Britain has a number of parties, but there are only two major parties. These two parties are the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. Since 1945, either the Conservative Party or the Labour Party has held power. The party which wins sufficient seats at a General Election to command a majority of Government. The leader of the majority party is appointed Prime Minister. The party which wins the second largest number of seats becomes the Official Opposition, with its own leader and “shadow cabinet”. The rule of Opposition is to help the formulation of policy，Criticizes the Government and debate with the Government. IV. The Cabinet and Ministry
1. The Prime Minister presides over the Cabinet, is responsible for the allocation of functions among ministers and informs the Queen at regular meetings of general business of the Government. Cabinet members hold meetings under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister for a few hours each week to decide Government policy on major issues. 2. Ministers are responsible collectively to Parliament for all Cabinet decisions; individual Ministers are responsible to Parliament for the work of their department. V．The Privy Council
1. The Privy Council was formerly the chief source of executive power in the state and give private advice to the King. So the Privy Council was also called the King’s Council in history. Today its role is largely formal, advising the sovereign to approve certain government decrees. 2. Its membership is about 400, and includes all Cabinet ministers, the speaker of the House of Common and senior British and Commonwealth statement.
三、教学方法与手段
课堂讲解，分组讨论，调查研究。
Chapter 4 Education 一、教学目标与要求 1. 掌握英国教育体系构成。 2. 熟悉教育体系各阶段的具体内容。
二、基本概念和知识点
I. The purpose of the British education system
To provide children with literacy and the other basic skills they will need to become activemembers of society and also to socialize children, teaching those rules and values needed to become good citizens, to participate in the community, and to contribute to the economi prosperity of an advanced industrial economy. II. The present education system --- pre-primary schooling (up to age 5)
nursery schools (托儿所); day care(托儿所的日托); play groups --- primary schooling (5-11, 6 years)
mainly state sector, co-educational / mixed primary schools --- secondary schooling (11-- around19, 7 years)
comprehensive schools (①90%; ②admit children without reference to their academic abilities and provide a general education, teaching students everything from academic subjects like literature to more practical subjects like cooking) ;
grammar schools ( ①select children at the age 11 through an
examination called “the 11-plus”, in which those who get the highest marks go to grammar schools; ②lay emphasis on advanced academic subjects rather than the more general curriculum of the comprehensives and expect many of their pupils to go on to universities; ③the grammar school/non-grammar school division is still common in Northern Ireland, but throughout the rest of Great Britain grammar schools are becoming increasingly rare).
After 5 years of secondary schooling, at about age 16, except Scottish students, the students sit their GCSE exams (General Certificate of Secondary Education)中学毕业证书考试 then they can 1）quit school; 2）or prepare to sit university entrance exams; 3）or concentrate on vocational training. --- higher education
Only one privately funded university: the University of Buckingham; Oldest universities: Oxford (12th C.); Cambridge (13th C.); St Andrews (圣安德鲁斯), Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen (阿伯丁) from 14th and 15th centuries.
三、教学方法与手段
课堂讲解，分组讨论，调查研究。
Chapter 5 Social Affairs 一、教学目标与要求
1．了解英国部分节假日的由来及体育项目。 2．熟悉英国主要文学作家和作品。
二、基本概念和知识点 I. Festivals and Public Holidays 1. Religious Holidays
Christmas: the biggest and the most popular British holiday celebrated on December 25th each year to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. People usually decorate homes with evergreen plants, Christmas trees and ornaments. They also exchange gifts and Christmas cards. Three typical British traditions on Christmas are: the Christmas Pantomime(圣诞童话剧), the Queen’s speech over the television and radio, and the Boxing Day（节礼日）.
The Christmas Pantomime: a typical British Christmas tradition. It is a comical musical play usually based on a popular traditional children’s story. There are two main characters in the play: “the principal boy”, played by a young woman, and “the Dame”（滑稽老太婆角色）, played by a man. It is a play with songs and jokes which can be enjoyed by both adults and children.
The Boxing Day: a typical British tradition celebrated on the day after Christmas. People used to give Christmas gifts or money to their staff or servants on this day. And now they mostly do shopping, pay visits, enjoy eating or just relax.
Easter (复活节)(the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or next after March 21). This festival occurs in the spring, which commemorates the crucifixion(钉死在十字架上)and resurrection (复活) of Jesus Christ. It is the most important Christian festival for many church-goers. The Easter egg, originally a Christian symbol of new life, is the main symbol of Easter for most people. Rabbits and chicks are also animals traditionally associated with Easter and widely appear in
chocolate form around this time. 2. National Holiday
The Queen’s birthday (one of Britain’s most impressive and colorful festivals) celebrated officially on the 2nd Saturday in June. 3. Holiday in England
Bonfire Night /Guy Fawkes Night (篝火之夜/福克斯之夜): a truly English holiday celebrated on November 5. It originates from the 1605 Gunpowder Plot (火药阴谋事件)—a plan to blow up the British Parliament, kill the Protestant King and replace him with a Catholic king. People celebrate it by having public bonfires and fireworks. 4. Holidays in Northern Ireland
The Orange March(奥伦治游行): Protestant celebration of their victory (William of Orange) over the exile Catholic king James II at the Battle of the Boyne (博因战役)(12 July) in 1690. This victory symbolizes the Protestant “right” to be in Ireland and the defeat of Catholicism as the national religion.
St Patrick’s Day(圣.帕特里克节): it is on March 17 each year, when northern Irish Catholics celebrate the birthday of the patron saint of Ireland, St Patrick who was a Catholic bishop who lived in 5th C. and is thought to have brought Christianity to Ireland; drove snakes out of Ireland, and used shamrock (三叶草，爱尔兰的国花) to explain the Christian Trinity— the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (圣父、圣子、圣灵合成一神). So, the shamrock is a popular symbol to wear on St Patrick’s Day, and it is also considered very lucky to wear something green. 5. Holidays in Scotland
Hogmanay (苏格兰的除夕,12月31日), in which one widely