新英美概况 教学课件 齐智英 unit 7.pptVIP

Unit Seven British and American Social Life Contents Unit Seven 7.1 British and American Characters and Customs 7.1. 1. The British Characters and Customs It is difficult to generalize about the British. The characteristics and customs of the people living in different regions and of different social classes vary enormously. Some of the descriptions which follow are limited to the upper and upper-middle classes, particularly in the south of England. Unit Seven Exclusiveness The best-known quality of the British people and, in particular, of the English people is their exclusiveness. This means, “I am English. You stay away from me. I am exclusive. I am quite happy to be myself. I do not need you. Leave me alone.” It is very difficult to know such a man who does not talk much, never says anything about himself, does not show much emotion and hardly ever gets excited. Why do the English people have this characteristic? Perhaps there are many reasons. Of these reasons, two are very important. One is the special geographical location of Britain; the other is the distinct development of its history. Unit Seven Conservativeness The English people are generally regarded as conservative. The Americans say that the English people always need 20 or 40 years to do things that they do today because the English people are so conservative that they have to wait a long time before they are prepared to try something new. Perhaps this is an exaggeration, but there may be something in it. Englishmen think their way of doing things is always the best, and always the most normal. So an Englishman is not very interested if somebody in America has a new idea. He is very careful. He will say, “Be careful. It might be dangerous”. And the British people do not accept change because they are told so. They favor the old ways. Unit Seven Politeness In Britain, all politeness is based on the basic rule of showing consideration for others. The British people do not readily ask you to