business transactions = operazioni commerciali; base

currency = valuta di base; fl uctuation = fl uttuazione; nuclear

weapons = armi nucleari; market-oriented = (economia) di mercato; business fi rms = aziende commerciali; private
businesses = aziende private; private ownership = proprietà
privata; standard of living = livello di vita; income inequality
= disparità di reddito; household wealth = ricchezza delle
famiglie; poverty line = soglia di povertà; (a huge) fi nancial
crisis hit the country = (un'enorme) crisi fi nanziaria ha
TitleEconomy
US investito il paese; investment houses = società fi nanziarie;
consumer spending = spesa in consumi; stock market =
mercato azionario; investment banks = banche d’investimento;
unregulated capitalism = capitalismo selvaggio.

1. Andy Warhol, A market economy

Dollar Sign,

T
1981. The
Warhol he USA is one of the most powerful nations in the world. Most international business
Collection,
Pittsburgh.
transactions are made in US dollars, the world’s base currency, and any fluctuation in
the dollar can have terrible knock-on effects on the economies of other countries.
Since the late 19th century the USA has been a leader in scientific research and
technological innovation (e.g. Henry Ford pioneered assembly line manufacturing).
Moreover, in the 1930s many important European scientists, such as Albert Einstein,
Enrico Fermi and others, emigrated to the USA to run away from Nazi and Fascist
persecutions and put their brains at the service of the nation. During WWII the USA
developed nuclear weapons, which led to Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.
US economy is market-oriented, and most of the decisions are made by private

Wall Street, the Bull and the Bear

W all Street is a street in

Lower Manhattan which is
the home of the New York Stock
Exchange, as well as many major
US stock and other exchanges.
It has become the symbol of the
American financial industry. Stock
market prosperity (many investors
buying stocks) is represented by
the bull, while the bear represents
a decline in the stock market (a
substantial drop in the prices of
stocks makes investors sell their
stocks).
Due to the current economic
conditions (high unemployment
rate, steady decline in value of
the market, the bursting of the
Dot-com bubble in 2002 and of the
Housing bubble in 2005-06, and
the Subprime mortgage crisis of
2007-08), the US is going through a
period of bear market.
Part 2 - The United States of America

1. VOCABULARY
PAIRWORK. In pairs find the
meaning of the words underlined
in the text on the right.

2. READING
PAIRWORK. Read the text on the
right and find the main idea of
each paragraph.

2. The facade of the New York Stock Exchange

on Wall Street.
114
individuals and business firms. Most
goods and services are produced by private
businesses. This emphasis on private
ownership arises from American beliefs
about personal freedom. From the time
the nation was created, Americans have
feared excessive government power, and
they have sought to limit the government’s
authority over individuals, including its
role in the economic field. The US federal
government, however, regulates private
enterprise in several ways, controlling
prices, health, pollution, etc.
The President of the US is required
by the Constitution to give ‘information
about the State of the Union’. Every year
he gives a speech to Congress known as
the State of the Union Address, where he
talks about the economic situation of the
3. A wheat field in the Midwest.
country as well as his plans and policies.
By 2007, although the standard of
living had improved for nearly all classes
in the past 30 years, income inequality
had grown substantially and it was higher
than in European countries. Wealth was
highly concentrated: the richest 10% of the
adult population possessed 69.8% of the
country’s household wealth, while 12.5%
of Americans were below the poverty line.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s
the financial services sector became the
dominant sector of the United States’
GPD. In 2007 it accounted for nearly
8.3% of the national GPD. But in 2008 a
huge financial crisis hit the country, with
the risk of destroying its leading role as a
world economic power (see articles on pp.
116-117). Banks and investment houses
toppled like dominos. Consumer spending
began to slow sharply at every level of the
American economy, from the working
class to the wealthy. Americans had to
confront the triple threat of higher energy
costs, falling home prices and a volatile
stock market.
It was not just investment banks
that were falling, it was the ideology of
1. Th e USA is one of the most powerful nations in the
world. 2. It has long been a leader in scientifi c research and
technological innovation. 3. US economy is market oriented
and government authority on economy is limited. 4. Every
year the President gives a speech informing people about the
economic situation of the country. 5. By 2007 the standard
of living had improved but wealth was highly concentrated
with 12.5% of Americans below the poverty line. 6. In 2008 a
huge fi nancial crisis hit the country and consumer spending
began to slow sharply at every level. 7. Th e ideology of
unregulated capitalism was falling. People started to think
that banks would require stricter regulations than before
Th e Stock Exchange (Borsa valori) is where
stocks, bonds and securities are traded (bought and
sold). New York Stock Exchange is the world’s largest
Stock Exchange. Th e Midwest is the centre of the US
agriculture. It is called “the nation’s breadbasket”.
3. READING
GROUPWORK. Read the information below about the American economy.
Reorder the sentences and collect them into four paragraphs under the
following headings: Industry, Energy, Agriculture and Export.
1. The USA is one of the world’s 11 Wines are mainly produced in
leading industrial nations. California (90%) but the production
9 Large quantities of cereals, is growing in other parts of the
country.
particularly corn and wheat, are
5
produced in the rich farmlands of However imported oil accounts for
the Midwest. about two-thirds of US consumption.
3 The US livestock and poultry 15
But for decades it has also been one
industry includes more than 1 of the top exporters in the world.
million farms. 10 Corn is the most important crop in
12
The USA ranks as the world’s fourth the USA and three quarters of it is
largest wine-producing nation grown in the Corn Belt with Iowa,
(after France, Italy and Spain). Illinois and Minnesota as the three
2 It is a world leader in manufacturing largest producers.
6
and electronics, trading, science, The hardest problem to fix is going
technology and in the production to be the energy problem, which
of services. means creating an economy that is
14 The USA is one of the world’s greener and isn’t built on carbon.
11 Wheat is largely grown in the vast
leading consumers and therefore it
Chapter 1 - The Country and the People

is a major importer. fields of the Great Plains, where

unregulated capitalism. The old order
– the Reagan-age institutions built on
the premise that the market can do no
wrong and the government no right – was
dying. A new era, in which Wall Street
plays a diminished role and Washington
a larger one, was slowly rising. American
capitalism can be saved by fundamentally
reshaping it and banks will require tighter
regulations than before.
EXPANSION - Bubbles burst!
7 The USA is currently the second
largest emitter, after the People’s
Republic of China, of carbon
dioxide from the burning of fossil
fuels.
4 aircraft, computers, motor vehicles
The country is rich in mineral
resources, with extensive gold, oil,
coal and uranium deposits.
8
Agriculture is a major industry
in the USA and the country is an
exporter of food.
cattle rearing is also one of the
main activities.
16. American products are exported
to every corner of the world:
capital goods such as transistors,
parts (49%), industrial supplies
such as organic chemicals
(26.8%), consumer goods such
as automobiles, medicines (15%),
and agricultural products such as
soybeans, fruit, corn (9.2%).

115
 Religious denominations

I n the 19th and early 20th centuries American society was

predominantly WASP (white Anglo-Saxon Protestant), but since
the 1960s mainstream Protestant churches (Anglican, Presbyterian,
Lutheran, etc.) have weakened sharply, while evangelical and
fundamentalist denominations have expanded rapidly.
Catholics are the largest single religious group (23,9%) with
followers mainly amongst the Irish, Polish, Italian and Latino
communities. Jews are the largest non-Christians group.
Protestant fundamentalism is mainly represented by Baptists
(the largest non-Catholic denomination in the US) and is
particularly strong in rural areas, especially in the Southern states
which are known as the ‘Bible Belt’. The fundamentalists believe
in the words of the Bible, which they follow very closely. In 1999
the state of Kansas tried to ban the teaching of Darwin’s theory
of evolution and insisted that the Bible’s description of the birth
of the universe (creationism) should be taught in schools. Bible
Belt Americans tend to be very conservative, keenly supported
Prohibition and many became Klansmen (see p. 139).
The rise of the evangelical movement in the twentieth
The Protestant Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York is the largest neo-Gothic century was based on conservative fundamentalism (opposition
Cathedral in the world.
1. It has no offi cial religion. 2. Most religious: Mississippi; to homosexuality, abortion, pornography and the teaching of
least religious: New England. 3. Protestant, Catholic, Jewish evolution). Its growth was a phenomenon that extended well
and Evangelic. 4. Catholic. 5. Th e Southern states. 6. beyond the religious sphere into the cultural and political: in the
Conservative fundamentalism.
READING 1970s it became an influential religious-political lobby.
As Evangelicals believe that it is their task to spread their
Read the texts in this page and find out beliefs, they do so by visiting people from house to house,
1. the official religion in the USA publishing books and magazines and holding religious meetings.
They use the media and sometimes have religious programmes on
2. which states are most/least religious television. Often their leaders are good speakers and have strong
3. the main religious denominations personalities. Some of them have built up various money-raising
activities. Some have become very rich with the money collected
4. the largest religious group from their supporters.
5. what the ‘Bible Belt’ is Then there are hundreds of religious sects in the US, such as the
Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Seventh-Day Adventists, the Mormons
6. the main traits of Evangelicalism. (see p. 145) and the Moonies. Amongst this great variety some
groups have proved to be fanatical and potentially dangerous.
Their methods of attracting members are controversial and they
are accused of manipulating and brainwashing their members.
Religion

T
SELF-IDENTIFICATION OF US ADULT POPULATION
he United States has a greater number of religious groups BY RELIGIOUS TRADITION - 2008
than any other country in the world. The state has no
Catholic 25.1
established or official Church and people have the right to
follow any religion, as stated by the First Amendment to the Baptist 15.8
Constitution (1791). This is because many immigrants had Mainline Christian 12.9
fled to America to avoid religious persecution in their own Christian Generic 14.2
countries, and to be free to practise their own form of worship.
The official motto of the US is ‘In God We Trust’, which is Pentecostal/Charismatic 3.5
Chapter 3 - Society and Lifestyle

printed on all US currency. However, in a nation that has long Protestant Denominations 3.1
been mostly Christian, we see a growing rejection of all forms of Mormon/Latter Day Saints 1.4
organized religion.
Jewish 1.2
The percentage of Americans who call themselves
Christians has dropped dramatically over the past two decades, Eastern Religions 0.9
from 86% in 1990 to 76% of the population in 2008. Religious Muslim 0.6
belief and practice greatly differ within the country. Most Other Religions 1.2
people in the South think that religion is an important part
No Religion 15.0
of their daily lives (e.g. Mississippi 86%), while New England
predominates in the top ‘least religious’ states (e.g. 42% in No Answer 5.1
Vermont). American Religious Identification Survey – ARIS, 2008
161
 Th e American school system’
illegal immigrants = people who immigrate without per-mission; at public expense = without having to pay; the age
range = from one age to another; school attendance = going
to school; public system = state education system; private
school = school where parents pay; home schooled =
taught at home; parochial school = schools funded by the
church; rural locations = the countryside; organized locally

Education
= organized by local administration, educational standards
= levels of education; standardized testing = standard test for
everyone; Department of education = Ministry in charge of
schools and education; basic standards = satisfactory levels
of education; compulsory education = obligatory schooling.

1. READING
The American school system
Read the texts of these two
pages and, using both the
context and your knowledge,
N owadays all children living in the United States, even if their parents are illegal
immigrants, have a right to be educated at public expense from at least age 6 to
16 (the age range may vary from state to state). School attendance is compulsory for all
explain the meaning of the words children. Students attend school five to seven hours a day, five days a week. Summer
underlined. holidays last about two months.
Eighty-six per cent of young Americans are taught within the public system, while ten
per cent of children attend a private school and about two per cent are home schooled,
that is taught at home by parents or professional tutors.
The curriculum
Non-public schools are either private or ‘parochial’ schools. Parochial schools are

C urricula in the United States vary

widely from district to district. At
High School students take classes in
many subjects. A few basic subjects
like English, maths, science and
social studies – history, geography,
etc. – are mandatory. Many states
also require a ‘health’ course, in which
the students learn about anatomy,
nutrition, first aid, sexuality and birth
control. Then students can choose
from a wide range of “elective”
subjects, such as technology,
education, performing arts, foreign
languages,
Th e curriculum’
computers, athletics,
curricula = school programs; take classes = study; basic
subjects = fundamental subjects; “elective” subjects = subjects
chosen by the students themselves
mostly elementary schools open to all children in the parish, and are supported by
donations to the parish. They are religious schools, mostly Roman Catholic, although
many Protestant schools have been established in recent years.
Home schooling is an alternative to formal education. Generally the parents’
motivations for such a choice are either a dissatisfaction with the schools in their areas,
or dislike of modern schools in general, or the difficulty to attend school if they live in
isolated rural locations.
Education in the United States is organized on three principal levels: elementary,
secondary and post-secondary. Both primary and secondary level education, is organized
1. It has no offi cial religion. 2. Most religious: Mississippi;
locally as far as teaching, curricula and funding are concerned. However, educational
least religious: New England. 3. Protestant, Catholic, Jewish
standards and standardized testing are usually decided by state governments. Moreover,
and Evangelic. 4. Catholic. 5. Th e Southern states. 6.
the Department of Education in Washington oversees education throughout the country
Conservative fundamentalism.
and ensures basic standards are met.
In most schools compulsory education is divided into three levels: Elementary School,
etc. Junior High School (often called Middle School) and High School. Children are divided
by age groups into grades, from 1st to 12th.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: STRUCTURE OF EDUCATION SYSTEM

AGE 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
GRADE PK K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Vocational Technical
Institutions
POSTDOCTORAL STUDY AND RESEARCH

Elementary Master's
Kindergarten 4 -Year High
(or Primary) Schools Degree Doctor's Degree Study
Schools Junior or
(4 - 4 - 4) Study
Middle School
HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA

Asilo Community
Colleges

Junior High
Senior High
Schools Professional Schools
Nursery Schools
(6 - 3 - 3) Undergraduate Programs (Medicine, Theology,
Schools
Law, Etc.)
Combined Junior-Senior
Asilo nido
High Schools (6 - 6)

PH. D. OR ADVANCED
ASSOCIATE DEGREE MASTER'S
BACHELOR'S DEGREE PROFESSIONAL
OR CERTIFICATE DEGREE
DEGREE

U.S. Department of Education & NCES, 2001

162
 ‘Colleges and universities’
Post secondary education = tertiary level education; apply
for admission = ask to be admitted; admission criteria =
requirements to be admitted; grades earned = marks; grade
point average = average mark; test scores = test results; undergraduate
grades = marks received while attending degree
courses; graduate study = study aft er the university
degree; charge fees = make students pay taxes; win scholarship
= manage to have a study grant; pay for tuition = pay
the fees; student loan =money borrowed from a bank.

1. Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. 2. The University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, was
founded and designed by Thomas Jefferson in the

Colleges and universities

early 1800s.

P ost secondary education is known as

college or university and commonly
consists of four years of study. Students
apply for admission to college. Admission
criteria involve the grades earned in high
school courses taken, the student’s grade
point average (GPA), standardized test
scores.
The students in the four undergraduate
grades are called freshmen, sophomores,
juniors and seniors. A four-year
undergraduate course leads to a Bachelor’s
Degree, e.g. Bachelor of Arts (B.A.),
Bachelor of Science (B.S.), etc. Graduate
study leads to a more advanced degree such
as a Master’s Degree, e.g. Master of Arts
(M.A.), etc. After additional years of study,
students may earn a Doctor’s Degree such
as Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), etc.
All states have their own universities.
25% of all American colleges are privately-
owned religious organizations, though
most accept students of all faiths; many
others are otherwise privately owned.
All colleges charge fees – except to
those very fortunate, very gifted students
who win scholarships to particular
colleges for particular studies, among
2. WRITING
them High School athletes or players who
have proved to be good. In order to pay Using the
for tuition many students try to obtain a information from the texts and
student loan or to find a part-time job. the table, write a short essay on
Ivy League Colleges are a group education in the USA. Make also
of eight private east-coast universities a comparison with education in
(Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, your country and point out the
Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, advantages and disadvantages
Princeton and Yale) which are renowned that you think each system offers.
for their high academic standard.

3. H
 arvard University students attend commencement ceremonies June 4, 2009 in Harvard Yard in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, this year marks the 358th year of graduation ceremonies at the university, considered
the oldest in the nation. 4. A student doing a part time job.

163
 American Holidays and Festivals

I n the USA there are federal, state and local holidays. Federal holidays are celebrated all
over the country. Among them the best loved are Thanksgiving and Independence Day.
1. SPEAKING
Look at the pictures on the left
referring to some of the main
A B American festivities and describe
what you see. Then read the
captions below and match them
with its picture.
1. Chinese New Year is
celebrated in all Chinese
American communities,
particularly in San Francisco
Chinatown.
C 2. For St Patrick’s Day Irish people
wear green clothes and a
shamrock.
3. M
 artin Luther King Day was
D
established as a US national
holiday in 1986.
4. People wear red poppies on
Memorial Day.
5. For Halloween Jack o’ Lanterns
are supposed to scare away
evil spirits. They are made
by hollowing big pumpkins,
cutting holes for eyes, nose and
mouth, and placing a candle
F
inside.
E 6. On Independence Day people
hang flags and decorations in
the streets and organize street
parties with food and music.
7. Military veterans parade in
many towns on Veterans Day.
8. Food is an important part of
Thanksgiving celebrations.

2. LISTENING TRACK 24
G H Listen to some young people
interviewed about their favourite
holidays. For each of them make
a card like this and fill it in.

NAME
HOMETOWN
HOLIDAY
CELEBRATIONS
172
American festivals 3. WWW

A ttending a festival is a way to get to know local culture. Throughout the year you can
find festivals all over the country, with themes ranging from food to art, to music.
Surf the Internet and find out
when the festivals below are held
and their main attractions. All the
festivals in the list refer to food
except three: which ones? What
T he Coachella Valley Music and
Arts Festival in California is
currently the king of US musical
are they about?

festivals. Lollapalooza (Chicago, ILL), 4. WRITING

Bannaroo (Nashville, TEN) or touring
festivals such as Ozzfest (heavy
metal and hard rock) are attended
by thousands of people. Summerfest
also known as ’the big gig’, runs for
11 days in Milwaukee, WI, and is the
word’s biggest music festival, while
Newport Folk Festival (Newport, RI) is
one of the oldest folk music festival
in North America.
1. Texas Folklife Festival poster.
Answer the questions below.
Then write a short essay about
your country’s festivities, using
your answers.
1. Who is the patron saint of the
town/village where you live?
When is his/her day? What
celebrations are held on that
day?
2. Are there any other non-religious
festivals in your area? Do you
have special food or wear special
clothes on that day?
3. Do you have celebrations for
any important historical events?
4. Can you think of a national
holiday in your country? When
is it? What happened on that
day? What celebrations are held
on the anniversary? Do you
have parades, shows, flags, etc.?
Do you think it is important to
celebrate the anniversary of
important historical events?
5. What nationality are you? Are
you proud of it? Why/Why not?
What do you think of patriotism?

2. During the 1950s Barnesville was known as the potato capital of the world. Potato Days has been celebrated
since the 1930’s.  3. Peanut festival.

NAME PLACE TIME THEMES/EVENTS

1. The Maple Festival Highland Country (VA)
2. The Cherry Blossom Festival Washington (DC)
3. The Garlic Festival Girloy (CA)
Chapter 3 - Society and Lifestyle

4. The Watermelon Festival Hope (AR)

5. Texas Folklife Festival San Antonio (TX)
6. The Maine Lobster Festival Rockland (ME)
7. Potato Days Barnesville (MN)
8. The Turkey Festival Cuero (TX)
9. The Cranberry Festival Warrens (WI)
10. The National Peanut Festival Dothan (AL)
11. The Carrot Festival Holtville (CA)
12. The Grape Festival Naples (NY)
173