American Civilization

Truong Van Anh

HUFFLIT
 Unit 1: The American Character
1. Population: 275 million
2. African-Americans
- Huge nation of people from everywhere
- Unique culture: self-reliance, independence,
resourcefulness, pragmatism, novelty.
- The new is better than the old; taking
charge is valued over playing it safe; making
money is superior to inheriting it; education
and merit are favored over family ties.
> The most important characteristic of the
U.S. is DIVERSITY.
- The area: (9,590,000 square kilometers)
- Racially, the U.S. is about 82% white, l3%
black, 4% Asian and pacific Islander and
1% Native American (including Eskimo and
Aleut)
- By 2050, there may be 800,000
centenarians
- People notice differences in language, diet,
recreation, and even regional character.
- New Englanders: serious and self-reliant;
Southerners: gracious and leisurely;
Westerners: casual and friendly; Californians:
- Modern communication and mass
production tend to decrease regional
and ethnic differences.
- Voting is not just a tool for selecting political
leaders and passing laws but also a way of
making decisions in the business world, in
social groups in schools and even within the
family.
- Americans love to try something new out of
curiosity and a belief that newer may be
better.
- Students displease their teachers and
employees displease their bosses when they
arrive late.
- “keep up with the Joneses”: đua đòi
- Assertive: quả quyết
Write L for like, D for dislike
1. forming groups to bring about change L
2. wasting time D
3. allowing citizens to influence lawmakers D
4. allowing social mobility L
5. protesting social evils non-violently L
6. doing things the way they've always
been done in the past D
7. making decisions by voting L
8. buying as few possessions as possible D
9. being assertive L
1O. competing to be the winner or the best L
ll. Building Your Vocabulary
1. Would a materialistic person have many
possessions or few? MANY
2. Do elections usually involve competition? Y
3. Does a conservative person like or dislike a
lot of change? DISLIKE
4. If people work quickly but do poor work,
are they efficient? NO
5. What does a demographer study?
POPULATION
6. What is the main characteristic of a
democracy? The principle of majority rule
7. What are two expensive possessions that
most Americans want to own? House and car
8. Do Americans think that it's good to be
assertive? What do you think? Yes, I think so.
lll. Sharpening Reading Skills
Topic Sentences
5. Three significant
8. American democracy
17. Hurry. Hurry. Hurry
IV. Understanding idioms and Expressions
1. My friend Joe rides his mototorcycle 90
miles an hour. He doesn't believe in playing it
safe.
2. The twins expect their parents to give
them a gift on their birthday. They take it for
granted.
3. Maria Johnson is very popular among the
people in this state. In fact, there is a
“grassroots " movement to elect her as the
next governor.
4. They are a very happy couple. She loves
him and vice versa.
5. Don't waste time. Make every moment
count.
6. Teachers point out mistakes so that
students will learn the correct way to speak
and write English.
7. An expensive car is a status symbol. It
makes the owner seem important.
8. My grandfather is 68 years old. Because
he's a senior citizen, he gets a discount at
many movie theaters.
9. Majority rule means that decisions are
made by voting.
10. You don't have to buy a new car just
because your friends did. You don't have to
keep up with the Joneses.
11. Mass production helps to keep prices
down.
12. John left the company, so Helen is taking
charge of the office now.
V. Taking Words Apart
1. The U.S. is a (competitive / competition)
society.
2. Voting is an (importance / important) part
of a democratic (society/ social).
3. To have a successful democracy, it is
(neccesity/ necessary) to have (education /
educated) citizens.
4. To have a successful democracy, well-
educated citizens are a (necessity/necessary)
5. Americans believe in (equality/equal)
opportunity for all.
6. Most Americans understand the
(importance / important) of participating in
their (democracy/democratic) government.
7. Americans are practical. In other words,
they are (pragmatism/pragmatic).
8. Traveling from one (region / regional) of
the country to another, American tourists see
a great (variety / varied) of people and places
9. There is a lot of (ethnicity / ethnic)
(diversity / diverse) in the U.S.
10. Do Americans value money and
possessions more than anything else? Are
they (materialism/materialistic)?
VI. Practicing Sentence Patterns
1. Writea sentencew ith the definition at the
end. Use one dash.
Example:
I like cocoa - a hot drink with chocolate in it.
2. Write a sentence with the definition in the
middle. Use two dashes.
Example
I drink cocoa - a hot drink with chocolate in it-
every morning for breakfast.
VII. Sharing ideas
1. Is there really equality of opportunity in
the U.S.? If not, what can be done to create it
2. What’s good and what's bad about
majority rule?
3. Americans are usually described as
sociable, conventional people who join
groups and try to behave like everyone else in
the group. However, some American books
and movies have made a hero of the person
who fights the majority will and tries to
accomplish something good independently.
What’s better-to be a joiner or a loner?
 Unit 2. Marriage: American Style
1. Have you ever seen a wedding in the U.S.?
What did you notice? What were the bride
and groom wearing; Was anything confusing
to you? What?
2. Think about the American couples you
know. What have you noticed about
American husband-wife relationships? What
generalizations can you make about
American marriages?
3. What does the first sentence of this
reading mean?
Guess
1. 56%
2. A bouquet of flowers
Three American engagement customs:

List five American wedding customs:

ceremony, reception, wedding rings, marriage
license, honeymoon
The Contemporary American Marriage
In most families, the working wife probably
still handles the larger share of the
housework, cooking, and child care, but she
gets some help from her husband.
When husband and wife are able to share
decision making and respect each other's
viewpoints their marriage is probably closer
than those of past generations.
l. Getting the Message
1. Three good things are:
"Marriage halves our griefs, doubles our joys,
and quadruples our expense”.
2. Two bad things are: decreasing both
freedom and loneliness.
3. The similarities are:
The differences are:
4. Two alternative life styles are discussed:
divorce and alternative life style.
- Chronological order:
Marriage proposal
Engagement
Shower for the bride-to-be
Wedding day
Honeymoon
Silver anniversary
ll. Building Your Vocabulary
1. In order to get married, the engaged
couple must get a marriage license.
2. The traditional bride walks down the aisle
wearing a long white gown and a veil over
her face.
3. During the ceremony, the bride and groom
exchange identical wedding rings.
4. This exchange of rings symbolizes endless
love.
5. Many contemporary wedding customs
come from old superstition about protecting
the bridal couple from bad luck.
6. Some couple elope . They get married
secretly, with no family or friends at the
ceremony.
7. Newlyweds usually take a vacation called a
honeymoon.
8. The typical married American woman
wears two rings: an engagement ring and a
wedding ring.
9. When a married couple get divorced, the
man usually pays alominy to help support his
ex-wife.
10. A wedding ceremony marks the beginning
of a marriage.
11. With typical American optimism divorced
people usually remarried.
12. A golden wedding anniversary celebrates
50 years of marriage.
1. What is the median in this series of
numbers : 3, 4, 5, 17, 72? 5
2. What is the mean of this same series? 7
HOMONYMS
I‘ll aisle isle altar alter
1. The bride walked down the (aisle / isle) to
the (altar / alter).
2. If the bride wants to (alter / altar) her
dress, (isle / I'll) help her.
Fiancé: future husband
Fiancée: future wife
- Six people who are part of wedding party:
Bride, groom, bride maid, maid of honor,
usher, best man
- JUST:
a. Only b. Only c. a very short time before d. a
very short time before
e. exactly f. Only
In paragraph 5, shower means: a
a. A party for a bride-to-be
b. a rainstorm
c. A way for a person to wash
In paragraph 17, domestic means: c
a. not forein
b. a servant
c. household
IV. Understanding Idioms and Expressions
1. What two idioms mean "to get married”?
tie the knot, walk down the aisle
2. What do Americans call the person who
earns the money for a family? breadwinner
3. What expression means “to do things in
their own way”? Do their own thing
4. What expression means "to hurt someone
in a fight”? Beat up
5. What idiom means "to become
romantically involved”? Fall in love
6. Who is the person who helps the bride at a
wedding? Maid of honor
7. Who is the person who helps the groom at
a wedding? Best man
8. What expression means "to arrange things
for a particular activity"? Set up
9. What expression means that something is
not surprising? No wonder
Write in the correct word-marry, marriage,
married, or marital- to complete each
statement.
1. Joe and Sarah have been happily ____for
35 years.
2. Their _____ has lasted a long time.
3. Did you know tnat ____ people live longer
than single people?
4. ______ difficulties can lead to divorce.
5. I would like to get _____ next year.
6. Why did Janet ____ that strange man?
 Unit 3. American Family Life
1. Name as many of these relatives as you
can, including those related by "blood"
(genetically) and by marriage.
2. Major trends in American family life:

3. The age range for each of the following:

teenage: adult: middle age, senior citizen
1. What percentage of American mothers
with children under age 18 are
employed?
31% 51% 71%
2. What's the most popular American pet?
Dog cat bird
3. What is the approximate median family
income in the U.S. today?
_ $22,000 _ $42,000 _ $62,OOO
l. Getting the Message
1. What are two reasons that so many
American children live with only one
parent? – Two factors-the high divorce rate
and the large number of children born to
unmarried mothers.

2. For mothers, what are two advantages of

working? What are two disadvantages? 2
They need money, and they feel interested.
They feel hectic and stressful.
3. What changes have occurred in the
American family now that so many
American wives and mothers work?
The lifestyle change weakens the family and
creates great social need – affordable, high -
quality day – care facilities for preschool
children.
4. Why might some American children feel
sad and lonely? 4,6,15
Because they don’t live with both parents,
they have fewer siblings and their houses
move to another place ever five years.
5. What are two types of living facilities for
seniors who can no longer live alone? 11
A nursing home and retirement residences.
6. What are some common reasons that parents
argue with their teenage children?
They want greater freedom to make decisions
for themselves. Teenagers are ambivalent about
parental control and help. Some parents have
serious problems with teenagers who quit
school, abuse alcohol, run away from home, get
involved with gangs, have illegitimate children,
or use illegal drugs.
ll. Building Your Vocabulary
1. If your weekdays are very hectig, they are
probably also stressful.
2. The opposite of a liability (an expense,
debt, or disadvantage) is an asset.
3. The word competition has a meaning
similar to the word rivalry.
4. The opposite of permanent is temporary.
5. An argument is the same as a quarrel.
6. Some mothers want to work, but they also
want to stay home with their children. They
have conflicting, or ambivalent feelings about
working away from home.
7. The word quality refers to how good or bad
something is. But this word is also sometimes
used to mean that something is good.
8. With five young children in the family, their
parents have a hectic life.
Choose the right word to complete these
statements about family members.
1. Parents and their children are considered
the ____ family. Aunts, uncles, and cousins
are part of the _______ family.
(extended/nuclear)
2. Your aunt’s daughter and son are your ___
(customers/counsins)
3. Your mother’s brother is your ____ (uncle /
aunt)
4. If your father divorces your mother and
remarries, his second wife is your ______.
(stepmother / second mother)
5. If your father and his new wife have a
daughter, she will be your ____ (sister / half
sister)
6. Mr. Brown's sister has a son named Joe and
a daughter named Jennifer. Joe is Mr. Brown's
____ , and Jennifer is Mr. Brown's _____
(nephew / niece)
7. Joe and Jennifer are brother and sister. In
other words, they are _____ (siblings /
spouses)
8. On an application, your husband or wife is
referred to as your _____. (sibling/spouse)
9. Your spouse's father is your ______ .
(grandfather / father-in-law)
10. The members of your family are your
_____ . (orphans / relatives)
11. Tom became a(n) _____ after his parents
were killed. Then, through _______ Tom
found a new family. (adoption/ orphan)
12. From grandparent to grandchild there are
two ____ (generations/ generals)
lll. Sharpening Reading Skills
1. "empty nest”:
2. "sandwich generation":
Find the meaning:
“. .. dinner comes from a carry-out restaurant
instead of the oven." (2)
The dinner is eaten ______
a. at home
b. at the lastaurant
2. “... dinner comes from a carry-out
restaurant instead of the oven." (2)
The phrase instead of means _____
a. and
b. not
3. "There is also concern about the declining
role of fathers …”
This statement means that ____.
a. people don't care about the situation
b. people are worried about the situation
4. "There is also concern about the declining
role of fathers …”
Fathers are becoming _____.
a. less important
b. more important
5. “… a nursing home may be the only
alternative . . ." (11)
A nursing home is probably ________
a. the only choice
b. where older people want to live
6. "In the past, children were a financial
asset." (19)
In the past, children ____.
a. cost a lot of money
b. earned money for the family
7. "No longer do American families say,
'Father's word is law.'" (20)
No longer means _____.
a. not any more
b. Not very long
8. "However parenting begins . . ." (27)
This phrase means ______.
a. although parenting begins
b. no matter how parenting begins
IV. Understanding Idioms and Expressions
1. Quality time (3) means
a. enough time
b. time spent together in a meaningful way
2. A househusband is ____.
a. a man who does most of the family's
homemaking tasks
b. A man who owns a house
3. The Sun Belt (15) refers to ____.
a. the warmer states in the South and
Southwest
b. the diameter of the sun
4. A turning point (15) in a person's life refers
to a ___.
a. major change
b. move to another city
5. The generation gap (21) refers to ____.
a. the number of years between parent and
child
b. the difficulty that parents and children
have understanding each other
6. The person who is in charge (22) ___.
a. makes the decisions
b. uses the credit cards
Which of the following statements can be
completed with vice versa? Write in vice
versa when it is correct.
Example
Day follows night and vice versa.
1. Parents love their children and ___
2. Cats eat mice and ___
3. Children like to watch TV and ___
4. Children enjoy playing with dogs and ___
V. Taking Words Apart
Practice with Plurals
activity: activities
basis:
life:
poverty:
woman:
child:
sister-in-law:
Fish:
VI. Practicing Sentence Patterns
Question Word Order
+ WH words are subjects.
WH + V
+ WH words are other roles rather than
subjects.
WH + AUXILIARY + Subject + V
Vll. Sharing Ideas
1. Social scientist Erich Fromm believed that
mothers and fathers love their children in
different ways. A mother's love is unconditional
he believed. She loves her child just because the
child is hers, while a father's love has to be
earned. Do you think this is true? How does a
child "earn" love?
2. Some women decide to become pregnant by
artificial insemination. Is this a good idea? If the
father is an unidentified donor, the child will
never know who he was. Is this fair to the child?
3. Some states and communities have
parental-responsibility laws. If children
commit crimes, their parents can be sued,
fined, or even jailed. Is this a good idea?
What if the parents contribute to the crime
(for example by carelessly leaving guns
unlocked)?
 Unit 4. American Etiquette
Etiquette is the proper way to behave in
social situations.
What do you do?“ = What's your occupation?
Say “congratulations” when someone has
accomplished something. Examples of these
kinds of occasions include graduation, job
promotion, the birth of a child, and the
purchase of a home.
Tip: to insure promptness
Dutch treat: share expenses
Discuss
1. How do American manners compare to
polite behavior in other countries? Casual
2. On what occasions is it traditional to give
gifts? Do you think this is the same
everywhere? Dinner - Maybe
3. Many workers who perform services for
others expect to receive tips (extra
money). Name the types of workers that you
would tip. Server: waiter/waitress
Guess
Try to answer the questions.
1. "How do you do?"
- "How do you do?"
2. when someone sneezes?
"Bless you."
l. Getting the Message
1. What are three questions that a casual
acquaintance should not ask an American?
One doesn't ask for extremely personal
information such as age, weight, income, or the
cost of valuable possessions.
2. When should you send a sympathy card to a
friend? Someone passed away.
3. What are two things you should not do in
an American classroom?
Calling a person mister or lady without the
last name – whispering during teacher’s or
students’ speaking.
4. What three things should you do when
invited to an American friend's home for
dinner?
Be on time – bring a small gift – don’t leave
immediately after the dinner and don’t
overstay.
5. Has women's liberation made life better or
worse for women? What does the
reading imply?
Liberation has benefited women in many
ways, especially in terms of job opportunities
and advancement. However, it is implied that
it should be fair to treat others fairly.
The polite responses:
1. Your friend says,"I missed class because my
grandfather died-" What do you say?
a. "I'm so sorry."
b. "How did he die?"
2. Your friend says,"I bought a new car a few
weeks ago-" What do you say?
a. "How much did it cost?"
b. "What kind of car?"
3. Your friend asks, "How are you?" What do
you say?
a. I have a headache, but I just took an
aspirin, so I’m hoping to feel better soon.
b. Fine, thanks. How are you?
4. The elevator is crowded, and you're
standing in the back when it arrives at your
floor- What do you say?
a. Move over. I have to go out.
b. Excuse me, please. This is my floor.
5. Your friend tells you your sweater is very
attractive. What do you say?
a. Thank you.
b. Do you really like this old thing?
6. Your friend introduces you to his sister.
What do you say?
a. It’s nice meeting you.
b. It was nice meeting you.
II. Building Your Vocabulary
1. Titles such as Mr., Dr, or Mrs. Are polite forms
of address.
2. When someone dies, you should express your
condolences to the family.
3. When a couple gets engaged, it is polite to
say “Congratulations!”
4. Americans believe people should not be
afraid to ask for the things they want. In
other words, people should be assertive.
5. Four uncountable nouns in this vocabulary
list are address, harassment, insult and
6. The opposite of polite is rude. The
opposite of an insult is a compliment.
7. Knives, forks, and spoons are pieces of
silverware.
8. A classmate or neighbor that you don't
know well is an acquaintance.
III. Sharpening Reading Skills
Pronouns
This cake is delicious. I love it. (It refers to the
noun cake.)
We enjoy swimming, and we're food at it. (It
refers to the gerund swimming.)
1. In paragraph 3, the last sentence, what
does “them” refer to? Americans
2. ln paragraph 5, sentence 2, what does this
refer to? introduction
3. In paragraph 18, sentence 4, what does
them refer to? Men
4. In paragraph 19 sentence 1, what does her
refer to? Woman
IV. Understanding ldioms and Expressions
1. go Dutch treat: share expenses
2. Go through something: experience sth.
3. Hands off: Don’t touch
4. Keep your distance: don’t get too close
5. Overstay your welcome: stay too long
6. Run out of something: use sth all up
7. A white lie : a harmless untruth
8. What do you do?: What’s your occupation?
9. What if …? Consider this possibility.
V. Taking Words Apart
1. That child doesn't know how to ____. His
______ is terrible. (behave/ behavior)
2. Did you ______ him on his marriage?
(congratulate/ congratulations)
3. The boss ________ me on the good job I
did. (compliment/complimentary)
4. It’s difficult for me to _____ in English. But
yesterday I had a long ______ with an
American friend who speaks my language.
(converse / conversation)
The prefix mis-
1. misunderstand:
2. misspell: