大学英语备课笔记3册.pdfVIP

UNIT 1 A Brush With The Law Background Information 1. Magistrates and the magistrate ’s court In England, a magistrate is a person appointed to try minor offences. He is either an unpaid layman 外行 or, in London and some other large cities, a paid judicial司法 officer. In England, every district has a magistrate ’s court. It is the lowest court of law. The magistrates court’ can only try people for minor, i.e. not very serious offences. It cannot give prison sentences totaling more than 12 months, nor can it order fines of more than 400 pounds for one offence. 2. The sixties ’ “youth counterculture ” The word ―counterculture ‖ was coined in the 1960 ’s for the attitude and life style of many young people who rejected conventional social values and demanded more personal freedom. The counterculture first arose in the U. S. During the 1960 ’ soon spread to Britain, France and other western countries. The young people were opposed to the Vietnam War and dissatisfied with the existing state of affairs in their society. Yet, unable to find a more constructive way of struggling against these, they indulged themselves in sex, drugs, alcohol and rock music and took great pride in wearing long hair and unusual clothes and in taking up anything that was unconventional. Thecounterculture declined in the late 1970 ’s. See the Hippies and the Beat Generation in Essentials of English Learning. 3. Middle class In Britain, the middle class refers to the class of people between the nobility and the working class. It includes professional men (doctor, lawyers, and architects), bankers owners of businessand small gentry. In the United States, however, the middle class refers to the class of people between the very wealthy