Castle Combe, the prettiest village in England?
England
- 1 Welcome to England
- 2 The sound of English
- 3 Flying the flag
- 4 The Eden Project
- 5 Metric or imperial?
- 6 Shop till you drop
- 7 The must-see list
- 8 Famous for ever?
- 9 Quiz
Welcome to England
Welcome to England
What is England? The fantasy picture for many people is a little village in the countryside. It has just a few houses and the gardens are full of flowers. There is also a church and a friendly pub. A place where time stands still.
But England is much more than this, of course. It was the first industrialized country in the world. It was the first to use railways, modern ships and factories. English inventions changed the whole world, and they still do. Did you know what Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented, for example? The worldwide web.
England is a small country, but it has produced many scientists and thinkers. You have probably heard of Sir Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking. England has hundreds of other world-famous writers, musicians, artists, actors and sportsmen and women, as well.
England is also a multicultural country. People whose families lived in British colonies have now settled in England. There are people here from the Baltics, Turkey, China, Russia and other countries, too.
So what does it mean to be English in the 21st century? It is not as clear as in the past. Many look back to when England (or Britain) was “Great”, when it ruled a quarter of the world. Many blame the EU or globalization for problems in England today. Recently, Scottish nationalism has also made many English people ask: “Who are we? Who do we want to be in the modern world?”
Your turn to talk
Find information online about an English town. Make a 2-minute presentation to your partner. Include some pictures. Ask you partner two questions about his/her presentation.