作者：孔文 颜榴红
出版社：南京大学出版社
格式: AZW3, DOCX, EPUB, MOBI, PDF, TXT
中西文化概况(英文版)试读：
前言
目前国际交流日益频繁，了解本国及英语国家的文化背景、风土民情及社会习俗等，不仅是学好语言、成功交际的关键，更能提升自身文化修养与内涵。不同民族在其不同的生态环境下创造了自己特有的文化，而母语文化与目的语文化之间的差异往往会导致语用失误，从而影响交际。外语学习到了一定的阶段，其主要障碍已不在语言本身，而在于学习者对目的语和母语文化知识的了解程度，以及在此基础上形成的对两种文化差异的思辨。成功的交际很大程度上取决于了解彼此文化背景的程度。跨文化交际不是同一种文化之间的交际，也不是文化融入，必须同时强调母语文化与目的语文化素质的培养，不能只重视外族文化，而忽视或放弃了自己的文化根基。目前英语课程多以英美国家文化为主，中国文化内容的缺失与当前国内学生的现实发展需求不符。基于以上考虑，我们为广大英语学习者编写了这本《中西文化概况》。
本书分别对英美文化和中国文化进行了较为全面、系统、精炼的介绍，主要具有以下特点：
1．结构明晰：本书共有九章，每章一个主题，分别介绍英国、美国和中国文化。每个章节后附有词汇表，以方便学习者自学；课外阅读部分主要利用网络资源，向学习者推荐加拿大、澳大利亚和新西兰国家的相应主题文化；小组任务部分则针对每一章的主题文化设计了相应问题，旨在帮助学习者培养其思考问题和解决问题的能力。
2．选材时效性、趣味性强：本书所选材料内容新颖，图文并茂，增加了教材的形象性、活泼性和趣味性。
3．语言难易适中：本书尽量选用常用词汇，个别较难词汇列在每一章的词汇表中。英文注解部分可以帮助学习者更深入地了解相关专有名词的文化内涵，充分体现了语言学习和文化学习的相互渗透。
4．课堂教学与自主学习相结合：本书主课文部分可供教师根据学生水平和具体课时选用进行课堂教学；课外阅读部分可用于培养学习者自主探寻获取信息的能力；小组任务既涉及对所学内容的思考，又超越了书本内容，旨在帮助学习者培养自主构建知识和探索创新的能力。
本书不仅可以作为高等院校中西文化教材，也适用于广大涉外工作人员、英语教师和英语学习者。
本书编者在编写过程中参考了众多现有的国内外出版的教材、报刊、杂志，借鉴了大量的网络文本和图片资源，在此表示由衷的感谢。
最后要衷心感谢的是英国的Dave Hufton 博士，他不仅是位教育家，更是一名哲学家，而且其对中国文化也颇有研究。他为本书的每个章节精心设计了小组任务，这些任务引人深思，极具挑战性，对每个章节起到了画龙点睛的作用。
由于中西文化涉及内容多，覆盖领域广，加之编者水平有限，时间仓促，书中难免有不足疏漏之处，敬请广大读者批评指正。编者2014年9月Contents
Chapter 1 Geography Section A Geography of the United KingdomSection B Geography of the United States of AmericaSection C Geography of China NotesGlossaryFurther ReadingGroup Tasks
Chapter 2 History Section A History of the United KingdomSection B History of the United States of AmericaSection C History of China NotesGlossaryFurther ReadingGroup Tasks
Chapter 3 Government and Politics Section A Government and Politics of the United KingdomSection B Government and Politics of the United States of
AmericaSection C Government and Politics of China NotesGlossaryFurther ReadingGroup Tasks
Chapter 4 Education Section A Education in the United KingdomSection B Education in the United States of AmericaSection C Education in China NotesGlossaryFurther ReadingGroup Tasks
Chapter 5 Literature and Art Section A Literature and Art in the United KingdomSection B Literature and Art in the United States of AmericaSection C Literature and Art in China NotesGlossaryFurther ReadingGroup Tasks
Chapter 6 Customs and Etiquettes Section A Customs and Etiquettes in the United KingdomSection B Customs and Etiquettes in the United States of
AmericaSection C Customs and Etiquettes in China NotesGlossaryFurther ReadingGroup Tasks
Chapter 7 Food Culture Section A Food Culture in the United KingdomSection B Food Culture in the United States of AmericaSection C Food Culture in China NotesGlossaryFurther ReadingGroup Tasks
Chapter 8 Sports and Recreations Section A Sports and Recreations in the United KingdomSection B Sports and Recreations in the United States of
AmericaSection C Sports and Recreations in China NotesGlossaryFurther ReadingGroup Tasks
Chapter 9 Holidays and Festivals Section A Holidays and Festivals in the United KingdomSection B Holidays and Festivals in the United States of
AmericaSection C Holidays and Festivals in China NotesGlossaryFurther ReadingGroup Tasks
ReferencesChapter 1 GeographySection A Geography of the United Kingdom1. Physical Geography
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland，commonly known as the United Kingdom（or the U．K.），or simply Britain，is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe．It includes Scotland，England，Wales and Northern Ireland（not actually on the island of Great Britain）．The 2total area of the U．K．is approximately 245,000 km with a population of about 60 million people（2009 estimate）．The U．K．lies between the North Atlantic and the North Sea，and comes within 35 km of the northwest coast of France，from which it is separated by the English Channel．The Channel Tunnel bordered beneath the English Channel，now links the U．K．with France．Geographical Location of the U．K．EnglandEngland
England is in the southern part of Great Britain and is divided into nine governmental regions．It is sometimes，wrongly，used in reference to the whole United Kingdom，the entire island of Great Britain，or indeed the British Isles．This is not only incorrect but can cause offence to people from other parts of the U．K．
The south of England is mostly low-lying land，with hills and agricultural land and the north of England is mostly covered in moorlands and mountains．England covers over 50,000 square 2miles（130,439 km）and is the largest of the countries comprising the island of Britain，covering about two-thirds of the island．No place in England is more than 75 miles（120 km）from the sea．The River Thames
The landscape is determined mainly by different types of rocks underlying it．In the south，chalk has produced the gently rolling hills ［1］of the Downs，while hard granite is the basis for the mountains of the north and the high moorlands in the southwest．Much of the land in England is flat（low-lying）—less than 1,000 m above the sea level，forming meadowlands and pastures and less than 10 percent of the area is covered by woodlands．Farmers raise animals or grow crops in the fields．The landscape of England is more rugged in the north and the west．The highest elevations are in Cumbria and the Lake District in the west．The southwest is a long peninsular with bleak moorlands and rocky outcrop．In the southeast，a horseshoe-shaped ring of chalk downs surrounds the formerly wooded area of the ［2］Weald．The southeast corner has dramatic chalk cliffs bordering the English Channel．England's best known river is the River Thames which flows through southern England．It is the longest river in England and the second longest in the U．K．，next to River Severn．England has a long coastline of 3,200 km．In the south and west，the coastline can be rocky with steep cliffs．The east coast is often flat and low-lying with beaches and mud flats．ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a mountainous country in the north of Great Britain and shares a land border to the south with England and is bounded by the North Sea on the east and the Atlantic Ocean on the west．Its capital city is Edinburgh．Scotland has some 790 islands．It is famous for its fresh water lochs—there are over 600 square miles of them．One of the most famous is Loch Ness where a mysterious monster is said to lurk in the depths of the water．It is also famous for its clans，kilts，medieval castles，as well as poetry and songs of Robert Burns．Theatre lovers from around the world come to Edinburgh for its famous theatre festivals．
Scotland's terrain is divided into three regions: the Highlands，the Central Lowlands，and the Southern Uplands．The Highlands cover more than one-half of Scotland and include the Grampian Mountains．The range's highest peak，Ben Nevis（1,343 m/4,406 ft），is also the highest in Great Britain．Scotland's population is concentrated in the Central Lowlands，which include the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh．The Southern Uplands primarily consist of a moorland plateau with valleys and mountainous outcroppings．The River Clyde is the principal navigational river．WalesWales
Wales is situated on the western side of central southern Great Britain．It is a mountainous land，bordered by England to the east，the Bristol Channel to the south，St George's Channel in the west，and the Irish Sea to the north．It is about 274 km from north to south 2and at least 97 km wide，with a total area of 20,779 km．
Wales has a varied geography with sharp contrasts．In the south，flat coastal plains give way to valleys，then to ranges of hills and mountains in mid and north Wales．There are many national parks and areas with outstanding natural beauty．80 percent of the land is dedicated to agriculture，ranging from crops to livestock．The largest mountains in the north are part of the Snowdonia range，with the largest mountain being Snowdon at 1,085 m．There are over 1,300 km of coastline ranging from long flat sandy beaches to towering cliffs．Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland
Northern Ireland is an integral part of the U．K．．It is situated in the northeastern portion of the island of Ireland．Northern Ireland is also known as Ulster，because it consists of six of the nine counties that were parts of the former province of Ulster: Antrim，Armagh，Down，Fermanagh，Londonderry，and Tyrone．Northern Ireland measures about 85 miles（135 km）north and south，and about 110 miles（175 km）east and west．
Northern Ireland's landforms were influenced greatly by Ice Age glaciers．The terrain consists of rounded hills and low mountains separated by broad valleys．Only in a few areas do deep，steep-sided valleys cut the land．Principal mountain ranges include the Mourne Mountains in the southeast and the Sperrin Mountains in the northwest．Slieve Donard，in the Mournes，is the country's highest peak，reaching 2,796 ft（852 m）above the sea level，where the mountains extend to the sea，the coasts are marked by cliffs and steep slopes．2．Climate
Regional climates in the U．K．are influenced by the Atlantic Ocean and latitude．Northern Ireland，Wales and western parts of England and Scotland，being closest to the Atlantic Ocean，are generally the mildest，wettest and windiest regions of the U．K．，and temperature ranges here are seldom extreme．Eastern areas are drier，cooler，less windy and also experience the greatest daily and seasonal temperature variations．Northern areas are generally cooler，wetter and have slightly larger temperature ranges than southern areas．Though the U．K．is mostly under the influence of the maritime tropical air mass from the southwest，different regions are more susceptible than others when different air masses affect the country: Northern Ireland and the west of Scotland are the most exposed to the maritime polar air mass which brings cool moist air； the east of Scotland and northeast England are more exposed to the continental polar air mass which brings cold dry air； the south and southeast of England are more exposed to the continental tropical air mass which brings warm dry air（and consequently the warmest summer temperatures most of the time）； and Wales and the southwest of England are the most exposed to the maritime tropical air mass which brings warm moist air．If the air masses are strong enough in their respective areas during the summer，there can sometimes be a huge difference in temperature between the far north of Scotland（including the Islands）and southeast of England—usually around 10-15℃（50-59℉）but can be as much as 20℃（68℉）or more．An example of this could be that in the height of summer the Northern Isles could have temperatures around 15℃（59℉）and areas around London could reach 30℃（86℉）．However，the temperature varies with the seasons，seldom drops below -11℃（12℉）or rises above 35℃（95℉）．Section B Geography of the United States of America
The United States of America or the U．S．A．is a country in the Northern Hemisphere，Western Hemisphere，and the Eastern Hemisphere．It consists of forty-eight contiguous states in North America，Alaska，a peninsula which forms the most northwestern part of North America，and Hawaii，an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean．There are several U．S．territories in the Pacific and Caribbean．The term "United States"，when used in the geographical sense，means the continental U．S．，Alaska，Hawaii，Puerto Rico，Guam，and the Virgin Islands of the U．S．．The country shares land borders with Canada and Mexico and maritime（water）borders with Russia，Cuba，and the Bahamas in addition to Canada and Mexico．1．Physical Geography
The United States of America may be divided into seven broad physiographic divisions from east to west: the Atlantic Plain，the Appalachian Highlands，the Interior Plains，the Interior Highlands，the Rocky Mountain System，the Intermountain Region，and the Pacific Mountain System．The Atlantic Plain
The Atlantic Plain is a rather flat stretch of land that borders the Atlantic Ocean（including the Gulf of Mexico）．It is approximately 2,200 miles long，stretching from Cape Cod，through the southeast U．S．and through Mexico，ending with the Yucatan Peninsula．The western border of the coastal plain is easily defined by a long series of mountain ranges，including the Appalachian Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountains．The eastern border isn't well defined since most of the plain is at or below the sea level．Some define the east border to be the coastline．Currently，the coastal plain is very wet，including many rivers，marshes and swamplands．It is primarily used for agriculture．Geographical Location of the U．S．The Appalachian Highlands
Appalachian Highlands，an upland area of eastern North America，chiefly in the U．S．，extends from eastern Canada to central Alabama．The entire system is almost 2,000 miles（3,200 km）long，and up to 300 miles（480 km）wide．The region's higher and rougher parts form the so-called Appalachian Mountains．
The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period，and once reached elevations similar to those of the Alps and the Rocky Mountains before they were eroded．The Appalachian chain is a barrier to east-west travel as it forms a series of alternating ridgelines and valleys oriented in opposition to any road running east-west．The scenic beauty of mountains，streams，forests and the region's historic sites make the Appalachians a popular vacation area．The Interior Plains
The Interior Plains，the largest physical region in the U．S．，are located west of the Appalachian Highlands，east of the Rocky Mountains，and north of the Gulf Coastal Plain．The region's greatest dimensions are about 1,200 miles（1,900 km）east-west and 1,300 miles（2,100 km）north-south．Thick beds of sedimentary rocks underlie this vast area of plains．North of the Missouri and Ohio rivers are deep glacial deposits．
At about the 100th meridian，the Interior Plains divide into the Great Plains，to the west，and the Central Lowlands，to the east．Both sections have vast stretches of flat land and of gently rolling land．A major difference between the two areas is elevation—the Great Plains lie at an elevation of 2,000 to 6,000 feet（600 to 1,800m），and the Central Lowlands are much lower．The Interior Plains are bordered by two upland regions—the Superior Uplands on the north，and the Central Uplands on the south．The Superior Uplands are in Minnesota，Wisconsin，and Michigan．The Central Uplands are in Missouri，Arkansas，and Oklahoma．The Interior Highlands
The U．S．Interior Highlands is a mountainous region spanning eastern Oklahoma，western and northern Arkansas，southern Missouri，and the extreme southeast corner of Kansas．The area refers to the combined mountainous region of the Ozarks and Ouachita Mountains，which form a distinct physiographic division．It is the only major highland region between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains in the U．S．．
The region is occupied by the Ozark mountain forests，an ecoregion of temperate broadleaf and mixed forests．Parts of the area are covered by three national forests: the Ouachita National Forest in Oklahoma and Arkansas，the Ozark-St．Francis National Forest in Arkansas，and the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri．The Rocky Mountain System
The Rocky Mountain Range actually represents a series of more than 100 separate mountain ranges，rather than one uninterrupted mountain chain．These ranges stretch through New Mexico，Idaho，Montana，Wyoming，Utah and Colorado，and also extend into British Columbia and Alberta，Canada．The entire series of mountain ranges measure approximately 3,000 miles．Mount Elbert near Leadville，Colorado，has an elevation of 14,433 feet，making it the tallest peak in the mountain range．The popular Pikes Peak，the second most visited peak in the world，is the 31st highest，rising 14,110 feet above the sea level．Mount Elbert in July
Because of the vast expanse covered by the Rocky Mountain Range，it holds several national parks．Rocky Mountain National Park，Yellowstone National Park，Grand Teton National Park，Glacier National Park and the Royal Gorge Park，all give guests the opportunity to explore the Rockies．It also serves as the habitat to 66 mammal species，including the rare lynx and wolverine．The Intermountain（Intermontane）Region
The Intermountain Region or the Intermountain West is located between the Rocky Mountains on the east and the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada on the west．It covers the state of Utah and the neighboring parts of Arizona，Nevada，Colorado，western Wyoming，eastern Idaho，and a small portion of southwestern Montana．
Its wetlands，rivers，and lakes provide habitats for many birds．The Intermountain Region is a home to a massive 1．6 million breeding ducks and over 100,000 over-wintering ducks，geese，and swans．It is thinly populated because people don't have the proper necessities to live there along with the proper food supply．This is a good thing because the land is left alone for the animals to enjoy，and it leaves the environment in a beautiful state．The Pacific Mountain System
Between the Intermountain Region and the Pacific Ocean is the Pacific Mountain System，the series of mountain ranges that stretch along the West Coast of North America from Alaska south to Northern and Central Mexico．It runs for some 4,500 miles（7,250 km）in the U．S．and extend northward into Canada for another 1,000 miles（1,600 km）．This province includes the active and sometimes dead or extinct volcanoes of the Cascade Range and the young，steep mountains of the Pacific Border and the Sierra Nevada．
The Cascade Range is a backpacker's paradise．Hikers can experience a striking ecological transition across the range，from temperate rain forests on the western，windward slopes to open pine savanna and shrub steppes on the eastern．The Sierra Nevada is a 400-mile-long mountain range of singular beauty．While the Sierra high country has its share of rugged topography，including sawtoothed volcanic ridges and some mighty river gorges，much of it offers the backpacker remarkably gentle terrain of undulating granite highlands，as well as some of the most moderate mountain weather．2．Climate
The climate in U．S．varies across different parts of the country．Generally，the western and southern parts of U．S．have warmer weather as compared with the eastern and northern parts．The eastern and northern parts of U．S．experience chilly winters with heavy snowfalls but the summers are pleasant．The western and southern parts have extremely hot summers and comparatively tolerable winters．
The U．S．can be divided into six climate regions（Northwest Pacific，Mid/South Pacific，Midwest，Northeast，Southeast，Southwest），excluding Alaska，Hawaii and outlying territories．The climate varies considerably among different regions．
Northwest Pacific（Includes states like Oregon and Washington to the crest of the Cascade Mountains）
This is perhaps the wettest part of the country．There are scattered rain showers all year round．Temperatures are mild averaging around 40 ℉（32．2 ℃）．The summer months are pleasantly warmer and never too hot．You can see fogs along the coast during the warmer weather but the fog is less dense during mid-day．
Mid/South Pacific Rockies（Includes states like California，Idaho，Montana，Wyoming，Colorado，Utah and Nevada）
These states have generally dry and delightful summers．California has excellent weather all the year round，with the northern part of the state somewhat cooler（quiet chilly in the winter but seldom freezing）．There are few places in California that experience snow，and the state is known for its nice weather．Most of the cities have tolerable winters．The winter months in the other states like Montana，Idaho and Wyoming can be very cold，with temperatures dropping well below 0 ℉．Colorado，Utah and Nevada are known for their excellent skiing．
Midwest（Includes states like Dakotas，Kansas，Illinois，Iowa，Minnesota，Wisconsin，Michigan，and Indiana）
This region is moderately dry．Precipitation occurs mainly in late spring and early summer．Summers are pleasant but winter time can be harsh，with lots of snow and heavy chilly winds．Extremes within the Midwest can drop down to -50℉．
Northeast（Includes states like Ohio，Pennsylvania，Washington D．C．，and Maryland）．
This entire area is moderately rainy．In winter，the region experiences heavy snow and freezing rain．Summers are usually pleasant，sunny and warm．The fall is especially beautiful in wooded areas．
Southeast（Includes states like portions of Arkansas and Louisiana，Kentucky，West Virginia，Virginia）
Like the Northeast，this entire area experiences moderate rains fairly and evenly throughout the year．The spring，summer and fall seasons are all very pleasant．Some snow and freezing rain falls in
试读结束[说明：试读内容隐藏了图片]