15.2. Answer the questions:

1. What are the most famous historical places in the capital of the USA?

2. Who chose the place for the district?

3. What sights are there in Philadelphia?

4. Where is the city of New York situated?

5. What are the most important sights of New York?

Unit 16. American customs and traditions

16.1. Read and translate the text.

Every nation has different customs and traditions, its own way of life. In Europe there are people who have lived in the same house and been in the same job for 20, 30 or more years. That’s not the American way of life.

The Americans love change, they call it the spirit of adventure, a spirit that they think is more characteristic of America than of Europe. They like to move away, to change houses and jobs. While the Englishman thinks it is ill mannered to ask private questions, the American doesn’t feel that at all. He will tell you all about himself, his wife and family, and ask where you have come from, what your job is, how you like America and how long you are staying.

The American prefers sociability. In his home he doesn’t object to being seen by everyone — he actually likes it.

With this sociability goes overwhelming hospitality. A national Thanksgiving Day is perhaps the only holiday spent by the Americans at home. Table decorations follow a traditional pattern —a harvest of Indian corn, apples, oranges, walnuts and grapes. Flowers also bring the fall scene indoors. The centerpiece is the traditional roast turkey.

Still another American tradition concerns Halloween. Its origin dates back hundreds of years to the Druid festival. The Druid New Year began on November 1, marking the beginning of winter and the reign of the Lord of Death. The custom of telling ghost stories on Halloween comes from the Druids. On this occasion children usually wear ghost costumes or false faces. They also carve out rounded eyes in pumpkins and put burning candles inside them to make them visible from far away.

In Texas, where the West begins, the biggest annual festival — the Fat Stock Show — is held. Its rodeo, hold together with the stock show, is the biggest indoor rodeo on the earth.

And, of course, no nation can exist without humour. As they themselves say, an American must have one wife, two cars, three children, four pets, five suits, six acres, seven credit cards — and is lucky to have eight cents in his pocket.

16.2. Answer the questions:

1. What are the most popular American holidays?

2. When do they celebrate Halloween? In what way do Americans celebrate it?

3. When is Thanksgiving day celebrated?

4. What is the most important event of the day?

5. What do you know about the Fat Stock Show?

Unit 17. American food and drink

17.1. Read and translate the text.

What is “American” food? The answer is that it is part Italian, part British, part German, part Mexican, part Chinese… When people from other countries came to live in the USA, they brought different cooking traditions. Some of them opened restaurants. Today Americans enjoy food from all over the world. Over the years some foreign dishes changed a little.

Doughnuts were originally from Holland. In 1847 a young American boy told his mother that her doughnuts were never cooked in the middle. He cut out the centre and his mother cooked them — and they were very tasty!

Maybe the USA is most famous for “fast foods”. The first fast food restaurants served hamburgers, but now they serve other kinds of food too. Inside there is often a “salad bar”, where you can help yourself to as much salad as you want.

Americans eat a lot, and when they go to a restaurant, they don’t expect to be hungry afterwards. Most restaurants will put a lot of food on your plate — sometimes it can be too much. But if you can’t finish it all, don’t worry: they will give you a “doggy bag” and you can take it home. Most Americans now have a light breakfast instead of the traditional eggs, bacon, toast, orange juice and coffee. But on weekends there is more time, and a large late breakfast or early lunch is often eaten with family or friends.