Тексты для экзамена 11 класса

    It has been well said that every Englishman is an average Englishman  :
it’s an essential national characteristic.
    What is more , no true Englishman would wish it  to  be  otherwise.  He
prefer his neighbour to be an average Englishman  –  he  prefer  to  be  one
himself. He likes what he knows.
    To think is not part of the English character. Instead  of  thoughts  ,
the English have traditions.
    The tradition of “the Home” for instance.
    Even the French have preferred not to translate  this  word  ,  but  to
recognize it as English in origin and spirit by referring  to  it  as  “  le
home”.
    Yet how do the English treat “le home” – which  is,  theoretically  and
traditionally regarded as the backbone of their country?
    Their first care is to remove their children from it by second them  to
a boarding-school almost as soon as they can walk , and keeping  them  there
until they are old enough to be sent still farther away.
    They speak , write and sing of “ Home , Sweet Home”, and by this  means
have built up the tradition that it is  a  thoroughly  English  institution.
Once tradition is firmly established , the thing is done.
    Another tradition that is firmly established not only in Britain ,  but
in the minds of the rest of the world, is the devotion  of  the  English  to
animals. Certainly , they will speak with love to  and  of  their  dogs  and
horses, which is more  than  they  will  do  concerning  their  friends  and
family. However , the fox, the deer, the  pheasant  and  many  others  would
have but little to say in praise of the animal-loving English if  they  were
consulted.
    But by never thinking about it , the English firmly believe  themselves
to be the only nation in the world that is really kind to its animals.
    Indeed, the power of believing the English have is almost phenomenal. A
very short list of such beliefs comes to one’s mind almost automatically.
    Most Englishman are convinced  that  God  is  in  Englishman-  probably
educated at Eton.
    that England is finest country in the world;
    that all foreigners are slightly mad;
    that anyone disagreeing on any of these points ought to be short;
    that all men are just like children;
    that children are blessing to their parents.
    Enough has now perhaps been said to show that the  English  ,  whatever
else they may be , are agreeably inconsistent.

                        (After On British Character  by  E.M.  Delafield  )
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