The British, their Customs and Traditions
| It’s a well-known fact that the English, the Welsh, the Scottish and the Irish live in the United Kingdom. But these four nations have their own character and way of life. They say that the Irish are great talkers and very religious, the Scots are serious, cautious and thrifty people, and the Welsh are great singers and dancers. The English are often thought to be cold, aristocratic, suspicious of changes and slow to accept new ideas. But the British also have some common values and beliefs. They are conservative, they love animals and nature, they value privacy and they are always talking about the weather. One of the most widespread values among British people is their love for animals. There is a pet in every second house in the country. There are special hospitals which treat injured wild animals. Cruelty to animals is a criminal | 
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| offence. Moreover there are thousands of graveyards for animals of any kind in Britain. The British value their right to privacy both in their own house and in everyday life. It is rude to ask other people about their salary and their family or sex life unless you know them very well. That is why the British often talk about the weather as it is a very convenient topic to “fill the gap” in any conversation. | |||
| Everybody knows that Britain is a “land of tradition” and British people carefully follow their old customs and traditions. The best examples are their queen, money system, their weights and measures. The British didn’t change their system of currency and they use non-metric system of measurement (for example, mile (=1.609 km), yard (=91.44 cm), foot (=30.48 cm) and inch (=2.54 cm); pint (=568 ml), pound (=453.59237 gram). | ||
| They also drive on the left-hand side of the road. Some ceremonies are traditional, such as the ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London (this ceremony is 700 years old and it takes place every night), the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, Trooping the Colour(this spectacular ceremony takes place on the Queen’s ‘official’ birthday on the second Saturday in June) or the annual ceremony of the State Opening of Parliament (is one of the most fascinating ceremonies that takes place every year in November). More than that, there are many traditions that have become part of British everyday life. British mail boxes, telephone boxes and double- | 
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| decked buses are traditionally red. On Sundays letters are not delivered, all theatres are closed and only a few Sunday papers are published. There are also some traditions concerning food. English cooking is heavy and substantial. The traditional English breakfast consists of porridge or cornflakes with milk or cream, bacon and eggs, jam or marmalade with buttered toast, tea or coffee. But nowadays more and more people prefer a continental breakfast consisting of rolls and butter and a cup of coffee to start a day. Tea drinking is a special page in English life. The British are the | ||
| world’s greatest tea drinkers. They drink a quarter of all the tea grown in the world each year. They say “If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are hot, it will cool you. If you are depressed, it will cheer you up. If you are excited, it will calm you”. Today the British are becoming more adventurous in their cooking and eating habits thanks to numerous immigrants from all over the world. Chinese, Indian and Pakistani restaurants are very popular in the country. Great Britain is full of customs and traditions which enrich the lives of the British and make them feel proud of their country, its history and culture. | |||
Vocabulary
to be well-known –
way of life –
to be cautious –
to be thrifty –
to be suspicious of changes –
to accept new ideas –
common values –
belief –
tovalue privacy –
to be widespread –
totreat –
to be injured –
cruelty–
criminal offence –
graveyard –
theright to privacy –
to be rude –
to be convenient –
tofill the gap –
to follow customs and traditions –
weight –
measure –
the system of currency –
non-metric system of measurement –
to take place –
to be spectacular –
the annual ceremony –
to be fascinating –
mail box –
double- decked bus –
to be delivered –
to be published –
toconcern –
to be substantial –
cream –
to be depressed –
to cheer somebody up –
to be excited –
to be adventurous –
toenrich –
| LONDON ‘When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.’ Dr Samuel Johnson |
43 ADWhen the Romans arrived in Britain, London was already a small town. Under the Romans 'Londinium' became the capital of the Roman province of Britannia. 886King Alfred the Great united England. He captured London from the Danes and made it capital of his kingdom. 1666The Fire of London destroyed much of the city. The reconstruction was organised by the architect Christopher Wren who designed St Paul's Cathedral. 1850By the middle of thenineteenth century, London was the largest city in the world and the most important port. In this period it was famous for its terrible pollution. 1939–45In World War II, London was seriously damaged by German bombing. 1980In the last twenty years, the old port area has been rebuilt. There are big, new skyscrapers and the Millennium Dome, the largest dome in the world, which was finished in 1999. In 2000 it held the millennium exhibition. | Over two hundred years later, Dr Johnson is still right! There are so many places to visit in London! Here are a few. | |||
| Royal London You can visit BuckinghamPalace, the Queen's London home and see the Changing of the Guard at 11 a.m. every day. In the Tower of London, you can see the Crown Jewels and visit the place where many | 
London Eye
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| famous prisoners lived and died. After the Tower, take a boat trip down the river to St Paul's Cathedral, and then take a ride on the London Eye. There are fantasticviews from the top. | ||||
| Rainy Days London is one of the best places to be on a rainy day (which is quite often!), because of all its museums and galleries. Visit Madame Tussauds and see models of the world's most famous people including all your favourite actors and singers. Don't miss Egyptian mummies at the | |||
| BritishMuseum or the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum. If you like machines, you must go to the ScienceMuseum. Art-lovers can visit the National Gallery, Tate Modern or the National Portrait Gallery. Shopping London attracts shoppers from all over the world for the latest fashions. The main shopping area is in the West End, around Oxford Street. There are also famous street markets where you can buy anything you want! | ||||
| Going Out There is always a wide choice of plays to see at London's many theatres in the West End around Covent Garden. There are many clubs with modern music like house or jungle or more traditional music like salsa and samba. Music lovers can also find many places for top quality classical, jazz and pop music. | 
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