A land of diversity:

-Country's geography: covering 3,700,000 square miles with tall mountains and flat cornfields, deserts and tropical regions, prairies and forests rugged coastlines and gentle, rolling hill.

-Climate: cover all extremes. Visitors can come to Florida in December to swim and sunbathe. At the same time in Alaska, winter temperature may drop to -75 Fahrenheit (-54 Celsius degree) (centigrade)

-Population: roughly 275 million people (now 320 million). Racially, the US is about 82% white, 13% black, 4% Asian and Pacific Islander, 1% Native American (including Eskimo and Aleut)

-Regional variations: differences in language, diet, recreation, regional character.

* what three population trends are predicted

-Growing population (will be 394 million by 2050). More crowded can lead to closer friendship or disputes between neighbours.

-The increasing average age of American (28 in 1970 to 35). This trend is often referred to as "greying" of American. As American is a country of young men (worshipping young undervalued elders) what will happen to American culture?

-The growing ethnic and minority groups are growing much faster. Attitudes, values, and customs will change.

*Democracy in Action

-Majority rule: decisions are made by voting (more than half the vote).

Ex: In government, voting is a tool for selecting political leaders and passing laws. In the Business world, stockholder selects the director. In society, the representative government gives citizens an opportunity (and a responsibility) to encourage positive social change. In school, most schools have student council with elected representatives so that student can voice their opinions about school regulations and activities. Family hold weekly meetings to determine household rules and activity.

*Typical American Behavior and Values:

i. Hurry, Hurry, Hurry: Almost every American wears a watch, and, in nearly every room in an American home, there's a clock. "Be on time". "Don't waste time". "Time is money". "Time waits for no one." The pressure to make every moment count sometimes makes it difficult for American to relax. The desire to save time and do work more quickly and easily leads Americans to buy many kinds of machines.

ii. The importance of money: "Americans are often accused of being materialistic, of valuing wealth and possessions above all else. Purchase is made in order to "keep up with the Joneses". In the mid 19thcentury, the American author Henry David Thoreau advised his countrymen, "Simplify your needs!" (trước là nhà và xe, giờ là building and enterprise)

iii. Say What You Mean, and Mean What You Say: Americans believe that "honestly is the best policy".

iv. The Need to Win.

v. The Practical Outlook: Americans admire what is practical, fast, efficient and new.

AFTER YOU READ:

I. Building Your Vocabulary:

1. Would a materialistic person have many possessions or few? Many possessions.

2. Do elections usually involve competition? Yes, they do.

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? The grants and density of population vital statistics. (statistics about populations)

6. What is the main characteristic of a democracy? Majority rule, freedom and equality

7. What are two expensive possessions that most Americans want to own? Houses and car.

8. Do Americans think that it's is good to be assertive? What do you think? Yes. (their typical values)

II. Understanding Idioms and Expressions:

1. My friend Joe rides his motorcycle 90 miles an hour.

He doesn't believe in playing it safe. (=to be careful, not taking risks.)

2. The twins expect their parents to give them a gift on their birthday.

They take it for granted. (= chuyệnđương nhiên)

3. Maria Johnson is very popular among the people in the state. In fact, there is a(n) "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 movement 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(n) status symbol. It makes the owner seem important.

8. My grandfather is 68 years old. Because he's a(n) senior citizen, he gets a discount at many movie theatres.

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.