British Traditions and Customs

British Traditions and Customs

Britain is like a 'melting-pot' - it is multicultural. Different countries have helped build Britain into an exciting place today. Britain has become a 'new' home or a shelter for those people who come different backgrounds and often difficult times from their home countries. The ethnic and cultural diversity adds great value to Britain.  
Britain has some traditions and customs that show the typical 'way of life' for British peoples. Not everyone does them, but many do.  
1)Sunday Roast . Roast beef is served with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, vegetables and gravy. It is usually served on a Sunday, mid to late afternoon.  
2)Yorkshire pudding is batter baked in hot fat in the oven. Gravy is a sauce made from meat juices and stock, thickened with flour.  
3) High Tea . The modern High Tea is served between 3pm and 5pm. It is a pot of tea usually accompanied by thin sandwiches, scones with cream, small cakes, and pastries. High tea can also be called 'afternoon tea' which can be as simple as a cup of tea and biscuits.  
4)Fish and Chips .  Friday Fish and chips can, and are, eaten any day of the week. Fridays became the 'traditional' day to eat them due to a Roman Catholic rule that fish was the only meat to be eaten on a Friday.  
5)There are many superstitions in Britain, but one of the most widely-held superstitions is that it is unlucky to open an umbrella in the house - it will either bring misfortune to the person that opened it or to the household. Anyone opening an umbrella in fine weather is unpopular, as it inevitably brings rain!  
6)The number 13 is said to be unlucky for some, and when the 13th day of the month falls on a Friday, anyone wishing to avoid an inauspicious event had better stay indoors.  
7)The worst misfortune that can befall you is incurred by breaking a mirror, as it brings seven years of bad luck! The superstition is supposed to have originated in ancient times, when mirrors were considered to be tools of the gods.  
8)Black cats are generally considered lucky in Britain, even though they are associated with witchcraft - a witch's animal-familiar' is usually a black cat. It is especially lucky if a black cat crosses your path.  
9)A commonly-held superstition is that of touching wood for luck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
http://study-english.info/topic-british-traditions.php

Global Financial Crisis

 
The global financial crisis (GFC) or global economic crisis is commonly believed to have begun in July 2007 with the credit crunch, when a loss of confidence by US investors in the value of sub-prime mortgages caused a liquidity crisis. This, in turn, resulted in the US Federal Bank injecting a large amount of capital into financial markets. By September 2008, the crisis had worsened as stock markets around the globe crashed and became highly volatile. 
The sub-prime crisis and housing bubble 
The housing market in the United States suffered greatly as many home owners who had taken out sub-prime loans found they were unable to meet their mortgage repayments. As the value of homes plummeted, the borrowers found themselves with negative equity. With a large number of borrowers defaulting on loans, banks were faced with a situation where the repossessed house and land was worth less on today’s market than the bank had loaned out originally. The banks had a liquidity crisis on their hands, and giving and obtaining home loans became increasingly difficult as the fallout from the sub-prime lending bubble burst. This is commonly referred to as the credit crunch. 
Although the housing collapse in the United States is commonly referred to as the trigger for the global financial crisis, some experts who have examined the events over the past few years, and indeed even politicians in the United States, may believe that the financial system was needed better regulation to discourage unscrupulous lending. 
Australia’s response to the global financial crisis – the first stimulus package 
Australian then-Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, and then-Treasurer Wayne Swan delivered their first budget in response to the global financial crisis, with the main objective being to fight inflation – a major problem in the local economy at the time. 
In October 2008 the Rudd government announced that it would guarantee bank deposits. The automotive industry was also given a helping hand, as several major lenders had withdrawn from the market completely, leaving banks to fill the gaps in lending.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.canstar.com.au/home-loans/global-financial-crisis

 

 
melting-pot –плавильный котел 

 exciting-захватывающие 

difficult-трудно

diversity-разнообразие

 adds-добавляет

great-большое

value-значение

some-некоторые

show-шоу

typical-типичный

way of life-образ жизни

1) beef-говядина

 roast-жареный

potatoes-картофель

vegetables-овощи

gravy-соус

usually-правило

 served-подается

 mid-середины

 late-конца

afternoon-вторая половина дня 
2) batter-тесто

 baked-выпекается

hot-горячем

fat-жире

oven-духовка

gravy-соус

meat-мясного

 juices-сока

stock-главное

thickened-загущенный

flour-мукой.  
3) high tea-полдник

 between-между

pot-горшочек

usually-как правило

 accompanied-сопровождающийся

thin-тонкими

sandwiches-бутербродам

scones-булочками

cakes-пирожными

pastries-выпечка

can-также

 also-можно

called-назвать

afternoon-послеобеденный

which-который

simple-простой

cup-чашечкой

biscuits- печенье 
4) can-могут

eaten-едят

became-стала

due-в связи

rule-правило

meat-мясо

eaten-съедено

5) many-много

superstitions-суеверий

one-один

most-самых

widely-широко

held-распространенных 

unlucky-несчастье

 umbrella-зонтик 

bring-приносить

 misfortune-неудачи

household-семье

аnyone-любое

fine-хорошую

weather-погоду

 inevitably-неизбежно

brings-приводит  
6) said-говорят

unlucky-не повезло

some-некоторым

when-когда

falls-приходится

anyone-любой

wishing-желая

avoid-избежать

inauspicious-неблагоприятных

event-событий

had better-лучше

stay-оставаться

doors-дома.  

7)worst-худшее

 misfortune-несчастье

befall-постигнуть

 incurred-возникновение

breaking-разбить

mirror-зеркало

as it brings-поскольку это приносит

 bad luck-неудач

 superstition-суеверие

supposed-предполагается

 to have originated-возникла

ancient times-глубокой древности

when-когда

mirrors-зеркала

 considered-считались

 tools-инструментом

gods-богов.  
8)generally-правило

 considered-считается

 lucky-счастливым

even-даже

associated-связаны

witchcraft-колдовством

especially-особенно

 lucky-повезло

crosses-пересекает

path-путь.  
9)commonly-held-общеобязательное

touching-трогать

wood-дерево

luck-на удачу.

 

 

 

 

commonly-по общему

believed-мнению

 begun-начался 

crunch-кризис

 loss-потерялось

confidence by-доверие со стороны

the value-в стоимости

sub-prime-субстандартных

mortgages-ипотечных

caused-вызвало 

liquidity-ликвидности

crisis-кризис

in turn-в свою очередь

injecting-инъекционных

 large-большое

amount-количество 

into-в

markets-рынки.

worsened-ухудшился

 as stock-на фондовых

markets-рынках

around-по всему

globe-миру

crashed-упал

 highly-крайне

volatile-неустойчивым.  
2) sub-prime-ипотечный  
housing-жилищный

suffered-сильно

greatly-пострадал

owners-владельцы

sub-prime-из ипотечных

loans-кредитов

 found they-обнаружили что

unable-не в состоянии

meet-удовлетворить

 mortgage-ипотечные

 repayments-погашения

value-стоимость

plummeted-упала

borrowers-заемщики

found themselves-оказались

equity-капитал

large-большой

number-количество

 borrowers-заемщиков

defaulting-дефолта

on loans-по кредитам

faced-столкнулись

 repossessed-возвращенный

land-земля

 less-меньше

loaned-ссуда

originally-первоначально 

 hands-на руках

giving-предоставление

obtaining-получение

 loans-кредитов

increasingly-более

difficult-сложный

fallout-выпал из

sub-prime-ипотечный

lending-кредитование

 commonly-обычно

 referred-упоминается

crunch-кризис. 
Although-хотя

commonly-обычно

referred-называют

as the trigger-в кач-ве тиггера

some-некоторые

examined-изучили

the events-события

over the past-за последние

indeed-в самом деле

even-даже

may-могут

believe-полагать

needed-необходимо

better-эффективное

discourage-чтобы препятствовать

unscrupulous-недобросовестному

 lending-кредитованию. 
3) response-ответ

stimulus-стимулов

package-пакет 
treasurer-казначей

 delivered-доставили

 in response-в ответ

main-главная

objective-задача

being-является

 to fight-борьба

 inflation-инфляция

major-серьезная

the local-в местной  
government-правительство

announced-объявил

would-будет

guarantee-гарантировать

 industry-промышленность

given-протянуть

 several-несколько

major-крупных

lenders-кредиторов

withdrawn-выведены

completely-полностью

 leaving-оставляя

fill-заполнить

gaps-пробелы

in lending-в кредитовании.