英语国家文化背景知识在英语学习中有重要作用。英语语言知识是以英语文化背景知识为载体的，因此掌握更多的英语文化背景知识，对于运用英语思维、提高交际能力的作用是不言而喻的。
1、There's no such thing as a free lunch
我们常常听说这样一句话：There's no such thing as a free lunch.（没有免费的午餐），你知道这句话是怎么来的吗？
十九世纪的时候，美国有些酒吧给顾客提供“免费的午餐”。所谓午餐，其实不过是些用来和啤酒一起送出的脆饼；而所谓免费，当然不是真的，不买酒喝就没有饼吃。所以，当时有人说：There's no such thing as a free lunch.
到了二十世纪七十年代，经济学家弗里德曼 (Milton Friedman)写的一本书用了这句话做书名。他在别的著作、演讲里也多次引用这句话。于是，这句话就又流行了起来。
有时，我们不相信会得到一些优惠，就可以用这句“弗里德曼名言”。
例如：
I don't believe he's giving us the money without any ulterior motive. There's no such thing as
a free lunch.我不相信他送钱给我们不是别有用心，世上没有免费的午餐
2、Teach a fish how to swim
你听说过有不会游泳的鱼吗？你听说过鱼因不会游泳而淹死的事吗？如果谁有这样的担忧，就和那个被嘲笑了几百年的担心天会塌下来的杞国人没什么差别了，必定会成为人们茶余饭后的笑料。
作为一种本能，鱼儿天生就是会游泳的，完全适应水底生活，如果有人想教鱼儿how to swim，这和在鲁班门前卖弄使斧头的功夫，在孔老夫子面前卖弄写文章的本领又有什么差异呢？
因此，teach a fish how to swim 的含义就是“班门弄斧”，“在孔夫子面前卖文章”。英语中类似的表达还有：teach a dog to chase rabbits；show the President where the White House is；teach the Pope how to pray；use Chinese maxims in front of Confucius
3、I was not born yesterday
一天清晨，我和朋友Bob约好了一起去旧车行买车。到了旧车行，热情的营业员不厌其烦地向我们介绍了一大堆，当他介绍到一辆白色汽车时说：“这辆91年的车只跑了2万英里。”还说这辆车是一位老太太用的，她只每星期开一次去教堂。可是Bob回了他一句：“I was not born yesterday .”
我觉得好笑，心想都几岁了嘛，谁不知道，后来我问起他，Bob向我解释说，这是一句英语俚语，意思是“我又不是小孩，別骗我了。”我这才恍然大悟。
3、Love me, love my dog
某天跟好友Carmen 畅谈恋爱史，我开心的询问她现任男友对她怎样时，她脸带娇羞、甜丝丝的微笑着说：“Love me, love my dog.”
我好奇地问她什么时候养了条狗，怎么我不知道。她哈哈地笑了起来，知道我误会了她的意思，便急忙向我解释说她家里并没养狗，“Love me, love my dog”是“爱屋及乌”的意思。噢！原来很多时候，英文句子或成语都隐含別意，不能断章取义，不然就会贻笑大方！
4、Forget-me-not
forget-me-not是一种生长在水边的蓝色小花“勿忘我”。在德国、意大利、英国各地，都有许多散文、诗词和小说作家以forget-me-not来描述相思与痴情。人们认为只要将forget-me-not带在身上，恋人就会将自己铭记于心、永志不忘。在这蓝色小花的背后，还有个流传于欧美民间的浪漫爱情故事呢！
此名源于德文Vergissmeinnicht，是“勿忘我”的意思，勿忘我的名称来自一个悲剧性的恋爱故事。
相传一位德国骑士跟他的恋人散步在多瑙河畔。散步途中看见河畔绽放着蓝色花朵的小花。骑士不顾生命危险探身摘花，不料却失足掉入急流中。
自知无法获救的骑士说了一句“別忘记我！”，便把那朵蓝色透明的花朵扔向恋人，随即消失在水中。此后骑士的恋人日夜将蓝色小花配戴在发际，以显示对爱人的不忘与忠贞。而那朵蓝色透明花朵，便因此被称作“勿忘我”，其花语便是“不要忘记我”、“真实的愛”。
另外，勿忘我也是美国阿拉斯加州的州花，不过因为它叶子的形状很像老鼠耳朵，当地人也称它为老鼠耳（mouse ear），这个名字就有不如勿忘我好听啦!
5、Walk on eggs
我们常以“如履薄冰”形容一个人做事十分小心谨慎，像在薄冰上步行。英语中类似的说法是walk on eggs，或者tread on eggs，就是非常小心地步行的模样，美语中则有这样的一个词组“walk Spanish”，原意是指小孩子在游戏的时候被人提着衣领踮着脚尖步行。这个词引申后的意思变为“小心地走路解”，但现在又常作被解雇，被罢免以及被驱逐解。一个人被公司解雇，可以说：He is walked Spanish by his company。
Walk on eggs 令人想起放轻脚步走路。美国俚语以walk soft指言行平静：He walks a lot softer than before（他比以前文静多了）。但是walk softly和walk soft不同，是源于圣经的成语。列王记上二十一章二十七节的旧英译：He (Ahab) rent his clothes... and went softly，是“沮丧地走开”的意思。
6、Gold-collar worker
在西方国家，人们曾用领子的不同颜色来区分不同的工作性质。从事体力工作的职员（manual staff）穿蓝领子的衬衫，而从事文职工作的职员（clerical staff）穿白领子的衬衫。于是他们就渐渐被称为蓝领（blue collar）和白领（white collar）。粉领族（pink collar）最先出现在kappHowe 1977年所写的一本书中，指和蓝领体力工人相当的女性工人，她们主要在电子产品的流水线上工作，或从事信息输入工作，例如信息台的传呼员等。
随着信息和高科技产业的兴起，越来越多的金领族们出现了，这个gold-collar 体现出他们在公司的地位。他们一般都有一技之长，对公司工作的方方面面都十分了解，甚至对公司的利润大小和收益都有直接的
重要影响。他们的工作环境优雅，职业体面，有着比白领更丰厚的收入和更稳固的经济地位。Gold-collar workers最早出现在Carnegie Mellon大学Robert E Kelley教授的书里，十五年来有些人曾把这些金领的高级打工仔称为知识工人（knowledge worker）或是新经济工人（new economy worker）。
7、To go south
咋一看，这个词组太简单了，这不是“去南方”的意思吗？这么简单的词组谁不知道呀！可不要小看了这么一个简单的词组哦，不信？那就请看在下面的句子中，to go south 是什么意思呢？
Ice-cream sales go south since it is nearly winter.
英语中很多常用词汇的意义随着时代的变迁不断发生变化。比如to go south，在80年代之前，其用法只限于字面意思，即“去南方”。而到了80年代中后期，这个词汇被广泛用作习语，意思变化层出不穷。起初，to go south 的比喻义经常被加引号使用，但渐渐地，新的衍生意义就成为了词组本身意义的一部分。在上面的这句句子中，to go south 的意思是指“（销量）下降”，是不是恍然大悟呢？
当我们使用to go / head south 的比喻义时，其表达的意思通常是指“下降，变坏；数量、质量或价值的减少”，亦指“情况越来越糟糕”。其实，south 一词与“下降、变糟”的联系还要归功于伟大的古希腊地理学家和天文学家托勒密。公元2世纪时，托勒密绘制成了世界地图，他的地球是方的，而且北部在上方，南部在下方。他的地理学理论在15世纪的欧洲得到复兴，并成为所有地图绘制工作必须遵循的标准。从此，去南方（to go to the south）就成了南下（to go down to the south）。
今天，如果翻翻流行杂志的话，会发现to go south 的比喻义用法比比皆是。如果是某些人go
south，这意味着他们某种程度上让你失望了；如果是股票市场go south，你将很可能会被套牢；如果运动员go south，这意味着他或她已经过了巅峰时期；如果是电脑的软硬件go south，那意味着这些软硬件坏了。go south 是一个非常有表现力的习语，可以非常灵活的用于表述各种带有贬义的情形。
8、Rule of thumb
手指头法则？也就是掰掰手指头就能想得出来的东西，我们通常说的“经验主义”。在实际生活中，一般用来指*经验就可以得知的东西：
Rough practical method of assessing or measuring sth, used based on past experience rather than on exact measurement, etc (and therefore not completely reliable in every case or in every detail)（对事物）粗略但实用的估计方法（通常凭经验而不作精确的计量等，故并非时时处处均可*）。
例如：As a rule of thumb, you should cook a chicken for 20 minutes for each pound that it weighs.凭经验估计，每磅鸡肉应烹调20分钟
有人把文化说成是一种复杂的社会现象。
19 世
纪英国人类学家泰勒在《原始文化》一书中，给
文化下了一个特别经典的定义：“文化是一个复合体，其中包括知识、信仰、艺术、法律、道德、风俗以及人作为社会成员而获得的任何其他能力和习惯”。不同的文化之间必然存在着思维差异。交际的过程是人们运用语言知识和社会文化知识传递信息的过程，所以学习语言与了解语言所反映的文化背景知识是分不开的。一说到了解英语文化知
识，我们往往是把英语当作一门知识在学，从小学到大学，到最后，学习了大量的词汇、句型、语法，却还是不会说英语。为什么我们花了十几、二十年的时间学了一大堆我们在实际生活中根本用不上的东西？可见，语言的交流和运用与掌握大量的词汇、句型、语法是两回事，如果对语言文化、思维差异一无所知，缺乏了解英语文化背景知识, 那么在运用语言的过程中，将是困难重重,必然导致交际障碍、交际冲突和交际误解，导致“语用失误”。反之，则有助于交际畅通并有效地进行。
——段小繁整理
《英美概况》教学大纲 一、课程说明. 1. 课程代码：107013841 2. 课程中文名称：英美概况 3. 课程英文名称：The Society and Culture of Major English Speaking Countries — an Introduction 4. 课程总学时数：32 5. 课程学分数：2 6. 授课对象: 英语专业二年级学生 7.本课程的性质、地位和作用 《英美概况》是英语专业本科的一门专业任选课。本课程以英语为媒介，比较系统地向学生阐述世界主要英语国家的社会与文化背景，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。它是英语专业学生学习英语专业其它语言基础课和在高年级阶段学习英语文学和翻译等课程的基础。本课程的教学可以提高学生在跨文化语言运用过程中对文化差异的敏感性、宽容性和处理文化差异的灵活性，从而改善学生的跨文化语言运用能力。 二、教学基本要求 1.本课程的目的、任务 本课程的教学目的在于让英语专业学生了解和熟悉主要英语国家的社会与文化概貌，掌握其地理、历史、政治、经济、社会生活与文化传统等方面的基本知识，扩大知识面，丰富文化修修养，加深对英语国家语言、文化和文学的理解，提高分析判断能力。 2.本课程的教学要求 本课程的基本要求是让学生掌握英美两个典型英语语言国家的历史与社会文化背景、民族特点、当前现状及发展前景。通过本课程的学习，学生除掌握有关英美两国的社会基本构成、文化传统、经济科技发展等基本知识外，同时也提高自身对英文社科类书籍的阅读能力，从而进一步提高自己的英语水平。 在课程的教学过程中，教师也可适当向学生推荐一些反映英美国家文化的优
英语国家概况课程标准 课程代码： 适用专业：商务英语 一、课程概述 1．课程性质 语言是文化的载体，文化是语言的基础。英语语言学习和英国国家文化相互依存、密不可分。一个优秀的英语语言学习者，若不了解该语言背后所承载的民族文化，其交际能力也会受到限制。该课程能使学生了解和掌握英美两国政治，历史，经济，社会，文化和教育等基本知识，了解英美国家社会发展、现状和影响这两个国家社会发展的因素，拓展学生的知识面，培养学生文化意识，启发学生了解西方社会，了解交际规则，增强学生的英语语言学习能力，为后续专业课程的学习打下一定的基础，进而为培养高技能应用型复合人才打下基础。 2．课程设计思路 本课程在设计上围绕合作学习法—任务型教学法、比较教学法、线索梳理法、启发式等教学法。 合作学习法—任务型教学法 合作学习法又称协作学习，是以合作学习小组为基本形式，系统利用教学中动态因素之间的互动，促进学生的学习，以团体成绩作为评价标准，共同完成教学活动。任务型教学法是一种以任务或活动为核心单位计划组织语言教学的途径,一种强调“在做中学”的语言教学方法。合作学习法与任务型教学法结合是指教师设计学习任务，指导并帮助学生以小组为单位通过合作、协商完成学习任务的教学过程。主要采用组织演示、演讲、讨论等形式。 2）比较教学法 比较教学法是在教学过程中，利用教学内容的相互联系和区别，促进学生掌握和巩固教学内容、达到教学目标的一种逻辑思维方法。例如，在学习美国的政体时，我们可以和英国政体、甚至是我国的政体进行比较，异中求同，同中求异。从而对“Parliament”、“Congress”和我国的NPC （The National People’s Congress）形成更深刻的理解。运用这种教学法不仅有利于学生掌握基本知识与技能，而且有利于提高学生的创造性思维能力。3）线索梳理法 线索梳理法，尤其是历史年代轴线表示法是表达历史线索最清晰的一种方式，这种方式的特点是易于梳理，可操作性强，非常直接，便于记忆。比如说，英国历史很长，如果不进行梳理，很难记忆，如果整理成一条线索，效果却不能同日而语： Early settlers——Roman invasions——Anglo-Saxons——the Viking and Danish Invasions——the Norman Conquest——William’s Rule——the Great Charter——the Hundred Year’s War——the English Reformation——the English Renaissance——the Civil War——the Glorious Revolution——the Industrial Revolution——the two World Wars 同样，美国历史部分可整理成这样一条线索： The war of Independence——the War of 1812——territorial expansion and Westward Movement——the Civil War——the two World Wars——the Cold War——the Berlin Blockade——the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s——the Vietnam War 二、课程培养目标 1．知识目标 了解主要英语国家的地理，历史，经济和政治等方面的概况；了解主要英语国家的文化传统，风俗习惯和社会生活的其他有关情况。 2．技能目标 扩大知识面，有效弥补英语专业学生知识面窄的不足；提高英语阅读的能力和语言应用能力。 3．素质目标
"British history has been a history of invasion". Please illustrate this point with the ●British history has been a history of invasions. Before the first century AD Britain was made up of many tribal kingdoms of Celtic people: a powerful culture originating in central Europe. Then in 43AD Britain was invaded by the Roman empire, and England and Wales (though not Scotland or Ireland) became a part of the Roman empire for nearly 400 years.Two more groups of invaders were to come after the English: from the late 8th century on, raiders from Scandinavia, the ferocious Vikings, threatened Britain's shores…. ●Key points: What are some of the factors in Irish and English history that affect the situation in ●Along with the political campaign for home-rule there were groups who followed a more direct method of pursuing Irish independence, engaging in guerilla or terrorist activities against British institutions and the British military forces. During the First World War and immediately after, this activity increased, sometimes brutally suppressed by British forces. ● 1.The Celts originally lived on Scotland, they kept their own culture and language—the Gealic. 2.Around the AD 6th C, people from Northern Ireland invaded the South-west --- the lowland zone. They were called Scots and gave the modern country of Scotland its name. 3.The Scottish people have a strong sense of nationality and desire for cultural independence. They observed some old customs and tradition, like the Highland tradition. Today, bagpipe, and tartan are considered as the
u n i t7 1 (1)What are the purposes of the British education system (2)Please comment on these purposes. (3)What are the main purposes of the Chinese education system (4)Are there any differences or similarities in the education of the two nations 答：(1)The purpose of the British education system is to teach children practical skills and socialize them. (2)Children learn practical skills, and the rules and values they need to become good citizens, to participate in the community, and to contribute to the economic prosperity of an advanced industrial economy. (3)The purpose of the Chinese education is to provide children with literacy and the other basic skills they will need to become active members of society. (4) In china, people think school is just about teaching children what are often called” the three R’s---“reading, writing and ‘arithmetic”(reading, writing and arithmetic). 2. How does the British education reflect social class British education reflect the deeper divisions in British society in which social class is still very important: class inequality can be erased or continued according to education policy. What’s more, the enduring feature of British education is the continuing debate over how “equal” educational opportunity should be. In British, the accent you speak with, the clothes you wear, and the schools you attend are all markers that identify your social class. The school (or college)tie is a clear marker of social class. Even on informal occasions you will sometimes see men wearing their school ties as belts to hold up their trousers –proudly displaying their attendance at a certain school. In Britain, where you are educated is very important to you future. 3 what are the major changes that have taken place since World war 2 Is British education moving towards more progress or more equality Pick up some examples from the text to illustrate your points. Other major changes to the British education system were caused by world war Ⅱ。This time, the new system would emphasize equality. The result was the 1944 Education Act which made entry to secondary schools and universities”meritocratic”. Children would be abilities they displayed. All children were given the right to a free secondary education and the main concern was to make sure more children had access to a good education. In the 1960s,comprehensive schools were introduced all over the country, which ended the division between grammar schools----where the most academically capable pupils were sent to be prepared for university----and vocational school where less successful pupils were sent to learn allowed to let children "compete" for places. 4. Why does the author say that universities in Britain have been rather elitist 答：Most students were from the middle classes, attended good schools, performed well in their A-levels and received a fully-funded place in a university. In recent years, great efforts have been made to increase the numbers of and kinds of people that pursue higher education. Access for mature students and students without traditional A-level qualifications is widening. 5. (1) what is the Open University in Britain (2)What do you think of this system (1)The Open University offers a non-traditional route for people to take university level courses and receive a university degree. People can follow university courses through textbooks, TV and radio broadcasts, correspondence, videos, residential schools and a network of study centre. (2)It was the Open University which provided the inspiration for the founding of China’s TV and Radio University. Unit 8 British Foreign Relations 1.What and how did the British empire end How did the British react to this reality How did the end of British imperialism influence the psychology of the British and the making of Britain's foreign policy (1) The end of the great British empire was surprisingly rapid. In 1946, Jordan, in the Middle East, was granted independence. The following year, India and Pakistan followed suit. In 1948, Burma and Ceylon
英语国家社会与文化入门期末考试复习资料 D. They represented the aristocrats as well as the communities. 英语国家社会与文化入门期末考试复习资料 8. Under whose reign was the Bill of Rights passed? Test paper 1 A. James II B. William of Orange C. Oliver Cromwell D. George I 1. Tick the correct answer in each of the following: 9. Which of the following is NOT true about the Constitution? 1. Which is the largest city in Scotland? A. It is a document which lists out the basic principles for government. A. Cardiff B. Edinburgh C. Glasgow D. Manchester B. It is the foundation of British government today. 2. Why did the Scottish Kings decide to form an independent singular Scottish state in the C. Conventions and Laws passed by Parliament are part of the Constitution. ninth century? D. The common laws are part of the Constitution. A. They needed a unified independent nation to fight against Viking raids. 10. How many seats in the House of Commons should a party hold at least in order to win B. They felt it necessary to develop their own industry. the election? C. They were threatened by the Anglo-Saxons' invasion. A. 651 B. 326 C. 626 D. 351 D. They had to do it in order to resist the English. 11. Which of the following party adopts a "fatherly" sense of obligation to the
2011年英语国家概况复习提纲（2010级1、2、3、4班） 一、考试题型 1、选择题（10%）：10个小题，每题1分。 2、判断正误题（10%）：10个小题，每题1分。 3、术语翻译（英译汉10%）：10术语，每个术语1分。 4、名词解释（20%）：5个术语，每个4分。 5、简答题（30%）：6个小题，每题5分。 6、论述题（20%）：1个小题。 二、考试范围 美国部分全部10章，英国部分前4章（第一至第四章）、2000年——2010年八级考试中关于英语国家概况试题。 三、考试依据 教材、课件PPT、历年八级考试中关于英语国家概况试题 四、考试重点 1、重点翻译术语： (1) New Frontier 新边疆 (2) the Civil Rights Movement 民权运动 (3) the Great Society 伟大社会 (4) the Counterculture Movement 反主流文化运动 (5) the New Left Movement 新左派运动 (6) the Anti-War Movement 反战运动 (7) the Strategic Defence Initiative 战略防御措施 (8) the Populist Party人民党
(9) Star Wars星球大战 (10) Monroe Doctrine门罗主义 (11) Truman Doctrine 杜鲁门主义 (12) the Marshall Plan 马歇尔计划 (13) the Missile Crisis 导弹危机 (14) the House Un-American Activities Committee 众议院非美活动调查委员会 (15) WASP 白人盎格鲁—撒克逊新教徒 (16) indentured servants 契约佣工 (17) the Civil War 美国内战 (18) the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 全国有色人种协进会 (19) model minority 模范少数族裔 (20) Indian Reservations 印第安人保留区 (21) Gold Rush淘金热 (22) Supreme Court最高法院 (23) the Court of Appeals 上诉法院 (24) the District Court地区法庭 (25) judicial review 司法复审 (26) the House of Representatives 众议院 (27) chief justice 首席大法官 (28) associate justice 大法官 (29) the Articles of Confederation 《邦联条例》 (30) winner-take-all 赢者通吃/ （美国总统选举中）胜者获得所有选举人选票
The Anglo-Saxons (P18) The aerospace industry in the UK (P80) Anglicanism (P269) The advantages of the pluralist form of government (P295) The Bill of Rights of 1689 (P48) The Bronte sisters (P100) Britain and the EU (P127) Britain and the United States (P127) The BBC (P143) The British stereotypes about the Irish (P220) The Constitution (P48) Class system in British society (P66) “The City” (P80) The Canterbury Tales (P100) Comprehensive schools (P113) The Commonwealth (P127) Cricket and “fair play” (P161) The Celts (P183) Checks and balances (P200) The Civil Service (P200) Catholicism in Australia (P268) The constitutional crisis of 1975 (P295) The Dreaming (P254) The Easter Rising (P35) The electoral campaign (P66) Ethnic relations in the UK (P66) Elizabethan Drama (P100) Eisteddfod (P162) The Easter Rising of 1916 (P183) Emancipists (P282)
PEP小学英语文化知识汇总 一、饮食文化 1、西餐礼仪 the knife is on the right . 刀放置于右边 the fork is on the left. 叉置于左边 The spoon is beside the knife. 勺子置于刀的旁边 The plate is in the middle.盘子放在中间 2、饭后甜点dessert 的介绍 It's something sweet, like pudding, fruit or ice-cream…饭后吃一些甜食，比如布丁、水果、冰激凌等等 3、Traditional Chinese food中国传统食品 sweet dumplings汤圆zongzi粽子mooncake月饼dumplings饺子 二、节日文化 1、Women's Day妇女节 2、Children's Day儿童节 3、Christmas 圣诞节 Merry Christmas圣诞快乐 Father Christmas圣诞老人 Christmas Tree 圣诞树turkey火鸡gifts礼物 4、西方节日 Mother's Day is the second Sunday in May.母亲节在五月份第二个星期天 Father's Day is the third Sunday in June.父亲节在六月份第三个星期天 In America Thanksgiving Day is the fourth Thursday in November. 在美国，感恩节在十一月份的第四个星期四 In Canada Thanksgiving Day is the second Monday in October. 在加拿大，感恩节在十月份的第二个星期一 三、生活常识及日常标志的认识 1、出口、入口和卫生间标志： entrance入口exit出口women's女卫生间men's男卫生间 2、不同国家的紧急求救码emergency number 3、水零度结冰膨胀
一、Fill in the following information gaps(20%)(1 point each) 1. In England more than ___1__ of its population living in cities ,and about 2% of the population working in agriculture, so England is a highly urbanized country . 2. In the year of ____2_____,the first permanent settlement in North America was established, in today's Virginia . 3.Ralph Waldo Emerson, a American transcendentalist, published a startling book called __3__,he claimed by studying and respecting to nature individual could reach a higher spiritual state without form religion . 4.The U.S. federal government consist of the following three branches the executive , _____4_____and the judicial. 5.One advantage of 5 over sole proprietorship and partnership is that it has limited liability, so investors risked only the amount of their investment and not their entire assets 6.The best -known stock exchange is New York Stock Exchange located in _____6_____area of New York City 7.WASP stands for _______7______. 8.The majority of the Catholics in the U.S. are descendants of immigrants from Ireland,_______8_______and Poland. 9.The Letherstocking Tales, they refer to the five novels written by9. 10.A collection of poems written by Walt Whitman , it is a ground-breaking book. That is 10 11.An jazz music ensemble of musicians consists of two sections: ________11________ and the percussion. 12. G.R.E and M.B.A. stand for Graduate Record Examination and __________12________ in U.S education. 13.In the U.S., B.A. and B.S. stand for ________13_________and Bachelor of Science in higher education. 14.The two most well known computer companies are ______14_______ and Apple in the United States. 15.Now the largest software company is _____15___________whose director is Bill Gates in the United States. 16.Two Scottish cities which have a ancient and internationally respected universities, they are Edinburgh and _______16____________. 17.The Britain, the official head of state is now ________17_______ while the real center of political life is in the House of Commons .
英语国家社会与文化教 学大纲 Revised as of 23 November 2020
《英语国家社会与文化》教学大纲 一、课程基本信息 课程编号： 课程中文名称: 英语国家社会与文化 课程英文名称：Exploring English-speaking Countries 课程类型：专业方向选修课 总学时：36理论学时：32 实验学时：4 学分：2 适用专业：初中毕业起点五年制小学教育专业英语方向2012级专科段 先修课程：英语网络阅读 开课院系：小学教育系 二、课程性质和任务 《英语国家社会与文化》本课程是以英语为授课媒介，重点介绍英国、美国、澳大利亚、加拿大和新西兰等主要英语国家的历史、宗教、政治、教育、体育、经济、娱乐等社会文化各个层面的背景性人文学科知识。要求学生了解主要英语国家社会和文化的起源和发展和变迁、各国文化间的共性与差异，以及当今英美的流行文化。主要任务在于扩展学生的文化和社会视野，引导他们注意到英语语言内在的文化土壤、英语语言外在的多面性、语言和产生其语言的社会的一致性、相关性；提高学生对文化差异的敏感性、宽容性以及处理文化差异的灵活性，培养学生的跨文化交际能力。 三、课程教学目标 本课程的总体目标在于使学生通过学习，了解这些国家的社会与文化概况，如地理、历史、政治、经济、教育、社会生活以及文化风俗等方面的基础知识，理解英美文化、思维方式、价值观念和生活习惯，扩大学生的知识面培养学生正确分析有关英美等国问题的能力，并能以正确的眼光看待世界上所发生的问题，提高学生对文化差异的敏感性和宽容性，培养学生跨文化交际能力。同时也促进加强学生的语言学习，达到提高英语水平的目的。培养学生成为热爱祖国、热爱社会主义、为国家繁荣发展而奋斗的人才。 四、理论教学环节和基本要求
英语国家文化概况试题 Company Document number：WUUT-WUUY-WBBGB-BWYTT-1982GT
英语国家文化概况试题 I.Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F) 1.Great Britain includes 3 constituent countries: England, Scotland, and Wales.(T) 2.. Independent schools get money mainly through the private sector and tuition rates, with some government support.(T) 3.Britain is not a member of the NATO due to its disagreement with some European countries in defense policy. (F) 4.Britain has a written constitutions of the sort which most countries have.(F) 5.Conservative party prefers policies that protect individual’s rights.(T) 6.New England was established by English puritans.(T) 7.The US Constitution set up a federal system with a strong central government.(T) 8.There are more Catholics than Protestants in the US. (F) 9.Harvard College was originally founded to train government officials. (F) 10.Americans have to join a political party in order to vote or to be a candidate for public office. (F) II.Choose the answer that best completes the statement or answers the question: 1.Which of the following is NOT considered a characteristic of
英语国家社会与文化》考试试卷（A 卷） 适用班级 学院外国语班级学号姓名成绩 考试时间120 分钟 一二三四五六七八九十总分 题号 分数 得分 一、Fill in the following information gaps(20%)(1 point each) 1.England is a highly ____1____ country ,with more than 80% of its population living in cities ,and about 2% of the population working in agriculture. 2.The first permanent settlement in North America was established, in today's __ 2 in the year of 1607 3.The American transcendentalist, _____3______- published a startling book called Nature he claimed by studying and respecting to nature individual could reach a higher spiritual state without form religion . 4.The U.S. federal government consist of the following three branches ____4____, the legislative and the judicial . 5.One advantage of corporation over sole proprietorship and partnership is that it has _____5___,so investors risked only the amount of their investment and not their entire assets 6.The best -known stock exchange is ___6_________located in Wall Street area of New York City 7.WASP stands for ______7_______. 8.The majority of the Catholics in the U.S. are descendants of immigrants from _______8______,Italy and Poland. 9. _______9______ , they refer to the five novels written by Fennimore Cooper.
USA 1. The First Continental Congress was held in _____ in September, 1774. Philadelphia 2. When did the Independent War break out? 1776 3.When was Declaration of Independence signed? 1776 4.When did the Independent War succeed? 1781 5.The Great Depression in America lasted from _____ to _________. 1929, 1933 6.In ______, civil war in America broke out. 1861 7.Civil war in America lasted for _________ years. 4 8. Who is the Found Father of the United States of America? George Washington 9. How many members are there in the House of Representatives of America? 435 10. How many members are there in the House of Senate of America? 100 11. Who has the right to declare war in America? Supreme Court 12.How many judges are there in the Supreme Court of America? 9 13. When is the Independence Day of the United States of America? July 4 14. How many stars are there on the National Flag of the United States of America? 50 15. How many stripes are there on the National Flag of the United States of America? 13 16. How many states are there in America? 50 17. Who led the country to victory during the American Civil War. Abraham Lincoln 18. Abraham Lincoln was the ________ President of the United States 16th 19. Which building is the place where the U.S. President live in? The White House 20. Boxing Day is the next day of ___________. Christmas Day 21. The theme of Thanksgiving Day is ___________.