Т.В. Артеменко, Е.В. Кривощекова, Е.В. Кравченко, Н.Е. Николаева - Reader in Language and Culture - Part II (1110506), страница 14
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Here is a goodclass-test you can try: when talking to an English person, say somethingtoo quietly for them to hear you properly. A lower-middle or middlemiddle person will say 'Pardon?'; an upper-middle will say 'Sorry? (orperhaps 'Sorry — what?'); but an upper-class and a working-class personwill both say 'What?' The working person, however, will drop the 't' —'Wha'?'7."Toilet' is another word that makes the higher classes exchangeknowing looks. The correct upper word is 'lavatory' or 'loo'. Theworking classes all say 'toilet', as do most lower-middles and middlemiddles, the only difference being the working-class dropping of thefinal 't'.Here are some more examples:UpperNon-uppernapkinserviettesitting roomloungesofasetteepuddingdesert, sweetlunchdinner(about middle meal)scent8.perfumeAn interesting thing about the class system in Britain is thatvery often it has nothing to do with money.
A person with an upper-classaccent, using upper-class words, will be recognized as upper class even ifhe or she is unemployed or homeless. And a person with working-classpronunciation, who calls a sofa a settee, and his midday meal 'dinner',will be identified as working class even if he is a multi-millionaire livingin a grand country house.77Famous Eccentrics1.Britain is a small country but it has more eccentrics than any othercountry in the world.A "CLASSIC" ECCENTRIC2.James, or "Jemmy," Hirst was probably the most eccentricEnglishman of the 18th century.3.At school he liked to ride his teacher's pig and even taught it tojump low hurdles.
But because of all his tricks he was expelled from school.4.In the end he returned to his father's farm. From that day he neverrode a horse but a bull called Jupiter. He usually did it in his best clothes.They consisted of a huge lambskin cap, an otter-skin coat, a waistcoat ofduck's feathers, patchwork breeches, and red-and-white striped stockingswith big silver buckles.5.At Jemmy's parties the guests were served their drinks on theirhost's favourite coffin. Jemmy also had another coffin, with folding doorsand a window.
It stood on end and one could climb into it. Some peopleactually did. Then the doors closed automatically and could not be openedfrom the inside. Men had to pay a penny to be released and women had togive Jemmy a piece of their clothes.TOUCH ON ANIMALS6.Frank Butland was another famous English eccentric who lived inthe 19th century. His house was full of all kinds of animals, most of themrunning free.7.His monkeys lived in the sitting room and used to bite his guests.Every night the caring master gave them beer and they were very fond of adrop of sweet wine on Sundays.8.Frank also liked to cook and eat animals.
One day he decided tomake elephant's trunk soup. He had to boil it for several days, but it was too78tough to eat. He ate rhinoceros, mice on buttered toast, kangaroos and a bitof lion that died in a nearby zoo. He said that the only thing he hated wasflies. He never ate them.MAD ABOUT DOGS9.Francis Henry Egerton, the eighth Earl of Bridgewater preferreddogs to people. The dogs ate with him every day. The huge table would belaid for twelve and the dogs ran in, each with a clean, white napkin aroundtheir necks and servants would serve them off silver dishes, one servant toeach dog. Boots were his other passion.
He wore a new pair even day and atnight he ranged them round his walls and used them as a calendar.BEDTIME SEASON10.When Lord North and his new American wife returned to Englandfrom their honeymoon, Lord North announced that he was going to bed. Hiswife was very surprised when he remained in bed for many days and wasshocked to be told by a servant that Lord North always stayed in bed fromOctober 9th until March 22nd. A large dining table was brought into LordNorth's bedroom so that he could have dinner with his friends during thesemonths. Lord North's explanation for this strange behaviour was that noLord North had got out of bed from October to March since his ancestorhad lost the American Colonies!MAD JACK'S FOLLIES11.John Fuller (or Mad Jack as everybody called him) becamefamous for his eccentricity and his follies. A folly is an architecturalconstruction that is not what it seems to be.
Mad Jack built several folliesand here is a story of one of them. One day he was having dinner with theVicar of Darlington. During the conversation (and after a few drinks) Jackboasted to the vicar that he could see the spire of Darlington church fromhis bedroom window. Alas, when Jack woke up the next morning, herealised that the only thing he could see out of his window was a large hill.79Mad Jack did not get discouraged by such a little thing, so he ordered tobuild a construction which looked like the spire of Darlington church justbehind the top of the hill. Then Jack invited the Vicar of Darlington todinner. Well, as you can guess, the vicar looked out of the window, saw"the spire of Darlington church" and Mad Jack won the bet!SCIENTIFIC FACTS12.Dr David Weeks, an American psychologist, has been studyingeccentrics for years.13.He says that eccentricity is not mental illness.
What is more,eccentrics are healthier, happier and live longer than the rest of us!14.According to Dr Weeks, "classic eccentrics" number only aboutone in 10,000 people. Most of them are men. They are often eldest or onlychildren raised in strict families. They often have strange eating andsleeping habits and are poor conversationalists. But they are moreintelligent and read much more than ordinary people.15.Eccentrics are curious, creative and inventive. They have at leastone hobby (usually five or six) and prefer to live alone.
They tend to becheerful and idealistic, full of projects to improve the world and make it abetter place to live.16.According to popular belief, eccentrics are wealthy people whocan afford to be eccentrics.17.But nowadays eccentrics are just as likely to work at ordinaryjobs. Dr Weeks has met a University professor who lives in a cave, a criticwho spends all his time in bed, a social worker who lives only on potatoesand nothing but potatoes, an engineer who walks everywhere backwardsbecause it makes him feel younger...80A look at the differences in character between the British and theAmericans.This is the third part of our series on the differences between Americaand Britain.
This month we are looking at the British and Americancharacter. Find out how Brits and Yanks react in desperate situations, andhow they like to complain. There's a world of difference!81Sinking Ships: reactingWhen Americans find themselves in a desperate situation, they knowhow to act. Americans are creatures of action, and they will take decisivesteps to avoid injury or death.
They won't sit around waiting for somethingto happen. Oh, no, they'll go out there and do something about it, and they'llask things like, "What can we do to get out of this situation?" Or "Doesanyone know howto get out of here?" Or, "Who'stheguy in charge here?"Then they'll motivate one another by saying things like, "OK, let's go!" or"Let's rock!"For the British, on the other hand, it is undignified to react with decisionin a desperate situation.
Take the example of the Titanic. As the ship wasslowly sinking, English gentlemen sat around the bar, slowly sipping theirdrinks and enjoying the music from the ship's orchestra. And as the waterslowly crept up higher and higher, they ignored it, preferring to continuetheir light chat. For the British it is important to remain calm and in controlof oneself even in life-and-death situations. They'll make \ comments suchas, "I don't know what all the fuss is about." Or, "Get a grip on yourself,man." Or, "There's no need to get hysterical." Or, the all time classic,"We're British. Keep a stiff upper lip."Cold Food: complainingWhen it comes to complaining, Americans are practical and straight tothe point. They'll tell you what the problem is, and expect you to sort it outimmediately.
At work they may say, "I didn't get that report. When are yougoing to get it to me?" Or, at a restaurant, "This food is cold. Heat it up,would you?" And in a bar, "Hey, how much longer am I gonna have tostand here before you serve me?" as they wave some money in the waiter'sface. And if nothing happens in the next minute, they'll leave. Of course, theBritish are much more reserved when it comes to complain g. And they will82try their best to avoid a confrontation. In fact, they'd rather stick with an unhappy situation than cause any trouble. And if they have to say something,they'll apologise. So, in the work-related situation, they may say, "I'mawfully sorry to bother you but that report never arrived. It must besomething to do with the post.
I don't suppose you could send it again,could you?" And at a restaurant they may say, "I don't mean to cause anytrouble, but I'm afraid this food is somewhat cold. If the chef isn't too busy,I don't suppose he could heat it up a bit, could he?" And in a bar he maysay, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering, if it wasn't too muchtrouble, whether you could possibly serve me a drink, please?" And they'llsit there for another half hour even if nothing happens.
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