The Linguistic Culture-11 (The American English Language) (1157937), страница 5
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One of the trends of the “new morality” amongyoung Americans is close relationships and living together before marriage. Astudy by the National Foundation released in 1995 shows that between 1970 and1993 birth to mothers under 16 rose by 80%.The Car in American LifeThe fact that the Americans can’t do without a car is well known toeverybody. One primary reason for having cars is that the public transportationin the USA is not so well developed as in Europe.
Bus lines in the US suburbsare unprofitable, bus routes are scarce and the scheduling is very unstable. So,willy-nilly people have to use their own cars.The car is such an important part of American life that for many people itwould be impossible to manage without it. The car is inherently built into thetissue of American life. Today only really poor families and those too old todrive do not own a motor vehicle. But for the 87 % who do have cars, there ishardly any need to leave them.
There are banks, fast-food restaurants, andmovie theaters, where you can withdraw money, eat a meal, or see a filmwithout ever getting out of your car. There are even drive-in churches. It’ssurprising that some people remember how to walk at all. Taking a job orentering a college leads to an immediate follow-up of buying a car. The car isalso an absolute necessity for the rural or suburban parent, often the mother,who goes shopping for the family and takes the children to after-schoolactivities. Some people wind up driving many miles a day doing errands andtaking their children from one place to another.
When it comes to vacation time,many American families prefer to drive, sometimes very long distances. Even ifthey go by plane, when they arrive, they often rent a car (fly-drive).American society’s dependence on automobiles creates a lot of seriousproblems, such as air-pollution, the growing accident rates, traffic jams. Cities,towns and states spend tremendous resources constantly repairing andexpanding their streets, roads, and highways.As some roads have beenexpanded to their limit, there is nowhere to go but up, so in some places“double-decker” appeared, that is, two-tiered highways.As the automobile plays such a large part in American life, it has a greatimpact on American economy. Now the manufacture of automobiles in Americais becoming more and more international.
Japanese companies like Honda andToyota do not just sell cars in America; they have their own plants where theybuild them. The major American automobile companies, such as Ford, GeneralMotors, and Chrysler have also formed various kinds of partnerships withJapanese and German manufacturers. In addition to the traditional sedans,station wagons, and sports cars, different kinds of jeeps and vans have becomeespecially popular in recent years. Some Americans take special pride in theircars.
They give them special names (John, Marietta, etc.), wash and wax themregularly. Others constantly trade and buy them.National SymbolsOne feature of American life that some European observers oftencomment on is the frequent display of flags and other national symbols in theU.S. The pride of Americans of their country is perhaps not much different fromthat in other nations, but it seems more apparent.
The ‘Star-Spangled Banner”and the flags of the states are found in many places and displayed on manyoccasions,includingevendemonstrationsagainstthegovernment.Advertisements, too, sometimes cater to a shared sense of national pride. ToAmericans, patriotism is largely a natural response to the nation’s history and itsideas. Immigrants who apply after five years of residence to be naturalized andbecome American citizens must prove that they know the national symbols andsupport the Constitution of the USA.1.
Answer the questions.1 .Why is it so difficult to make generalizations about Americancharacter?2. What is the main idea of the “Melting pot”?3. What are the most distinctive American characteristics from your pointof view?4. What can you say about American social life?5. Why are Americans so much involved in volunteer work?6. Why do so many American parents think that part-time jobs are “goodfor their kids”?7. What is the impact of cars on the US economics?8.
What are the main demands for an immigrant to be naturalized andbecome anAmerican citizen?2. Speak about recent changes in American lifestyle according to themodels:Now that VCRs have come in drive-ins are getting out; Now that compactdiscs have come in records have gone out; Economy cars-big cars; push-buttontelephones-dial telephones; aerobics-jogging; canned and frozen food-traditionalcooking; wash and wear clothes-ironing; credit cards-checkbooks; checkbookscash.3 .Match the names in the left part with the definitions in the right one:Car parkproblems done;1) a window that you drive up to and get your bankingParking meter2) a special area for parking cars;Parking lot3) a multi-stored building for parking cars;Parking ticketcars;4) a place where people can watch movies staying in theDrive-in theater5) a metal box on a stick to drop the money for parking;Drive-in bank6) a document for paying a parking penalty;Drive-in food stand 7 ) a window that you drive up to and buy some food.4.
Discussion problems:1.The American Frontier and American character;2.Compare typical English and American characters. Which traitsare in common and which are different?3.American houses and homes;4.American society and carsCULTURAL LIFERead and translate the following words and word combinations:to set the problemto pull the legto degenerateprogenitorto steer boatsgospel musicexpatriateromantic crooningto defer (deferred)at largeto enchantspiritualismensuingunconventionalto be nourishedto shuttle back and forthAlthough it is a generalization, it is useful to divide the US cultural history into threebroad stages.The first stage stretches from colonial times until about the Civil war.
In this period, Americanart, architecture, music and literature were strongly influenced by European ideas and traditions.What was fashionable or popular in London, Paris, Rome or Vienna us.
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