第八届国际英语电视大赛暨中央电视台“希望之星”英语风采大赛国际赛城市初赛中西方文化备考范围小学A组：About China:1.What is the capital of China? -----Beijing.2.What are the two big rivers in China? -----Changjiang and Huanghe.3.What are ancient China’s four inventions? -----Compass, gunpowder, papermaking skill andtypography.4.Symbols of Chinese Culture:A. Dragon--It is a great animal in Chinese tale. It’s the spirit of struggle, hard working and harmony.B. Tea--It has a very long history and it’s regarded as China’s national drink.C. The Great Wall--it is one of the greatest wonders of the world with a history of more than 2000 years.About Australia:5.What is the capital of Australia? -----Canberra.6.What is the official language? -----English.7.What color is the flag of Australia? -----Blue, red and white.8.What are the famous animals in Australia? -----Koala, kangaroo and emu.Five symbols of American:9.Statue of Liberty--The statue of liberty is also called Liberty Enlightening the World.10.Barbie Dolls--it is the most famous and best-selling doll in 20th century.11.American Gothic--it is a famous painting which shows the solemn pride of American farmers.12.Buffalo Nickel--it is designed by American famous artist James Fraser in 1911, which became a kind of coin between 1913 and 1938.13.Uncle Sam--is was used to refer to “the United States” or “the government of United States,” mainly in the United States, Britain, especially in the press.Chinese traditional Festivals:14.The Lantern Festival----on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month.15.Tomb-sweeping Day----on the fifth day of the fourth lunar month.16.The Dragon Boat Festival----on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.17.Tanabata Festival----on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.18.The mid-autumn festival----on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month.19.The Double Ninth Festival---on the ninth lunar day of the ninth lunar month.20.The Spring Festival----on the first day of the lunar year.小学B组：Chinese Tea:1.The person who discovered the Chinese tea called Shen Nong.2.The Tea Classics--It is the first work about tea and it is written by Lu Yu.3.There are some famous green tea, like Dragon Well, Spring Spiral, Cloud&Fog, Fur Peak and FurTip.4.The Custom in Tea Drinking: a. to show respect;b. to apologize;c. to express thanks to the elders on one’s wedding day;d. to pass on the traditionAbout Canada:5.What is the Canadian flag called? ----The maple leaf flag.6.What is the flag composed of? ----The flag itself is composed of two color- red and white.7.What is the National anthem of Canada? ----“O Canada”.8.What is the population of Canada? ----The population of Canada is about 29 million.9.What is the capital of Canada? ----It is Ottawa.10.What are the official languages in Canada? ----French and English.11.Ottawa is the second biggest country on the planet.12.Toronto: Toronto is Canada’s financial capital. It is Canada’s largest city.Holidays:13.Valentine’s Day--on the 14th of February. It is a holiday for the lovers.14.April Fools’ Day--on the 1st of April. It is a day to play jokes on others.15.Easter--on Sunday of March or April.16.Halloween--on the 31st of October.17.Thanksgiving Day--on the fourth Thursday of November in the USA, and the second Monday ofOctober in Canada. It is a day of thanksgiving to the Lord.18.Christmas--on the 25th of December. It is the most important holiday in western country. Education:19.In Britain all children have to go to school between the ages of 5 and 16.20.In the US children must go to school from the age of 6 to between the ages of 14 and 16. Sports:The popular sports in different countries:21.The popular sports in Britain: Football, Cricket and Rugby.22.The popular sports in the US: Football, Basketball and Baseball.Food:23.In China:A.Chinese only want to eat one’s fill.B.The traditional Chinese food is dumpling, noodles, rice and soup.C.The Chinese tableware is chopsticks, spoon and bowl.24.In western countryA.Westerners--enjoy dining appeal and atmosphere.B. The traditional western food is beefsteak, hamburger, break and milk.C. The western tableware is knife, fork, glass and napkin.小学C组：The Four Traditional Classic Novels in China:1.Dream of the Red Chamber:Written by Cao Xue-qing.2.Tale of Water Margin: Written by Shi Nai-an.3.The Romance of the Three Kindoms: Written by Luo Guan Zhong.4.Journey to the West: Written by Wu Cheng-en.About New York:5.New York is the most popular city in the United States and the center of the New York MetropolitanArea, one of the most popular metropolitan areas in the world.6.New York has five regions. Which region is the most famous one? ----Manhattan.7.What is New York’s nick name? ----New York also called the The Big Apple.8.What are the famous universities in New York?----It has two famous universities in the world, one is Columbia University, the other is The City University of New York.9.Famous Places in New York----Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Central Park, MetropolitanMuseum of Art, The Rockefeller Center and so on.Gift-Giving Customs:10.In China: we usually give gifts to our families and friends on special days. After accepting gifts,Chinese usually say thanks and they don’t open it immediately. And Chinese usually pack the gifts with red page.11.In western country: when westerners accept gifts from others, they will open and appreciate it atonce and say thanks, especially expensive gifts, the host will thanks again.Color:12.Red: In China, red is the symbol of joy, peace and success.In western country, red is the symbol of vigour, alert and danger.13.White: In China, white means death, failure, decay and surrender.In western country, white means elegance, purity, integrity and honesty.14.Black: In China, black symbolizes death, fear and illegal forces.In western country, black is usually associated with hopelessness, gloominess, wickedness,even to express anger and death.Attitudes to time:15.In China: Most people are used to arriving late for 1-10 minutes. People are used to doing severalthings during a time.16.In western country: Most people are used to arriving punctually. People are used to doing one thingat a time.Entertainment:17.What do Americans do in summer?----American summers are filled with outdoor barbecues, baseball games and swimming.18.What do Americans drink in the Summer Time?----Lemonade, Ice tea, The Slurpee and Milkshake while the most common one is Lemonade.The cooking ways19.In China: There are more than 50 cooking ways in China. Like pan-frying, baking, boiling, steamingand so on.20.In western country: There are 3 cooking ways in western country. They are coking of cooking,ramollescence cooking and mixed cooking.初中D组：Chinese Traditional Art:1.Cheongsam:The Qi Pao, also known as mandarin gown, is a body-hugging one-piece dress, it is oneof the most typical, traditional costumers for Chinese women.2.Chinese Kung fu: It’s a traditional physical activity with thousand of years of history.3.Chinese Knots: It is a symbol of unity and joy.4.Beijing Opera: Chinese traditional opera is considered one of the world’s three ancient operas,together with Greek tragedy and comedy, and Indian Sanskrit opera.About American:5.Fast food:A. McDonald’s: In 1948, Richard and Maurice- the Macdonald couple, opened the first McDonald's restaurant in San Bernardino road located in the state of California.B. KFC: It was founded by Harland Sanders in 1930 as a single outlet. Today it has worldwide presence. KFC is better known for its fried chicken and it boasts of a recipe that is very confidential.C. Pizza Hut: It was founded in 1958 by brothers Dan and Frank Carney in their hometown of Wichita, Kansas.6.American Holidays:American holidays can be divided into national holidays, religious holidays and special days. About Britain:7.The full and official name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and NorthernIreland, usually abbreviated to the United Kingdom or U.K., Great Britain, or simply Britain, or sometimes informally England.8.Symbols of the United Kingdom:A.University of Oxford--it was founded in 1167. It is located in the UK and has the world reputation. It is the oldest university in the English world.B.William Shakespeare--he is the most famous dramatist and poet. He has written many dramas. The most well-known dramas are four tragedies, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth.C.John Bull--is the Britain’s nickname. It stands for Britain man.9.Travel in England:A. Big Ben: Big Ben in London is a symbol of city and the symbol of British, Big Ben is huge and luxuriant, heavy 13.5 tons. Big Ben provides time for London since 1859, nearly a century and a half,although this period Big Ben has twice cracked and heavy chips. Now the big bells are still clear and beautiful.B.Westminster Abbey:Westminster Abbey is royal, is one of the most beautiful churches in Europe. Most monarchs of England and many great men in history are buried here, so the Abbey istitled as "the spire of honor".C. London Bridge: It located in Thams River, was founded in 1886. It is the symbol of London.D.British Museum: It was built in 1735. It is the oldest and the most magnificent scale comprehensive museum in the world.10.The important holidays in England:A.Valentine’s Day: February 14 is Valentine’s Day. It is celebrated as a lovers’ holiday today, with the giving of candy, flowers or their gifts between couples in love.B.Saint Patrick’s Day: It is an annual feast day, which celebrates Saint Patrick, one of the patron saints of Ireland, and is generally celebrated on March 17.Family education:11.In China, parents usually prepare everything for us, what we should do is just to accept without anydoubt.12.In the west, children are more independent. They know what to do at an early age and plan carefullyto achieve the goals.Drinks:13.The three major non-alcoholic drinks in the world are tea, coffee and cocoa.14.Tea is the symbol of elegance. One thing that British and Chinese cultures share is a love for fine tea.The Britain usually have an afternoon meal between four and five o’clock. This meal included tea, cakes and sandwiches.15.The famous coffeehouse all around the world could be Starbucks. The first Starbucks opened at PikePlace Market in 1971. The Starbucks’ headquarters are located in Seattle, Washington. Coffeehouses have traditionally served as centers of social interaction, places where people can come to relax, chat, and exchange ideas.高中E组：Renaissance:1.Renaissance: Revival or rebirth of classical arts, culture and philosophy after the dark ages ofmedieval. The key word for it is humanism, emphasized secular concerns, express the interests of the rising bourgeoisie. Shakespeare, Spenser, Marlowe are all famous literary figures of this period. Shakespeare:2.Shakespeare’s tragedies: Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth.Shakespeare’s comedies: The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As you like it, Twelfth Night.Mark Twain:3.Representative works: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He isfamous for his localism, colloquial style, humor and bitter attacks.Cities of America:4.Los Angeles:Everyone must be familiar with the most famous movie factory – Hollywood, whichhas made thousands of good movies for the whole world. As the home base of Hollywood, Los Angeles is known as the "Entertainment Capital of the World", is also a city with many touristattractions and well-known buildings. It is very popular among foreign tourists all over the world 5.Hawaii: It is a state of the U.S. It is a popular destination for tourists. It is located in the centralPacific Ocean. It is made up entirely of islands. It is the newest state of the U.S.Festivals in America:6.Christmas Day: It’s a holiday observed on December 25th to commemorate the birth of Jesus andit’s the greatest of Christian festivals. In western countries, wherever you are, everyone will preparea Christmas tree to increase the happiness of the Christmas day. On Christmas Eve, people sing anddance happily and they enjoy themselves around the tree.7.Thanksgiving Day: It is a festival celebrated mainly in the U.S. It is a time to express gratitude for abountiful harvest. It is a time to eat roast turkey. It falls on the 4th Thursday of November.8.Halloween is a holiday celebrated on October 31. By tradition, Halloween begins after sunset. Thecolors black and orange are also a part of Halloween. Black is a symbol for night and orange is the color of pumpkins. A jack-o’-lantern is a hollowed-out pumpkin with a face carved on one side.Candles are usually placed inside, giving the face a spooky glow.Music in Britain:9.People in Britain are interested in a wide range of music, from classical to different form of rock’n’roll and pop music.10.The Beatles were a pop and rock group from Liverpool, England. The band’s principal memberswere John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Star. In UK, The Beatles released more than 40 different singles, albums and EPs that reached number one.Pubs in Britain:11.Pubs are an important part of British life. Even very small villages nearly always have a pub. Thebest place to sample local culture is in a traditional pub.12.Children under 16 are not usually allowed into pubs.13.Pubs often sell food or snacks as well as drinks. Food that is considered typical pub food is scampi(kind of shellfish) and chips (fried potatoes), pie and chips, chicken and chips.Acronyms in English:14.The complete form for BBC is: British Broadcasting Corporation.15.The complete form for EU is: European Union.16.The complete form for KFC is: Kentucky Fried Chicken.大学成人F组：Presidents in the US:1.In America, presidential elections are held every four years.2.The first American president was George Washington, the founder of the United States, praised asthe “Father of His Country”.3.The first American president from the Republican Party was Abraham Lincoln. He was the sixteenthPresident of the United States. He successfully led the country through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War, saving the Union and ending slavery, only to be assassinated as the war was virtually over.American Civil War:4.The Civil War was occurred between the North and the South United States in 1861. So it wascalled the North and South War. The war is the significant war in the American history. It made American history came to another period. It pushed back people’s button and gave them some rights and freedom.Major figures of speech in poetry:5.Smile: is a figure of speech which makes a comparison between two unlike elements having one atleast quality or characteristic in common.6.Metaphor: like a simile, also makes a comparison between two unlike elements, but unlike a simile,this comparison is implied rather than stated.7.Personification: is a figure of speech which attributes human qualities to inanimate objects orabstract ideas. It is closely related to metaphor and is sometimes called personal metaphor. Literature in Britain and the US:8.William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright in the 17th century, widely regarded asthe greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist.9.Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835---April 21, 1910) well known by his pen nameMark Twain, was an American author and humorist.10.Twain is noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), which has been called “theGreat American Novel”, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). Upon his death he was lauded as the “greatest American humorist of his age”, and William Faulkner called Twain “the father of American literature”.Sports in Britain:11.Britain (England) is the birthplace of modern football. According to historical records, the MiddleAges in England there have been similar to today's football activity. To the early 19th century, football in England is quite universal.12.Table tennis: As a Chinese national ball game, table tennis in China has a deep mass base, but theChinese most good at sport originated in Britain at the end of the 19th century.13.Race: Originated in the United Kingdom. In 1867, Britain held the first race championship. In 1908,race is listed as official project in London Olympic Games.American music:14.American popular music had a great effect on music across the world. It appeared early in the 19thcentury, and in the 20th century the American music industry developed a series of new forms of music, using blues and other elements of American folk music.15.Country music (sometimes called Country & Western) is a form of music that has been enjoyed bypeople all over the United States for decades. This music also has listeners in Canada, in Liverpool, England, and other places worldwide. Sometimes a new movie (like Midnight Cowboy or Urban Cowboy), hit record (like "She Believes In Me" by Kenny Rogers), or new performer (like Randy Travis in the 1980s) raises new interest.Broadcaster in Britain and the US:16.There are three famous broadcasting companies in America, CBS.(Columbia Broadcasting System.),NBS.(National Broadcasting System) and ABC.(American Broadcasting Company).17.BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) is Britain’s main public service broadcaster. It was foundin 1927 as a public service radio station, and later moved into TV.。