The UK- Way of life
The UK consists only of islands. These islands are else quite close to the continenal Europe, but distance between the UK and the the continent has been always enough long for birth of many diferrences between British and European culture. Important fact is, that the UK used to be the largest empire in the world and British people are still very proud due to this. In history, British Isles often stood alone againts their enemies and were often isolated. This has also influenced British culture and way of life.
Now I'd like to say something about some typical British features. The British are very polite and have good manners. I think this is well- known fact. It's connected with their conservatism. Conservatism is ( I think) typical feature for most of the British. When I think about the British, I imagine a ( 23523j912x conservative) lady or gentleman who drink tea and talk about weather. But this vision of British people may be not right. We should learn many things from British customs. F. e. they are never tired of saying "thank you", "I'm sorry", "Excuse me" and so on. They like spending their leisure time at home with their familly and pets in their houses, because "My home, my castle". They have also good table manners. They enjoy their breakfasts and most of all the tea at 5 o'clock.
Typical feature of each country is its people's work. In the UK it's quite similar to our country. Uhe British usually work on 5 days a week- that's about 4O hours. Number of hours differs for manual and non- manual workers (It's higer for manual). Factory workers usually start at 8 a.m. and officies, shops and schools !, at 9 a.m. Wage is mainly paid every week, salary once a month. Manual workers have 3 week holidays and higher educated people have usually more ( about one month). As well as in the Czech republic there are days, which called "public holidays". That's f.e. New Years's Day, Easter Monday, Christmas day and Boxing day.
One feature is very similar for British as well as for American people- an average Englishmen likes to live in his own house. About 64 percent of houses in Britain is owned by people who lived in them ( the rest is owned by public authorities and is rented). British houses are made of red bricks or concrete, stone or wood.
The houses have usually 4 to 6 rooms, two floors and small front and back gardens ( with lawn, which is greener than anywhere else). Houses are semi-detached (joined to another house only on one side) or detached (joined on both sides). On the ground floor there usually are a hall, a kitchen and a living room, on the 1st floor we usually find parents' and children's bedrooms and bathroom.
I've heard in TV an interesting sentence- its meaning was that a state as good as it looks after his sick, injured and poor people. So it's about social welfare. In the UK it's provided by the National Health Service (NHS), which gives free treatment for everyone living in Britain. This is very important fact. F. e. in the USA, you must have insurance, when you ask for treatment. People in Britain usually choose their family doctors. In case of emergency you can call an ambulance by dialling 999 (from any telephone). Small number of hospitals and health centre is run by religious or charitable organisations. Some hospitals, dentists and family doctors are private. This is supported by the Government.
Social Welfare includes also various benefits f.e. for retired people, for sick or disabled peoples, for menthally handicapped.
The UK has always been the place where many inventions have been developed. Invention doesn't have to be a machine, it can be thing which is nowadays absolutely usual for us, f. e. some sports, newspapers or TV:
In the UK there are about 130 daily newspapers, thousands and thousands of weekly papers and periodical publication. The oldest newspapers is The Times founded in 1785. The Times is very well- known all around the world, and nowadays The Times is published in many countries- f. e. The New York Times. Other famous british newspapers are The Daily Telegraph, The Observer or Daily Mail.
The British TV service was the first in the world ( it started to broadcast in 1936). The British Broadcasting Corporation ( BBC) operates 2 national TV channels and number of radio stations. During WWII BBC's radio broadcasting was source of information for soldiers on the battle field, for querillas in occupied Europe as well as for ordinary people in the UK. Many signals were hidden in its programme, signals for agents, querillas...
The British have also invented the rules of many sports and games, which are nowadays spread all around the world. Let's mention at least: football, rugby, hockey, cricket, golf, boxing, lawn tennis ... . Many British sport events are nowadays events of whole the world. F. e. Wimbledon, or Steeplechase in Aintree near Liverpool.
Now I´d like to say something about special British habbies, which you can not find almost anywhere in the world.
Well - known is British dish. It´s known that it is sometimes very unusual. Every body has already heard about English puddings, which have nothing common with our sweet and good puddings.
Also style of clothing (especially of woman) sometimes considered to be terrible. Even Elisabeth II. (recent Queen of the UK) is sometimes called "the worst dressed" woman in British history.
I must also mention some symbols of the UK, which imagines average man such I am. These symbols are fogs, rain, the Tower and Tower Bridge, double - decker buses, red phone boxes, Buckingham Place, black taxi cars, Scottish pipes and kills made of tartan, Scottish and Irish whiskey. And for me as for lover of military history of WWII. symbols of British residence against Germans such as their fighters Huricanne and Spitfire or bottle cruiser Hood or ... .
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