26. 51. Holidays in the usa

Many of the holidays are associated with the history of the nation. There are also some holidays that have come from the old colonial days.

The main holidays of the USA are New Year's Day, Easter, IviemorN Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas.

The New Year's Eve is a time for merriment.

Most Americans spend this night with friends at home or in restaurants. Thousands of peopie gather in New York in Times Square to see the New Year in.

The Tournament of Roses takes place in Pasadena, California, on January 1

eacn year.

Prizes are given to the cities with the most unusual floral compositions.

At Easter there is a tradition for people to buy new clothes.

After churcn services many people take walks along the streets of their towns,

wearing their new Easter hats and suits.

This, is usually called the «Easter Parade»

Memorial Day corves on May 30.

it is dedicated to the memory Of those who died for America in different wars.The national flags are put on the graves ofsoldiers on this day.

The fourth of July, an Independence Day, is the biggest national holiday of the USA. On Ihis day in 1776 a.document, known as the Declaration of Independence, was adopted.

During this holiday American cities have parades, people shoot off fire-works in parks and fields.

Thanksgiving Day comes on the fourth Tuesday in November.

When the first settlers landed in America, their first year was very hard

and 50 of 100 people died.But the Indians taught people how to

plant corn and wild vegetables and in autumn they got a large harvest.

Thanksgiving Day was their holiday, the day Of giving thanks to God.

It is a family holiday and Americans try to gather all family at home on this day.

There are also some holidays which are not celebrated nation-wide, but only by each state separately.

27. 53. Origin of American English

AE is a languaged used mostly in the USA. English was imported from British colonization. The 1^st wave of English speaking immigrants was settled in north America in 17 century. AE has both spelling and grammatical differences from Anglo-English. The 1^st American dictionary was written by Joan Webster. He showed that Americans spoke a different dialect from the standart.

Many American words are more simply than British and they are shortened: Br. – Am – transportation – transport, color-colour; licence – licence; - center – centre.

27. 54. Education in Canada

The school system of Canada is very much like the one in the USA, but there are certain differences. Education in Canada is general and compulsory for children from 8 to 16 years old, and in some provinces — to 14. It is within the competence of the local authorities, and therefore it may differ frorfi province to province. For example, Newfoundland has an 11— grade system. Some other provinces have. 12-grade systems, and Ontario has even a 13— grade system. Grades 1-6 are usually elementary schools, and grades 7-12 are secondary schools. In some provinces there is a kindergarten year before the first grade. Elementary education is general and basic, but in the junior.high school years the students, can select some courses themselves.

Most secondary schools prpvide programs for all types of students. Some of them prepare students for continuing their studies at the university. Vocational schools are separate institutions for those who will not continue their education after secondary schools. There also exist some commercial high schools.

Some provinces have private kindergartens and nursery schools for children of pre-elemenfary age. There also exist Roman Catholic schools and private schools in some provinces. In most provinces private schools receive some form of public support.

Admission to university in Canada is after high school with specific courses. Getting a degree in law, medicine, dentistry or engineering usually takes 3-4 years of studying. University tuition, fees vary among different provinces. All provinces also have public non-university institutions. They are regional colleges, institutes of technology, institutes of applied arts, colleges of agricultural technology and others. Criteria for admission to these institutions are less strict.