The British Media consists of the press and radio and TV broadcasting.
Now a couple of words about papers. First of all there is no subscription. You may buy any on sale. There are two main types of newspapers: the «popular» papers and the «quality» papers.
The popular papers are less in size, with many pictures, big headlines and short articles. They are easy to read. They are such papers as «Daily Express», «Daily mail», «Daily Mirror», «Daily Star», «The Sun» and others.
The «quality» papers are for more serious readership. These papers are bigger in size, with larger articles and more detailed information. The «quality» papers are — «The Times», «Daily Telegraph», «The Guardian», «Financial Times», «The Independent»...
Seven per cent of British schoolchildren go to private schools called independent schools.
There are 2.400 independent schools and they have been growing in number and popularity since the mid-1980's.
Parents pay for these schools, and fees vary from about 250 pounds a term for a private nursery to 3.000 pounds a term or more for a secondary boarding school.
Most independent schools are called prep (preparatory) schools because they prepare the children for the Common Entrance Exam which they take at the age of 11. This exam is for entry into the best schools.
The most famous schools are called «public schools» and they have...
Critics claim that the golden age of television occurred in the 1950's.
Various fads have swept the television scene — e. g. westerns, doctor and lawyer shows, cops-and-robbers series, rural comedies.
Sports coverage of baseball, golf and especially professional football is currently in vogue.
Late evening talk shows are currently popular. Recently controversies involving television have concerned children's programming, the issue of violence, and the right of TV to broadcast controversial news programs. Psychologists have argued that the presentation of violence on television might lead young people to regard violence as acceptable behaviour. TV is a major factor in British life....
Everyone knows that tea is the most popular drink in Britain. It's even more popular than coffee, which is favoured throughout Europe and America.
The Dutch brought the first tea to Europe in 1610. But it was not until 1658 that the first advertisement for tea appeared in a London newspaper. At that time a pound of the cheapest tea cost about one-third of a skilled worker's weekly wages. Tea was guarded by the lady of the house and kept in special containers, often with a lock and carefully doled out by the teaspoon...
The quality of a country's future life, commercially, industrially and intellectually, depends on the quality of its education system. The state in the United Kingdom provides a full range of free schooling. Those parents who prefer to send their children to private educational institutions, are free to do so. There are about 2500 fee-paying, or public schools in the country.
State schooling in the UK is not as centralized as in most European countries. Firstly, there is no prescribed curriculum. Secondly, the types of schools available and the age ranges for which they cater vary in different parts of the country. Local Educational Authorities are responsible for education in each area. At any state school no tuition fees are payable. State schooling in the UK is funded by the government and the local rates...
The British have taken good ideas from all over the world. You can eat Chinese, Indian, Italian and Greek food in any big city. There is a fantastic variety of restaurants.
The restaurants' best customers are business people, who meet in them to talk business in a relaxed atmosphere away from the telephone. They can eat what they like because the company pays the bill.
When a man and woman want to get to know each other better, they often go out to a restaurant together. After all it's easier to talk in a quiet atmosphere with soft music, wine and good food. Most British families only go to restaurants on special occasions, like birthdays or wedding anniversaries.
For visitors to London, eating out can be fun. But if you want that special feeling of London, go to the Ritz in Picadilly for tea any afternoon at about half past four. And you'll see that the prices are very high...
British religion used to be closely connected with kings, queens and politics. England was a Roman Catholic country until 1534.
In 1525 King Henry VIII decided to divorce his queen, Catherine of Aragon, because he fell in love with Anne Boleyn. But when Henry asked the Pope for permission to divorce Catherine, he refused.
Henry was so angry with the Pope that he ended all contact between England and Rome. He divorced Catherine of Aragon without the Pope's permission and married Anne Boleyn.
In 1534 Parliament named Henry head of the Church of England. This was the beginning of the Anglican Church. The Anglican Church did not start as a Protestant Church and Henry certainly did not regard himself as a Protestant. However the Protestant movement in Europe was growing very strong at that time...
Pubs can be found in every town or village. Social life for many people has centred on the pub for many years. Opening and closing times are decided by law.
Pubs in England and Wales close at 11 p. m. And ten minutes before closing time, the barman shouts, "Last orders!" When you go into a pub you have to go to the bar, pay for your drink and carry it to your seat.
One of the main attractions of the pub for all regular pub goes is that it offers good company in friendly surroundings. Where else can you appear as a complete stranger and at once be able to join a conversation with a group of people?
People often meet at a pub before going on to another place. Some people do a tour of all the pubs in one area and have a drink in each one. It's usual for each person in a group to take it in turns to buy drinks for everyone and this is called a "round"...
The daily circulation of papers in Britain is just over 14 million copies, which is about 3 papers for every 4 households. All British papers can be classified into two major groups: quality papers and popular papers. Traditionally, 'quality', serious-minded newspapers were referred to as 'Broadsheets' due to their large size. Popular papers were called 'tabloid' newspapers. However, due to considerations of convenience of reading, particularly in cafes and on trains, The Independent and The Times have both switched to a 'compact'-sized format, traditionally used by tabloids. The Guardian has switched to a Berliner format, a bit wider and taller than a compact. Sunday serious-minded newspapers keep the broadsheet format to maintain the same level of content.
Probably in no other country are there such great differences between the daily newspapers.
On the one hand, there are the 'quality' newspapers: The Times, The Independent, The Guardian, The Financial Times, and The Daily Telegraph. These concern themselves with factual reports of major national and international events in the world of politics and business, art and sport.
On the other hand, there are the 'populars' and 'tabloids', so-called because of their smaller size. The tabloids — the most widely read of them are The Daily Mail, The Daily Express, The Daily Mirror, The Sun, and The Daily Star — concentrate on more emotive reporting of stories, often feature sex, violence, the Royal family, film and pop stars, and sport. It is often said that the popular press aims to entertain its readers rather than to inform them...
