国家概况chapter5

A national festival on November 5 ? Historical event celebrated: In November 1605, the gunpowder plot took place in which some Catholics plotted to blow up the English Parliament and...

Education, Media and Holiday

• Education
  • Educational Policy
    • Compulsory education for all children between the ages of 5 and 16 (17 from 2013)
      • Comprehensive schools introduced in the 1960s. The purpose of the comprehensive school is to democratize education and provide equal opportunity for all children.
      • Grammar schools offers an academic course in preparation for university entrance and for the professions.
      • Vocational schools It may be obtained either formally in trade schools, technical secondary schools, or in on-the-job training programs or, more informally, by picking up the necessary skills on the job.
    • National Curriculum was introduced in 1988.
    • Subjects include mathematics, English, science, geography, history, technology, music, arts, physical education and a foreign language.
    • Education in Britain is divided into four stages:
      • primary
      • secondary
      • further education
      • higher education
  • Educational System
    • Primary and Secondary Education
      • Two parallel school system
        • State system—local authority maintained 93%
        • Independent system—Public schools 7%
      • National curriculum
        • Compulsory in state school
        • Optional in independent school
      • state system—11-year compulsory education
      • The General Certificate of Secondary Education(GCSE)
      • State System
        • “sixth form” (2 years)
          • A-levels (General Certificate of Education—Advanced)—for universities admittances
          • GNVQs (General National Vocational Qualifications) —for vocational training
      • Independent System
        • over 2500 independent schools across Britain
    • Higher Education
      • Recruitment base on
        • A-levels
        • School references
        • Interview
      • All British universities are partially funded by central government grants
        • Except Buckingham University and BPP University College
    • Famous Universities
      • Oxford University and Cambridge University are sometimes referred to collectively as Oxbridge.
      • Bodleian Library of Oxford University
• Media
  • Newspapers
    • Long established industry
      • The Observer (first appeared in 1791)
      • The Times (first published in 1785)
    • Two categories
      • The “quality press” or “broadsheets” featuring mostly serious articles
      • The “tabloids”
  • Television and Broadcast
    • The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) 1936
    • Independent Television (ITV) 1955
    • SkyTV 1989
    • British Satellite Broadcasting
• Holidays and Festivals
  • Christmas
    • Celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ
    • Exchanging gifts and Christmas cards
    • Preparing holiday foods
    • Decorating homes and workplaces with colored lights, Christmas trees and ornaments
  • Christmas Pantomime
    • A form of musical comedy stage production
    • Always based on traditional children's stories
  • Boxing Day
    • the day following Christmas Day
    • Servants and tradesmen would receive gifts from their superiors or employers, known as a "Christmas box".
  • Easter
    • The oldest and most important Christian festival
    • Commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his Crucifixion
    • Falls on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25
    • Easter eggs, Easter bunny
  • Trooping the Color
    • The second Saturday in June (the Queen’s birthday is officially celebrated)
    • The ceremony of the Queen inspecting her troops
    • A ceremony performed by regiments of the British and British Commonwealth armies.
    • On battlefields, a regiment's colors, or flags, were used as rallying points.
    • Since 1748, it has also marked the official birthday of the British sovereignty
  • Bonfire Night
    • A national festival on November 5
    • Historical event celebrated: In November 1605, the gunpowder plot took place in which some Catholics plotted to blow up the English Parliament and King James I.
  • Mother’s Day
    • first celebrated in 1908
    • sending of cards and the giving of gifts
    • In protest against its commercialization, Jarvis spent the last years of her life trying to abolish the holiday
  • April Fools’ Day
    • Received its name from the custom of playing practical jokes on this day
    • The modern custom may have originated in France when the Gregorian calendar, which moved New Year's Day from March 25 to January 1
    • In the UK, an April fool joke is revealed by shouting "April fool!" at the victim.