Chapter 16 Part 3: Where did our golden key London fog go?

Where Is the Foggy London? Where did the fog in London go? I haven't received a letter from my friend Eisuke Nishikawa for a long time, and I haven't written to him, but I think of him sometimes.He once told me that the pace of life of Japanese people today is becoming more and more tense, just like robots.Yes, Eisuke Nishikawa is like a robot, he always looks like he is in a hurry to catch the train.In the past, he sometimes wrote Japanese letters as short as telegrams.for example: Heidi-san, long time no see, the leaves in Tokyo are starting to fall, autumn is here, I really miss you!Your place must also be full of red leaves and flowers.

This is the letter of the Japanese, always a piece of light blue thin letter paper, with only a few words on it.Several times when I received his fluffy letters, I wondered if there was any letter paper in the envelope. That day, when I opened my e-mail, I saw an e-mail from Eisuke Nishikawa from England.Ah, this time he wrote me a very long English letter for the first time.Usually, the letters he sends me are typical Japanese letters, polite and courteous. The first few sentences either say that it is windy, rainy and snowy, or that the cherry blossoms are intoxicating and the sunset is brilliant. " This word saves the lengthy greeting.

In this letter, Xi Chuan seemed to be a different person. He said that he had been studying in the Language and Linguistics Division of the University of Portsmouth (University of Portsmouth) in the UK for some time.He spared no effort to describe today's Britain to me, and also sent a group of British landscape photos he took.I am a little strange, because before that, Eisuke Nishikawa worked in a biological laboratory of a Japanese university, and his major was biochemistry.Moreover, Xi Chuan studied in the United States many years ago, and I think his English is already very good.Why go to the Department of Linguistics?I quickly sent him an e-mail back:

Hello, Mr. NIXIKAWA. Your descriptions let me know more about the British people and their country; the beautiful country of Shakespeare, especially the tranquil River Avon, the snow-covered highlands of Scotland, and much of my false imagination about them have been corrected, ie, I always had an impression that London is a capital of fog as described in Dickens' novels and other works of literature. But your photos let me have a fresh look at London's clear sky. Where is foggy London? Where's Oliver, the orphan described by Dickens? And how are the Londoners' feeling when they enjoy the beautiful scenery by the River Thames? Please don't wonder why I have so many linked questions. But the question I really want to ask is, “Why didn’t 't you study at the biochemistry department of the university? Did you give up your major?…”

(Nishikawa-kun, your description let me know more about the British and the state of this country, Shakespeare’s beautiful hometown, especially the tranquil Avon River, and the snow-capped Scottish Highlands in winter, many of my wrong impressions also Corrected. In the past, I always felt that London was a foggy city, as described in Dickens' novels and other literary works. But your photos showed me the clear sky in London. Where is London in the fog Where did the orphan named Oliver described by Dickens go? How did Londoners feel when they enjoyed the beautiful scenery by the River Thames? Please don’t wonder why I have such a series of questions, in fact, what I really want to ask is , why didn’t you study biochemistry instead of linguistics, did you give up your major?)

Nishikawa also replied soon, he said, Heidi-san, I just wanted to tell you that there are many things in London that I did not think of in Japan. I did not give up my major, but to learn the major better. , I decided to use my precious time to study English.He also said, when learning a language you should at the same time learn to know about the language, that is to say, know where it originated, in which culture it was born, how it changed with the time's progressing ... I mean, you should not only know how it is today, you should also know its past. Just as you're sailing along the river you should look for its source …

(To learn a language, you should also learn to understand the language, that is, understand where it originated, in which culture it was conceived, how it has changed over time... I mean , you should not only know how it is, but also how it was. It's like sailing along a river to find its source...) After reading Nishikawa's letter, I found out A Background to English (by PS Tregidgo) that I had read a long time ago.This book briefly introduces British history, geography, politics, customs, industrial and agricultural production, cities and villages, as well as education, literature and art, sports... I think this is a good book to understand the general situation of British society.Moreover, because it was written by a native Englishman, its biggest feature is that it is detailed and true, free of subjective speculation and ideological elements.It's a pity that this book was published in 1962 and revised in 1971, so I am afraid that it is far from today's British society.However, some things, such as customs, are not easy to change in a relatively conservative country like the UK.For example, with regard to the character of the Englishman, the author writes:

To other Europeans, the best-known quality of the British, and in particular of the English, is “reserve”. A reserved person is one who does not talk very much to strangers, does not show much emotion, and seldom gets excited. It is difficult to get to know a reserved person: he nerve tells you anything about himself, and you may work with him for years without ever knowing where he lives, how many children he has, and what his interests are. be like that...It is quite possible for two people to know each other casually for years without knowing each other's name... (For people from other European countries, the biggest characteristic of Britons, especially the English, is "reservation". A reserved person means that he rarely talks to strangers, doesn't show much emotion, and doesn't Rarely appears agitated. It is difficult to get to know someone who is reserved because he will never tell you anything about himself, maybe you have worked with him for years without knowing where he lives, he has A few children, what hobbies does he have. The English are almost like this... It is likely that two people have known each other for several years without knowing each other's name...)

Ah, what a serious English gentleman!It seems that to adapt to life in the UK, especially those eccentric British gentlemen, you really need to learn some background.For example, there is a question that must be asked first, that is, those British, English, Irish, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Ireland, UK, etc. What is the relationship between them? To really understand these things, one has to look into British history, just as one has to start with Chinese history if one wants to know why the largest nation in China is called the Han nationality. As the empire on which the sun never sets fades after World War II and eventually becomes a "small country" (in the words of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher), Britain seems to be less conspicuous, but Britain is in many ways It still has its characteristics. For example, the United Kingdom has no written constitution, only common law (common law), which is composed of judgments of judges over the centuries, because England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own independent judicial system.The Queen of England is the nominal head of state of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries. The Commonwealth (The Commonwealth), headed by the United Kingdom, still had 51 member states in 1995. The United Kingdom is a member of the European Community that does not join the Eurozone.I also saw a very interesting thing, that is, the legal regulations in the UK are different from those in some countries. For example, boys and girls at the age of 16 can marry.The book says:

No child can marry under the age of sixteen, whether with or without the parents' consent; over the age of eighteen, the parents' consent is unnecessary; between sixteen and eighteen, the parents' consent is necessary, but if it is withheld the young couple can appeal for a court judgment, and the parents can be overruled by the court if circumstances justify it. (Children under the age of sixteen cannot marry, regardless of whether their parents agree or not; children over the age of eighteen can marry without parental consent; between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, parents must obtain The consent of the parents to marry. If the parents do not agree, the young partner can ask the court to rule. If the court rules that the marriage is allowed, the parents' decision will be invalid.)

That is to say, they will enter the adult and independent (grown-up and independent) stage after they have completed the compulsory education from five to fifteen years old.Of course, compared with the situation in the early 1970s, British higher education has developed rapidly.I have read a handbook introducing Britain, Britain 1995, An Official Handbook, which has this introduction: About 65 per cent of pupils choose to continue in education after 16… And the proportion of young people entering higher education in universities and colleges has risen from one in eight in 1980 to more than one in four in 1994 and is expected to reach one in three by the year 2000. (About 65 percent of students choose to continue their education after the age of 16... and the proportion of young people entering higher education in universities and colleges has risen from one in eight in 1980 to 1994 more than one in four in 2000, and that number is on track to reach one in three in 2000.) In 2000, one out of three young people in the UK received higher education. In addition, continuous education and adult education in the UK are also developing rapidly.Therefore, getting married at the age of sixteen may not be so attractive to some young people in Britain today. More and more people spend their youth in study. So, I said in the e-mail to Xi Chuan: After reading your email, I revised my reading plan; one is on British, the other, on American. I've prepared a long list of books, including politics, geography, literature, science and technology, even environmental protection, etc. In one word, a wide reading program. Since then, I immersed myself into reading, of course in the spare time after work. As the books were piled higher and higher beside my pillow, I received an email from another friend who was in America. She told me that there is no general background to English language, because all the people I've met agreed that the English language is a global language, but in fact there is American English, British English, Canadian English, Australian English, and even an English in Hong Kong and in Singapore . They all have their own backgrounds. How could you learn English only to know one of these different backgrounds? I agree with her. Although I spent much time on the background of English, I think it benefits me a lot. I always believe that learning English, in essence, is to learn how to communicate with the English-speaking people. more about them, their manners, and their attitudes toward others, and their way of life. (After reading your email, I revised my reading plan, one of which is to read Britain, and the other is to read America. I have prepared a long list of books, including politics, geography, literature, technology, and even environmental protection , etc. In a word, this is a very extensive reading program. Since then, I have immersed myself in reading, of course, in my spare time. However, my American friend Maurice once told me that English There is no general background because everyone I have met thinks that English is a global language, but in reality, there is American English, British English, Canadian English, Australian English, and even Hong Kong and Singapore English, etc. They all have their own backgrounds. How can you learn English and only know one of so many different backgrounds? … I agree with her statement.It took me some time to learn the English background, but it was rewarding.I believe that learning English, in essence, is learning how to communicate with English speakers.Therefore, it is necessary to know more about them, their behavior, their attitude towards others, their way of life...) Later, Nishikawa returned to Japan.He told me that he worked as the director of scientific research and new product development in an internationally renowned biotechnology company.He said that many of his colleagues are from the United States and the United Kingdom and speak English, but whether they are superiors or subordinates, they get along very well because he understands their language and various backgrounds.Therefore, he quickly achieved some scientific research results.When talking about these in the letter, Xichuan said with emotion, You can have a good command of English only if you know well the background to English language. (Only when you are familiar with the background of English can you really learn English well.)