蒙大英语国家-英国概况扩展课件04 English Class structure

1、British Culture and Social Life Introduction What is culture? Culture refers to the patterns of behavior and thinking that people living in social groups learn, create, and share.What elements do a peoples culture include? A peoples culture includes their beliefs , rules of behavior, language , ritu

2、als , art , technology , styles of dress , ways of producing and cooking food , religion , and political and economic systems. Since society and culture can not be separated , the terms culture and society are interchangeable. English society has witnessed revolution and reforms. Here we are to disc

3、uss the major aspects of English culture.ContentsWarm up1Language study2Detailed study3Extension 4Part one Historical Background and Class StructureWarm-Up Discuss the Following QuestionsThink about the English class structure and discuss how it is classified2. We all have heard of English nobles, b

4、ut what kind of people can be called nobles?Warm-Up Discuss the Following Questions3. Put Industrial revolution as a band, compare thedifference of the class in the two periods 4.Do you know the English inheritance system“primogeniture”Language Studyaristocracy ,ristkrsi n. 贵族；贵族统治；上层社会；贵族政治 knight

5、nait n. 骑士，武士；爵士 squire skwai n. 乡绅；大地主；地方法官；侍从 gentry dentri n. 贵族们；（英）上流社会人士 bourgeois buw:, buw: n. 资本家；中产阶级的人 counterpart kaunt,p:t n. 副本；配对物；极相似的人或物 sustain sstein vt. 支撑，承担；维持；忍受；供养；证实 primogeniture ,praimdenit n. 长子身份；长子继承权 Language Studybishop bip n. 主教 social mobility 社会流动；社会流动性mitigate mit

6、ieit vt. 使缓和，使减轻 contradiction ,kntrdikn n. 矛盾；反驳；否认 class struggle 阶级斗争natural resource 自然资源 inheritance tax 遗产税 继承税merchant m:tnt n. 商人 Language Studyclergyman kl:dimn n. 牧师；教士 consuming bloc 消费集团peasant peznt n. 农民；乡下人 blur bl: vt.使模糊不清 stocks and bonds 股票及债券 affluent flunt adj. 富裕的；丰富的；流畅的on the

7、 dole 领取救济金poverty line 贫困线；贫穷线（指维持一般生活所需收入的最低标准）vandalism and rowdiness 故意破坏行为brutality bru:tlti n. 残忍；无情 Detailed StudyClass StructureUpperClassMiddle ClassWorking ClassDetailed StudyUpper ClassAfter the Normans conquered England in 1066,the upper class was subdivided into two classes: the upper l

8、anded class and the lowerupper class. The upper landed class controlled most of the agricultural land and enjoyed a lot of privileges, became the nobility or aristocracy. They were the ruling class set the tone for the whole society. Even after the founding of Parliament in the 13th century, they co

9、ntinued to play key political roles in the House of Lords and in local governments. The great influence continued to guide the evolution of English culture. The lower-upper class was mainly composed of small landowners, but it did not have the same privilege as the nobility. Members of the lower-upp

10、er class were usually called knights, squires, gentry, or country gentlemen. They were mostly well-educated, less conservative and demanded equality. Some of them were elected to the House of Commons and played a major role in the English bourgeois revolution of the 17th century.Detailed StudyFirst,

11、 the English law strictly protected private ownership, consequently, members of the upper class managed to keep their land and status during Britains revolutions in the seventeenth century.Secondly, the Britain noble class was never too large for the society to sustain. The small size of the English

12、 noble class was related with the English inheritance system based on primogeniture.Factors of Noble class survivedDetailed StudyThe English middle class, expanded rapidly with the development of the economy, especially during and after the Industrial Revolution.In 17th century, people began to cons

13、ider merchants, clergymen, and military officers as belonging to the middle class. They continued to expand. Their demand and struggle contributed to the development of democracy and equality in Britain. Today the middle class is the biggest and most important class in Britain.Middle ClassDetailed S

14、tudyBefore the Industrial Revolution, Britains working class included mainly agricultural laborers. During the Industrial Revolution of 18th and 19th centuries, peasants became workers, and the peasantry disappeared as a class. The working class of that time was mainly composed of mining and factory

15、 workers.Today, many workers have become owners of capital, particularly in the form of stocks and bonds. However, although high income may move working-class people into the middle class, no amount of wealth can move them to the upper class status because that status in Britain is determined by own

16、ership of land and family background. Working ClassDetailed StudyIt is mainly composed of people who are on the dole, that is, on welfare, permanently. They are either new immigrants or people without skills because of low educational level. Many of them live under the poverty line. In spite of the

17、practical problems, Britain is comparatively safe, and its crime rate remains far below that of many other countries. This is partly because the Britain culture traditionally attached great importance to education of humanity, self-control, mildness, and decency in doing things. Besides, the composi

18、tion of the English population is not as complicated as that of the US.Attention! Lower ClassThe upper class: landowners with income from rents and property payments.The middle class: people educated and dealt with paper in business or in a profession.The working class: people did manual labor.Detai

19、led StudyIn noble familyDetailed StudysystemprimogenitureThe first son inherited the noble title and the estate His young brothers do sth. for a living Make the members of noble mixed with the members of middle class Promoted social mobility, expanded the influence of the upper and lower-upper class

20、es. Limited the growth of the English noble class in size Mitigate contradictions between the board masses and the noble class.However, Britain is comparatively safe, partly because the British culture give great importance to humanity, self-control, mildness, decency. Detailed StudyNotes Aristocracy: members of the upper class, who controlled most of the agricultural land and enjoyed a lot