Reading Texts B1 Level

I was in the USA on a language course last summer. It was a fantastic learning experience!
People were so
friendly and welcoming. I’m going on a British summer course this year. I heard that English people are
more unfriendly and polite. Is that true? I’m worried about the language as well. I learned American English
at school, and I’ve heard that British English is different. I’m worried that I’ll misunderstand everyone, make
errors and appear impolite. Can anyone help?
Don’t worry about the language! It’s mostly the same. In terms of grammar, there are no differences at all.
There are a few vocabulary differences though, like in the USA they say ‘subway’, ‘gas’ and ‘apartment’,
while in Britain they say ‘underground’, ‘petrol’ and ‘flat’. But it won’t be a problem. You’ll understand
those unfamiliar words from the context. What’s more, British people will understand you if you use
American words. After all, they watch lots of American shows on television. The British accent is very
different from the American one, but personally, I find it easier to understand.
You won’t find the language confusing, but people’s behavior is very different, in my opinion. Americans are
more informal and open. They talk about anything – their money, their weight, their health. They are
enthusiastic and friendly, and it’s easy to get to know them. British people aren’t like that. They don’t like to
talk about their personal lives until they know you well, and they think it is respectful to give you privacy. As
a result, it isn’t easy to make friends with British people. They are friendly and polite, but they often remain
rather distant.
Don’t worry about making social errors in Britain. People are so polite that if you do something wrong, they
won’t comment! I agree with Paulo_Riviera_166 in some ways. British people are more distant, but they
aren’t more formal, in my opinion. For example, in the States, kids sometimes call their dads ‘Sir’, but
British people never do that! In America, success is important, so people will often tell you how great they
are. In Britain, it’s considered rude to boast about your achievements. If you do, people may tease you or
gossip about you. Also, British people hate being complimented. If you say something nice about them, they
often look embarrassed and don’t know what to say!
I don’t know where Sara May was staying in the UK, but I was in the north of the country on a school trip a
couple of years ago. We all stayed with host families, and the only person I could understand was the mother
of the family. I couldn’t understand anyone else, even after three weeks! The people didn’t sound anything
like the people I had heard in my course books at school, and I learned British English! I guess people sound
different in different areas of the country. All I can say is, good luck, and if you don’t understand someone,
ask them to write down what they are trying to say!
Charles has also spent a lot of time trying to help underprivileged youth in Britain's inner cities. His "Prince's
Trust" is a charity that has helped thousands of kids from poor parts of Britain's cities to get good training
and good jobs. He has also been active on the world stage, and in 2020 he encouraged world leaders at the
Davos summit "to reset capitalism", in order to prevent the worst effects of climate change. As a prince, he
could say and do what he wanted; as Head of State, he will have to be more neutral. That may be difficult for
him.
About a quarter of all Indians live on "reservations". These are large areas of land controlled by Indian
nations. In many cases, Indians living on these reservations do not pay taxes to the U.S. government, nor to
the states in which they are situated. Reservations have their own laws and their own administration.
However most Reservations are in poor parts of the western U.S.A., and the people who live there cannot
earn a lot of money, even when they can find a job. Unemployment is a serious problem on many
reservations, and on average (on reservations or off them) Indians earn 30% less money than white
Americans. On reservations, poverty is a serious problem.
In his quest to get the land beyond the mountains, the governor called upon his best soldier to deal with the
situation: it was young George Washington, barely 22 years old at the time. The governor told George to go
and find the French, and give them a simple message: leave the region immediately, or get ready for battle.
Wanting to serve and please his authorities, George did as he was told. He went over the mountains with a
small army, found the French, and passed on the governor's message. But, of course, the French did not wish
to leave. Inevitably, the conflict developed into a war, known as the French and Indian War; that is, the
French and some Indian allies fighting the British colonials.
But the American influence is not just a question of shopping. Lots of Canadians drive American cars, and
cars are almost as important in Canada as they are in the USA. There is television too. While Quebecers tend
to watch their own French-language TV stations, English-speaking Canadians have a choice between local
English-speaking channels, national programs from CBC, and dozens of American channels brought to them
by cable or satellite. Unless they specifically want to watch local stations, they're just as likely to tune in
to one of the big American channels as they are to a Canadian channel.
The high-technology industry was already present around San Francisco. Intel had been founded in 1968, and
in the same year the first computer mouse was built at Stamford University. In 1970, Xerox opened a
research center in Palo Alto. There were also other electronics companies, like Hewlett Packard, and
Fairchild, the world's first "semiconductor" company. Then, in 1976, an electronics student called Steve Jobs
started a small computer company in his garage; he gave it the same name as the Beatles' record
company: Apple.

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I was in the USA on a language course last summer. It was a fantastic learning experience!

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