Culture Notes of Unit 3 Life Moments

注：本文目的主要是期末为学生总结书中出现的文化背景知识。对于其他读者也可以顺便浏览一些英语文化背景知识。

PLACES

1 Tate Modern

a modern art gallery in London. It holds the national collection of British art from 1500 to the present day and international modern and contemporary art. Visitors can see amazing works there for free by world famous artists such as Picasso.

2 Hyde Park

one of the largest parks in central London and one of the Royal Parks of London. It is famous for its Speakers' Corner, where it has been a focus for free speech and debate. 

3 Ayers Rock

a large sandstone rock in Australia. it lies southwest of Alice Springs. Ayers Rock features waterholes, springs and rock caves. Besides, its another notable feature is the changing of colors as the sunlight strikes the rock at different times throughout the day. 

4 Crete

the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean and the largest of the islands forming part of modern Greece. Cretans are known for their hospitality and vitality, and they place much emphasis on bonds between family members.

5 Yellowstone national Park

a US national part. Established in 1872, it is widely regarded as the first official national park and is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features, especially the popular Old Faithful Geyser. 

OTHER

6 Waiting for Godot

an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters wait for the arrival of someone named Godot, who never shows up. it was voted one of the most signifiant plays of the 20th century in the English language. 

The two men say that they know Godot, but in fact, they hardly know him; and they admit that they would not recognize him if they were to see him to kill time they eat, sleep, talk argue, sing, play games, and exercise. Godot's absence, as well as various other aspects of the play, has caused many different interpretations. the play was voted  the most significant English language play of the 20th century". 

7 Greek wedding

In many parts of Greece, people hold a traditional wedding, and they usually play only traditional music and eat local food. In most traditional weddings, they bake whole animals. traditionally, the whole village attends the wedding. a typical Greek wedding usually has 100 or more guests who are friends, brothers, sisters, grandparents, uncles, aunts, first or second cousins, neighbors and co-workers. it is common to have guests whom the couple have never met before. 

8 Wimbledon

the oldest tennis tournament in the world. it has been held in Wimbledon, London since 1877. it is one of the four tournaments that make up the grand Slam of tennis and the only one still played on natural grass.