Chapter 10 Cultural Affairs

　　1.For whom is compulsory education in the UK？

　　Education in the U.K. is compulsory for all between the ages of 5（4 in Northern Ireland ）and 16.

　　2.What do you know about state schools and “public schools” in the UK？

　　About 90 percent of the state secondary school population in Great Britain attend comprehensive schools. These take pupils without reference to ability or aptitude and provide a wide-ranging secondary education for all or most of the children in a district.

　　Many of Britain‘s public schools are private-run and long-established and have gained a reputation for their high academic standards ，as well as their exclusiveness and snobbery.

　　3.What distinguishes the Open University from all other British Universities？

　　The Open University is a non-residential university. It offers degree and other courses for adult students of all ages. It uses a combination of specially produced printed texts，correspondence tuition，television and radio broad casts and audio/video cassettes. There is a network of study centres for contact with part-time and counsellors，and with fellow students.

　　4.What are the differences between quality papers and popular papers？

　　Quality papers and directed at readers who want full information on a wide range of public matters，while popular papers appeal to people wanting news of a more entertaining character ，presented more concisely.

　　5.How is BBC financed？

　　BBC radio broadcast is funded totally by the governmetn，while BBC TV service is state-fun and financed from the sale of television licences and therefore does not rely on commercials for-funding.

　　6.What are the most important journals in the UK？what do you know about them？

　　The most important journals in the UK are The Economist，New Statesman and Society，and Spectator.

　　The Economist in an independent conservative publication convering a wide range of topics.The New Statesman and Society reviews social issues，politics，literature and the arts from an independent social point of view，and the Spectator covers similar subjects from an independent conservative standpoint.

　　7.Which sport is regarded as typically English？

　　Cricket is the most typically English of sports.

　　8.What is the most popular sport in Britain？

　　Football is the most popular sport in Britain.

　　9.What made the Beatles so different from other pop groups？

　　Unlike the famous solo stars who had theier songs written for them， the Beatles wrote their own words and music.They wrote not only of love，but of death and old age，poverty and daily life.The Beatles had a close personal relationship with their audience.they own the affection and admiration of all ages and social backgrounds.

　　10.Where would you find many of London‘s theatres？

　　In three auditoriums（the Olivier，the Lyttelton and the Cottesloe）on the South Bank of the Thames.Another important theatre in London is the Royal Court Theatre.