2. We the people

MIND THE PRONUNCIATION OF THE FOLLOWING WORDS:

affiliation[{,fili#eiS({)n] прием в члены, присоединение

ancestry[#@nsestri] происхождение.,

родословная

accent[#@ks({)nt] акцент, тон

assimilate[{#simileit] уподоблять приравнвать,

ассимилировать

усваивать

maintain[mein#tein] поддерживать., удержи вать,сохранять

apparent[{#p@r{nt] открытый, очевидный, явный

conclusively[k{n#klu:sivli] решительно, окончателно

fascinate[#f@sineit] восхищать, приводить в восторг, очаровывать

questionnaire[,kwestS{#nE{] вопросник, анкета,

опросный лист

nationwidecensus[,neiS({)n#waid#sens{s] государственная

перепись, сбор сведений

accurate[#@kj{r{t] верный, правильный, точный

density[#densiti] плотность,сосредото ченность

Hungarian[h[N#gE{ri{n] венгерский

Jewish[#dZu:iS] еврейский, иудейский

Lebanese[,leb{#niz] ливанский

pattern[#p@t{n] образец, модель, струк тура

Philippines [#filipi :nz] Филиппины

hemisphere [#hemisfi{] полушарие

abolish [{#bOliS] аннулировать, отменять,

упразнять

starvation [sta:#veiS{n] голод, голодание

stiff penalty [stif #pen{lti] жесткое наказание,

взыскание , штраф

alien[#eili{n] чужестранец,

иностранец,

persecution[,p{:sikju:S{n] гонение, преследование, травля

grave[greiv] тяжелый, чреватый

последствиями ,мрачный

heritage[#heritidZ] наследство, наследие

enormous[i#nO:m{s] громадный., гигантский,

огромный,

benefit[#benifit] выгода, прибыль, польза

преимущество

prosperous[#prOsp{r{s] процветающий,

преуспевающий; удачливый; благополучный,успешный

READ THE TEXT:

Nation of Immigrants

The United States has often been called "a nation of immigrants. There are two good reasons for this. First, the country was settled, built and developed by generations of immigrants and their children. Secondly, even today America continues to take in more, immigrants than any other country in the world. Many different, cultural traditions, ethnic sympathies, national origins, racial groups, and religious affiliations make up "we the people."

Nonetheless, it would be very misleading to view America simply as a collection of different immigrant groups and ethnic or religious loyalties. It is not true (as is often stated) that there are more Irish, more Germans, and more Puerto Ricans living in New York City than there are in Dublin, Frankfurt, or San Juan. In fact, 94 percent of all Americans today were born in the United States (as compared, for example, with only 85 percent in 1910). As a result, those tens of millions of Americans who proudly acknowledge their ethnic roots are still "more American"' than they are Irish, Italian, German, or Puerto Rican. What they have in common is more significant than what makes them, as Americans, different from one another.

"The "Average American"

The variety of ethnic identities, immigration ex­periences, and cultural choices that have gone into making Americans is so complex, however, that describing the "average American" is very difficult. Our «average American» might be white, but Americans are not "normally" white. Most Americans are Christians, but America can­not be called "a Christian country." And a ma­jority of Americans might claim European an­cestry, but this description also does not define

Americans in general. Neither, in fact, does lan­guage. The United States is one of the few countries that has no ”official national language, or language ”. English is the common language by use, but it is not the national language by law. About 30 million Americans speak a language other than English at home. This means, for example, that if you meet an American in New Mexico who speaks Spanish as his first language, he could be a recent immigrant, having arrived in the U.S. only a few years ago, or his grandparents could have arrived in the United States a hundred years ago .It could also be that his ancestors had been living in the area years before the thirteen British colonies were established on the East Coast. A so-called foreign accent does not necessarily mean that an individual is (or even was) a foreigner.

The "Melting Pot," the "Salad Bowl," and the "Pizza"

Of all the many different nationalities and ethnic groups which have gone into the making of America, some have quickly assimilated. They have largely lost or intentionally given up many of those specific markers which would make them much different from their neighbors. This process of assimilation, or "Americanization," - becom­ing part of the "melting pot" - has characterized the immigrant experience in American history. Other Americans have, while becoming Ameri­can in other ways, maintained much of their eth­nic identities. In this sense, U.S. society has been likened to a "salad bowl." It does not follow, however, that these Americans are any less aware or proud of their American nationality. Perhaps a better metaphor for American society than either "the melting pot" or the "salad bowl" would be that of a "pizza" (which has become, by the way, the single most popular food in America). The differ­ent ingredients are often apparent and give the whole its particular taste and flavor, yet all are fused together into something larger.

Still another factor to consider in describing "the American" is that the face of America is constantly, and often very rapidly, changing. The old and often repeated question -"What then is the American, this new man?" -cannot be answered simply or conclusively. At best, we can say that an American is someone who meets the legal requirements of citizenship and who considers himself or herself to be an Ameri­can. And, any person born on American soil automatically has the right to American citizen­ship. Significantly, the older categories of nationality brought from the Old World - race, lan­guage, religion, and parents' ancestry - have become relatively unimportant in America. They can be used to describe an American, but not to define one.

Demographics - the Basic Picture

Although it is difficult to paint a picture of the average American today, there is no difficulty in obtaining data to describe American society. Americans seem to be fascinated by surveys, research studies, questionnaires, and opinion polls which describe them and their country. Tons of such demographic material appear each year. The main reason so much information is available about America and Americans is found in the Constitution.

The Constitution of the United States specifies that a nationwide census, a "head count" of all Americans, must be taken every ten years. The census is necessary to determine what changes is there might have been in the population. The number of representatives each state can elect to the House of Representatives, for example, is determined by population. Similarly, the figures are very important in establishing how much money from federal taxes will be returned to the states, or how much cities will receive in aid from the federal government. Today, the census also gives a wealth of other information on almost any aspect of American life. The information is public and easily available, and anyone interested in accurate descriptive data on the U.S. should con­sult the most recent edition of the Statistical Abstract of the United Slates. This type of information, for example, tells us that the United States is a country with an area of 3.6 million square miles and has a population density of only 66 people per square mile. By comparison, the population density of Italy is 491, that of the Netherlands 918, and that of West Germany 635 people per square mile. Also of basic interest is how the U.S. population can be categorized by race and ethnic origin. The census also determines "ancestry" simply by asking (with no categories provided) "What is your ancestry?" and letting people decide for themselves.

Majority of Minorities?

26.3 million Americans categorized themselves as "black." But a smaller number, 21 million identified themselves as "Afro-American" or "African." Similarly, only 1.4 million Americans were classi­fied as American Indians. When asked to identify their ancestry, however, 6.7 million claimed an American Indian heritage. If Americans are seen only in terms of majorities and minorities, whites and blacks, what is to be done, then, with Americans who claim Polish or Hungarian ancestry? Are they a "'minority"? What about Americans with Lebanese, Armenian, Iranian, or Syrian ancestry? There is no special category given for "Jew" or "Jewish." Would this be an ancestry, an ethnic group, a race, a religion, or even all of these? Some 14 million people of "other races" are also represented in the U.S. Is such a minority category also a minority in itself or simply an unspecified number of minorities? The vast ma­jority of Americans could, if they wished, include themselves among one or more "minority" cat­egories or groups.

Changing Patterns of Immigration

Where Americans came from and when they came, does not define how they see themselves today. It is interesting to see, though, how the immigration patterns have changed over lime.

These changing patterns do affect, and have af­fected, what America is today and how Ameri­cans view the rest of the world.

Between 1861 and I960, the majority of immi­grants came from Europe. But during the past 25 years the largest share of immigrants has come from Latin America and Asia. In 1984, for in­stance, 64,100 immigrants from Europe were legally admitted to the U.S. By contrast, legal immigration from the southern Americas (mainly Mexico, the West Indies, the Dominican Repub­lic, and Colombia) was 193,500. An additional 256,300 legal immigrants came from Asia (mainly the Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, and China).

The millions of "de facto Americans"' and no one knows exactly how many there really are-are not included in the official figures. The Census Bureau estimates that there are some three to six million "illegal immigrants" already living in the US., about two-thirds of them from Mexico. It is also estimated that more than one and a half' million more illegal immigrants from Mexico are presently crossing into the United States each year.

European heritage of America is undergoing a major change as more and more people from Latin America and from Asian countries enter U.S. society. Growing numbers of Americans will be able to say that they, or their parents or grandparents, came from these regions. As a consequence, the American view of the world is more likely to be towards the south and west.