33. 66. Higher Education in th usa

After graduating from secondary schools a growing number of Americans go on to higher education. The students do not take the same courses. During the first two years they follow a basic program. It means that every student must select at least one course from each of the basic fields of study: English, Natural Sciences, Modern Languages, History or Physical Training.

After the first two years every student can select subjects according to his professional interest.

The National Government gives no direct financial aid to the institutions of higher education. Students must pay a tuition fee. This creates a financial hardship for some people. Many of the students have to work to pay their expenses.

34. 67. Customs and Traditions in Great Britain

You cannot speak about England without speaking about its traditions and customs. Englishmen are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up.

The English are stay-at-home people. «There is no place like home,» they say. When they don't work they like to spend their days off at home with their families. Englishmen are very fond of fire-places, that's why many of them prefer the open fire to central heating. They like to live in small houses with a small garden. People all over the world know the saying «The Englishman's home is his castle».

They say that English people keep to their traditions even in meals. The English are also tea-drinkers. They have it many times a day. Some Englishmen have tea for breakfast, tea in lunch time, tea after dinner, tea at tea-time and tea with supper. Some English families have «high tea» or big tea and no supper. The Englishmen always drink tea out of cups, never out of glasses.

There exist some very unusual traditions in Great Britain. One of them is Town Crier's Rivalry. Town criers from all parts of the country gather at Hastings, Sussex, in August for the National Town Crier's Championship. For the contest they wear their traditional ceremonial uniforms and carry their handbells. A procession headed by the Hastings band marches to an arena where the Mayor, members of town council and civil officials greet them. To enable the judges to determine who possesses the most powerful voice the competitors are rowed to a small island about 75 yards from them. From this little island they one by onfe make their cries and deciaim a 150-word test piece.

Another curious tradition reminds us of our country. | Fun and jokes are very common on April Fool's Day. In Scotland an old name for April Fool is April-cuckoo. For some reason the cuckoo is a symbol for daftness. The return of the cuckoo and the arrival of spring are connected with all this fooling.

Still another interesting tournament is the Veteran Car Run. The veteran cars are set out on the London — Brighton run each November. There is an important condition —every car taking part must be at least 60 years old. It provides the gayest motoring spectacle of the year and a wonderful opportunity to see these old fine cars. The London — Brighton ride is not a race, Participants are limited to a maximum average speed of 20 miles per hour. At 8 o'clock comes the 'Off'. The main things in this tournament are the cars that represent the history of the country.