英语国家概况

英语国家概况

自 学 指 导 书

江苏技术师范学院

自学进度表

总学时：80面授学时：24 自学学时：56 教材名称：英语国家社会与文化入门 (上册) 周次 周学时 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

函授英语国家概况自学指导书

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 6 3 3 3 6 自学内容（章、节） Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Review Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 17 Review 完成作业 见教材 见教材 见教材 见教材 见教材 见教材 见教材 见教材 见教材 见教材 见教材 见教材 见教材 备注 一、教材说明

本函授课程使用教材为高等教育出版社出版，朱永涛主编的 《英语国家社会与文化入门》 (The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries: An Introduction) 上册。

《英语国家社会与文化入门》是一套关于主要英语国家（英国、澳大利亚和新西兰）的社会与文化背景的教科书，旨在帮助英语专业学生和英语自学者了解这些国家的社会与文化概貌，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。同时，通过课文的学习和各种练习的实践，达到提高英语水平的目的。

本书在课文的编写及练习的设计上力图符合中国学生的具体情况，根据中国学生的实际需要对难点作了精心注释，并设计了方便学生学习的练习。

其次，为了帮助学生理解课文，掌握英语，吸取知识，注释部分尽量做到详细、实用，力争起到教师课堂引导的作用。注释的内容包括重大事件和人物的历史背景、典故、语言难点或学生不容易理解的地方等。每课编有重点内容提示（Focal Points），以助于学生掌握课文的组织结构和中心思想。每课课文后都设计了多项选择题、填空题及解释题，这些练习不仅可以帮助学生记忆各种信息，巩固和提高文化和语言知识，还可以帮助学生复习、归纳所学内容。书后附有练习题的答案，供学习者参考。此外，每章都编有思考题，供学生进行口语练习或用英语开展跨文化比较讨论时使用。

二、教学及自学内容 具体内容如下：

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and

Northern Ireland

Introduction: The United Kingdom Focal Points:

--a complicated country with a complicated name --the effects of its imperial past --a member of the European Union --a multiracial society

--remarkable class, regional and economic differences --a significant role of London Questions for Thought:

1. What was the British Empire? What do you know about it? In what way is the “Empire” still felt in Britain and in the international field? 2. Why does the author say that it is not possible to sum up the British people with a few simple phrases?

Chapter 1 Great Britain Focal Points:

--a cultural and economic dominance of England --invasion from the Roman empire --settlement of the Anglo-Saxons --King Arthur

--Vikings from Scandinavia --William the Conqueror --the legend of Robin Hood

--Parliament’s dominance over the throne --physical features of Scotland

--a cultural division between highland and lowland --the Battle of Bannockburn

--independence of Scotland for 300 years --Union with England in 1707 --a strong Scottish identity

--a brief introduction of Wales --a history of invasions --Wales’ unification with the UK --campaigns for independence

Questions for Thought:

1. “British history has been a history of invasion”. Please illustrate this point with the examples from the text. How did each of the invasions influence English culture?

2. What are some general characteristics of Scotland? How did Scotland become part of the union of Great Britain?

3. Describe characteristics of Wales and Wales’ unification with Great Britain.

4. Are there any differences between England, Scotland and Wales in terms of cultural tradition? Chapter 2 Northern Ireland Focal Points:

--population and physical features of Northern Ireland --economy of Northern Ireland --the Home Rule Bill --the Easter Rising of 1916 --the Sinn Fein Party

--the religious conflicts between the Irish and the British --a partition of Ireland in 1921 --a Civil Rights Movement

--the presence of British soldiers on Northern Ireland since 1969 --IRA’s violence in the 1970s --Bloody Sunday

--the collapse of the power-sharing

--cooperation between the British and Irish governments --IRA’s refusal to hand over their weapons --future for Northern Ireland still in doubt

Questions for Thought:

1. What are some of the factors in Irish and English history that affects the situation in Northern Ireland today?

2. Different parties and groups in the United Kingdom have different solutions to the political problem in Northern Ireland. Please sum up their different attitudes.

Chapter 3 The Government of the United Kingdom Focal Points: --the monarchy --the parliament

--the birth of the Prime Minister and Cabinet --the British government today --the Constitution --Parliament --the monarchy --the House of Lords

Questions for Thought:

1. What are some of the characteristics of the British constitutional monarchy? How has the English monarchy evolved gradually to the present constitutional monarchy?

2. How did the doctrine of the “divine right of kings”, according to the

author, lead to the English Civil War? What do you know about the causes of the English Revolution in the 17th century?

3. What is the history of English parliament? What role did the parliament play in the Civil War?

4. Discuss the major characteristics and the main content of the British constitution.

5. What kind of institution is the House of Lords? What role does it play in British government?

Chapter 4 Politics Focal Points: --general elections

--the political parties: the Conservative party, the Labour party and the Liberal Democrats

--recent political trends: economy with high inflation and low growth, poverty, welfare payment, unemployment --current issues

Questions for Thought:

1. Who can stand for election as an MP in the UK? Why are small parties and independent candidates powerless in the election campaign for the formation of a government?

2. What are some of the similarities and dissimilarities between the three big parties in the UK?

Chapter 5 The UK Economy Focal Points:

--absolute decline and relative decline of British economy

--recent history of British economy

--the current UK economy: three main sectors-“primary” industries, “secondary” industries and tertiary industries --the aerospace industry

Questions for Thought:

1. What did the Conservative Party under Mrs. Margaret Thatcher promise to do to the UK national economy in 1979? The word “reform” in the national economy was also popular when Mrs. Margaret Thatcher formed the government and decided to change the UK economy. What was her radical reform programme? Was the pragramme successful according to the author?

2. What are the three main areas in national economies? Describe the development of each of them.

Chapter 6 British Literature Focal Points:

--early British literature concerned with Christianity: Beowulf, the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, the stories of King Arthur and his knights

--the development of drama in the Renaissance: Marlowe, William Shakespeare

--characteristics of the Romance writers in the 19th century: the Brontes, Charles Dickens, Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson

--characteristics of the 20th century literature: Modernism, Postmodernism, Joseph Conrad, Virginia Woolf, D.H. Lawrence, E.M. Foster, George Orwell, John Fowles Questions for Thought:

1. Why do you think Geoffrey Chaucer was so significant in English Literature?

2. Why do you think that the legend of King Arthur was so popular in the early writing of English Literature? Can you find a similar examples in early Chinese Literature?

Chapter 7 Sports in Britain Focal Points:

--football: the FA and the FA Cup --tennis: Wimbledon --cricket --golf

--horse racing, hunting and equestrianism: the Grand National, the Royal Ascot, “hunt saboteurs” --fishing

Questions for Thought:

What are some of the major differences and similarities between the British and Chinese attitudes towards sports? What are some of the changes that have taken place recently in the Chinese attitude towards sports? How do you account for these changes?

Chapter 8 British Holidays and Festivals Focal Points:

--religious holidays:: Christmas, Boxing Day, Easter --national holidays: “Trooping the Colour”

--holidays in the 4 nations: Bonfire Night(Guy Fawkes Night) in England, St. Patrick’s Day in Northern Ireland, Hogmanay and Halloween in

Scotland and eisteddfod in Wales

Questions for Thought:

Christmas is the biggest and best-loved British holiday. How do the British celebrate this holiday? In what way does this holiday and the ways of celebration in Britain reflect western cultural traditions in general and British traditions in particular? What is the biggest and best-loved holiday in China? Are there any similarities or differences between the Chinese people celebrating the biggest and best-loved holiday and the British celebrating Christmas?

Chapter 9 British Education System Focal Points:

--the purpose of the British education system --the relationship between education and social class

--the present education system: comprehensive schools, grammar schools, GCSE, GCE-A, GVVQs

--higher education: old universities, open universities

Questions for Thought:

1. What are the purposes of the British education system? Please comment on these purposes. What are the main purposes of the Chinese education system? Are there any differences or similarities in the education of the two nations?

2. What is the Open University in Britain? What do you think of this system?

Chapter 10 British Society: Housing, Class and Race Focal Points:

--housing: four main types of British home, namely flats, terraced houses, the “semi” and detached houses

--class system in the British society: upper middle-class and lower middle-class, the hereditary aristocracy --ethnic relations in Britain

Questions for Thought:

1. Why does the author say that “the way the living arrangement of a society as a whole are organized tells us something about that society”? how does the housing in Britain reflect British society? Do you think it is also true in China? Use the changes that have taken place in the housing in your hometown to support your points.

2. What are the four main types of home in Britain? How do they reflect the cost and status of homes? What are some of the major types of home in China?

Chapter 11 British Foreign Relations Focal Points:

--Britain Then and Now: imperial prime, UN, end of the great British empire

--foundations of Britain’s foreign policy --how foreign policy is made

--Britain and international institutions: the permanent member of the UN Security Council, the member of the European Union, the member of the Commonwealth

--special relationships with the US

--British security and defense policy: a member of the nuclear “club”, NATO, the lead nation of Rapid Reaction Corps

Questions for Thought:

1. What are the foundations of Britain’s foreign policy?

2. Why does the author think that Britain has the “the special relationship” with the United States? Does this relationship still exist?

Chapter 12 British Media Focal Points:

--British newspapers: The Times, The Observer, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The News of the World, The Financial Times, the tabloids --broadcast media: television and radio, the BBC, the Independent Television Commission

Questions for Thought:

1. The author says that “ the media are central to British leisure culture”, why does the author say so? What are some of the similarities and differences in terms of function between the British media and the Chinese media?

2. Is the British press free from the government control and censorship? What is the relationship between the British press and politics or business?

Australia

Chapter 13 Land, People and History Focal Points:

--an outline: the flag, the Australian national anthem, Australia’s coat of

arms, Australia’s official language, Australia’s national day --the land: location and size, geography/geology, climate --the people life in Australia

Australia as a multicultural society --history

aboriginal society before the European settlement the British colonization of Australia exploration of the land by white settlers the expansion of the British settlement

early development of the colony’s economy/agriculture establishment of local government/authorities/legislature formation of the Commonwealth of Australia

Questions for Thought:

Why does the author say that Australia is a multicultural society? What are some of the similarities and dissimilarities between China and Australia in this respect?

Chapter 14 The Political Life in Australia Focal Points: --states and territories

six states: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania three internal territories the external territories --government

three-tier system of government: the Australian Parliament(the

legislature) and Government; six state governments and their legislatures; about 900 local government bodies at the city, town, municipal and shire level --international relations Australia and the UN

Changes in Australian foreign policy Australia in the Asia-Pacific region Australia in the South Pacific region Australia and the Western countries Australia’s nuclear policies

Questions for Thought:

Can you point out some main differences between the Australian government system and the British government system?

Chapter 15 The Economy Focal Points: --an overview

changes in Australia’s economy after WWII primary industry—rural and mining sectors secondary and tertiary industries—strong growth overall economic performance in the past 20 years --resources and energy: minerals and metals --trade

--primary industry

limitations on agriculture development

Australia as the world’s major exporter agricultural products --manufacturing industry

the tertiary sector BHP

Questions for Thought:

The author believes that Australia has a dynamic economy. What accounts for this according to the author? Do you agree with the author? Do you think we can learn something from Australia’s economic development?

Chapter 16 The Cultural and Social Life Focal Points: --education

two main types of school: government and non-government schools compulsory schooling primary schooling secondary schooling

special educational programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

special educational services for the disabled students multicultural education

assistance from the federal government teacher’s qualification post-secondary education --the arts and literature

the arts: distinctive Australian trends the literature

poetry: Henry Kendall, Henry Lawson

fictional literature: Henry Lawson, Patrick White drama: David Williamson

--the media

Newspapers and magazines Radio and television --Health

private and public facilities of health care in Australia the federal government’s role in health care

health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people the Royal Flying Doctor Service the Red Cross Society the fight against AIDS

the National Campaign Against Drugs --social services

social security program today: the age pension, the sole parent pension

Questions for Thought:

1. What are some of the features in the education system that are specifically Australian?

2. What is Medicare in Australia? Find out those particularly Australian health care practices.

New Zealand

Chapter 17 Land, People and History Focal Points:

--geography, land and environment geography: North Island, South Island the weather

wildlife: unique flora and fauna environmental issues:

the Resource Management Act ozone depletion --the New Zealanders population Maori Society Pacific Island People Language Human rights Standard of living --Maoritanga

traditions: legends about Maui Maori Society Ethnic relations Maori language --history

first settlers of the Islands

coming of European Navigators and Settlers the Gold Rushes

the relationship between Maori and Pakeha the Social Welfare System the Post-war Years

Questions for Thought:

1. Discuss the Maori culture in New Zealand. Is it similar with the Aboriginal culture in Australia?

2. How has New Zealand avoided the air, water and land pollution problems of other industrialized countries?

Chapter 18 Political System, Education and Economy Focal Points: --government the Constitution Parliament

Mixed member Proportional Representation The Cabinet Public Service The Ombudsman Local Government --education --agriculture

hard-won reputation as the world’s largest farm technology farm management crops and horticulture --forestry & fishing --overseas trade

exports: dairy products, meat and wool; forestry exports; service markets

government policy and priorities imports

Questions for Thought:

1. Why does the author say that New Zealand’s reputation as the world’s largest farm has been hard-won? In what way is New Zealand’s agriculture similar with Australia?

2. The author says that New Zealand lives by trade. Is the author

justified by saying this? Is it true in Australia and Britain?

三、教学安排

本课程共有80学时，其中面授24学时。 英国部分面授内容包括：Chapter 1, 2, 6 and 9 澳大利亚部分面授内容包括：Chapter 16 新西兰部分面授内容包括：Chapter 18

其余章节为自学内容。了解每一章节的主要内容后, 完成书后练习。 四、考试要求

1．平时成绩与期末考试比例为40%：60%； 2．平时成绩包括出勤情况，完成自学作业情况等； 3．试题类型参照教材及标准化考试题型。