介绍:
Welcome to Cultural Bridge’s special program “TRAVEL”. This is …(Name). Previously on Travel, we introduced many amazing places in China last semester.
[FREE TALK1]Which one is your favorite? Which one left a deep impression to you?
So today we are glad to continue this meaningful task. Fasten your seat belt and let’s fly to Britain, an extraordinary country attracting thousands of tourists including me.
[FREE TALK2]Have you ever been to Britain? What’s your first impression towards it?
(host)Let’s start with its general situation.
(张源)The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign state in Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, it includes the island of Great Britain ,the name of which is also loosely applied to the whole country, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland. With an area of 242,500 square kilometres, the UK is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants.
(host)As an old-line developed capitalist country, it had many colonies during the World War 1. There is an interesting phenomenon happening in Britain. Although the Euro can be used in Scotland, Scotland has been published its own money as its currency in circulation, which is not be circulated in England. Here is the reason.
(耀华)The UK consists of four countries, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The latter three have devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in their capitals, Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast, respectively. The relationships among the countries of the United Kingdom have changed over time. A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain, which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The UK has fourteen Overseas Territories. These are the remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1920s, encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land mass and was the largest empire in history. British influence can be observed in the language, culture, and legal systems of many of its former colonies.
(host)When we mentioned “Britain”, there’s an elegant lady who is mysterious enough to arouse everyone’s interest. Now, it’s time to uncover her face to surprise you. Here comes the introduction.
(佳琪) Elizabeth was born in London as the elder daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. She was educated privately at home. Her father acceded to the throne on the abdication of his brother Edward VIII in 1936, from which time she was the heir presumptive. She began to undertake public duties during the Second World War, serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. In 1947, she married the Duke of Edinburgh, a former prince of Greece and Denmark, with whom she has four children．Since Elizabeth rarely gives interviews, little is known of her personal feelings. As a constitutional monarch, she has not expressed her own political opinions in a public forum. She does have a deep sense of religious and civic duty, and takes her coronation oath seriously. Aside from her official religious role as Supreme Governor of the established Church of England, she is personally a member of that church and the national Church of Scotland.
(host)If you have the chance to set foot on the land of Britain, Westminster Abbey must be your first place to pay a visit to, not only because it held the wedding of Prince William and Princess Kate, but also because it is the dream destination of many famous writers and royal members. In addition, Big Ben also can not be missed , for it records a long history story.
(馨媛)Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, is a large, mainly Gothic abbey church in the City of Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United Kingdom's most notable religious buildings and the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English and, later, British monarchs. Between 1540 and 1556 the abbey had the status of a cathedral. Since 1560, however, the building is no longer an abbey nor a cathedral, having instead the status of a Church of England "Royal Peculiar"—a church responsible directly to the sovereign. The building itself is the original abbey church.
(王蓝) The Elizabeth Tower , more popularly known as Big Ben, was raised as a part of Charles Barry's design for a new palace, after the old Palace of Westminster was largely destroyed by fire on the night of 16 October 1834. The new parliament was built in a neo-gothic style. Although Barry was the chief architect of the palace, he turned to Augustus Pugin for the design of the clock tower, which resembles earlier Pugin designs, including one for Scarisbrick Hall. The design for the tower was Pugin's last design before his final descent into madness and death, and Pugin himself wrote, at the time of Barry's last visit to him to collect the drawings: "I never worked so hard in my life for Mr Barry for tomorrow I render all the designs for finishing his bell tower & it is beautiful." The tower is designed in Pugin's celebrated Gothic Revival style, and is 315 feet high.
(host)At last, I believe that fish and chips has become the most classic symbol of Britain in many people’s mind. How does it really taste? For me, not so good, actually, the fish inside is insipidness, although I love the chips which is quite different with the French fries in China. Here comes its introduction.
(李敏)Fish and chips is a hot dish of English origin consisting of fried battered fish and hot chips. It is a common take-away food and an early example of culinary fusion.The modern fish-and-chip shop originated in the United Kingdom, although outlets selling fried food occurred commonly throughout Europe. Early fish-and-chip shops had only very basic facilities. Usually these consisted principally of a large cauldron of cooking fat, heated by a coal fire. The fish-and-chip shop later evolved into a fairly standard format, with the food served, in paper wrappings, to queuing customers, over a counter behind which the fryers were located. During World War II fish and chips remained one of the few foods in the United Kingdom not subject to rationing. British fish and chips were originally served in a wrapping of old newspapers but this practice has now largely ceased, with plain paper, cardboard or plastic being used instead.
(host)You must be attracted by Britain, right? If you want to know more, Secret Britain is a BBC documentary series presented by Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury which first aired on BBC One Sunday 15 August 2010 at 9:00pm. The series explores some of the United Kingdom's hidden corners such as deserted beaches and tumbling waterfalls, showcasing the very best of what the British countryside has to offer. Windermere is worth your visit. It’s a place I want to stay in forever with everyone I love.
Travel is an excellent means of broadening a person’s perspective. It makes you come into contact with different cultures, meet people of different colors and go through peculiar rites and ceremonies. Enjoy life, enjoy travel. This is the end of today’s program. See you next time.
