Vocabulary

to stretch Pacific Ocean marine border according to to be recognized as to add traumatic experience Civil War Great Depression Native Americans currently to descend to establish component segment Slavic significant distribution agnostic atheist denomination influence

простираться Тихий океан морская граница согласно чему-либо признается в качестве добавлять травмирующий опыт Гражданская война Великая депрессия дословно: коренные американцы, здесь американские индейцы в настоящее время происходить основывать компонент, составляющее сегмент славянский значительный распределение агностик атеист конфессия влияние

Questions to the text.

1. What are the other names for the United States?

2. Which countries does America have borders with?

3. What year did American colonies separate from Great Britain?

4. How many states were originially in the United States of America?

5. When was the Civil War in America?

6. What are the major ethnic groups in the USA?

7. What is the major component of the European segment of the immigration to the US?

8. What are the most important religious denominations in the US?

9. How many colleges, universities and other institutions of higher learning are there in the US?

EXERCISE 1 Which of the following is true about the US?

1. The United States of America is a constitutional monarchy.

2. The USA has borders with Mexico in the north and with Russia in the south.

3. Each state in the US has a local autonomy.

4. The two most traumatic experiences in the US are the Civil War and the Great Depression.

5. The majority of people in the USA descend from European immigrants.

6. Twenty-three percent of the European segment of the Amercian population descended from immigrants from Germany.

7. Fifty-two percent of Americans are Protestants.

8. Atheists are the most popular denomination in the US.

9. Cinema of the USA is primarily situated in Hollywood, California.

10. There are more than 4,000 institutions of higher learning in the US.

EXERCISE 2

Translate the following sentenses into English.

1. США — федеративная республика с сильной президентской вла­стью.

2. Каждый штат имеет местную автономию в соответствии с консту-цией.

3. США стали независимыми после отделения тринадцати американ­ских колоний от Великобритании.

4. Позже к тринадцати штатам добавились еще тридцать семь.

5. В настоящее время в США пятьдесят штатов.

4. Столица США — город Вашингтон. Вашингтон находится в феде­ральном округе Колумбия. Это специально созданная автономия для столицы США.

5. США имеют водную границу с Российской Федерацией. США также граничат с Мексикой и Канадой по суше.

6. Самые крупные города США — Нью-Йорк, Чикаго, Лос-Анджелес и Филадельфия.

7. Большинство жителей США имеют европейские корни. Первые иммигранты прибыли из Германии, Ирландии, Англии, а также из скандинавских и славянских стран.

8. В настоящее время самыми распространенными конфессиями в США являются католицизм и баптизм.

4. В США также есть атеисты и агностики.

AMERICAN VALUES

Marian Beane, Director of the International Student Office, in Char­lotte, USA described the major American values in the following way:

Individuality: Americans are encouraged at an early age to be inde­pendent and to develop their own goals in life. They are encouraged to not depend too much on others including their friends, teachers and par­ents. They are rewarded when they try harder to reach their goals.

Privacy: Americans like their privacy and enjoy spending time alone. Foreign visitors will find American homes and offices open, but what is inside the American mind is considered to be private. To ask the question "What is on your mind?" may be considered by some to be rude.

Equality: Americans believe that everyone "is created equal" and has the same rights. This includes women as well as men of all ethnic and cultural groups living in the U.S. Managers, directors, presidents and even university instructors are often addressed by their first name.

Time: Americans try to make the best use of their time. In the busi­ness world, "time is money". Being "on time" for class, an appointment, or for dinner with your family is important.

Informality: The American lifestyle is generally casual. Students go to class in shorts and t-shirts. Professors seldom wear a tie and some may even wear blue jeans. Greetings and farewells are usually short, in­formal and friendly. Students may greet each other with "hi", "how are you"? and "what's up"?

Achievement and hard work: A competitive spirit is often the moti­vating factor to work harder. Americans often compete with themselves as well as others. Americans seem to always be "on the go", because sit­ting quietly doing nothing seems like a waste of time.

Direct and assertive: Americans try to discuss their differences face-to-face and without a mediator. They are encouraged to speak up and give their opinions. This manner of direct speaking is often inter­preted by foreign visitors as rude.

Adopted from : www.educationguide-usa.com/isg/culture.htm