Tài liệu Giáo trình văn hóa anh (dùng cho hệ đại học)

Mô tả:

QUẢNG BÌNH
KHOA NGOẠI NGỮ
—————————-

GIÁO TRÌNH
(Lưu hành nội bộ)

VĂN HÓA ANH
(Dùng cho hệ đại học)

Lecturer: Nguyen Thi Mai Hoa, Ph.D

2016 – 2017

INTRODUCTION
Giáo trình văn hóa Anh được biên soạn nhằm cung cấp cho người học kiến thức
cơ bản về đất nước con người, địa lý, lịch sử; bản sắc dân tộc, hệ thống chính trị,
tôn giáo, kinh tế, xã hội và giáo dục của hai quốc gia Anh-Mỹ. Kết thúc học
phần, sinh viên có kỹ năng đọc hiểu, phân tích, nghiên cứu các vấn đề văn hóa,
xã hội Anh-Mỹ và so sánh, liên hệ với văn hóa Việt Nam.

2

UNIT 1: THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
An Overview of Britain: Not One, but Four in One
Off the north-west coast of mainland Europe between latitudes 50° North and
61° North is a group of about 5000 big and small islands collectively called the
British Isles. Among them are two large islands. The larger is Great Britain,
which is made up of Scotland, England and Wales. The other is Ireland,
consisting of Northern Ireland (Ulster) and the Irish Republic (Fire). The United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (The United Kingdom or The
UK for short) is the name given to Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Such
islands as the Scilly Isles, the Isle of Wight, the Orkney Islands, the Outer
Hebrides and the Shetlands. belong to the UK. However, the Isle of Man and the
Channel Islands are self- governing with their own parliaments, although they
do recognize the Queen. Britain is a unitary state but the four constituent
countries have distinctive national identities, some minor different physical
characteristics and variations in culture and tradition.
Britain is rather small, only 242000 sq km. It is 500 km wide and nearly 1000
km long.
Great Britain is the largest island in Europe and the eighth largest in the world.
Although Britain is an industrialized country, much of the land is under
cultivation. National Parks and conservation areas cover 20% of the land.
Geographically, Britain can be divided into two parts, Highland Britain and
Lowland Britain. The highest mountain of Britain is Ben Nevis in Scotland, one
of the mountainous of regions of the UK. It is 1343m high. The Pennine Range
is called the “backbone of England” and extends 224km. The longest rivers are
the Severn (354 km), which flows from northeast Wales into the Bristol
Channel, and the Thames (338 km), rising in southwest England and flowing out
into the North Sea. The largest lake is Lough Neath in Northern Ireland (388 sq
km). The vast majority of Britons live in urban areas. The largest cities in
Britain are London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow. A large part
of population is English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish, but there are also Indians,
West Indians, Africans, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, and Chinese. People
emigrated from their homelands to Britain for different reasons. Some wanted to
3

escape religious persecution, poverty, wars or natural disasters. Others went in
search of jobs and a better life and still others came as political refugees.
Britain is rich in energy resources, especially oil and natural gas. Coal played an
important
role in the Industrial Revolution. Lots of coal has been mined in Britain and it
was the cheapest source of energy. Formerly, oil was imported from the Middle
East but after oil and natural gas were discovered in the North Sea. Britain
became self-sufficient. Nuclear power stations provide a large part of electricity
supply. Nowadays, with the increasing concern about environmental pollution,
the British government is encouraging people to look for other energy sources
that are cleaner, safer and renewable.
Great Britain is industrial and commercial country. It was the first industrialized
country of the world in the mid-19th century. The manufacturing sector has been
developing and still play an important role in the economy. Britain especially
excels in high-technology industries like electronics. pharmaceuticals, aerospace
and
offshore
equipment.
Other
industries
such
as
transportation, petroleum, coal, gas, steel and communications, are also well
developed. Crude oil has always been a primary source of power and Britain
ranks among the largest oil producer in the world. Nowadays, with the fast
growth of the service sector, such branches as finance, tourism, retailing and
other business services contribute considerably to the gross domestic product
and employ a great part of workforce. Britain is also a world leader in
international trade. Britain is just a small country, but it is considered the fifth
largest trading nation and an influential member of European Union. Britain
exports a lot of things, mainly to the European Union. Major exports include oil,
manufactured goods, machinery, electrical and electronic equipment, chemicals
and aerospace equipment and pharmaceuticals.
Conservation is one of the top priorities of British and the government has
initiated manyimportant policies and laws to protect the natural environment.
Among measures taken are declaring particular areas National Parks and Areas
of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs).which are carefully protected Global
environmental concern like “green – house effect”

and ozone depletion are

given priority. Many sites all over Britain, both natural and historic, are
recognized by the World Heritage Convention and listed in the World Heritage
4

List including Canterbury Cathedral, Averbury, and Hadrian’s Wail. The Giant’s
Causeway, the Palace of Westminster, Stonehenge, the Tower of London,
Westminster Abbey and so on.
English, developed from Anglo-Saxon, is the official language in Britain. With a
long history of invasion, the language was influenced and changed. Although
virtually all the people in Britain speak English, the separate counties have their
own accent and dialects. Sometimes people cannot understand one another well
due to this variety of accents and dialects. However, Home Counties English is
accepted as Standard English and is understood more easily all over Britain.
Britain is divided into 53 counties. The counties around the capital London are
called Home Counties. Britain is an influential member of the Commonwealth,
the European Nations and the European Union.
The major religion is Christianity, represented predominantly by the Church of
England (Anglican Church), Roman Catholicism, and the Presbyterian and
Methodist churches. Besides, there exist Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism.
The Four Lands
People often refer to Britain by another name. They call it “England”. But this is
not strictly correct, and it can make some people angry. England is only one of
the four nations of the British Isles (England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland).
Their political unification was a gradual process that took several hundred years.
It was completed in 1800 when the Irish Parliament was joined with the
Parliament

for

England,

Scotland

and

Wales

in

Westminster,

so

that the whole of the British Isles became a single state – the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland. However, in 1922, most of Ireland became a separate
state.
At one time the four nations were distinct from each other in almost every aspect
of life. In the first place, they were different racially. The people in Ireland,
Wales and highland Scotland belonged to the Celtic race; those in England and
lowland Scotland were mainly of Germanic origin. This difference was reflected
in the languages they spoke. People in the Celtic areas spoke Celtic languages:
Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh. People in the Germanic areas spoke
Germanic

dialects

(including

the

one

5

which

has

developed

into

modern English). The nations also tended to have different economic, social and
legal systems.
Today these differences have become blurred. But they have not completely
disappeared. Although there is only one government for the whole of Britain,
and people have the same passport regardless of where in Britain they live, some
aspects of government are organizeds eparately (and sometimes differently) in
the four parts of the United Kingdom. Moreover, Welsh, Scottish and Irish
people feel their identity very strongly.
The Union Jack
Although the formal and traditional name of the British national flag is the
Union Flag. It is more commonly known as the Union Jack. The flag is a
combination of crosses. The red upright cross represents St.George, the patron
saint of England, St Andrew’s cross of Scotland is the while diagonal one, and
the red diagonal cross is of St.Patrick of Ireland (now representing Northern
Ireland)
National loyalties
When you are talking to people from Britain, it is safest to use “Britain” when
talking about where they live and “British” as the adjective to describe their
nationality. This way you will be less likely to offend anyone. It is, of course,
not wrong to talk about “people in England” if that is what you mean – people
who live within the geographical boundaries of England. After all, most British
people live there (Populations in 1995). But it should always be remembered
that England does not make up the whole of the UK.
There has been a long history of migration from Scotland, Wales and Ireland to
England. As a result, there are millions of people who live in England but who
would never describe themselves as English. They may have lived in England
all
their
lives,
but
as
far
as
they
are
concerned, they are Scottish or Welsh or Irish – even if, in the last case, they are
citizens of Britain and not of Eire. These people support the country of their
parents or grandparents rather than England in sporting contests. They would
also,
given
the
chance,
play
for
that
country rather than England. If, for example, you had heard the members of the
6

Republic of Ireland World Cup football team talking in 1994, you would have
heard several different kinds of English accent and some Scottish accents, but
only a few Irish accents. Most of the players did not live in Ireland and were not
brought up in Ireland. Nevertheless, most of them would never have considered
playing for any country other than Ireland!
The same holds true for the further millions of British citizens whose family
origins lie outside the British Isles altogether. People of Caribbean or south
Asian descent, for instance, do not mind being described as ‘British’ (many are
proud
of
it),
but
many
of
them
would not like to be called ‘English’. And whenever the West Indian or Indian
cricket team plays against England, it is certainly not England that they support!
There is, in fact, a complicated division of loyalties among many people in
Britain, and especially in England. A black person whose family are from the
Caribbean will passionately support the West Indies when they play cricket
against England. But the same person is quite happy to support England just as
passionately in a sport such as football, which the West Indies do not play. A
person whose family are from Ireland but who has always lived in England
would want Ireland to beat England at football but would want England to
beat (for example) Italy just as much. This crossover of loyalties can work the
other way as well. English people do not regard the Scottish, the Welsh or the
Irish as “foreigners” (or, at least, not as the same kind of foreigners as other
foreigners!).

An

English

commentator

of

a

spotting event in which a Scottish, Irish or Welsh team is playing against a team
from outside the British Isles tends to identify with that team as if it were
English.
Climate
The climate of Britain is more or less the same as that of the north-western part
of the European mainland. The popular belief that it rains all the time in Britain
is simply not true. The image of a wet, foggy land was created two thousand
years ago by thein vading Romans and has been perpetuated in modern times by
Hollywood. In fact, London gets no more rain in a year than most other major
European cities, and less than some.

7

The amount of rain that falls on a town in Britain depends on where it is.
Generally speaking, the further west you go, the more rain you get. The mild
winters mean that snow is a regular feature of the higher areas only.
Occasionally, a whole winter goes by in lower-lying parts without any snow at
all. The winters are in general a bit colder in the east of the country than they are
in the west, while in summer; the south is slightly warmer and sunnier than the
north.
Why has Britain’s climate got such a bad reputation? Perhaps it is for the same
reason that British people always seem to be talking about the weather. This is
its changeability. There is a saying that Britain doesn’t have a climate, it only has
weather.It may no train verymu chal together, but you can never be sure of a dry
day; there can be cool (even cold) days in July and some quite warm days in
January.
The lack of extremes is the reason why, on the few occasions when it gets
genuinely hot or freezing cold, the country seems to be totally unprepared for it.
A bit of snow and a few days of frost and the trains stop working and the roads
are
blocked;
if
the
thermometer
goes
above 80°F (27°C), people behave as if they were in the Sahara and the
temperature makes front-page headlines These things happen so rarely that it is
not worth organizing life to be ready for them.

8

UNIT 2: THE PEOPLE OF BRITAIN
The Early Inhabitants of the British Isles
It is known that the earliest people in the British Isles were Old Stone Age men.
These people used hard stones called flint to make their tools and weapons.
They lived in caves and killed wild animals for meat.
Between about 3000 and 2500 B.C. the Iberians came to Britain from Iberia.
They were called New Stone Age men, because their stone tools were polished.
They grew crops, raised cattle and tamed dogs for hunting.
One of the most remarkable remains of the early inhabitants is Stonehenge. It is
a great circle of stones in Wiltshire. Stonehenge is believed to have stood on
Salisbury Plain for about 4000 years. No one knows exactly for what purposes it
was built, but one theory is that it was a place where people could observe the
movements of the sun for the purpose of agriculture. By keeping watch on the
sun, people would know the right time for planting and harvesting.
The Celts
Between about 500 and 600 B.C. the Celts came to Britain from central Europe.
They settledin Wales, Cornwall, Scotland and Ireland and used iron to make
their tools and weapons. They also built villages and farms, and started a
communal life. They spoke the Celtic language. Their religion was Druidism
and their priests were called Druids.
The Romans
In 55 B.C. the Romans tried to invade Britain. The famous Roman general,
Julius Caesarand his army managed to land on the shores of Kent, but the Celts
resisted bravely and Caesar was driven away. In 54 B.C. Caesar returned but
again he was forced to withdraw.
Nearly a hundred years after the first invasion, in 43A.D. the Romans attacked
Britain again. This time the Roman army was so powerful that the Celtic tribes
were soon defeated and the area that is now England was occupied by the
Romans.
For nearly 400 years what is now England was part of the Roman Empire as the
province
of
9

Britannia and many things were learned from the Roman civilization. The main
Celtic town became Londinium, the capital and trading centre of Britannia.
Many towns were developed, including Winchester, Colchester, Lincoln, York,
and Canterbury. The town of Bath became famous for its natural hot springs.
Large houses and villas were built, and long straight roads were made. The
Romans were good road builders. Some modern roads in England have Roman
roads as their foundations such as Ermine Street, Watling Street, and the Fosse
Way. The Celtic nobles adopted the Roman way of life. They lived in villas and
spoke Latin. The Romans introduced new kinds of animals and plants into
England, including geese and hens, and cherry and pear trees.
Today the remains of Roman cities, baths, houses, villas and theatres can still be
seen. One of the most impressive remains of the Roman time is the wall built by
Emperor Hadrian in 122 A.D. to defend England from attacks by the Picts and
the Scots from the north. Parts of Hadrian’s Wall still stand on the Scottish
border.At the beginning of the 5th century, the Romans had troubles in their
empire and in 407 Roman troops began to withdraw from Britain.
The Anglo-Saxons
After the Romans left, Britain was soon attacked and conquered by Germanic
tribes. They were the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes from Denmark and the
northern Germany. The Anglo-Saxons invaders drove the Celts to the
mountainous areas of Scotland, Wales and Cornwall.
The Anglo-Saxons settled in Britain and a number of small kingdoms were
established. East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Mercia, Northumbria, Sussex and
Wessex. They called Britain Angle land (or England) spoke Anglo-Saxons (or
Old English).
The Anglo-Saxons were pagan. In 597 a Roman missionary, St.Augustine was
sent to Britain to bring Christianity to the Anglo-Saxons and Ethelbert, the king
of Kent, was converted to Christianity. The first church was built in Canterbury,
the capital of Kern. Christianity spread and had a great influence upon the
learning and culture of Britain.
The Anglo-Saxons kingdoms usually fought and competed for predominance
over the whole country. The greatest and most powerful kingdoms were
10

Nothumbria, Mercia and Wessex. At the beginning of the 9th century, Wessex
became the strongest. Its king, Egbert, was acknowledged by the other kingdoms
and he became the first king of The United Kingdoms of England in 829.
The Danes or Vikings
At the end of the 8th century, the Danes or Vikings began to come from Norway
and Denmark. These sea-raiders came by boat to the coast parts of northern and
southeastern Britain. They attacked and killed people, burnt villages, robbed the
churches and sailed away with treasure.King Alfred – the Great of England
defeated the Danes in many battles, but in 836 a treaty
was signed and the Danes were given a section of England called Danelaw. The
Danes settled in Danelaw and gradually inter-married with Anglo-Saxons.
The Normans
In 1066, the king of England, Edward the Confessor, died. Harold was chosen to
be King but in northwestern France, William, Duke of Normandy, claimed that
both Edward the Confessor and Harold had promised him the throne. Therefore,
William gathered an army and fought for his claim. The Norman invasion was
an important event in the history of Britain, and it was the last foreign invasion.
The Norman conquest began with the battle of Hastings where Harold was
defeated and killed by an arrow in the eye. On Christmas Day, 1066, William
was enthroned as William I. The coronation took place in Westminster Abbey,
and since then all the coronations of English monarchs have been held there,
William I is known as William the Conqueror.
Under Norman rule, England was brought into closer contact with continental
Europe. Great changes were made in English society. Feudalism was
established. A system of laws and law courts were organized. The method of
land cultivation was improved and many castles and cathedrals were built.
In 1086, William I ordered the Domesday Book to be compiled. It is the record
of as urvey of the economic life of England. Williams officials measured the
land and recorded the names of the holders as well as the number of animals that
they kept. The Domesday Book provided the necessary information for a tax
purpose.

11

It has been shown that the British are descended from Stone Age men and
various later invaders.

12

UNIT 3: THE POLITICAL SYSTEM
Britain is unique in the fact that there is not constitution in the shape of a single
formal
document. Instead, the government system, which has evolved over centuries, is
defined by statutes, habits and customs rather than by law. These habits and
customs become rules and conventions, some of which are unwritten. The
British legal system is based on common law and precedent. The Legislature is
the two Houses of Parliament, the Executive is the Government and the
Judiciary is only theoretical.
The Monarchy
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a constitutional
monarchy

(of

parliamentary democracy) with either a king or queen as Head of State. The
Monarchy is the oldest institution of government. At the moment, Queen
Elizabeth II who succeeded to the throne in 1952 is Head of State. The Queen’s
royal title in Britain is “Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and
Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith”. By
tradition, the Queen is also the Head of the Church of England and the
Commander – in – Chief of the armed forces.
There are interesting contradictions in the role of the monarch. According to the
written
law,
the Queen has absolute power. Judged from the appearance, it would seem that
the Queen is above the law with the government belonging to her. The Queen
has the right to choose anyone to be the Prime Minister, but in reality, she
chooses the head of the party that wins in the general election so that she can
enjoy the majority of support. She can also appoint other ministerial positions
and if she wants, she can dismiss them. But in practice, it is the Prime Minister
who chooses the ministers. The Queen has the right to summon the Parliament
or dissolve it even before a general election. She can refuse to give the “Koval
Assent” to a bill even though the bill has been passed in the two Houses of

13

Parliament, and as a result, it cannot become law. But so far, there has never
been any king or queen who said no to the bills.
The Monarch’s Role
In spite of gradual decline in the monarch’s power, the Queen is still respected
and
supported by the majority of Britons. The monarchy still has its own values and
is very popular with most British people.
The British regard the monarch as a personal embodiment of the government of
the country. To them, the monarch is part of their national pride and a symbol of
continuity.
The
Queen
represents tradition. The royal life with its royal activities is a source of
entertainment that helps make life more vivid and colorful and attracts many
tourists.
The monarch acts as a final check on government. She meets The Prime
Minister
once
a
week to discuss national affairs and so, she is well-informed. Because the
monarch has the right to refuse the royal assent to a bill, or even to dismiss the
Prime Minister if he turns out to be a disqualified person, she helps to purify the
government.
As the figurehead of the country, the monarch represents it when performing
ceremonial
duties. She receives ambassadors and visitors from abroad, visits foreign
countries,
and
opens
schools and hospitals, so that the Prime Minister has more time to run national
affairs.
The Parliament
The British Parliament consists of three separate elements: the Queen, the House
of
Lords
and the House of commons and has a maximum duration of five years. A
general election is held before the end of each term. Some important functions
of Parliament are to make law, to provide the means of carrying on the work of
government, to scrutinize government policy and to debate issues.
14

The British Parliament works in the Palace of Westminster, also called the
Houses
of
Parliament. This is a very big building with a lot of facilities and two large
chambers. The House of Lords is where the Lords meet and the House of
Commons, where the Common work.
The House of Lords
Members of the House of Lords are of two types. Lords Spiritual and Lords
Temporal.
They
are not elected. They either qualify to sit in the House or inherit their seats from
their father. Lords Spiritual are the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the
Bishops of London, Durham and Winchester, and other senior bishops. The
Lord Temporal are all peers, hereditary peers or life peers. The House is
presided over by the Lord Chancellor. The Lord Chancellor, as the speaker of
the Lords, has no authority to curtail a debate. Instead, it is deeded by the
general feeling of the House. Even though he or she is called the speaker, they
cannot speak in debate.
The House of Commons
Members of the House of Common are called Members of Parliament (MPs),
elected
by
a
majority of votes at a general election or a by-election. A by-election is held
when a MPs dies or resigns, or is given a peerage. Britain is divided into local
constituencies, each of which has one representative in the House of Commons.
The chief officer is the Speaker, elected by the MPs. He is politically neutral, ie.
He is not controlled by any party and does not vote, and presides over the House
during debates. The Speaker has full authority to enforce the rules of the House
and must, guard against the abuse of procedure and protect minority rights. He
can adjourn the sitting or even end a discussion so that a certain matter can be
put to the vote. He has the right to order members to leave the Chamber if they
have broken the rules of behavior. He supervises voting and announces final
results, but he cannot speak in debate. Besides the Speaker, there are Deputy
Speakers, chosen from the members of the government party and the
Opposition.
15

The design and layout the debating chamber of the House of Commons is
distinctive. It is rather small and does not have enough seats for all the members.
There are two rows of “benches” facing each other. The right side is for the
party in government and the left side is for the opposition. Important Members
of Parliament, ministers, sit in front and therefore are called frontbenchers.
Backbenchers are younger and less experienced members sitting on the
“benches” at the make speeches. At the back in the centre is a high chair for the
Speaker. The Speaker chair debates from this commanding position. A special
thing in the House is the two red lines running parallel along the chamber. These
lines are to divide the House into two sides and symbolically prevent the two
sides from physically attacking each other during a debate. This layout
encourages confrontation between government and opposition and reinforces the
British two-party system. The seats upstairs are for newsmen and the public. If
you want to see how the Commons work, you can attend “a sitting” in the
galleries upstairs.
Because of the arrangement and layout, the atmosphere is rather informal, and as
a result, members are encouraged to cooperate. This arrangement of the
Chamber has existed for a very long time and expresses a desire for continuity.
The Law-making Procedure
Draft laws are called Bills. Bills begin life in the House of Common and go
through

five

stages: first reading, second reading, committee stage, report stage, and third
reading.
The First reading is just a formal announcement with no debate at all. An MP
reads
bill to the Parliament.

aloud

the

In the second reading, the general principles of the bill are debates. The person
who
wrote
the
bill talks about it and other Member of Parliament may ask questions related to
it. After that, a vote is taken. If the majority agrees, next comes the Committee
stage when a committee of MPs from all the parties examines the bill in detail.
The bill is considered very carefully and amendments may be added to change
it. It often takes a long time because the committee is small. The improved bill is
16

then voted on again. When all the committee members agree, the bill is
presented to the House of Commons for the whole House to consider the
amendments. This stage is called the Report stage. Sometimes they make more
changes and then again there is another vote on the changes.
The next stage is the Third reading. In this stage the amended bill is debated
again
as
a
whole.
No change is allowed at this stage.
The bill is then passed to the House of Lords and it undergoes the same
procedure.
If
the
House of Lord makes some amendments, the bill is sent back to the House of
Commons and the MPs vote on the changes. If the Lords do not agree, the bill is
put aside for one year and then it is sent directly to the Queen without consulting
the House of Lords.
Finally, the bill is given to the Queen for consideration and if the Queen agrees,
she

gives

the

Royal Assent and after that it becomes an Act of Parliament (law).
The procedure of law making asserts the more important role of The House of
Commons.
The House of Lords is becoming less and less important and some people think
that the system is not democratic and that the House of Lords should be
reformed. Some people also complain that glamorous ceremonies of the royal
family waste a large pan of the national budget. In a survey conducted in 1997 in
Britain, the number of people who supported the Monarchy was 55% and those
against it was 45%.

17

UNIT 4: EDUCATION
In Britain, education is organized by the Local Education Authorities (LEAs).
An LEA is the local government body that is responsible for state schools and
further
education in a district. LEAs employ teachers, maintain buildings, and supply
books and equipment. LEAs are funded partly by the central government and
partly by local property taxes.
18

Compulsory education
Children in Britain must go to school at the age of five and they may leave
school at 16. There are two sectors in the British school system: state schools
and independent schools.
State schools
State schools, or maintained schools, are maintained or supported by the
government
through LEAs. State schools are free for every child. State school children are
also provided with books and equipment without charge. Most state schools are
mixed, i.e. coeducational. There are three basic levels of state school system:
Nursery schools
Nursery schools are for very young children from two to four years old. They
are

mainly

educational games. Most nursery schools are supported by LEAs. There are also
some pre-school play groups organised by parents or by voluntary bodies.
Primary schools
Primary schools enroll children from 5 to 11. Primary education is usually in
two
separate
schools: infant schools for young children from 5 to 7 and junior for children
from 7 to 11. Some LEAs have a different system: first school for pupils aged 5
to

8

and

middle

school

for pupils aged 8 to 12.
Secondary school
Secondly schools are for 11-16 or 18 year old children. Today most pupils of
state
secondary schools in Britain attend comprehensive schools. This type of
secondary school first appeared in England in 1965. It is a large school for
pupils
of
all
abilities
from
a
district.
Comprehensive schools provide a general education with a wide range of
courses for children of all abilities. Besides academic courses, children also do
music, handicrafts and vocational courses.
Comprehensive schools are non-selective. When children finish primary school
they
go
19

straight to comprehensive school without any examinations. However, some
LEAs nowadays still keep following the selective system of education.
According to this system when children complete primary school, they take the
Eleven-Plus Examination to decide the appropriate type of secondary school
they go to. The clever pupils who get the best results at the Eleven-Plus will go
to a grammar school. Grammar schools provide academic courses and prepare
pupils for higher education. The children who do not do well at the Eleven-Plus
will go to a secondary modern school. Secondary modern schools are for
children of average or below average ability. Therefore, they provide a general
education and various skills as well as handicrafts.
Independent schools
The other sector of education is independent schools. These are fee-paying
schools

and

not

maintained by the LEAs. Most of the independent schools are single-sex, that is
to say there are schools for boys only, or for girls only. Many of them are
boarding schools. The schoolboys or schoolgirls stay in school dormitories or
residences during the school terms, and they only go home during holidays.
Independent schools are very expensive because parents pay not only for their
children’s school fees but also for boarding. Only wealthy parents can afford to
send their children to an independent school.
Pre-preparatory schools
Pre-preparatory schools take children aged from 5 to 7. Children under five are
usually taught at home by a private tutor or they may go to a kindergarten.
Preparatory schools (Prep schools)
Preparatory schools are for children from 7 to 13 years old. They prepare
children
the Common Entrance examination to a public school.

for

Public schools
Public schools are for pupils from 13 to 18. They provide an academic education
and
prepare pupils for higher education. Pupils of public schools do a lot of sports.
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