The United States of America

 

Flag

Motto: In God We Trust (official) E Pluribus Unum (traditional) (Latin: Out of Many, One)

Anthem: "The Star-Spangled Banner"

Capital: Washington, D.C.

· The largest city is New York City

· Government: Federal presidential constitutional republic

· The Congress consists of Senate and the House of Representatives.

· The USA comprises fifty states and a federal district.

· The country is situated mostly in central North America.

· The country lies between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.

· The United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest by both land area and population.

· The United States was founded by thirteen British colonies located along the Atlantic seaboard. On July 4, 1776, they issued the Declaration of Independence.

· In 1507, German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a world map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere "America" after Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci.

· Alaska, separated from the contiguous United States by Canada, is the largest state.

· The president serves a four-year term and may be elected to the office no more than twice.

· The United States has operated under a two-party system for most of its history. Since the general election of 1856, the major parties have been the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.

· The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States.

· The headquarters of the United Nations is a complex in New York City.

· The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill.

· The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world by shelf space and number of books.

· Children are required in most states to attend school from the age of six or seven.

· The New York Stock Exchange, located on Wall Street, is the world's largest stock exchange.

· Denver International Airport is the largest international airport in the United States.

· Thomas Edison was an inventor. He is best known for the invention of the electric light, the phonograph, and the telephone.

· Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States and the author of the Declaration of Independence.

· Martin Luther King Jr. was an American civil rights leader.

· George Washington was the first president of the United States.

· Benjamin Franklin was an American statesman and scientist. In 1776, he helped Thomas Jefferson write the Declaration of Independence.

· Mark Twain the major American writer was the author of the novels Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

· Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist, the author of “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, “The Old Man and the Sea”.

· Mount McKinley in Alaska is the highest point in the U.S. territory which is 6,194 meters.

· 302 foot Statue of Liberty which guards the New York City’s harbor was a gift from the French in 1886.

· The flag of the United States of America is often called "Stars and Stripes".

· Another name for the American Flag is Old Glory.

 

Canada

 

Flag

Motto: A Mari Usque Ad Mare (Latin) "From Sea to Sea"

Anthem:"O Canada" Royal anthem:"God Save the Queen"

Capital: Ottawa

 

· The largest city is Toronto.

· The tallest and longest living tree in Canada is the Douglas Fir.

· Official languages are English and French.

· Government: Federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy.

· Monarch: Elizabeth II.

· The Queen's representative is the Governor General of Canada.

· The Parliament consists of Senate and the House of Representatives.

· The name Canada comes from the St. Lawrence Iroquoian word kanata, meaning "village" or "settlement".

· Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations (native Indian peoples), Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have largely fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative.

· By total area (including its waters), Canada is the second-largest country in the world, after Russia. By land area alone, Canada ranks fourth.

· It has land border with the USA only and its common border with the United States is the longest land border in the world.

· Canada stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west.

· The use of the maple leaf as a Canadian symbol dates to the early 18th century.

· The highest point in Canada is Mount Logan.

· The two principal river systems are the Mackenzie and the St. Lawrence.

· Canada is a federation of ten provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan) and three territories (Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut).

· The border between Canada and the United States is officially known as the International Boundary.

· The capital city, Ottawa, was originally named Bytown after Colonel John By.

UNIT 5

THE MOST COMMON PROBLEMS TEENAGERS

FACE TODAY

Teenagers face real problems on a daily basis during the most awkward growth stages of their lives; between 13 and 19-years-old. During this time, teens are exposed to some overwhelming external and internal struggles. Teens go through, and are expected to cope with hormonal changes, puberty, social and parental forces, work and school pressures, as well as encountering many conditions and problems. Teens feel overwhelmed when faced with unprecedented stresses concerning school and college, and career confusion situations. Those who have absentee parents are exposed to more unfavorable states of life. The issues that teenagers face today vary but these issues can be dealt with easily if parents and other guardians can understand the symptoms of their problems. Parents need to approach their children, who have been suffering from one or more teenage problems, carefully and in a friendly manner to discuss the problems. Many teens feel misunderstood. It is vital that their feelings and thoughts are validated and that the validation comes from their parents.

The most common problems that teenagers face today include:

• Self-Esteem and Body Image
• Stress
• Bullying
• Depression
• Cyber Addiction
• Drinking and Smoking
• Teen Pregnancy
• Underage Sex
• Child Abuse
• Peer-Pressure and Competition
• Eating Disorders

Surprisingly, all of these problems are connected to one another, like a chain reaction. When the teens face self-esteem and body image problems, they can become frustrated, resulting in eating disorders. The teens start feeling stress when they are exposed to peer-pressure and competition at school, or child abuse at home. Many teens take to drinking and smoking in order to relieve the stress. Many may run away from home, play computer games, and start chatting online with strangers. Computer games and online chatting can result in addiction. Many teens feel further stress when they get bullied online. Others may become easy targets of online predators and once treated badly, they turn to more harmful practices. Those who cannot find love at home or support at schools start to build relationships with friends in school or local areas, resulting in unsafe or underage sex, and possible teen pregnancy. Many become addicted to drugs and harm themselves when they cannot get results. Many teens resort to crimes once they feel they cannot get any help or support.

However, the most common problems teenagers face today are described below:

· Self-Esteem and Body Image

Teenagers undergo and have to cope with numerous body changes. Some teenagers feel too fat, too skinny, too tall, too short, etc. This feeling leads them to spend time wishing they were not too skinny, too short, their hair was not too curly or vice versa. The problem with this feeling is that it affects their self-image. As a teenage boy or girl’s body changes, so does the self. When they do not like something in themselves, they have self-esteem and body image problems. They also perceive others, particularly schoolmates, to view them as they view themselves. They can suffer more from these problems when they have trouble adjusting.

Hormonal changes have huge effects on the general growth and mood of the teens. Puberty changes tempt teenagers to compare themselves with people around them and when they find they do not match their standards, they feel low. They also compare themselves with those seen on TV, in movies, and in the magazines. Most youths’ ability to develop positive self-esteem is affected by family life and parental criticism. Teenagers who experience negative comments about their appearances, the way they talk, etc., stuff also develop poor self-esteem and body image.

 

· Bullying
Bullying is one of the worst teenage problems and affects millions of youths. Bullying causes fear in the minds of kids, and makes them nervous going to school each day. The adults do not always witness the bullying in their lives. The teenage children may be subject to heavy bullying as they may not understand how extreme it can get. Any form of bullying is relentless, causing the affected teenagers to live in a state of constant fear. Two of the prime reasons teens are bullied are their appearance and social status. Bullying has caused many serious and life threatening problems for bullied teens. As they get bullied often in school, their academics, and mental health suffer. Bullying can be cruel when it becomes physical attacks on the victims. Some bullies attack their targets physically while others repeatedly spew verbal insults, affecting the psychology of the affected teens.

The latest edition of bullying is cyber bullying. It can get as worse as it gets in the real life experience of the teens. Cyber bullies use cruel instant messages, text messages, emails online, and voice messages in many cases. Bullying is a very offensive behavior and crime. Bullying leads to more violent behavior in the bullies in their adult years. They eventually get rejected by their peers, lose friendships and become depressed as they age. Parents, teachers, and people in general should educate their teenagers about bullying and tell them to report any act of bullying to them. Media can also educate the teenage children about bullying when some teenagers are bullies.

· Depression
Depression is one of the worst problems that some teenagers suffer from and it can lead to more problems in the future. Depression may arise from poor self-esteem and body image problems. If that is the reason of depression in a teen, then parents should talk to the teen, listen to their child, comfort him or her, and accept their child for who they are. It is crucial that teens feel validated in their feelings and thoughts because what they are going through is a real part of their lives. Parents and guardians should not judge or criticize their feelings or thoughts. They should tell the teen how important it is to have high self-esteem and be comfortable in their body.

Depression symptoms in teenagers may be exhibited in various ways. Changes in sleep patterns, eating habits, declined interest in normal and healthy activities, dropping grades in school and college, and preferred isolation are all signs of depression. When teenagers exhibit one or all of these symptoms parents should intervene immediately. If teenagers begin talking about their depression, then they should be allowed to express their feelings, and parents should validate their feelings by listening to them without interrupting the conversation.

 

· Drugs and Alcohol

Youths, particularly those who are in their early teens who drink, put themselves at risks for many problems. For example, they face problems with the law, at school, with their parents, and peers. In the USA, drug abuse is a major problem affecting millions of teenagers, along with their parents and families. It is an imperative that parents, schools, media, etc., educate the young children about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, and how drugs affect their bodies. If they are taught properly, then they will be able to make an educated choice.

· Cyber Addiction

The Internet offers undeniable benefits in developing a teen’s ability to grow with modern technology, technical ideas, knowledge and other skills. However, using the internet, particularly the social networking websites, unsafely puts the teenagers at very high risk for many problems. When children spend more than enough or agreeable time online they tend to be cyber addicts. As they spend more time on social networking, gaming, and other websites, particularly adult sites, they suffer from cyber addiction.

Cyber addiction can be just as harmful as addiction to drugs or drinking alcohol. Teenagers who spend unhealthy amounts of time on the Internet or online suffer from a condition recognized as Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD). Those who have IAD conditions may experience distress, withdrawal symptoms including obsessive thoughts, tremors, and other mental and physical problems. Cyber addiction impairs the quality of their lives. Parents should talk to their children and agree on a list of rules that clearly say when to use the internet, which sites they should visit and what safety measures they should follow. Teachers can also ensure safe browsing of the web at schools and colleges for teenage students.

Final Thoughts

Problems that teenagers are faced with today are multifarious but interrelated in many cases. One problem invites another, then to more problems. Parents, teachers and other guardians should be well aware of the problems that today’s teenagers are facing and be prepared to eliminate the problems to their best abilities. The sad fact is, even in solid and stable family units, teenagers may face with uncertainly, confusion and wrong directions involving their lives. Those who have witnessed and experienced broken homes, unsafe sex, alcohol, drug abuse, and bullying issues, show themselves differently in the community they live in. Proper parenting is vital, especially in the very formative years of the children, so that they can grow up with the manners and teachings taught by their parents.

TEENAGE PROBLEMS IN THE USA

· Unemployment
People of almost every age are susceptible to this pernicious disease but it hits the youth the hardest. Its name is unemployment. The present-age of unemployed youth in the total number of the jobless is high. In many developing countries the situation is more serious. Many young people commit suicide. Unless the economic situation in the world changes, youth unemployment will mount. These productions refer to all categories of workers-with high and low skills in town and country. For all there possible distinctions, these young people over outside the production structure of society. They are deprived the possibility of creating there are «surplus» from time to time some may get a hit of luck, but the lot of the majority is to feel their unleashes to lose their ideals and become disillusioned. Unemployment greatly intensifies tendency among the youth towards, drug education, frustration and crime. This is a time bomb and is a heavy accusation of any social economic system.
For some, the answer to unemployment is to leave home and look for work in one of USA’s cities. Every day hundreds of young people arrive in New York from other parts of the country, looking for jobs. Some find work and stay. Others don’t find it and go home again, or join the army of unemployed in New York.

· Youth organizations

Youth in USA is mostly similar to the youth abroad in many aspects of life. Numerous youth organizations have been formed since the Second World War, uniting young people from all classes and sections of the population. In the USA exists a Young Republican Federation, Young Christian Association, some religious organizations for Jewish youth. Youth organization Green peace deals with the most urgent ecological problems of today's world. It protests against nuclear weapon test, sea and soil pollution, etc.

Sport clubs are characteristic youth organizations in the US and UK. They unite people, who are interested in baseball, football, basketball, golf, etc. You can attend any club: from theater clubs to bird-watching clubs. Bird-watching clubs are very popular, especially in Great Britain.

And at the age of 14 children have regular part-time job to earn some pocket money. Some young people work in their church organizations. They help elderly people or work in hospital.

There are even some groups, where young people help released prisoners to start their life anew. Youth and youth movement over decades have become important factors in the life of both countries.

There are about 3000 clubs in Great Britain, which are united into the National association of Boys Clubs. The members of these clubs participate in theatre, poetry, photography, sports and other activities. In the USA and the UK there are interest clubs, such as theatre - club, amateur composers and amateur poets clubs, and for those who love songs and playing guitar or other musical instruments. They say, bird - watching clubs are very popular in Great Britain. So we may say that there is no problem of spending free time for young people in English - speaking countries.

As for is, we have. A lot of clubs closed because of lack of money, though I’ m glad to say some of them are still working, especially folk dance and song clubs. Many boys and girls attend ballet-dancing clubs with great pleasure. But to my mind, there is a problem of free time for our young people, who study at school. You see, they study a lot of subjects than some years ago and that is good. But the working day of a pupil became longer and besides there is always much homework.

I think if there is a problem young people get together, form a sort of club and try to solve a problem or just to express themselves. Youth and youth movements have become important factors in the life of Great Britain and the USA. In the USA exist a Young Republican Federation, Young Christian Association, some religious organizations for Jewish youth. In Russia there are no such organizations.

There exist some political organizations like Students' Coordinative Committee of Non-Violent Action and Students for Democratic Society. Youth organization Greenpeace deals with most urgent ecological problems of today's world. It protests against nuclear weapon tests, sea and soil pollution, etc. There is a branch of Greenpeace in Russia. However, it is not only youth organization- people of different ages participate in this movement.

Some young people work in their church organizations in the UK and the USA. They help elderly people or work in hospitals. There are even some groups where young people help released prisoners to start their life a-new.
It can't be said about any young people in Russia for sure, but I know that any youngster in Russia is free to help church or just to help people apart from church. And I know that young people help elderly people, work in hospitals, help released prisoners to start their life a-new.

Different sport clubs characteristic youth organizations in the USA and the UK. They unite people, who are interested in some kind of sport. There are the same clubs in Russia.

There also exist interest clubs. You can attend any club: from theatre clubs to bird-watching- clubs. Bird-watching clubs are very popular, especially in Great Britain. However, I don't think there are bird-watching clubs in Russia.
I can't say that there are no special youth clubs or youth problems in our country. But I suppose there are things and deeds interesting both for youth and elderly people. They are amateur composing and singing amateur song's, for example. The passion for nice and clever youth songs and guitar playing began many years ago with young amateur composers and amateur poets while their business trips and hiking and mountaineering vacations. Their young passion to be people to rely on attracted other young people more and more as they grew older. So I don't think there is need for some special youth clubs in our country, because our youth is part of our Russian's people.

There are about 3000 clubs throughout Britain in which are united into the National Association of Boys' Clubs. They encourage their members (of mixed age and sex) to participate in theatre, poetry, photography and other creative activities, as well as sports and outdoor activities.

There are many stadiums & public sports facilities in Russia. Numerous national & international matches & competitions are regularly held in Russia. They attract a large number of fans. Most of important games are televised. Thousands of fans go to the stadiums to support their favorite team & thousands more prefer to watch games on TV. But watching sports events & going in for sports are two different things.

Young people are also active in uniformed organizations such as the Guides and Scouts Associations and in other local clubs such as the Young Farmers clubs. Many of these organizations are directly involved in community activities such as programs to help in the protection of the local environment. But I am sure we'll manage our economic difficulties and youth we'll be of great help in it.

· Spending free time

It seems to me, American boys and girls have more free time after school. Some of them have an opportunity to work and earn money if they want. Many American students earned money for traveling themselves. Pity we can’t earn such sum of money and travel abroad. I should say all young people - American, British and Russian have the same very important problems: use of alcohol and drugs, smoking, early pregnancy and some others. It seems to me we have to decide these problems together, because they are very difficult problems. They create danger for the nation’s health. It is a great problem of man’s ecology. I have not mentioned British youth organizations, which help young people to decide many problems. I mean Boy Scouts and Girl Guides and Woodcraft Folk.

· Drugs

Another problem of young people is drugs. This is a relatively new problem but it is becoming more and more dangerous. Million young people today are using drugs, and most of them will die. Usually they want just to try it, then again and again and after year may be two years they will die. It is true. Because there are no medicine to help you. That’s why never does it, if you do - it goes bad, very bad. I think that police must work hard to protect young people from drugs. Because drugs will kill our young generation and our future will be very bad.

I think that the most difficult and serious problem of modern teen-ages is drug-habit. Some young man use drugs, because they think that will be cool guys. But they don't understand that it's wrong. Some of them can't stop that, and they become dependent on drugs. And they commit different serious, because they need some money to buy drugs. There are also many other problems: alcoholism, smoking and so on. There are many youth organizations in our country, which unite young men on different principles. Members of every organization have one’s own world out looks. Each of them has their own moral qualities. There are some informal organizations, for example: skinheads, hippies, panks and so on. Now there exists the problem of misunderstanding between different youth groups. We also face the problem how to spend our free time. We can do it in different ways. Some of teen-ages spend their free time in different night clubs. Other young people spend their free time in the streets. As for me, i spend my free time at home or in the night clubs. I also have some problems with my parents. But every time when I have them I try to solve them without quarrel. Now we are young people and we are the future of our country. Teen-ages play an important role in the modern society. Grown up's must remember that we are the future of our country and in present moment our character is formed and that's why our parents must not assert pressure on us.
To some observers, teens today may seem spoiled (undisciplined and egocentric) compared to those of earlier times. The reality, however, is different. While poverty has decreased and political turmoil has lessened, young people are still under many types of stress. Peer pressure, changing family conditions, mobility of families and unemployment are just a few reasons why some young people may try to escape reality by turning to alcohol or drugs. However, most young people in the United States do not have problems with drinking, drug abuse, teen pregnancies or juvenile delinquency. Drug use (marijuana and cocaine are the most commonly used drugs) has decreased among young people in the United States within the last 10 years, though alcohol abuse has increased.
According to a 1991 government survey, about 8 million teenagers are weekly users of alcohol, including more than 450,000 who consume an average of 15 drinks a week. And, although all 50 states prohibit the sale of alcohol to anyone under 21, some 6.9 million teenagers, including some as young as 13, reported no problems in obtaining alcohol using false identification cards. Although many teenagers say they never drive after drinking, one-third of the students surveyed admitted they have accepted rides from friends who had been drinking.
Many young Americans are joining organizations to help teenagers stop drinking and driving. Thousands of teenagers have joined Students against Driving Drunk (SADD). They sign contracts in which they and their parents pledge not to drive after drinking. In some schools, students have joined anti-drug programs. Young people with drug problems can also call special telephone numbers to ask for help.

Aside from drug abuse, another problem of America's youths is pregnancy among young women. One million teenagers become pregnant each year. Why are the statistics so high? The post-World War II baby boom resulted in a 43 percent increase in the number of teenagers in the 1960s and 1970s. The numbers of sexually active teens also increased. And some commentators believe that regulations for obtaining federal welfare assistance unintentionally encourage teenage pregnancies.

Many community programs help cut down on the numbers of teenage pregnancies. Some programs rely on strong counseling against premarital sex and others provide contraceptive counseling. The «Teen Health Project» in New York City has led to a decline of 13.5 percent in the rate of teenage pregnancies since 1976. Why? Their program offers health care, contraceptive counseling, sports programs, job referrals and substance abuse programs.

About one million young people run away from home each year. Most return after a few days or a few weeks, but a few turn to crime and become juvenile delinquents. In 1989, approximately one-third of those arrested for serious crimes were under 18 years of age. Why are young people committing crimes? Among the causes are poor family relationships (often the children were abused or neglected while growing up), bad neighborhood conditions, peer pressure and sometimes, drug addiction.

Laws vary from state to state regarding juvenile delinquents. Once arrested, a juvenile must appear in a juvenile court. Juvenile courts often give lighter punishments to young people than to adults who commit the same crime. Juvenile courts hope to reform or rehabilitate the juvenile delinquent.
New programs to help troubled youths are created every year. For example, the city of New York and the Reedling Foundation provide an after-school program at a junior high school to help keep teens from becoming juvenile delinquents. Young people can go after school and talk with peer counselors (people their own age), receive academic tutoring or take part in athletic and social activities. One New York community's library offers weekday evening workshops in dance, art, music and theater. They also sponsor social events, such as theater productions, in which young people can participate. Another group, the «Youth Rescue Fund» has a celebrity peer council of 15 teenage actors and actresses who volunteer their time to increase teen crisis awareness. As one young television actress said: «Teenagers are an important resource in improving the quality of life for all people».

· AIDS
More than twenty years ago mankind was sure that infectious diseases did not represent a danger to the civilized world anymore. However, at the beginning of the ’80s, with the appearance of AIDS – Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome – this conviction was essentially shaken. According to expert reports, AIDS is now a global health problem, the first real epidemic of an infectious disease which was not checked by medicine in its early stages.
According to the USA AIDS statistics, only 29 deaths occurred prior to the year 1981. In 1981 we can see a rapid growth of death cases due to AIDS – 121 deaths during that first year. Since 1981 the number of deaths increased progressively. This process continued until 1996. Since that year, in the USA there has been a marked decline in AIDS incidence and deaths. This was associated with the widespread use of potent combinations of antiretroviral therapies.
However, the rates of decline in AIDS incidence and deaths slowed during the latter part of 1998 and 1999. At the end of 1999 in the USA there were 320,000 people living with AIDS. In contrast, in many other countries, AIDS cases and deaths have been increasing each year. For example, in Russia, at the end of 2001 there were 170,000 people living with AIDS. But these statistics include only those officially diagnosed. The real figures are estimated to be much worse.

 

UNIT 6

SOCIAL STUDIES

The contemporary social studies curriculum has its roots in the Progressive education movement of the early twentieth century. With its emphasis on the nature of the individual learner and on the process of learning itself, the movement challenged the assumptions of subject-centered curricula. Until this time, the social studies curriculum was composed of discrete subject areas, with a primary emphasis on history. To a slightly lesser degree, geography and civics were also featured, completing the triumvirate.

There were indications that change was coming when the 1893 Report of the Committee of Ten on Secondary School Studies advocated an interdisciplinary approach in the social studies. By 1916 the National Education Association (NEA)'s Committee on the Social Studies was urging that an interdisciplinary course of instruction be created based on the social sciences. When the NEA 1916 report established social studies as the name of the content area, it presented the scope and sequence that is still in use at the start of the twenty-first century. Social studies received further support when the 1918 Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education called for the unified study of subject areas heretofore taught in isolation. This course, called social studies, would have as its main goal the cultivation of good citizens.

The emphasis on citizenship development was understandable. At the time, because of increased immigration from non-English speaking countries, educators were given the task of teaching English and "the American way of life" in addition to their content areas. As World War I raged in Europe, social studies courses were viewed as a means of developing patriotism among the new foreign-born citizens.

Indeed, citizenship education was one of the main missions of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) when it was formed in 1921. What began as a service organization intending to close the gap between social scientists and secondary school teachers soon advanced an integrated study of the social studies and a broader conception of social studies education.