英美文化背景知识[三]

edwardhayes

Medicine in Britain and American


Medicine in Britain

In Britain there is a National Health Service (NHS) which is paid for by taxes and National Insurance(保险), and in general people do not have to pay for medical treatment. Every person is registered with a doctor in their local area, know as general practitioner or GP. This means that their name is on the GP's list, and they may make an appointment to see the doctor or may call the doctor out to visit them if they are ill. People do sometimes have to pay part of the cost of drugs that the doctor prescribes(开处方). GPs are trained in general medicine but are not specialists in any particular subject. If a patient needs to see a specialist doctor, they must first go to their GP and then the GP will make an appointment(预约) for the patient to see a specialist at a hospital or clinic.

Although everyone in Britain can have free treatment under the National Health Service. It is also possible to have treatment done privately, for which one has to pay, Some people have private health insurance to help them pay for private treatment. Under the NHS, people who need to go to hospital may have to wait for a long time on a waiting list for their treatment. If they pay for the treatment, they will probably get it quickly.

Anyone who is very ill can call an ambulance(救护车) and get taken to hospital for free urgent medical treatment. Ambulances are a free service in Britain.

Medicine in the US

Unlike Britain, the US does not have a national health care service. The government does help pay for some medical care for people who are on low incomes and for old, but most people buy insurance to help pay for medical care. Some people cannot afford insurance but not poor enough to get government help. The cost of medical insurance and the problems of those who can not afford it are an important political subject.

When people are ill, they usually go first to a general practitioner or internist. Unlike in Britain, however, people sometimes go straight to a specialist, without seeing their general practitioner first. Children are usually taken to a pediatrician (a doctor who is a specialist in the treatment of children). As in Britain, if a patient needs to see a specialist doctor, their general doctor will usually give them the name of one.

Doctors don not go to people's homes when they are ill. People always make appointments to see the doctor in the doctor's office. In emergencies(急诊), people call for an ambulance. Hospital must treat all emergency patients, even if the patient does not have medical insurance. The government would then help pay for some of the cost of the medical care.

edwardhayes

Social Class in Britain

British society is considered to be divided into three main groups of classes - the Upper Class, the Middle Class, and the Lower or Working Class. This is known as the Class system and it is important to know something about it if you want to understand British people and society. Most British people grow up with a deep knowledge and understanding of the class system even if they are not very conscious(意识到) of it. Most people know which class they belong to by the way they speak, their clothes, their interests or even the type of food they eat.

Social class is not only about behavior and attitudes, For example, although many upper class people are rich and may own a lot of land, having a lot of money does not make a person upper class. It is also important to come from a particular kind of family, have friends who are considered suitable, have been to a certain type of private school and speak with the right kind of accent. There are people who are poor but who do not think of themselves as working class because their family background, education, political opinions, etc. are different to those of most working-class people. Many people do not like the class system but it is impossible to pretend that these differences do not exist or that British people do not sometimes form opinions in this way.


Pubs in Britain

Pubs are an important part of British life. Even very small villages nearly always have a pub. People especially men, will often go to the pub for a drink in the evening and at weekends. A man will usually go to the same pub, one which is closed by and which is called the local: I'm just nipping down to the local for a print. Women now go to pubs more than they used to, but usually don not like to go to a pub on their own. Children under 16 are not usually allowed into pubs, although some pubs have a children's room or a garden where children can sit.

Until 1988, pubs were only allowed to be open from 12:00 am to 2:00 pm alcoholic drink can be sold in a public place are called the licensing laws. Even though the law was changed so that alcohol can now be sold all day, many pubs still only pen at lunchtime and in the evening. When it is nearly time for the pub to close, the landlord or landlady shouts "last orders" and then "time".

Pubs often sell food or snacks as well as drinks. Food that is considered typical pub food is scampi (kind of shellfish) and chips (fried potatoes), pie and chips, chicken and chips, and ploughman's lunch (bread with cheese).

Pubs have names, e.g. The Angel, The Black Swan, The Crown, The King's Arms, The Red Lion, The White Horse, etc. and people usually refer to the pub by its name: Turn left at the Rose and Crown. There is often a sing outside the pub showing the name with a picture.

Many pubs have two or more different bars. The public bar is usually plainly furnished and often has a pool table and dartboard. It is the bar usually used by the local people. The saloon bar is comfortable and well-furnished(装修很好的) and is the bar that is usually used by men and woman drinking together


Sports in Britain and the US


Football in Britain and America
Football(soccer AmE) is a very popular sport in Britain, played between August and May (the football season) Many people, esp. men, support a particular team and may go to watch the games that their team plays. Professional football is controlled by two organizations, the Football League and the Football Association (the FA). In England and Wales, there 93 teams in the League, organized into four divisions(区）. In Scotland, there are 38 teams in the League, organized into three divisions. Teams play regularly against the other teams in their league or division according to a fixed programme. At the end of the season the team in the Premier League (or the Premier Division in Scotland) with the most points is the League Champion. This competition is called the League Championship.

The other important competition is the FA Cup, often just called the cup.This is open to all armature football teams that belong to the FA as well as the 93 professional（专业） teams. The teams play against each other in a Knockout competition which starts in August and ends in May. The two teams left in the competition play in the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium in London. This is a very important national sporting occasion, watched by millions of people in television.

Team names usu. include the name of the town or city where the team is based, e.g. Leeds United, Sheffield Wednesday, Wolverhamptom Wanderers (Wolves), Dundee United, etc.

Football(American football BrE) is a very popular sport in the US. Many people, esp. men, support a particular team and watch the game that their team plays. Each team has a name, which usually includes the name of the town or city that the team is associated with, Some examples of names are: New York Jets, Washington Redskins, New England Patriots, and Green Bay Packers.

The season starts in early autumn and ends at the end of January with the Super Bowl, which is the NFL championship game. The two teams that play in the Super Bowl are determined by games within the divisions and conferences. The Super Bowl is only one game and at the end of the game, they have a sudden-death play-off, in which the first team to gain points wins the game. Professional football games are organized in the US in the following way: National Football League are divided into two conferences: One is National Football Conference（国家足协） and the other is American Football Conference. Both of them have 14 teams and three divisions.

Basket Ball and Base Ball in The U.S

Basketball is a very popular sport in the US. Many people, esp., men support a particular team and watch the games that their team plays.

Each team has a name, which usually includes the name of the town or city that the team is associated （有关）with. Some examples of names are: Boston Cetics, Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets, and Los Angeles Lakers.

The plying season runs from autumn to late spring. Teams with each division play against each other, and against teams from the other divisions within the conferences. The best teams from each other (the NBA Championship). The first team to win four of these games is the NBA champion. Professional basketball games are organized in the US in the following way: National Basketball Association (NBA) has two conferences, Eastern conference and Western conference. The Eastern conference has two divisions, Atlantic division with 6 teams and Central division with 7 teams and Western conference has two divisions, Midwest division with 7 teams and Pacific division with 7 teams.

Baseball is a very popular sport in the US where it is often called the National pastime（消遣）. Many people, esp., men support a particular team and watch the games that their team plays.

Each team has a name, which usually includes the name of the town or city that the team is associated with. Some examples of names are: Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, and Houston Astros.

The two leagues together are know as the major leagues. The plying season runs from late spring to October. The winning team in each league is called the pennant champion. In October, the two pennant champions play against each other in seven games call the world series. The team that wins four games is the champion. Professional baseball games are organized in the US
in the following way. There are two leagues, National League with 12 teams and American League with 14 teams. National League has Eastern division and Western division and American League also has Eastern division and Western division.

Cricket（板球） and Rugby（橄榄球） in Britain

Cricket is a very popular sport in Britain, played mainly in the summer. Professional cricket is controlled by the MCC(the Marylebone Cricket Club). The main competition is the county championship, in which the 18 county cricket clubs play against one another during the season. Each match takes 3-4 days to complete.

The other form of cricket is called Limited overs (or one-day) cricket. in which matches are completed in a day. There is a limited-overs championship, played on Sundays. There are also two knockout competitions（淘汰赛）, the finals（决赛） of which are played at the Lord's Cricket ground in London.

International matches are called test matches( or tests) and can takes 5 days to complete. They are played between the following teams: Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South African, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies. When England and Australia play test matches against one another, they are said to be playing for the ashes.

Many people consider cricket to be England's national game and to be typical of a style of behavior thought to be very English which includes above all a sense of honor and fairness. It is traditionally played by men and boys and although there are some women's teams, including a national one, the most important cricket club in England (the MCC) voted in 1991 not to accept
women members.

There are two forms of rugby football played in Britain, rugby union and rugby league. rugby union is played by amateurs （业余爱好者）(they are not paid). There are 15 players on each team. Rugby union is played internationally between many countries including Australia, Fiji, France, south Africa, Argentina, England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and New Zealand. In Britain it is played especially in public schools.

Rugby league is a professional game, played mainly in England and Australia). There are 13 players on each team, and the rules are slightly different from rugby union. It is thought to be a rough, hard game.

edwardhayes

Why American Culture is Unique

American culture is unique because it is nurtured, formed and developed under certain conditions, which are characteristically(特性)American. The major factors contributing to the making of this new nation and the forming of a new culture are the hard environment, ethnic diversity(多民族) and plural religion, which is quite different from other nations in the world. What is more, these elements are still influencing the American culture.

1. Rough Environment
The early immigrants who were English Puritans settled down in northeast part of American. The environment there was very rough but they believed the poor land could purify their mind so they chose the place along the coast. From 1607 to 1892, frontiers were pushed further west. The American frontier consisted of the relatively unsettled regions of the United States, usually found in the western part of the country. The frontiersmen looked for a land of rich resources and a land of promise, opportunity and freedom. Actually they looked for a better life. So individualism, self-reliance, and equality of opportunity have perhaps been the values most closely associated with the frontier heritage(遗产) of American.

2. Ethnic Diversity
The population of the United States includes a large variety of ethnic groups coming from many races, nationalities, and religions. People refer to the United States as "melting pot "and the dominant people are British. American is made up of WASP+MM, that is, White, Anglo Saxon, Protestants plus Middle Class and Male. In history, people from different countries in the world rushed to American three times. They brought their own culture to American and later on different cultures were mixed together. Thus the unique American culture is formed, a common cultural life with commonly shared values.

3. Plural religion
The fundamental American belief in individual freedom and the right of individuals to practice their own religion is at the center of religious experience in the United States. The great diversity of ethnic backgrounds has produced religious pluralism; almost all of the religions of the world are now practiced in the United States. Christianity(基督教) is the dominant religion in American and Protestant (新教)is predominate(主导). Any individuals are equal before God and they believe they can communicate directly to God so they can share the same idea. Under the protestant, many new ones are formed and different explanations produce different sect of religion. Churches are independent and American religion is no longer religion seculars. The institution permits the practice of religion and the political power is separate form religion. So there are more religions in American than in other countries.

4. Current influence:
Nowadays, we can see the continual influence of the three elements in the current American society. American family is typically parents and their unmarried children. Middle-aged and elderly people generally do not live with their married children. Many Americans live in mobile homes whose homes are built with wheels. They can be moved. The people in American have a very strong desire to start a new life in a new place. Quite a number of people change residences(住所) every year. The average American moves fourteen times in his lifetime. The courage to try something new has been an American characteristic. American democracy means majority rule, but it also means protection of minority rights. There are certain freedom which the United States promises to all its citizens and members of minority group cannot be denied these rights by a vote of the majority. Americans also like to be involved in many challenge activities and sports to show their adventurous spirits. All of these are affected by the heritage of the American history.

From the facts above, we can see American culture is unique which was cultivated, formed and developed by the main three factors, rough environment, ethnic diversity and plural religion and still is affected and determined by them now.

麥頭

比较简易，我看的懂
好