British national character

Almost every nation has a reputation of some kind. The French are supposed to be amorous, cheerful, and fond of champagne; the Germans are dull, formal, and fond of military uniforms and parades; the Americans are boastful, energetic, and vulgar. The British are reputed to be cold, reserved, rather haughty people, who don’t talk much to strangers, don’t show much emotion, don’t yell in the street, and don’t make love in public.

But if you make friends with the British, you will soon realize they are steady, easy-going, friendly, and warm-hearted, just as the people of your own country. There are, however, certain kinds of behaviour, manners, and customs which are peculiar to the British, and are different from those of others.

The British are very polite people and are never tired in saying “Thank you”, “I’m sorry”, “I beg your pardon”. It is considered polite to give up one’s seat to a woman who is standing, to open a door for her, carry things for her, and so on. Most British people expect the person in front of them to hold the door open for them. Most British people queue when they are waiting for a bus or waiting to be served in a shop. Queuing is governed by a strict code of fairness and nobody can attempt to jump the queue. But during the rush hour, when a bus or train arrives, you can watch people pushing forward to make sure they get on.

The British are not tactile people. When greeting each other, men shake hands on a first meeting but probably avoid doing so on subsequent ones. Most British never hug or kiss other men. They leave that to football players and foreigners. Men may kiss women in greeting, but only on the cheek. Intimacy between consenting adults takes place behind closed doors usually with the lights out. Displays of affection in all relationships are kept to a minimum.

The British like talking about weather very much. It’s an ever–interesting, even thrilling topic, and you must be good at discussing the weather. You must never contradict anybody when discussing the weather. Should it hail and snow, should hurricanes uproot the trees, should someone remarks to you “Nice day, isn’t it?” – answer without hesitation “Isn’t it lovely?” On the continent people either tell you the truth or lie, in Britain they hardly ever lie but they don’t tell you the truth either.

“The Englishman’s home is his castle” is saying known all over the world. The British prefer to live in a comfortable, detached house with many rooms in a suburb or in the country, far from the noise, dirt, and smell of big cities. Most houses have lawns, patios, and flower gardens. The British love gardening. Gardening magazines and books are everywhere in their houses and most of their conversations are about garden jobs done despite the difficult week-end weather, about seeds sown, about progress made.

The British adore animals. They keep them, not, as other nations do, primarily to guard their property, for scientific interest or for status, but for company. Pet owners’ homes are shrines to their animals. The best seats, the warmest spots, the choicest morsels are handed over to these household gods as a matter of course. They are deemed, by their owners, to be incapable of almost any misdemeanour. So when dog bites man, it is always man’s fault.

The traditional love of the British for tea is well known. Not only old ladies in lace with Pekingese on their laps drink tea, but a whole nation of workers, entrepreneurs, and aristocrats have tea for breakfast, lunch, and, of course, all activity stops in the afternoon for the customary tea break. There is a whole ritual to tea drinking in Great Britain. Only barbarians drink tea by placing a tea bag in a cup of hot water. First, the teapot has to be heated. The loose tea, once made, has to be left to “stand” and “brew”. Cold milk is poured into the bottom of each cup and then tea is added. A slice of lemon is often added. Sugar goes in last.

Most people in Britain work a five-day week, from Monday to Friday. Schools, colleges, and universities are also closed on Saturdays and Sundays. At weekends the British go to see shows and play a sport (usually golf). They also like visiting a restaurant or a pub – either the local, or often nowadays a more pleasant country pub – to have a quiet drink and a chat. Sunday has always been a favourite day for inviting people – relatives, friends, colleagues – to afternoon tea, and there are no signs that this custom is losing popularity nowadays.

The British are devoted to sports of all kinds. Whether it be football, rugby, hockey or any other team game, they start young and carry on, barring accidents, until they have to hang up their boots and watch others doing it.

The British are very proud of their old traditions. They have kept them for centuries, and the rest of the world accepts and quite enjoys them too. Thousands of people fly into London every year to watch the Changing of the Guard or the State Opening of Parliament. The traditions don’t only accumulate the experience and wisdom of many generations, but they bring some stability into the rapidly changing world.

cheerful – веселий

dull – нудний

boastful – хвалькуватий

cold – непривітний

reserved – замкнутий

haughty – пихатий

steady –врівноважений

easy-going –комунікабельний

peculiar –притаманний

toqueue –стояти в черзі

tactile –тактильний

subsequent – наступний

barring – за винятком

consenting – повнолітній

hesitation – вагання

alawn – газон

a seed – насінина

ashrine – святилище

a morsel – шматочок

to deem – вважати

amisdemeanour – проступок

lace – мереживо

a lap – коліно

anentrepreneur – підприємець

toadd – додавати

to accept – приймати

A person may be: Людина може бути:

short – низька на зріст

tall – висока на зріст

а man of average height – людина середнього зросту

Size: big, small, fat (толстый), thin (тонкий), slim(тонкий, стройный, изящный), plump (полненький, упитанный), slender (тонкий, стройный, гибкий)

Height (рост): tall, medium-height, short

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14