Traveling in the USA

Татьяна Владимировна

easy to exist with a car in America
B) It

is not easy to exist without a car in America
C) “Car culture”
D) HOV lanes
4. Other means of travel
A) Buses
B) Trains
C) Airlines
4. “Go west, young man”
5. Conclusion
6. Bibliography

there is nothing like traveling by car. One can enjoy

visiting old churches, castles, cozy streets and monuments. I can't help admiring the beautiful and picturesque countryside: lakes, forests and mountains

are the following: it is not an expensive way of

traveling and you can buy a return ticket and spend the rest of your money on other things. The terrorists of whom we are scared very much prefer planes. While traveling by train one can see a lot of villages, cities and enjoy the view through the window. One can sleep, eat, chatter or read a book in the compartment.

it is very fast. Trips to some remote countries may

take three day by train, but by plane it takes only 2-3 hours. A plane is comfortable and the passengers can read, sleep or look through the window, have a meal, listen to music, relax or even work. But the flights by plane have also some disadvantages. First of all, the tickets are very expensive. Some people also think that it is very dangerous, they are worried that their plane will crash or that someone may hijack it. The passport control and the check - in take a lot of time at the airport. You may be airsick, besides the passengers can't lie down, they only sit in the armchairs.

been people on the move. Americans move because their company

moves, they move to get a better job (and for this reason they can move from Texas to California, for example). It is very normal to move when you retire. Many retired Americans move to the South, where the climate is warmer and the cost of living is lower than in Boston or New York City. In short, moving around a lot is normal in the United States.

A historian Frederick Jackson Turner first introduced a well-known theory,

which explains American character by the specific American environment, in the late 19th century. Turner believed that the unique feature of the American environment was the existence of the frontier (a borderline between settled and unsettled land). As the new settlements expanded, the frontier was constantly moving west and people had to adjust to this constant movement.

seen as something positive. In the American system of values

change is strongly linked to development, improvement, progress, and growth.

American favorite pet. They divide the whole of American history

into America BC and modern America. In American jargon BC means ‘Before Car’.

∙     They have good service and spacious parking lots. Europeans,

though, complain about bad roads and slow speed of American highways. There used to be a national speed limit of 90 km per hour, but in 1987 it was abolished. Many states still stick to it, however. Thus, in New England because of bad weather in winter (winters there are usually wet and snowy) highways in spring are in such a poor condition that drivers have to drive slowly and carefully. Otherwise, going by car is the fastest and the most convenient way to get from home to work and to the nearest supermarket.

are affordable. In the USA you get your first car

at the age of 15 or 16, when you are in high school and your last car brings you to the cemetery at the age of 90 (as Americans joke).

a driving test, which consists of two parts: theoretical and

practical. You can take your theoretical part in any language you wish: English, or Spanish, or Russian (in case you do not understand English). Questions are easy, they just want to be sure that you know the basic rules. The second part is not difficult either. You just drive along the streets for ten minutes and then pull over. They do not even ask you to park your car in a garage, as we are asked here in Russia. On the whole, driving rules are not national, but state rules – they differ from state to state. It is more difficult to get a driver’s license in Colorado than in Nevada.

America
You will need a car for weekly shopping and

for driving to work. Public transport in most places is unreliable or simply non-existent. The only exception is big cities, like Boston or New York City. Boston, for example, has a good subway system; it is clean, bright, safe, efficient, user-friendly (it is easy to figure out where to go) and it costs peanuts.

American mentality is “car-oriented”. Here are some examples to illustrate

the American car-oriented mentality. A driver’s license in America plays the same role as a passport in Russia – you can get a bank loan with it and several other things, which require your identification. Certain things exist and become back popular only in the context of this car-oriented mentality, like drive-in movie theatres or MacDonald’s drive troughs.

in America, special measures are taken to ensure environmental protection.

Thus, on most American highways there are special HOV (High Occupancy Vehicles) lanes. You can‘t use them unless you have three or more people in the car. In traffic jams these HOV lanes are much faster, since there are fewer cars than in other lanes. This is an incentive good enough to make one co-operate with two of your neighbors and ride to work in one car if you go in the same direction.

are popular among students. Thus, the trip from Boston to

New Haven, where Yale University is situated, will cost $29 one way and will last for 3 hours.

are faster and much more comfortable. In all commuter trains

you can find air conditioning, velvet comfortable chairs and a nice food service with a smile.

regulations on a significantly higher level of safety awareness. For

example, today sharp objects, like manicure scissors are requested to be put in the baggage you check in and are not allowed to be brought in your handbag.
 

for you: it can shape your character and improve your

personality. There is a specific American tradition: when Americans finish high school and they feel that they do not know what they want do next – which happens quite often with teenagers – they go and cross the country from East to West or from West to East.

Some drive and stop at different places on their way, others hitchhike or use buses. No matter how you do this, the feeling of fulfillment is what matters.

hundred years ago. “I’ve made it, father, like my grand-grand

fathers did,” says an American boy to his father when he returns home. “Now you are a real man, like your grand-grand fathers were. I’m proud of you, boy,” says his father and be sure the boy will grow up and will pass on this tradition to his sons. “Go west, young man,” American fathers have said to their sons since the 17th century. And they still do.

entertainment and information in America is traveling; because Americans love

traveling and they have always been people on the move.

презентацию. Думаю, Вы не потратили время напрасно.

E.V.”Let Me Say”// Moscow, “Rolf”,2002
http://www.infotrope.net
http://www.pbs.org
http://www.mcphees.co.nz
http://www.home.cwru.edu
http://www.encyclopedia.com