Common sense of British and American culture

1. What is the necessary knowledge of American culture?

Furnace-another name for America.

Because the United States is a country composed of immigrants of different nationalities from all over the world. The English spoken by these immigrants is not as hierarchical and geographically diverse as that spoken by the British.

They formed similar living habits and manners; The difference between urban and rural residents is not as obvious as in other countries. Although American society is fiercely competitive and has racial discrimination, it shows considerable flexibility and inclusiveness in assimilating immigrants from different ethnic groups.

As a result, a brand-new overall culture and national consciousness have been formed, making the United States a "multi-ethnic country". The American outlook on life is based on the spirit of individual struggle, self-control and competition.

Yuppies and yuffies-Yuppies and yuffies are a new word that Americans copied from hippies, meaning "young urban professionals". Yuppies are engaged in occupations that require higher education, such as lawyers, doctors, architects, computer programmers, business managers and so on.

Their annual salary is very high. Yuppies are successful, ambitious, talented and have a luxurious life.

Unlike hippies, yuppies have no sense of decadence, do not care about political and social issues, and only care about making money and pursuing a comfortable life. Elegant princess poetry means "young people who fail in the city"

Although they feel that their life is not as good as that of yuppies, they don't want to feel lost and swear to find their own home. Uncle Sam-Uncle Sam is a nickname and symbol of the United States.

Uncle Sam's English is Uncle Sam, and the abbreviation is America.

Just like the English abbreviation in America. But how did it become a nickname and symbol of America? The general saying is: 18 12. During the American-British War, there was a businessman (some people said he was an official) named Sam? Samuel Wilson (1776— 1854) is usually called Uncle Sam.

The United States bought his beef box with the American flag on it.

Words. People joke that these are all covered by u.

S. The boxes with words on them all belong to Uncle Sam.

Later, "Uncle Sam" became a nickname for the United States. 19 In the 1930s, American painters painted Uncle Sam as a lanky old man with a goatee, and his hat and trousers were marked with the Stars and Stripes.

-Black Friday-The word "black" comes from Good Friday. 1987101October19, the share price of new york stock market plummeted. Because it is Friday, it is called "Black Friday" in the stock market.

65438+1October 65438+1October 9, new york stock index generally fell sharply, exceeding the record of stock crash caused by the Great Depression on June 65438+1October 28, 1929. Shortly after the market opened that day, there was a frenzy of selling stocks. New york's stock market hit a record of 604.3 billion shares, causing heavy losses to several large American companies. The total stock value of 5,000 listed companies lost $500 billion in one day.

The stock prices of major financial markets around the world plummeted rapidly, causing great panic in the West. This stock price crash is the worst since the First World War and the biggest decline in Wall Street's history.

2. Common sense of British and American culture

One. (1) US currency

American currency consists of dollars and cents, and one dollar is equal to 100 cent. Its banknotes have denominations of one yuan, two yuan, five yuan, ten yuan, twenty yuan, fifty yuan and one hundred yuan; Coins have one cent (or a penny), five cents (or a nickel), ten cents (or a dime) and twenty-five cents (or a quarter). Adding $ before the number indicates US dollars, for example, $500 indicates US dollars; Add c after the number to indicate cents, for example, 50C indicates 50 cents; When the amount is expressed in dollars and cents, it is usually expressed in dollars, such as $6.50.

(2) British currency

British currency consists of pounds and pennies, and is also divided into notes and coins. The face value of paper money is five pounds, ten pounds, twenty pounds and fifty pounds; Coins, that is, metal money, include one penny, two pence, five pence, ten pence, twenty pence, fifty pence and one pound. If it refers to a certain number of coins, generally use piece, such as 2p (pieces); Coins you carry with you can be represented by small change. 1 00p equals1pound. Put \ before the number to indicate how many pounds, such as \800 is 800 pounds; Add p after the number to indicate how many pence, such as 5P for five pence (the plural of penny); When expressing the amount of money consisting of pounds and pence, we usually don't say pence. For example, 3 pounds and 50 pence can be said to be -3.50 or 3 pounds and 50 pence.

3. What cultural differences should we pay attention to in British life?

Don't beat around the bush when talking about business or work in Britain. You'd better get to the point directly. Beating around the bush will be considered a waste of time.

When the British say "no", they don't want to start bargaining with you, but they want to express their meaning. At the same time, British people have a good sense of humor, but when joking, they may look serious on the outside, and some light jokes will be interspersed with serious conversations.

So for our friends studying abroad, we should remember these cultural differences. Socialization begins in a bar. Students in China may have a polite but cold impression of the British.

Usually, British people don't like being too intimate, and think it is superficial and insincere. Too much enthusiasm and attention will make the British feel strange and uncomfortable, so it really takes some time to establish friendship with them. Privacy is very important to the British.

Nowadays, there are many overseas students purchasing, which should be paid more attention to those who are not used to foreign eating habits, especially in this era of soaring prices. In addition to learning to open sources, international students should learn to cut costs in order to increase their income. Personal problems, such as marriage, love relationship, finance, health and other topics, unless the other party is a good friend, try to avoid them.

Besides, bars are social centers where British people like to get together with friends, and China students may be invited to "go out for a drink" as the beginning of socializing with British students. Eating and chatting alternate. When visiting British families, you should be punctual for appointments and prepare some small gifts. It is considered impolite to arrive early.

When eating, it is polite to finish all the food on your plate. If there are leftovers, it means that guests don't like them in Britain. There is no habit of eating hot pot in Britain. They usually eat at most one soup pot, where the seasoning is weak and there is no hot pot bottom material. Instead, they stir some spices after ironing.

I didn't expect that if you are not used to English food, you can buy some Chinese food in Ikevo or ask your family to send it to you. British people like to talk while eating, so we should pay attention to the alternation of eating and talking.

It is impolite to open your mouth when eating, so it is best to put only a small amount of food in your mouth when eating. If you have to open your mouth wide, you'd better cover it with one hand.

In British culture, it is considered polite to stay for social conversation after dinner, so the party may last for several hours. If you want to make an appointment to communicate with people in English life, you should also pay attention. You should inform your friends in advance before you visit them. Uninvited guests can be annoying.

You should try to avoid calling other people's homes after 10 pm. Calling after 1 1 in the afternoon is likely to be regarded as an emergency by the British. Many services in Britain need to make an appointment in advance, such as seeing a doctor, getting a haircut, getting a facelift and getting glasses.

If you need to cancel the reservation, you must inform the other party 24 hours in advance, otherwise you may have to pay for it yourself. When you can't get used to foreign food, it will remind you of the street snacks in your hometown and the impulse to buy special products in Aikewo International Student Mall, so maybe you will feel another kind of Jiang Yang that is not written here: in fact, in a foreign country, what you eat at first is just a stranger, and what you eat at last becomes countless homesickness.

It is very useful to learn more idioms. In life in Britain, China students may encounter many unfamiliar or even incomprehensible idioms. When you first arrive in Britain, knowing some common expressions in advance will bring great help to your life.

4. Cultural knowledge about Britain or English

The general structure of English names is: Christian name+self name+surname. Like William Jafferson Clinton.

But on many occasions, middle names are often omitted, such as George Bush, and many people prefer to use nicknames.

Replace formal Christian names, such as Bill Clinton. The above Christian names and middle names are also called human names. English-speaking countries now

The personal name, nickname and surname of are as follows:

I. Personal name

According to the custom of English speakers, when babies are baptized, priests or parents, relatives and friends do it for them.

Name, called Christian name. In the future, I can take a second name after my Christian name.

The sources of English names are as follows:

1. Use the names in the Bible, Greek and Roman mythology, ancient celebrities or literary masterpieces as Christian names.

2. Take the names of ancestral places, mountains and rivers, birds and animals, fish and insects, flowers and trees as Christian names.

3. Different variants of Christian names.

Step 4 use nicknames.

5. Use word formation to create new Christian names, such as reverse order and merger.

6. Take the mother's maiden name as the middle name.

The common names of men in English-speaking countries are: James, John, David, Daniel and Michael, which are very common.

The names of these women are: Jane, Mary, Elizabeth, Ann, Sarah and Catherine.

Two. nickname

Nicknames, including nicknames, abbreviations and nicknames, are often used by relatives and friends of English speakers to express goodwill.

It comes from the Christian name. There are usually the following situations:

1. Keep the first syllable. Such as Donald = >; Don, Timothy => Timothy If your real name starts with a vowel,

Nicknames starting with' n' can be derived, such as Edward => Ned.

2.+ie or -y, such as: Don => Downey, Tim => Timmy.

3. Use the last syllable, such as Anthony => Tony and Bourbon => Ben.

4. Two nicknames are derived from a Christian name, such as Andrew => Andy & Drew.

Irregular derivation, such as: William's nickname is Bill.

Three. surname

For a long time, the British had only a first name and no last name. Surnames were not widely used until16th century.

Popular. The etymology of English surnames mainly includes:

1. Borrow Christian names directly, such as Clinton.

2. Add affixes to Christian names to express blood relationship, such as suffixes -s, -son,-ing; Prefix M'-, Mc-

Mike, Fitz, etc. Refers to the son or descendant of someone.

3. Attach identity affixes before Christian names, such as St.-, De-, Du=, La-, Le-.

4. Displaying place names, topography or environmental features, such as streams and hills.

5. Screening identity or occupation, such as Carter and Smith.

6. Show personal characteristics, such as: black, Longfellow.

7. Borrow animal and plant names, such as birds and rice.

8. From the combination of two surnames, such as Edward Burne-Jones.

Although English surnames appear later than Christian names, they are much more numerous. Commonly used are: Smith, Miller,

Johnson, Brown, Jones, Williams.

Four. Some explanations

1. Early Christian names came from the Bible and Greek and Roman mythology, and were usually not borrowed as surnames.

2. British people are used to abbreviating all Christian names and middle names, such as M.H. Thatcher; Americans are used to it.

Only the middle names are abbreviations, such as Ronald W. Reagan.

3. Sometimes there are interpersonal titles before the name, such as job grade. Doctor, professor, dean. Yes

Used before a surname or first name; And Sir is only used before the Christian name or name.

5. British and American cultural knowledge

Britain is a United Kingdom consisting of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. A unified central government and head of state. Britain is located in the northwest of Europe. Britain is located in the British Isles, surrounded by the North Sea, the English Channel, celtic sea, the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, with a land area of 24.36 kilometers and a population of about 60 million. .

6. Cultural knowledge about Britain or English

1840 During the Victorian era, Lady Anna, Duchess of Bedford, England, was bored every afternoon. Thinking that she still had time to wear formal and complicated dinner clothes, she felt a little hungry, so she asked the maid to prepare some bread, cream and tea.

Later, Ms. Anna invited several close friends to enjoy a relaxing afternoon, drinking tea and eating exquisite snacks. Unexpectedly, this became a fashion in the aristocratic social circle at that time, and ladies and gentlemen flocked to it. Today, an elegant and comfortable afternoon tea culture has been formed, and it has also become an orthodox "English black tea culture", which is also the origin of the so-called Victorian afternoon tea.

At first, drinking tea was only enjoyed at home with high-grade and elegant tea sets. Later, it gradually evolved into a social tea party to entertain friends, which led to various manners, but now the form has been simplified a lot. Although afternoon tea has been simplified now, the correct way of making tea and elegant and rich refreshments are regarded as the tradition of eating tea and continue to be handed down.

Create a completely Victorian atmosphere

In the tradition of afternoon tea in Victorian England, it is absolutely necessary to use the best rooms (such as Solon) and the best porcelain to receive guests, and first-class tea and exquisite snacks are the protagonists of afternoon tea; Melodious classical music as a foil, plus a relaxed mood and close friends to spend an elegant and leisurely afternoon.

Cultural Connotation of Orthodox Victorian Afternoon Tea in England

Britain was the most powerful era of the British Empire in the Victorian era (A.D. 1837~ 190 1), and its culture and art flourished. People are obsessed with the pursuit of artistic and cultural connotation and exquisite life taste.

Victorian afternoon tea is a comprehensive art, simple but not shabby, gorgeous but not vulgar ... Although tea time and food (referring to pure English dim sum) are the most important parts of orthodox English afternoon tea, drinking afternoon tea without good tea, porcelain, music or even a good mood is also a fly in the ointment.

With the progress of the times, there are more and more varieties of tea, and there are not only many varieties but also many choices for afternoon tea. If we spend an afternoon with our close friends, it is not a pleasant thing.