"Don’t just stand there," goes а typical bit of American advice, "do something" Americans routinely plan and, schedule an extremely active day. Any relaxation must be limited in time, pre-planned, and aimed at "recreating" their ability to work harder and more productively once the recreation is over. The first question one American will ask another American when meeting for the first time is related to his or her work "What do you do?" "Where do you work?"

8. Informality

Americans are one of the most informal and casual groups of people in the world. As one example of this informality, American bosses often urge their employees to call them by their first names and even feel uncomfortable if they are called bу the title "Мг." or "Mrs."  

9. Directness, Openness and Honesty

Many other countries have developed highly ritualistic ways of informing other people of unpleasant information. Americans, however, have always preferred the direct approach. They are likely to be completely honest in delivering their negative evaluations. If you come from а society, which uses the indirect manner of conveying bad news or uncomplimentary evaluations, you will be shocked at Americans' bluntness.

10. Practicality and Efficiency

Americans have а reputation for being an extremely realistic, practical and efficient people. The love of "practicality" has also caused Americans to view some professions more favorably than others. Management and economics, for example, are much more popular in the United States than philosophy or anthropology, law and medicine more valued than the arts.

11. Materialism/Acquisitiveness

Foreigners generally consider Americans to be very materialistic. Americans would like to think that their material objects are just the natural benefits, which always result from hard work and serious intent — а reward, they think, which all people could enjoy. But by any standard, Americans are materialistic. This means that they value and collect more material objects than most people would ever dream of owning. It also means they give higher priority to obtaining, maintaining and protecting their material objects.

V. Summarize the information you’ve got from the article and speak about every point from it in general.

For example: Point 1 - Personal Control over the Environment. That means that Americans are sure that they must control nature and take care of the environment by themselves.

VI. Read a short text about what the modern ordinary American typically owns.

We all own something. For example nowadays in Russia it is considered to be absolutely necessary to have a cell phone and a computer at home. But several years ago many people couldn’t’ afford it. Let’s see what the modern ordinary American typically owns. On the first place that is one or more color television sets. That is so because television is a great entertainment in the USA.

The second place goes to an electric hair dryer. If the family consists of four persons it means that’s everyone’s got a hair-drier. Thirdly, each family thinks it’s necessary to have а clothes-washer and dryer, а vacuum cleaner and а refrigerator, stove and dishwasher at home.

Mostly Americans prefer to live outside the city and have a nice two or three-storied house with a lovely lawn in front. That is why the forth place goes to а power lawn mower for cutting grass.

Since Americans value newness and innovation, they sell or throw away their possessions frequently and replace them with newer ones. А car may be kept for only two or three years, а house for five or six before trading it in for another one.

VII. Read and translate the text “USA Holidays”

USA Holidays

Holiday is a day set apart for religious observance or for the commemoration of some extraordinary event or distinguished person, or for some other public occasion. National holidays are days set aside by official government proclamation to celebrate different occasions.

The U.S. has no national holidays. Legal holidays – days on which banks, schools, or other public institutions and most places of business are closed.

Memorial Day is a legal holiday, observed annually on the last Monday in May in most of the United States, It honors the nation's armed services killed in wartime. The holiday, originally called Decoration Day, is traditionally marked by parades, memorial speeches and ceremonies, and the decoration of graves with flowers and flags. Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, 1868, on the order of General John Alexander Logan for the purpose of decorating the graves of the American Civil War dead. It was observed on May 30 until 1971, when most states changed to a newly established federal schedule of holiday observance.

Independence Day is an annual holiday commemorating the formal adoption by the Continental Congress of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia. Although the signing of the Declaration was not completed until August, the Fourth of July holiday has been accepted as the official anniversary of United States independence and is celebrated in all states and territories of the USA.

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The Fourth of July is traditionally celebrated publicly with parades and pageants, patriotic speeches, and organized firing of guns and cannons and displays of fireworks. Family picnics and outings are a feature of private Fourth of July celebrations.

Thanksgiving Day, a legal holiday in the U.S., was first celebrated in early colonial times in New England. The actual origin is probably the harvest festivals that are traditional in many parts of the world. After the first harvest was completed by the Plymouth colonists in 1621, Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving.

In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a day of thanksgiving, and since then each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation, generally designating the fourth Thursday of November as a holiday.

New Year's Day is the first day of the year, January 1 in the Gregorian calendar. In the Middle Ages most European countries used the Julian calendar and observed New Year's Day on March 25, called Annunciation Day and celebrated as the birth to the Son of God. With the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in 1582, Roman Catholic countries began to celebrate New Year's Day on January 1.

The custom of visiting friends, relatives and neighbors on New Year’s Day is one of the Old World traditions that has taken on a new form in the United States. A favorite place to see the old year out is New York City’s Time Square.

Christmas is an annual festival, held on December 25, to celebrate the Nativity, or birth of Christ. The Christmas tree, an evergreen trimmed with lights and other decorations, is derived from the so-called paradise tree.

Saint Valentine's Day, a holiday honoring lovers, is celebrated on February 14. There is a custom of sending greeting cards or gifts to express affection. The cards, known as valentines, are often designed with hearts to symbolize love. The holiday probably derives from the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalis (February 15). The festival gradually became associated with the feast day (February 14) of two Roman martyrs; both named St. Valentine, who lived in the 3rd century. St. Valentine has traditionally been regarded as the patron saint of lovers.

VIII. Compare Russian and American holidays. Do we have common holidays?

IX. Prepare written reports on the following topics

• American food

• American holidays

• Sport in the USA

• The USA government

GRAMMAR: The Present Perfect Tense

Настоящее совершенное время употребляется:

• Для выражения действия, завершившегося к моменту речи (преднастоящее):

EX: I have seen this girl before.

Я уже ранее видел эту девушку.

• Для выражения действия, которое завершилось, но тот период, в которое оно происходило, еще продолжается, и может быть обозначен обстоятельством времени today - сегодня, this week - на этой неделе, this month - в этом месяце:

EX: I have seen this movie twice this week.

Я дважды видел этот фильм на этой неделе.

The Present Perfect Tense может употребляться с наречиями, обозначающими частотность действия: always - всегда, often - часто, ever - когда-нибудь, never - никогда, и т.д.

Образование The Present Perfect Tense

to have + Participle II

Для построения вопросительной и отрицательной формы используется вспомогательный глагол to have:

EX: I have done this before.

Have I done this before?

I have not (haven’t) done this before.

EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1. Give your examples with the use of The Present Perfect Tense (10 – 15 sentences)

EXERCISE 2. Read and translate

1.I have already done my work. 2. We have already written our term papers. 3. They have come back today. 4. My father has just left for his native town. 5. I have just got this letter. 6. We have never been to England. 7. He has not finished his work yet. 8. Sorry, I have forgotten to bring you the book. 9. My mother has not come yet. 10. She has not watched TV since Sunday.
11. I have got something interesting to tell you.

EXERCISE 3. Insert has or have

1.As for me I … already had coffee. 2. What … you cooked for dinner, Mum? 3. … you had a shower yet? 4. We … already
practiced this text at the laboratory. 5. What are you going to do?
I am going to sew the button on your jacket. – Thank you. I … just done it myself. 6. … Mary left for Japan? 7. I’m sorry I’m late. It … taken me too long to get there. 8. What kind of mistakes … Mary made in her dictation? 9. You … corrected all the mistakes in yesterday’s homework, haven’t you? Yes, I … .

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EXERCISE 4. Put the verbs in brackets into the Present Perfect

1.Where is Nick? – He just (go) out. 2. Don’t worry about the letter. I already (post) it. 3. I don’t know this man. I never (meet) him. 4. Let’s go to the cinema. “War and Peace” is on. – I already (see) it. 5. I know Kursk perfectly well. I (be) there several times. 6. Where is the key? – I (put) it on the table. 7. Do you know where he lives? – No, he recently (move) to a new flat. I (not be) there yet.

EXERCISE 5. Make the sentences interrogative, negative and
interrogative- negative

1.You have read the book. 2. She has met her colleagues today. 3. They have gone to the tennis court. 4. You have returned the book to him. 5. The friends have accepted the invitation. 6. They have been to Britain twice. 7. He has finished eating. 8. They have lived here for twenty years. 9. Lucy has taken a cold shower.

EXERCISE 6. Complete the following sentences with the given
alternatives using since or for

1. I haven’t seen you … .
a) May; b) three years.
2. We have been here … .
a) an hour and a half; b) January.
3. She hasn’t spoken to me … .
a) more than two weeks; b) last week.
4. They have lived in this street … .
a) 1998; b) a long time.
5. I haven’t bought new magazines … .
a) a month; b) last September.
6. Nobody has written to me … .
a) many weeks; b) my birthday.
7. I’ve asked you to come and see us … .
a) over a month; b) the beginning of the year.
8. The boy hasn’t ridden a bicycle … .
a) ages; b) his childhood.

EXERCISE 7. Insert already, ever, just, yet into the appropriate
sentences

1.Have you … been to South Africa? 2. Shall I pay the waiter? – No, I’ve … paid the bill. 3. Have you … spoken to a famous person? 4. Ann, lay the table. I’ve … cooked dinner. 5. They don’t know what the problem is. They have … arrived. 6. Is it a good film? – Yes, it’s the best I have … seen. 7. The post hasn’t come … . 8. She has … explained the situation to me. 9. He hasn’t invited me to the party … . 10. Nobody has found the city of Atlantis … .

EXERCISE 8. Open the brackets using the Past Simple or Present Perfect

1. I (to meet) several of my group-mates today. I (to meet) them in the street on my way to school. 2. Several weeks ago my uncle (to build) a new house in the country. We (to visit) it recently and (to enjoy) ourselves greatly. 3. Andrew (to forget) to close the window when he (to leave) the house. 4. Mike (to write) several letters within this week. 5. “Where Tom (to go)? I don’t see him here”. – “He (to go) home five minutes ago.”

EXERCISE 9. Open the brackets using the verbs in the Past Simple or Present Perfect.

1. The sun (not to rise) yet, but the sky in the east is getting lighter every minute. 2.I (to see) you walking along the street the other day with a heavy bag. 3.I (not to read) the newspaper today. 4. It is very late, and trams (to stop) running: we must find a taxi to get home. 5. How many times you (to be) to St. Petersburg? 6. At last I (to trans­late) this article: now I shall have a little rest. 7. We (to go) to the country yesterday, but the rain (to spoil) all the pleasure. 8. My watch was going in the morning, but now it (to stop). 9. The lecture (not yet to begin) and the stu­dents are talking in the classroom. 10. She just (to go) out. 11. She (to leave) the room a moment ago. 12. We (not yet to solve) the problem. 13. When it all (to happen)? 14. The morning was cold and rainy, but since 10 o'clock the weather (to change) and now the sun is shining brightly. 15. Show me the dress which you (to make). 16. Oh, how dark it is! A large black cloud (to cover) the sky. 17. Oh, close the window! Look, all my papers (to fall) on the floor because of the wind. 18. When you (to open) the window? I (to open) it ten minutes ago.

EXERCISE 10. Translate the following sentences using the Present Perfect, Present Continuous or Present Simple

1. Надень пальто и шапку. На улице холодно. 2. Сегодня на обед придет Майкл. – Я давно его не видел. Он очень изменился? – Не очень. 3. Ты что-нибудь слышишь? – Нет, я ничего не слышу. 4. Сегодня мы играем в теннис. 5. Они уже уехали? – Нет, они уезжают трехчасовым поездом. 6. Ты ходил в кино на этой неделе? – Нет, я очень занят в последнее время? 7. По дороге на работу я обычно встречаю этого человека.

EXERCISE 11. Find the mistakes and correct them.

1.She has been a teacher since three years. 2. Helen isn’t here. She is gone to the cinema. 3. He has already came home. 4. Have you been ever to Paris? 5. Has you ever been toLondon? 6. Peter has been here since 5 days. 7. I have study English since 2000. 8. How long have you have your car? – I have it since Christmas. 9. Have you finish eating? – I haven’t even started already. 10. Jack has just finish his work, so his books are still on the table.

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EXERCISE 12. Translate into English.

1. Я никогда не был в этом театре. 2. Мы только что говорили с ним об этом. 3. Он только что ушел. 4. Собрание только что началось. 5. Моя сестра еще не пришла. 6. Мы уже просмотрели газеты. 7. В этом семестре она не болела. 8. Я уже показала ему дорогу на станцию. 9. Я не был в кино с сентября. 10. Извините, я забыл Вашу фамилию. 11. Мы не видели его в последнее время. 12. На этой неделе он не посещал занятий. 13. За последнее время она перевела несколько статей по архитектуре на английский язык. 14. Мы еще не обсудили этого вопроса. 15. Эти часы всегда хорошо ходили.

ADDITIONAL STUDY: Cities in the USA

Read about famous cities in the USA, summarize the information you’ve got and retell it

Philadelphia - historical city of independence

Philadelphia which was founded in 1682 by William Penn, prominent statesmen, was a large city in colonial America. Even now some parts of the old city remind one of the past. Visitors can walk the old streets; see old houses and public buildings.

Here in 1774 the first Congress of delegates from all colonies was held. Among the delegates were men of great fame, such as George Washington and John Adams, the first and second presents of the USA. The main decision of the first continental congress was to unite the efforts of all colonies against Great Britain.

The second continental congress, held in Philadelphia a year later, decided to organize an army to defend the colonies. George Washington was chosen commander-in-chief and the War for Independence began. The congress named a committee of five to draw up the Declaration of Independence. The work was actually done by Thomas Jefferson, then 33 years old. On July the 4, 1776 the Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. Celebration of the fourth of July as Independence Day began the next year.

Philadelphia was the city where the US constitution was adopted in 1788-1789. In 1790 the first Congress met in Philadelphia and decided that Philadelphia would be the capital of the USA while the federal capital in Washington, D.C. was being built. It remained the capital for the next ten years.

Capital of the USA. Washington

The beautiful city of Washington D.C. is the capital of the United States and the centre of its government. The capital was named after the first president George Washington and was founded in 1790. It is situated on the Potomac River in the District of Columbia. Washington is not the largest city in the USA. It has a population only 900 000.

Washington D.C. has nothing characteristically American in it, as its conception is purely French. It has long wide avenues, gardens, beautiful parks and no skyscrapers at all.

Washington is the residence of the President and the Con­gress of the USA. The White House is the President's residence, the Capitol — the seat of the American Congress. The largest and the tallest among the buildings is the Capitol with its great House of Representatives and Senate Chamber.

There are no skyscrapers because no other building must be taller than the Capitol. All American presidents except George Washington (the White House was not yet built in his time) have lived in the White House. It was built in 1799.

Washington is a large scientific and cultural centre, where there are many research institutes, five universities, the Na­tional Academy of Science and the Library of Congress.

There is one more well-known building in Washington — Pentagon, the residence of the US Military department. It is situated in the suburbs to the south of the Potomac.

Capital of the World. New York.

There is a proverb that Paris is the capital of Europe and New York is the capital of the world. Of course after well-known events of 11 of September New York lost a lot of its power but anyway it remains one of the biggest cities of America.

New York is the largest city in the USA and the biggest seaport. It is the business centre of the United States. New York is situated in the mouth of the Hudson river.

In comparison with such ancient historical cities as, say, Rome, London, Moscow or Paris, New York is quite young. It was founded in 1613 by Dutch settlers. There are five districts in the city. Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Richmond. Manhattan is the central and the oldest part of the city. It is the district of business and finance. It is here in Wall Street that many business offices, banks and the world famous New York stock exchange are situated. The New York stock exchange dominates business life of many countries.

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The total area of New York is 365 square miles or 900 square kilometers. Its population together with the population of its suburbs amounts to 16 million people.

Among the inhabitants of New York one can meet people of almost all nationalities. They settled here during the immigration in the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century.

A traveler who visits New York for the first time wonders at the modern architecture. The Statue of Liberty, which is on Liberty Island, was a present from France in 1876 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of American independence. This statue and a few 18th and 19th century churches, hospitals, newspaper offices and other buildings are the only examples of "old" architecture in New York. Wherever your eyes travel, everywhere you can see sky-scrapers.

New York, one of the USA leading manufacturing cities, is the home of great firms and banks. The most important branches of industry are those producing vehicles, glass, chemicals and all kinds of machinery. The city has very busy traffic. Its streets and highways are full of cars and buses.

The mouth of the Hudson River makes an excellent harbor for numerous passengers and cargo ships from all over the world.

Speaking about New York one can't but mention the outstanding role, the city plays, in the cultural life of the country. New York has many museums and art galleries which have collected works of art of many peoples and of all times. Many of them are on constant display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of Art.

Most of the theatres and cinemas are in or near Broadway, the longest street and the biggest shopping district in New York. The Metropolitan and Modern Arts Museums attract many visitors.

Anchorage. The Russian soul.

The history of America is the history of immigrants. They had brought their own culture and rules to the territories where they inhabited. It is very interesting to see America like a mosaic of different cultures, and without the every part of that mosaic it cannot be the full picture. But for us, for Russian people, the most interesting part of America is of course Alaska. There we feel the presence of Russian spirit.

On March 30, 1867, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million, about two cents an acre. On January 3, 1959, Alaska, with a land mass larger than Texas, California and Montana combined, became the 49th state in the union. It is a large state.

The name "Alaska" is taken from the Aleut word that refers to an object to which the sea is directed, in this case the mainland. The biggest city of Alaska is Anchorage. Anchorage has a maritime climate modified by its 61 degree north latitude and by continental influences. Summers are cool and winters are cold too.

However, Anchorage does not experience the seasonal temperature extremes of interior Alaska or the north-central U.S. Total precipitation for Anchorage is only 15.91 inches per year. Total snowfall averages 69.3 inches.

LA. City of Angels

Los Angeles - the City of Angels - is a city built on dreams. The dream of the immigrant seeking a new beginning, the dream of Hollywood with its promise of a life of glamour and riches, the dream of wide open spaces and sunny golden days.

In the Bunker Hill/Historic Core Angels Walk you will experience these dreams in the L.A. that exists today, in an L.A. that thrived almost a century ago and in an L.A. that existed only in imagination.

You'll see a Victorian's view of what a futuristic building would look like in the year 2000 and its splendors will take your breath away. Hear water fountains crash like ocean waves in a dramatic water garden that covers more than an acre.

Boston. City or University ?

Boston University - independent, coeducational, and non-sectarian -- is an internationally recognized institution of higher education and research located along the banks of the Charles River and adjacent to the historic Back Bay district of Boston.

With more than 30,000 students from all 50 states and 135 countries, it is one of the largest independent universities in the United States. For over 150 years, Boston University has anticipated the changing needs of its students while serving the greater needs of society.

As one of the nation's premier research universities, Boston University believes that all students benefit by learning from dedicated teachers who are actively engaged in original research. The University's learning environment is further enriched by an extraordinary array of direct involvements with the broader artistic, economic, social, intellectual, and educational life of the community.

Miami. Wellcome to Paradise!

Miami has it all. A great climate which makes it a great vacation spot all year round, exciting attractions, professional sports teams, art, history, museums, and all of the nature parks and education you could ask for. The tropical climate provides attractions that are found on only a few places. Ocean life, alligators, snakes, and tropical vegetation are found in many exhibits and museums around Miami.

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