Comprehension. Top Dogs and Underdogs

Top Dogs and Underdogs

Determine which of the following statements agree with the text. Correct the false statements.

1. The way Americans see themselves is
markedly different from the way they are
seen by others.

2. The distortions and exaggerations which
can often be found in the perceptions of
Americans by people all over the world
cannot be substantiated at all.

3. The underdogs' fear of the top dogs' power
makes many people dwell on the negative
sides of Americans.

4. It is the anxiety of the less powerful rather
than rational consideration that makes
people derive satisfaction from the plight of
the Americans in Vietnam.

5. Only the French, who suffered a similar
defeat in Dien Bien Phu, do not show some
kind of malicious joy when half a million
American soldiers do not stand a chance of
winning the war against the Asian guerillas.

6. The Viet Cong guerillas arouse more
sympathies among the underdogs of the
world than the American soldiers.

7. The fight of the American soldiers in
Vietnam is sometimes even compared with
that of the American revolutionaries 200
years ago.

AMERICA'S GLOBAL ROLE 187

8. Although at present the attitude towards
Americans is largely emotional and
irrational, in the long run, rational thinking
will get the upper hand.

9. If American politicians had considered the
psychological implications of the
relationship between top dogs and
underdogs, they would have understood the
criticism America's involvement in Vietnam
aroused outside the U.S.A.

10. Senator Fulbright argues that Americans should exert an influence on others not by displaying their power abroad but by setting a positive example through their way of life at home.

Visual Comprehension

Exporting American Culture

In its February/March 1986 issue, the American magazine Public Opinion dealt with "Exporting American Culture." Have a look at the collage shown on the front page and identify as many facets of American culture as possible.

Interviewing

Many of the cultural influences mentioned in the introduction to Public Opinion are rather accidental. A more comprehensive impression of American culture is left on foreigners who have actually been to the United States. Among the numerous exchange programs for young people, American Field Service International (AFS) and Youth for Understanding (YFU) are especially well known. AFS was founded in 1947 and organized 10,000 student exchanges among 70 countries in 1985. YFU, founded in 1951, hosted 4,000 foreign high school students in America and sent 2,500 American high school students abroad in 1986/7.

Try and find somebody who has taken part in a student exchange with the United States or has lived there for some time. Ask him/her about the aspect of American culture that he/she found and still finds most striking.

Discussion

Which aspects of American culture can you find in your own city or country?

What do your friends think about the American cultural influence in your country?

How do you personally feel about it?

и Education

PART A Background Information

SCHOOL Every American is entitled to an education. School attendance is compulsory

ATTENDANCE for all children. Students attend school five to seven hours a day, five days a

week for nine months each year, from September to June. Public education

from kindergarten through grade 12 is tax-supported; no tuition is required.

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