Текст Лекции (изначальный) (1157953), страница 43

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It is quite respectable for a youngman to call up a young girl, introduce himself by telephone, and arrange a date. Usually theyhave a friend in common. It is equally acceptable for a friend to arrange a “blind date’ that is adate between two young people who have not met before. Steady dating is sometimesfollowed by marriage..After marriage the young couple is free to decide where to live. Most newlyweds tryto set up their own household immediately.

The familiar structure in present-day America isthe so-called “nuclear family”. It is unusual for members of the family other than thehusband, wife, and children to live together. But the forgotten term “extended family” iscoming back again.The marriage age is rising. A high divorce rate and a decliningremarriage rate are sending economically pressured young people to parental shelters. Forsome, the expense of an away-home college education has become too exorbitant and manystudents now prefer to attend local universities.

Even after graduation some young people find“their wings Clipped” by the housing costs. According to the US Census Bureau, today 59%of men and 47 % of women between 18 and 24 depend on their parents despite all traditionalpatterns of behavior, at least for housingThe lives of most Americans revolve around their homes and houses. Home ownershipis one of the definitions of success in the USA.

Generally people are judged by the house theylive in, not only by its size and architecture but also the type of neighborhood and the distancefrom different amenities. The percentage of Americans owning houses (and apartments) theylive in is the highest among western nations. Most Americans still live in “single-familydwellings”, that is houses that usually have a front and backyard. Contrary to a commonbelief, only about 5 % of all Americans live in mobile homes.

For all practical purposes, mostof these homes are not actually mobile but function as prefabricated housing units instationary settings.Most of North America has a more or less four-season climate, and the rhythms of lifearound the house tend to follow the seasons.

There is always something that needs to be donearound the house, and most American homeowners do it by themselves. In many Americanfamilies children are expected to help around the house and perform the home “chores”.Americans have always been concerned with making the chores of everyday life lesstiresome and distasteful. Inventors, businessmen, designers, neighborhood initiatives andinterest groups, public officials and private citizens – all try to make things better, moreefficient, more readily available, more convenient. From mail order shopping to drive-inbanking, from durable-press materials for clothes to computerized services and take-out food,Americans have shown their preference for a convenient lifestyle.In the average American home, there is a great amount of activity, of coming andgoing, all happening at once.

For the parents, there are perhaps courses at the local eveningschool or college. There are bridge and bowling clubs and golf leagues. There are PTA(Parent Teacher Association) meetings. The church is having a bake sale, a car wash, or a“potluck” dinner (everyone contributes a dish). The social life of American children is oftenhectic as well.

One child is off to a party, another to the music or sport classes.One of the features of American life is volunteer work. According to the statisticalGallup polls, about 84 million Americans both adults and teenagers donated part of their timeas volunteers. Some of this work is done through volunteer organizations and clubs; some ison a personal basis. Teenagers, for example, often volunteer to work in hospitals – so-called“candy- stripers”, from their striped uniforms.At the same time, many American middle-class families expect their children to findpart-time jobs, especially as they enter their teens. This might be work in the localsupermarket or service station, mowing lawns, delivering newspapers, or babysitting. Theidea seems to be that the work experience is “good for the kids». One effect on Americansociety is that middle-class children can do menial work without losing face.

This also effectscustomer-employee relations: the kid who just packed your groceries or filled your tank couldbe your neighbor’s son or daughter. In general, Americans feel that young people shouldappreciate the value of work and learn how to stand on their own feet.It is necessary to mark that since the 1960s there has appeared a great and drastic shiftin seemingly ideal “puritan” moral behavior of the middle class young people in the USA. the“new morality., characterized by violence, sexual permissiveness and cheating, drug andalcohol abuse. According to a federal finding of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse andAlcoholism a minimum of 10 million Americans has alcoholic-connected problems, morethan 1.1 million youths between the ages 12 and 17 have “serious drug-abuse problems”.According to the Police Foundation there are some 40 million handguns in America andaccording to the Federal Bureau of Investigation the chance of being victimized by violentcrime has increased 24% since 1980 and more than 50% during the last 10 years.

One of thetrends of the “new morality” among ypoung Americans is close relationships and livingtogether before marriage. A study by the National Foundation released in 1995 shows thatbetween 1970 and 1993 birth to mothers under 16 rose by 80%.A steady progression of life-changing landmarks: the automobile, the radio, cars,.” TV andmovie era” may result in even greater future changes in lives and attitudes of Americans.The Car in American LifeThe fact that the Americans can’t do without a car is well known to everybody. Oneprimary reason for having cars is that the public transportation in the USA is not so welldeveloped as in Europe. Bus lines in the US suburbs are unprofitable, bus routes are scarceand 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 it would beimpossible to manage without it. The car is inherently built into the tissue of American lifeToday only really poor families and those too old to drive do not own a motor vehicle. But forthe 87 % who do have cars, there is hardly any need to leave them.. There are banks, fast-foodrestaurants, and movie 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’s surprising thatsome people remember how to walk at all. Taking a job or entering a college leads to animmediate follow-up of buying a car. The car is also an absolute necessity for the rural orsuburban parent, often the mother, who goes shopping for the family and takes the children toafter-school activities. 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, manyAmerican families prefer to drive, sometimes very long distances. Even if they go by plane,when they arrive, they often rent a car (fly-drive).American society’s dependence on automobiles creates a lot of serious problems,such as air-pollution, the growing accident rates, traffic jams. Cities, towns and states spendtremendous resources constantly repairing and expanding their streets, roads, and highways.As some roads have been expanded to their limit, there is nowhere to go but up, so in someplaces “double-decker” appeared, that is, two-tiered highways.As the automobile plays such a large part in American life, it has a great impact onAmerican economy. Now the manufacture of automobiles in America is becoming more andmore international.

Japanese companies like Honda and Toyota do not just sell cars inAmerica, they have their own plants where they build them. The major American automobilecompanies, such as Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler have also formed various kinds ofpartnerships with Japanese and German manufacturers. In addition to the traditional sedans,station wagons, and sports cars, different kinds of jeeps and vans have become especiallypopular in recent years.Some Americans take special pride in their cars. They give them special names(John, Marietta, etc ), wash and wax them regularly. Others constantly trade and buy them.Whatever an American’s attitude toward cars, it is unlikely that he or she will do without it.National SymbolsOne feature of American life that some European observers often comment on is thefrequent display of flags and other national symbols in the U.S.

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