Being American / Сultural differences

We all know that apple pie, the Pac-Man phenomenon*, and colour without the ‘u’ are American, as are even more minor things, such as the pronunciation of ‘lieutenant’. However, the broader sorts of things aren’t generally well-recorded, unless you don’t look in encyclopedias and fact-guzzling guide books.
Americans may tell you that the United States of America was founded on independence, liberty and freedom. For many, these virtues and others -democracy (and with it, often, apathy), the principles set forth in the Bill of Rights and patriotism, set the foundation of what being an American is. Somehow these principles continue to serve the people and inspire them.

The Landscape
The Unites States has a rich and varied landscape: there are the cherry trees of Washington, DC, the skyscrapers of New York City, the humid summers of the south-east, the chaotic film studios of Los Angeles, fast food and petrol (‘gas’) stations, the glowing lights of Las Vegas, the high peaks of the rocky mountains or the green lands along the Mississippi River. 20,000 miles of beaches and countless mountains sit on either side of the first 48 states of America. Volcanoes, mountains and islands lie in the other two states.

In San Francisco, California, steep roads get steeper, leading cars and people from the ocean to the ‘crookedest street in the world’. In the great plains, roads can go for 30 miles...

Продолжение читайте в журнале English4U №5 (май 2010) на который можно подписаться или купить.