William I built the Tower of London in 1081. The Tower was the citadel, then a palace, then a prison. Many queens and kings lived there. Now it is a museum. In the Tower you can meet the famous Beefeaters in their traditional uniforms. You will hear the legend of the ravens. Have you seen them? The legend says, If the ravens leave the tower, the kingdom will fall. At 9.53 every evening the Beefeaters are locking the gates of the Tower. It is a spectacular ceremony! You should see it!
- How long have ravens lived in the Tower?
- Tell the legend of the Tower
Text 5. British Customs and Traditions
Vocabulary
| old-fashioned keep them up self-discipline reserve courtesy dignity stay-at-home There is no place like home , block of flats An Englishman's house is his castle | pet bowler hat cornflakes porridge plain beefsteak chop pears beans cauliflower cream high tea tinned fruit |
Traditions... Every nation and every country has its own customs and traditions. Some of them are old-fashioned and few people remember them, others are part of people's life. Englishmen are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up.
Self-discipline, reserve, courtesy, and dignity are features typical for English people of all classes. They don't like to show their emotions even in dangerous and tragic situation. Englishmen are naturally polite. They always say "Thank you", "I'm sorry", "I beg your pardon", etc. The remarkable politeness of English people are known all over the world. If you follow anyone who is entering the building or a room, he will hold the door open for you.
The English are stay-at-home people. "There is no place like home", they say. When they don't work they like, to spend their days off at home with their families. The Englishman also prefers his own house to an apartment in a block of flats. He doesn't like to be watched by his neighbours. "An Englishman's house is his castle". Englishmen are very fond of fire-places, that's why many of them prefer the open fire to central heating.
They are fond of gardening and very proud of their gardens. It is well known that English people like animals. Usually, there is a pet in every English home. Alongside with the pictures of their family they always have a picture of their pets: a cat, a dog, a bird, etc.
When we say "Bowler hats, tea and talks about the weather", we can immediately see the image of an Englishman.
They say that English people keep to their traditions even in meals. For his breakfast an Englishman usually has cornflakes with milk and sugar (porridge if he lives in the North), fried bacon and eggs, marmalades on toast and tea with milk, of course.
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At offices and factories there is a tea or coffee break at eleven. Between 1 and 2 there is lunch time in Great Britain. Englishmen are fond of good plain food. They like beefsteaks, chops, roast beef, fried fish, chipped potatoes. A meat course is served with plenty of vegetables: pears, beans and cauliflower. Tea drinking is quite a tradition with the English 5 o'clock tea is not usually served at the table. Each person has a cup and saucer and a spoon in his hand. They drink strong tea with sugar and cream or milk. Such tea is known as English tea. Tea with lemon is called 'Russian tea' in England.
The evening meal has different names: tea, high tea, dinner or supper. It's usually a meat course followed by tinned fruit or cake and tea. At the evening English people like to go to the local pubs for a drink of beer and a pleasant talk. They really enjoy their style of life.
Answer the following questions:
1.Why is it important to keep up different traditions? 2. Have old traditions survived in Great Britain? 3. What traditions do you know in Britain? Name them. 4. Have you got any traditions in your family? Name them.
