Everyday life in America

(by Terry Tomsha)

America is a friendly country with friendly people. In small American towns you hear "hello" to friends and also to people who have just arrived. People easily start to talk with each other. Waiters1 in restaurants will often tell you their names and talk to you. When you leave they will tell you to "Take care!" or "Have a nice day!". Often, people you have just met begin to ask you personal questions or start telling you all about themselves.

When Americans meet people for the first time they usually shake hands. When they meet friends or relatives they haven't seen for a long time they sometimes kiss them on the cheek.

"Pot luck" dinners are very popular with Americans. At a "pot luck" dinner all the guests [gests] bring something to eat and usually ask the host or hostess what they would like. Often you bring salad, some vegetables, or something sweet. Usually guests will arrive 10 or 15 minutes late — this gives your hosts time to finish their preparations.

Americans love to get together and to have parties. Traditional parties are a birthday, moving to a new house, a wedding,4 New Year's Eve and the Fourth of July — Independ­ence Day.

These parties are often informal and there are not many rules for them. Americans like to relax and enjoy themselves. So, maybe the best advice is to relax, smile, and enjoy yourself too!

Dear Ed,

I am writing this letter to tell you about our trip to Washing­ton DC. We stayed at our friends'. They have their own house in downtown Washington. I have discovered here the streets that go from east to west are named after letters of the alphabet. The streets that go north and south are numbered. The longest and the biggest streets are named after American states. Our host and hostess are very friendly people. They give us advice about places of interest in their city. Each evening we prepare tomorrow's trip together.

We have already had a trip round the city. It is very green and peaceful. There are a lot of beautiful places where you can relax and enjoy yourself.

I think Washington is a special city. Most of the people in Washington work for the government and there are many government offices there.

We have already been to the White House. It really is white! You can't see the part where the President lives and works. It is not open to the public. But the part we saw was very beautiful. It is maybe one of the most beautiful places in Washington. We saw the library, the Red Room, the Blue Room and the Green Room which had some fantastic old furniture.

Washington is full of places where you think about history. In its museums and the Capitol you can learn a lot about the first settlements in New England. You will learn a lot about Christopher Columbus and his sailors and about America's fight for independence.

Washington is a busy city. The streets are practically never empty. Wherever you go you'll see big and small shops in which you can buy whatever you like. You can also buy many things just in the streets: newspapers, maga­zines, badges, pictures, T-shirts, sweets, fruit and what not.

I could write more, but I must stop now. We've got a lot to do tomorrow as we have to leave early in the morning. We'll be home the day after tomorrow and I'll see you then. I'll have a lot of stories to tell you about our trip.

Yours sincerely, Bill

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16