Culture, education, sport of UK
занимательные факты по английскому языку

Страноведение  

National character of British people.  Different nations have different characters. We expect every nation to have some typical qualities. The geographical position of Great Britain has produced a certain spirit among its inhabitants. Those who know the British say that they look on foreigners with contempt and think nothing is as well done elsewhere as in their own country. Actually the British have also been known as superior, snobbish, hypocritical and unsociable. English vanity grew as England became the world’s leading trading nation. People say that Englishmen often think much of themselves. They appear to be very reserved and not  straightforward. They like to hide their feelings. But British people have not only bad points. In fact they are rather conservative and love familiar things and values. They got a lot of culture behind them and they stick to their customs and traditions. They are said to be very reliable, both socially and professionally. They seem to be very punctual and always keep their word. You can call the British cold, but deep-down they are very warm and kind. I have read that Englishmen have a strong sense of private space. And they rarely shake hands except when being introduced to someone for the first time. But despite this, they are very hospitable and friendly. In fact every national character is a combination of good and bad traits. But still you must treat every nation with equal respect.

2.  Sport and recreation  Sport in England plays a prominent role in English society. Popular teams sports in England include football, field hockey, cricket, rugby union, rugby league, and netball. Major individual sports include badminton, athletics, tennis, boxing, golf, cycling, motorsport and horseracing. A number of modern sports were codified in England during the nineteenth century, among them cricket, rugby union, rugby league, football, field hockey, squash, tennis, and badminton. The game of baseball was first described in 18th century England.

The most popular sport in the UK, association football was first codified in 1863 in London. It is known in the US and a few other countries as 'soccer.' The impetus for this was to unify English public school and university football games.     Rugby Union is the second most popular sport in the country based on viewership.[citation needed]  Like association football, rugby union and rugby league both developed from traditional British football games in the 19th century. Rugby was codified by the Rugby Football Union in 1871. 

Cricket is another popular team sport, ranking fourth in the country for viewership after Association Football, Rugby Union and Tennis

Cricket is a popular recreational sport in England, with hundreds of clubs playing at various levels; village cricket in particular is regarded as a key aspect of English culture. 

England is also a pioneering nation in the sport of Indoor Cricket. The first organised indoor cricket league in the world took place in 1970 in North Shropshire,[6] and the first national tournament was completed in 1976 with over 400 clubs taking part. By 1979 over 1000 clubs were taking part in indoor cricket in the UK

3.Primary and Secondary Education   UK Education System Education in Britain is compulsory between the ages of 5 and 16. Over 90 % of all schoolchildren attend state schools, which are free. Besides this state systém of education there are also private schools, when parents pay fees. The most important of the private schools are known as Public Schools, which are secondary schools for boys from the age of 13 to 18 years, and Preparatory Schools, which are private primary schools preparing pupils for Public Schools.
  The education system is divided into 3 stages:(nursery)  primary   secondary   higher    

The education system in the UK is divided into four main parts, primary education, secondary education, further education and higher education. Children in the UK have to legally attend primary and secondary education which runs from about 5 years old until the student is 16 years old.

The education system in the UK is also split into "key stages" which breaks down as follows:

• Key Stage 1: 5 to 7 years old
• Key Stage 2: 7 to 11 years old
• Key Stage 3: 11 to 14 years old
• Key Stage 4: 14 to 16 years old

Generally key stages 1 and 2 will be undertaken at primary school and at 11 years old a student will move onto school and finish key stages 3 and 4.

Primary education begins in the UK at age 5 and continues until age 11, comprising key stages one and two under the UK educational system. Please visit the British Council page for more information on primary education.

     At 5, by law, children start proper school. Infant school is from 5-7 years and Junior school from 7-11 years. The day begins at 9 a.m. and usually finishes at 3.30 p.m.The infant school has its own building and playground and is next to the junior school, with its own building and playground. There are usually about 35 children in a class and, in the infant school, as well as  a teacher, there is a teacher´s assistant. Also mothers (and occasionally fathers) often go into the Infant School to help with painting, reading and practical lessons.     Children have the same teacher for one year and she teaches nearly all of the lessons in the class. Perhaps another teacher has them once a week for music or P.E.
  Classrooms are bright and cheerful with children´s  work displayed on the walls and books, games and a computer in each classroom. The children usually sit in groups at tables and have drawers to keep their work in.
    Children have to take tests at 7, 11 and 14. They learn English, maths, science and technology, history, geography and religious knowledge. A lot of learning is done through project or topic work, with an emphasis on children finding things out for themselves. They also learn about environment and, of course, do art, music and P.E.

Secondary education - From age 11 to 16, students will enter secondary school for key stages three and four and to start their move towards taking the GCSE's - learn more about secondary education in the UK and what it will involve. Primary and secondary education is mandatory in the UK; after age 16, education is optional.

Children transfer from the primary school at 11.Secondary education takes from 5 to 7 years.
8% of British children go to Private Schools (called Public Schools). Another 4%  don´t go to school at all.By law parents have the right to educate their children at home, if they can show they can do it properly. The rest go to the Comprehensive School. There are no vocational schools, or special art or music or technical schools in Britain.
Children study the National Curriculum that is: English, Maths, Science, History, Geography, Art, Music, Technology, Religious Education, Physical Education (P.E.) and a foreign language (usually French or German). At the age of 16  pupils take the main state examinations,the General Certificate of Secondary Education (G.C.S.E.),„O“ level (Ordinary).
Some pupils take 7 or 8 G.C.S.E.s but most pass 4 or 5 exams and then they may decide to stay on at school. About 66% of childrem stay on at school after the age of 16.
    At 18 there are much harder exams called „A“ Levels (Advanced). About 10% of pupils take these, in 3 subjects only. There are 5 grades of pass- A,B,C,D and E. Mostly they are written exams.Everyone in the country do the same exams on the same days in May and June and then they have to wait until August to find out the results. All universities require the G.C.S.E. „A“ Level qualifications.Cheating is very rare in Britain. If someone is found

cheating, he will fail his exam and be in serious trouble. Exams are very closely supervised and rules about talking, looking at someone else´s work and taking papers into the exam are very strictly kept.
    The majority of British school children wear a school uniform. Sometimes this is very formal: a shirt, a tie, a blazer with a school badge on the pocket and dark trousers. Girls also weara tie but a dark skirt instead of trousers, even in winter. Each school has its school colour (usually dark grey, dark blue, brown, dark green or dark red). Some schools send children home if they are not wearing  a uniform or keep them in after school as a punishment.
    British schools do a lot of sport, pupils have one afternoon a week of P.E. and all schools have football, netball, hockey and cricket teams. There are also school choirs, drama clubs ( most schools put on at least one play a year), chess clubs, art clubs and other activities. These are all called extra curricular because they are not part of the National Curriculum.
Most British secondary schools have about 750 students and 40 teachers.
    Among the universities Oxford and Cambridge are the oldest and the most famous. Oxford was founded in the 12th and Cambridge in the 13th century.

Вывод Students are assessed at the end of each stage. The most important assessment occurs at age 16 when students pursue their GCSE's or General Certificate of Secondary Education. Once students complete their GCSE's they have the choice to go onto further education and then potential higher education, or finish school and go into the working world.

Our overview of the education system in the UK is divided into five main section

4. Further  Education/ Further Education

Once a student finishes secondary education they have the option to extend into further education to take their A-Levels, GNVQ's, BTEC's or other such qualifications. UK students planning to go to college or university must complete further education.

FE in the United Kingdom is usually a means to attain an intermediate, advanced or follow-up qualification necessary to progress into HE, or to begin a specific career path, e.g. accountant, engineer or veterinary surgeon. It is available to students over 16 at colleges of Further Education, through work-based learning, or adult and community learning institutions. All colleges and FE providers are subject to inspection by Ofsted which monitors the quality of provision in publicly funded institutions in England and Wales.

Colleges in England are represented by the Association of Colleges.

Studying at a college is a different experience to studying at university.College class sizes are generally smaller than at university and you will probably be in more timetabled classes. A college course is a great way to prepare for independent study and learning, progressing to university later if you choose to. There are colleges located all across the UK, in big cities, small towns and rural areas/

5 Higher Education/ Higher Education

After finishing secondary school or college you can apply to a university, polytechnic, college of education or you can continue to study in a college of further education.

The academic year in Britain's universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of education is divided into 3 terms, which usually run from the beginning of October to the middle of December, the middle of January to the end of March, from the middle of April to the end of June or the beginning of July.

There are 46 universities in Britain. The oldest and best-known universities are located in Oxford, Cambridge, London, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Southampton, Cardiff, Bristol and Birmingham.    Good A-level results in at least 2 subjects are necessary to get a place at a university. However, good exam passes alone are not enough. Universities choose their students after interviews. For all British citizens a place at a university brings with it a grant from their local education authority.

English universities greatly differ from each other. They differ in date of foundation, size, history, tradition, general organization, methods of instruction and way of student life.

After three years of study a university graduate will leave with the Degree of Bachelor of Arts, Science, Engineering, Medicine, etc. Some courses, such as languages and medicine, may be one or two years longer. The degrees are awarded at public degree ceremonies. Later he/she may continue to take Master's Degree and then a Doctor's Degree.  The 2 intellectual eyes of Britain – Oxford & Cambridge Universities – date from the 12 & 13 centuries. They are known for all over the world and are the oldest and most prestigious universities in Britain. They are often called collectively Oxbridge, but both of them are completely independent. Only education elite go to Oxford and Cambridge

The Scottish universities of St. Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen & Edinburgh date from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.In the nineteenth and the early part of the twentieth centuries the so-called Redbrick universities were founded. These include London, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, and Birmingham. During the late sixties and early seventies some 20 'new' universities were set up. Sometimes they are called 'concrete and glass' universities. Among them are the universities of Sussex, York, East Anglia and some others.

During these years the government set up 30 Polytechnics. The Polytechnics, like the universities, offer first and higher degrees. Some of them offer full-time and sandwich courses [sandwich course курс обучения, чередующий теорию с практикой; сочетание общеобразовательного и профессионального обучения с работой на производстве] (for working students). Colleges of Education provide two-year courses in teacher education or sometimes three years if the graduate specializes in some Particular subjects.

Some of them who decide to leave school at the age of 16 may go to a further education college where they can follow a course in typing, engineering, town planning, cooking, or hairdressing, full-time or part-time. Further education colleges have strong ties with commerce and industry.

There's an interesting form of studies which is called the Open University. It's intended for people who study in their own free time and who 'attend' lectures by watching TV and listening to the radio. They keep in touch by phone and letter with their tutors and attend summer schools. The Open University students have no formal qualifications and would be unable to enter ordinary universities.

Some 80,000 overseas students study at British universities or further education colleges or train in nursing, law, banking or in industry.

Probably the most important subject area on this site, this explains more about the higher education system in the UK and how it works for international students. Most international students will enter directly into the UK higher education system, after completing their home country’s equivalent to the UK’s “further education.”

6. Private Sector in British and American EducatioпThe school system in the UK can proudly call itself one of the most complicated in Europe. Not only it is not the same across the kingdom but also the number of changes that have taken place in the last 50 years have made it equally confusing for a British person or for a foreigner. Lets start from the beginning. There are two types of schools in the UK: state schools where education is free and private schools where you have to pay. The only thing is that private schools in Britain are called … public. Why? A long time ago when education was a privilege of the rich, the only schools where poor people could go were funded by charities (organisations that collect money for people in need). As it was public money, the schools for the poor were called public schools. Logical, isn't it? However, in the course of history many public schools became very successful and turned into expensive private schools but the conservative British continued to call them public schools.How does it work?Until very recently public schools were either boys or girls only. Public schools can be full boarding (pupils live there all academic year except for holidays), normal (pupils go home every day) and mixed (some pupils go home every weekend and some stay).What kind of people go to a public school?Well, the first thing you need to have is money as some public schools charge up to £20,000 a year. There are some grants for bright pupils as well but the places are few and the competition is very strong. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that only six percent of the people in the UK can afford it. The other important criterion is that you have to belong to the right class as the class system in Britain is still very important. Mostly, public education is a privilege of the upper middle and upper classes.

Harrow School: HistoryHarrow, the second best public school in the UK after Eton, was founded in 1572 as a public school for the children of poor farmers but rapidly became one of the most prestigious private schools in the country. Famous Old Harrovians include Winston Churchill and Lord Byron.

Private schools (also known as ‘independent schools’) charge fees to attend instead of being funded by the government. Pupils don’t have to follow the national curriculum.All private schools must be registered with the government and are inspected regularly.

Reports on private schoolsAll school reports are published online by the organisation responsible for inspecting them. Find out from the school which organisation inspects them.

Half of all independent schools are inspected by Ofsted.

The Independent Schools Inspectorate inspects schools that are members of the associations that form the Independent Schools Council.

Some other schools are inspected by the School Inspection Service.Special educational needs

There are also private schools which specialise in teaching children with special educational needs.

Education in the USA Compulsory education in all 50 states begins at the age of six.
The schools in  the USA are either public or private. (Public Schools in America never mean private schools as they do in Britain) The majority of all schools are public schools,i.e. schools financed by the state or local government. These schools are free. Private school students pay for their tuition, books and uniforms.
There are three levels in the public school system:
Nursery Schools or kindergartens. It´s  the pre-school education.
Primary Schools between the ages of 6 and 12. 6 grades (School classes are called grades)
Secondary Schools called  High Schools between the ages of 12 and 18.
(Higher education, i.e. universities and colleges.)
  In the High Schools all students study the basic subjects as Languages,Maths, Chemistry, Biology and English, and have elective subjects  Music, Art and Humanities.Besides the classrooms and laboratories there are rooms with business machines and typewriters for secretarial students, computer labs, Home Economic classrooms with stoves, fridges and sewing machines, machine shops for mechanical students and often a car repair garage where students fix cars and learn about them. There are courses in Driver Education (students can get a licence at the age of 16) and many after-school clubs and activities. Every school has a band, orchestra and choral singing groups and P.E.,with school teams that play baseball, basketball and football against other schools.
    A school cafeteria has a wide variety of foods, usually in plastic or paper containers- sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, spaghetti, salads, desserts, such as pies, cakes, puddings and ice cream.There are also machines with cans of Coca Cola, potato chips, cookies and other items. Since lunch periods are usually only 20 minutes long, many students prefer to have a snack from the machines.

     All high school students have mid-term and final exams in each subject, and usually weekly quizzes. There are 25-30 students in each class in public schools and smaller classes in private schools. Anyone who fails can go to a summer school. In some schools students wear uniforms- dark blazers with the school crest and grey or black trousers for the boys and skirts of the same color for the girls.In some schools students are allowed to wear jeans and T shirts.
After the final exams are over, there is a formal dance called a class „Prom“. The girls wear long formal dresses and boys rent tuxedos for this occasion. Sometimes it it an all night party. Most Senior students (10th to 12th grade) have cars as they usually work part-time.
The oldest US university is Harvard in the state of Massachussets, which was found in 1636.
        7.British Mass Media (The Press, TV, Radio) Television, radio, newspapers and the Internet are what we call mass media. All of them are located in London, the capital of Great Britain.

A lot of newspapers and magazines are published there. There’s no monthly subscription in Great Britain so people just buy newspapers.

London newspapers can be divided into popular and trustworthy ones. Popular newspapers have a lot of pictures and interesting headlines. Their articles are usually short. The Daily express, the Daily mirror and The Sun are among them.

Trustworthy newspapers are different. Their articles are much bigger and they are thicker than popular ones. The Times, The Independent and The Guardian and others are among them.

There are also weekend newspapers in London. For example, the Sunday Times and the Sunday telegraph. I would also include the Sunday Express as a popular one. All the major UK newspapers currently have websites, which provide mostly free access to the content published in their print editions, as well as additional material.

A lot of different magazines are also published in Great Britain. Some of them are dedicated to certain topics. For example, the Take a Break - women's publication, the Athenaeum - literary publication, Clash - music publication.

BBC is a community radio in Great Britain. It has 14 radio stations and 2 TV channels. There are also around 500 commercial channels that you have to pay for.

Recently Internet Mass Media has become very important in the country. There are electronic versions of different newspapers and magazines. The BBC website is the biggest Internet newspaper in the world.

8. The Englishness  of English Art here was little pictorial art in England until the great miniaturists of the Tudor epoch. There were portraits on a large scale, but they were in the main, of foreign origin, notably Dutch like Holbein. Then came Hogarth, the first great native painter born at the end of the 17th century, famous for both engravings and oil paintings, he was followed by Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) famous for his portraits.

If Hogarth was the artist of the towns, Gainsborough, contemporary of Reynolds, was the painter of the countryside, frequently the background to his portraits. In a similar tradition was Stubbs, as famous for his portraits of horses as of people. Among the other portraitists of the 18th century were Romney, and Rae-burn. Constable (1776-1837) finally gave landscape painting its importance. Among his near-contemporaries, though a little younger, were William Blake, poet, visionary and painter, and Turner, renowned above all for his naval scenes.  The modern period in British art may be said to date from the year 1910, when the first Post-Impressionist Exhibition was held in London.  The first decade of the century had been dominated by two romanticists, Frank Brangwyn and Augustus John and by the sculptor Jacob Epstein who became a protagonist of modernity. The two painters may, to some extent, have been influenced by Gauguin, Epstein was essentially an expressionist.

Such modern painters as Peter Blake, Allan Jones and some others seek an image of immediate popular appeal (hence the term "pop-art" sometimes applied to this school).https://docbaza.ru/topic/britain/65.html    топики

9. English  Architecture: The development of Romanesque and

Ghotic Styles in Architecture- nglish Gothic is an architectural style originating in France, before then flourishing in England from about 1180 until about 1520.

As with the Gothic architecture of other parts of Europe, English Gothic is defined by its pointed arches, vaulted roofs, buttresses, large windows, and spires. The Gothic style was introduced from France, where the various elements had first been used together within a single building at the choir of the Basilique Saint-Denis north of Paris, built by the Abbot Suger and dedicated on 11 June 1144. The earliest large-scale applications of Gothic architecture in England are at Canterbury Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. Many features of Gothic architecture had evolved naturally from Romanesque architecture (often known in England as Norman architecture). This evolution can be seen most particularly at the Norman Durham Cathedral, which has the earliest pointed ribbed high vault known.

English Gothic was to develop along lines that sometimes paralleled and sometimes diverged from those of continental Europe. Historians traditionally divide English Gothic into a number of different periods, which may be further subdivided to accurately define different styles. Gothic architecture continued to flourish in England for a hundred years after the precepts of Renaissance architecture were formalised in Florence in the early 15th century. The Gothic style gave way to the Renaissance in the later 16th and 17th centuries, but was revived in the late 18th century as an academic style and had great popularity as Gothic Revival architecture throughout the 19th century.

Many of the largest and finest works of English architecture, notably the medieval cathedrals of England, are largely built in the Gothic style. So also are castles, palaces, great houses, universities, and many smaller unpretentious secular buildings, including almshouses and trade halls. Another important group of Gothic buildings in England are the parish churches, which, like the medieval cathedrals, are often of earlier, Norman foundation.

At the end of 12 century it was the establishment of Gothic forms beginning with the simplest ones. English Gothic is usually nodivided into the Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular. The first one is the simplest form of Gothic architecture. It is light and graceful in style with the use of pointed arches. Windows are lancet-headed, long and narrow, often grouped in pairs, triplets, fives and sometimes in sevens. Decorative circles are frequently introduced between the heads of the grouped windows. Mouldings are boldly cut. Pillars, more slender, are circular, octagonal or surrounded with detached shafts. Early English Gothic is dated up by 1186-1280 A.D. В конце 12-ого столетия состоялось создание Готических форм, начинающихся с самых простых. Английская Готика обычно делится на Раннюю английскую, Декоративную и Перпендикулярную. Первая — самая простая форма Готической архитектуры. Она легкая и изящная в стиле с использованием резких арок. Окна стреловидные, длинные и узкие, часто сгруппированы в пары, тройки, пятерки и иногда семерки. Часто декоративные круги помещаются между верхушками сгруппированных окон. Карнизы смело сокращены. Колонны, более тонкие, круглые, восьмиугольные или окружены отдельными колоннами. Ранняя английская Готика датируется 1186-1280 годами н.э. 

Roman architecture[edit]

The Roman period brought the construction of the first large-scale buildings in Britain, but very little survives above ground besides fortifications. These include sections of Hadrian's Wall, Chester city walls and coastal forts such as those at Portchester, Pevensey and Burgh Castle, which have survived through incorporation into later castles. Other structures still standing include a lighthouse at Dover Castle, now part of a church. In most cases, only foundations, floors and the bases of walls attest to the structure of former buildings. Some of these were on a grand scale, such as the palace at Fishbourne and the baths at Bath. The more substantial buildings of the Roman period adhered closely to the style of Roman structures elsewhere, although traditional Iron Age building methods remained in general use for humbler dwellings, especially in rural areas.

10. English  Architecture: Classicism and Romanticism in ArchitectureClassicism is a style widespread in European culture of the 17th and 19th centuries.chapel of Emmanuel College at the University of Cambridge; the building of the marine hospital in Greenwich; Ren's library at the University of Cambridge. In classicism, roundly fanciful forms of baroque are categorically rejected. Standards of harmony, rigor and monumentality in this direction are preferential.  The key features are a rectangular plan, a symmetrical layout of the facade, a significant height of the front floor and a small one - the top one. Entrances and exits to the buildings stood out by the so-called porticoe

The emergence of romanticism in architecture Romanticism (French romantisme), the ideological and artistic direction in European and American spiritual culture. 18 - 1st floor. 19th century Romanticism is a kind of reaction to the French Revolution.

The construction features of the style of romanticism (the appearance of metal structures). Romanticism offers a complex silhouette, a wealth of forms, the freedom of planning decisions. The first cast-iron bridge was constructed only in 1779. It was a bridge over the River Severn in England. In England, cast-iron constructions of cathedrals appeared already in the 80s of the 18th century, for example, in Liverpool.

The main task of Romanticism was the image of the inner world, spiritual life, and this could be done on the material of stories.

Consider the difference of romanticism with classicism. We will see that classicism divides everything in a straight line, into good and bad, into black and white. Romanticism in a straight line does not divide. Classicism is a system, but romanticism is not.

11. English  Sculpture.Скульптура

Until the XVIII century, the sculpture is expressed in a variety of tombstones; in the future it is in decline. John Flaxmann (1755-1826) by imitating antique designs. The 19th century plastic art is represented by talented artists in the field of portraits and genres (Gibson, Bailey, Foley, Steele, Munro, Woolner, Ford

12. English  School of PaintingAn interesting phenomenon of English painting of the XVI century was the work of the Master Countess of Warwick. Art critics attribute to him a large group of female and family portraits, created between 1567 and 1569 years. The major artists of the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries were miniaturists Nicholas Hilliard and his pupil Isaac Oliver. The value of an independent type of art painting in England in the XVIII century, starting with the works of genre painter and caricaturist William Hogarth (1697-1764); Joshua Reynolds and his pupil Laurens, as well as the main rival Francis Cotes, laid the foundation for English portraiture, and Gainsborough is considered the father of the English landscape. - “Landscape with a dam” “Landscape with a milkmaid”

William Hogarth is an English artist, founder and major representative of the national school of painting, illustrator, author of satirical engravings, discoverer of new genres in painting and drawing. Many of his works by the artist, who experienced the influence of the ideas of the philosophers of the Enlightenment, subordinated the task of education with the help of artistic creativity of the moral principle in man and the eradication of vices. The next series of engravings - "Career Mota" - was published in 1735, and in 1745 the famous cycle "Fashionable Marriage" appeared. Hogarth observed the lives of people of different material wealth, belonging to all sectors of society; He was not only a talented portrait painter, but also a moralist and satirist.

Joshua Reynolds is a British historical and portrait painter, a representative of the English school of portrait painting of the 18th century [1]. Theorist of art. The first president of the Royal Academy of Arts, a member of the Royal Society of London. Member of the Society of Amateurs, created to study the ancient art [m "Portrait of Penelope Boothby" Kitty Fisher with a parrot

13. John Constable or Constable (eng. John Constable [ˈJune 11, 1776, East Bergholt, Suffolk - March 31, 1837, London) - English romantic artist. In particular, in the vicinity of Suffolka, from where the artist was born. A constable was born in the small village of East Bergholt on the banks of the River Stour, in the family of the wealthy miller Golding and Anne Constable (his father’s mill appeared several times on his canvases). the best works, including the famous “Salisbury Cathedral”, “The White Horse”, “The Dam in Dedame”, “The Cart for the Seine”, associated with these local ones and created in the decade of mature work between 1815 and 1825. In 1819, Constable traveled to Venice and Rome.Joseph Mallord William Turner (Eng. Joseph Mallord William Turner; April 23, 1775, Covent Garden, London - December 19, 1851, Chelsea) - British painter, master of the romantic landscape, aquarellist. Forerunner of the French Impressionists. Won special fame thanks to the paintings dedicated to the Napoleonic wars (“Waterloo Field”).

14. Modern  Imitative Art

15.The English Theatre  of the 16th Centery   16 века/

There are a lot of old and famous theatres in Great Britain and some of them have an interesting history.

The theatre’s transition from the medieval to the Renaissance is more readily apparent in England than in Italy or France. As the rediscovered classics gradually found their way to England, English plays did begin to reflect their influence. Religious and political controversies and religious strife between Catholic and Protestant following the separation of England from the Catholic Church by Henry VII in 1534, were the forces shaping the mid 16th century English drama. However, when Elizabeth came to throne in 1588 she wanted no religious dissention and outlawed drama of a religious nature.

At the start of Elizabeth’s reign noblemen might maintain a group of actors; otherwise actors were very much considered vagabonds. In 1559, Elizabeth decreed a license was also required to perform plays. Thus acting became a profession, the English theatre directly under the control of the government, and the licensed acting companies still in the patronage of wealthy nobles. This essentially made acting more secure, with daily performances stimulating the building of permanent theatres and the assembling of larger companies.

By the last decade of the 16th century acting had achieved a satisfactory level of financial and social stability. Actors were paid a yearly fee by the court plus other expenses. К последнему десятилетию 16-го века актерская деятельность достигла удовлетворительного уровня финансовой и социальной стабильности. Актеры платили суду ежегодную плату плюс другие расходы. ohn Lyly

16. The English Theatre  of the 17-18th Centery  .

David Garrick. Shakespeare Theater. Garrick shone in the roles of Richard III and Hamlet, sometimes he himself wrote plays in which a number of transformations were carried out in the field of design, lighting and stage lighting, which emphasized the realistic appearance of the production.

Sarah Siddons. The eldest of twelve children in the Kemble family, a famous acting dynasty, the prima of the 18th century British theater was a great tragic actress (she never played at all in comedies). Sarah Siddons honed her mastery at the Yorkshire Theater, and then moved to Drury Lane, where she amazed the public with her talent to get used to the role. Especially the audience liked her interpretation of the image of Lady Macbeth.

XVIII век

Эпоха Просвещения

In the 18th century, a transitional era began, culminating in the French bourgeois revolution. The liberation movement developed, it became necessary to destroy feudalism and replace it with capitalism. At this time, among the playwrights, Sheridan, the author of the famous satirical comedy “The School of Slander”, appeared in the late Enlightenment, was the most famous.

17. The English Theatre  of the 19th Centery

XIX век

Романтизм

By the beginning of the 19th century, the European theater had lost many of its valuable achievements. Everywhere in theaters for high society, the majestic but cold art of classicism reigned supreme, having lost its passionate citizenship after the French Revolution.

Frightened by the French revolution, the rulers of all countries led the fight against the theaters, which attracted spectators from the people, fearing the impact on the audience of bold words about freedom, about human rights that have so recently sounded from the stage. The Englishman Charles Keane (1811 - 1884) sought to revive on the stage with all the details architecture, utensils, clothes of the era. The art of English actor Edmund Keane (1787 - 1833), resentful, inspired, and fierce in its power, expressed hatred for oppression and the way of life of English bourgeois society.

18.W. Shakespire and Theatre. The Royal Shakespeare Company is a theatre company with the annual production of about twenty shows. It comprises two permanent theatres: The Swan Theatre and The Royal Shakespeare Theatre. In November, 2011 the last one was opened after the transformation and celebrated its fiftieth birthday. It is situated in Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare and got his name in 1961 to commemorate his talent of a playwright and poet. It also promotes a positive attitude to poet’s works,Исправлено: experience of poet’s works, organizes festivals and expands its influence in many other industries

19. Modern  Theatrical Life of England Visiting theatres is a very popular activity among British people, as Britain has a long dramatic tradition and incredible playwrights, actors and directors. London is a center of the theatrical life, but other cities also have wonderful companies and theatres. There are more than 50 theatres only in London, so you can imagine their number around the country. The first theatre of England appeared in 1576 and was called “The Blackfries”, while several years later in 1599 a famous theatre “The Globe” was opened and it is considered that William Shakespeare used to work there.

Another unique peculiarity of London is Theatreland, a theatre district with approximately forty venues situated near the West End. They usually stage comedies, classics or plays and musicals. Most of the theatres date back to Victorian and Edwardian times and nowadays they are private

Theatres in Great Britain are rather various and continue to thrive, as the English are a theatrical nation 

20. British music. Great Britain is famous for its amazing singers, bands and composers. But it hasn’t always been this way. From 17th to 20th century the country wasn’t developed at all in terms of music. The only place where some kind of music could be heard was the Church. British music of that time was represented by George Handel. He was known for great folk and choral music.  His music still is played in many Opera Houses in Europe. A great composer Henry Purcell was famous in the 17th century and is considered to be the founder of the British Opera which was very popular among the spectators. But until the 20th century British music industry was almost “dead” in comparison to the music industry development in other countries. But then the most popular group of the 20th century (not only in Great Britain but worldwide) appeared — the Beatles. They created the whole new era of rock music. Even now thousands of people know their songs by heart. The Rolling Stone and The Queen continued the tendency. “We are the champions” and “Show must go on” is known to everyone. Sir Elton John, Sting, Amy Winehouse, Robbie Williams — all these people are famous all around the world for their talent and memorable songs. All of them have their own place in music history of the country. Nowadays hundreds of new musicians appear every single day. And Great Britain is considered to be the mother of new talents. There are many popular shows such as “The Voice” and “X-Factor” that introduced to us such talented singers as Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith. What is more, there are many music festivals that are held every year for different types of people and different tastes. Great Britain unites people with various music tastes. It is surprising how it can unite the ones with their love for folk or Ireland music with popular nowadays mass music. So whatever your musical taste is — be sure that Great Britain will have something special for you.

21. American Primary and Secondary Education

Primary  American children start school at the age of five years. The first year at school is called kindergarten. It is required of all American children enrolled in the American education system. The second year at school is considered the first year of primary school and is referred to as first grade. In America, the word grade has two meanings: (1) the score achieved on an exam or in a course, and (2) a year of education in primary or secondary school. Primary school most commonly consists of five years of education, referred to as first through fifth grades.

Secondary Upon completion of fifth grade (the last year of primary school), American children enrolled in the American education system advance to secondary school. Secondary school most commonly consists of a total of seven years, referred to as sixth through twelfth grades. The ninth through twelfth grades are most commonly referred to as high school. Upon completion of twelfth grade, American students are awarded a certificate called the high school diploma. In the American education system, students must have obtained a high school diploma before they are admitted into college or university. Foreign students who would like to attend an American college or university must have completed coursework that is equivalent to what is taught at an American high school. Foreign students, who would like to attend an American high school, need to consider how the high school they select will give them access to the best colleges.

22. American Primary Higher Education.

Students who have completed high school and would like to attend college or university must attend what is referred to as an undergraduate school. These are schools that offer either a two-year degree (called an associate (кандидат в бакалавры (младший специалист)
23. American School of Painting.

24. American Theatre .

25. National character of  Americans. In the USA the aim of upbringing is to raise a responsible, self-reliant individual. At the age of 18 young people usually move out of their parents' house and live independently. A grown-up person who is still living with his or her parents may be considered 'immature', or 'tied to the mother's apron strings'.

Americans believe that all men are created equal. It means that one tends to treat other people as peers, and that everyone expects to have equal opportunities to achieve his or her goals of life. As a result Americans are quite informal in their general behavior and in their relationships with other people. People of high standing can be seen in public wearing jeans, sandals, or other informal clothes. Americans call each other by their first names irrespective of a person's social position or age. When people talk, they usually smile a lot and use a lot of jargon and slang. Americans always feel uncomfortable with silence. They prefer to talk in order to fill the pause.

Working hard is greatly valued in the United States. Americans respect doers, problem solvers and achievers. Great importance is attached to such qualities as efficiency, punctuality and practicality. Self-improvement is very important to any American. Idleness is considered to be shameful. Americans can't afford to waste time, to daydream, or to do nothing. There are many workaholics and people who are addicted to their work in the USA. Such people think constantly about their job and feel frustrated if they are kept from it, even during weekends and holidays. Americans see as heroes those people who have overcome a great number of obstacles in order to succeeded in life. 

26. American Mass media (The Press TV Radio ). There is no real national press in the USA as there are more than 85 newspapers published in 34 languages. There exist two main groups of newspapers: qualities and populars. Only 2 or 3 newspapers with the largest circulation tell their readers about some rumours or crimes.

Quality newspapers contain only reliable serious information. They may also publish cartoons. “The Wall Street Journal”, “The New York Daily News”, “The USA Today”, “The New York Times” have the largest circulation among the daily newspapers. The main function of press in America is to give objective information. The materials should be given in full volume and newspapers should give floor to all possible facts and opinions. There is also no secret information for the press.

The information is usually taken from the News Agencies. The largest and most famous of them are: Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI). There also exist about 122 domestic and foreign news bureaus in the USA.

There are over 4000 monthly and 1300 weekly magazines in the USA. Among them are: “National Geographic”, “Reader’s Digest”, “Cosmopolitan”, “Time”, “Vogue” and others. Women’s magazines publish all sorts of recipes, stories about local or outstanding women, furnishing questions and other items.

Publishing books in America is rather a prosperous business. America is on the 9th place in the world by the books, published and read. Public libraries always organize book sales. Most newspapers and magazines publish chapters from the books of young authors.   A peculiar feature of the American radio is soap opera. It is a sentimental serial drama that describes domestic problems and which is for housewives. Soap opera is usually broadcast every day. Most people find soap opera boring.

There ate a lot of games on the radio. They are called ‘panel games’. Radio brings also cultural and educational programs. Many programs are made up of classical music.   Television is a ‘chewing gum for ears and eyes’. There are many serials on TV in the USA. They appeared in the 1950s. TV-games attract a large audience, too. During TV quiz programs TV viewers answer different questions.  There is a lot of education on television. For example, you can take a TV course in history, political economy, management, banking and in many other subjects, or learn a foreign language by TV. Educational TV films and programs are shown in schools and colleges as a part of the curriculum.        

. 27. American Music. Since the United States was settled by Europeans, it is not surprising that classical music and folk songs were brought over from that continent. Beethoven, Brahms, Debussy, Tchaikovskyi, Stravinskyi, Bach, Mozart and Verdi are but a few names of European composers which are often on orchestra or opera programmes.English, Irish, Scottish folk songs are sung very often and have been sung in America by so many generations that Americans are not even conscious that these songs are of foreign origin.

But the greatest contribution to American music, however, has been made by the Afro-americans in the South. Negro songs are now part of the nation’s most precious musical heritage. Perhaps the Negro’s greatest contribution to American music has been jazz and rhythm-and-blues. Most contemporary music works root deeply in those styles. After the Civil War some of the brass instruments of the Confederate military bands fell into the hands of the Negroes, and the result was all kinds of rhythmical and melodic experiments. Thus jazz, free of conventions and written arrangements, was born.

Such composers as Aaron Copland and George Gershwin in America and Stravinsky in Europe have been influenced by American jazz. And one can say that rhythm-and- blues was the beginning of modern dancing music.