25. 49 American youth

America's young people are mostly hardworking. Many have after-school jobs. Nine out of ten teenagers either have a job or would like one. Child labor laws set restrictions on the types of work you under 16 can do. Many youths work part-time at fast-food restaurants, baby-sit, hold delivery jobs or work in stores. Many youths are involved in comm nity service.

Scouts also help their community. Every year they have a Scouting for Food drive where they collect canned food from their neighbors to give to those who need it. Scouts also clean up trash and litter in parks and school grounds in their neighborhood. They make a difference in the life of their community.

American scouts learn about their community and their country and what makes a good citizen.

Scouts' favorite activity is camping. They pitch their own tents and cook their own food.

At leisure, students spend much time watching TV and listening music. The average American iger listens to music about three hours a day. Rock-and-roll music is one of the favorites of teenagers

There are no national dates for school vacations. Each school district sets its own. Generally,

Among the summer camps are music camps, computer camps, hiking and backpacking camps, I ianis camps, and camps with farms and ranches.

There are camps for inner-city children. They have special summer programs from sports

Peer pressure and unemployment may turn some youth to alcohol or drugs. However, most young in the U.S. do not have problems with drinking, drug abuse, teen pregnancies New programs to help troubled youths are created every year. They also sponsor social event in which young people can participate.

Most American youths look forward to their future with hope and optimism. Teenagers place a priority on education and careers. They are concerned about problems confronting their communities the world around them.

25. 50. Varieties of English

CANADIAN ENGLISH

Canada inherited English primarily from the British settlers of the early and mid-1800s. This form of British English remains the basis of Canadian English. There are some pronunciation differences; Britons say 'dark' for clerk, Canadians say 'clurk'. Grammatical differences are few. The Canadian vocabulary has been added to considerably by the need for new words in a new land and the influence of the Native Indian languages as well as the pioneering French.

Canada has never developed a series of easily detectable dialects such as those of England, Germany, or even the USA. There are, though, some regional variations in idiom and pronunciation. In Newfoundland, for example, some people speak with an accent reminiscent of the west coun­try of England (Devon 'and Cornwall) or Ireland and some use words such as 'screech' (rum) and 'shooneen' (coward).

Canadian English has been strongly influenced by the USA, particularly in recent years via the mass media and the use of US textbooks and dictionaries in schools. Most spellings follow British English such as centre, harbour, cheque etc but there are some exceptions like tire (tyre) and aluminum (aluminium). US spelling is becoming more common, to the consternation of some. Perhaps the best known difference between US and Canadian English is in the pronunciation of the last letter of the alphabet. In the USA it's pronounced 'zee', while in Canada it's pronounced 'zed'.

Canadian English as a whole has also developed a few of its own distinctive idioms and expression. The most recognisable is the interrogative 'eh?' which sometimes seems to appear at the end of almost every spoken sentence. Although to many non-North Americans, Canadians and Americans may sound the same, there are real differences. Canadian pronunciation of 'ou' is the most notable of these: words like 'out' and 'bout' sound more like 'oat' and 'boat' when spoken by Canadians.

NEW ZEALAND ENGLISH

As everywhere in the world where English is spoken, in New Zealand it is spoken in a unique way. The elision of vowels is the most distinctive feature of the Kiwi pronunciation of English. The NZ treatment of 'fish & chips', for example, is an endless source of delight for Australians when pronounced 'fush & chups'. In the North Island sentences often have 'eh!' attached to the end. In the far south a rolled V is practised widely, a holdover from that region's Scottish heritage it is especially noticeable in Southland. There are some words in common usage which are peculiar to, or typical of, Kiwi English: bach - holiday home, usually a wooden cottage; bro - literally brother, usually meaning mate; good as gold - very good.

AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH

Any visitor from abroad who thinks Australian (that's 'Strine') is simply a weird variant of English/American will soon have a few surprises. For a start many Australians don't even speak Australian — they speak Italian, Lebanese, Vietnamese, Turkish or Greek.

Those who do speak the native tongue are liable to lose you in a strange collection of Australian words. Some have completely different meanings in Australia than they have in English-speaking countries north of the equator; some commonly used words have been shortened almost beyond recognition. Others are derived from Aboriginal languages, or from the slang used by early convict settlers.

There is a slight regional variation in the Australian accent, while the difference between city and country speech is mainly a matter of speed. Some of the most famed Aussie words are hardly heard at all — 'mates' are more common than 'cobbers'. If you want to pass for a native try speaking slightly nasally, shortening any word of more than two syllables and then adding a vowel to the end of it, making anything you can into a diminutive (even the Hell's Angels can become mere 'bikies') and peppering your speech with as many expletives as possible. The list that follows may give you an idea of what it is like:

arvo – afternoon; barbie - barbecue (bbq); beaut - great, fantastic; bikies – motorcyclists; bloke – man; sheila – woman; yahoo - noisy and unruly person.