ÔN TẬP GIỮA KÌ – this is a summaries of the văn hóa anh – UNIT 1: COUNTRY AND PEOPLE I. Geography – Studocu

UNIT 1: COUNTRY AND PEOPLE

I. Geography and politically of the UK
Geography of the UK ( is short for The United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland). The UK includes 4 countries: England, Scotland, Northern
Ireland, and Wales.
Great Britain is made up of 3 countries: England, Scotland, and Wales.
Northern Ireland is part of the UK but not part of England.
The British Isles is made up of the UK. The Republic of Ireland and others.
The British Isles, a group of islands off the northwestern coast of Europe. The
group consists of two main islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and numerous
smaller islands and island groups, including the Hebrides, the Shetland Islands,
the Orkney Islands, the Isles of Scilly, and the Isle of Man.
II. The four nations

England Wales Scottland Northern Ireland

Location Southern part Western side Northern part Northeast part of
Ireland
Capital city London Cardiff Edinburgh Belfast
The patron
Saint

St George St. David St. Andrew St. Patrick

National flag St. George
cross

Dragon of
Caduallader

St. Andrew cross St. Patrick cross

National
plant

Red rose Daffodil Thistle Shamrock

III. The dominance of England
England is the biggest country in the UK.
England contains about 84% of the UK population.
The English language comes from England.
The British Royal family lives in England.
England has the most powerful military and economy.

1. I learned the Geography and politics of the UK

2. I want to know more about the dominate

3. Why does each nation choose one patron Saint?

4. How many countries make up the UK?
   4

5. What country is part of the UK but not part of Great Britain?
   Northern Ireland

6. Which of these is not an acceptable short name for the UK of Great Britain and
   Northern Ireland?
   England

7. Which city is not in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
   Dublin

8. By what name is the UK flag often known?
   The Union Jack

9. Of which country is St. Patrick the patron saint?
   Northern Ireland

10. What proportion of the population of Britain lives in England?
    More than 80%

11. Which of the four nations’ flags is not incorporated in the flag of the UK?
    Wales

12. What is the largest minority ethnic group in Britain?
    South Asian
    10 is the smallest of the four nations?
    Wales
    11 is the common internet domain address for Britain?
    .uk
    12 of the following figures is not associated with Britain?
    Uncle Sam
    13 surname beginning with “Mac” or “Mc” is understood to be…
    14 which country is St. David the patron saint?
    Wales
    15 and culturally speaking which country may be divided into
    “Lowland” and “Highland”?
    Scotland

 The sections of the empire include Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New
Zealand.
 There were great changes in social structure: Most of the people live in towns
and cities.
 Public services such as the post and the police were begun.

7. The twentieth century:

 The first 20 years of the century were a period of extremism in Britain.
 The British empire reached its greatest extent in 1919. By this time, it was
becoming less of an empire and more of a confederation.
 Britain is no longer a “superpower” in the world.
Part 2. Geography:

1. Climate:
 It is not true to say that it rains all the time in Britain.
 In fact, London gets no more rain in a year than most of the other major
European cities and less than some.
 In Britain, the further west you go, the more rain you get.
 The overall climate is mild with temperatures not much lower than 0ºC in
winter and not much higher than 32ºC in summer.
 Britain sits at an intersection of all sorts of different air masses:
 cold Arctic winds from the north

 warm tropical winds from the south
 wet maritime winds from the west
 temperate continental winds from the east.

 These winds meet in Britain and they cause wet, warm, and unpredictable
climate conditions

2. Land & settlement:
 The scenery changes noticeably over quite short distances.
 The south and east of the country: low-lying with flat plains or gently rolling
hills.
 Mountainous areas are found in the north and west, although these regions also
have flat areas.

 Britain has a greater proportion of grassland than any other country in Europe
except Ireland.

 The enclosure of fields with hedgerows is common in southern England.

 Much of the land is used for human habitation. Thus, cities in England and
Wales have been built outwards rather than upwards.

3. THE ENVIRONMENT AND POLLUTION:

 As the world’s first industrialized country, British cities were the first to suffer
“smog” (a mixture of smoke and fog).

 Water pollution was also a problem (caused by the use of the motor car).

Solutions

 The reduction of greenhouse gases has become a pressing global need.

 Solar power, tidal power, and wave power stations are considered to build in
Britain as they are green energy sources. However, there is a limit to its
possibilities in Britain.

 Wind power has developed in Britain. To not ruin the countryside, the British
constructed wind farms offshore in the sea.

4. Parts of the United Kingdom:

– London

– Southern England

– The Midlands of England

– Northern England

– Scotland

– Wales

– Northern Ireland

QUIZ:

1. What is Stonehenge?
A prehistorical monument
2. In which century did England and Scotland first have the same monarch?
The seventeenth

LESSON 3: IDENTITY AND ATTITUDE

I. IDENTITY

1. The family

People’s views on marriage are changing.
About 40% of children born outside marriage, 85% of children are born to
parents who, (married or not), are living together.
The family unit is still the nuclear family.
The proportion of people living alone is higher.

Many adults refer their sexual partners as their “partner” rather than husband,
wife, boyfriend, girlfriend.

2. Class
   People in Britain regard it difficult to become friend with somebody from a
   different background.

The clearest indication of a person’s class is often his or her accent and
language.
The most prestigious accent is RP accent.

In England and Wales, anyone speaks with a strong regional accent is assumed
to be working class while anyone with pure RP accent is upper or upper-
middle class.

There are more middle-class adults in Britain today but they still describe
themselves as working class. They think that the working classes are in some
way better.
3. Geographical identity
There is a strong identification with a city such as Liverpool, Newcastle,
Manchester, Glasgow, London.
Identification with a county such as Yorkshire or Cornwall.
At the larger regional lever: “northerners” and “southerners”

4. Men and women
   There are still many differences between men and women in everyday habits
   and mannerism, but the number of these differences is being reduced.
   The differentiation between sexes has decreased sharply in domestic roles.

5. Personal identity: Humorous is a personal quality which most British cling to
   all above others.
   II. ATTITUDE

6. Stereotypes and change
   Public life still follows the age-old customs (the annual ceremony of the state
   opening of Parliament, “trooping the color” military ceremony)
   The private lives inclined to follow tradition (bowler hat, English breakfast,
   afternoon tea).

7. English vs British
   Anti-intellectualism:

• Noun: A person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits.
• Adjective: opposed or hostile toward intellectuals and the modern academic.

3. A multicultural society
   People from all cultures and ethnicities can be found in every corner of Britain.

People moving to Britain have brought their own cultures and try to keep two
cultures alive. Example: the Notting Hill Carnival.

4. Conservatism
   82% of British would rather live in a period home for its character and original
   features (real wooden floorboards, original windows,…)

5. Love of nature
   Having a house in the country carries prestige.
   Gardening is one of the most popular hobbies in the country.

6. Public-spiritedness and amateurism
   Public-spiritedness means a willingness to help the public in a variey of
   matters.
   Amateurism means the fact of taking part in an activity for enjoyment, not as a
   job.

7. Privacy and sex
   It is seen as rude to ask somebody what are called “personal questions” (like
   money, family or sex life) unless you know them very well.

If two British strangers get into conversation, they most likely to exchange
information about their jobs.
If money were not a problem, most British people prefer to live in a village.

LESSON 4: MONARCHY & GOVERNMENT

I. The monarchy
1. The power of the monarch

The appearance The reality

• The Queen has almost absolute power

• The Queen can choose anybody she
  likes to run the government for her.

• The Crown – a reference to the legal
  authority of the Monarch. The
  government is all “servants of the
  Crown” (not of “the people” or “the
  country”.

• The Queen has almost no power at all

• She cannot choose anyone to be
  Prime Minister.

• The PM decides who are going to be
  the other government ministers
  (although officially, the PM simply
  “advises” her whom to choose).

• The Queen can not stop the
  government from going ahead with
  any of its policies.

2. The role of the monarch
   The monarch is the personal embodiment of the government of the country
   The monarch is a possible final check on the government. Royal Assent is
   the Monarch’s agreement that is required to make a Bill into an Act of
   Parliament.
   The monarch represents the Nation at times of great celebration or sorrow.
3. The value of the monarchy

• The monarchy gives the British people a symbol of continuity and national pride.
• The glamorous lives of “the royals” provide a source of entertainment for
  people. Monarchy’s annual contribution to the UK economy in 2017 is £1.
  billion.

4. The future of the monarchy
   The Queen remained popular; however, the marital problems in her family
   lowered the prestige of royalty in many people’s eyes.
   The monarchy remains broadly popular, however, people continue to believe
   that the royal family gets too much money.
   Some changes are an indication of the future royal style: A little less grand, a
   little less distant.
   II. The government
5. The Parliament

• The UK government is formed by the leader of the party that wins the most seat in a
  general election.

• Parliament decides the laws and makes decisions on running the UK.

2. The Prime Minister (PM)

• The Prime Minister is the head of government of the United Kingdom.

• The official residence of the Prime Minister is No Downing Street.

• The Prime Minister is the leader of the party with the largest number of Members of
  Parliament (MPs)

• The PM dominates over other ministers:

• The “cabinet reshuffle” is the habit of the PM to change his or her cabinet quite
  frequently.

• The PM can sometimes go “over the heads “of the other ministers and appeal
  directly to the public.

• The PM makes a choice and the rest of the government has to go along with
  whatever the PM has decided.

3. The Cabinet

• The cabinet is a group of 20 people led and chosen by the Prime Minister. All of
  them usually are the leading politicians in the governing party.

• The Cabinet ministers are tied to the government policy by the collective
  responsibility (responsibilities of organization). Once a week, the cabinet meets and
  makes decisions about policies.

• The cabinet office runs a busy communication network to keep ministers in touch
  with each other, draw up the agenda of cabinet meetings and look into various
  matters in more detail.

4. The civil service

• Unlike politicians, civil servants are unknown to the largest public.

• Most senior positions are usually filled by people who have been working for more
  than 20 years.

• The civil service is responsible for putting central government plans into action.

• The British civil service is famous for its deserved reputation for absolute political
  impartiality.

5. Local government

• Local government is responsible for a range of vital services for people and
  businesses in defined areas: social care, schools, housing, licensing, and business
  support.

• Kind of tiers: County, borough, and parish.

LESSON 5: THE PARLIAMENT & ELECTIONS

MP = Member of parliament (member of the house of commons)
PM = Prime minister
House of commons: hạ viện (Quyền lực hơn thượng viện)
House of lords: thượng viện

Constitution

Legislative

branch

(makes the

laws)

Legislative

branch

(makes the

laws)

Legislative

branch

(makes the

laws)

Prime Minister Supreme Court

Parliament (Nghị

viện)

House of

Common

s (make

laws)

Magistr

ates

Courts

Count

Courts

Cabinet

ministers

(

members

)

Monarc

h

(approv

e laws)

House of

Lords

(revised

laws)

The function of Parliament:

• Make and change laws (legislation)

• Check and challenge the work of the Government (scrutiny)

• Check and approve the Government spending (budget/taxes)

• Debate the important issues of the day (debating)

Structure of the Parliament:

• The British Parliament works in the Palace of Westminster.

• Parliament is bicameral but has three parts, consisting of the Monarch, the
  House of Lords, and the House of Commons.

• The Commons is by far the more important of the two.

650 elected members 800 members

Presided over by the Speaker Presided over by the Lord Speaker

Current Speaker: Lindsay Hoyle
(since 2019)

Current Lord Chancellor: McFall of Alcluit
(since May 2021)

Main function: Make laws Main function: Revise laws

9. The law says that the period between one general election and the next must be…

Five years at most

10. How long after the polls close does it take for the result in most constituencies to
    be declared?

Four hours

11. To which party do MPs representing inner city areas in Britain normally belong?

Labour

12. To which party do MPs representing rural areas in England normally belong?

Conservative

13. Why was voting by post offered as an option to all voters for the first time in
    2005?

To increase the turnout

14. How many members of each party normally stand for election in each
    constituency? One

15 is the name of the daily reports of debates in the Commons? Hansard