《英语国家文化与生活：加拿大》

《英语国家文化与生活：美国》

“Nín h?o!”

Or as we say here in America—“Hi!”—and welcome to this unique guide to the United States of America for Chinese learners of English.

In these pages you will learn not only the history, culture and language of the USA, but also intriguing details of the people, places and hidden secrets of this ancient land in the modern world. In fact, you will be so carried away by the journey through place and time that you could almost forget that you’re practicing your language skills at the same time.

So just in case you do… each chapter has a glossary and vocabulary (with words and phrases highlighted in bold), practice questions, and practice activities and comprehension exercise included in the text. These activities are designed to reinforce the practical information, practice English language skills and enhance cultural understanding.

This way you can show your teachers and parents that you really are doing your homework!

So… where is America? What is America? Let’s start with your ideas on the United States of America (to give the country its proper name), also known as the US, USA, America, “The States”, and “Stateside”.

What are the first ten words that come into your mind when you think of America? Your words could be a person (Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Elvis Presley, Pocahontas, Louisa May Allcott); a place (New York City, The Grand Canyon, Hollywood, Key West, The Golden Gate Bridge, The Colorado River); or an historical event (The Civil War, The Battle of the Alamo, “First Contact,” the first moon landing, The Great Depression).

Your first thoughts might be ideas (“The American Dream”, “Freedom of speech”, “The Right to Bear Arms”, “Go West, young man”, “In God We Trust”.) or inventions (the transistor, the Voyager space station, the iPhone, 3D printing, Tupperware). Your mind may go straight to music (Heartbreak Hotel, Good Vibrations, In the Mood, Respect) or films (The Godfather, Jaws, Pulp Fiction, Gone with the Wind). Or maybe landscapes, animals and symbols such as the Statue of Liberty or the Bald Eagle are the first things to enter your mind. Do you think of the flag (The Stars & Stripes) or the National Anthem (The Star-Spangled Banner), and if so which version—a military band, singer Whitney Houston or guitarist Jimi Hendrix?

It’s clear from the start that the USA is many things to many people, so this book is designed to help you learn about America from the inside out. The first thing to understand is that the USA is huge! Huge in size, in diversity and in aspiration. America sees itself as the land of opportunity, where anything is possible and dreams become reality. So let us start with some facts and then work our way through the geography and history; the myths and legends of this great country. Let us travel together on an all American “Road Trip” through time, place and people.

Some facts about America:

• The United States of America is a federal republic of 50 states, 48 contiguous and 2 others—Alaska and Hawaii.

• The population is 320 million people (and growing).

• The land area is 3,794,083 square miles, 9,826,630 square kilometers, making it the third largest country in the world.

• Its borders are the Atlantic Ocean in the east, the Pacific Ocean in the west, Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. It is more than twice the size of the European Union.

• There is no official language—the most common languages are English and Spanish.

• The major mountain ranges are the Rockies in the west and the Appalachians in the east, with a vast central plain and lowest point at Death Valley (-86 meters).

• The currency is the dollar. Dollar notes come in $100, $50, $20, $10, $5, $2 and $1 bills. They are the same size and color but have different pictures and famous people and places on the front and back (4). Coins come as 1 dollar, 50 cents (half dollar), 25 cents (quarter), 10 cents (dime), 5 cents (nickel) and 1 cent (penny). Look at the coins carefully when you arrive, as they can be confusing—for example a dime is smaller than a nickel, even though it is worth more.

And here are some lesser known “fun” facts…

• In more than half of all U.S. states, the highest paid public employee in the state is a football coach.

• The state of Alaska is 429 times larger than the state of Rhode Island. But Rhode Island has a much larger population than Alaska does. Alaska also has the largest percentage of people who walk to work (a chilly commute!). The state was purchased from Russia in 1867 and is the largest state in the US by land area.

《英语国家文化与生活：英国》

Sherlock Holmes Investigates…

The History of the United Kingdom

Thought you’d learned enough history from the Bird’s Eye Tour? Think again! This is the United Kingdom; you can never have too much history…

To help us see back into the past, the famous (but fictional…) detective Sherlock Holmes will be bringing his special magnifying glass. Sherlock Holmes is known for his use of evidence at a crime scene, and this quality may help us make some sense of Great Britain’s long and complex past.

So, what can you remember from the Bird’s Eye Tour? Write down some places, names or events that we have already looked at. You might be surprised at how much you know already.

Stone Age Britain

The first people came to Great Britain around 700,000 B.C. They came from Europe by land—at this time the UK was joined by land to Europe. Our magnifying glass shows that the first people left behind burial chambers and tools made of stone and that mammoths and giant beavers lived in Britain. The Stone Age is also called the Neolithic period and you will already have read about the many Neolithic monuments around the country. Can you remember the name of any of them?

Remains of mammoths have also been found in Great Britain and many museums have tusks and bones on display. They are huge!

Britain became an island around 6000 B.C. as the ice age ended and the sea level rose. The end of the ice created a warmer climate with the growth of forests. Humans could now grow crops and keep animals for food. Around 3000 B.C., the first stone circles were built. I bet you know the most famous one of those!

What do you think the stone circles were for? Our magnifying glass tells us that there are lots of secrets still buried under the earth in Great Britain.

Bronze Age Britain

The Bronze Age began around 2100 B.C. and was called the Bronze Age because… well, what do you think is the answer?

Here’s a clue straight from Sherlock Holmes himself. If the Stone Age is called the Stone Age because people used stone tools, then why is the Bronze Age called the Bronze Age? Because man had discovered how to make tools from the metal BRONZE!

Trade routes began to form and groups of people lived together in small villages but Great Britain was still a backwater on the world stage, for example in Egypt the Pharaohs (Kings) were building pyramids and burying their fabulous treasures and the Zhou Dynasty in China produced decorated bronze objects.

Iron Age Britain

The Iron Age in Britain began around 750 B.C. The population was around 150,000—the present day population of Oxford. Around 500 B.C., the Celtic people arrived. They were farmers who lived in tribes and most of what we know about them comes from their art and what the Romans—who invaded Celtic Britain—wrote about them.

The Celts had no central government and were warriors, living for the glory of battle. One of the most famous Celts in British history is Queen Boudica. She led her tribe, the Iceni, in battle against the Romans. The fact that a woman could also be a warrior tells us something else about Celtic Britain—that women were equal to men; they could own property and land, lead tribes and choose their own husbands. No wonder she is a heroine to many British women!

《英语国家文化与生活：澳大利亚》

Welcome to the Land Down Under

G’Day mate. How ya goin?

All over Australia, people will greet you this way. Those who don’t know you may offer their right hand to shake. Australians who do know you will likely kiss you on either cheek when they meet up with you. Australians are friendly and casual and they love to have fun. Even when they have not met you before, they might talk to you exactly the same way they would talk to one of their friends. “Aussies” are not often formal and they call most males “mate” and most females “Sheila”.

Although English is the main language in Australia, there are over 200 other languages spoken there including Cantonese and Mandarin.

Both young and old Australians use many slang words in their everyday speech. They call Australia “Oz” and they say that they live “down under.” They use the word “loo” instead of toilet. When they want to know if you would like help they will ask: “You right?” If they expect to see you later in the afternoon they’ll say: “See ya this arvo.”

When an Aussie is talking to you, it can seem like they are speaking a language other than English. When they thank you they might say “Cheers.” When they agree with something you have said they may say: “Fair Dinkum” or “Ya Reckon?”

As if that weren’t enough, Australians are well-known for shortening words and ending them with an “o” or an “ie” like aggro to mean aggravated; smoko a coffee or cigarette break; stubbie a bottle of beer and sunnies which are sunglasses