player must get depends on the variety of game he is playing. Many pubs in

Great Britain have their own darts teams. So, if you come to Britain drop

in a pub, enjoy a pint of bitter and a "tongue sandwich, which speaks for

itself”.

It sounds funny to foreigners but when it is closing time, the pub

barman calls "Time!" or "Time, gentlemen, pleaser!”

English Habits of Politeness

Some greetings in England are very informal: a simple “good morning” or

a wave of the hand across the street is quite enough. Handshakes are only

exchanged on a first introduction or as a token of agreement or

congratulation. “Sorry” takes the place of “no” when you cannot do

something for a person or give a positive answer in situation like “May I

use your pen?”, “Do you know the time?” or “Have you any size seven

shoes?”. “Pardon” is the polite way of asking somebody to repeat what he

has said.

English people do not readily ask each other to do anything, they

prefer to wait for a service to be offered before asking for it. If they do

ask, then they say something like “I don’t really like asking you, but…”

It is considered polite to give up one’s seat a woman who is standing,

to open door for her, carry things for her, and so on.

Manners in Public

Our manners in public, like our manners in our homes, are based on self-

respect and consideration for other people.

It is really surprising how stingy we are with our “Please” when we ask

anyone to do something for us. We unwillingly part with our “Thank you”, as

if it were the most difficult and costly thing in the world. We don’t stand

aside for others to pass us in the trams, buses or the underground. We

don’t rice to let people pass us to their seats in the theatres or movies.

1.Not to make yourself conspicuous, not to attract unfavourable

attention to yourself or others, here are some of the rules for correct

behaviour in a public place.

2.Not to be conspicuous, don’t wear conspicuous clothes.

3.One should not talk loud or laugh loud.

4.No matter how trying the circumstance, do not give way to anger or

uncontrolled emotion.

5.Never eat anything in the street, or in a public place (restaurants,

buffets and cafes excluded).

6.Do not rudely push your way through crowds.

7.Never stare at people or point at them.

8.Do not ridicule or comment on anyone in public.

9.Reserve “affectionate demonstration” (kissing, embracing, etc.) for

appropriate places.

10.Don’t monopolise the sidewalk, by walking 3 or 4 abreast, or by

stopping in the centre to speak with someone.

When in the street keep to the right.

British institutes

Parliament is the most important authority in Britain. Parliament first

met in the 13th century. Britain does not have a written constitution, but

a set of laws. In 1689 Mary II and William III became the first

constitution monarchs. They could rule only with the support of the

Parliament. Technically Parliament is made up of three parts: the Monarch,

the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

The continuity of the English monarchy has been interrupted only once

during the Cromwell republic. Succession to the throne is hereditary but

only for Protestants in the direct line of descent. Formally the monarch

has a number of roles. The monarch is expected to be politically neutral,

and should not make political decisions. Nevertheless, the monarch still

performs some important executive and legislative duties including opening

and dissolving Parliament, singing bills passed by both Houses and

fulfilling international duties as head of state. The present sovereign is

Queen Elizabeth II who was crowned in Westminster Abbey in 1953.

The House of Lords comprises about 1,200 peers. The house is presided

over by the Lord Chancellor. The House of Lords has no real power but acts

as an advisory council for the House of Commons. As well as having

legislative functions, the Lords is the highest court of appeal.

The House of Commons consist of members of Parliament who are elected

by the adult suffrage of the British people in general elections which are

held at least every five years. The country is divided into 650

constituencies each of which elects one Member of Parliament. The Commons

therefore, has 650 Members of Parliament. The party which wins the most

seats forms the Government and its leader becomes the Prime Minister. The

functions of Commons are registration and security of government

activities. The house is presided over by the Speaker. The government party

sits on the Speaker’s right while on his left sit the members of the

Opposition.

Education in Britain

In England and Wales compulsory school begins at the age of five, but

before that age children can go to a nursery school, also called play

school. School in compulsory till the children are 16 years old.

In Primary School and First School children learn to read and write and

the basis of arithmetic. In the higher classes of Primary School (or in

Middle School) children learn geography, history, religion and, in some

schools, a foreign language. Than children go to Secondary School.

When students are 16 years old they may take an exam in various

subjects on order to have a qualification. These qualifications can be

either G.C.S.E. (General Certificate of Secondary education) or “O level”

(ordinary level). After that students can either leave school and start

working or continue their studies in the same school as before. If they

continue, when they are 18, they have to take further examinations which

are necessary for getting into university or college.

Some parents choose private schools for their children. They are very

expensive but considered to provide a better education and good job

opportunities.

In England there are 47 universities, including the Open University

which teaches via TV and radio, about 400 colleges and institutes of higher

education. The oldest universities in England are Oxford and Cambridge.

Generally, universities award two kinds of degrees: the Bachelor’s degree

and the Master’s degree.

Cambridge

Cambridge is situated at a distance of 70 miles from London; the

greater part of the town lies on the left bank of the river Cam crossed by

several bridges.

Cambridge is one of the loveliest towns of England. It is very green

presenting to a visitor a series of beautiful groupings of architecture,

trees, gardens, lawns and bridges. The main building material is stone

having a pinkish color which adds life and warms to the picture at all

seasons of the year.

The dominating factor in Cambridge is University, a center of education

and learning. Newton, Byron, Darwin, Rutherford and many other scientists

and writers were educated at Cambridge. In Cambridge everything centers on

the university and its Colleges, the eldest of which was founded in 1284.

They are 27 in number. The college is a group of buildings forming a square

with a green lawn in the center. An old tradition does not allow the

students to walk on the grass, this is the privilege of professors and head-

students only. There is another tradition which the students are to follow:

after sunset they are not allowed to go out without wearing a black cap and

a black cloak.

The University trains about 7.000 students. They study for 4 years, 3

teams a year. The long vacation lasts 3 months. They are trained by a

tutor; each tutor has 10-12 students reading under his guidance. There is a

close connection between the University and colleges, through they era

separate in theory and practice.

A college is a place where you live no matter what profession you are

trained for; so that students studying literature and those trained for

physics belong to one and the same college. However the fact is that you

are to be a member of a college in order to be a member of the University.

The students eat their meals in the college dining-hall. At some

colleges there is a curious custom known as “sooncing”. If a should come

late to dinner or not be correctly dressed or if he should break one of the

little unwritten laws of behaviour, then the senior student present may

order him to be “soonced”. The Butler brings in a large silver cup, known

as “sconce cup”, filled with offender, who must drink it in one attempt

without taking the cup from his lips. (It holds two and half pints). If he

succeeds then the senior student pays for it, if not, the cup is passed

round the table at the expense of the student who has been “sconced”. Now

the origin of this custom.

Until 1954, undergraduates (students studying for the first degree)

had to wear cloaks, called gowns, after dark, but now they are only obliged

to wear them for dinner and some lectures. This tradition is disappearing,

but one which is still upheld is that of punting on the Cam. It is a

favorite summer pastime for students to take food, drink, guitars (or,

alas, transistor radios) and girl friends on to a punt (a long, slim boat,

rather like a gondola) and sail down the rive, trying very hard to forget

about exams. Many students feel that they have not been christened into the

University until they have fallen into the River Cam. This has almost

become a tourist attraction.

Students also have an official excuse to “let themselves loose” once a

year (usually in November) on Rag Day*.

On this day, hundreds of different schemes are thought up to collect

money for charity, and it is not unusual to see students in the streets

playing guitars, pianos, violins, singing, dancing, eating fire, fishing in

drains for money, or even just lying in beds suspended over the street

swinging a bucket for money to be thrown into.

On May 21st every year, Eton College and King’s College, Cambridge,

honour the memory of their founder, Henry VI, who died very suddenly, and

was almost certainly murdered, in the Tower of London on that day in 1471.

he is generally supposed to have been killed whilst at prayer in the

Oratory of the Wakefield Tower, and here, on the anniversary, the Ceremony

of the lilies and Roses now takes place. Representatives of both colleges

walk in procession with Beefeaters and the Chaplain of the Tower, and the

short service is conducted by the latter, during which a player composed by

Henry himself is said. A marble tablet in the in the Oratory marks the

place where the King is believed to have died, and on each side of it

flowers are laid - lilies from Eton bound with pale blue silk, and white

roses from King’s College, bound with purple ribbon. They are left there

for twenty-four hours, and then they are burnt.

Transport in Britain

You can reach England either by plane, by train, by car or by ship. The

fastest way is by plane. London has three international airports: Heathrow,

the largest, connected to the city by underground; Gatwick, south of

London, with a frequent train service; Luton, the smallest, used for

charter flights.

If you go to England by train or by car you have to cross the Channel.

There is a frequent service of steamers and ferry-boats which connect the

continent to the south-east of England.

People in Britain drive on the left and generally overtake on right.

The speed limit is 0 miles per hour (50km/h) in towns and cities and 70 mph

(110 km/h) on motorways.

When you are in London you can choose from different means of

transport: bus, train, underground or taxi. The typical bus in London is a

red double-decker. The first London bus started running between Paddington

and the City in 1829. It carried 40 passengers and cost a shilling for six

kms.

The next to arrive were the trains; now there are twelve railway

stations in London. The world’s first underground line was opened between

Baker St. and the City in 1863. Now there are ten underground lines and 273

underground is also called the Tube, because of the circular shape of its

deep tunnels.

British Literature

Great Britain gave the world a lot of talented people. Many famous

writers and poets were born in Great Britain.

One of the best known English playwrights was William Shakespeare. He

draw ideas for his tragedies and comedies from the history of England and

ancient Rome. Many experts consider Shakespeare the greatest writer and the

greatest playwright in England language. William Shakespeare wrote 37 plays

which may be divided into: comedies (such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream),

tragedies (such as Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth) and historical

plays (such as Richard II, Henry V, Julius Caesar, Anthony and Cleopatra).

Robert Burns represents the generation of Romantic writers. In his

poems he described with love and understanding the simple life he knew.

Among his well-known poems are Halloween, The Jolly Beggars, To a Mouse.

George Gordon Lord Byron. His free-spirited lie style combined with his

poetic gift makes him one of the most famous figures of the Romantic Era.

His famous works such as Stanzas to Augusta, The Prisoner of Chillon,

Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Manfred draw readers into the passion, humors

and conviction of a poet whose life and work truly embodied the Romantic

spirit.

Sir Walter Scott wrote the first examples of historical novel; Lewis

Carroll became famous when he published Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Places of Interest in Great Britain

Britain is rich in its historic places which link the present with the

past.

The oldest part of London is Lud Hill, where the city was originated.

About a mile west of it there is Westminster Palace, where the king lived

and the Parliament met, and there is also Westminster Abbey, the coronation

church.

Liverpool, the “city of ships”, is England’s second greatest port

ranking after London. The most interesting sight in the Liverpool is the

docks. They occupy a river frontage of seven miles. The University of

Liverpool, established in 1903, is noted for its school of Tropical

Medicine. And in the music world Liverpool is a well-known name, for it’s

the town of “The Beatles”.

Stratford-on-Avon lies 93 miles north-west of London. Shakespeare was

born here in1564, and here he died in 1616. Cambridge and Oxford

Universities are famous centers of learning.

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument, presumably build by Druids,

members of an order of priests in ancient Britain. Tintagel Castle is King

Arthur’s reputed birthplace. Canterbury is the seat of the Archbishop o

Canterbury, head of the Church of England.

The British Museum is the largest and riches museum in the world. It

was founded in 1753 and contains one of the world’s richest collections of

antiquities. The Egyptian Galleries contain human and animal mummies. Some

parts of Athens’ Parthenon are in the Greek section.

Madam Tussaud’s Museum is an exhibition of hundreds of life-size wax

models of famous people of yesterday and today. The collection was started

by Madam Tussaud, a French modeler in wax, in the 18 century. Here you can

meet Marilyn Monroe, Elton John, Picasso, the Royal family, the Beatles and

many others: writers, movie stars, singers, politicians, sportsmen, etc.

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