- •К.В.Голубина
- •Introduction the cultural impact of a foreign text
- •Unit 1. Think global, speak local (Tape)
- •Unit 2. Basic brit-think and ameri-think
- •The most important things to know
- •1. I’m gonna live for ever
- •2. New is good
- •3. Never forget you’ve got a choice
- •4. Smart money
- •5. The consensus society
- •‘Them ‘n Us’
- •(Brian Walden The London Standard)
- •6. ‘Me-think’ vs. ‘We-think’
- •7. Good Guys and Bad Guys
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit 3. Brits and yanks abroad
- •Amer-Executive
- •Ameri-wife
- •Brits on us hols ... A word of warning
- •A Brit goes Stateside
- •Mrs Brit
- •Brit groovettee
- •Us / uk guide to naffness-avoidance: What not to do in each other’s countries
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Shopping (uk)
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit 4. Strictly business
- •Succeeding in business
- •Intimidation and desks
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit 5. Brits and yanks at home Home as backdrop
- •Home as bolt-hole (‘Don’t tell anyone I live here’)
- •1. For the affluent, aspirational, or upwardly mobile:
- •2. For everyone else:
- •Some like it hot
- •Brits on heat
- •Ordeal by water
- •Beddy-bye
- •American dreams
- •Closet needs
- •Comprhension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit 6. Going places (Film)
- •Unit 7. What do they aspire to? ‘Having It All’
- •Brit soap
- •Strike it rich
- •Success story Double standards
- •Nothing succeeds like success
- •Failure: Anglo-American excuses Making dramas out of crises
- •Delegating blame: ‘It’sa notta myfault!’
- •Bouncing back Recovery from adversity
- •Set-backs
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •The Neasden connection ... Place-names
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Writing
- •Unit 9. Patriotism (Multi-media support available)
- •Eco-chauvinism
- •Buy British:
- •Dollar allegiance … big bucks
- •Pound of flesh
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit 10. The establishment
- •The Brit-Establishment includes anyone who:
- •It does not include such instruments of the Establishment as:
- •Amer-Establishment
- •America’s Haute-Establishment – Anyone who:
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit 11. Yes, prime minister. The smoke screen (Film)
- •Unit 12. A better class of foreigner ‘Foreigner’
- •The foreign menace
- •British league-table of foreigners (reading from most to least reliable)
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit 13. Class The thorny question of Class Gotta Lotta Class
- •If you are a Brit, you will vote Labour if:
- •If you are a Brit, you will vote Conservative if:
- •If you are a Brit, you will vote Liberal, sdp, or sdp-Lib. Alliance if:
- •Class Act
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit 14. Only fools and horses (Film)
- •Unit 15. The food connection
- •Eating in Britain: Things that confuse American tourists
- •The importance of sharing
- •Brit guide to Ameri-portions
- •British/american food
- •Unit 17. The importance of being cute
- •Other cosy things Brits do
- •1. Extol the amateur
- •2. Obstruct mPs
- •3. Fill their national newspapers with ‘Around America’ columns
- •4. Cultivate their gardens
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit 18. Goods and services Consumer durables and vice versa
- •Conspicuous Ameri-consumption:
- •Attacking the problem
- •Example:
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit19. Doctor doctor Medicine
- •Moi first, doc
- •Doctors
- •Perfect Brit patients
- •The perfect Ameri-patient
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit 20. Laws of the lands
- •Comprehension and language
- •Unit 21. Rumpole and the age of miracles (Film)
- •Unit 22. Judging a nation by its television Meet the Press: The media we deserve
- •Ameri-vision: You are what you watch
- •Brit-tv: They’re watching me
- •You are what you read
- •1. Brit tabloids are more explicit.
- •2. Brit papers declare political affiliations.
- •3. Yanks don’t have national newspapers.
- •Snigger Press
- •The international co-production deal: Brit-mogul meets Yank-mogul
- •The 8 commandments of international co-production
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Writing
- •Unit 23. Good sport
- •Fair play
- •American football is:
- •Brit-footie is:
- •Comprehension
- •Language practice
- •Speaking
- •Unit 24. Oxford blues (Film)
- •Unit 25. Humour travels? Transatlantic laughs:
- •To be funny in America, you have to be:
- •To be funny in Britain, you have to:
- •Comprehension
- •Unit 28. One foot in the grave (Film)
- •Unit 29. East-enders (Film)
- •Unit 30. The final solution: or, whatreally counts
- •1. The Royal Family
- •2. The Pub
- •Double raspberry ripple to go
- •Appendix I The Special Relationship
- •Yanks (on brits)
- •Brits (on yanks)
- •Appendix II Glossary of us-uk equivalents
- •Glossary (and translation) of Anglo-American weather terms american
- •British
- •Appendix III The ones that don’t translate
- •Appendix IV The very, very best things in America
- •The best of British
- •Contents:
Brit groovettee
The younger woman has her act together, sartorially at least. She has brought playsuits in pastel crushed cottons, and sexy off-the-shouder T-shirts for the discos, (except that, at American resorts she can’t find many, so repairs often to the local hamburger-and-singles-bar). Her accent is a Godsend, and for the first time in her life she’s told ‘it’s gorgeous’ – even if she comes from Liverpool or Birmingham. She finds that a grooverette’s reputation for sensual rapacity precedes her (somehow borne out by her pink-tipped, wet-gelled hair, and selection of earings).
In truth, she’s something of an innocent abroad, never having been far out of mum’s earshot. But she enjoys her notoriety, and laughs a lot, and likes being teased even when she doesn’t understand the jokes. People always say she’s ‘so cute’ when she says ‘chips’ instead of french fries. She doesn’t mind the food, because she rarely eats it, sticking mainly to a liquid diet. Cocktails. It’s the best summer holiday she’s ever had. She just can’t get over the thrilling idea that when you date waiters in America, you date Americans.
Us / uk guide to naffness-avoidance: What not to do in each other’s countries
AMERI-NAFF When in the UK, don’t:
buy china and Waterford crystal, then speak obsessively of the shipping charges for sending it home;
buy cashmere. Especially boring classics that are only $5 more in Gimbels;
buy tartans, or wear tartan berets in the streets because it makes you ‘feel British’. Don’t go into shops and insist on looking for your family tartan, especially if your name is Yablonsky;
talk about genealogy ... yours or other people’s. No one cares. You and everyone else you will meet are probably 7 billionth in line for the British throne;
talk about how ‘civilized’ London is. It isn’t;
forget to stand on the right of escalators in tubes. It irritates natives;
be sycophantically complimentary about members of the Royal Family. It’s creepy;
assume that people you meet would secretly like to trade places with you. They wouldn’t. They like being British.
BRIT-NAFF When in the US, don’t:
eat hamburgers or sandwiches with a knife and fork. Even if they are huge and sloppy;
wear ankle-socks with sandals;
insist that you only eat ice-cream in hot weather. Ice-cream is America’s national dish. Temperature has nothing to do with it;
complain about the ubiquitous air-conditioning (Take your cardy to restaurants and cars). Do not try to open windows in skyscrapers for fresh air. American windows do not open. Yanks prefer a ‘controlled environment’;
remove the ice from drinks, or ask the waitress to leave it out so that you get more Coca Cola in the glass for you money;
be insulting about American television. You are already watching most of it home;
wonder aloud how all the sunny says will affect plants (they have sprinkler systems) or how people get by without better public transport (they have cars);
call dessert ‘pudding’ … ‘what’s for pudding?’. They won’t understand, and they will think you are one.
Comprehension
Exercise 1. Make up 7–10 multiple choice questions to make sure that your classmates have got the text right.