Social Customs in the US.Traditions and habits

All countries have their social customs and peculiarities, and the US is no exception. Good manners, politeness and consideration for others are considered important by most people. Americans are generally informal in their relationships and won’t be too upset if you break the social rules.

Socializing in USA

Both men and women usually smile and shake hands when greeting. Good friends and family members may embrace when they meet, especially after a long absence. In casual situations, a wave may be used instead of a handshake. Americans may greet strangers on the street by saying "Hello" or "Good morning", although they may pass without any greeting. Among young people, verbal greetings or various hand-slapping gestures, such as the "high five", are common. Except in formal situations, people usually address one another by their first names once they are acquainted, and often do so on first meeting. Combining a title (such as "Mrs.", "Dr.", or "Ms.") with a family name shows respect. When greeting someone for the first time, Americans commonly say, "Pleased to meet you" or "How do you do?". A simple "Hello" or "Hi" is also common. There are regional variations such as "Aloha" in Hawaii or "Howdy" in parts of the West. Friends often greet each other with "How are you?" and respond "Fine, thanks". Americans do not usually expect any further answer to the question unless there is a close relationship.

Americans do not generally stand very close to each other when conversing, keeping about arm's length apart. However, they may spontaneously touch one another on the arm or shoulder during conversation. It is common for couples to hold hands or show affection in public. When sitting, both men and women are often casual when circumstances allow, and they may prop their feet up on chairs or place the ankle of one leg on the knee of the other. In more formal settings, however, it is often considered inappropriate to slouch* or be too casual in demeanor*.

Visiting friends, family, and acquaintances plays a big part of social life in the United States, and people will travel long distances by car, bus, train, or aero plane to do so. People are generally expected to be on time for appointments or when they are invited to someone's home. However, if a guest is late, Americans will rarely take offence if the visitor has called in advance to inform them of the delay. In general, the emphasis during visits is on informality. Guests are expected to feel comfortable, to sit where they like, and to enjoy themselves. It usually does not cause offence if a guest refuses refreshments. Gifts are not expected when visiting, but many guests bring flowers or wine when invited for a meal. Close friends may offer, or be asked, to bring an item of food to serve with the meal. (This article is an extract from Living and Working in America.)

Задание 2. Ответьтенавопросы:

1.What Americans do when greeting each other? 2. Who can embrace when meeting? 3. What gesture instead of handshake is used in casual situation? 4.How do Americans greet a stranger on the street? 5. What gestures are common among young Americans? 6. How do Americans address one another in formal situation? 7. How do friends greet each other? 8. Can an American touch another on the arm or shoulder during conversation? 9. How do couples behave during meeting? 10. How can Americans sit? 11.

Задание 3. Discuss the following:

1. Which of the customs above are true in Russia?

2. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”. What does the saying mean? Doyouagreewithit? Why? Whynot?

Форма текущего контроля успеваемости: просмотр презентаций, оценка

Самостоятельнаяработа, задание:

Подготовка к презентации выбранной темы.

 

ЗАНЯТИЕ 12

Тема: 3.2.Соединенные Штаты Америки

Модуль 3. Страноведение.

Цель занятия: – Формирование речевых умений. Развитие коммуникативных навыков. Развитие познавательных, творческих навыков учащихся, умений самостоятельно конструировать свои знания, умений ориентироваться в информационном пространстве, развивать критическое мышление.

План занятия: Подготовка к проекту, определение цели исследования, составление плана, отбор интернет-материала по темам, отбор и заучивание лексики по теме, обсуждение вопросов по теме в мини-группах, презентация, обсуждение сообщений по теме.

Используемые технологии: case-study- (беседа, работа в парах, дискуссия по материалу проблемного кейса-текста, индивидуальная и групповая работа);выполнение моно проектных работ в виде электронных презентаций по заданным темам, оформление в режиме слайд-шоу или видео, отбор лучших моно проектов для единого группового проекта,информационно-коммуникационные технологии (ИКТ), использование учебных интернет материалов.

Содержаниезанятия:

Задание 1. Прочитайтетекст SportintheUSA, переведите. Составьте вопросы п тексту. Работайте в парах.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Sports are an important part of the culture of the United States. The nation's four most popular team sports all developed in North America:

American football, baseball, basketball and ice hockey. The four Major leagues in the United States are the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Hockey League (NHL); all enjoy massive media exposure and are considered the preeminent competitions in their respective sports in the world.

Three of those leagues have teams that represent Canadian cities, and all four are among the most lucrative sports leagues in the world. Soccer (association football) is less popular as a spectator sport in the United States than it is in many other countries, though it has wide participation in amateur and semi-professional levels, particularly among youths and people of Latin American descent, who constitute people from Mexico all the way down to South America. The top league, Major League Soccer, continues to grow and is starting to approach the level of the NBA and the NHL in terms of attendance, although it lags far behind in average salary and TV interest, and many American soccer fans are still more likely to follow national competitions and European leagues more than Major League Soccer.

Professional teams in all major sports operate as franchises within a league. All major sports leagues use the same type of schedule with a playoff tournament after the regular season ends. In addition to the major league-level organizations, several sports also have professional minor leagues.

Sports are particularly associated with education in the United States, with most high schools and universities having organized sports. College sports competitions play an important role in the American sporting culture. In many cases college athletics are more popular than professional sports, with the major sanctioning body being the NCAA.

 

Задание 2.Прочитайтетекст Diet and Eating in the USA, переведите, задайте вопросы по тексту. Работа в парах.

Americans eat a lot of fast food such as hamburgers, pizza, and fried chicken, but their diet embraces an enormous range of foods from all over the world. Staples include potatoes, pasta, breads, and rice prepared with a variety of sauces. In the past two decades, eating habits have changed as people have become more health conscious, but many Americans continue to eat red meat (beef in particular) as well as pork, and chicken and other fowl. People visiting the US for the first time are often amazed at the size of the steaks and other portions of food served in restaurants. Fresh fish and seafood are widely available on the coasts and near major rivers and lakes, and a wide variety of fresh vegetables and fruit is available year-round. Americans also consume large amounts of chocolate, ice cream, and other forms of confectionery. Although beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages are available and popular in most areas, many Americans abstain from alcohol for health or religious reasons, and various kinds of mineral water are appropriate.

Задание 3. Обсудитевгруппевопросы: Discuss the questions in the group.

1. What is the national popular sport in US?

2. How are sports in US associated with education?

3. What can you say about the diet of Americans?

4. Have people in US become more health conscious? Why?

5. How much do Americans consume confectionery?

6. How do Americans consume alcoholic beverages?

Форма текущего контроля успеваемости: просмотр презентаций, оценка

 

Самостоятельная работа, задание:

Подготовка проекта по выбранной теме.

1.Президенты США. 2.Барак Обама- 40-ой темнокожий президент США.3. Крупные города США. 4. Кинематограф США. 5. Всемирно известные достопримечательности США. 6. Знаменитые люди США. 7. Дисней парк. 8.Американские бренды. 9. Праздники и традиции в США.10. Индейцы - коренное население США.11. Американские писатели и их произведения.

ЗАНЯТИЕ 13