DIVISION OF

LITERATURE & CULTURE

 COURSE OUTLINE
Course Name: American Culture
No. of Credits: 2
Course Length: 30 periods/ 15 classes/ 15 weeks
Course Prerequisites: None
Course Objectives:
This course aims to provide learners with general knowledge of American culture in
terms of geography, people, language, media, entertainment and milestone events in
the country’s history. This course also enhances learners’ competence in comparing
and contrasting American’s culture to their own culture, while exposing students more
intensively with experience for improved independent and collaborative learning
through pair and group assignments.

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon completing this course, learners will be able
- IDENTIFY different aspects of American Culture regarding geographical
features, ethnic groups, media, entertainment and milestone events in the
American history;
- EXPLAIN the structure of American political, educational and religious
systems;
- COMPARE different aspects of American culture with learners’ own cultures;
- FOSTER skills of thinking critically and working individually and effectively in a
team to handle assignments relating to American Culture.

Teaching and Learning modes

Teachers will conduct mini-lectures as whole class activities. Learners are to work in
groups on problem-solving tasks and translation practice. Through this course,
learners will be able to work collaboratively and independently with authentic
materials and acquire enhanced competency in American cultural issues.

Course Assessment
 On-going Assessment 50%
o Attendance and In-class participation 10%
o Role-play 10%
o Presentation (Group Project) 30%
 End-of-term Assessment (Final Written Test) 50%
 CONTENTS

1. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.................................................................. 3

2. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE......................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

3. LANGUAGESIN THE UNITED STATES............................................................ 28

4. OVERVIEW OF U.S. HISTORY...........................................................................27
5. THE U.S. CONSTITUTION.................................................................................. 38
6. EDUCATION........................................................................................................ 76
7. RELIGION.............................................................................................................86
8. THE AMERICAN WAY
FAMILY LIFE.................................................................................................... 82
FOOD.................................................................................................................. 85
HOUSES IN THE US.......................................................................................... 87
MEDIA................................................................................................................90
9. SPORTSAND ENTERTIAMNENT
BASEBALL........................................................................................................ 96
TWO KINDS OF FOOTBALL............................................................................99
JAZZ..................................................................................................................100
WHAT IS POP.................................................................................................. 104
 THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
The United States of America is called by several different names, both by people
who live there and by people in other countries, These names include the USA, the
United States, the US, the States and America. The official name, the United States of
America, first appears in the Declaration of Independence of 1776, when the country
was called 'the thirteen United States of America.
Capital Washington, D.C,
Largest city New York City
Major language English
Government Democratic Federal republic
Area 3,794,083 ms2 (9,631,418km2)
Population 298 million (US Census Bureau estimate, 2006)
Monetary unit 1 US dollar = 100 cents
The Geography of The United States
The United States is the fourth largest country in the world in land area.
Forty-eight of the fifty states are in the middle of the North American continent between
the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west, Jt is about 3000 miles
(4800 kilometers) from the east coast to the west coast and about 1500 miles (2400
kilometers) from the Canadian border on the north to the Mexican border on the south.
The island state of Hawaii is in the Pacific Ocean, and the state of Alaska is northwest of
Canada.
The map of the next page shows the geography of the United States. The two main
mountain ranges run north and south - the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern part of
the United States and the Rocky Mountains in the west. Between them are the Great
Plains. There is another mountain chain west of the Rockies ~ the Sierra Nevada and the
Cascade ranges.
The longest river in the United States is the Mississippi. The Missouri and Ohio
Rivers flow into the Mississippi, and the Mississippi flows south into the Gulf of
Mexico. The major rivers in the western part of the United States are Colorado and the
Rio Grande. The highest mountains of the Rockies form the Continental Divide. Rivers
to the east of the divide flow east, and rivers to the west .of if flow into the Pacific
Ocean.
 The Great Lakes on the northern border of the country are Lake Superior, Lake
Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. The Great Salt Lake is in a desert
area in the western part of the United States. The Mojave, the Gila, and the Painted
Deserts are in the southwestern part of the country.
(From About the USA, Elgin Kirn)

The Fifty States

The USA is divided into 50 states.
0 Practice the pronunciation of line names of the states
Alabama Hawaii Massachusetts New Mexico South Dakota
Alaska Idaho Michigan New York Tennessee
Arizona Illinois Minnesota North Carolina Texas
Arkansas Indiana Mississippi North Dakota Utah
California Iowa Missouri Ohio Vermont
Colorado Kansas Montana Oklahoma Virginia
Connecticut Kentucky Nebraska Oregon Washington
Delaware Louisiana Nevada Pennsylvania West Virginia
Florida Maine New Hampshire Rhode Island Wisconsin
Georgia Maryland Now Jersey South Carolina Wyoming
Postal abbreviations for the states
• Each state has a postal abbreviation of 2 letters that people use when they address an
envelope
You are to match the postal abbreviations with the states.
AL MO RJ CT HI
CA NH SC GA IL
CO NJ OK ID KY
FL NM TX IA MT
MA NY UT OH NV
ICS NC TN WA VT
MD ND SD VA MS
ME AR WI WV MI
LA OR WY AZ IN
HE AK PA DE MN
 WORD SEARCH PUZZLE
Find the names of 20 states in the puzzle. They can be horizontal or vertical
A L A S K A A N E R L A N V
L R L R A R R K E I K T O E
A S N C S B I A M F S E S R
B L I I T A Z N T L S L P M
A V S 0 N R O S E 0 H I O O
M I Y W L I N A O R E G 0 N
A R K A N S A S R I H N R T
I G E D L E H A I D A H O W
N I N E B K A S K A W T N Y
D N T N E M G L T S A E E O
I I U F A A J A E R I X V M
A A C A L I P O R N I A A I
N A K E T N J T W I V S D N
A X Y N L E G E 0 R G I A G

• TEN LARGEST METROPOLITAN AREAS IN THE UNITED STATES

Here is a list of the 10 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. Listen to the
cassette and fill in their populations.
1. New York City, -including northern New Jersey and Long Island:....... …
2. Los Angeles, California, including Riverside and Orange Country: .......... ...
3. Chicago, Illinois, including Gary, Indiana, and Kenosha, Wisconsin: ......
4. Washington, D.C and Baltimore, Maryland :...... .....
5. San Francisco, California, including Oakland and San Jose:............
6. Philadelphia, .Pennsylvania, including Wilmington, Delaware, and Atlantic
City, New Jersey;…………..
7. Boston, Massachusetts, including Brockton, Massachusetts, and Nashua, New
Hampshire:..................
8. Detroit, Michigan, including Ann Arbor and Flint:..... ...........
9. Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas:................
10. Houston and Galveston, Texas :...........
 * STATE CAPITALS
Sometimes a state capital is also the largest city in the state. Match the names of
the capital cities to the states.
1. Hawaii a. Columbia
2. Indiana b. Santa Fe.
3. Georgia c. Atlanta
4. Oklahoma d. Honolulu
5. Massachusetts e. Indianapolis
6. South Carolina f. Alban
7. New Mexico g. Boston
8. New York h. Oklahoma City
9. Texas i. Sacramento
10. California j. Austin

The Flag of the United States (the Stars and Stripes)

1. How many stars are there in the flag?

2. What do the stars stand for?
3. How many stripes are there?
4. What do the stripes represent?
 THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER
by Francis Scott Key
* Listen to the national anthem on the cassette and fill in the missing words below
1. Oh, say, can you ............ 3. And the rocket’s……….. glare,
By the dawn’s early............... The bombs bursting in.............. ,
What so proudly................ hailed Gave proof...........the night
At the twilight’s .............. gleaming? That our............ was still there.

2. Whose broad........... and bright..... 4. Oh, say, does that............ .

Through the perilous................, Spangled Banner yet wave
O’er the ramparts we........... . O’er the land of the..............
Were............... gallantly streaming? And the.......... of the brave?

* CLOZE
Read the following information about the United States. Try to fill in the blanks
with the correct words. After you have filled in as much as you can, listen to the cassette
and fill all blanks.
The country in the center of this map is the United States of America. It is located
on the continent of North America. Let’s look at the borders of the country first. The
United States has borders with just (1)………… other countries. The country to the
north of the United States is (2)………… Mexico is to the (3) …………
Many important bodies of water are located in and around the United States. The
Atlantic Ocean is to the (4) . ………… of the United States, and the (5) …………
Ocean is to the west. To the south, next to Mexico, is the Gulf of Mexico. The largest
group of (6). ………… in the world is located on the border between the United States
and Canada, in ¡he eastern half of the country. These are called the (7) ………… Lakes,
and there are five of them: Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, In die
southwestern part of the United States is the Rio Grande River, it forms part of the
(8) ………… with Mexico. The most important river in the country, the Mississippi
River, flows through the (9) ………… of the country, from near the Great Lakes to the
Gulf of Mexico. It is part of a large river system including the (10) ………… River,
which flows in from the west, and the Ohio River, which flows in from the
(11)…………
 While the center of the United States is quite flat, there are (12) …………
mountain ranges in the west and in the (13) ………… In the West are the (14) …………
mountains. They are a younger, higher range with many sharp, snowcapped peaks. The
Appalachian (15) …………are in the east. They are an older, lower range, and they look
rounded and very green.
The United States is divided into (16) ………… states. Forty-eight states are on the
map here. The two (17) ………… states, Alaska and Hawaii, are separated from these
forty-eight Alaska, the (18) ………… state, is to the northwest, bordering on Canada,
Hawaii is a group of islands in the (19) ………… Ocean, to the southwest of the
continental United States. Some of the important cities in the United States are marked
on the map. Look for the star. The star represents Washington, D.C., the (20) …………
of the United States. Washington, D.C is a federal district, located (21) ………… the
states of Maryland and Virginia in the middle of the East Coast. Other important cities
are represented on the map by circles. They include New York, in the Northeast,
(22) …………, in the Southeast, Houston, in Texas near the Gulf of Mexico, Los
Angeles, on the West Coast in California, and (23) ………… in the North, on the Lake
Michigan, one of the Great Lakes.
The government of the United States counts the population every ten years in a
census, According to the 1990 census, the population of the United States is about
249,000,000.
(from Talking about the USA, Janet Giannotti & Suzanne Male Szwarcewicz)
* The Regions of the United States
The fifty states in the United States can be divided into nine regions, plus Alaska and
Hawaii, which are separate.
The text below provides the information about the regions. Work with your
classmates to fill in the spaces on the map with the names of the regions as well as their
resources and products.
The first region on the map is New England, in the Northeast. In New England, the
winters are generally cold and snowy. Summers have a few hot days. You can see green
mountains and maple trees in New England, You can eat lobsters and cod fish,
especially in Maine and New Hampshire.
Next, moving to the south and west, is the Mid-Atlantic Region. This region is the
financial center of the United States. There are large cities in the region, such as New
York and Philadelphia. There are many historic places in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
The third region on the map is the Appalachian Highland Region. In the
Appalachian Highland, you can find coal mines and horse farms. The mountains in the
west gradually lead into a coastal plain in the east. Winters are cold, and summers are
cool in the mountains. The coastal plain has a moderate climate.
Fourth in Southeast, a center of cotton and peanut farming. The Southeast Region
has a lot of natural pine forests. Summers are very hot, and winters, generally, are not
very cold.
Moving back to the north, the fifth region is the Great Lakes Region. It contains
the industrial center of the country and also produces a lot of dairy products. Much of the
land in this region is very flat. Winters are cold and summers are hot.
The Heartland, the flat land just to the east of the Rockies, is the sixth region on the
map. It is also called the nation's Bread Basket because of the wheat, corn, and oats
grown on large farms there. Winters can be very cold in this region.
The seventh region is called the Southwest, It is a fiats dry area where you can find
cactus, cattle, and oil. The weather is generally hot, except in the mountains.
There is a lot of mining in the Mountain Region, named for the Rocky Mountains.
There are also large ranches for cattle and sheep in this region. Winters are very cold in
the mountains, and it snows well into the spring months.
Continuing west, the ninth region is the Pacific Coast, the center of the movie and
television industry. It has a lot of fruit fanning and is cool and rainy in the northern part.
The last two regions are made up of just one state each. Alaska is cold and snowy.
Oil and fishing are the major industries. Hawaii has palm trees, sugar cane, and
pineapples.
(from Talking about the USA, Janet Giannotti &, Suzanne Mete Szwarcewicz)
 ECONOMY
The economic system of the United States can be described as a capitalist mixed
economy, in which corporations, other private firms, and individuals make most
microeconomic decisions, and governments prefer to take a smaller role in the domestic
economy, although the combined role of all levels of government is relatively large, at
36% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The U.S. has a small social safety net, and
regulation of businesses is slightly less than the average of developed countries. The
United States' median household income in 2005 was $43,318.
Economic activity varies greatly across the country. For example, New York City
is the center of the American financial, publishing, broadcasting, and advertising
industries, while Los Angeles is the most important center for film and television
production. The San Francisco Bay Area and the Pacific Northwest are major centers for
technology. The Midwest is known for its reliance on manufacturing and heavy industry,
with Detroit serving as the historic center of the American automotive industry, and
Chicago serving as the business and financial capital of the region. The Southeast is a
major area for agriculture, tourism, and the lumber industry, and, because of wages and
costs below the national average, it continues to attract manufacturing.
The largest sector in the United States economy is services, which employs
roughly three quarters of the work force
The economy is fueled by abundance in natural resources such as coal, petroleum,
and precious metals. However, the country still depends for much of its energy on
foreign countries. In agriculture, the country is a top producer of corn, soy beans, rice,
and wheat, with the Great Plains labeled as the "breadbasket of the world" for its
tremendous agricultural output. The U.S, has a large tourist industry, ranking third in the
world, and is also a major exporter in goods such as airplanes, steel, weapons, and
electronics, Canada accounts for 19% (more than any other nation) of the United States’
foreign trade, followed by China, Mexico, and Japan.
While the per capita income of the United States is among the highest in the world,
the wealth is comparatively concentrated, with approximately 40% of the population
earning less than an average resident of western Europe and the top 20% earning
substantially more, Since 1975, the U.S. has a "two-tier" labor market in which virtually
all the real income gains have gone to the top 20% of households. This polarization is
the result of a relatively high level of economic freedom.
The social mobility of U.S. residents relative to that of other countries is the
subject of much debate, Some analysts have found that social mobility in the United
States is low relative io other OECD states, specifically compared to Western Europe,
Scandinavia and Canada. Low social mobility may stem in part from the U.S.
educational system. Public education in. the United States is funded mainly by local
property taxes supplemented by state revenues. This frequently results in a wide
difference in funding between poor districts or poor states and more affluent
jurisdictions, in addition, the practice of legacy preference at elite universities gives
preference to the children of alumni, who are often wealthy. This practice reduces
available spaces for better-qualified lower income students. Some analysts argue that
relative social mobility in the U.S. peaked in the 1960s and declined rapidly beginning
in the 1980s. Former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan has also
suggested that that the growing income inequality and low class mobility of the U.S.
economy may eventually thr eaten the entire system in the near future.
(from Wikipedia - The free Encyclopedia)
Sources
About the USA, Elian Kim, the Office Of English Language Programs, Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs, The United States Department of State, Washington
DC 20547, 1989
Talking about the USA: an Active Introduction to an Culture, Janet Giannotti and
Suzanne Mele Szwarcewics, Prentice Hall Regents, 1996
Wikipedia - The free Encyclopedia: http://en. wikipedia.org/wiki/United States
United States Map
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-577984-map of united states-i
Suggested reading
Portrait of the USA, published by the United States Information Agency, 1979
http://iisinfo.state.gov/iisa/infousa/facts/factover/homepafie.htm
CIA - The World Factbook Entry for United States
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.htlm
Country profile: United States of America
http://news.bbc,co.uk/l/hi/world/Americas/country_profiles/1217752.stm
 The United States has the third-largest population in the world (after China and
India), in 1990, the population in the United States passed the 250,060,000 mark. Who
are the American people?
The most distinctive characteristic of the United States is its people. As nineteenth-
century poet Walt Whitman said, the United States “is not merely a nation but a nation
of nations”. People from around the world have come to the United States and
influenced its history and culture.
The Native Americans
The first people on the American continent came from Asia. They came across the
Bering Strait from Siberia to Alaska at various times when the sea level dropped. The
first migration might have been as early as 40,000 years ago. Once in America, these
people migrated east across North America and south through Central and South
America. When Columbus arrived in the Fifteenth century, there were perhaps 10
million people in North America alone. They had developed many different kinds of
societies. There were people, that Columbus called “Indians”, in the mistaken belief that
he had reached the East Indies.
The story of the westward growth of the United States was also the story of the
destruction of the Native Americans, or Indians. Today there are about 1,5 million
Indians in the United States, Western states-especially California, Oklahoma, Arizona
and New Mexico-have the largest Indian populations. About one-third of the Native
Americans live on reservations, land that was set aside for them. Most of the others live
in cities. Poverty and unemployment are major problems, especially on the reservations.
The British
Beginning in the 1600s, the British settled the eastern part of North America. By
the time of the American Revolution (1776), the culture of the American colonists (their
religion, language, government, etc.) was thoroughly British-with an American “twist.”
In a sense, then, the British culture was the foundation on which America was built.
Also, over the years, many immigrants to the United States have come from the United
Kingdom and Ireland.
African-Americans
From 1620 to 1820 by far the largest group of people to come to the United States
came, not as willing immigrants, but against their will. These people were West
Africans brought to work as slaves, especially on the plantations, or large farms,, of the
South. In all, about 8 million people were brought from Africa.
The Civil War, in the 1860s, ended slavery and established equal rights for black
Americans. But many states, especially in the South, passed laws, segregating
(separating) and discriminating against black Americans, The Civil rights movement, in
the 1950s and 1960s, helped get rid of these laws.
However, the effects of 200 years of slavery, 100 years of segregation, and
continued prejudice are not as easy to get rid of. Despite many changes, black
Americans are still much more likely than white Americans to be poor and to suffer the
bad effects that poverty brings. Today about 12 percent of America’s population is black.
Many black Americans live in the South and in the cities of the Northeast and Midwest.
Immigrants from Northern and Western Europe
Beginning in the 1820s, the number of immigrants coming to the United States
began to increase rapidly. Faced with problems in Europe-poverty, war,
discrimination-immigrants hoped for, and often found, better opportunities in the United
States. For the first half-century, most immigrants were from northwestern Europe-from
Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden, and Norway. In the late 1840s, for
example, widespread hunger resulting from the failure of the potato crop Sed many Irish
people to emigrate United States.
During these years, the .United States was expanding into what is now the
Midwest. There was a lot of and available for farming. Many new immigrants became
farmers, in the Midwest. To this day, German and Scandinavian influence is obvious in
Midwestern foods and festivals.
Immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe
Although immigration from northwestern Europe continued, from the 1870s to the
1930s even more people came from the countries of southern and eastern Europe-for
example, Italy, Greece, Poland, and Russia. Like the earlier immigrants, they came to
escape poverty and discrimination. From 1900 to 1910 alone, almost 9 million people
arrived from these and other countries.
During this period, the United States was changing from a mainly agricultural to a
mainly industrial country. The new immigrants helped make this change possible. Many
settled in cities and worked in factories, often under conditions that were quite bad.
 In the 1920s discrimination and prejudice in the United States led to laws limiting
immigration, immigration showed down until the 1960s when these laws were changed,
Hispanics Americans
Hispanics are people of Spanish or Spanish-American origin, Some Hispanics
lived in areas that later became part of the United States (for example, in what are now
the states of California add New Mexico). Many others immigrated to the United States.
Hispanic immigration has increased greatly in. recent decades.
Hispánica come from many different countries. Three especially Urge groups are
Mexican-Americans (who, make up about two-thirds of the total Hispanic population),
Puerto Ricans, and Cuban-Americans, (Puerto Rico was a U,S, territory and since 1952
has been a self-governing, Commonwealth.) While the groups have much in common
(especially the Spanish language), there are also many differences, The groups are also
concentrated in different areas-Mexican-Americans in Texas and California, Puerto
Ricans in New York, and Cuban-Americans in Florida. Many recent immigrants are
from Central American countries.
Hispanics are one of the largest, growing groups, in the United States population.
Within 25 years, they will be the largest minority group.
Asian -Americans
In the nineteenth century, laws limited Asian immigration. Also, Asians in the
United States, such as the Chinese and Japanese who had come to California, met with
widespread discrimination.
Since the mid-1960s, with changes in immigration laws and with conflicts in
Southeast Asia, Asians have been a major immigrant group. In the 1980s, for example,
almost half of all immigrants were Asian. Countries that. Asian-Americans have come
from include China and Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia,
Laos, Thailand, and India. Many have settled in California, Hawaii, New York, and
Texas.
Melting Pots and Mosaics
For years, .it was thought that the United States was and should be a “melting pot”
-in other words, that people from all over the world would come and adopt tire
American culture as their own. More recently, some people have compared the United
States to a mosaic-a picture made of many different pieces. America’s strength, they
argue, lies in its diversity and in the contributions made by people of many different
cultures. America needs to preserve and encourage this diversity, while making sure that
everyone has equal opportunity to succeed.
(from Spotlight on the USA, Ran dee Falk)

Complete the chart with the information from the text above.
…………………. Africa ………………........ ….…………
…………………. (slaves) ………………....... ….………… Asia

1 1 1 1
1600 1700 1800 1900

First ……………… Farms in Industrial ………………

Settlements ……………… Midwest cites ………………

Discussion points
What do ‘melting pot’ and ‘mosaic’ refer to?
What do you think are some of the advantages and disadvantages of each?
POPULATION GROWTH: THE GREAT IMMIGRATION
In 1850 the population of United States was about 23,000,000. In 1930 it was
123,000,000. What was the average increase per year for that 80-year period? Much of
the great increase in population was due to a great immigration from abroad, mostly
from Europe, Today, many people in the United States have ancestors who came during
that time,
• The chart, below shows some of the years in the period of great immigration, the
number of immigrants who arrived in those years, and an example of the number who
arrived from the specific countries:.
Listen to the information on the cassette and fill in-the years, numbers, and
countries in the chart,
Total number of Number of
Year Country
immigrants that year immigrants
1851 221,000
428,000 215,000
1870 Great Britain
1873 20,000
789,000 Scandinavia
1,285,000 The former Soviet Union
1914 28-4,000
1921 805,0.00

ELLIS ISLAND, IMMIGRATION STATION

When many immigrants arrived in the United States from Europe by ship, most of
them passed through an immigration station on Ellis Island in New York,
* CLOZE
Read the following information about Ellis Island. Try to fill in the blanks with the
correct word. After you have filled in as much as you can, listen to the cassette to fill all
the blanks,
Ellis Island is (1)………….. mile south of Manhattan Island in New York City,
near the Statue of Liberty. It was an immigration station from (2) …………..to
(3)………….. In that time, (4) ………….. immigrants passed through Ellis Island. That
was (5) ………….. % of all immigrants who entered the United States in that period.
The immigrants arrived from (6) …………..by ship. On Ellis Island they received
(7) …………..examination and interviews about where they planned to (8) …………..
and (9) ………….. Then they bought train tickets there and continued on the new
homes.
Ellis Island was closed for many years. In (10) ………….., it became part of the
Statue of Liberty National Monument. It was renovated between (11) ………….. and
(12) ………….., and it was opened as an immigration museum in 1990.
 LANGUAGES IN THE UNITED STATES
The United States is (as of 2004) the home of approximately 336 languages
(spoken or signed) of which 176 are indigenous to the area.
Official language status
The United States does not have an official language; nevertheless, American
English^ referred to in the US as simply English) is the language used for legislation,
regulations, executive orders, treaties, federal court rulings, and all other official
pronouncements. Many individual states have adopted English as their official language,
and several states and territories are .officially, bilingual:
*Louisiana (English and French),
* New Mexico (English and Spanish),
* Hawaii (Hawaiian English and Hawaiian),
*Puerto Rico (Spanish and English),
*Guam (Chamorro and English),
* American Samoa (Samoan and English); and one is officially trilingual:
* Northern Mariana Islands (English, Chamorro, and Carolinian);
Until the 1950s, Pennsylvania was officially bilingual in English and German.
Native American languages are official or co-official on many of the US Indian
reservations and Pueblos.
In 2000, the census bureau printed tire standard census questionnaires in six
languages: English, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin (in traditional Chinese characters),
Vietnamese, and Tagalog. The English-Only movement seeks to establish English as the
only official language of the entire nation.
Immigrant languages
The U.S has long been the destination of many immigrants. From the mid-19th
century on, the nation had large numbers of residents who spoke little or no English, and
throughout the country state laws, constitutions, and legislative proceedings appeared in
the languages of politically important immigrant groups. There have been bilingual
schools and local newspapers in such languages as German, Irish, Italian, Norwegian,
Greek, Polish, Swedish, Czech, Japanese, Yiddish, Welsh,. Cantonese, etc, Currently,
Asian languages account for the majority of languages spoken in immigrant
communities: Korean, various Chinese languages, Hindi,Telugu, Vietnamese, and
Tagalog.
(from Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia)
American English
There are about twice as many speakers of American English as of other varieties
of English, and four times as many as speaker of British English. The leading position of
the US in world affairs is partly responsible for this. Americanisms have also been
spread through advertising, tourism, telecommunications and the cinema. As a result;
forms of English used in Britain, Australia, etc. have become less distinct. But there
remain many differences in idiom and vocabulary, especially in British and American
English. For most people, however, the most distinctive feature of American English is
its accent.
The development of America English
British people who went to the US in the 17th century spoke a variety of dialects.
After they reached the US their language developed independently of British English,
New words were added for food, plants, animal, etc. not found in Britain. Many were
taken from the Indian languages of Native Americans. The languages of Dutch and
French settlers, and of the huge numbers of immigrants entering the US in 19lh and 20th
centuries; also contributed to the development of American English, inventions such as
electric lighting, the typewriter, telephone and television added large numbers of words
to the language and these, with the inventions, soon spread to Britain.
Regional differences
General American English (GAE) is the dialect that is closest to being a standard.
It is especially common in the Midwest but it is used in many parts of the US. The
associated Midwestern accent is spoken across most of the northern states, and by many
people elsewhere.
The main dialect groups are the Northern, the Coastal Southern, the Midland, from
which QAE is derived, and the Western. The main differences between them are in
accent, but some words are restricted to particular dialects because the item they, refer to
is not found elsewhere: grits, for example, is eaten mainly in the south, and is considered
to be a Southern word.
Northern dialects spread west from New York and Boston. New England has its
own accent. The old, rich families of Boston speak with a distinctive Bostonian accent
which is similar to Britain’s RP.
Midland dialects developed after settlers moved west from Philadelphia. Both
midland and Western dialects contain features from the Northern and Southern groups.
There are increasing differences within the Western group, as South-western dialects
have been influenced by Mexican Spanish.
The Southern dialects are most distinctive. They contain old words no longer used
in other American dialects, e.g. kinfolk for ‘relative’ and hand for ‘farm worker’.
French, Spanish and native-American languages also contributed to Southern
dialects. Since black slaves were taken mainly to the South and most African Americans
still live there, Black English and Southern dialects have much in common. The accent
is a Southern drawl which even foreigners recognize American “r” at the end of a word
is often omitted, so that door is pronounced /dou/, and diphthongs are replaced with
simple vowels, so that hide is pronounced /ha:d/. Some people use y'all AS a plural form
of 'you’. This is more common in speech than in writing.
Southern dialects and accents are often thought by other Americans to be inferior.
Black English and Cajun English may also be less acceptable. Both varieties are
restricted to particular ethnic or social general feelings about those groups.
America official language?
For a long time English helped to unite immigrants who had come from many
countries. Now, Hispanic immigrants, especially in south-western states, want to
continue to use their own language, and many Americans are afraid that this will divide
the country. The Hispanic population is growing and will reach 80 million by 2050.
This situation led to the founding of the English Only Movement, which wants to
make English the official language of the US. Supporters believe that this will help keep
states and people together, and that money spent on printing forms, etc. in both English
and Spanish would be better spent on teaching the immigrants English. Others think that
American official language is unnecessary. They argue that children of immigrants, and
their children, will want to speak English anyway, and that a common language does not
always lead to social harmony,
(from Oxford Guide to American and British Culture)
* Answer these questions
1. What is the major language in the USA?
 2. In what ways did American English develop independently of British English?
3. What is Bostonian accent like?
4. Who are Hispanic immigrants?
5. What is the English Only Movement?
Do people in the USA support the movement?

AMERICAN ENGLISH AND BRITISH ENGLISH

Written English is more or less the same in both Britain and the USA, and hi
everyday speech the two peoples have little difficulty in understanding one another. In
fact, the Americans have exported a large number of their words and phrases to British.
Britain - through literature, the movies, TV, American soldiers during both world
wars, and tourists. The following words and phrases, among countless others are
of American origin: teenager, boyfriend, radio, commuter, (football) fan, aisle
(way down the middle of a church, train or theater), hold-up (robbery), right away
(at once), slip up (make a mistake), heat up (give someone a beating), let’s face it
(let's admit), be in the red (in debt to your bank), way of life.
Some of the words that Americans now use come from the languages of their
immigrants, particularly from the Germans, who make up a large proportion of
the country’s-population. The basic-meaning-of "dumb” in both British and
American English, is “unable to speaks”. In the USA it acquired a second
meaning, “stupid,” straight from the German “dumm" (stupid), and this second
meaning has now crossed the Atlantic to Britain. As the German immigrants
learned English, they sometimes translated literally from their own language. For
example, “ausfullen” became “to fill out" (a form, etc,), and-the Americans
have-adopted “fill out” instead of the British. English “fill in” though some
Britons now use “fill out.”
Of course, there are some .American words that are peculiar to the USA and
are quite different from their equivalents in the rest of the English-speaking world.
Here is a list of some of the most important.
Am. English Brit. English
elevator lift
faucet tap
bathtub bath
drapes curtains
apartment flat
apartment house block of flats
antenna (radio) aerial
sidewalk pavement
pavement roadway (surface)
truck lorry (also truck)
garbage, trash rubbish
garbage can dustbin
check (restaurant, store etc.) bill
to line up to queue sweets
candy Co. (Company)
Inc. (Incorporated) hire a car
rent a car lounge or
living room sitting room or
front-room or
drawing room
or living room
presently at the moment
Hudson, Ohio River etc. River Thames, Tyne etc.
in the fall in autumn
cookie sweet biscuit
President (in business) Managing Director
subway underground railway
first floor ground floor
 To those who speak, or learn American English "to wash up” means to
wash one’s hands, but in British English it means to wash the dishes.
The words for the toilet can also cause confusion, although the word toilet
itself is common to both languages
Am. English Brit. English
comfort station public convenience
restroom ladies/gents
bathroom lavatory
little boy’s room w.c.
little/girl’s room loo
the join lav
There are complications, too, with

There are complications, too, with the time, the date and with numbers.

Am. English Brit. English

What time do you have?
What time is it?
a quarter after four (4:15)
a quarter of five (4:45)
Monday through Friday
July fourth, or fourth
of July (in speech)
April 12, 1981 would appear in a hotel register, on a birth certificate, at the
top of a letter, etc. as:
4/12/81 (month first) in USA
Also,
Am. English
one hundred one (in speech)
one billion
1,000,000,000 (109)
What’s the time? What time do
you make it?
a quarter past four (4:15)
a quarter to five (4:45)
(from) Monday to Friday July
the fourth
12/4/81 (day first) in UK
Brit. English
one hundred and one
one billion
1,000,000,000,000 (1012)
 Americans and British use different greetings. In the USA the commonest
greeting is “Hi!”. In Britain it is “Hallo!” or “How are you?” “Hi!” is creeping
into British English too. When they are introduced to someone, the Americans say
“Glad to know you”. The British say ‘How do you do? or “Pleased to meet you." When
Americans say “goodbye", they nearly always add “Have a good day" or “Have a good
trip etc. to friends and strangers alike. Britons are already beginning to use "Have a good
day."
The British constantly use “got” in the sense of “have". The Americans hardly ever
do.
Am. English: Do you have a car, room, etc.? Yes, 1 do.
Brit. English: Have you got a car, room, etc.? Yes, I have.

Pronunciation can often cause misunderstandings:

Am, English Brit- English

apricot (a as in tap) apricot (a as in tape)
progress (o as in fog) progress (o as in grow)
simultaneous (i as in ice) simultaneous (i as in him)
semi (i as in ice) semi (i as in bit)
leisure (ei as in freeze) leisure (ei as in let)
clerk (er as in serve) clerk (er as in dark)
geyser (ey as in fry) geyser (ey as in freeze)
new (ew as in soon) new (ew as in you)
tomato (a as in late) tomato (a as in part)
mobile (rhymes with noble) mobile (-bile as in mile)

Often it is the stress on one syllable or the other which is different:

Am. English Brit .English
debris debris
momentarily (a as in air) momentarily (a almost not
(meaning.in a moment) heard at ail) (meaning for a moment)
advertisement (i as in fry) advertisement (i as in bit)
aluminum aluminium (note different spelling)
 Finally, there are a number of differences between American and British English
in the spelling of words, e.g. check (US)/cheque (UK); center (US); centre (UK). Many
American English words ending in or, e.g. honor, vigor, labor are spelt in British
English with an our, e.g. honour, vigour, labour. Many verbs in American English with
ize or izing forms, e.g, organize, realizing, are spelt in British English ise or ising, e.g,
organise, realising. In American English, "practice” is used both for the verb and noun.
In British English, the verb is spelt "practise,” and the noun "practice.” In the main,
American English avoids the doubling up of consonants in nouns and verbs while
British English does not. In American English, for example, one writes "travel, traveled,
traveling, traveler”, while in British English, one writes "travel, travelled, travelling,
traveller”.
It was once predicted that British and American English would draw so far apart,
that eventually they would become separate languages. The opposite has happened. The
links between the two countries are so strong that linguistically, and probably culturally
too, they are closer together than ever.
(from Background to the USA, Richard Musman)
• Give the American English for the following British English words and
phrases:
British English American English
biscuit ……………………………
curtain ……………………………
to fill in a form ……………………………
rubbish ……………………………
from Monday to Friday ……………………………
bill (in shop, restaurant, etc.) ……………………………
to queue ……………………………
What’s the time, please? ……………………………
twenty-five past six. ……………………………
How do you do? ……………………………
at the moment ……………………………
 * Complete the chart below to obtain a summary of differences between
American English and British English

AMERICAN ENGLISH BRITISH ENGLISH

…………………………… ……………………………
…………………………… ……………………………
Spelling
…………………………… ……………………………
…………………………… ……………………………
…………………………… ……………………………
Grammar and …………………………… ……………………………
vocabulary …………………………… ……………………………
…………………………… ……………………………
…………………………… ……………………………
…………………………… ……………………………
Pronunciation
…………………………… ……………………………
…………………………… ……………………………

The end of the melting pot?

If present levels of immigration continue, by the year 2050 America’s population
will increase by 50 per cent to 383 million.
More importantly the racial balance will change. Hispanics will overtake Blacks
(or African Americans, as they are now called) to become the largest minority at 21 per
cent. Asians and Pacific Islanders will increase five times to more than 12 per cent. This
will push the total of minorities-to over 50 per cent of the population.
The USA is a country of immigrants, but today’s newcomers are different.
Immigrants in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries became part of the great
American melting pot. They learnt the language and integrated into the culture of their
new home. But today's immigrants keep their own culture. They have their own TV
channels, daily newspapers and magazines.
The English language has almost disappeared in many places. Parts of Florida,
California and Texas are now Spanish-speaking. The Hispanic community is a billion
dollar market and companies produce adverts in Spanish. In a huge supermarket In
Rockville, Maryland, every customer is from the Far East. You’ll hear Japanese, Korean
and Chinese, but you won’t hear any English. And this language problem won’t get any
better. Immigrant parents are demanding education for their children in their own
language. If this happens, it will soon be possible to grow up in America and never
speak English.
Politicians are asking: How far will this go? What kind of country will it produce?
Senator Robert Byrd, a Democrat from West Virginia recently told the Senate: ‘When I
phone the local garage I can’t understand the person on the other end of the line and he
can’t understand me. These people are all over the place and they don't speak English.
Do we want more of this?’ Both Democrats and Republicans are demanding strict
immigration controls.
The biggest problem is illegal immigration. African Americans are very worried
about this, because the illegal immigrants compete with them for houses, schools and
especially jobs. Work Is the key to the problem, While the white middle classes
complain, many of them {including politicians and lawyers) employ illegal immigrants
as cheap nannies, housekeepers, gardeners, chauffeurs and maids. And if there are jobs,
the immigrants will continue to come,
(from Life Lines, Pre-intermediate Students book, Tom Hutchinson)
1…………… African Americans will be the largest minority in the US.
2 …………… Immigrants always try to integrate into American culture.
3 …………… Nowadays minority communities have their own newspapers and
magazines.
4 …………… Many immigrants need not speak English at all.
5 …………… Immigrant parents want their children to be taught in their own
language
6…………… Politicians want stricter immigration controls.
7 …………… Many American people employ illegal immigrants because they
work better.
* Answer the-following questions.
1. What is the article about?
2. Why are today’s immigrants different from earlier immigrants?
3. What are African Americans worried about?
 Sources
Talking about the USA; an Active Introduction to American Culture, Janet
Giannotti and Suzanne Mele Szaacewics, Prentice Hall Regents, 1996
Wikipedia - The free Encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States
Oxford Guide to British and American Culture, OUP 1999
Background to the USA, Richard Musman, Macmillan Publishers, 1990
Spotlight on the USA, Ratidee Falk, OUP, 1993
LifeLines Student’s book Pre-Intermidiate, Tom Hutchinson, OUP 1997.,pp, 34-
35
Suggested reading
Portrait of the USA, published by the United States Information Agency, 1979
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/factover/homepage.htm
“Melting pot” America
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/
4931534
 OVERVIEW OF U.S. HISTORY
Ten Periods of U.S. History
1. Christopher Columbus discovered North America. European explorers 1492
and settlers came to the new land for gold, adventure, and freedom. The 1500’s
colonists lived under British laws. 1600’s

2:Americans in the thirteen colonies wanted to be free of British rule. 1775

General George Washington led the colonists in the Revolutionary War. 1776
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, and the
colonies approved it.

3. The American colonists won the war, and the colonies became the United 1783
States of America. The Constitution became the highest law of the land, 1787
and George Washington became the first President. 1789

4. Millions of Europeans came to America as workers during the Industrial 1840’s

Revolution. The new nation grew and added more states. It expanded to 1853
the Pacific Ocean.

5. Americans fought against one another in the Civil War between the North 1861
and the South. President Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves in the 1863
Emancipation Proclamation. The northern states wop the war, and the 1865
period of Reconstruction (rebuilding) began.

6. The United States grew to be one of the great powers in the world. The 1917
nation fought in the First World War. After the war women got the right 1920
to vote for the first time.

7. The Great Depression began with the stock market crash. Banks, 1929
factories, and farms shut down, and many Americans were unemployed.
President Franklin Roosevelt helped end the Depression with the New 1933
Deal government.
8. The United States entered the Second World War when Japan attacked 1941
the Hawaiian Islands. The war ended when the United States dropped the 1945
first atomic bombs, and the world entered the Nuclear Age.

9. Because of its distrust of and competition with the Soviet Union and 1950’s
other Communist nations, the United States entered a time of Cold War.
Americans fought in the Korean War. The Civil Rights Movement
began, and black and white Americans fought against segregation
(separation of the races).

10. The Space Age began. Americans fought in the Vietnam War. The 1960’s
United States put the first men on the moon in the Apollo Program. The 1970’s
Women’s Liberation Movement became strong. Computers began to 1980’s
change the nation faster than ever before.

Write the dates from the box.

1929 1853 1776 1955 1863 1919 1482 1941 1787 1969

1. Columbus discovered North America in____1492______

2. The colonies approved! the Declaration of Independence in __________
3. The Constitution became the law of the land in __________
4. The United States expanded to the Pacific Ocean by__________
5. President Lincoln freed the slaves in__________
6. The First World War ended in__________
7. The Great Depression began in__________
8. The United States entered the Second World War in__________
9. The Civil Rights Movement began in__________
10. The United States put the first men on the moon in__________
 Exploration and Colonization
Exploration
1. In 1492 Christopher Columbus was trying to find a way from Europe to the Far
East. But he didn’t get to China. Instead, he found some islands in the Atlantic Ocean
near North America. He thought he was near the Indies, so he called the people Indians.
The Indians were Native Americans. By accident, this sailor from Spain discovered a
new world.
3. Soon other European explorers sailed across the Atlantic to learn about this
exciting discovery. The Spanish explored South America in search of adventured and
gold. Priests came to teach the native people.
4. The British and the French explored North America. Explorers traveled into the
interior and discovered many beautiful forests, valleys and rivers.
• Match the sentence-parts. Write the letters on the tines,.
1. ________Christopher Columbus a. Were native Americans.
2. ________The Indians b. explored South America to find adventure
3, ________European explorers and gold,
4. ________The Spanish c. wanted to sail to China but discovered
5. ________Priests North America,
6. ________The British and the d. came to teach the Indians.
French e. crossed tire Atlantic to learn about the New
World.
f. explored North America
Colonization
1. The Spanish established the first permanent settlement in North America. It was
St. Augustine, now in the state of Florida. The British established their first permanent
settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, in1607.
2. People from Spain, France, Holland, England, and other countries started other
villages on the east coast of North America. Thirteen-settlements became colonies of
England. They were Virginia, Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, Connecticut,
New Hampshire, North and South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
Delaware, and Georgia.
3. Some of the native people were friendly to the colonists and taught them about
the land. But other Indians attacked them. The settlers killed many Indians and took
their land. They pushed the Indians to the west.
* Write T for true and F for false
1. ………. The British -established the first permanent settlement in North
America at St. Augustine, Florida.
2. ………. The first Spanish: settlement was at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607,
3. ………. Thirteen European -settlements on the east coast became colonies of
Spain and France
4. ………. Some of the settlers were friendly to the native Americans and taught
them about the land.
5. ………. The colonists killed many Indians and pushed them to the west.
 REVOLUTION
The Cause of the American Revolution
1. The King of England allowed the thirteen American colonies a large amount
of .self-government, One of the reasons for this freedom was that between 1689 and
1763 England was busy with wars against France.. The colonists helped the Mother
Country (England) against the French in the French and Indian War.
2. In 1763 the war ended, and England won control over most of the colonies of
North America. But by this time the colonists felt they were “Americans.” They often
traded with other countries. They felt strong, and they did not need the Mother Country
for protection in wars anymore. They were used to freedom and self- government.
3. But the English needed the colonies for economic reasons. They were buying
goods from the colonies at low prices and selling back manufactured products at high
prices. They were also charging his taxes on American trade with other countries. Then
England put new taxes on the colonists, such as the Stamp Act (taxes on printed
materials),
4. Other strict laws made life difficult for the colonists. For example, they could,
send their products only on British ships, and they had to sell some goods only to
England at very low prices, British officials could enter homes to search for illegal
goods. The colonists were not free to settle west of the Appalachian Mountains, and they
had to allow British soldiers to live in their homes.
5. The colonists were especially angry about the “taxation without
representation.” They had to pay high taxes but could not send delegates to England to
vote on them. In 1773 England passed the Tea Act (taxes on imported tea), so some
colonists dressed up like Indians and dumped all the tea from a British ship into Boston
harbor. This act was called the Boston Tea Party.
6. To punish the colonies and control them more closely, England passed even
stricter laws. To show their unity against .England, the colonies sent representatives to
the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia. The Congress decided to stop buying
British goods and demanded rights for the colonists in a declaration, Americans
prepared for war.
(from About the USA, Elgin Kirn)
 * Match the sentence parts. Write the letters on the lines.
1. _______ The American colonies had a large a. they couldn't get rights from the British.
amount of self-government because b. they wanted to punish the colonies for the
2. _______ England got control over North Boston Tea Party.
America because c. the colonists couldn't send representatives
3. _______ The “Boston Tea Part” occurred to England to vote on taxes,
because d. the Mother Country was busy with wars at
4. _______ The English passed even, stricter that time.
laws because e. the English won the French and Indian
5. _______ The colonies stopped buying War.
British goods and prepared for war because

* CLOZE
Read the following information about the independence of the United States. Try
to fill in the blanks with the correct words. After you have filled in as much as you can,
listen to the cassette and fill all blanks,
In the 1700s, or the 18th century, there were 13 British colonies on the East coast of
North America. They were .from north to south, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode
Island, Connecticut, New York-, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland,
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
The people who lived in the colonies, the (1)…………….., were generally happy
being part of Great Britain from thé time the colonies were first settled in the 17th
(2)…………….. until the middle of the IS**1 century. Then, in 1765, Britain decided to
collect (3). …………….. from the colonist.
They called the tax the (4) “ …………….. Act”. It was a tax on (5) ……………..
and other papers. The colonists did not want to (6) …………….. the tax because they
were not permitted to vote in British elections. They called it…………….. “taxation
(7) …………….. representation”. They did not want to pay a tax if they did not have a
voice in the government. The colonists (8) …………….. the tax, and in 1766, the British
stopped charging it.
After that, Britain tried to charge other taxes, but the colonists protested until the
British removed all of the taxes except a tax on (9) …………….. The tax on tea led to a
famous protest in 1773 called the (10) …………….. Tea Party. The colonists did not
want to pay tax on British tea which was arriving on ships in Boston (11) ……………..
They went on the (12) …………….. and destroyed all of the lea by throwing it into the
harbor.
When Britain tried to punish the Massachusetts (13) …………….. for the Boston
Tea Party, colonists from other colonies came together to support them. They called
themselves the (14) …………….. Congress. They met for the first time in
(15) …………….. in 1774. The Continental Congress governed the country throughout
the Revolutionary War. The Revolutionary war (16) …………….. with the Battle of
Lexington and Concord, in Massachusetts, on April 19, 1775. The Continental Congress
chose George (17) …………… to lead the Continental Army.
One year after the war started, the Continental Congress officially declared
(18)………. from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson wrote the (19) ……….of
Independence, and the members of the Continental Congress signed it in Philadelphia
on (20) ………. (21) ………., in 1776.
Revolutionary War battles were fought throughout the colonies and in the territory
to the West of the colonies. The war lasted (22) ………. years, it ended with the Battle
of Yorktown, in (23) ………… in 1781.
From 1781 to 1789, the country was governed under the Articles of Confederation.
The Articles of Confederation set up a (24)…………… federal government.
In 1789, the (25)……………. of the United States went into effect. That gave foe
country a (26) ……………. federal government. In that year, George Washington was
elected as the first (27)…………..
(from Talking about the USA, Janet Giannotti and Suzanne Mele Szwarcewics)

* Draw line to connect the events in [A] with the information in [B]
A B
Maryland A town in Virginia
The Stamp Act The country’s first president, elected in 1789
The Continental Congress The first battle of the Revolutionary War
Georgia A tax on newspapers and other papers
The Boston Tea Party In Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War
Lexington and Concord One of the thirteen colonies
The Battle of Lexington and
Concord
The Declaration of Independence
Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown
The United States government
George Washington
Signed in Philadelphia by the members of
Continental Congress on July 4,- 1776
Weak under the Articles of Confederation
One of the thirteen colonies
Towns near Boston
The last battle in the Revolutionary War
A protest against tax on tea

* Choose the best answer

1. How many British colonies were there before the Revolution?
a. 13
b. 30
c. 33
2. What was the Stamp Act ?
a. a battle in the Revolutionary War
b. a rebellion
e. a tax
3. Why did the colonists refuse to pay British taxes?
a. because they were poor
b. because they already had a lot of taxes
c. because they didn’t, have a vote in the British government
4. Where, did the Continental Congress meet in 1774?
a. in Philadelphia
b. in Washington, D.C..
c. in New York
5. Where did the Revolutionary War start?
a. in Philadelphia
b. in Massachusetts
c. in Virginia .
6. What did Thomas Jefferson write?
a. the Constitution of the United States
 b. the Articles of Confederation
c. the Declaration of Independence
7. Where did the Revolutionary War end?
a. in Philadelphia
b. in Massachusetts
c. in Virginia
8. When did George Washington become the first U.S. president?
a. in 1776
b. in 1789
c. in 1781

THE CIVIL WAR

Causes of the war
The American Civil War was fought between the northern and southern states
from 1861 to 1865. There were two main causes of the war. The first was the issue of
slavery: should Africans who had been brought by force to the US be used as slaves. The
second was the issue of states’ rights: should the US federal government be more
powerful than the governments of individual states.
The North and South were very different in character. The economy of the South
was based on agriculture, especially cotton. Picking cotton was hard work, and tire
South depended on slaves for this. The North was more industrial, with a larger
population and greater wealth. Slavery, and opposition, to it, had existed since before
independence (1776) but, in the 19th century, the abolitionists, people who wanted to
make slavery illegal, gradually increased hi number. The South’s attitude was that each
state had the right to make any law it wanted, and if southern states wanted slavery, the
US government could not prevent it. Many southerners became secessionists, believing
that southern states should secede from the Union (= become independent from the US).
In I860, Abraham Lincoln was elected President. He and his party, the
Republicans, were against slavery, but said that they would not end it. The southern
states did not believe this, and began to leave the Union. In 1860 there were 34 states in
the US. Eleven of them (South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia,
Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina) left the Union and
formed the Confederate States of America, often called the Confederacy. Jefferson
Davis became its President, and for most of the war Richmond, Virginia, was the
capital.
Four years of fighting
The US government did not want-a war but, on 12 April 1861, the Confederate
Army attacked Fort Sumter, which was in the Confederate state of South Carolina but
still occupied by the Union army. President Lincoln could not ignore the attack and so
the Civil War began.
Over the next four years the Union army tried to take control of the South, The
battles that followed, Shiloh, Antietam, Bull Run and Chicamauga, have become part of
America’s national memory. After the battle of Gettysburg in 1863, in a speech known
as the Gettysburg Address, President Lincoln said that the North was fighting the war to
keep the Union together so that ‘...government of the people, by the people, for the
people, shall not perish from the earth’. In the same year he issued the Emancipation
Proclamation which made slavery illegal, but only in the Confederacy.
Slaves and former slaves played an important part in the war. Some gave
information to Union soldiers, because they knew that their best chance of freedom was
for the North to win the war. Many former slaves wanted to become Union .soldiers, but
this was not very popular among white northerners, in spite of this opposition about
185000 former slaves served in the Union army.
Women on both sides worked as spies, taking information, and sometimes even
people, across borders by hiding them under their large skirts.
In the South especially, people suffered greatly and had little to eat. On 9 April
1865, when the South could fight no more, General Robert E Lee surrendered to General
Ulysses S Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. A total of 620000 people had
been killed and many more wounded.
The war was over but feelings of hostility against the North remained strong. John
Wilkes Booth, an actor who supported the South, decided to kill President Lincoln. On
14 April 1.865 he approached the President in Ford’s Theatre in Washington and shot
him. Lincoln died the next morning.
The killing of President Lincoln showed how bitter many people felt. The South
had been beaten, but its people had not changed their opinions about slavery or about
states’ rights. During the war, the differences between North and South had become
even greater. The North had become richer. In the South, cities had been destroyed and
the economy ruined.
Reconstruction
After the war the South became part of the United States again. This long, difficult
period was called Reconstruction. The issues that had caused the war slavery and states’
rights, still had to be dealt with. The issue of slavery was difficult, because many people
even in. the North had prejudices against Blacks. The new state governments in the
South wanted to make laws limiting the rights of Blacks, and the US government tried to
stop them. Between 1865 and 1870 the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the
Constitution were passed giving Blacks freedom, making them citizens of the US and
the state where they lived, and giving them, in theory, the same rights as white
Americans.
Many northern politicians went, to the South where they thought they could get
power easily. These northerners were called carpet-baggers. Both carpet-baggers and
southern politicians were dishonest and stole money from the new governments, which
hurt the South even more.
In 1870 the last three southern states were admitted to the Union again, and in 1877
the northern army finally left the South, The war lasted four years, but efforts to reunite
the country took three times as long.
Effects of the Civil War
Differences between North and South are still strong. In the South the Confederate
flag is still often used, and the state flags of Georgia and Mississippi were made to look
similar to it. The state motto is Audemus jura nostra defendere, which is Latin for ’We
dare to defend our rights’. The Civil War helped to end slavery, but long afterwards
Blacks were still being treated badly, and race relations continue) to be a problem. The
South was so angry with the Republicans, the party of Lincoln and Reconstruction, that
southerners voted Democratic for a century. The war showed strong differences
between parts of the US, but many people believe that the most important thing it did
was to prove that the US is one country.
(from Oxford Guide to British and American Culture)
 Events: of the civil war
* Fill in the chart with missing information
DATE FACTS
…………………….. - Lincoln was elected President
- 11 states left the Union

1861
……………………..…………………………………
1863
……………………..…………………………………
……………………..…………………………………
1865
……………………..…………………………………
……………………..…………………………………

*Write T for true and F for false. Correct the false statements
1. ….....The South depended on agriculture for its economy.
2. ….....Their main crop was cotton.
3. ….....People in the South needed slave to make money.
4. ….....The North lived from industry.
5. ….....Lincoln’s party opposed the abolition of slavery.
6. …..... The South seceded from the Union by creating the Confederate Sates of
America.
7. …..... The North opposed the election of Lincoln and chose Jefferson Davis
President
8. ….....Richmond was the capital of America
* Questions for discussion
1What are the main causes of the war?
2Why did the slaves play an important part in the war?
3What did the slaves gain from the war?
4What are the effects of the war?
 Sources
About the USA, Elain Kirn, the Office Of English Language Programs, Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs, The United States Department of State, Washington
DC 20547, 1989.
Oxford Guide to British and American Culture, OUP 1999.
Talking about the USA: an Active Introduction to American Culture, Janet
Giannotti and Suzanne Mele Szwarcewics, Prentice Hail Regents, 1996
Background to the USA, Richard Musman, Macmillan Publishers, 1990
Suggested reading
Toward the city on a Hill, Portrait of the USA, published by the United States
Information Agency, 1979.
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/factover/homepage.htm
Words of Lincoln console nation
http://news.bbc.co.uk/l/hi/world/americas/2250665.stm
Timeline: United States of America
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/1230058.stm
The Civil War, Oxford Guide to British and American Culture, Jonathan Crowther,
OUP 1999
The Constitution, Oxford Guide to British and American Culture, Jonathan
Crowther, OUP 1999
The History of the US, Oxford Guide to British and American Culture, Jonathan
Crowther, OUP 1999USA
http://www.theusaonline.com
Wikipedia - The free Encyclopedia
http://en.wikikipedia.org/wiki/United_States
 THE U.S. CONSTITUTION

INTRODUCTION TO THE U.S CONSTITUTION

After the Revolutionary War, the Articles of Confederation (1781) were the basis
of the new American government. But this weak government did not work Very Well,
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 revised the Articles of
Confederation. The result was the U.S. Constitution. Three main principles form the
basis of the Constitution;
1. the separation of powers of the three branches of government.
2. government of for, any by the people
3. basic human rights (individual freedom, equality, and justice)
The Constitution has three parts:
1. The Preamble tells its purposes: to protect the nation and to assure justice, peace,
and liberty for all.
2. The Document contains seven articles.
3. Twenty-six Amendments guarantee individual rights and freedoms, and
establish other basic principles of government.
* Write the words from above.
1. After the Revolutionary War, the Article of Confederation (1781) were the basis of
the new American government.
2. The result of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 was
_____________________
3. One of the main principles of the Constitution is the _____________________of
powers of the three _____________________ of government.
4. Another principle is government of, for, and by ____________________
5. The third principle is basic ______________such as individual,
________________ equality, and ___________________.
6. The three parts of the Constitution are_____________________ , the seven
_____________________ of the Document, and the twenty-six ________________.
 The Document
Article One created the Legislative Branch of government. It established these
principles, among others;
1. Congress makes the laws of the nation.
2. The two houses of Congress are. the Senate and the House of Representatives.
3. The people of each state elect two Senators
4. The population of each state determines the number of Representatives.

Article Two established the Executive Branch of government, the Presidency.

Here are a few of its principles:
1. The Electoral College elects the President.
2. The President is the chief executive of the nation and Commander in Chief of
the armed forces,.
3. The president has certain powers, such as to enforce laws.
4. The president may initiate the law-making process.

Article Three created the judicial Branch under these principles:

1. The Supreme Court is the highest court of the land. It is a court of last appeal,
and its decisions are final.
2. It is the responsibility, of the Supreme Court to defend and interpret the
principles of the Constitution,
3. Residents of the U.S. have the right to trial by jury.

Article Four defined the relationship among the states and the relationship of the
states to the Federal government. It included these principles:
1. U.S, residents have the same rights in all states
2. All states have a republican form of government.
3. Congress may admit new states and make laws for U.S. territories.

Article Five described ways to amend (change) the Constitution,

1. Congress may propose (suggest) an amendment if two-thirds of 1 both houses
vote for it.
 2. The states may initiate an amendment. If two-thirds of all state legislatures
agree to propose it, Congress will call a national convention.
3. To add the amendment to the Constitution, three-fourths of the state legislatures
or special state conventions must ratify (officially approve) it.

Article Six declared that Constitution the Supreme Law of the Land.
1. No state constitution or law or judge may contradict (state the opposite of) the
Constitution.
2. All public officials must promise to support the Constitution in an official oath.

Article Seven declared that nine states must ratify the Constitution for it to
become law.
* In the parentheses, write the number of the Article of the Constitution that
contains the answer to each question. Then write the answer in a few words on the
line.
1. (6) What is the Supreme Law of the land? The Constitution
2. ( ) What is the highest court of the land? ____________
3. ( ) What branch of government makes the laws of the nation? ___________
4. ( ) How many Senators and Representatives does each state have in Congress?
5. ( ) Do U.S. residents have the same rights in all states? ____________
6. ( ) Who is the chief executive of the nation and Commander in Chief of the
armed forces? ____________
7. ( ) What are two ways to propose a Constitutional Amendment? ____________
8. ( ) What are some of the duties and powers of the President?
_____________________
9. ( ) What is one important responsibility of the Supreme Court? ____________
10. ( ) What form of government do the states have?
11. ( ) May a state constitution or judge contradict the U.S., Constitution?
12. ( ) How are new states admitted to the Union? ____________
13. ( ) Who has to approve a proposed amendment? ____________
14. ( ) What must public officials promise in an official oath?
______________________
15. ( ) How many states had to ratify the Constitution before it became law?__
16. ( ) How many states had to ratify the Constitution before it became law?____
 The Amendments
The U.S; Constitution is “a living document” because Americans can change it
with amendments. The existing amendments protect individual rights or have solved
other national problems.
Amendment Ratified What does the amendment say?
1-10 1791 The first ten amendments are the “Bill of Rights”
11 1798 Citizens of a state or foreign country may not take
another state to court.
12 1804 Electors vote for the President and Vice President on
separate ballots.
13 1865 Slavery is illegal.
14 1868 All people in the United States or naturalized are
citizens.
15 1870 Black men have the right to vote.
16 1913 Congress has the right to tax income.
17 1913 Congress has the right to tax income
18 1919 It is illegal to make or sell liquor.
19 1920 Women citizens have the right to vote.
20 1933 A new president takes office on January 20.
21 1933 The Eighteenth Amendment was repealed.
22 1951 Presidents may serve no more than two terms.
23 1961 Citizens living in Washington D.C. may vote in
Presidential elections.
24 1964 It is illegal to require voting taxes.
25 1967 The Vice President becomes President if the President
can’t carry out his duties.
26 1971 All citizens eighteen years and older may vote.
 THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

The American System of Government

The United States is a democratic republic (a representative democracy). The
national government is a government of all the people and their representatives (elected
officials). It is called the federal government because the nation is a federation, or
association, of states.
The U.S, Constitution gave the federal government only limited powers, the
powers stated in the Constitution. All other powers belong to the individual states.
The Founding Fathers established three branches of government: the legislative,
the executive, and the judicial. Each branch has different functions and power under the
principle of separation of powers. There is also a system of checks and balances so that
each branch has some control over the other two branches. This way, no one group can
have too much power.
the Legislative Branch

The Constitution the Federal

the Executive Branch
Government

the Judicial Branch

The Three Branches of Government

The legislative branch is called Congress. It consists of the Senate and the House
of Representatives, It is the responsibility of Congress to propose and pass laws. In the
system of checks and balances, Congress can refuse to approve Presidential
appointments and can override a Presidential veto.
The executive branch consists of the President, the Vice President, the Cabinet and
the thirteen Departments, and the independent agencies. It’s the responsibility of .the
executive to enforce laws, The President has the power to veto (reject) any bill (law) of
Congress. He appoints all Supreme Court Justice.
The judicial branch consists of the Supreme (highest) Court, eleven Circuit Courts
of Appeals, and ninety-four District Courts. This branch explains and interprets laws
makes decisions in lawsuits. It has power over the other two branches because it can
declare their laws and actions unconstitutional (against the principles of the
Constitution).
* Answer these questions about the three branches of government
the Legislative the Executive the Judicial
3, What does it consist of? the Senate

the House of
Representatives

2. What are its responsibilities?

3. What powers does it have under

the system of checks and
balances?

Political Parties
The U.S. Constitution does not talk about political parties, but they began during
George Washington's term office. On one side were the Federalists. They wanted a
strong federal government. On the other side, the democratic-Republicans wanted to
limit the power of the national government. Their leader was Thomas Jefferson, and
their group later became the Democratic Party.
Some of the early political parties, such as the Federalists and the Whigs, no longer
exist. Since 1854, the two major parties have been the Democrats and the Republicans.
Smaller parties have lasted for only a short time, “Third parties” have won in local
elections, but their candidates have never won a Presidential election.
Many people say that there is not much difference between the Republican and
Democratic Parties. “Liberal” politicians usually favor reform (change) and progress.
“Conservative” politicians usually oppose change. But both liberal and conservative
members belong to the two major political parties, and their ideas often change with the
times and the issues.
Democratic and Republican parties

The Democratic Party is the oldest party in the

United States. In 1829, Andrew Jackson became the first Democratic President. Since
that time, the issues of the nation and the ideas of the party have changed. Both the
major parties have liberal and conservative members, but in general people consider the
Democrats today more liberal than the Republicans, Democrats often want the
government Jo establish social programs for people need, such as the poor, the
unemployed, and the elderly. They usually say they believe in equal rights for women
and minorities and they oppose nuclear weapons and too much military spending. The
symbol of the Democratic Party (from political cartoons) is the donkey.

The Republican Party, sometimes called the G.O.P.

(the Grand Old Party) began in 1854 over the issues of slavery. Republicans oppose
slavery. The first Republican candidate to become President was Abraham Lincoln.
After the Civil War, Republicans got interested in farm, land, and business issues. In
general, Republicans vote more conservatively than Democrats. They want government
to support big business but not to control the lives of citizens. They often oppose
government spending for social programs but support military spending. The party
symbol is the elephant.
 * Which party is each sentence about? Write R for the Republican and D for the
Democratic.
1. _______ It is the oldest political party in the United States.
2. _______ It is sometimes called the G.O.P.
3. _______ Its first President was Abraham Lincoln.
4. _______ Its first President was Andrew Jackson.
5. _______ It is generally more liberal than the other party.
6. _______ Its members usually prefer to spend tax money for military purposes
rather than for social, programs.
7. _______ Its members do not want the government to control the lives of
individuals.
8. _______ The party symbol is the donkey.

The Legislative Branch

* Discuss these questions about the legislative branch of the federal government
1. What is the legislative branch of U.S, government called?
a. Congress b. Parliament
2. What is a “bicameral” legislature?
a. one with cameras b. one with two houses (divisions)
3. What are the two houses of Congress?
a. the Council and die Supreme Soviet
b. the Senate and the House of Representatives
4. Who is President of the Senate? (What is his office?)
a. Mayor of Washington, D.C. b. Vice President of the U.S.
5. Who presides if the President of the Senate is absent?
a. the President pro tempore b. the Vice President of the U.S.
6. Who presides over the House of Representatives (the House)?
a. the President of the U.S. b. the Speaker of the House
8. What party does the Speaker of the House usually belong to?
a. no political party b. the majority political party
 Facts About Congress
the Senate the House
Number of Members 100 435
determined by state
Number of Members Per State 2
population
Length of Term 6 years(1) 2 years(1)
Number of Terms no limit no limit
Age Requirement at least 30 at least 25
at least 9 years as a U,S. at least 7 years as a U.S.
Citizenship Requirement
citizen citizen
Dates of Regular Session January 3 to adjournment January 3 to adjournment

(1)One-third of all Senators and all Representatives run for office every two years.

* Make sentences about the information above with these sentence patterns.
1. The Senate has __________ members.
House of Representatives (number)
2. The number of Senators for each state is ___________
Representatives
3. Each Senator serves in Congress for _____ years.
Representatives (number)
4. There is ____________ on the number of terms for each Senator
Representatives
5. To run for Congress, a Senator must be at least _______
Representatives (number)
years old and a U.S. citizen for at least ________ years.
(number)
6. A regular session of the Senate is from ________ to ________
House (date)
 * Fill in the gaps with words from the chart on the next page.
1. To begin the law-making process, either a __________or a __________ can
write a __________
2. The bill then goes to a __________ of the same house.
3. The committee can call __________ (postpone) the bill, send it back to the full
house without a__________, or__________ (change) the bill.
4. If the Senate or House__________ the bill, it does not become law.
5. If the Senate or House __________ the bill, it goes to the other house of
Congress and its committee.
6. If the second house passes the bill, it goes to __________
7. If the President signs the bill, it__________.
8. If the President. _______ (rejects) the bill, Congress can__________ the veto,
and it becomes law anyway.
 HOW CONGRESS MAKES LAW

1. A Senator or Representative
writes a bill.1

2. The bill goes to a committee of The committee can call public

the Senate or House hearings.
It can table (postpone) the bill. 2
It can send the bill back to the full
house without a recommendation. 3
It can amend (change) the bill.
3. The full Senate or House debates The Senate or House defeats the bill
the bill and can amend it.
The Senate or House passes the bill
4. The bill goes to a committee of the
other house.

5. The second house debates the The Senate or House defeats the bill.
bill.
The Senate or House passes the bill.

6. The bill goes to the President.5 The President signs the bill, and it
becomes law.
The President vetoes (rejects) the
bill.

7. Congress oven-ides the veto The bill does not become law.
(passes the bill)

8. The bill becomes law.

1
A bill concerning taxes or the budget must begin in the House of Representatives.
2
If a committee tables a bill, Senator or Representatives can force it out of committee with a majority
vote.
3
This step often “kills” the bill.
4
If the second house of Congress amends the bill, the first house must agree to the changes.
5
If the President does nothing and Congress adjouras within ten days, the bill does not become law.
 The Executive Branch
* Match the questions in [A] with the answers provided in [M]
A B
1. What are the qualifications a. The President travels a lot, but he or she
(requirements) for President? lives and works at the White House in
Washington.
2. What are the qualifications for Vice b. The President’s term of office is four
President? years, and no President may serve for more
than two terms in a row.
c. To qualify to serve, the President must be
3. For how many years may a President
a born U.S. citizen and at least thirty-five
serve?
years old. He or she must have lived in the
United States for at least fourteen years.
4. If the President dies, who becomes
d. Visitors address him as Mr. President.
President?
e. The qualifications for Vice President are
the same as the qualifications for President.
5. Where does the President live and
f. If the President dies, these officials take
work?
over the position in this order; the Vice
President, the Speaker of the House of
6. How should people address the
Representatives, the President pro tempore
President?
of the Senate, the Secretary' of State, the
other twelve members of the Cabinet,

* Number the steps in electing a President in correct order

1. Electors (member of the Electoral College) cast their votes for President and
Vice President. The candidates with the majority (more than half) of the electoral votes
win.
2. Political parties hold national conventions to choose their candidates for
President and Vice President. Convention delegates vote for the choices of the voters in
their states.
3. The new President takes office during the inauguration (formal ceremony) on
January 20 after the election.
 4. If no candidate win die majority of the electoral votes, the House of
Representatives chooses the new President.
5. AH candidates campaign until Election Day, the first Tuesday after the first
Monday in November. Then the voters make their choices.
6. Political parties choose their candidates in state, caucuses (conventions) or state
primaries (elections).
The Electoral College
U.S. citizens do not vote on .federal laws because the U.S. system of 'government
is a representative democracy, but they do choose the President and Vice President of
the United States, However, the system of electing these officials is an indirect one.
When voters choose candidates on Election Day, they are actually voting for
presidential “electors.” The numbers of electors in each state is equal to the number of
senators and representatives from that state in Congress. Because states with large
populations have more representatives than states with fewer people, they have more
power in an election. The Electoral College is based on a "winner-take-all” system. The
winner of the majority of votes in each state gets all of that state’s electoral votes. For
example, the candidate with over fifty percent of the popular (total) vote in California
gets all of that state’s electoral votes, even if he or she won with only a small majority.
Because of the Electoral College system, occasionally the candidate with the
majority of the popular vote loses the presidential election. This is unusual, however.
In December the electors meet in their slate capitals to cast their votes and send
them to the U.S. Senate. On January 6 the members of Congress meet to count the votes.
* Write T for true and F for false. Correct the false sentences.
1. ______ U.S, citizens vote on federal laws, but they can’t vote for Presidential or
Vice Presidential candidates.
2. ______Voters choose the President and the Vice President of the United States
directly through the popular vote.
3. ______ Large states have more electoral votes than small states because their
number of electors depends on the number of senators and representatives from the state
in Congress.
4. ______Candidates receive the same percentage of electoral votes from each
state as their percentage of popular vote.
 5. ______ Even if a candidate receives forty-nine percent of the voles in a state, he
or she “loses” the state (gets no electoral votes) in a “winner-take-all” system.
6. ______The candidate with the majority of the popular vote can still lose the
national election;
7. ______ The electors of the Electoral College meet to cast their votes, and the
members of Congress meet to count them.
The Cabinet, the Departments, and the Agencies
It is the responsibility, of the executive branch of the federal government to
enforce the U.S. Constitution and federal laws. The President is the Chief Executive and
head of the government. The Vice President,, the fourteen Cabinet members (usually
called Secretaries), arid their Departments, and the federal agencies are also part of the
executive branch.
The President chooses the members of his Cabinet (the heads of the departments),
and the Senate approves his choices. The fourteen departments are the Departments of:
State the Interior Health and Human Transportation
the Treasury Agriculture Services Education
Defense Commerce Housing and Urban Energy
Justice Labor Development Veterans Affairs

Many federal agencies provide special services and may be temporary. Some
well-known agencies are the Civil Rights Commission, the Environmental Protection
Agency, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, the United States. Postal Service, and the Veterans Administration (V
A)
* Write T for true and F far false. Correct the false sentences.
1 …………… The executive branch makes laws but does not enforce them.
2 …………… The Vice President, the Chief Executive of government, chooses
the members of the Cabinet with the approval of the voters,
3 …………… There are fourteen government departments, and their heads are
usually called Secretaries.
4 …………… The State Department, the Department of the Treasury, and the
Department of Commerce are federal agencies.
 The Judicial Branch
* Discuss these questions about the judicial branch of the federal government
and decide on the answers
1. What is the highest court of the land?
a. the Supreme Court
b. the Presidential Tribunal
2. The Supreme Court is the “Last Court of Appeal.” What does this mean?
a. No other court has higher decision-making power,
b. Citizens can appeal its decision (take the same case) to lower courts.
3. What does the Supreme Court do?
a. It approves or overturns decisions of lower courts and explains and interprets
laws.
b. It hears cases from individual citizens without lawyers.
4. In the system of checks and balances, how does the judicial branch have power
over the other two branches of government?
a. The Supreme Court appoints all judges.
b. The Supreme Court can decide on the constitutionality of laws and Presidential
actions.
5. Where is the Supreme Court?
a. in every state capitol
b. in Washington, D.C. (the nation's capital)
6. Who choose the justices of the Supreme Court?
a. The voters elect them.
b. The President appoints them, but the Senate must approve them.1
7. Who chooses the Chief Justice (head judge) of the Supreme Court?
a. the President and the Cabinet
b. The nine justices of the Supreme Court elect him or her.
8. Has there ever been a woman Supreme Court justice?
a. Yes. Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman justice in 1981
b. No, because the Constitution states that all supreme. Court justices must be
men.
1
As an example, in 1987 the Senate rejected President Reagan’s candidate, Robert H. Boric, because the Democrats (the
majority party) thought hs was too conservative.
 9. How long do Supreme Court justices serve?
a. for the same length of time as senators from their states
b. for life
10. Must the Supreme Court hear all appeals from lower courts?
a. Yes, because hearing appeals is its only responsibility.
b. No. It takes only the more important cases (especially cases concerning
individual rights and the constitutionality of laws or actions).
11. Can the President or Congress abolish the Supreme Court?
a. Yes, with a two-thirds majority of both houses.
b. No. Only a Constitutional Amendment could abolish it.
12. What other kinds of courts and how many of them are there in the federal
system?
a. eleven Circuit Courts of Appeal and ninety-four District Courts
b. two Executive Courts and three Legislative Courts
13. Are there any special federal courts?
a. Yes. There are a. Court of Claims., a Court of Customs, a Court of Customs and
Patent Appeals, and a Court of Military Appeals.
b. No. All courts must accept all kinds of cases.
14. What do the Circuit Courts of Appeals do?
a. They hear appeals (requests to hear the case again) from lower courts.
b. They overturn decisions of the Supreme Court.
15. What are the District Courts and what happens in them?
a. They are state courts. All cases concerning state laws begin there.
b. They are the lowest level of federal courts. Federal cases begin there.
16. How do federal courts differ from other courts?
a. Federal courts take only cases concerning federal law. Other courts hear cases
about state or local law.
b. There is no difference. All courts take the same kinds of cases.
Facts about the Federal government
1. The federal government is in the form of a democratic republic, which means
that the people elect representatives.
2. It is a representative democracy because the people have the power through
their elected representatives.
3. The government follows the principles of a constitution with its bill of rights.
4. The government has three branches with different responsibilities and powers:
5. The legislative branch has two houses that make laws.
6. The upper house in the Senate, and the lower house in the House of
Representatives.
7. The leaders of the executive branch are the U.S. President and Vice President.
8. The President appoints the members of the Cabinet. These advisors
(‘'Secretaries”) are the heads of federal departments.
9. The judicial branch of the federal government judges cases of federal law.
10. The highest court is the U.S. Supreme Court. There are also circuit courts of
appeals and district courts.

* From the information above, write the missing words in the boxes.

U.S. Constitution

Federal Government

legislative

House of
Representation

The Vice circult courts of appeal

Cabinet President
 STATE GOVERNMENT
Facts about tine state government
1. State government is in the form of a democratic republic, which means that the
people elect representatives.
2. In addition to power through their elected state representatives, the people have
direct power through the initiative, referendum, and recall processes.
3. The government follows the principles of a constitution with its bill of rights.
4. The government has three branches with different responsibilities and powers.
5. The legislative blanch has two houses that make laws.2
6. The upper house in a senate, and the lower house is a state assembly or a house
of representatives.
7. The leaders of the executive branch are the governor and the lieutenant
governor.
8. The executive branch includes advisors to the governor. Some advisors arc
elected and some are appointed.
9. The judicial branch of state government judges cases of state law.
10. The highest court is the state supreme court. There may also be appellate
(appeals), county, superior, district, circuit, municipal, and special courts.

2 Only Nebraska has a one-house state legislature.

 * From the information above, write the missing words in the boxes.

State Constitution

State Government

executive

senate

advisors Other levels of courts

Functions, Powers, and Services

Only the federal government: Only a state government:
• declares war • maintains a police force
• supports the armed forces • supports a state militia, such as the
• coins money National Guard
• establishes and maintains post offices • regulates transportation arid trade
• gives authors and inventors the within the state
exclusive right to their work • establishes and maintains schools
(copyrights or patents) • oversees local governments and
• makes treaties with the governments grants city
of other countries

Both the federal and state governments:

• fund public projects (buildings, dams, highways, etc.)
• support farming and business
• maintain court systems
• regulate banks
The federal government usually provides funding and the states distribute
the money and provide programs for:
• public assistance for people in need
 • health care
• protection of natural resources
• improvements in living and working conditions

powers of the powers of the

Federal shared State
Government powers Government

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution nor prohibited
by it to the states ore reserved to the states respectively, or to the people. “The Tenth
Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
* Answer the following questions.
Example: Which government declares war and makes treaties?
The Federal government.
Which government...... ?
1. ... declares war and makes treaties? ,
2. ... maintains a police force and state militia?
3. ... regulates trade and transportation in the state1? .
4. ... coins money and maintains post offices?
5. ... establishes and maintains schools?
6. ... regulates banks and supports business?
7. ... oversees local government and grants city charters?.
8. ... funds public projects;, like dams and highways?
9. ... maintains court systems?
10. … issues copyrights and patents?
11. ... provides public assistance and health care for people in need?
12. ... provides funding for the protection of natural resources?
13. … distributes money through programs to improve living and working
 conditions?
The Separation of Powers in States Government
State governments are similar in structure to each other and to the federal,
government. Under the principle of separation of powers, the government of each state
has three branches-the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. In the system of
checks and balances, each branch has some control over the other two branches.
The governor may veto bills from the legislature (the senate and the house or
assembly). In some states, the governor uses a ‘line-item veto?’ This way, he or she does
not have to reject an entire law in order to veto parts of it. The governor also appoints
judges in the judicial branch. With enough votes in both houses, the legislature can
override the governor’s veto.
Like the federal courts, state courts also explain and interpret laws. They can
declare state laws unconstitutional (contradictory to the state constitution).
State government includes a system of direct democracy. Through the initiative
process, citizens may put proposed laws on the ballot for the people to vote on. They
may decide on proposed constitutional amendments or important state issues in a
referendum. Through a recall, they can sometimes remove an elected government
official from office.
The federal government also has power over state governments. For example, a
state constitution or court may not contradict the U.S. Constitution, and the U.S.
Supreme Court may overrule the decision of a state supreme court. Also, the U.S.
President may withhold money from a state if the state refuses to obey federal, laws.
* Write T for true and F for false. Correct the fake sentences.
1. ______All state governments are similar to one another, but they are different in
structure from the federal government.
2. ______The principles of separation of powers and checks and balances apply to
state as well as the federal government
3. ______In a ‘‘line- item veto,” the governor can reject parts of initiatives,
referendums, or recalls.
4. ______Like in the federal government, state legislatures can override vetos, and
state courts can declare laws unconstitutional.
5. ______Citizens may propose laws, vote on constitutional amendments, and
recall elected officials in the federal system of direct democracy but not in a state
system.
6. ______The U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. President have some direct power
over state governments.

Source
About the USA, Elain Kirn, the Office Of English Language Programs, Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs, The United States Department of State, Washington
DC 20547, 1989
Suggested reading
Background to die USA, Richard Musman, Macmillan Publishers, 1990 A Responsive
Government, Portrait of the ỤSA, published by the United States Information Agency,
1979

http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/factover/homepage.htm

Official Website of the United States government - Gateway to governmental sites

http://www.firstgov.gov

USA

http://www.theusaonline.com
The Bill of Rights, The Constitution, Election ill the US, Oxford Guide to British
and American Culture, OUP 1999
Wikipedia - The free Encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States
 EDUCATION
The governments and education
Although in general Americans prefer to limit the influence of government, this is
not so where education is concerned. All levels of government are involved in education
and it is considered to be one of their most important responsibilities.
The federal government provides some money for education through the
Department of Education. But state and local governments have direct control and are
responsible for the education of students between the ages of 5 and 18, or the years .of
school called -kindergarten, first grade, second grade, etc. to twelfth grade. These years
are together referred to as K-12. Individual states have their own Boards of Education,
which decide the curriculum and what students must have achieved before they can
graduate from high school at the age of 18. States are also concerned with certification
standards, general standards of education including the qualifications needed by
teachers.
Most of the money for education comes from taxes that people pay to their local
government. Local governments appoint school boards, which have control over how
individual schools are run. A school board hires a superintendent, the person in charge
of all the schools in a school district, principals for each school, and teachers. It also
decides how the rest of thé money available should be spent. School boards are usually
made up of people who live, in the area, often parents of children in the schools,
At the primary and secondary levels, most school districts have a Parent- Teacher
Association (PTA) which gives all parents a chance to take part in making decisions
about how the school is run. Parents regularly visit schools to meet their children’s
teachers and discuss their progress. Many volunteer in their children’s schools to teach
the children a skill, take them on trips, or work in the school library.
The school system
Although many Americans attend nursery school, day care or pre-school from an
early age, formal education is usually considered to begin at the age of 5 when children
go to kindergarten, the first step in the K-32 education. Kindergarten and the next five or
six years of education, first grade, second grade, etc., are together usually called
elementary school (the term primary school is less common in the US than in Britain).
Grades seven to twelve are part of secondary school, and may be divided in different
ways. In some places grades seven and eight are called junior high school. Other school
systems have middle school, which lasts for three years. High school usually covers four
years, from the ninth to the twelfth grades.
Post-secondary education, after twelfth grade, is not free though state governments
which run most of the educational institutions subsidize the cost for people who live in
the state.
The quality of education
By some standards, American education seems very successful. Although young
people must attend school until they are 56, over 80% continue until they are 18. About
45% of Americans have some post-secondary or further education, and over 20%
graduate from a college or university.
However, 20% of adults, about 40 million people, have very limited skills in
reading and writing, and 4%, about 8 million, are illiterate (= cannot read or write).
Since control over education is mostly at local level, its quality varies greatly from place
to place. There are many reasons for this but the most important is money. In general,
the people who live in city centres tend to be very poor. Those with more money prefer
to live in the suburbs. People in the suburbs pay higher taxes, and so the schools there
have more money to spend. Crime arid violence Eire also serious problems in the inner
cities, with some students taking weapons to school, in such a situation it is hard to
create a good atmosphere for learning.
Public or private education
Most educational institutions in the US are public (=run by the government) but
there are some private schools which students pay a lot of money to attend. Many
private schools have a high reputation and parents send their children there so that they
will have advantages later in life. Opposition to private schools is not as strong as it is in
Britain: individual choice is important in the US, and so the right of people to buy a
different education for their children is not questioned. Public or private education is
much less of an issue than the difference in quality between inner city and suburban
schools. Most parents who have money are likely to spend it not by sending their
children to private schools but by moving to a suburb where the public schools are good.
Points of conflict
Americans agree on the importance of education being available to all, but there is
disagreement about what should be taught. The greatest area of conflict, is the place of
religious or moral education. Commonly debated topics include whether teachers
should be allowed to say prayers, whether students should learn about sex, and whether
it is right to hit students as a punishment. Sometimes the debate ends up in court, and
courts usually say that no student should be forced to do something that is against his or
her beliefs.
Education for people who come to the US from other countries is also much
discussed. In states like California where there are many people whose first language is
not English, there is debate over what language should be used in schools. Some people
believe that children have the right to an education in their own language; others say that
people who come to the US have a responsibility to learn English and cannot expect
special treatment. At university level some people object to the high numbers of foreign
students, especially in science and related fields. But since relatively few Americans
study these subjects the universities are glad to take international students.
In spite of occasional conflict, most Americans agree final a good education gives
people the best chance of getting a good job and of improving their social position,
* Define the following words, using a dictionary if necessary
school board
superintendent
principal
PTA
further education
* Write T for true and F for false. Correct the false statements
1. ………. Education is a federal responsibility.
2 ………. The state pays for a K-12 education.
3. ………. The Boards of Education decide standards of certification and teacher’s
qualifications.
4. ………. Boards of .education employ principals and teachers .
5. ………. The PTA runs the school.
6. ………. Compulsory education starts with first .grade.
7. ……….Students may leave school at the age of sixteen.
8. ………. The quality of education varies from place to place.
 9. ………. The difference in quality between city and-suburban schools is a big
issue
10. ………. Public schools in the city centers are better than those in the suburban
areas.
* School grades
You are to fill in the (able with information from the text above.
LEVEL GRADE AGE
Elementary ………………… 5-12
………………… 7-8 …………………
………………… ………………… …………………

Life in elementary school

The school year runs from early September to the following June. Students attend
daily from Monday to Friday. The school day in elementary school usually lasts from
about 830 a.m. to 3.30 p.m., though kindergarten children usually attend for only half
the day.
Students spend most of the day with-their class. The class is taught most of the
time- by the same teacher. A few times-each week they will have a gym class or do
music or art with another teacher, Students rarely have homework until- they reach the
final grades of elementary school, and even then there is very little.
The school day is divided into various sections and in the morning and the
afternoon students have recess, a time when they can go outside and play, for about 15
minutes. Schools usually have a playground attached, a large area outside with
equipment for playing different games. In the middle of the day students eat lunch,
either a meal prepared by their parents or a hot meal which they buy from the school.
The rest of the lunch period is free and spent playing.
The traditional subjects for elementary school students are called the three Rs:
reading, writing, and arithmetic. In addition, the students study other subjects, such as
history and geography, and are given a chance to do creative activities and sports. It is
thought to be important to give children the chance to study as many subjects as possible,
so that whatever their natural skills are they will have the chance to develop them.
Teachers are rather relaxed about the kind of behaviour they expect from students
at elementary school. Children should be fairly quiet during lessons but they are not
punished unless their behaviour is out of control and could hurt other students.
Punishments include making the student stay behind for a few minutes when others have
left for the day, or sending him or her to the principal’s office. Teachers in elementary
school are usually called by their title and surname, e.g. Mr Johnson. Students at public
schools do not usually have a school uniform. Students who attend private and parochial
(= religious) schools do wear uniform,

Junior high school and high school

Students at junior high school take different lessons from different teachers who
are specialists in their subjects. Students are required to study certain subjects, but they
can choose which classes they take, For example, students may be required to study a
science for three years, but they can choose whether to take chemistry, physics or
biology. There are also many subjects that students can choose to do or to drop, without
any limits at all.
At high school, students may take technical subjects such as computer
programming alongside academic subjects. As in elementary school the aim is to help
children develop their natural potential. Additional summer sessions enable students to
catch up with work they have missed or to take a course they did not have time for
during the year. When students graduate from high school they receive a diploma, a
document to say that they have finished their courses.
An important part of junior high school and high school is, for many students, the
increasing amount of independence and responsibility they are given.. Students in high
school have special names; ninth-grade students are called freshmen; tenth- graders are
sophomores; students in the eleventh grade are juniors, and those in the twelfth grade are
seniors. As students go through these levels, they expect to have more and more
freedom.
Part of the independence of secondary education comes from being away from
home for longer, and having to travel further to school, Many students go to school in a
school bus which picks them up near their homes and takes them back agate In the
evening, ‘Busing’ students for long distances became necessary in some cities in order
to keep a mix of white and black students in each school. At the age of 16, when most
Americans learn to drive, students often go to school in their own ear or borrow that of
their parents.
After school, students can choose from many extra-curricular activities. These
include joining clubs based on a particular interest, e.g. chess, computers, acting or
cooking, working on the school newspaper or playing in a sports team. A teacher from
the school spends time with each group, but as students get older they are expected to
organize and run things themselves.
During the school year there are important social activities. In the autumn
homecoming, the day when former students return to the school, is celebrated with a big
football game and a dance. Other dances are held during the year. The most important of
these is the Prom which is held near the end of the school year.
Students take special care to find the-right clothes for this event, which is usually'
limited to juniors and seniors. Younger students are very pleased if they have the chance
to go as the guest of an older student.
* Define the following words, using a dictionary if necessary.
gym class
recess
the three Rs
parochial school
freshman
sophomore junior senior
homecoming
Prom
busing
* Answer the following questions
1. How do high school students go to school?
2. What do students do in extra-curriculum activities?
3. What forms of punishments are used at school?
4. Do students have to wear uniform?
5. What are some differences between the educational system in the -United State
and the educational system in Vietnam?
GOING TO COLLEGE
 Americans talk about 'going to college’ even if the institution they attend is a
university. To Americans the phrase ‘going to university’ sounds pretentious. Most
colleges offer classes only tor undergraduate students studying for a bachelor’s degree.
Community colleges offer two-year courses leading to an associate’s degree, and
afterwards students transfer to a different college or university to continue their studies.
Universities are larger than colleges and also offer courses for graduate students who
study in graduate school. Many universities also have separate professional schools, e.g.
a medical school or a law school.
American high school students who want to study at a college or university have to
take a standardized test, e.g. the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) or the ACT (American
College Test), Students from countries outside the US who are not native speakers of
English must also take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), Each
college or university decides on the minimum score it will accept, though test scores are
never the only factor taken into account. Students apply direct to between three and sis
colleges in their last year of high school. Each college has its own application form and
most include a question for which the student must write an essay. The student also has
to send a transcript (= an official list of all the subjects studied and the grades received)
and letters of reference.
There are many private colleges and universities but most students choose a public
institution because the costs are lower, All universities charge tuition, and students pay
extra for room and board. Prices range from a few hundred dollars a year to well over
$25 000 at some private colleges. Students whose families cannot afford to pay the full
amount apply for financial aid, Many students receive a financial aid package which
may be a combination of grants from the government, a scholarship, a student loan and
work-study (= a part-time job at the college).
The most famous universities aré those in the Ivy League, including Harvard and
Yale, but many others have good reputations. Large universities often put most
emphasis on research. Smaller colleges tend to concentrate on teaching undergraduates,
and many students prefer these colleges because they offer smaller classes and more
personal attention from teachers.

Teaching and learning

 The US academic year may be divided into two semesters of about 15 weeks or
three quarters of about 10 weeks each. Students take courses in a variety of subjects,
regardless of their main subject, because the aim of the liberal arts curriculum is to
produce well-rounded people with good critical skills. At the end of their sophomore (=
second) year students choose a major (= main subject) and sometimes a minor (=
additional subject) which they study for the next two years. Students take four or five
courses each semester from the course catalog. Courses may consist mainly of lectures
or may include discussion sections or lab sessions.
Students are given grades at the end of each course. The highest grade is A; the.
lowest is F, which means that the student has failed the course and will not get credit for
taking it. To check a student’s overall progress, the university calculates a grade point
average (GPA), Students who finish their degree with a high GPA may be awarded
Latin Honours, of which the highest is summa cum laude.
Most people who teach at colleges or universities and have a doctorate are
addressed as professor, Full professors are senior to associate professors, assistant
professors and instructors, Graduate students working towards a higher degree may
teach undergraduate courses at larger universities. These grad students are called TAs
(teaching assistants), in return, TAs do not have to pay for their own tuition and get a
small amount of money to live on,
(from Oxford Guide to British and American Culture)
* Answer the following questions
1. What need a student do to gain admission to a college or university?
2. What are the differences between a college and a university?
3. Why do many students choose public colleges and universities?
4. What kind of students may teach at a university?
* Define the following words,, using a dictionary if necessary
transcript
Ivy League
GPA
financial aid package
TA
summa cum laude
 CLOZE
Choose one appropriate word from the box below to complete each blank space.
Parents kindergarten workforce resident range
open choice tax tuition university
five send funding still higher

Education, in the United States

In the United States, education is a state, not federal, responsibility, and the Saws
and standards vary considerably. In most states, all students must attend mandatory
schooling starting with (1)……………, which children normally enter at age
(2)…………… and following through 12th grade.
(3) ……………may educate their own children at home, (4) …………… their
children to a public school, which is funded with (5) …………… money, or a private
school, where parents must pay (6)……………
After high school, students have a (7) …………… of attending either a public/
state (8)…………… a private university, entering the (9) …………… or enlisting in the
military. Public universities receive (10) …………… from the federal and state
government but students (11) …………… pay tuition, which can vary depending on the
universities, state, and whether the student is a (12) …………… of the state or not.
Tuition at private universities tends to be much (13) …………… than at public
universities.
American colleges and universities (14) ……………from highly competitive
schools, both private (such as Harvard University, Columbia University, and Princeton
University) and public (such as the University of California, Berkeley and the
University of Virginia), to hundreds of local community colleges with (15) ……………
admission policies.
(from Wikipedia - The free Encyclopedia)

Sources
Oxford Guide to British and American Culture, OUP 1999
Wikipedia - The free Encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States
 Suggested reading
A Diverse Educational System, Portrait of the USA, published by the United
States Information Agency, 1979
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/factover/homepage.htm
 RELIGION
The US is well known for its many traditional churches and less formal religions,
though almost all are Christian. Freedom of worship is a result of the separation of
Church and State that is written into the First Amendment of tire Constitution. This
happened because many people, including the Pilgrim Fathers, went to America to
avoid religious persecution in Europe,
American Protestants are very religious, though the Catholic Church has more
members than any one Protestant group, Religious beliefs are strong: it is said that 96%
of Americans believe in God, 90% pray and 41% go to church regularly. Churches are
centers of social events and business activities, as well as places of worship. Prayers are
said at football games, and some teams kneel together on the field before a game.
Church and State
There is no established religion in the US but Christianity is built into some
important aspects of American life. The Pledge of Allegiance includes the phrase ‘one
nation under God’, and the official US motto is ‘In God We Trust’, US presidents
always attend church regularly, but they may come from any denomination.
Since the 1960s some Americans have tried to stop government support of religion.
In 1963 the Supreme Court decided it was ‘unconstitutional’ for students to say the
Lord’s Prayer or to read the Bible in class. Many schools have ignored this ruling. In
1997 a judge in Alabama was ordered to remove a list of the Ten Commandments from
the wall of his court, but he refused.
Christian churches
In the US the Catholic Church has over 60 million members. The largest Protestant
group is the Baptists, with nearly 37 million members. Other Protestant groups include
Methodists, Lutherans and Presbyterians. Episcopalians, .who are part of the Anglican
Communion, number only 2.5 million. Part of the Deep South is called the Bible Belt
because Protestants there are fundamentalists. Their preaching is sometimes rudely
called ‘Bible-bashing’
People who have not found spiritual satisfaction within the traditional churches
may join a sect such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Christian Scientists, the Mormons
or the Seventh-Day Adventists. Others join a charismatic church, such as the
Pentecostal Church, where emotions are freely expressed and spiritual healing is
practised. In the US there are over 10 million Pentecostalists. Smaller churches in the
US include the Shakers, the Amish, the Mennonites and the Hutterites. America also has
strong religious groups that are not churches, for example the Promise Keepers.
The US has many evangelical churches, which believe that Christians should help
others fmd God. Evangelists such as Billy Sunday, Aimee Semple McPherson and Billy
Graham have gathered groups of followers through the strength of their personalities.
But some, including televangelists Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggert, have shown that
they care more about money and other pleasures than about God. America also has
many religious cults. They include the Moonies and the large and financially successful
Scientology organisation. Other groups have shown themselves to be fanatical and
dangerous, as seen in the violent deaths in 1993 of more than 70 people at the Branch
Davidians’ house in Waco, Texas.
Other faiths
The main non-Christian faiths in the US are Judaism and Islam. The US has about
6 million Jews and there are synagogues in many towns and cities. Jewish men may be
recognized in the street if they are wearing a skullcap. Men from some branches of
Judaism wear long black coats and black hats,
(from Oxford Guide to British and American Culture)
* MATCHING
Match the words with their-meanings.
1. denomination a/ Protestant members who believe the
2. fundamentalists exact words of the Bible
3. preaching b/ buildings where Jews worship
4. synagogues c/ religious group
5. Islam d/ the Muslim religion
e/ teaching
* Write T for true mid F for false. Correct the false statements.
1. ..... It is stated in the Constitution that religion and government are separate;
2 ….. Most Americans believe in God
3 ….. The Catholic church is the largest religion.
4 ….. The official church in the US is Christianity.
5. ..... American Presidents go to church regularly
6. …..Football players and students are requested to read the Bible. :
7 ….. The majority of American population belong to Protestant churches.
8 ….. Tire largest group of Protestant Christians in the US is Methodist.
9. ….. The Mormons is one of the traditional religious groups
10. ….. Religious cults may be dangerous
* Define these terms, using a dictionary if necessary.
Pilgim fathers
scientology
sect
cult
 • CLOZE
Choose one appropriate word from the box below to complete each blank space.
denominations largest government Moslem worship
religion group tribal Christians divided

A basic American principle is separation of .church and state. The US Constitution

says that people have the right to (1)………… as they choose and that no religion can be
made the official religion, in keeping with this principle, (2) …………money cannot be
used to support church activities and prayers may not be said in public schools. (The US
Congress, however, opens each year with a prayer,)
Studies show that about 9 in 10 Americans identify with a (3) ………… and that
about 6 in 10 belong to a church.
About 94 percent of Americans who identify with a religion are (4) …………
Among Christians, there are more Protestants than Catholics. However, there are many
different Protestant (5) ………… , or groups, For example, Protestants include, among
others, Baptists, Methodists, and Lutherans, and each of these groups is (6) …………
into smaller groups. So Catholics, although outnumbered by Protestants, are the single
(7) …………religious group. Jews are the largest non-Christian (8) ………… with
about 4 percent of the population. About 2 percent of the population is (9) ………… and
smaller numbers are Buddhists, and Hindus, Native Americans often preserve their
(10) ………… religions.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Pledge of Allegiance: a promise of loyalty made by Americans to their flag
and country. The words are: T pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of
America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with
liberty and justice for all. It was first published in 1892 in the magazine Youth's
Companion and written by the journalist Francis Bellamy, Congress added the words
Tinder God' in 1954 and this caused a lot of argument. Many American children say the
Pledge each morning at school as they face the flag and put their right hands over their
hearts. Adults also often do this on formal public occasions.
The Bible Belt: a name sometimes used to describe the US Deep South and parts
of the Midwest because many people there are religious Protestants who follow the
words of the Bible very closely.
Christian Scientist: a person who believes in Christian Science, a form of
Christianity started by Mary Baker Eddy in Boston, US, in 1879. She said that the mind
is the only thing that is real, that the physical world is just an illusion, and that suffering
and death can be overcome by prayer alone. Christian Scientists do not take medicine or
go into hospital, but talk to a Christian Science Practitioner who helps them deal with
their illness. They have no priests, and their services are very simple, consisting of
readings from the Bible and the works of Mary Baker Eddy, religious songs, and
accounts from people who have been cured.
Mormon: a member of the Christian religion called the Church’ of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints. It was established in the IJ$ in New York State in 1830 by
Joseph Smith. Its members later moved west, led by Brigham Young, to establish Salt
Lake City and the-state of Utah. Their center is still in Salt Lake City, and most people
in Utah are Mormons. The church has about 10 million members, and they are well
¡mown in many countries for visiting people in their homes to talk about their religion.
Mormons have strict moral rules and do not drink alcohol or even coffee.
At one time Mormon men were allowed to have more than one wife, but the
Church stopped this in 1890.
Seventh-Day Adventist: a member of a Christian religious group that was
established in I860. They have their sabbath (- the day of the week when they rest and
worship God) on Saturday instead of Sunday, and they believe that Christ will soon
return to earth, They are well known for their strict religious rules.
Pentecostalist: a member of any of the Protestant Pentecostal religious groups or
churches; They believe that illnesses can be healed by faith and in ‘baptism in the spirit'
in which a person ‘speaks in tongues’ with unknown words that come from the Holy
Spirit, Pentecostal ism began in the US at the beginning of the 20ỉh century and. now has
support in other major Christian Churches. The largest Pentacostal church in the US is
the Church of God in Christ, with more than 5.5 million members.
Evangelist: a Protestant Christian who travels to different places and holds
religious meetings to persuade people to become. Christians.
Televangelist: An evangelist, who has a series of religious programmes on
television. Many have become very rich from money sent in by supporters.
Branch Davidians: a US religious group, based ỉn Waco, Texas which believed
that Christ would soon return to earth. Their leader was David Koresh. In 1993 members
of the group killed four US government officers who were trying to enter their building.
The building was then surrounded for 51 days until the Branch Davidiáns began a fire in
which 82 of them died (33 from Britain).
Sources
Oxford Guide Ỉ0 British and American Culture, OUP 1999
Wikipedia - The free Encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States
 FAMILY LIFE
The American family has changed greatly in the last 20 or 30 years. Many of these
changes are similar to changes taking place in other countries.
Marriage and Children
Young people are waiting longer before getting married Women áre also waiting
longer to have children. It’s not unusual today for a woman to have her first child in her
mid-thirties. And families are having fewer children. The typical family used to have
three children. Today most families have one or two children
Dual-Earning Families
In the traditional family, the wife stayed home with the children while the husband
earned money. Now 60 percent of all married women work outside the home. So a
majority of couples have two wage-earners. One reason for this change is that women,
want and expect to have careers. Another reason is economics. With rising prices, many
families cannot survive on one person’s salary.
Single-Parent and Other Nontraditional Families
The United States has a high divorce rate: Approximately 1 in every 2 marriages
ends in divorce. One result of this high divorce rate is that many American children live
in single-parent families.
Although some women wait until their thirties to have their first child, other;
women become mothers while they are still teenagers. Many of these teen aged mothers
are not married. Many are also poor. Poverty among children in homes headed by single
mothers has become a serious problem in the United States.
Often people who are divorced get married again. This has led to a new kind of
family - the “reconstituted family”, in which there are children from previous marriages
as well as from the present marriage.
An Aging Population
In the past, it was common for three generations - grandparents, parents, parents,
and children - to live together. Now most older people live on their own. They generally
stay in contact with their children but might live in a different part of the country. People
are also living longer - often for 20 years after they've retired from their job. Modern
American culture tends to value youth rather than age. All of this creates an interesting
challenge for older people - and for the country, since by the year 2020, 1 in every 6
Americans will be over the age of 65.
Future of the family
Is the American family in trouble? People point to the divorce rate, to the fact that
working mothers might have less time with their children, and to the “generation gap,”
or the problems that parents and children sometimes have understanding each other.
Experts say, however, that the family is as strong as ever. Family is still at the center of
most people’s lives.
(from Spotlight on the USA, Randee Falk)

* Complete the following sentences.

1. Young people wait…
2. Women postpone having…
3. Most families nowadays have...
4. The reasons for married women work outside the home are...
5. About a half of all marriages...
6. Many teenaged mothers are...
7. Elderly people usually...
8. Modem American culture values...
9.. Family is still...
* Define these terms
dual- earning family
single-parent family
nonditional family
reconstituted family
generation gap
* Discussion points
1. The passage describes several ways in which the American family is changing.
Are families in your country changing? If so, are the changes similar to the changes in
the United States?
2. What do you think the perfect family is like? For example, how many children
should there be? Should both parents work? Should the grandparents live with the
family?
 Source
Spotlight on the USA, Randee Falk, GUP, 1993
Suggested reading
Children, pp. 104, Oxford Guide to British and American Culture, OUP 1999
Family and family life, pp. 188, Oxford Guide to British and American Culture, OUP
1999
 FOOD
Visitors to the US often think either that there is no real American food, only
dishes borrowed from other countries, or else that Americans eat only fast food. While
there is some truth in both these impressions, real American food does exist.
American dishes include many made from traditional foods. Com is eaten as com
on the cob, which is boiled and eaten hot with butter, ground up into small pieces and
cooked again to make grits, or baked to make cornbread. It can be dried -and cooked
with oil to make popcorn, which is eaten hot covered with melted butter and salt. Turkey
was originally an American bird and is the most important dish, at Thanksgiving. It is
served with a sauce made from an American plant, the cranberry, a small, red, sour berry,
and is usually followed by pumpkin pie. The hamburger may also come from the US.
The sandwich, originally from Britain, is made with great variety in America.
Many of America’s most popular dishes have been borrowed from other cultures.
This ethnic food is not always the same in the US as in the country it comes from. Many
popular dishes come from Italy, especially pasta dishes and pizza. From Mexico there
are burritos, tacos and enchiladas; from China there are egg rolls, chop suey and egg foo
yong; and from Japan sushi and teriyaki.
When Americans make food at home they rarely use basic ingredients. Cakes, for
example, are often made from cake, mixes bought in a box. They also use many
prepared foods, Americans also often order in. In the 1980s younger people especially
became more interested in food. These foodies helped to increase the variety of dishes
and ingredients available in America. Olive oil became commonly used in cooking, and
new sauces were developed for .pasta. Many styles of real coffee also became popular.
Food and health
Americans believe food has an important effect on their health but they do not
always cat in a healthy way. Many eat junk food, including fast -food, snacks like potato
chips (BrE crisps) and cookies (BrE biscuits), fizzy drinks and ice cream. Some people
eat mainly health foods. They take vitamin and mineral supplements and rash to eat the
latest foods said to be healthy, like olive oil, oats and garlic. Americans always seem to
be fighting a battle between what they want to cat and what is good for them. Most
Americans weigh too much, so it seems that they still mostly eat what they want.
(from Oxford Guide to British and American Culture)
 * Define these terms
prepared food
to order in
foodies
junk food
fizzy drink
* Match the dishes to their country of origin.
pumpkin pie Italy
sandwich USA
sushi Britain
pizza China
burritos Mexico
egg rolls Japan
* Discuss these questions
1. Why do you think Americans rarely use basic ingredients when they cook at
home?
2. Why is it that “the ethnic food is not always the same in the US as in the country
it comes from”?
3. “Americans always seem to be fighting a battle between what they want to eat
and what is good for them”. Explain.
Source
Oxford Guide to British and American Culture, OUP 1999
 HOUSES IN THE US
American homes
In the US there is plenty of space, except in big cities, so many houses are large
and have a lot of garden around them. Most are detached (=not joined to another house),
but there are also duplexes, which are similar to British semi-detached houses.
Ranch-style houses are built on one floor only. Mansions are very large houses where
rich people live.
Some types of house arc associated with certain parts of the country. New York
City, for instance, is famous for its brownstones, tail, narrow buildings named after the
material used to build them. New England has clapboard houses, and in some cities
there are row houses, similar to British terraces, in the Midwest there are many wooden
frame houses with pointed roofs. The South has large wooden houses built before the
Civil War in the antebellum style. But all over the US houses are built in many different
styles.
Many Americans prefer to live in suburbs rather than in a city center, in order to
have a pleasant environment and plenty of space. They often live on housing
developments, areas where all the houses were built at the same time and are similar in
style. Most of the 97 million households in the US have a home with at least five rooms
and more than one bathroom. Most also have a front yard (= garden) and a. backyard.
In the cities many people rent an apartment in an apartment building. Apartments
usually have no more than three bedrooms, and are often rented furnished. An apartment
with only one room may be called a studio or a loft. A building in which the apartments
are owned by the people who live in them is called a condominium or, in some places, a
co-op.
Poor people may live in apartments in tenements (= large old buildings) in the
downtown area of a city, in small, very basic houses or in mobile homes. Despite the
name, many people keep their mobile home in a trailer park and never move it.
Space for living
A typical US house has two storeys or floors. Upstairs there are several bedrooms
and at least one bathroom. The parents share the master bedroom, which may have its
own bathroom attached. Children often have their own bedrooms. Extra rooms are used
as a study or playroom or as guest bedrooms. Downstairs there is a kitchen, a living
room and a dining room. There is usually also a bathroom or a half bath, which has only
a toilet and sink (BrE washbasin). Many houses have a porch {^covered area outside the
house) where people sit when the weather is hot. Americans take pride in their homes
and like to show visitors round.
Bedrooms are usually considered the private space of the people who sleep in them,
and children are allowed a great deal of freedom in their bedrooms. Parents usually
knock before entering. Children are given the responsibility of cleaning their rooms, and
the right to decide when that is necessary. This often leads to disagreement between
parents and children.
In summer screens are put in doorways and windows, which allow fresh air to
come in bụt keep insects out. Most houses have air-conditioning. In winter screens are
replaced with glass storm doors and storm windows to keep the cold out. Central heating
is standard, but many houses also have fireplaces where wood can be burned.
To buy or to rent?
Americans often move home from one city to another. Finding a new place to live
is not difficult, except when moving to a very large city. It is usually possible to find an
apartment to rent one day and to move into it the next.
About 65% of US homes are owned by the people who live in them. The costs of
buying and selling are relatively low. People thinking of buying a house ask a real estate
agent, or realtor, to show them several houses. When they decide on one, they discuss
the price with the people who are selling it, and then arrange a mortgage (Moan) with a
bank.
People look for different kinds of homes at different points in their lives. Students
and young professional people tend to live in apartments near city centers. When people
get married and have children they often move out of the city and buy a house in a
suburb. In most suburbs it is possible to tell how much money people have by die size of
their houses and yards. In some parts of the ƯS it is also possible to guess the racial
background of the person living in a house. Although it is illegal to practise racial
discrimination, there is still segregation in many cities since white people tend to live in
some areas and black people in others.
(from Oxford Guide to British and American Culture)
* Define the following terms, using a dictionary if necessary
apartment
studio
condominium
tenement
mobile homes
trailer park
master bedroom
half bath
realtor
* Answer the following questions.
1. Name the different types of houses in the US.
2. Why do Americans prefer to live in suburbs?
3. Why do parents need to knock before entering their children’s bedrooms?
4. Is the process of buying a house in the US similar to that in Viet Nam?
 MEDIA
The US has the most highly-developed mass media in the world American-made
dramas, comedies, soap operas, animations, music videos and films have a global
audience and are part of the staple fare of broadcasters worldwide.
Television is America's most popular medium. Three networks - ABC, CBS and
NBC - dominated the scene for decades until the mass take-up of cable and satellite and
the arrival of the Fox network. Mainstream American TV is slick, fast-moving and
awash with advertising. Audience ratings and advertising revenues spell life or death for
shows; networks may axe lame ducks after just one season:
There are around 10,000 commercial radio stations in the US. In urban areas there
are stations to satisfy almost every musical taste, language preference and world- view.
News, sports and talk stations predominate on the medium wave (AM) dial, with music
on the FM band. Satellite-delivered subscription radio services offer hundreds of
channels and have attracted millions of customers.
Freedom of expression in the US is guaranteed by the constitution, and some
stations give airtime to extreme hues of political - often right-wing - and religious
thinking. Elsewhere, outspoken radio "shock jocks” push at the boundaries of taste.
American public broadcasting is partly government-funded, but also supported by
private grants. Many universities and colleges operate broadcasting outlets. National
Public Radio - with more than 600 member stations - offers a more highbrow mix of
news, debate and music without advertising. Public TV services operated by PBS have a
mission to provide ''quality" and educational programming.
The government sponsors TV and radio stations aimed at audiences outside the US.
Lately, radio services for audiences in the former Soviet bloc have been cut back, while
stations targeting audiences in the Middle East and Asia have been launched. There are
more Shan 1,500 daily newspapers in the US, most of them with a local or regional
readership.
The US is the home of the internet. By early 2005 nearly 6S% of Americans were
estimated to be online.
The press
USA Today - national daily
Wall Street Journal - business daily
 Christian Science Monitor - church-owned daily
Los Angeles Times - daily
Washington Post - daily
Boston Globe - daily
New York Post - daily
New York Times - daily
Philadelphia Inquirer - daily
Baltimore Sun - daily
Chicago Tribune - daily
Newsweek - news weekly
Time - news weekly
U.S. News & World Report - news weekly
Television
ABC - major commercial network
CBS - major commercial network
NBC - major commercial network
Fox - major commercial network
CNN - pioneer of 24-hour rolling TV news, operates domestic and international
streams
MTV - pioneer of music television
HBO (Home Box Office) - pay-TV network; originator of some of American TV's
most critically-acclaimed programmes
PBS (Public Broadcasting Sendee'} - public TV, serves some 350 non-commercial
member stations
Radio
NPR (National Public Radio) - non-commercial network of member stations; news,
information and cultural programmes
Clear Channel - America’s largest commercial radio operator, owns more than
1,200 stations
CBS Radio - major commercial operator with nearly 180 stations in major markets:
ABC Radio Networks - operates flagship stations coast-to-coast
External broadcasting
 Voice of America - government-funded, programmes for global audiences in
many languages
Radio Free Enron e/Radio Liberty - government-fun ded, targets eastern Europe,
former Soviet Union and the Caucasus in local languages
Radio Free Asia - government funded, targets China, North Korea and southeast
Asia
Al-Hurra - govern meat-funded, satellite TV for Middle East
Radio Saw a - government-funded, Arable-language radio for Middle East
Radio Sawa - government-funded, Persian-language radio
Radio and TV Marti - government-funded services for Cuba
(from BBC NEWS, Americas-country profiles)
* Complete the following sentences.
1. The most popular of America’s media is...
2. The 4 major commercial TV networks are,..
3. American TV is full of... .
4. Audience’s opinions are important...
5. Most radio stations are ...
6. Public broadcasting is
7. PBS is known for…
8. Radio Free Europe broadcasts to ...
9. Radio Sawa is for...
* What are these abbreviations for?
ABC
CBS
NBC
CNN
MTV
PBS
DID YOU KNOW?
HBO: a US cable television company which is the largest in the world. It
operates two networks, HBO and Cinemax. Cinemax shows films, and HRO presents
films, sports, special programmes and series.
 PBS: (in the US) a television system that broadcasts programmes to an association
oflocal stations which use no television advertisements and do not make a profit. It was
established by the Public Broadcasting Act (1967) and. is supported by money from the
US government, large companies and the public.

NEWSPAPERS
The US has only one national newspaper, USA Today. The rest are local. A few
newspapers from large cities, such as the New York Times and The Washington Post,
are read all over the country. The International Herald-Tribune is published outside the
US and is read by Americans abroad. Many Americans subscribe to a newspaper which
is delivered to their house. This costs less than buying it in a shop. Papers can also be
bought in bookshops and supermarkets. Large cities have newsstands, small covered
areas on the street, and smaller towns have vending machines from which people take a
paper after putting in money.
Many newspapers are now available on the Internet. This is useful for checking the
headlines, but most people prefer to read the printed version,
A. daily newspaper from a medium-sized US city has between 50 and 75 pages,
divided into different sections. The most important stories, whether international,
national or local, arc printed on the front page, which usually has the beginnings of four
or five articles, and colour photographs. The articles continue inside. The rest of the first
section contains news stories, an opinion page with editorials, and letters to the editor,
written by people who read the paper. Another section contains local news. The sport
section is near the end of the-paper, with the features section. This contains comics and
also advice columns, such as Dear Abby. There are advertisements throughout the
paper.
Tabloids contain articles about famous people but do not report the news. They are
displayed in supermarkets, and many people read them while they are waiting to pay but
do not buy them.
On Sundays newspapers are thicker. There are usually fewer news stories but more
articles analysing the news of the past week and many more features, including a colour
section of comics.
America has many papers in languages other than English for people from various
ethnic backgrounds.
(from Oxford Guide to British and American Culture)
* Write T for true and F for false. Correct the false statements,
1 …… The New York Times and the Washington Post are national newspapers.
2 …… People prefer to read newspapers on the Internet.
3 …… A daily newspaper has 75 pages.
4 …… Tabloids are given at supermarkets,
5 …… Sunday newspapers have many more pages.

* Define the following terms, using a dictionary if necessary:

to subscribe
news - stand
vending machine
editorial
the comics
feature
advice column
CLOZE
Choose one appropriate word from the box below to complete each blank space.
affairs networks drive listenership
programmes language discuss government
English format telephone licences
commercial music cultural name

RADIO
In the US there are more than 10.000 radio stations. Many people listen to the radio
during (1)………… time, the time when they are travelling to or from work. There are
no national radio stations, but there are (2) ………… groups of stations that are
associated with each other. The network affiliates stations in the group) use some of the
same (3) …………
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), a part, of the US government,
issues (4) ………… to radio stations and says what frequency they can use. The FCC
also gives a station its call letters, the letters that it uses to identity itself. Many stations
make their (5) …………., from their call letters or frequency, e.g. Sunny 95. Each
station has a specific (6) ………… (= style of programmes), which it hopes will be
popular with its (7) …………. Some stations play a particular kind of music, such as
‘top 40' (= popular songs), country (8) ………… or golden oldies. Other stations have
talk radio and phone-in programmes, in which radio presenters (9) ………… an issue
and invite people listening to (10). ………… the station and take part in the discussion.
Ethnic radio stations operated by people from particular (11) ………… groups offer
programmes in languages other than (12) …………Some stations broadcast religious
programming.
Many towns also have a public radio station, which is part of the National Public
Radio network. Public radio stations often have public (13) …………programming and
classical music, which is not common on (14). ………… radio. The United States
Information Agency, part of the US (15) ………… operates the Voice of America,
which brings information about the US, its culture and (16) …………to people around
the world.
Sources
Oxford Guide to British and American Culture, OUP 1999 Story from BBC
NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/fr/-/l/hi/world/americas/country_profdes/1217752.stm
Published: 2006/08/01 16:02:07 GMT
 BASEBALL
Baseball is America’s national sport, played mainly by men. It developed in the
mid I9th century from the British, games of rounders and cricket. Baseball is also
popular in Japan and several Latin American countries, and has been an Olympic sport
since 1992. Softball is similar but uses a larger, softer ball and is popular with women.
Many Americans play baseball for fun because players do not have to be 1 strong
like football players or tail like basketball players. Some people think baseball is too
slow, but the team managers often change their players and plans during the game, and
there are many exciting plays. Many American families enjoy going to a Sunday
afternoon double-header (= two games between the same two teams in one day),
The game
Baseball is played with long wooden bats and a small, hard ball, by two teams of
nine players each. The infield has three bases (= bags filled with sand) and a home plate,
also called home, arranged in a diamond. The distance between each base is 90 feet
(27.4 metres). The pitcher, who throws the ball to the batter at the home plate, stands in
the centre of the diamond. The distance from the pitcher’s mound to the home plate is
60.5 feet (18.4 metres). The team that scores the most runs as its players move round the
bases is the winner.
Each game lasts nine innings, in each inning the visiting team is first to bat (- hit
the ball), while the home team plays defense, Flayers bat in turn but when a team has
three outs, it must let the other side bat. If a batter hits the ball and it is not caught in the
air for an out, he runs to first base. If the ball is thrown to first base before the baiter gets
there, he is out. If not, he then tries to advance to second base, third base and back to
home for a run while other, players bat. A base runner is out if another player in his team
hits the ball and it is thrown to second or third base before he gets there. The most
exciting play is when the batter hits a ball very far and can go round all the bases for a
home run, also called a homer.
An umpire judges the throws. If a pitch (= ball that is thrown) is not hit, the ball is
caught by the catcher behind the batter and returned to the pitcher. A batter strikes out
(=is out) if the pitcher throws three balls within the strike zone (= the area between the
batter’s shoulders and knees) and he misses them or does not try to hit them. A batter can
go to first base on a walk if the pitcher throws four balls outside the strike zone. As well
as the pitcher and the catcher, the defense has four other players in the infield and three
in the outfield.
Competitions
The professional season lasts from April to October. Major league baseball is
organized into the American League and the National League. At the end of the season
the four best, teams in each league play to decide which two will go forward to the
World Series: The team that wins four games in this competition are the World
Champions. The New York Yankees have won the World Series the most times. Other
well-known teams include the Boston Red Sox, the Cleveland Indians, the Detroit
Tigers, the Chicago Cubs, the St Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers. There
are also several minor leagues around the country.
Amateur competitions include the NCAA College World Series, won most often
by the University of Southern California. Both American and foreign teams play in the
Little League, and young people play in the Little League or Babe Ruth League,
Famous baseball players have included Ty Cobb, ‘Cy’ Young, "Babe’ Ruth, Lou
Gehrig, Jackie Robinson, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Ted Williams,
and Hank Aaron. All have been chosen for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Language and culture
Baseball has its own colourful language, such as an Annie Oakley (a free walk to
first base), a Texas Leaguer (a weak hit just over the infield) and a grand slam (a home
rim with three runners on bases). Some expressions are more widely used. To strike out
means to fail, to throw somebody a curve means to trick them (because a curve ball
deceives the batter), not get to first base means to get nothing done, and to take a rain
check is to delay an event (a free rain check to a later game is given if a game is stopped
by rain).
Baseball has entered the national culture in other ways. It is the subject of an old
popular song, Take Me Out to the Ballgame, novels such as Shoeless Joe (1982) which
became the film Field of Dreams (1989), and other films tike The Pride of the Yankees
(1942) and The Babe (1992), Baseball caps and shirts are fashionable hi many countries.
(from Oxford Guide to British and American Culture)
* Define the following terms, using a dictionary if necessary
pitcher
batter
catcher
umpire
to throw someone, a curve
to take a rain check
* Write T for true and F for false. Correct the false statements.
1. ………… Baseball is imported from Britain.
2. ………… It is more popular in Japan than in America.
3. ………… It is an Olympic sport and popular with both men and women.
4. ………… It can be played by people of average height and weight
5. …………People think baseball is not exciting.
6. ………… American families enjoy watching baseball games.
* Complete the following sentences
1. Baseball is played with ......…….and
2. A baseball team consists of: …………..
3. The baseball season is from ...............
4. The teams are divided into ...................
5. The World Champions are ...............
6. Professional World Series have been won most often by..........
 TWO KINDS OF FOOTBALL
American football, not to be confused with the football called soccer, is the
American national sport. It developed from the British game of rugby and, although it is
played in no other country in the world (except Canada), it excites tremendous
enthusiasm. Intercollegiate games (games between universities) are great social
occasions. More than 100 thousand mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, students
and football fans from the general public, crowd into the huge, luxurious stadiums.
During a recent, college final in the Rose Bowl at Pasadena, California, there were
severe earthquake tremors, but nobody noticed!
Then there is the razzamatazz - the splendidly-trained brass bands, the teams of
pretty' girls twirling batons and dressed in fancy costumes who march like well- drilled
soldiers during the half-time show, the cheerleaders urging the .fans to shout
encouragement or applaud good play.
The method of scoring in American football is the same as in rugby. Players try to
carry the ball over the opponents’ line, and then to earn more points by kicking the ball
between the upright goal posts above the bar. But that is where the likeness between the
two games ends.
American football has a reputation for being a brutal and dangerous game. This
reputation is not really deserved. The players hurl themselves at each other fiercely, but
today their uniforms and helmets (fitted with visors to protect their faces) are so skillful
padded that there are few serious injuries. By comparison, the rugby player is almost
naked, having only a thin jersey and a pair of shorts to protect him from his opponents’
boots and tackling.
The football coach is a very important member of the college staff - more
important than the professors, some says! The coach picks promising football players
from the high schools, and recommends that they be given scholarships. This is the only
way some boys from poor families with no intellectual background can get to college.
Quite a few of these students go on to become professional football players. The names
of professional soccer clubs are as well known to Americans as professional soccer
clubs are to, Europeans and South Americans.
The Americans are addicted to crazes. When they take something up, they do so
wholeheartedly, and often the rest of the world follows their lead. Jogging is an example
of this. The Americans now have another craze, a game which most other countries call
‘football,’ but which they call soccer. Soccer is spreading like wildfire through all the
States and gaining in popularity on baseball. It is being run by big business and TV
advertisers, who are doing everything they can to sell it to the public. They are
employing famous fashion designers to design novel uniforms for the players. They
have introduced a musical background to the games, and there is happening. Most
important, they have hired, at enormous expense, famous coaches and players from
Europe and South America. They have also changed some of the rules, including the
offside rules to make the game more exciting.
Soccer games can now draw crowds of over 70 thousand in cities where baseball
attracts a mere 20 thousand spectators. The soccer stadiums are much more luxurious
than the vast majority of European and South American league grounds. There is a seat
for everyone and a parking lot for 25 thousand cars. Soccer is being brilliantly promoted,
like any other promising American product.
(from Background to the USA, Richard Musman)
* Write T for 'true and F for false, Correct the false statements.
1. …….. American football developed from British soccer.
2. …….. Both football and soccer players wear uniforms and helmets.
3. …….. The football coach can give players scholarships
4. …….. The Americans are crazy about soccer.
5. …….. Soccer is more popular than baseball.
6. …….. Many things have been done to make soccer more exciting.
* Answer the following questions
1 In what way is American football different from most other games in the world?
2 In what ways are Rigby and American football alike?
3 In what ways do rugby players and American football players look different?
4 Why has American football become much less dangerous in recent years?
5 How can some students from poor homes manage to get to a university?
6 How does big business “sell" soccer to the public?
7 Some American spectators do not know much about soccer. How do they learn
what is going on?
Sources
Oxford Guide to British and American Culture, OUP 1999
Background to the USA, Richard Musman, Macmillan Publishers, 1990
 JAZZ
Jazz is one of the greatest forms of music originating in the US, The names of its
stars, who are mostly African Americans, are known around the world. Most people
have heard of stars like Ella Fitzgerald, ‘Count’ Basie, ‘Duke’ Ellington and Louis
Armstrong. Wynton Marsalis, who plays in the traditional style, is the best- known jazz
musician today
Jazz was begun in the South by African Americans. Many of its rhythms came
from the work songs and spirituals religious songs) of black slaves. New Orleans street
bands first made jazz popular, Earl) forms of jazz created at the beginning of the 20th
century were ragtime and the blues. Ragtime musicians included the singer 'Jelly Roll5
Morton and the composer and piano player Scott Joplin. Famous blues singers included
Bessie Smith and later Billie Holiday. Dixieland developed from ragtime and the blues
and made a feature of improvisation (= making up the music as it is being played),
especially on the trumpet and saxophone. Dixieland stars included Louis Armstrong and
Sidney Bechet.
In the 1920s many African Americans moved north, taking jazz with them, and
Chicago and New York became centres for the music. This was the beginning of the big
band era. In the 1930s swing music came into fashion and people danced to jazz. Radio
and the new recording industry helped to make it even more popular. The big bands
were led by Basle, Ellington, Woody Herman, Glenn Miller and ‘the King of Swing’s
Benny Goodman. In the 1940s there were new styles such as bebop, developed by
‘Dizzy’ Gillespie, Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker and Thelonious Monk. Freer forms like
progressive jazz developed in the 1950s with stars including Stan Getz and Dave
Brubeck. Cool jazz followed in the 1960s, led by Getz and, Miles Davis. More recent
styles have included funky jazz, jazz-rock and hip-hop jazz. Many jazz clubs, like the
Cotton Club, have now closed but others, like Preservation Hail in New Orleans, and
Birdland in Manhattan, remain.
(from Oxford Guide to British and American Culture)
* Complete the following sentences to obtain a summary of the text,
1. Jazz originated...
2. Black Jazz stars are...
3. Jazz was created in................by.................
4. Its rhythms came from...
5. Jazz was first popular in,.,
6. Ragtime and blue arc ...
7. Louts Armstrong is
8. In the 1920s Jazz ...
9. In the 1930s swing music...
10. News style of Jazz include...
 ■

I DID YOU KNOW...?

Ragtime: a style of music developed by African Americans in the 1890s and
played especially on the piano. It led to the development of traditional jazz. Ragtime is
played with a strong rhythm which is ‘ragged’, e.g. not regular. Pieces of ragtime music
are often called rags. The most famous ragtime musicians were ‘Jelly Roll' Morton and
Scott Joplin.
The blues: a type of US jazz music with a slow, sad sound. African Americans
created it in the southern states to express the sadness of their experience. The music
developed into rhythm and blues and then rock-and roll and soul.
Dixieland: a type of US jazz music played by a small hand. It has a strong, happy
rhythm, and the musicians also play individually during a song. Dixieland began in the
South at the end of the 19th century and is still popular, especially in New Orleans. The
best known Dixieland song is When the Saints Go Marching In.
Big band : a large band of musicians playing jazz and other forms of dance music.
Big bands were especially popular in the 1940s and produced what was called the big
band sound. The most famous were led by Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, ‘Duke1
Ellington, ‘Count’ Basie, and Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey,
 ■

I WHAT IS POP?
In 1956, a young man from the south of the United States made a .record called
Heartbreak Hotel. The young man was Elvis Presley. Eight million people bought his
record arid it went straight to number one in the US charts. It was the first of many hits
for Elvis and it was also one of the first modern pop records.
‘Pop’ is popular music: the music of the people. There has always been popular
music, but pop was born around the time that Elvis began singing - more than forty years
ago. Pop songs are about girls and boys, going out, dancing, having a good time, being
in love and being out of love. Pop is for the young. It is about growing up and about not
growing up. It is about feeling different. Pop tells you it is OK to feel the way you do.
Pop can be happy or sad. It can be strange, it can be fun, it can, be dangerous. For the
people who work in the pop business, it is usually about making money. For most people,
it is about having a good time. Pop is for now.
The sixties
Some people call the sixties a golden time for pop. Pop became a voice for millions
of young people and it became big business. And many different kinds of pop came
front the rock and roll of the fifties.
One new kind, from California, was the surfing sound of the Beach Boys; the most
successful American group of the sixties. Brian Wilson wrote most of their songs (God
Only Knows, Sloop John B. Good Vibrations): He was always trying to do new things
with his music. In 1995, a British pop magazine asked a group of (older) British pop
music writers to name the best pop album of ail time: their number one? -Brian Wilson’s
Pet Sounds,
In Detroit (Motown, the city of the motor car), there was the black soul music of
Marvin Gaye and Otis Redding; here too, the record producer, Phil Specter, was
building something he called the Wail of Sound with mainly black singers, like Ike and
Tina Turner {River Deep, Mountain High) and girl groups like the Ronettes.
And there was also the completely different voice of Bob Dylan, who started as a
folk singer, then changed to an. electric guitar in 1966. HP wrote some of the best songs
in modem music like All along the Watchtower, Mr. Tambourine Man and A Hard
Rain's A-Gonna Fall. Dylan showed that pop music can be exciting and serious.
The 1960s was a time when many young people believed that sex and drugs and
 ■

I rock music (the kind of music which came straight from the rock and roll and rhythm
and blues of the fifties) would give love and peace to the world. They listened to the
psychedelic music of groups like The Grateful dead and of Jimi Hendrix, one of the
great guitarists of rock. More than 300,000 people went to the Woodstock Festival In
1969 to listen to this kind of music. But this was the year that Brian Jones of the Rolling
Stones died because of drugs. One year later, Hendrix also died from drugs. And a
young man was killed while The Rolling Stones played at a concert in Altamont,
California. It was the end of the dream.
Pop today - and tomorrow
Today, pop is for everyone. When Elvis made Heartbreak Hotel and Jailhouse
Rock, pop did not have a past and pop was for the young. Forty years later, the ,
grandfathers of pop - the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Erie Clapton, Elton John are now
the first old people to make pop music: and old people as well as young listen to it.
Today, pop is everywhere. It is in the street, in the big shops, at the airport. You
can get pop twenty-four hours a day on your radio, from your Walkman, from the TV.
MTV (Music Television) goes to more than 250 million homes in 60 countries, ail
watching pop videos of all kinds of music. But MTV has not made pop the same
everywhere. MTV Asia is not the same as MTV in Latin America. Today, more than
ever, you can choose your own kind of music from many different kinds.
Today pop is big business. People spend 35 billion dollars on records every year.
Two in every three records in the world come from just five companies. These
companies are very rich. They help the bands whose records they can sell, but not
always the bands whose music is good. They can decide who will be a star.
Today you can get pop from your computer. You can buy a CD-ROM which gives
you the words of 550 of Bob Dylan’s songs; you can see him play and hear him sing - on
your computer. On pop CD-ROMs, you can listen to the music and you can change it:
rnake.it faster or slower, happier or sadder, use the sounds of different musical
instruments.
Today you can get pop through your computer on the Internet. You can read the
latest news about some bands, ask for and pay for a new record, and get the music
through the Internet into your computer.
And next time you go dancing, not just the music, but the pictures on the .walls,
 ■

I moving in time with the music, could come from computers. The technoartist works at
the side of the music DJ.
These are some of the new things in pop. But many things stay the same. Reading
about pop is fine, bụt now, why don’t you put on a record or go to a concert and listen to
some of the great sounds of pop for yourself. Or pick up a guitar and make some. .
(from Forty Years of Pop, Steve Flinders)
* Define these terms.
hit
chart
DJ (disc jockeys)
psychedelic music
* Complete the following sentences.
1. Heartbreak hotel is Elvis’s..
2. Pop is about.....
3. For people of pop business pop is about…
4. The sixties was
5,. The Beach Boys was.....
6. Bob Dylan was ...
7. Jimi Henđrỉx is ... ..
8. Hundreds of thousands of people attended ...
9. Today pop is for…
10. MTV goes…
11. People spend...
12. On pop CD-ROMs you can ...
13. On the Internet you can…
14. When you go dancing, not just the music...
Sources
Oxford Guide to British and American Culture, OUP 1999
Forty Years of Pop, Steve Flinders, OUP 1996
Background to the USA, Richard -Musman, Macmillan Publishers, 1990
 ■

HOLIDAYS
* Holiday Calendar
Lisien to the cassette for the description of the holiday calendar, in the chart below,
write in the ordinal numbers you hear. Note that same holidays are celebrated on the
same date every year, and others are always celebrated on the same day of the month

JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL

New Year’s Valentine’s St. Patrick’s April Fools’
Day: the _____ Day: the ________ Day: the ______ Day: the_______
Martin Luther President’s
King, Jr., Day: Day: the_______
the ____Monday Monday
MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST
Mother's Day: Father’s Day: the Independence Day:
the______Sunday ______Sunday the______
Memorial Day:
the ______Monday

SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER

Labor Day: Veterans Day: the
the_______Monday Halloween: _______
the _______ Thanksgiving:
Columbus Day: the the________ Christmas: the
______ Monday _ Thursday _______

• CLOZE
Read the lecture below about the types of American Holidays. Try to fill in the
blanks with the correct words.
Americans love holidays and celebrate a variety of days all through the
 ■

I (1) ………… They observe federal holidays, which give them a (2) ………… off
from school or work, arid other celebration days without a day off.
The government of the United States has declared ten (3) ………….holidays. On
these holidays, ah federal government offices, banks, and post offices are (4) …………
Since the American states have .their own governments, each (5) ………… has a right
to decide which of the federal holydays it will (6) …………. Private businesses can
decide which of these federal holidays their employees will observe with a (7) …………
day. As it happens, most states and businesses (8) ………… at least nine of the federal
holidays so everyone can have at least nine days off from (9) ……… or (10)…………
every year.
There are several different (11) ………… of federal holidays. Some are
(12)………… holidays, which remember important (13) …………in the history of the
United States. For instance, Thanksgiving is a day to remember the very beginnings of
the (14) and the first people that came and (15) ………… in America. Another holiday,
Independence Day, celebrates the American colonies’ Declaration of Independence
from (16) ………… and the birth of the United States. Veterans Day and (17)…………
Day honor Americans who have fought and died in Wars.
Other federal holidays are patriotic in a different way. They remember important
(18) ………… in the country’s history. For example,Columbus Day (19) …………
Christopher Columbus, the (20) ………… explorer financed by.Spain who opened
America to European exploration.
Two presidents, George (21) ………… and Abraham Lincoln, are honored in the
month of their birth on Presidents' Day. Finally, Martin Luther King, Jr., Day honors a
(22) ………… African American civil rights leader.
Some federal holidays are special days that are also (23) ……in other countries,
but perhaps in different ways and at different times of the year, New (24) ………… Day
is one of these spécial days. Labor Day, a holiday which honors all (25) …………
people, is another Most (26) ………… holidays are not federal holidays because the
American constitution separates the government from the church.
However, there is one religious holiday that is also a federal holiday, and that is
(27)…………
There are also many (28) ………… days of celebration in the United States that
 ■

I are not observed with (29) ………… from school or work. 'These days are celebrated
with their own special (30) ………… either by all Americans or by specific
(31) …………or religious groups.
Some different types of these celebration days are religious holidays and ethnic
holidays.
Religious holidays are celebrated by Americans of different religious
(32)………… For example, Easter is a day celebrated by Christians, and Hanukkah and
Passover are examples of (33) ………… holidays.
Ethnic holidays; are celebrated with special traditions brought to this country by
the many (34)………. who came to the United States from all over the world. For
example, St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday that celebrates the (35) ………… background of
many Americans.
Americans also have a number of special celebrations just for fun, (36) …………
and family, such as (37). ………… a special day on which children dress up in
(38) ………… and eat lots of candy. April Fools’ Day is celebrated by playing little
(39).………… on friends. There are also holidays to (40) …………parents, such as
Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, and a holiday just for (41) ………… Valentine’s Day.
As time goes on, other days become part of the American holiday (42)…………
One example of this is Earth Day, a special day in April that honors (43) ………… This
day is observed by more and more Americans each year who are interested in
(44) ………… the earth.
Although it is difficult to get the Congress to agree to add a new federal holiday to
tho American calendar, there is always room for new celebrations.
(from Talking about the USA, Janet Giannotil and Suzanne Mele Szwarcewics)
* Write T for true and F for false. Correct the false statements
1. ______ All states celebrate ten federal holidays.
2. ______ Thanksgiving is a dạy to remember the first people who came and
settled in America.
3. ______ Independence Day is an example of a patriotic holiday.
4. ______ Columbus Day honors an American president.
5. ______ Martin Luther King, Jr., Day remembers an event in American history.
6. ______ Most religious holidays are also federal holidays.
 ■

I 7. ______ Labor Day honors working people,

8. ______There is usually no school or work on Halloween and Valentine’s Day.
9. ______ Father’s Day is a special day when Americans remember their ethnic
backgrounds and traditions
10. ______ Earth Day is a special day that honors nature.
* Types of American Holidays
Listen to the cassette and complete the diagram about types of American holidays,
fill in with, the names of holidays in the box.
Barth. Day Independence Day Kiew Year’s Day
Easter Memorial Day President’s Day
Halloween Mother’s Day Valentine’s Day

Patriotic Thanksgiving
(Events) _____________

Veterans Day
_____________

Columbus Day
FEDERAL Patriotic _______________
HOLIFAYS (People)
Martin Luther King,

Religious Christmas

_______________
Special
Days
Labor Day

Religious _____________
Hanukhah
Passover

St. Patrick’ Day

Ethnic
_____________
CELEBRATIONS
DAYS April Fools; Day
Special _______________
Days
Father’s Day
_______________

Other _______________
 ■

I • THANKSGIVING HISTORY
Listen to the lecture and fill in the missing information in the chart below.
Dates What Happened?
The Pilgrims left England.
November 1620
Winter, 1620- 1621
Spring and summer, 1621
The Pilgrims had a great harvest,
After the harvest, 1621
1941
* Choose the best answer.
1. Why did the Pilgrims leave England?
a. for health reasons
b. for religious reasons
c. for economic reasons
2. Where is Plymouth Rock?
a. in England
b. in Mayflower
c. in Massachusetts
3. What is one type of crop that the Pilgrims learned to grow in the new land?
a. corn
b. rice
c. turkey
4. How did the Native Americans help the Pilgrims to survive the first year?
a. They taught them to hunt,
b. They taught them to sail.
c. They .taught them to pray,
5. For most the Americans what is the most important part of the Thanksgiving
celebrations?
a. the parades
b. the football games
c. the meal
 ■

I 6. Where does the famous Thanksgiving Day parade take place?

a. in New York
b. in Massachusetts
c. in Washington, D.C.
7. Where do Americans often volunteer to work on Thanksgiving?
a. in schools
b. in stores
c. in soup kitchens
8. How long has Thanksgiving been celebrated?
a. over 100 years
b. over 200 years
c. over 300 years
* Christmas carols
Listen to a few verses from these popular Christmas carols and fill in the missing
words he low.
Silent Night
Silent night, (1)……………….. night.
All is (2) ……………….. , all is bright
Round you virgin (3) ……………….. and child.
Holy (4) ………………..so tender and mild.
Sleep in heavenly (5) ……………….. .
Sleep in heavenly (6) ………………..
Jingle Bells
1. Dashing through the……………….. 2. Bells on bobtails………..
On a one-horse………………..sleigh; Making spirits………………..
O’er the fields we……………….. What fun it is to ride and ……..
Laughing all the ……………….. A sleighing song ………………..
3. Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the ………………..
Oh, what fun it is to………………..
In a one-horse open………………..
(Repeat)
 ■

I Source
Talking about the USA: an Active Introduction to American Culture. Janet
Giannotti and Suzanne Mete Szwarcewics, Prentice Hall Regents, 1996
Suggested reading
Portrait, of the USA, published by the United States Information Agency, 1979
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/factover/homepage.htm
About the USA, Elain Kirn, the Office Of English Language Programs, Bureau of
Educational and-Cultural Affairs; -The United States Department of State, Washington
DC 20547, 1989
 Sources of Information
The sources of information, maps and photos used in the compilation of this book
include:
About the USA, Elain Kirn, the Office Of English Language Programs, Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs, The United States Department of State, Washington
DC 20547, 1989
Background to the USA, Richard Musman, Macmillan Publishers, 1990
Forty Years of Pop, Steve Flinders, OUP 1996
Lifelines Student’s book Pre- intermediate, Tom Hutchinson, OUP 1997, pp.
34-35 Oxford Guide to British and American Culture, OUP 1999.
Spotlight on the USA, Randee Falk, OUP, 1993
Talking about the USA: an Active Introduction to m Culture, Janet Giannotti and
Suzanne Mele Szwarcewics, Prentice Hall Regents, 1996
Wikipedia - The free Encyclopedia
http://en.wikipsclia.org/wiki/United_States
United States Map
http://travelyahoo.com/p-travelguide-577984-map_of_united_states-i
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/country_profiles/1217752.stm
Published: 2006/08/01 16:02:07 GMT