In which way are Scots different from the English?
The two nations of the United Kingdom have each derived from mixed sources, racially and historically. Each has developed strong national characteristics which separate them in custom, habit, religion, law and even in language.
The English are amongst the most amiable people in the world; they can also be very ruthless. They are generous in small matters but more cautious in big ones. The Scots at first glance are not so amiable. They abhor compromise, lean much upon logic and run much to extremes. They are penny-wise but can be prodigally pound-foolish. They can be dour and gray, or highly coloured and extravagant in gesture and manner.
Imagine you and your peer from Britain are discussing stereotypes. What questions would you ask him/her about the British?
What are the main national characteristics of British people?
What are the specific qualities of the British national character?
Are the British individualists?
What is your favourite saying about the British?
What stereotypes connected with the British do you know?
How not to behave badly abroad? Give some tips to travellers.
In France you shouldn’t sit down in a cafe until you’ve shaken hands with everyone you know.
In Pakistan you mustn’t wink. It’s offensive.
In the Middle East you must never use the left hand for eating, drinking or smoking. Also, you should take care not to admire anything in your host’s home. They will feel that they have to give it to you.
In Russia, you must match your host’s drink for drink or they will think you are unfriendly.
In America you should eat your hamburger with both hands and as quickly as possible. You should try to have a conversation until it’s eaten.
Do stereotypes connected with the British sound true?
Foreigners have ideas about what is "British". But some of these things are not part of most ordinary people’s everyday life. The great Britishbreakfast and afternoon tea, for example, are mostly found in hotels and "bed and breakfast" places for tourists. Though coffee is also popular, the British drink as much tea these days as before.
The British population (over the age of ten) drinks about 200,000,000 cups of tea a day. That is an average of nearly 1,040 cups of tea a year for each person. Tea came to Britain in the late 1500s, but it was only for the very rich. It became cheaper about three hundred years later, when it was planted in India and later in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). People from all classes started drinking it. But some people thought that too much tea was bad for your health. So they started putting milk in it, to make it healthier!
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It takes time to know a British person well. British people are generally quite shy, and they do not make friends easily with strangers. Perhaps this is because they live on an island! And they are not good at learning foreign languages.
British people spend less money on clothes than the people of other European countries. Most of them are not very interested in clothes. Many British people wear suits to the office during the week, but at weekends they prefer to wear jeans.
Dr Johnson, a famous English writer, said over 200 years ago, "When two Englishmen meet, their first talk is of the weather." This is still true! Conversations between British people today often begin with the subject of the weather.
CARD № 15
Let’s talk about outstanding people.
What is to be outstanding, to your mind?
Once in our life we start to consider what actually to be an outstanding person means.
In my opinion to be an outstanding person means to possess personality, not to be like anyone else and it is someone who is not trying to emphasize it. An outstanding person is the one who wants to do something good in his or her life and who likes to help other people and leaves some kind of trace in the life of others, I believe, an outstanding person is not a person who is famous all over the world. A great number of remarkable people surround us and we may not even know about it.
All famous people we can speak about are outstanding, because to make yourselves known and be spoken about you have to be different in some way and not only people born to famous and rich families can be called outstanding.
Vice versa, people who have to find their own way in life, people who have to do everything by themselves, they have a chance to become famous, strong, confident.
Americans are very proud of Bill Gates and they consider him an outstanding person. Why? He was able to create something from nothing. He is not like everyone else, he is one of a kind and that makes him an outstanding person. A young man who used to work in his garage became famous all over the world and when you exchange a word with him you’ll never get a message, that he is better than you are. This is an example of becoming an outstanding person, a respectable and strong person.
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We have to live our lives to be respected, we shouldn’t do harm to anyone, we have to help people, that will make an outstanding person from each of us.
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