| Sayings | What the saying means | ||
| Its not important if you win or lose. Its how you play the game that counts. | A | Do things for yourself, dont wait for other to help you. | |
| Youve made your own bed. Now lie in it. | B | If you do something, you must accept what happens next. | |
| Nice guys finish last. | C | You should not leave things until later. | |
| Dont put off until tomorrow what you can do today. | D | It is more important to take part in something than always to be the best. | |
| God helps those who help themselves. | E | You have to be hard to win. |
Look at the list of values. Try to guess which value is linked to each saying.
- time management - self-help - competition
UNIT VI
THE LIFESTYLE OF AMERICANS
How much do you know?
Ø If you had to move your house where would you like to live? Would you prefer to live in a house or in an apartment? Why?
Ø What do you know about American houseowners?
Ø Have you ever tasted American food? Was it a snack, a main course, or a dessert? Describe what you ate.
Ø Which sports are you interested in? Do you play or do you watch?
Ø Do you know how Americans spend their free time?
Ø Have you ever celebrated a holiday in another country? Which one was it? Describe what happened.
SWEET HOME
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Some people never own a house or an apartment because they can't save enough money for a down payment, or because they prefer to rent. If prices are high near where people work, they have to commute long distances by car, bus, or train every day.
In the city, home may be in an apartment building called a condominium (often shortened to condo) or a co-op. Some buildings have door attendants (usually) doormen) for security. An apartment in a building without an elevator is called a walk-up. Out in the suburbs and in the country, home is more likely to be a one- or two-family house.
Older people often do not live with their grown-up children. Many live in old people's homes, where there are no young children and the atmosphere is quiet.
Americans are frequently on the move, and some families change their homes every few years. Every year, 20% of Americans move house. A married couple could start life in an apartment in New York, go on to a white painted wooden home in New Eng]|and, with small windows to keep out the cold in winter, and end their life in a sunny house in California, where oranges grow in the garden, and big windows give a wonderful view of the swimming pool and the ocean.
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EATING AMERICAN STYLE
As American as apple pie
The expression "as American as apple pie" means something that is typically American, but even apple pie came from somewhere else. The only true American foods are those that the Native Americans gave the first settlers, including corn, squash, pumpkin, turkey, and buffalo. Roast turkey, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie are still eaten at Thanksgiving.
Immigrants have brought all kinds of dishes with them from their home countries. People enjoy tasting new dishes and often exchange recipes with friends. A typical family may eat tacos (originally from Mexico), pizza (from Italy), or apple pie (from England). Steaks and hamburger are popular, although for health reasons many people eat less red meat than they used to. Fried chicken is also a favorite, especially in the southern states.
| Americans love desserts. The standard dessert is pie. You can have fruit pies made from apple, peach, rhubarb, apricot, or cherry, or berry pies with | The tortilla is the flat Mexican bread that is the basic ingredient for many Tex-Mex dishes. |
blackberry, raspberry, or blueberry. A piece of pie is often served with ice cream.
Whats for breakfast?
The average American eats three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. The day starts with breakfast. During the week this might be something quick: cereal with milk, a muffin or toast with coffee, tea, milk, or juice to drink. On the weekends when people have more time, breakfast might be pancakes, waffles, an omelet, or bacon and eggs.
Lunch at work or school is usually between 12 and 1 p.m. Some people prefer to bring their lunch from home. Tuna fish, sliced meat called cold cuts, or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are kids' favorites. Most schools and some businesses have cafeterias that serve lunch.
Dinner, the biggest meal of the day, is generally at 6 or 7 p.m. A typical dinner includes a hot vegetable, a salad, meat or some kind of vegetable protein, and a potato or pasta dish. Stew (meat cooked with vegetables) and soup are also favorite dinner foods.
Fast food
People on the go because of busy work or social schedules don't have much time for cooking at home. Takeout meals from restaurants, pizza parlors, and delicatessens (also called delis) have become a regular part of everyday life. Food can be picked up at a restaurant, or people call in orders by phone and the takeout meal is delivered to their homes.
Ready-to-eat and instant processed foods that are quick to prepare are very popular. TV dinners are complete dinners on a tray that you take from the freezer and heat up in the oven or microwave. Snacks and junk food like doughnuts, popcorn, cookies, or potato chips are also easy to eat.
SPORTS CRAZY
Spectator sports in America are an obsession. Many people attend sporting events, listen to sports on the radio, and watch games on television. People of every age, race, and class buy sports magazines; the most widely sold is Sports Illustrated. Almost every major newspaper has a sports section.
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Sports are often a topic of conversation. People talk about game scores, what happened during the game, or predictions about the strategy and success of specific teams and players.
Children are encouraged to participate in sports at an early age. There are children's baseball, soccer, football, and basketball teams in almost every community. The rivalry between high schools and colleges in sporting events goes right through the school year from football in September to track and field in June. Cheerleaders and bands lead the supporters in rooting for their home team.
Sports are important in college. Students who show talent in a sport like tennis, track and field, swimming, football, or basketball can apply for sports scholarships. College football still attracts big crowds today. The best college players are selected by professional teams.
Football is the most popular sport, followed by baseball and basketball. In general, football is played in the fall, basketball in the winter and early spring, and baseball from early spring through early fall. The big prize in professional football is to win the Super Bowl. For basketball teams, it is the NBA (National Basketball Association) Championship, and in baseball, the World Series.
Professional sports in the United States are big business. Team owners pay football, baseball, and basketball stars salaries in the millions, so the teams will keep winning games and the owners can sell more tickets. Companies that sell sportswear and equipment pay large sums of money to famous players to advertise their products on radio or television, or in magazines and newspapers.
Sports are so important that some cities compete to attract a major professional team away from another city. Many city governments think that having a successful team can make their city important, too. Sometimes, the city offers to build a new stadium. This is expensive, but people can find work at the new stadium, and in restaurants, hotels, and stores in the surrounding community. Some people are against this because they say that the money should be used for building schools and roads.
TIME OUT
Social life
Having a social life is important to most Americans. After school and on the weekends, children play with other kids who live on their block or in their neighborhood. They may play ball or ride their bikes together near home or at the park.
Teenagers usually spend a lot of time with their friends just talking, or doing nothing special just hanging out. They also like listening to music, and going to the movies, concerts, or dances. At the age of fifteen or sixteen, many teenagers have a boyfriend or girlfriend that they are going out with (in other words, dating exclusively). Teenage couples spend a lot of time hanging out together or with their friends.
Young adults, both single and married, enjoy going out on the weekends for a break in their routine. They might go with friends to a restaurant or bar, or go to each other's houses for dinner. They also enjoy going to the movies, theater, and concerts with their friends, or playing games like tennis or golf.
Family time
The hectic lifestyle of Americans does not stop the average family from doing things together. They enjoy playing table games like cards and checkers, and taking part in sports activities like tennis, baseball, or bowling. On the weekends, members of a family may go to a museum or movie together. Going to see a baseball, basketball, football, or tennis game is a great American pastime.
Americans also love watching television together. Sitcoms half-hour or one-hour comedy shows in the evening are very popular. On the weekend there is usually some kind of sports game on TV, and friends and relatives go over to each other's houses to watch it together. While they are watching TV, they like to snack on junk food like potato chips or cookies. People who watch a lot of TV are called couch potatoes.
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Going on vacation
There is so much to see in the United States that only 5 percent of Americans (about thirteen million) vacation outside the country. People who go to beach resorts on the east or west coasts stay in hotels and motels, or rent apartments or houses. Going on a cruise or flying to Florida, or an island in the Caribbean is popular during the winter months.
Since traveling in the United States is so expensive, many Americans save on lodging and transportation by traveling in cars or vans and camping out in tents. There are campgrounds at popular vacation sites all over America. In the West, it is common to see families camping out in RVs (recreational vehicles), as they tour national parks like Yosemite in California and Yellowstone.
Airplane travel is also common in America. At holiday time, many people fly to other cities to visit friends and relatives. During the winter, many people take short vacations to places with warm climates, like Florida and the island of the Caribbean.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
Americans usually have only two to three weeks' paid vacation a year, so they make the most of public holidays. Often public holidays fall on a Monday so people have only a minimum of extra time off.
Public holidays are the same throughout the country, although some states like Massachussetts and Maine have an extra holiday. They celebrate Patriot's Day on the third Monday in April to remember the first battle of the American Revolution.
Many people spend New Year's Day resting. That's because they've stayed up most of the night, greeting the New Year! Some went to parties at friends' homes or at nightclubs. Others were out on the streets, throwing confetti and blowing noisemakers. Many people make New Year's resolutions (to eat less, to work more, etc.). Few people keep their resolutions.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which falls in January, around King's birthday, is a time to celebrate the life and achievements of this great American, who struggled for equal rights for black Americans.
Two other Americans are honored on Presidents Day. George Washington was the countrys first president. Abraham Lincoln brought the country through the Civil War. Their birthdays were both in February and are celebrated together.
Memorial Day, honors American soldiers who have died in wars. It marks the beginning of the summer. Many people take short vacations over the long holiday weekends. Others enjoy picnics or barbecues.
Labor Day is a holiday to honor working people all over America. It falls on the first Monday in September, marks the end of summer. For many students, the school year starts the day after Labor Day.
Columbus Day, which falls on the second Monday in October,celebrates Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas in 1492. As Columbus was Italian, working for Spain, Columbus Day is an especially important holiday for many Italian-Americans and Hispanic-Americans.
Independence Day, also known as the Fourth of July, comes in the middle of summer. It is another time to celebrate with barbecues and picnics, and many towns and cities across the nation have exciting fireworks displays in the evening. The Fourth of July is the day in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed and Americans started to fight for independence from the British.
On Halloween (October 31) children wear costumes and go trick-or-treating. At each house they visit, they shout "Trick or treat?" Usually, people give the children candy, because they don't want to have a trick played on them. The windows of many houses have Halloween decorations and jack-o-lanterns (pumpkins that have been carved with strange faces and have a candle inside).
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In 1620 one of the first British settlements in America was established in Massachusetts. These settlers, known as Pilgrims, had come to America to freely practice their religion. They arrived in November, when it was too late to plant crops. Although many people died, the Pilgrim settlement survived the winter because of help from Indians who lived nearby. The Indians taught the Pilgrims about corn and showed them where to fish. The next November, after the crops were harvested, the Pilgrims gave thanks to God at a feast to which they invited the Indians.
Every year, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November. Families and friends get together for a big feast. The meal usually includes roast turkey with stuffing and gravy, a sweet sauce made from cranberries, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie. What a meal! It's not surprising that a recent Thanksgiving tradition is to sit after dinner in front of the TV watching a professional football game.
After Thanksgiving, preparations for the winter holiday season begin. Christians celebrate the birth of Christ on Christmas, and families and friends exchange cards and gifts. In fact, people start buying gifts right after Thanksgiving, although Christmas is a month away. Houses are decorated with Christmas trees and colored lights. On Christmas Day, children find presents from Santa Claus under the Christmas tree. Their parents tell them that Santa lives in the North Pole and, on the night before Christmas, he travels the world in a sled pulled by reindeer. He goes down the chimneys of houses to leave gifts for children who have been good. Naturally, children are the first to get out of bed on Christmas morning!
Comprehension
Answer the questions:
1.What does traditional American home mean?
2.Why do not older people often not live with their grown up children?
3.Why do some people never own a house or an apartment?
4.What are the only true American foods?
5.Why is fast food very popular in the USA?
6.What are the most popular sports in the USA?
7. Why do some cities compete to attract a major professional team?
8. Where do Americans go on vacation?
9. What public holidays do you know?
10. What does the Fourth of July celebrate?
11. When will you see many jack-o-lanterns?
12. What was the reason for the first Thanksgiving?
Quiz.
1. How is an apartment without an elevator called?
2. This type of home is becoming more popular, because it easy to take care of. What is it?
3. Cannelloni is pasta stuffed with meat or other filling and baked in a sauce. Which country do you think it comes from?
4. What is the big prize in professional football?
5. What kinds of sport are American in origin?
6. Who was Columbus? What do you think Columbus Day celebrates?
7. What day of the week is Thanksgiving celebrated on? How is this different from many other public holidays?
