Almost every nation has a reputation of some kind. Russian people are
believed to be generous, open-hearted and kind, Spanish are said to be
noble and very proud, French are supposed to be romantic, merry and
charming, Italians are known to be talkative noisy and passionate,
Germans are very efficient but rather dull, Americans are energetic,
technical-minded and easy-going. Now, what about Eng¬lish? What is a
typical English¬man like? Many people, especially those who have never
lived in England think that English people are cold and reserved. Some
believe English eat porridge for breakfast and read the Times every day,
wear formal clothes and very old fashioned. I also believed in this
stereotype before I first visited England. How surprised I was to find
about that it’s not true.
So, what can I say about English people? I don’t think that
British people are reserved. They are very friendly and willing to talk
to, very polite and easy-going. When I asked the way in Britain people
not only told me how to get to a certain place, sometimes they lead the
way, sometimes they asked me about my country or told about themselves..
I can say that British people like their homes very much. House is
very important for British people. There is no place like home says
British proverb. English people are very house proud and love their home
very much. About 70 per cent of them have their own houses. Most homes
have a garden in which British spend a lot of time growing flowers and
looking after the lawn. All houses in England are very beautiful,
decorated with flowers. Their sense and feeling for privacy is
notorious. England is the land of brick fences and stone walls , of
hedges, of thick draperies at all the windows, and reluctant
introductions
English not only love their homes but also their pets. Many people
keep cats, dogs, budgies and other animals at home. They are completely
crazy about pets and obsessed with the conditions in which animals are
kept. There are more animal rights groups in Britain than anywhere else
in the world.
English people are famous for their habit of politeness. And you
can see it everywhere. In a bus, bus driver will smile to you and joke
with passengers In a shop, shop assistants are very friendly and
helpful. Even teenagers seem to be more polite than teenagers in other
countries.
It is considered polite to give up one's seat to a woman who is
standing, to open a door for her, carry things for her, and so on. Most
British people expect the person in front of them to hold the door open
for them. People think you are rude, if you don't do this. Most British
people queue when they are waiting for a bus or waiting to be served in a
shop. But during the rush hour, when a bus or train arrives, people
often push forward to make sure they get on. This is called jumping the
queue. British people keep their old traditions and are very proud of
them.
Englishmen tend to be rather conservative, they love familiar
things. They are hostile, or at least bored, when they hear any
suggestion that some modification of their habits, or the intro¬duction
of something new and unknown into their lives, might be to their
advantage. This conservatism, on a national scale, may be illustrated by
reference to the public attitude to the monarchy, an institution which
is held in affection and reverence by nearly all English people
English people are fond of sports. Many continentals think life is
a game; the English think cricket is a game. To many Englishmen cricket
is both a game and a standard of behaviour. When they consider
something unfair, they say "That isn't cricket".
They are crazy about music, especially live music. There are a lot
of pubs with live music there. One evening I went to a pub with my
friend. A woman was playing the piano and singing old songs. People in
the pub surrounded her and listened, nobody talked or laughed, nobody
ate, they just listened and sang with her. It was amazing!
The traditional love of English people for tea is well known. They
like to drink tea with milk. They have their five-o'clock tea not only
at home or in offices, but also in tea-rooms and tea-shops, which can be
found in every town.
