劳动和生活经历，是语言的精华、语言的缩影；语言是一个任意的符号系统，习语是人在长期的语言实践中约定俗成的；语言是以交际为目的的，习语的起源就是在口头交际中使用最频繁的俚语和俗语；语言是人类智慧的表现，习语比较集中地反映出语言的修辞手段和表现手法（其中相当一部分是文学巨匠的精彩词句）；语言是为人类各种活动服务的，而习语恰好生动地反映出人类生活的方方面面。
广义的习语包含比喻性词组、俚语、格言、俗语、谚语、典故等，是语言发展的结晶。英语语言历史悠久，包含着大量的习语，它们或含蓄、幽默、或严肃、典雅，不仅言简意赅，而且形象生动，妙趣横生，给语言增色不少。由于地理、历史、宗教信仰和生活习俗等多方面的因素决定，习语承载着英语语言民族的文化信息和文化特色，并与它们的文化传统紧密相连，不可分割。而对英语习语的学习有助于我们掌握英语本族语者的真实语言，了解语言背后所隐藏着的丰富而有趣的文化信息。
二、英语习语中隐含的历史背景
1、罗马人的痕迹
公元前49年，罗马执政庞贝和元老院共谋进攻恺撒。当时恺撒的领地和意大利本部交界处有条小河Rubicon。恺撒不顾一切，悍然率领军队渡过此河与庞贝决战。在渡河时他说”The die is cast.”骰子已经掷下, 表明义无反顾。过了河,他还烧毁了渡船,( burn the boats) 逼得士兵毫无退路，只好勇往直前, 打败了敌人。
就是这样一段历史故事, 在英语中留下了几个常见的习语: cross the Rubicon( 渡过鲁比肯河) 喻意决定冒重大危险, 采取断然行动; burn one’s boats( 烧掉自己的船) 表示破釜沉舟的决心; The die is cast. ( 骰子已经掷下) 预示着事情已经决定, 再也不能改变。
2、条顿人的征服
UK Unit 1 The COUNTRY 1. Read the following statements carefully and then decide whether they are true or false. Put a “T” if you think the statement is true and an “F” if it is not. United Kingdom and Northern Island is located in northern Europe. ( F )英国和北爱尔兰坐落在北欧。 （注：北爱尔兰是英国的一部分，而英国位于西欧，即Western Europe，是一个岛国） 2.The United Kingdom consists of four political divisions ------ England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. ( F ) 英国包含四个政治分区，分别是英格兰，苏格兰，威尔士和爱尔兰。 （注：爱尔兰是西欧的一个国家，此处应为“北爱尔兰”即Norther Island，这才是英国的一个地区。） 3.England is one of the two large islands in the British Isles. ( F ) 英格兰是不列颠群岛上的两个大岛屿之一。 （注：不列颠群岛包括大不列颠岛、爱尔兰岛、马恩岛及附近的5 500多个小岛； 英国全称为大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国，有大不列颠岛上的英格兰，苏格兰，威尔士和爱尔兰岛上的北爱尔兰组成。大不列颠岛和爱尔兰岛才是不列颠群岛上的两个大岛屿，英格兰是大不列颠岛上的岛屿之一。） 4.The British Isles are made up of three large islands and hundreds of small ones. ( F )不列颠群岛由三个大岛屿和许多小岛屿组成。 （注：由两个大岛屿和其他小岛组成，大岛屿为大不列颠岛和爱尔兰岛） 5.Wales lies on the east coast of the island of Great Britain. ( F ) 威尔士坐落在大不列颠岛的东海岸。
About American 1.What is the full name of America? The United States of America 2 How many states are there in the United States? Fifty states 3 What is the capital of the USA Washington D.C. 4 Where is the Stature of Liberty? In New York 5 Where does the American president live ? In the white house About Britain 1 What does UK stand for ? The United Kingdom 2 What us the full name of the UK? The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. 3What are the four parts of the UK? England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. 4In which continent is the UK situated? In Europe. 5 By which channel is the UK separated The English Channel About China 1.How many ethnic groups are there in China? 56 2.In which continent is China located In Asia 3. what are the four great inventions in ancient China? Paper-making, printing, gunpowder, and the compass 4. What is the largest island in China? Taiwan Island 5. When was the people’s Republic of China founded?
《英美文化》教学大纲 课程名称：英美文化适用层次、专业：英语本科 学时：64 学分： 4 课程类型：选修课程性质：专业方向课 先修课程：（无要求） 一、课程的教学目标与任务 本课程适合英语专业二、三年级学生。开设本课程的目的在于使学生通过学习，能够比较全面地了解英美国家的各种基本情况和制度，学会与之相关的英语语汇和表达方式。 本课程涵盖量较大，要让学生在较短的时间内完全了解英美两国的具体情况是无法做到的。因此，在进行本课程的教学时，应注意以下几点： 1．学生在课外多收集关于英美两国的资料，有助于充分理解各个部分的知识。 2. 教师除了进行课堂讲解外，还应多提供一些知识内容有关的资料。 3.要求学生做好课前预习和课后知识的巩固。 二、课程讲授内容 英国部分（总学时:32学时；理论学时：32;实验学时：无） Chapter 1 A Brief Introduction to the United Kingdom（2学时） 1.具体内容： After learning this chapter, students should have a knowledge of 1) British history of invasions and the influence of each invasion on English culture; 2) the general characteristics of each part of the UK; 3)some political problems in Northern Island and the causes for the problems 2. 基本要求： 了解英国的历史概况和四个组成部分的地方特色。 3. 教学重点与难点: the effects of its imperial past; a member of the European Union; a significant role of London; cultural and economic dominance of England; invasion from the Roman Empire; settlement of the Anglo-Saxons; strong Scottish identity; Brief introduction to
英美文化在英语教学中的应用 摘要：随着全球化趋势的加剧，越来越要求我们克服文化差异，顺利实现跨文 化交际，新的《英语课程标准》和近几年的高考试题也明显体现了这方面的要求。如何在日常的高中英语教学中渗透文化教学已成为每位高中英语教师必须解决的 课题。本文结合高中英语教学实际，对此进行了有益的探讨，具有较强的可操作性。 关键词：文化交流；英语教学；文化意识 在英语教学中渗透文化教育是基础教育阶段英语课程的重要任务之一。基础教育阶段， 英语课程使用的教材是学生学习和教师教学的重要内容和手段。这套教材将中国文化与英美 文化交织在一起，因此，在教学中要充分发掘教材，渗透文化教育，使语言技能的教学和文 化意识的培养同步进行，使学生在学习英语的过程中了解英语国家的文化，发展跨文化交际 的意识和能力。 一、高中英语教学中渗透文化教学的必要性 众所周知，21世纪是全球化的时代，精神和物质产品的加速流通，将世界各个民族纳入 到一个共同的“地球村”中，国际间的政治、经济和文化交往越来越频繁，已经成为各民族生 活中不可或缺的部分。然而，国际交往的顺利实现，除了要求我们具备基本的听、说、读、 写这些外语技能，还要求我们必须要对渗透在外语中的外国文化有较深入的了解。文化差异 是跨文化交际的障碍，克服文化差异造成的交际障碍已经成为整个世界共同面临的问题。作 为当前英语课程改革实践中的一线教师，要想让今天的受教育者在将来能够顺利完成其交际 活动，就必须增强文化思维的观念，将语言教学和文化渗透有机结合起来，否则就必然造成 日后交际上的重大失误。 在高中英语教学中导入文化背景知识、培养学生的跨文化交际能力、培养学生文化意识、增强对文化差异的敏感性和鉴赏能力，已成为现代英语教学的重要目的之一。教育部颁布的《英语课程标准》已把“提高对中外文化异同的敏感性和鉴别能力，进而提高跨文化交际能力”列入高中英语课程的内容和目标之中。《英语课程标准》指出，文化主要指英语国家的历史、地理、风土人情、传统习俗、生活方式、文学艺术、行为规范和价值观念等。所以教师要在 课内外着重上述文化内容的渗透。《英语课程标准》也列出了在高中英语学习阶段要达到的七、八级目标，其中七级为必须达到的目标。以下是七级目标描述：1.理解英语中的常用成 语和俗语极其文化内涵；2.理解英语交际中的常用典故和传说；3.了解英语国家主要的文学家、艺术家、科学家、政治家的成就、贡献等。4.初步了解主要英语国家的政治和经济等方 面的情况；5.了解英语国家中主要大众传播媒体的情况；6.了解主要英语国家人们与中国人 生活方式的异同；7.了解英语国家人们在行为举止和待人接物等方面与中国人的异同；8.了 解英语国家的主要宗教传统；9.通过学习英语了解世界文化，培养世界意识；10.通过中外文 化对比加深对中国文化的理解。 与此相适应，近年的高考英语试题更是在文化背景知识和语言运用实践性方面有了明显 的延伸和拓展。试题内容更贴近生活，反映着当前社会包括国际社会的各种新问题和新内容。同时，在语言运用方面提出了更高的要求，在获取信息方面要求阅读原汁原味的英文，这里 就既有语言是否地道、标准的问题，也有关于文化氛围和背景的问题。高考命题的走势说明 了一个简单的事实，即学习英语不可能仅仅学习语言，它必须与学习文化同步进行。 二、英美文化对高中教学的作用 学习英语不能不注意中国和西方的差异文化，否则会引起不必要的误会。在英语教学中，可以常常发现毫元恶意的语言会使对方惊讶或愤怒，简单的一句话会使一方捧腹大笑，而另 一方则全然不知其幽默所在。如果了解了这些不同的英美文化背景，就不会产生这些误会了。 英美文化除了对口语教学及交际至关重要外，对英语教学中的其他内容，如听力、阅读 及翻译写作也有影响。在英语听力教学中，常常发现学生在听力训练上花费的工夫不少，但 成果却不如人意。其中一个重要原因就是对英美文化了解太少。如与英美文化有关的材料， 即使内容简单，有时也只是听明白了字面意思不能了解真正的内涵。 英美文化在英语阅斗中也起着重要的作用。如果不了解英美文化背景，在英语学习中同
【导读】《彼得·潘》是20世纪最伟大的童话巨著之一，是英国著名小说家、剧作家詹姆斯·巴里最著名的作品。这部充满想象与冒险的经典儿童故事，叙述了温迪和彼得·潘等几个小孩在梦幻岛的奇遇。故事创造了一个让孩子们十分憧憬的童话世界——梦幻岛，对孩子们来说，这是一种最纯朴、最天然的境界。 Peter and Wendy (excerpt) All children，except one，grow up.They soon know that they will grow up，and the way Wendy knew was this.One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden，and she plucked another flower and ran with it to her mother.I suppose she must have looked rather delightful，for Mrs Darling put her hand to her heart and cried，“Oh，why can't you remain like this for ever！” This was all that passed between them on the subject，but henceforth Wendy knew that she must grow up.You always know after you are two.Two is the beginning of the end. Of course they lived at 14 (their house number on their street)，and until Wendy came her mother was the chief one.She was a lovely lady，with a romantic mind and such a sweet mocking mouth.Her romantic mind was like the tiny boxes，one within the other，that come from the puzzling East，however many you discover there is always one more；and her sweet mocking mouth had one kiss on it that Wendy could never get，though there is was，perfectly conspicuous in the right-hand corner. The way Mr Darling won her was this：the many gentlemen who had been boys when she was a girl discovered simultaneously that they loved her，and they all ran to her house to propose to her except Mr Darling，who took a cab and nipped in first，and so he got her.He got all of her，except the innermost box and the kiss.He never knew about the box，and in time he gave up trying for the kiss.Wendy thought Napoleon could have got it，but I can picture him trying，and then going off in a passion，slamming the door. 彼得·潘(节选) 所有的孩子都要长大的，只有一个例外。所有的孩子很快都知道他们将要长大成人。温迪是这样知道的：她两岁的时候，有一天在花园里玩，她摘了一朵花，
一．A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning （告别辞：莫悲伤） Whilst some of their sad friends do say , The breath goes now , and some say, no: (ABAB) Moving of th'earth brings harms and fears, earthquake--caused by God's anger Men reckon what it did and meant, calculate/count up But trepidation of the spheres, trembling (Whose soul is sense) cannot admit Absence, because it doth remove Those things which elemented it. composed physical love (DFDF)
But we by a love, so much refin'd, purified That our selves know not what it is, Inter-assured of the mind, mutually assured Our two souls therefore, which are one, Though I must go, endure not yet, yet not to suffer If they be two, they are two so As stiff twin compasses are two, To move, but doth, if th'other do. (JKJK) And though it in the center sit, fixed foot Yet when the other far doth roam, does move far It leans, and hearkens after it, And grows erect, as that comes home.the foot that draws the circumference (LFLF) Such wilt thou be to me, who must Like th'other foot, obliquely run; And makes me end, where I begun (MNMN) 主题：The poet and his lover is going to separate. The poet would like to comfort his lover that their love is sacred and they will never be inseparable as the soul will never be inseparable from the body so that she shouldn’t show grief to his leaving. 主人公：The poet loves his lover very much. Although they are going to separate, he still knows clearly that no matter where he goes, their souls will always be together and their love will always be pure as well as sacred.
U1 Land, People and History Ⅰ. Choose the answer that best completes the statement or answers the question: 1.Which of the following mountains is the highest in New Zealand? A Alps B Ruapehu C Southern Alps D Mt. Cook 2.In size, New Zealand is similar to ____ A Japan B British Isles C Japan plus the British Isles D A & B 3.The longest river of the country is ____ A Waikato river B Clutha river C Rakaia river D Wanganui river 4.The largest city in New Zealand is ____ A Wellington B Auckland C Christchurch D Dunedin 5.New Zealand’s nearest large neighbor is ____ A Tonga B Fiji C Australia D Argentina 6.In April 2006, New Zealand became the first country to declare ____ as an official language. A English B Maori C sign language D Polynesian language 7.Which one of the following is the most common religion? A Christianity B Roman Catholic C Methodist D Anglican 8. Which country is the first one in the world to give women the right to vote? A America B Sweden C Australia D New Zealand Ⅱ.Decide whether the following statements are true(T) or false(F): 1. Maori people today resist adopting western life. ( ) 2. The North Island has been formed mostly by active volcanoes. ( ) 3. There are no nuclear power plants or weapons in New Zealand. ( ) 4. Because of the gold boom, people in the North Island have been more than in the South since 1896. ( ) 5. Wellington is the world’s largest Polynesian city. ( ) Ⅲ.Fill in the blanks: 1. New Zealand is in the _________________________________ 2. The two main land masses in the country are _________________ and ___________________ 3. The first piece of environmental legislation ---_________________came into effect in 1991, in which ________________________ is reflected. 4. New Zealand was settled over 1000 years ago by _________ from __________________ . 5. In 1840, Maori chiefs signed the ______________________ to keep their ownership of the natural, and in return, to give up the right to govern to the __________________ . 6. The national bird of NZ is _________________. 7. In 1769, ________________ visited New Zealand and claimed it for Britain, U2 Political System, Education and Economy Ⅰ. Choose the answer that best completes the statement or answers the question: 1.The two main parties in the House of Representatives are______ A the Progressive Party and the Labor Party B the Labor Party and the National Party C the Green Party and the NZ First Party D the United Future NZ Party and the National Party 2.The Head of State of New Zealand is______
The Cold War （冷战） By the end of WWⅡ, the United States, which had not suffered as much as other allied countries, because the strongest country in the world. As the possessor of atomic tombs and much of the world’s gold reserve and industrial production in its hand, the policy-makers of the US wanted a world order dominated by the US, a world market free and open to American goods and services. In pursuing this goal, the US encountered determined resistance from the Soviet Union. Gradually the two wartime allies fell apart and the Cold War began. Mrs. Thatcher （撤切尔主义） Thatcherism referred to the policies put forward by Margaret Thatcher, the first woman prime minister in England in 1979. The main contents of her policies included the return to private ownership of state-owned industries, the use of monetarist policies to control inflation, the weakening of trade unions the strengthening of the role of market forces in the economy, and an emphasis on law and order. To some extent her program was successful and she led one of the most remarkable periods in the British economy. Service industries （服务业） They are industries that sell a service rather than make a product，which now dominate the economy. Service industries range from banking to telecommunications to the provision of meals in restaurants. As more and more people are employed in service industries in the US, it is sometimes said the US has moved into a “post-industrial era”. Regionalism (地方主义) As pioneers settled new territories in the West, writers now focused on the differences between the various regions of the United States rather than on a single vision of the expanding country. Stock （股票） When starting or expanding business, corporations need to borrow money. They may issue stocks for people to buy. When people buy stock, they become part owner of the company. If the company makes a profit, they receive a share of it. Likewise, if the company loses money, the stockholders will not make a profit or the value of their shares will drop—they lose money. Therefore buying stock is a risk. Three Faiths in the US （三大信仰） By the 1950s, the three faiths model of American religion had developed. Americans were considered to come in three basic varieties: Protestant, Catholic and Jewish. In terms of numbers, the Protestants are the strongest, the Catholics are next to the Protestants and Jewish are the smallest among
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Chapter 1 Geography, People and Language 全名: theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain（大不列颠联合王国）and Northern Ireland（北爱尔兰）. 由成千上万的小岛组成（theBritish Isles）. 两大岛屿：Great Britain（大不列颠）and Ireland （爱尔兰） The River Thames (second longest and mostimportant), originates（起源于）in southwestern England -----North Sea. Scotland ( Edinburgh爱丁堡) importantriver:Clyde River kilts（苏克兰小短裙） Wales( Cardiff加迪夫，著名港口). The Severn River is thelongest river of Britain------flow through western England. Northern Ireland (Belfast贝尔法斯特，首府) LoughNeagh----the largest lake in the British Isles. Climate: temperate, with warm summers, cool wintersand plentiful precipitation(降雨量)，冬暖夏凉，降雨充沛 Three major features: winter fog, rainy day,instability 冬天多雾，常年多雨，天气不定London---Buckingham Palace（白金汉宫）, Guildhall (市政厅), St. Paul’s Cathedral（圣保罗大教堂）, The TowerBridge of London（伦敦塔桥） The majority of the population isdescendants of the Anglo-Saxons, a Germanic people from Europe.大部分的人口是盎格鲁-撒克逊人的后裔，从欧洲来的日耳曼人 Most people in Wales and Scotland aredescendants of the Celtic people, including the Irish people威尔士和苏格兰的大多数人都是凯尔特人的后裔，包括爱尔兰人 English belongs to the Indo-European familyof languages. English is in the Germanic group.英语属于日耳曼语语系 Germanic group: East Germanic, NorthGermanic, West Germanic. English evolved from the West Germanic group.日耳曼语系：东日耳曼语，北日耳曼语，西日耳曼语。英语从西日耳曼语中发展。 1、Old English: was influenced by Old Norse spoken by the Vikings and was relatedto the German and Dutch languages.受古代维京人所说的古斯坎德纳威亚语影像并和德语法语密切相关.was ended with the Norman Conquest, when the language was influenceby the French-speaking Normans.古英语时代结束于说法语的诺曼人的征服 2、Middle English: William the Conqueror invaded and conquered and the Anglo-Saxons(Numerous French words came into the English vocabulary)征服者威廉入侵并征服和盎格鲁-撒克逊人（大量的法语词汇进入英语词汇） 3、Modern English(15 century): William Caxton brought standardization to English, andspelling and grammar became fixed. The first dictionary published in 1604.Samuel Johnson: A Dictionary of the English Language was influential in astandard form of spelling.卡克斯顿威廉带来了标准化的英语，并成为固定的拼写和语法。第一本字典发表于1604。约翰逊塞缪尔：一本英文字典是有影响的一种标准形式的拼写。 Standard English is based on the speech of theupper class of southeastern England. It is also called “the Queen’sEnglish” or “BBC English”. A third of world’s population use English.标准英语是基于英国东南部的讲话的。它也被称为“女王的英语”或“英国广播公司英语”。三分之一的世界人口使用英语。
英美文化作业：英美文化差 异(英文版) -标准化文件发布号：（9456-EUATWK-MWUB-WUNN-INNUL-DDQTY-KII
the differences of British and American culture The British are, in some ways, less conservative than Americans - the drinking age is 18, not 21, homosexual civil unions are legal, and abortion hasn't been a serious political issue in years. Mixing religion and politics is extremely rare in the UK. On the other hand, there are stricter controls on some things - it's much harder to get a driving licence, and the age requirement is higher than in most states, there are speed cameras everwhere, CCTV cameras in many public places (although they may or may not be working), and carrying weapons or other objects for "self defence" is illegal (in particular, note that pepper spray is illegal). Getting into a debate about the right to bear arms will be very time consuming, and may also lead people to think that you're a gun-nut before they've got to know you properly. Smoking in enclosed public places is illegal that includes pubs, the underground, train stations... more or less any non-residential building actually... (similar to New York, so not so much of a cultural difference there). The British apparently have a wider vocabulary of swear words than Americans. While most Britons will use them fairly freely in a social setting, things are a lot more reserved in formal settings & talking to strangers. I've not yet encountered an American "pub" which bears more than a passing resemblance to a typical British pub. People might go to a pub just to drink and socialise, have a pub lunch, or as part of an attempt to get alchohol poisioning (otherwise know as a "pub crawl"), as well as to watch sporting fixtures (which seems to be the main purpose in America). Going to the pub does not usually imply getting drunk. Although the drinking age is 18, bartenders are supposed to ID anyone who looks under 21. Though I doubt your friend will do much driving, he should be aware of the following things: Most cars in the UK have manual transmission. Cars are smaller and more efficient, petrol is more expensive. Speed limits are higher, but enforced more rigourously. Driving in London is not worth it. Central London has a congestion
《英语演讲》教学大纲 课程编号：课程类型： 课程名称：英语演讲英文名称：Public Speaking in English 学分：适用专业： 第一部分大纲说明 一、课程的性质、目的和任务 本课程向学生传授英语演讲的基本知识和演讲稿撰写技巧，通过对著名经典演讲词的学习鉴赏，了解英语演讲的目的、功能和修辞手段，通过对现代名人演讲词的赏析，了解当代演讲词的结构、风格和修辞特征；通过学习赏析和演讲实践，提高学生撰写演讲稿和进行即兴演讲的能力。目的是为了让学生了解英语演讲技巧及其发展的历史；从理论上与实践上提高学生在公共场合的英语演讲能力，使他们能够富有逻辑地、说服力地、艺术性地、策略性地、感人地、幽默地、流利地表达自己的观点，成功地说服听众；训练提高学生的语言表现力，为后期的口译课程打下基础；学会演讲稿的写作方法；学会利用现代技术进行演讲；通过分析中外名家的演讲，让学生了解演讲中的中西文化差异。 二、课程的基本要求 1.知识要求： 了解：通过本课程学习，初步掌握英语正式演讲和即兴口头演讲的基本知识。 熟悉：经典和功能性演讲材料，欧美英语文化特色，中西文化差异及其产生的根源。 掌握：正式演讲和即兴演讲的基本要求。 2.能力要求： 简单运用：进一步提高学生组织思想和口头表达能力。 熟练运用：凭借个人现有的英语基础，通过本课程实践，提高进行得体的功能性即兴演讲的能力。 三、本课程与相关课程的联系 作为一门英语基础课程，学生在学习本课程前需具备一定的语言基础和较好的阅读理解能力。因此，参加本课程学习的学生学习过《基础英语》、《高级英语》、《英语语法学》《英语视听》和《英美文化》等课程，其后续课程主要有：《英语口译》等。