1.关于英国或英语的文化常识
英国维多利亚时代公元1840年，英国贝德芙公爵夫人安娜女士，每到下午时刻就意兴阑珊、百无无聊，心想此时距离穿著正式、礼节繁复的晚餐Party还有段时间，又感觉肚子有点饿了，就请女仆准备几片烤面包、奶油以及茶。
后来安娜女士邀请几位知心好友伴随着茶与精致的点心，同享轻松惬意的午后时光，没想到一时之间，在当时贵族社交圈内蔚为风尚，名媛仕女趋之若鹜；一直到今天，已俨然形成一种优雅自在的下午茶文化，也成为正统的“英国红茶文化”，这也是所谓的《维多利亚下午茶》的由来。
最初只是在家中用高级、优雅的茶具来享用茶，后来渐渐的演变成招待友人欢聚的社交茶会，进而衍生出各种礼节，但现在形式已简化不少。虽然下午茶现在已经简单化，但是茶正确的冲泡方式、喝茶的摆设要优雅、丰盛的茶点，这三点则被视为吃茶的传统而继续流传下来。
营造全然的维多利亚式气氛
在英国的维多利亚式下午茶传统里，以家中最好的房间（如Solon）、及最好的瓷器接待来宾是绝对必要的，而上等的茶品与精致的点心则是下午茶的主角； 悠扬的古典音乐来陪衬，加上轻松自在的心情与知心好友共度一个优雅、悠哉的午后。
正统英式维多利亚下午茶的生活文化内涵
英国在维多利亚女皇时代（公元1837~1901）是大英帝国最强盛的时代，文化艺术蓬勃发展；人们醉心于追求艺术文化的内涵及精致生活品味。
维多莉亚下午茶是一门综合的艺术，简朴却不寒酸，华丽却不庸俗…虽然喝茶的时间与吃的东西（指纯英式点心）是正统英式下午茶最重要的一环，但是少了好的茶品、磁器、音乐、甚至好心情，则喝下午茶就显得美中不足了。
随着时代的进步及茶类的种类繁多，不但下午茶的花样多，选择也多，如果利用一个午后，和亲密的朋友来段午后之约，何尝不是件赏心悦目的事。
2.英美文化常识
一。（一）美国货币
美国货币由美元dollar和美分cent组成，one dollar等于100 cents。其纸币bill有一、二、五、十、二十、五十和一百美元等面值；硬币（coin）有一美分（或a penny）、五美分（或a nickel）、十美分（或a dime）和二十五美分（或a quarter）等。在数字前加$表示美元，如：$500表示五百美元；在数字后加C表示美分，如：50C表示50美分；表示由美元和美分组成的钱数时，常用$表示，如：$6.50。
（二）英国货币
英国货币由英镑（pound）和便士（pence）组成，也分为纸币notes和硬币coins。纸币有面值五镑、十镑、二十镑和五十镑；而硬币，即金属货币有一便士、二便士、五便士、十便士、二十便士、五十便士和一镑等。若指一定数额的硬币，通常用piece，如2P(pieces)；随身带的硬币可用change表示。100 pence等于1 pound。在数字前加￡表示多少英镑，如：￡800为800英镑；在数字后加P表示多少便士，如：5P表示五便士（penny的复数）；表示由英镑和便士组成的钱数时通常不说出pence，如3镑50便士可说成￡3.50或three pounds and fifty。
3.关于英国或英语的文化常识
英语姓名的一般结构为：教名+自取名+姓。如 William Jafferson Clinton。
但在很多场合中间名往往略去不写，如 George Bush，而且许多人更喜欢用昵称
取代正式教名，如 Bill Clinton。上述教名和中间名又称个人名。现将英语民族
的个人名、昵称和姓氏介绍如下：
I. 个人名
按照英语民族的习俗，一般在婴儿接受洗礼的时候，由牧师或父母亲朋为其
取名，称为教名。以后本人可以在取用第二个名字，排在教名之后。
英语个人名的来源大致有以下几种情况：
1. 采用圣经、希腊罗马神话、古代名人或文学名著中的人名作为教名。
2. 采用祖先的籍贯，山川河流，鸟兽鱼虫，花卉树木等的名称作为教名。
3. 教名的不同异体。
4. 采用（小名）昵称。
5. 用构词技术制造新的教名，如倒序，合并。
6. 将母亲的娘家姓氏作为中间名。
英语民族常用的男子名有：James, John, David, Daniel, Michael， 常见的
女子名为：Jane, Mary, Elizabeth, Ann, Sarah, Catherine.
II. 昵称
昵称包括爱称、略称和小名，是英语民族亲朋好友间常来表示亲切的称呼，
是在教名的基础上派生出来的。通常有如下情况：
1. 保留首音节。如 Donald =>Don, Timothy =>Tim. 如果本名以元音开头，
则可派生出以'N'打头的昵称，如：Edward =>Ned.
2. +ie 或 -y 如：Don =>Donnie, Tim =>Timmy.
3. 采用尾音节，如：Anthony =>Tony, Beuben =>Ben.
4. 由一个教名派生出两个昵称，如：Andrew =>Andy & Drew.
5. 不规则派生法，如：William 的一个昵称是 Bill.
III. 姓氏
英国人在很长的一段时间里只有名而没有姓。直到16世纪姓氏的使用才广泛
流行开来。英语姓氏的词源主要有：
1. 直接借用教名，如 Clinton.
2. 在教名上加上表示血统关系的词缀，如后缀-s, -son, -ing；前缀 M'-, Mc-,
Mac-, Fitz- 等均表示某某之子或后代。
3. 在教名前附加表示身份的词缀，如 St.-, De-, Du=, La-, Le-.
4. 放映地名，地貌或环境特征的，如 Brook, Hill等。
5. 放映身份或职业的，如：Carter, Smith.
6. 放映个人特征的，如：Black, Longfellow.
7. 借用动植物名的，如 Bird, Rice.
8. 由双姓合并而来，如 Burne-Jones.
英语姓氏虽然出现较教名晚，但数量要多得多。常用的有：Smith, Miller,
Johnson, Brown, Jones, Williams.
IV. 几点说明
1. 较早产生的源于圣经，希腊罗马神话的教名通常不借用为姓氏。
2. 英国人习惯上将教名和中间名全部缩写，如 M. H. Thatcher；美国人则习惯
于只缩写中间名，如 Ronald W. Reagan。
3. 在姓名之前有时还要有人际称谓，如职务军衔之类。Dr., Prof., Pres. 可以
用于姓氏前或姓名前；而Sir 仅用于教名或姓名前。
4.200字左右的英美国家文化背景知识,英文
a.part 1
The uk is one nation,with a single government having sovereignty over it all,but as the full name of the nation suggests,it is made up of different clements.it includes 4 parts within the nation-state:the island of great Britain is made up of England,Scotland and wales,and northern Ireland,completes the set.
England is a highly urbanized country,with 80% of its population living in city,and only 2% of the population working in agriculture.its largest city is the capital,London,which is dominant in the uk in all fields:government,finance,and culture.england is physically the largest of the four nations,and it has by far the largest population.so oddly,of the four nations,the English feel not british,and therefore have the weakest sense of themselves as a separate “english” culture within Britain.
Scotland si the second largest of the four nations,both in population and in geographical area.scotland si the most rugged part of the uk,and three quarters of the population lives in the lowland zone which spans the country between these two highland area.the largest city is Glasgow,in the west of this zone,but their capital city is Edinburgh.
Wales in an impartant element in britain's industrial revolution,as it had rich coal deposits.the capital city of wales is Cardiff.wales is just larger than northern Ireland.wales retains a powerful sense of its own lantuage,welsh.
Northern Ireland is the smallest of the four nations.both in area and population.its capital,Belfast is a relatively small town of around 350.000 people.northern Ireland is small but significant because of the political troubles there.phusically,it is mostly rural,with low hills,a beautiful lake district in the south-west,and a rugged coastline.northern Ireland of Britain is a province on the neighbouring island of Ireland.
5.英美文化的介绍（用英语）
英美文化背景知识 Education in Britain and The US In Britain all children have to go to school between the ages of 5 and 16. In the US children must go to school from the age of 6 to between the ages of 14 and 16, depending on the state they live in. Subject In England and Wales the subjects taught in schools are laid down by the National Curriculum（课程）， which was introduced in 1988 and sets out（制定） in detail the subjects that children should study and the levels of achievement they should reach by the ages of 7, 11, 14 and 16, when they are tested. The National Curriculum does not apply in Scotland, where each school decides what subjects it will teach. In the US the subjects taught are decided by national and local governments. Whereas British schools usually have prayers（祈祷） and religious（宗教的） instruction, American schools are not allowed to include prayers or to teach particular religious beliefs（信仰）. Examinations At 16 students in England and Wales take GCSE examinations. These examinations are taken by students of all levels of ability in any of a range of subjects and may involve a final examination, an assessment（评价） of work done during the two year course, or both of these things. At 18 some students taken A-level examinations, usually in not more than 3 subjects. It is necessary to have A-levels in order to go to a university or polytechnic（综合技术大学）. In Scotland students take the SCE examinations. A year later, they can take examinations called HIGHS, after which they can either go straight to a university or spend a further year at school and take the Certificate（证书） of Sixth Year Studies. In Scotland the university system is different to that in England and Wales. Courses usually last four years rather than three and students study a larger number of subjects as part of their degree. In the US school examinations are not as important as they are in Britain. Students in High Schools do have exams at the end of their last two years, but these final exams are considered along with the work that the students have done during the school years. Social Events and Ceremonies（仪式） In American high schools there is a formal ceremony for Graduation (=completion of high school). Students wear a special cap and gown and receive a diploma（文凭） from the head of the school. Students often buy a class ring to ear, and a yearbook, containing pictures of their friends and teachers. There are also special social events at American schools. Sports events are popular, and cheer leaders lead the school in supporting the school team and singing the school song. At the end of their junior year, at age 17 or 18, students held in the evening. The girls wear long evening dresses and the boys wear TUXEDOS. In Britain, there are no formal dances or social occasions（场合） associated（和。
有关） with school life. Some schools have SPEECH DAY at the end of the school year when prizes are given to the best students and speeches are made by the head teacher and sometimes an invited guest. However, in many British schools students and teachers organize（组织） informal dances for the older students.。
6.以下英语读物有哪些适合高一的新生
《新概念》第二册以上
文化背景知识类： 英美概况；英语节假日介绍；英美国家的风土人情；风俗习惯小说类： Treasure Island 《金银岛》 Tom Sawyer 《汤姆索亚历险记》 Robinson Crusoe 《鲁宾逊漂流记》 Travels Across American 《美国之旅》 Kids Make A Difference 《别小看孩子》 Steve Jobs 《乔布斯传》 Twilight 《暮光之城》 Harry Potter 《哈利波特》 迪士尼电影读物系列报刊杂志类： 21stCentury （二十一世纪英文报） 广州英文早报； 疯狂英语
