visa是什么-敬贺
口音是英国划分等级阶层的最大依据
As regards social
conventions, we must say a word about the well-
known English
class
system.
『
This
is
an
embarrassing
subject
for
English
people,
and
one
they
tend
to be ashamed of,
though during the present century class-
consciousness has grown
less and less,
and the class system less
rigid.
』①
But it still exists
below the
surface.
Broadly
speaking,
it
means
there
are
two
classes,
the
“
middle
class
”
and
the
“
working
class
”
.
(We
shall
ignore
for
a
moment
the
old
“
upper
class
”
,
including
the hereditary
aristocracy, since it
is extremely
small in numbers; but some
of its
members have the right to sit in the
House of Lords, and some newspapers take a
surprising interest in their private
life.) The middle class consists chiefly of
well-to-do businessmen and professional
people of all kinds. The working class
consists chiefly of manual and
unskilled workers.
The
most
obvious
difference
between
them
is
in
their
accent.
Middle-class
people
use
slightly
varying
kinds
of
“
received
pronunciation
”
which
is
the
kind
of
English
spoken
by
BBC
announcers
and
taught
to
overseas
pupils.
Typical
working-class
people
speak
in
many
different
local
accents
which
are
generally
felt
to
be
rather
ugly
and
uneducated.
One
of
the
biggest
barriers
of
social
equality
in
England
is
the
two-class
education system.
To have been to a so-called
“
public
school
”
immediately marks
you out as one of the middle class. The
middle classes tend to live a more formal
life
than
working-class
people,
and
are
usually
more
cultured.
Their
midday
meal
is
“
lunch
< br>”
and
they
have
a
rather
formal
evening
meal
called
“
dinner
”
,
whereas
the
working man
’
s
dinner, if his working hours permit, is at midday,
and his smaller,
late-evening meal is
called supper.
As we have said, however, the class
system is much less rigid than it was, and
for a long time it has been government
policy to reduce class distinctions.
『
Working-class
students
very
commonly
receive
a
university
education
and
enter
the
professions, and working-class incomes
have grown so much recently that the
distinctions
between
the
two
classes
are
becoming
less
and
less
clear.
』②
However,
regardless
of
one
’
s
social
status,
certain
standards
of
politeness
are
expected
of
everybody,
and
a
well-bred
person
is
polite
to
everyone
he
meets,
and
treats
a
labourer
with
the same respect he gives an important
businessman. Servility inspires both
embarrassment and dislike. Even the
word
“
sir
”
,
except in school and in certain
occupations (e.g. commerce, the army
etc.) sounds too servile to be commonly used.
1. The middle
class mainly refers to people ______.
1