1
UNIT 2 - THE AMERICAN DREAM
LEAD-IN
The world is changing and the role of the
US in that world is also changing.
Now signs of changing times are more
stark, with world leaders frustrated and even
angry over the fallout of the global financial
crisis many see as caused by American policy
mistakes.
The recent downturn threatens to unseat
the United States as the reigning superpower of
the world and anti-American sentiments grow
around the globe.
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
Do you think that America still rules the post-crisis world?
What can you say about:
- financial multipolarity
- macroeconomic coordination
- shifting the balance of power in international relations?
READING-1
US - the Superpower?
Pre-reading: What in your understanding is a superpower? Draft your list of criteria which make a
superpower.
TEXT 1
Skim the text. Word the author’s message in one sentence.
AMERICA NO. 1?
by Michael Ventura
No concept lies more firmly embedded in our national character than the notion that the USA
is "No.1," "the greatest." Our broadcast media are, in essence, continuous advertisements for the
brand name "America is No. 1." Any office seeker saying otherwise would be committing political
suicide. Many Americans take deep pride in their nation and the truth is that the U.S. has a lot going
for it. The United States has the largest economy in the world. The United States also has the most
powerful military on the entire planet. The United States has produced most of the greatest movies
that the world has ever seen. But the United States is also number one in a lot of categories that are
not go great. We're No. 1. Well...this is the country we really live in:
- the United States is 49th in the world in literacy;
- 20% of Americans think the Sun orbits the Earth. 17% believe the Earth revolves around the
Sun once a day;
- The World Health Organization "ranked the countries of the world in terms of overall health
performance, and the U.S. was ... 37th." The irony is that the United States spends more per
capita for health care than any other nation in the world". Pay more, get lots, lots less;
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-
U.S. childhood poverty now ranks 22nd, or second to last, among the developed nations.
Only Mexico scores lower;
- The United States is 41st in the world in infant mortality. Cuba scores higher;
- Women are 70 percent more likely to die in childbirth in America than in Europe;
- The United States spends 7 times more on the military than any other nation on the planet
does. In fact, U.S. military spending is greater than the military spending of China, Russia,
Japan, India, and the rest of NATO combined.
- The United States has lost 2,7 million jobs to China in the last decade;
- The U.S. has accumulated the biggest national debt that the world has ever seen and it is
rapidly getting worse. Right now, U.S. government debt is expanding at a rate of $40,000
per second
- about 93 million eligible voters did not show up for the last election with the turnout
dropping to an estimated 57.5 percent;
Besides, the United States has
- the highest incarceration rate in the world and the largest total prison population on the entire
globe;
- the highest percentage of obese people in the world;
- the highest divorce rate on the globe by a wide margin;
- the highest rate of illegal drug use on the entire planet.
No.1? In most important categories we're not even in the Top 10 anymore. Not even close. The
USA is "No. 1" in nothing but weaponry, consumer spending, debt, and delusion.
TEXT 2
Read the text and say if according to the author American empire is just an illusion. Do the
exercises that follow:
ILLUSIONS OF EMPIRE: DEFINING THE NEW AMERICAN ORDER
G. John Ikenberry
Foreign Affairs March/April 2004
The debate on empire is back. This is not surprising, as the United States dominates the
world as no state ever has. It emerged from the Cold War the only superpower, and no geopolitical
or ideological contenders are in sight. Europe is drawn inward, and Japan is stagnant. Russia is in a
quasi-formal security partnership with the United States, and China has accommodated itself to U.S.
dominance, at least for the moment. For the first time in the modern era, the world's most powerful
state can operate on the global stage without the constraints of other great powers. We have entered
the American unipolar age.
The American war on terrorism, invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, expanded military
budget, and controversial National Security Strategy have thrust American power into the light of
day -- and, in doing so, deeply unsettled much of the world. The most fundamental questions about
the nature of global politics -- who commands and who benefits -- are now the subject of
conversation among long-time allies and adversaries alike. The critics who identify an emerging
American empire worry about its unacceptable financial costs, its corrosive effect on democracy,
and the threat it poses to the institutions and alliances that have secured U.S. national interests since
World War II. The "American empire" is a term of approval and optimism for some and
disparagement and danger for others.
No one disagrees that U.S. power is extraordinary. It is the character and logic of U.S.
domination that is at issue in the debate over empire. The United States is not just a superpower
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pursuing its interest; it is a producer of world order. Over the decades -- with more support than
resistance from other nations -- it has fashioned a distinctively open and rule-based international
order. Its dynamic bundle of oversized capacities, interests, and ideals constitutes an "American
project" with unprecedented global reach. For better or worse, other states must come to terms with
or work around this protean order*.
But is the US an empire? And if so, will it suffer the fate of great empires of the past:
ravaging the world with its ambitions and excesses until overextension, miscalculation, and
mounting opposition hasten its collapse?
The term "empire" refers to the political control by a dominant country of the domestic and
foreign policies of weaker countries. Great empires of the past ravaged the world with its ambitions
and excesses until overextension, miscalculation, and mounting opposition hastened its collapse. The
European colonial empires of the late nineteenth century were the most direct, formal kind. The
Soviet "sphere of influence" in Eastern Europe entailed an equally coercive but less direct form of
control. The British Empire included both direct colonial rule and "informal empire." If empire is
defined loosely, as a hierarchical system of political relationships in which the most powerful state
exercises decisive influence, then the United States today indeed qualifies.
If the United States is an empire, however, it is like no other before it. To be sure, it has a
long tradition of pursuing crude imperial policies, most notably in Latin America and the Middle
East. But for most countries, the U.S.-led order is a negotiated system wherein the United States has
sought participation by other states on terms that are mutually agreeable. This is true in three
respects. First, the United States has provided public goods -- particularly the extension of security
and the support for an open trade regime -- in exchange for the cooperation of other states. Second,
power in the U.S. system is exercised through rules and institutions; power politics still exist, but
arbitrary and indiscriminate power is reigned in. Finally, weaker states in the U.S.-led order are
given "voice opportunities" -- informal access to the policymaking processes of the United States
and the intergovernmental institutions that make up the international system. It is these features of
the post-1945 international order that have led historians to talk about a "consensual empire" and an
"empire of invitation." The American order is hierarchical and ultimately sustained by economic and
military power, but it is put at the service of an expanding system of democracy and capitalism.
The United States is now caught in a struggle between liberal rule and imperial rule. Both
impulses lie deep within the American body politic. But the dangers and costs of running the world
as an American empire are great, and the nation's deep faith in the rule of law is undiminished. When
all is said and done, Americans are less interested in ruling the world than they are in creating a
world of rules.
*protean order - is the adjectival form of the Greek sea-god name Proteus (the god of "elusive sea
change," which suggests the constantly changing nature of the sea or the liquid quality of water in
general). "Protean" has positive connotations of flexibility, versatility and adaptability.
TEXT 3
Read the text and do the assignments that follow.
A CHANGING WORLD ORDER?
By Robert Kagan November 15, 2013
http://www.washingtonpost.com
By most measures, reports of America’s declining power, relative to the rest of the world,
have again proved premature. The U.S. economy increasingly seems to be on an upswing. The
United States remains among the world’s safest and most attractive investments. The shale gas
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revolution is transforming America into an energy giant of the future. The dollar, once slated for
oblivion, seems destined to remain the world’s reserve currency for some time to come. American
military power, even amid current budget cuts, remains unmatched in quantity and quality.
Meanwhile, the “rise of the rest,” which some declinists touted a few years ago, has failed to
materialize as expected. For all of America’s problems at home — the fiscal crisis, political gridlock,
intense partisanship and weak presidential leadership — other great powers, from China to India to
Russia to the European Union, have debilitating problems of their own that, in some cases, promise
to grow more severe.
Overall, the much-heralded return of a multipolar world of roughly equal great powers, akin
to that which existed before World War II, has been delayed for at least a few more decades. Absent
some unexpected dramatic change, the international system will continue to be that of one
superpower and several great powers, or as the late Samuel P. Huntington called it, “unimultipolarity.”
If, however, things have not changed as much as some predicted, the international order
certainly has entered a period of uncertainty and flux. In the United States in recent years, a great
many Americans are questioning the nature and extent of their nation’s involvement in the world. It
is not just the Great Recession or even unhappiness with the U.S. experiences in Iraq and
Afghanistan that are driving disenchantment with what Americans used to like to call their global
leadership. The old rationale for that deep global involvement, which took hold in the wake of World
War II and persisted through the Cold War, is increasingly forgotten or actively rejected by
Americans who wonder why the United States needs to play such an outsize role on the world stage.
At the same time, others around the world are wrestling with their own questions. How
should international affairs be governed and regulated? What should be the roles of multilateral
institutions such as the United Nations? How should the great powers relate to one another, and what
special role, if any, should the United States play? These questions have no easy answers. But
whatever one thinks about the world order shaped by and around the American superpower, it is
arguably less clear than ever what kind of system might replace it.
And if not the United States, then who? For many, the United Nations does not hold the
promise it once did. Saudi Arabia’s recent refusal to accept a seat on the U.N. Security Council is
only one sign of the disappointment in that body, which many see as hopelessly gridlocked and
unreflective of today’s world, at least in terms of its veto-wielding members.
Like the heralding of “American decline,” warnings about “the coming global disorder” have
often proved premature. But with Americans and others rethinking the U.S. role in the world, and
with no other nation, group of nations or international institutions willing or able to take its place,
global disorder seems a more distinct possibility than it has since the 1930s. Perhaps the challenge is
to fashion an international order that can reflect the continuing reality of “uni-multipolarity” but that
somehow accommodates both global wariness of U.S. power and Americans’ wariness of their
global role. History does not offer much reason for optimism. The world order rarely changes by
means of smooth transitions. Usually, such change is a result of catalytic upheaval.
Give your understanding of the Huntington’s term “uni-multipolarity.”
LANGUAGE FILE
to Reading 1
TEXT 2
Ex. 1 Bring out the context in which the following words are used in the text and use them in
the sentences of your own paying special attention to collocability:
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to accommodate (to the US dominance)
(without) the constraints
to command
to secure
to entail
arbitrary
indiscriminate
to qualify
Choose words/word combinations from the list below that collocate with each of the
words above:
loss, respect, attention, for the vote, development, concerns, a dagger, interests, one’s
consent/сriticism, a friend, inconvenience, one’s life, 10 people, risk, one’s way, differences, one’s
consent, considerable expense, the sea below, several languages, a good bargain, oneself to
circumstances, as a lawyer
Ex. 2 Explain and expand on the following:
 military budget, and National Security Strategy have thrust American power into the light of
day
 the "American empire" is a term of approval and optimism for some and disparagement and
danger for others
 The United States is not just a superpower pursuing its interest; it is a producer of world
order.
 other states must come to terms with or work around this protean order
 great empires of the past ravaged the world with its ambitions and excesses until
overextension, miscalculation, and mounting opposition hastened its collapse
 Soviet "sphere of influence" in Eastern Europe entailed an equally coercive form of control
 crude imperial policies
 power politics still exist, but arbitrary and indiscriminate power is reigned in
 historians talk about a "consensual empire" and an "empire of invitation"
Ex. 3 In the sentences that follow fill in the gaps with the words from the list provided in Ex. 1:
1. So the Pope seems to be showing the ultra-traditionalists that he will move, but only so far, to
.......... their concerns.
2. These requirements must be met before undocumented immigrants will .......... for legal
status.
3. The document takes into account that for one of China's poorest provinces leaping into the
cutthroat international arena .......... certain risks.
4. While his striking appearance can still .......... attention, it was his voice that captivated.
5. With all the ........... of life, John finds an ingenious way of expressing himself.
6. The Jordanian security forces continue to remain on a state of alert: attacks could be ...........
and happen at any time and in any place.
7. The North Korean government rejected allegations it subjected ordinary citizens to torture,
and ………. detention.
8. China's state-owned company has ………. a $2-billion deal to develop a petroleum field in
Uganda.
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TEXT 3
Ex. 1 In the text, find words corresponding to the following definitions and use them in the
sentences of your own:
 occurring or done before the usual or proper time; too early
 the state of being forgotten, especially by the public
 to try to sell (something) by convincing people that it is good
 a situation in an argument or dispute when neither side is prepared to give in, so no
agreement can be reached
 of similar character
 continuous change
 a feeling of disappointment about someone or something you previously respected or
admired
 a set of reasons or a logical basis for a course of action or belief
 caution about possible dangers or problems
Ex. 2







Suggest another way of expressing the following:
by most measures
to be on an upswing.
to remain unmatched
the much-heralded return of a multipolar world
to play an outsize role
to accommodate global wariness
a catalytic upheaval
SPEAKING-1
Go on the Internet to find the data and prepare a 3-minute statement on “The ways in which
America indeed leads the world”. You may want to speak about:
 patriotism
 democracy
 economy (GDP)
 military spending
 consumer market
 movie industry
READING 2:
American Exceptionalism
Pre-reading: Have you heard of American exceptionalism? From what sources?
Read the texts and do the assignments that follow.
TEXT 1
THE ROOTS OF AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM
The following is an excerpt from the new book by James S. Robbins, Native Americans:
Patriotism, Exceptionalism, and the New American Identity.
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It is not unusual for people to praise their own country. Every place has its cheerleaders who
will argue its virtues, whether justifiable or not. The practice is ancient. Kings, emperors, and
assorted other potentates throughout history have had their regimes’ praises sung, usually on
command.
But American exceptionalism does not refer to simple nationalistic boasting, flag-waving, or
chanting “USA” at a sporting event. The idea predates the formation of the United States and is a
product of a uniquely American culture founded in freedom and pledged to the pursuit of human
aspirations. An outsider, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, stated it well:
“Americans and Europeans alike sometimes forget how unique the United States of America
is. No other nation has been built upon an idea, the idea of liberty. No other nation has so
successfully combined people of different races and nations within a single culture. … Whether in
flight from persecution or from poverty, the huddled masses have, with few exceptions welcomed
American values, the American way of life and American opportunities. And America herself has
bound them to her with powerful bonds of patriotism and pride”.
The American Zion1
The earliest expressions of this exceptional impulse were tied to the idea of Providence2;
America had a higher purpose. Early settlers, particularly in New England, believed that the land
was chosen and prepared by God for his children, and many who arrived believed that it was a
Zionist experiment. America was either explicitly part of a divine plan or a tabula rasa on which the
God-given or natural potential of man would be revealed. Like Jerusalem, it was to be a “city on a
hill3, which cannot be hid,” a light unto the nations. This current of American thought has long
endured. “You can call it mysticism if you want to,” Ronald Reagan said, “but I have always
believed that there was some divine plan that placed this great continent between two oceans to be
sought out by those who were possessed of an abiding love of freedom and a special kind of
courage.”
John Winthrop, governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony, originated the image of America as
the New Jerusalem. In a sermon on the ship Arabella in 1630, as the Puritans were readying to make
landfall, Winthrop implored the settlers to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. … We
shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our
enemies. We must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us.”
This view of America as a land ordained by God to be free was called Federal Theology, and
reached its highest expression in the works of Ipswich, Massachusetts, preacher John Wise. In 1710
he discussed the nature of just civil government, asserting that “every man must be acknowledged
equal to every man,” and “the end of all good government is to cultivate humanity and promote the
happiness of all and the good of every man in all his rights, his life, liberty, estate, honor, and so
forth.” His views had significant influence in prerevolutionary America, and even on the phrasing of
the Declaration of Independence.
In his first inaugural address, George Washington also echoed the view that Americans were
a chosen people: “The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards
the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained, and since the preservation of
the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the Republican model of government are justly
considered as deeply, perhaps as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hand of
the American people”.
European observers of the American scene noted this sense of being a chosen people. French
political thinker Alexis de Tocqueville, after seeing the workings of American democracy in the
1830s, recorded that “for fifty years it has been impressed upon the inhabitants of the United States
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that they form the only religious, enlightened, and free people. They see that with them, up to the
present, democratic institutions prosper, while meeting with failure in the rest of the world; they
have then an immense opinion of themselves, and they are not far from believing that they form a
species apart from the human race.” German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel concluded
in 1831 that America is “the land of the future, where, in the ages that lie before us, the burden of the
World’s History shall reveal itself.”
Zion - is a place name often used as a synonym for Jerusalem. The term came to generally
designate the World to Come.
Providence – God or nature as providing protective care
City upon a Hill - is a phrase from the parable of Salt and Light in Jesus' Sermon on the
Mount: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden”.
In the 20th century, the image was used a number of times in American politics. On 9 January
1961, John F. Kennedy returned the phrase to prominence during an address delivered to the General
Court of Massachusetts. President Ronald Reagan used it as well, in his 1984 acceptance of the
Republican Party nomination and in his January 11, 1989, farewell speech to the nation.
In the text, find words and phrases that convey the meaning of the Russian word
“восхвалять”. Use dictionaries to find more synonyms.
SPEAKING-2
Choose a person whose contribution to American history added to the idea of American
exceptionalism. Get ready with a 3-minute statement carrying arguments for your choice.
US NATURALIZATION QUIZ
1. Who wrote the “Declaration of Independence”?
A. George Washington
B. John Trumbull
C. James Madison
D. Thomas Jefferson
2. Which document marked the end of the War of Independence?
A. Declaration of Independence
B. Treaty of Paris 1783
C. Constitution of the US
3. When we say ‘American Revolution’ we mean
A. The Civil War
B. The Anglo-American War of 1812
C. American War of Independence
4. Francis Scott Key is NOT
1. American lawyer, amateur poet
2. the author of the US national anthem
3. a relative and a namesake of F.S. Fitzgerald
4. the man credited with designing the current 50-star American flag
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5. Which of the following presidents promoted the view that the U.S. would stay out of
European affairs and that Europeans must stay out of American affairs?
A. James Monroe
B. Abraham Lincoln
C. John Adams
6. Theodor Roosevelt, the 26th President of the US was NOT the
1. force behind the completion of the Panama Canal
2. author of the Big Stick policy
3. mediator in the Treaty of Portsmouth which ended the Russo-Japanese War
4. only person to have served as the President and the Chief Justice of the US
7. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
A. Herbert Hoover
B. Calvin Coolidge
C. Franklin Roosevelt
D. Harry Truman
8. What theme dominated the US foreign policy up to World War II?
A. Isolationism
B. Expansion
C. Internationalism
D. Vacillation
9. The Good Neighbor policy of Franklin D. Roosevelt applied to
A. Canada
B. Great Britain
C. Latin America
D. Japan
10. The American program to aid Europe after the end of World War II is referred to as
A. Dollar diplomacy
B. Marshal Plan
C. Open-door policy
D. Big Stick Policy
11. Which of the following presidents most strongly emphasized human rights in his foreign
policy?
A. Jimmy Carter
B. Ronald Reagan
C. Bill Clinton
D. George W. Bush
12. Which of the following constitutional powers the US president does NOT enjoy?
A. to declare war
B. to veto bills
C. appoint the Supreme Court judges
D. to prepare the Budget of the United States
13. How many representatives are there today in the House of Representatives?
A. 350
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B. 465
C. 100
D. 435
14. Every 2 years voters in the US elect Senators for the term of
A. 4 years
B. 6 years
C. 2 years
15. Which of the sitting US Presidents did NOT win the Nobel Prize?
A. Theodore Roosevelt
B. Franklin D. Roosevelt
C. Woodrow Wilson
D. Jimmy Carter
16. Which of the US Presidents is known for his “cowboy diplomacy”?
A. Jimmy Carter
B. George Bush
C. Ronald Reagan
READING-3:
The American Dream
Pre-reading: What makes the “American Dream”?
WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?
April 4, 2009
by Matthew Warshauer
Changing Conceptions of the American Dream
How does one achieve the American Dream? The answer undoubtedly depends upon one’s
definition of the Dream, and there are many from which to choose. John Winthrop envisioned a
religious paradise in a "City upon a Hill". Martin Luther King, Jr.1 dreamed of racial equality. The
rugged individualism valued by most Americans stems from our frontier2 heritage. For much of our
country's history, there was a frontier. That experience greatly influenced American attitudes. Early
settlers had to be self-sufficient which forced them to be inventive. Their success gave them
optimism about the future, a belief that problems could be solved. This positive spirit enables
Americans to take risks in areas where others might only dream, resulting in tremendous advances in
technology, health and science.
In addition to such basic American values as individual freedom, self-reliance, equality of
opportunity, hard work and competition, another component of the American Dream seems to be
fairly consistent: the quest for money. Few will deny that Americans are intently focused on the
“almighty dollar.” Yet the question remains, how does one achieve this success? How is the Dream
realized? For many Americans the formula is one of instant, albeit elusive, gratification. Rather than
adhering to a traditional work ethic 3, far too many Americans are pinning their hopes on what they
perceive as “easy” money. In contemporary American society savvy marketers have convinced their
audiences that a new wave of television game shows, lottery luck, and lucrative lawsuits are the way
to wealth.
Instant wealth has not always been a major component of the Dream. Americans have
traditionally centered their efforts on thrift and hard work. During the Colonial Period4, Benjamin
Franklin counseled people on the “The Way to Wealth” claiming that the key to wealth was industry.
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Americans of the Early Republic5 expanded Franklin's notion of industry into a labor ideology. For
many the goal was not extravagant wealth, but, rather, economic independence and the opportunity
for social advancement through financial gain. Abraham Lincoln insisted that the greatness of the
American North was that industry allowed all men to prosper.
In the midst of industrialization following the Civil War, many Americans experienced
profound hardship in the changing economic landscape. They found solace in the tales of Horatio
Alger6, whose characters overcame adversity through industry, perseverance, self-reliance, and selfdiscipline. The ubiquitous "rags to riches" legend was and continues to be a cornerstone of the
American Dream. The commitment to industry illustrated by Alger's characters, Lincoln's ideals of
free labor, and Franklin's practical maxims were further solidified in the American mind by the
addition of a religiously based Protestant "work ethic." Many believed that hard work allowed one to
not only achieve financial success, but, through that success, revealed God's grace.
Numerous scholars note that rise of industry spurred the shift in the traditional American
work ethic and the aftermath of World War II exacerbated the ethical shift as a consumer culture
blossomed and Americans became preoccupied with material goods. As one critic noted, “consumed
by desires for status, material goods, and acceptance, Americans apparently had lost the sense of
individuality, thrift, hard work, and craftsmanship that had characterized the nation.” As a result the
Dream has become more of an entitlement than something to work towards.
Little reveals the shift in the quest for the American Dream more than the insanely popular
television game show, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”. The very title of the show capitalizes on
the core of the America Dream: wads of cash. The show's producers have simply tapped into a value
already prevalent in today's society: anyone with a little knowledge and lot of luck can be a
millionaire. Such a message resonates with the mass of people specifically because it seems to make
the American Dream so easily accessible.
"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and similar game shows are only the latest craze in
capitalizing on the American Dream. Even more well known, and often more lucrative are state run
lotteries. They have been around for literally hundreds of years. America was created with their help.
In 1612, the British crown authorized the Virginia Company of London to hold a lottery to aid the
Jamestown colony. During the colonial period and after, Americans held lotteries to raise funds for
internal improvements and defense. But today’s lotteries are different: they have learned the
importance of effective, comprehensive marketing. Just as in the game shows, the lottery focuses on
the hope of easy money with minimal effort.
The similarity between game shows and lotteries and tort litigation7 is not as farfetched as
one might think. In all three situations the desired end is a trip to the bank with a fat check. In recent
years a number of court cases have resulted in just such an outcome. If a plaintiff wins a lawsuit he
will most likely receive not only compensatory damages (those that reimburse for medical expenses,
lost wages, etc.), but may also be awarded punitive damages (those that punish the defendant for
negligent or dangerous behavior). Thus like game shows and lotteries, injury and product liability
lawsuits can be extremely lucrative. And once again, in such a process the traditional road to the
American Dream is circumvented. Ben Franklin's industry and Lincoln's labor ethic are not
components of a plaintiff's road to riches.
The traditional message taught that through hard work, frugality, and self-sacrifice one could
achieve financial success and social mobility. There are unquestionably many Americans who
continue to abide by such tenets and in doing so are rewarded for their efforts. Yet there are also
those who covet the easy road to the Dream and in the process undercut the core values that
established the Dream in the first place. Equally culpable are the big businesses that capitalize on the
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quest for the Dream. There can be little doubt that the producers of the millionaire games shows, the
state lotteries, and lawyers are getting rich on other people's yearning for the American Dream.
READING NOTES:
1.
Martin Luther King, Jr. - (January 15, 1929–April 4, 1968) was America's civil rights
leader. He was a superb orator, best known for his "I Have a Dream" speech given at the March on
Washington in 1963. King became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He is
only one of three Americans to have a national holiday observed on the third Monday of January
each year, and the only African-American.
2.
Frontier - the extreme limit of settled land beyond which lies wilderness, especially in
reference to the western US before Pacific settlement
the New Frontier - The term New Frontier was used by John F. Kennedy in his acceptance speech
in the 1960 United States presidential election to the Democratic National Convention at the Los
Angeles Memorial Coliseum as the Democratic slogan to inspire America to support him. The
phrase developed into a label for his administration's domestic and foreign programs. ("Новые
рубежи")
3.
traditional work ethic - a set of values based on hard work and diligence. It is also a belief
in the moral benefit of work and its ability to enhance character. An example would be the Protestant
work ethic (Puritan work ethic). The notion developed that it might be possible to discern that a
person is elect (predestined) by observing their way of life. Hard work and frugality were thought to
be two important consequences of being one of the elect; thus, Protestants were attracted to these
qualities, seeking to be obedient to God to whom they owed their salvation.
4.
Colonial Period covers the history from the start of European settlement and especially the
history of the 13 colonies of Britain until they declared independence in 1776.
5.
Early Republic – in American history a period of time between 1789 when George
Washington was inaugurated first President and 1823 when Monroe Doctrine was declared.
6.
Horatio Alger - was a prolific 19th-century American author, best known for his many
novels about impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of respectable
middle-class security and comfort through hard work, determination, courage, and honesty. His
lifelong theme of "rags to respectability" (“rags to riches) had a profound impact on America.
7.
tort litigation - is the process of fighting or defending a case in a civil court when something
that you did or failed to do harmed someone else and you are sued for damages.
LANGUAGE FILE
Ex.1.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
to Reading 3
Explain and expand on the following:
For many Americans the formula is one of instant, albeit elusive, gratification.
Benjamin Franklin claimed that the key to wealth was industry.
Lotteries send a message at odds with the ethic of work, sacrifice and moral responsibility.
As a result the Dream has become more of an entitlement than something to work towards.
The businesses are fulfilling the Dream for themselves while dangling the possibility of the
Dream over the heads of the public.
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6. Instead, people are told that with a little luck they can escape the world of work to which
misfortune consigns them.
7. The show has become both a reflection of and a catalyst to greed and materialism.
Ex.2. Suggest how the following can be translated into Russian:
rugged individualism
frontier heritage
self-reliance
to pin one’s hopes on sth
God's grace
to find solace
shortcut to wealth
to perpetuate the idea
wads of cash
compensatory damages
to be awarded damages
Ex.3
Find definitions in column B corresponding to words in column A
A
B
1. savvy (adj.)
a. to yearn to possess (sth. belonging to another)
2. lucrative
b. lacking restraint in spending money or using resources
3. thrift
c. to give an incentive or encouragement
4. extravagant
d. intended as punishment
5. perseverance
e. the quality of using money carefully
6. ubiquitous
f. persistence in doing sth despite difficulty
7. to spur
g. present, appearing everywhere, omnipresent
8. to exacerbate
h. to repay (a person who has spent or lost money)
9. to covet
i. to make (a problem) worse
10. to capitalize (on)
j. producing a great deal of profit
11. to reimburse (for)
k. to take the chance to gain advantage from
12. punitive
l. shrewd and knowledgeable in the realities of life
13. culpable
m. deserving blame
Ex.4
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Fill in the gaps with the words from ex.1
After 25 years the Soviet-designed Tetris remains one of the most popular and
__________ (вездесущий) video games ever created.
While it is unsurprising that a career rooted in the oil industry would top the list of bestpaid jobs, this __________ (прибыльный) field does have its share of drawbacks.
However, the continuing rows between the USA and Europe over the court's jurisdiction
call these __________ (непомерный) claims into question.
Critical to this strategy is our development as __________ (разумный) consumers and
smart investors.
Decent people don’t __________ (жаждать) material possessions in times of crisis and
extreme suffering.
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6. Many other factors can lead to and __________ (усугубить) health problems, including
heredity, family eating habits and lack of exercise.
7. Tireless efforts, hard work, confidence, __________ (упорство) and patience helped him
to attain success.
8. How has the UK moved from a nation which held up __________ (бережливость) as a
virtue to owing a trillion pounds on mortgages, credit cards and other loans?
9. Candidates are not the only ones to __________ (извлекать выгоду) on the advantages
the Internet provides.
10.A rise in gas prices will __________ (подтолкнуть) development of alternative energy
sources.
11.The funds were to be used to __________ (возместить) city departments for lost
revenues.
12.The Supreme Court should investigate the case and take due __________ (штрафной)
measure in accordance with law.
13.We should record that we have found no evidence of deliberate distortion or of
__________ (преступный) negligence.
Ex.5 Continue the string of synonyms:
1. intelligent, clever,…
2. profitable, thriving,…
3. spendthrift, profligate,…
4. omnipresent, pervasive,…
5. to aggravate, to make worse,…
6. to stimulate, to encourage,…
7. to take advantage of, profit from,…
8. to repay, to refund,…
SPEAKING-3:
Choose of the topics below and get ready to speak on it:
 Changing Conceptions of the American Dream
 What are the basic American values?
 Speak about the frontier heritage of the United States.
 What can you say about the traditional American work ethic?
 Which events in history contributed to shaping the American national identity?
THE ENGLISH OF THE BIBLE
In the text “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” the author uses a phrase from the Bible –
City upon a Hill. Bible is a great source of idioms we commonly use in different languages.
As most of the books of the Old Testament were originally composed in Hebrew and the
entire New Testament was written in Greek the Books of the Bible appearing in other languages
are all translations.
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The official English translation of the Christian Bible was authorized by King James I of
England and was completed in 1611 by 47 scholars, all of whom were members of the Church of
England. Since then it has been known as the Authorized Version, the King James Version or
simply the KJV.
The King James Version of the Bible ranks with the complete works of Shakespeare and
the Oxford English Dictionary as one of the cornerstones of the recorded language. After
Shakespeare, the Authorized Version of the Bible is the most common source of phrases in
English.
Trace the etymology of the phrases that follow. Say, if they were taken from the Bible or were
borrowed from some other source:
a broken heart
a cross to bear
God helps those who help themselves
apple of my eye
a sound mind in a sound body
let bygones be bygones
salt of the Earth
in the sweat of thy face
a wolf in sheep's clothing
as you sow so shall you reap
you can’t step twice into the same river
beat swords into ploughshares
money has no smell
laws are silent at the time of war
let this cup pass from me
to cast a stone at
flesh and blood
QUIZ: Religions of the World
1) Which Bible figure is most closely associated with leading the exodus from Egypt?
1. Job
2. Elijah
3. Moses
4. Abraham
2) What was Mother Teresa's religion?
1. Catholic
2. Jewish
3. Buddhist
4. Hindu
3) Which of the following is NOT one of the Ten Commandments?
1. Do not steal
2. Keep the Sabbath holy
3. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
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4. Do not commit adultery
4) What was Joseph Smith's religion?
1. Catholic
2. Jewish
3. Buddhist
4. Mormon
5) What was the name of the person whose writings and actions inspired the Protestant
Reformation?
1. Martin Luther
2. Thomas Aquinas
3. John Wesley
6) What is the religion of most people in Indonesia?
1. Buddhist
2. Christian
3. Muslim
4. Hindu
7) All the following are books of the Bible, EXCEPT
1. Gospels
2. Genesis
3. New Testament
4. Exodus
5. Numbers
8) All of the following are pillars of Islam, EXCEPT:
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Prophethood
4. Charity
5. Pilgrimage
9) The word "Islam" means:
1. Justice and peace
2. Peace achieved through submission to God
3. Peace achieved through submission to the Prophet's message
4. The spread of peace around the world
READING 4:
US - the Globocop?
Read the texts and say if the world today needs a policeman.
TEXT 1
WORLD LAW AND WORLD POWER
http://www.economist.com
The United States, the world’s sole superpower, should be the champion of international
law, not a two-faced, half-hearted friend
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THE rapid expansion of international law since the Second World War was largely
instigated by an American husband-and-wife team. The world's central legal institution, the
United Nations, was the brainchild of Franklin Roosevelt, who began planning for it soon after
the United States entered the war. His wife, Eleanor, was one of the prime movers behind the
adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, signed on December 10th 1949. The
declaration became the human-rights movement's founding document, the source from which a
stream of treaties have flowed.
Both Roosevelts were hard-headed political pragmatists. Both would have been
disappointed, but hardly surprised, that the cold war subsequently hobbled the UN and hampered
the application of international law for decades. Franklin had tried to head off a return to such
great-power rivalry by constructing an international order founded on great-power co-operation.
And he knew that, to succeed, such cooperation had to rest on some shared notions of justice and
legality, not just military might. So he accompanied his proposal for the “four policemen” of the
UN Security Council (later to become five) with an appeal to “four freedoms”—freedom of
expression and religion, freedom from want and fear—which eventually led to the Universal
Declaration.
Alas, the Roosevelts' enthusiasm for international law has been replaced by a deep
American ambivalence. Successive American presidents have continued to proclaim human
rights, democracy and the rule of law as the guiding values of their foreign policy. They have
often invoked international law in their own defence, and in criticising others. Yet the United
States has a sorry record of shilly-shallying, or plain obstruction, in the development of
international law.
Instead of leading, America has ratified many human-rights treaties only after most other
countries have already done so. It took 40 years to ratify the Genocide Convention, 28 for the
Convention against Racial Discrimination, 26 for even the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights, the most important treaty of all. Over 160 countries have ratified the convention
banning discrimination against women—but not the United States. Only two in the world have
not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child; the other one is Somalia. And even when
America has ratified treaties, it has often attached extensive reservations, making them
inapplicable at home. It has also paid scant respect to the monitoring mechanisms set up by the
treaties, and to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
America's double standards
How can the United States get away with this? The answer, as in many other things, is
simple: it is the world's only superpower. Its allies, recognising that position, and aware that law
alone cannot preserve the peace (or their interests), usually grant it the latitude necessary to act in
a crisis—and know well that it would not take much notice if they didn't. Yet even the United
States—let alone the world—pays a high price for its refusal to apply international law on human
rights at home, and its undue readiness to brush aside these or other aspects of international law
abroad whenever this seems convenient. American leaders thereby gain room for manoeuvre.
But their double standards also damage their credibility when they criticise the illegalities or
human-rights abuses of others, and reduce American influence over the law's development.
If America must be the world's policeman, a role it often plays only reluctantly, and quite
often against a chorus of criticism, is it better served by being seen as international law's
champion, or as a nation which regards itself as beyond the law? Franklin Roosevelt would have
known the answer.
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TEXT 2
THE WORLD'S BEST POLICEMAN
Jeff Jacoby / Boston Globe
June 22, 2011
According to a new Rasmussen poll, only a narrow sliver of US voters -- 11 percent -want America to be the nation chiefly responsible for policing the planet and trying to maintain
international order. An overwhelming 74 percent reject the idea.
These aren't anomalous results. Gallup regularly asks how large a role -- leading, major,
minor, or none -- the United States should take in solving international problems; only a small
minority of respondents ever favors the "leading" role.
America may be the world's "indispensable nation," as Bill Clinton said in his Second
Inaugural Address, but most Americans, most of the time, are uncomfortable with the idea of US
global hegemony. John Quincy Adams1 wrote long ago that America "goes not abroad in search
of monsters to destroy." As the polls consistently suggest, isolationist sentiment still resonates
strongly.
But in Adams's day America was not the mightiest, wealthiest, and most influential
nation on the face of the earth. Today it is. The United States is the world's only superpower, and
if we shirk the role of global policeman, no one else will fill it.
Understandably, with great power come great responsibilities, and sometimes one of
those responsibilities is to destroy monsters: to take down tyrants who victimize the innocent and
flout the rules of civilization. If neighborhoods and cities need policing, it stands to reason the
world does too. And just as local criminals thrive when cops look the other way, so do criminals
on the world stage.
This is not to say that America-as-Globocop is a perfect solution to the world's ills, nor
that the United States hasn't made many grievous mistakes in its actions abroad. But as the
historian Max Boot argues, "America's occasional missteps should not lead us to abdicate our
indispensable role, any more than the NYPD should stop doing its vital work, simply because
cops occasionally do the wrong thing. On balance, the NYPD still does far more good than harm,
and so does the United States of America."
To say that America must be the world's policeman is not to call for waging endless wars
against all the world's bad actors. Police officers carry weapons, but they fire them only
infrequently. The cops' main function is not to gun down criminals, but to suppress crime and
reduce fear by patrolling the streets and maintaining a visible presence in the community.
Similarly, a well-policed world is one with less combat, not more. The purpose of America's
nuclear umbrella and its global network of military bases is not to foment war on all fronts, but
to prevent it -- by deterring aggression, maintaining the flow of commerce, and upholding human
rights.
We don't do it perfectly, not by a long shot. We don't always live up to our own
standards, we sometimes confuse police work with social work, and we are often rewarded not
with thanks but with resentment. A policeman's lot is not a happy one. It is, however, an essential
one. Our world needs a policeman. Whether most Americans like it or not, only their nation is fit
for the job.
Reading Notes:
John Quincy Adams1 - was the sixth President of the United States (1825–1829). He served as
American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. As a diplomat, Adams played an
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important role in negotiating many international treaties, most notably the Treaty of Ghent,
which ended the War of 1812. As Secretary of State, he negotiated with the UK over the US
northern border with Canada, negotiated with Spain the annexation of Florida, and authored the
Monroe Doctrine. Many agree he was one of the greatest diplomats in American history.
SPEAKING-4
Comment on the following using Topical Vocabulary units below:
1) Alas, the Roosevelts' enthusiasm for international law has been replaced by a deep
American ambivalence. (TEXT 1)
2) The United States is the world's only superpower, and if we shirk the role of global
policeman, no one else will fill it (TEXT 2)
3) Global policemen: They're never there when you need them, always there when you
don't.
4) "You can always count on Americans to do the right thing-after they've tried everything
else." Winston Churchill
VOCABULARY NOTES
to Reading 4
TEXT 1
to be the champion (of international law)
~ of civil rights — борец за гражданские права
to champion: to support, uphold, defend, advocate, endorse
to instigate –
to hamper the application of international law - to slow or prevent progress or movement
(syn.) to hinder, to obstruct, to block, to impede, to bar
to hinder implies a holding back of something about to begin (hindered by a lack of
education, the travellers were hindered by storms);
to obstruct implies a retarding of passage or progress by placing obstacles in the way (to
obstruct the passage of a bill by a filibuster);
to block implies the complete, but not necessarily permanent, obstruction of a passage or
progress (the road was blocked by a landslide);
to impede suggests a slowing up of movement or progress by interfering with the normal
action (a tourniquet impedes the circulation of the blood);
to bar implies an obstructing as if by means of a barrier (he was barred from the club)
to attach reservations
(syn.) to add a caveat (proviso)
with the caveat (proviso) that
no strings attached - used to show that an offer or opportunity carries no special conditions
or restrictions
to damage (to undermine/to undercut) the credibility
to lose/to restore~, ~with the public
credibility gap — кризис доверия
TEXT 2
to police the world
to maintain (~international order, ~presence, ~interest, ~family)
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indispensable (~nation, ~role)
to shirk (~the role of global policeman, ~duty/responsibility, ~work, ~danger, ~question)
to uphold (~human rights, ~decision, ~traditions, ~the law)
PROFICIENCY FILE
Use of English (Open Cloze)
Senior American officials console (1) .......... with the thought that, (2) .......... happens in
Iraq, America will bounce (3) ........... Before long those complaining about America's
overbearing power will come begging for its help. America still spends roughly (4) .......... much
on defence as the rest of the world put (5) .........., and remains the only country able to project
military power globally. Military commanders often say that “the nation is not at war; (6) ..........
military is at war”; that is, the American public is not (7) .......... making real sacrifices. Taxes
remain low, (8) .......... the casualties are moderate (9) .......... not to be greatly felt. America has
ample reserves to defend its global role and its potential rivals also have weaknesses. European
countries are rich, but (10) .......... the most part they are unwilling to spend money on military
power.
Multiple choice lexical cloze
Replant the American Dream
By David Ignatius November 25, 2005;
When I lived abroad, Thanksgiving was always my favorite holiday. It was a chance to
scrounge up a turkey, gather foreign and American friends, and celebrate what America ..........
(1) to the world. I liked to .......... (2) a sentimental toast when the turkey arrived at the table, and
more than once I had my foreign guests in tears. They loved the American dream as much as I
did.
I don't think Americans realize how much we have .......... (3) those ideals in the eyes of
the rest of the world these past few years. The public opinion polls tell us that America isn't just
disliked or feared overseas -- it is reviled. We are seen as hypocrites who .......... (4) of our
democratic values but who behave lawlessly and with contempt for others. I hate this Americabashing, but when I try to defend the United States and its values in my travels abroad, I find
foreigners increasingly are dismissive. How do you .......... (5) the reality of Abu Ghraib, they
ask, when the vice president of the United States is actively lobbying against rules that would
.......... (6) torture?
Of all the reversals the United States has suffered in recent years, this may be the worst.
We are slowly shredding the fabric that defines what it means to be an American.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
A.
A.
A.
A.
A.
A.
purported
give
spoilt
exhibit
deny
restrict
В.
В.
В.
В.
В.
В.
represented
offer
nurtured
show
refuse
suppress
С.
С.
С.
С.
С.
С.
constituted
make
worshiped
boast
conceal
ban
D.
D.
D.
D.
D.
D.
implied
send
tarnished
make fun
view
allow
Gapped Sentences
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1. Grangers, the restaurant chain, is taking advantage of …… property prices to snap up
new outlets in the north-west.
Depression can leave a person feeling …… for much of the time, often crying for no reason.
That was a rather …… trick you played on me at the company dinner, putting me next to the
managing director.
2. He had fallen into the …… of having a cup of coffee from the vending machine every
time he passed it.
Interrupting his wife is a really bad …… of his.
Mother Benedicta, immaculate in her black ...... and white, starched coif, listened carefully to
what was being said.
3. Her lawyer insisted she was the victim of a ...... concocted by her ex-husband and his
brother.
With its stylistic inconsistencies and the many credibility gaps in the …..., this book is a huge
disappointment.
Sow lettuce and spinach on the vegetable ...... in early March, for cutting in May and June.
4. An interim...... uniting all four committees has just been formed and will meet for the
first time next month.
Although it has a black …... and thin black legs, the waitress swears that the fly is a
mushroom root and is reluctant to replace the meal.
An increasing......of evidence points to a definite link with the contaminated water supply.
5. Though well into her 20s by now, Jane's father still ...... for her, including buying all her
clothes.
Results show that the substance can be handled without adverse health effects ...... that there
is adequate ventilation.
Data from other experiments have …… the basis for continuing intensive research on the
Martian climate.
READING–5:
Anti-Americanism
Pre-reading: What in your opinion are the major reasons of anti-Americanism?
TEXT 1
THE PROBLEM OF AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM
Andrew Kohut and Bruce Stokes / May 9, 2006
Our values and attitudes may be misunderstood, but they have consequences on the world
scene
Differences in American values and attitudes, modest as many may be, do matter in the
daily relations between nations because of the status of the United States as an unprecedented
superpower and the driving influence of American business and culture. Americans'
exceptionalism is America's problem, not so much because Americans are that different from
others, but because any dissimilarity in attitudes or values is magnified by the United States'
place in the world, and others often resent those differences.
Nothing is more vexing to foreigners than Americans' belief that America is a shining
city on a hill -- a place apart where a better way of life exists, one to which all other peoples
should aspire. And, compared with Western Europeans, average Americans are more likely to
express their pride and patriotism.
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Today, in a more dangerous and contentious time, even American elites -- academics,
journalists, business leaders and so forth -- show few aspirations for empire. While two out of
three American opinion leaders believe that the United States should play a strong leadership
role in the world (twice the proportion of the public at large), fewer than 10 percent think the
United States should be the single world leader.
American religiosity is also a growing concern to many foreigners. This is especially the
case among America's traditional European allies, who are among the most secular people in the
world. However, American religious fervor also influences the views of people in some Muslim
societies. The United States has a long tradition of separating church from state -- but an equally
powerful inclination to mix religion with politics. Throughout the nation's history, great political
and social movements -- from abolition to women's suffrage, from civil rights to today's
struggles over abortion and gay marriage -- have drawn upon religious institutions for moral
authority, inspirational leadership, and organizational muscle. But for the past generation,
religion has come to be woven more deeply into the fabric of partisan politics than ever before.
Within the United States, there is little question that religious views have a decisive
impact on many social issues such as abortion, end-of-life decisions, stem cell research and
homosexuality. In fact, whether a person regularly attends church or synagogue or mosque is
more important in determining his or her vote for president than such demographic
characteristics as gender, age, income, and region; and it is just as important as race. Little
wonder then that a solid majority of Europeans describe the American people as "too religious."
Thus, while Americans are clearly nationalistic and quite religious, there is little evidence
that either their patriotism or their faith drives public support for the more activist and
unilateralist U.S. foreign policy that has fueled anti-Americanism in recent years.
The world's biggest complaint about the United States is that Washington too often acts
unilaterally, without concern for the interests of others. Certainly the American public is
ambivalent about multilateralism, running hot and cold on whether the United States should
cooperate with allies or adopt a go-it-alone approach.
While we have no public opinion data dating back to the early days of the republic, it is
fair to say that unilateralism and hegemony (at least with regard to the Western Hemisphere)
have been accepted by the American people for most of their history. In the view of Yale
University historian John Gaddis, it was not until the mid-1930s that the United States began to
pursue a more multilateralist course in foreign affairs. And even then, Franklin Delano Roosevelt
had to convince voters that working closely with others was the best way to preserve U.S.
resources and to get the allies "to do most of the fighting." This shift in Americans' views about
their relations with the rest of the world defined American foreign policy for the remainder of the
20th century. But the September 11 attacks have rekindled Americans' support for unilateralism.
That stance has clearly divided the U.S. public from its traditional allies.
Americans' reawakened affinity for unilateralism also resonates with their opposition to
ceding sovereignty over international endeavors. Polls have consistently found public opposition
to U.S. troops serving under UN command and Americans, unlike a majority of Europeans, are
not prepared to allow their soldiers to be tried in international criminal courts when charged with
war crimes. U.S. citizens are also considerably less willing than other Western publics to give an
international organization final say on global environmental policies.
But such go-it-alone American exceptionalism is both equivocal and conditional. While
Americans are protective of their sovereignty and jealous of their right to protect themselves, the
urge to be good world citizens and cooperate with allies is never far from the surface. The Pew
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poll also found that 49 percent of Americans continued to believe that U.S. foreign policy should
take into account the interests of allies rather than be based mostly on U.S. interests.
While nationalism and religiosity are misunderstood manifestations of American
exceptionalism, and U.S. internationalism often depends on the tenor of the times and who is in
the White House, a deep-seated individualism, coupled with an inherent optimism, truly
distinguishes Americans. The American ethic of self-reliance and independence, coupled with
the unparalleled economic and military success of the United States since its founding, has given
Americans boundless optimism.
But these traits entail a number of problematic consequences for the U.S. relationship
with the world. First, Americans' self-reliance leads them to believe that they really don't need
the rest of the world. For example, Pew's surveys have found majorities of Americans saying that
what happens in Europe and Asia--even events in neighbor countries, Mexico and, especially,
Canada--has little, if any, impact on their lives.
Indeed, Americans' self-confidence breeds indifference and inertia toward dealing with
problems generally and international problems in particular. Americans tend to minimize
challenges even as they acknowledge them. Despite gloomy consensus forecasts of natural
disasters, environmental calamities, and international terrorism, a resounding 81 percent of
adults are steadfast in their optimism about what the 21st century holds for them and their
families. Eight in ten Americans described themselves as hopeful, anticipating that the new
millennium would usher in the triumph of science and technology. Majorities predicted that it
was most likely cancer would be cured, AIDS would be eradicated, and ordinary people would
travel in space.
Such confidence in the face of looming problems is a key element in Americans' "can do"
reputation. But optimism can also reinforce a "muddle through" mentality, which, in turn, makes
it more difficult to bring public pressure to bear on elected leaders to deal forcefully with
problems that Americans themselves see on the horizon.
Finally, Americans' strong sense of individual freedom combined with their overweening
optimism leads many to think they can have it both ways. Energy is a prime case in point.
Americans have long acknowledged the risk of dependence on foreign energy sources. Yet, even
the September 11 attacks, carried out largely by nationals of Saudi Arabia, America's largest oil
provider, had minimal impact on attitudes toward the car culture. It was not until the sharp spurt
in prices in late August and early September 2005 that support for policies such as tighter
automobile fuel-efficiency standards and incentives for alternative energy-source development
rose substantially.
A similar two-mindedness is apparent with respect to trade policy. Many Americans
deplore the loss of U.S. jobs because of imports. But in recent years they have happily purchased
record amounts of imported goods, citing their high quality and relatively low prices. In effect,
Americans are saying, "protect our jobs but keep those affordable frocks and gadgets coming."
VOCABULARY NOTES
to Reading 5
to aspire
~ to become, ~ to govern, etc.
~ to a higher standard of living, ~ after a political career
syn. to yearn, to seek, to aim, to strive, to desire
fervour (religious, patriotic, revolutionary)
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greet sb. with ~; to say sth in ~; patriotic ~;
syn. ardour, zeal, passion, enthusiasm
to be ambivalent about
syn. ambiguous (information, response, behavior, instructions), equivocal, double-minded,
uncertain, doubtful, wavering, irresolute
affinity for (unilateralism) fondness, likeness
to have many affinities (with each other)
to feel a strong ~ for/to sb., sth.
to resonate with
to cede (sovereignty)
~ territory, power (surrender)
~ hope (relinquish, abandon)
to breed ( indifference and inertia)
syn. to give rise to, to lead to, to engender, to produce, to cause
overweening
syn. haughty, arrogant, contemptuous, disdainful, insolent, scornful, supercilious, disparaging
to deplore
syn. to regret, to lament, to mourn
ant. to applaud, to commend, to praise, to hail, to relish, to welcome, to approve, to cheer
LANGUAGE FILE
to Reading 5
Ex.1 In the sentences that follow fill in the gaps with the words from the list provided in the
Vocabulary Notes above:
1. Withholding the information …… mistrust and suspicion.
2. Tahrir Square overwhelmed by demonstrators calling for president to …… power.
3. Sustained profitability and having a monopoly is what most of CEOs …… to.
4. Labour believes the argument that the cost of living is outpacing wage rises will ……
with the voters.
5. The collapse of communism created a generation of Russian entrepreneurs who embraced
market economy with the …… of the convert.
6. Ignorance and dishonesty are the traits we …… most in others.
7. Most people …… to work at this internationally renowned first class agency.
8. Some voters might feel a sense of powerlessness that …… disillusion with mainstream
parties.
9. Behind the current wave of nationalistic …… is ordinary Chinese people's anger at a
cynical and corrupt regime.
10. We …… the shameful practices that deny young mothers their right to care for their
children
11. Syria announced that it will …… control of its chemical weapons to the international
community.
12. Clegg's speech gets a strong reaction, but whether it …… with Cameron remains to be
seen.
Ex. 2 Refer to TEXT 2. Expand on:
 a core set of values that are enshrined in the Constitution
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












to have a higher purpose
the chosen land/people
a shining city on a hill
to spread U.S. ideals
to play a strong leadership role in the world
to act unilaterally too often
to adopt a go-it-alone approach
a deep-seated individualism, coupled with an inherent optimism
the ethic of self-reliance and independence
to minimize challenges
a confidence in the face of looming problems
Americans' "can do" reputation
a "muddle through" mentality
SPEAKING-5:
Pair Work
In pairs list the major reasons of anti-Americanism. Present the lists to the class, give your
arguments.
WRITING-1:
Survey Report
In the MANUAL go to ANNEX 10. Do the assignments that follow strategies for
describing charts. Study the diagram of survey results “What makes people happy”. Write a
survey report of 250-300 words.
READING-6:
Consumerism
Read the texts, answer the questions and do the assignments that follow.
TEXT 1
CULTURAL IMPERIALISM
www.wikis.nyu.edu
Cultural imperialism is the practice of promoting, distinguishing, and artificially injecting
the culture or language of one nation in another. It is usually the case that the former is a large,
economically or militarily powerful nation and the latter is a smaller, less affluent nation.
Cultural imperialism can take the form of an active, formal policy or a general attitude. Cultural
imperialism is a form of cultural influence distinguished
from other forms by the use of force, such as military or
economic force. Cultural influence is a process that goes on
at all times between all cultures that have contact with each
other.
The world both admires and fears America, in part
because of its military strength, but also because of the
popularity of its culture. The popularity and pervasiveness,
combined with economic and military power make the
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country seem relentless and thus unconquerable and threatening to other countries around the
world.
Another reason as to why other countries resist cultural imperialism from America is
because they're afraid of the power that would be lost among a certain class of people in their
nation. This is apparent in the Muslim world as well as Europe. Europe opposes America for
much the same reason as Muslims, but it isn't as violent or deep a disagreement because in
reality, Europe and America share many cultural roots and practices. Much of Europe's
opposition is based in pride in their cultural traditions. Europeans fear the pervasiveness and
allure of the American culture toward the younger generations will cause these traditions to go
by the way side after a few generations. The reason Europeans fear this "brainwashing" effect on
the younger generations is because America's culture is symbolized in branded goods (i.e. Coke,
iPods, etc.), which tends to appeal to the younger portion of the population at large, which in due
time, will be the culture that takes over for the more "traditional" cultures.
As a nation of immigrants from the 19th to the 21st century, the United States has been a
recipient as much as an exporter of global culture. Indeed, the influence of immigrants on the
United States explains why its culture has been so popular for so long in so many places.
American culture has spread throughout the world because it has incorporated foreign styles and
ideas (from the immigrant decades). What Americans have done more successfully and
creatively than their competitors overseas, is in repackaging the cultural products. That is why a
global mass culture has come to be identified, however simplistically, with the United States.
Language is another consideration when speaking about cultural imperialism. English is
indeed the language of business, higher education, diplomacy, the Internet, science, popular
music, entertainment and international travel. The importance of learning English is not just a
political or economic issue. Logically and arguably, the world needs to have one kind of
universal language at a basic level. Economically, having a central language could prove as a
great advantage when companies can use the same computer programs in one language. The
effectiveness of the English language as a mass communicator has been essential to the
acceptance of the American culture. Unlike other languages, the simpler structure, grammar, and
use of more concise sentences in the English language, are all advantageous for the composers of
ad slogans, cartoon captions, newspaper headlines, and movie and TV dialogue. English is thus a
language exceptionally well suited to the demands and spread of American mass culture.
Some (other non-U.S. nations) argue that United States cultural imperialism has two
major goals, one economic and the other political: to seize markets for its own cultural
commodity and to establish domination over another country by shaping the popular
consciousness of its citizens. These people argue that the export of entertainment and media is
one of the most important sources of global profits for the United States. In addition, cultural
imperialism is seen as playing a major role in dissociating people from their own culture and
bombarding them with another culture to inevitably separate individuals from each other. This
idea, although completely radical and theoretical, is how some view the United States' use of
cultural imperialism across the world. Those that argue these statements sometimes look beyond
the obvious McDonald's or MTV appearances in other countries and go on to argue that these
subtle influences are America's way of slowly turning the entire country into a "mini-America".
Is this argument necessarily true? No, because this argument leaves out the idea that other
countries may actually welcome American products, TV shows, chain stores, etc. into their
country. However, this is not to say that both arguments can't be true at the same time. The main
downfall with the argument that all America wants to achieve is to slowly turn every other
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country into another America, is that it neglects the idea that other countries like and sometimes
prefer American products over that of their own. America is not forcing Europeans to eat
McDonald's, if Europeans don't want to eat McDonald's, they can choose not to patron a
McDonald's in France, however, there are McDonald's all over the world because they are
successful and popular worldwide. Does this mean that America is opening various McDonald's
across the world to impart our culture on the world? No, it means that by opening McDonald's in
hundreds of locations, McDonald's is able to increase profits and further their business.
Some argue however, that nations around the world are too weak to fight the "strength"
of the United States, but are able to resist cultural imperialism from other countries. Some
countries (i.e. France, China, etc) have attempted to mediate America’s cultural influence by
limiting access to American cultural programming and Internet. But is this restriction to
information a good thing? Don't people have the right to learn what they want, when they want?
Governments should not have the power to restrict their citizen's quest for knowledge just for the
sake of preserving their own culture.
TEXT 2
CULTURE WARS
http://www.economist.com
FRANCE'S Ministry of Culture does not look like the sort of place where pessimism
ought to flourish. The ministry occupies a wing of Richelieu's magnificent Palais Royal, round
the corner from the Comédie Française and just a short walk from the Louvre and the Opéra. On
their way to lunch its inhabitants have to pick their way through throngs of tourists who have
come from all over the world to admire France's cultural riches.
Yet pessimism flourishes here nonetheless. The ministry's officials are convinced that a
rising tide of American popular culture is swamping France. And they spend much of their
working lives administering a complex system of quotas and subsidies that are designed to
protect French culture from total submersion.
The ministry has almost uniform support for its position among the French cultural elite
worried about the threat that America poses, particularly to French film. Their concern is not, as
sometimes claimed, that an upstart America hijacked the French national invention of Méliès*
and the Lumières. Rather it is that Hollywood is a Trojan horse bringing with it Disneyland
Paris, fast-food chains and free advertising for American products from clothes to rock music.
“America is not just interested in exporting its films,” says Giles Jacob, the head of the Cannes
Film Festival. “It is interested in exporting its way of life.”
These French people lead a world guerrilla army hoping to curb American cultural
hegemony. In 1989 the French government persuaded the European Community to decree that
40% of TV programmes should be domestic. It also strengthened their complex system of
support (which taxes cinema tickets to help French film production) by extending it to television
programmes. The French have found a powerful ally in Canada, which has long been terrified of
being swamped by its closest neighbour. Of the films shown on Canadian screens, 96% are
foreign, primarily American. Three-quarters of the music on Canadian radio is not Canadian.
Four in five magazines sold on news-stands in Canada, and six in every ten books, are foreign,
mainly American.
Quite apart from its recommended solutions, is the “resistance” to American cultural
imperialism correct in its diagnosis of the problem? Lurking here are three distinct questions. Is
Hollywood as powerful as its enemies imagine? Is there an identifiable thing you can sensibly
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label “American culture”? And does America's domination extend to every corner of the popular
arts and entertainment?
A strong case can be made out that America dominates world cinema. It may not make
most feature films. But American films are the only ones that reach every market in the world. In
major markets around the world, lists of the biggest-grossing films are essentially lists of
Hollywood blockbusters in slightly differing orders with one or two local films for variety. In the
European Union the United States claimed 70% overall of the film market last year; even in
Japan, America now accounts for more than half the film market.
Yet the more one looks at many of these films the less distinctively American they
become. One reason for Hollywood's success is that from the earliest days it was open to foreign
talent and foreign money. Some of the great figures of Hollywood—Chaplin, Murnau, Stroheim,
Hitchcock—were imports. And now, two of the most powerful studios, Columbia Tristar and
Fox, are owned by foreign media conglomerates, Japan's Sony and Australia's News
Corporation.
It may even be argued that it is less a matter of Hollywood corrupting the world than of
the world corrupting Hollywood. The more Hollywood becomes preoccupied by the global
market, the more it produces generic blockbusters made to play as well in Pisa as Peoria. Such
films are driven by special effects that can be appreciated by people with minimal grasp of
English rather than by dialogue and plot. There is nothing particularly American about boats
crashing into icebergs or asteroids that threaten to obliterate human life.
The very identification of Hollywood with American culture, particularly American high
culture, is itself a mistake. So is confusing screen conduct with real conduct, although plenty of
serious-minded people do seem to treat Hollywood as a ruinous influence on American manners
and morals: far from nurturing deep-rooted values, Hollywood helps destroy them. Tens of
millions of people now see the entertainment industry as an all-powerful enemy, an alien force
that assaults our most cherished values and corrupts the children.
The United States will always have a big influence on popular culture. America has the
advantage of a huge domestic market, a language that is becoming ubiquitous and a genius for
marketing. Its worldwide image is of the nation that reached modernity first, inventing trends
from blue jeans to rock 'n' roll, since widely adopted—and adapted—elsewhere. Whether they
want to resist American modernity from fear or from envy, cultural protectionists are wrong to
think they can direct taste through subsidies and quotas. And they err yet more if they think that,
given a free choice, their citizens will prefer American to local artefacts. Those officials at
France's Ministry of Culture have less to fear than they think.
Georges Méliès (1861-1938), was a French illusionist and filmmaker famous for leading many
technical and narrative developments in the earliest days of cinema. Méliès was a prolific
innovator in the use of special effects.
TEXT 3
CONSUMERISM: GOOD OR BAD?
In today's society consumerism is often portrayed to be a negative aspect of people's lives
and purchasing behaviors which inevitably leads to materialism. Consumerism is defined as,
"The movement seeking to protect and inform consumers by requiring such practices as honest
packaging and marketing, product guarantees, and improved safety standards." (dictionary.com).
The definition of consumerism and the image depicted by a large majority of today's society
contradict one another to a great degree.
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Consumerism has been unjustly epitomized as some sort of iniquity that is demolishing
today's society. Consumerism is fueled by large amounts of money directed towards advertising
that's intended to generate mutually a want to pursue fashions and self-fulfillment through
acquirement of goods.
Growth in consumerism has illuminated various sardonic reactions; yet, society
frequently tries to overlook consumerism's positive aspects which are circulated in all portions of
modern society. It is the depiction of the irresistible influence the media is able to place upon
society, which provides a pure example of the "bad" consumerism people scrutinize, also known
as false advertising. Consumerism is coupled with media consequently; it is obligated to act as a
strong foundation within the base. Advertising does not represent consumerism as an evil since it
only gives a representation of consumerism through the use of multimedia and imagery.
Consequently, while consumerism creates progressiveness through its influence, it should
certainly not be depicted as "bad" by society.
There are many consuming effects of consumerism such as: environmental benefits, more
jobs created, increased disposable income, enhanced market competition, and the promotion of
small businesses. Without consumerism, the economy (sociologically and ecologically) would
not be as advanced as it is now. Many innovations and successes of mankind can be credited to
consumerism and the information given to consumers by requiring such practices as honest
packaging and marketing, product guarantees, and improved safety standards; and the theory that
a progressively greater consumption of goods is economically beneficial by consumerism.
Consumerism benefits the environment through several approaches. Marketing for
recycling over the past decade has increased with the awareness of environmental issues being
spread globally. Consumerism has also pushed marketers to use other tactics of honest
advertising which are more environmentally efficient such as using the internet instead of
printing magazines and newspapers.
Personal health and hygiene can be accredited to consumerism as well as environmental
issues. Toothpaste commercials are commonly seen through television advertisements. These
advertisements are honest and promote a good personal hygiene. The "Got Milk?" commercials
aid in self well-ness and bone preservation globally. Worldwide the environment, personal
health, and hygiene are improving with the continuous growth of consumerism.
The middle class in America has never had so much disposable income," says Silverstein.
"If you got inside this middle-class household, you would find that they feel pretty well off.
They're putting in new kitchens, putting in new windows, they have home theater." Indeed,
despite issues like growing debt and unemployment, the real per capita income in America
increased nearly 100% between 1980 and 2010." Through consumerism and marketing, the
economy has averaged a consistent growth over the past thirty six years.
Americans especially, are buying more goods and interested in more products which
ultimately creates more jobs. The more jobs that are created, the more money will be generated
and the additional items will be brought by consumers to assist in economic expansion without
the need of government implications or polices to relieve the economy.
Consumerism today allows many small businesses across America to compete with big
businesses such as Wal-Mart. In such competitive industries and the price of printing magazines
and newspaper adds being so costly, now small business are able to participate in honest internet
advertising that is much less expensive. This opportunity for small businesses can be accredited
essentially to consumerism.
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Taken as a whole, consumerism is good, but often viewed to be a negative aspect of the
economy known for aiding frivolous spending habits and debt. Conversely consumerism should,
by definition, be viewed not by the products it may echo, but the processes of consumerism
should be acknowledged and what consumerism creates, such as: competition, jobs, incomes,
and small businesses. So why is it that numerous people opposed to consumerism actively
participate in the sort of behavior that fuels consumerism?
TOPICAL VOCABULARY LIST
to Reading 6
to inject the culture artificially
a recipient/an exporter of global culture
to incorporate foreign styles and ideas
to seize markets for its own cultural commodity
to establish domination over another country
to shape popular consciousness
to export entertainment and media / its way of life
to dissociate people from their own culture
to mediate America’s cultural influence
to curb American cultural hegemony
to have an advantage of a huge domestic market
a ubiquitous language
to resist American modernity
to direct taste through subsidies and quotas
to demolish today's society
to be credited to / to be accredited to consumerism
Answer the following questions using the topical vocabulary list:
TEXT 1
Do you agree with the conclusion the author makes? Do you think information can be restricted
in some instances?
Is American cultural imperialism more a threat or a gift?
TEXT 2
What is it that we object to — the Americanness of the production company or the Americanness
of its products?
Do you share the point the author makes that it is less a matter of Hollywood corrupting the
world than of the world corrupting Hollywood?
TEXT 3
Does consumerism harm or benefit the environment? In what way?
So why is it that numerous people opposed to consumerism actively participate in the sort
of behavior that fuels consumerism?
LANGUAGE FILE to Reading 6
Ex. 1 In the texts find words corresponding to the definitions given below. Use them in the
sentences of your own:
Text 1
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



Text 2



Text 3



having a great deal of money; wealthy
(esp. of an unwelcome influence or physical effect) ability to spread widely throughout
an area or a group of people
oppressively constant; incessantly intense
the quality of being powerfully and mysteriously attractive or fascinating
to illegally seize (an aircraft, ship, or vehicle) in transit and use it for one's own purposes
to destroy utterly; wipe out
present, appearing, or found everywhere
to be a perfect example of be a perfect example of
grimly mocking or cynical
too attractive and tempting to be resisted
SPEAKING-6
Pair Work
In pairs brainstorm to list the pros and cons of mass culture. Draw a conclusion. Present
your findings to the class.
READING-7:
American Media and Pop Culture
Pre-reading: How does the development of mass media influence the culture? How does mass
media shape public opinion?
Read the text and answer the questions that follow:
TEXT 1
UNDERSTANDING MEDIA AND CULTURE
Jack Lule
An important consideration in any discussion of media and culture is the concept of
popular culture. If culture is the expressed and shared values, attitudes, beliefs, and practices of a
social group, organization, or institution, then what is popular culture? Popular culture is the
media, products, and attitudes considered to be part of the mainstream of a given culture and the
everyday life of common people. It is also distinct from what some consider elite or high culture.
Pop culture and American media are inextricably linked. For as long as mass media have
existed in the United States, they have helped to create and fuel mass crazes, skyrocketing
celebrities, and pop culture manias of all kinds. Whether through newspaper advertisements, live
television broadcasts, or integrated Internet marketing, media industry helps to shape what we
care about.
Historically, popular culture has been closely associated with mass media that introduce
and encourage the adoption of certain trends. We can see these media as “tastemakers”—people
or institutions that shape the way others think, eat, listen, drink, dress and more. Along with
encouraging a mass audience to keep an eye out for (or skip) certain movies, television shows,
video games, books, or fashion trends, tastemaking is also used to create demand for new
products. Companies often turn to advertising firms to help create a public hunger for an object
that may have not even existed six months previously.
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Tastemakers can help keep culture vital by introducing the public to new ideas, music,
programs, or products. But the ability to sway or influence the tastes of consumers can be worth
millions of dollars. In the traditional media model, media companies set aside large advertising
budgets to promote their most promising projects. Tastemakers are encouraged to buzz about
“the next big thing.” In untraditional models, bribery and backroom deals* also have helped
promote performers or projects. Companies today sometimes pay bloggers to promote their
products.
A Changing System for the Internet Age
In retrospect, the 20th century was a tastemaker’s dream. Media choices were limited.
Many cities and towns had just three television channels, one or two newspapers, and one or two
dominant radio stations. Advertisers, critics, and other cultural influencers had access to huge
audiences through a small number of mass communication platforms. However, by the end of
the century, the rise of cable television and the Internet had begun to make tastemaking a much
more complicated enterprise. The proliferation of television channels and other, competing forms
of entertainment meant that no one program or channel could dominate the attention of the
American public.
The very concept of a “tastemaker” is undergoing a transformation. The Internet appears
to be eroding some of the tastemaking power of the traditional media outlets. No longer are the
traditional mass media the only dominant forces in creating and promoting trends. Instead,
information can spread across the globe without any involvement of traditional media. Websites
made by nonprofessionals can reach more people daily than a major newspaper. Music review
sites keep their eyes out for the next big thing, whereas review aggregators allow readers to read
hundreds of reviews by amateurs and professionals alike. Mobile applications allow consumers
to get individual reviews of a restaurant while they are standing outside it. Blogs make it possible
for anyone with Internet access to potentially reach an audience of millions. Some popular
bloggers transitioned from the traditional.
Email and text messages allow for the near-instant transmission of messages across vast
geographic expanses. Although personal communications continue to dominate, email and text
messages are increasingly used to directly transmit information about important news events.
When Barack Obama wanted to announce his selection of Joe Biden as his vice-presidential
running mate in the 2008 election, he bypassed the traditional televised press conference and
instead sent the news to his supporters directly via text message—2.9 million text messages, to
be exact. Social networking sites, such as Facebook, and microblogging services, such as
Twitter, are another source of late-breaking information. When Michael Jackson died of cardiac
arrest in 2009, “RIP Michael Jackson” was a top trending topic on Twitter before mainstream
media first reported the news.
Thanks to these and other digital-age media, the Internet has become a pop culture force,
both a source of amateur talent and a source of amateur promotion. However, traditional media
outlets still maintain a large amount of control and influence over U.S. pop culture. One key
indicator is the fact that many singers or writers who first make their mark on the Internet
quickly transition to more traditional media—YouTube star Justin Bieber was snapped up by a
mainstream record company, and blogger Perez Hilton is regularly featured on MTV. New
media stars are quickly absorbed into the old media landscape
MASS MEDIA AND ITS INFLUENCE ON AMERICAN CULTURE
Alan Curtis 2012
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Currently communication and media have a strong hold over our everyday lives, we
search for answers in the media, looking to form opinions and learn about what in the world is
affecting us personally. Through the media we decide what places we are going to go, our
political parties, what is in style, and many other things that seem to be crucial factors.
Media has been changing drastically since its inception. While print was the main form of
media for the longest time, when radio and television became major forms of media they brought
something with them that words could not do. People who were tuning in to the radio and
watching television were now exposed to marketing campaigns, visual violence, sexuality,
suffering and relief, and the start of celebrity idolization.
As technology expanded and matured, the electronic age began. Since that time mass
media has multiplied exponentially, information can be accessed faster and faster, more and
more information could be circulated and accessed. New sources of mass media, like social
networking sites and blogs are considered emerging media, because they are not from trained
journalists or publishers, but the people themselves, and this development has changed media
drastically in the last 10 years.
Media can influence the opinions of people in severe ways, both good and bad. But we
need to ask ourselves, “Are we in control of the media, or is the media in control of us?” Media’s
drastic growth has lead society to become more aware of what is going on socially,
economically, etc. However, as more and more information is presented to us we are more
susceptible to biased information that is underhandedly attempting to sway opinions to parallel
that of the biased.
As people become more aware about what is truly going on, and taking about it through
emerging media sources and exposing themselves to many different sources of traditional media,
the individual is able to find the truth and form his or her own educated opinion, and American
culture holds this as a very important factor in the people’s everyday lives. We feel as if we are
not droids controlled by the government, but people in control of our country, and emerging
media has made this so.
Bias in media happens when the writer is influenced by a specific source, this is often a
political party or government source. However, this can also happen when one company
monopolizes the media source, for example newspapers owned by the same company or
publisher, this allows them to employ fewer people and save money while publishing more
media and spreading the opinion of the publisher. This can inhibit the growth of information if
all sources are fueled by the same idea, luckily with emerging media people have become more
aware that something said by one company or news source is not necessarily the truth. This
effects our everyday lives by influencing the media that influences us, pushing us to succumb to
ideas that are not our own. Our job as people and citizens is to make ourselves aware of the truth.
The awareness of this and ability to filter information from the media is called “media
literacy”. Being media literate allows a person to create his or her own opinion by taking
information from media sources, filtering that information, and producing his own idea, based
upon what he has learned and applied.
Mass media is a very important factor in the growth of society, and for the most part, it is
good for individuals to indulge themselves in the information that is circulating. If we as
individuals use caution, critical thinking, and expose ourselves to many types of media,
becoming media literate, we can use mass media as a tool to enhance our lives and culture every
day.
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*backroom deal – deal made in secrecy, esp. by politicians (See: Vocabulary Focus - Talking
Politics below)
SPEAKING 7
What is media literacy? Is it important to be media-literate?
Find a popular newspaper or magazine that discusses popular culture. Look through it to
determine what pop culture movements, programs, or people it seems to be covering. What is its
overall tone? What messages does it seem to be promoting, either implicitly or explicitly?
Find a website that also deals with popular culture and ask yourself the same questions.
Are there differences between the traditional media’s and the new media’s approach
to popular culture? Do they focus on the same subjects? Do they take similar attitudes?
Why or why not?
WRITING-2:
Essay
Choose one of the following topics. Write an essay in class
 The United States is not just a superpower pursuing its interest; it is a producer of world
order
 The USA is "No. 1" in nothing but weaponry, consumer spending, debt, and delusion
 Why is anti-Americanism on the rise?
VOCABULARY FOCUS: TALKING POLITICS
Every clique has its own language — an insider's jargon that people outside the group don't
always understand. Politicians have a language of their own too, and it often appears in media
reports about politics.
Ex. 1 Read the sentences paying special attention to the italicized word combinations.
Explain what each of them means and do the exercises that follow.
1. Bob Perry, a high-level player in Republican politics, favors affirmative action and has softer
views on immigration issues than many in the G.O.P.
2. The political clout organized labor once wielded may fail to deliver this fall even as
Democrats turn to unions more than ever.
3. In July 2009, as a divided Senate tangled over health care legislation, there was bipartisan
consensus on one point: Ted Kennedy could make a big difference, if only he were there.
4. As many frustrated Americans who have joined the Tea Party realize, we cannot stand
against big government at home while supporting it abroad.
5. The package stalled when supporters were unable to muster the 60 votes needed to overcome
a Republican filibuster.
6. Italian police have admitted that gangs of Napoli’s hardcore “Ultras” went out hunting fans
last night in attacks that led to two Liverpool supporters being stabbed.
7. The Democratic Senate candidate in Delaware is far ahead in state polls, yet both President
and Vice President were here on Friday to stump for him.
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8. Indonesia's House of Representatives barely passed any laws in the first year of its current
term, placing critical pending legislation on the back burner.
9. Messy though it may be — allegations of gerrymandering and other violations prompted
court challenges in more than 40 states after the last round of redistricting.
10.
According to a Washington Post analysis, outside interest groups are spending five
times as much on the 2010 midterms as they did in the 2006 midterm elections.
11.
Affable and driven, Harvey Milk was a San Francisco politician who succeeded by
inspiring crowds rather than making backroom deals.
12. In an effort to avoid stark failure, a fallback plan is emerging that would push tough
decisions on taxes to next year.
13.
The Democratic-led Senate and Republican-led House on Monday barreled toward a
showdown on competing plans to cut spending and raise the debt limit.
14.
The United Nations human rights committee condemns Syria's crackdown on opposition
protests, calling on it to implement an Arab League plan to end the violence.
15.
The Constitution was devised with an ingenious system of checks and balances to guard
the people's liberty against combinations of government power.
16.
EU finance ministers will seek on Tuesday to break an impasse over a new regime to
supervise banks.
17.
Supervisors that effectively delegate their authority can free up a great deal of their own
time.
Ex. 2 Insert words from Ex.1 into the gapped sentences:
1. The term ………. refers to virtually any voluntary association that seeks to publicly promote
and create advantages for its cause.
2. ………. is done every 10 years to adjust the boundaries of voting districts to accommodate
population shifts.
3. A global treaty to ………. on the deadly trade of fake medicines is urgently needed, say
experts.
4. Newly re-elected President Barack Obama appears to be headed toward a ………. on taxes
and government spending with the House of Representatives.
5. The commission plans to offer recommendations on pension reform anticipated to become a
………. issue next year.
6. ………. are intended to allow legitimate power to govern and good ideas to be implemented,
while abuse of power, corruption, and oppression are minimized.
7. The Board of Directors authorized an enterprise-wide restructuring plan and has ………. to
the company's management to determine the final plan.
8. In increasingly urban France, farmers still wield ………. .
9. ………. means positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in
areas of employment, education, and business.
10. Following his re-election, President Obama called on Congressional leaders, Republicans
and Democrats, to find ………. solutions to some pressing issues.
11.
………. between the United States and Japan concerning Diaoyu Dao in 1970s are illegal
and invalid, gravely violating China's territorial sovereignty
12.
Senate aides say ………. to give President Obama authority to raise the debt limit will
soon become “plan A” for averting a national default.
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13.
EU finance ministers sought on Tuesday ………. over a new regime to supervise banks,
but much of the plan is contested.
Ex.3 Translate the following sentences into English using the abovementioned political
terms:
1. Верховный суд США дал свое согласие на рассмотрение дела об обратной
дискриминации.
2. На прошлой неделе Барак Обама совершил серию поездок по стране.
3. Противоборствующие стороны в Ливии готовятся к решающей схватке.
4. Поскольку абсолютного большинства в парламенте не получила ни одна партия, судьбу
правительства Британии решит закулисная сделка.
5. Правительство обещало предпринять жесткие меры по борьбе с преступностью.
6. Представители ЕС работают над альтернативным планом спасения Греции.
7. «Движение чаепития» объединяет политиков под лозунгами отказа от активного
вмешательства государства в экономику.
8. В этот день несколько тысяч наиболее активных сторонников оппозиции
организовали демонстрацию с требованием отставки правительства.
9. США боятся потерять свое влияние в АТР из-за усиления позиций Японии.
10.
Основанием для пересмотра границ избирательных округов являются, как
правило, результаты переписи населения, проводимой в стране каждые 10 лет.
11.
Европейские правительства могут выделить почти 940 миллиардов евро на борьбу
с долговым кризисом в стремлении преодолеть тупик между Германией и Францией.
12.
США не считают создание бесполетной зоны над Сирией первоочередной задачей.
13.
Парламентская оппозиция намерена оттянуть принятие закона о митингах с
помощью тысячи поправок.
WORD ORIGIN
When the French invaded England under William the Conqueror in 1066 they initiated
200 years of not only political domination but linguistic domination. The French language
became the elite language for more than two centuries and the impact of that domination on the
English language was monumental. According to different sources, nearly 30% of all English
words have a French origin. In Units 1 and 2 you have come across such words as
entrepreneur, laissez faire, mortgage, embezzle, perjury, all of which are French. The
political lexicon includes many words of French origin too: like liberalism, coup d'état,
sovereignty and many others. It is also the case in the domain of diplomacy (attaché, chargé
d'affaires, envoy, embassy, chancery, détente, rapprochement).
Match the words given below with their definitions that follow (make sure you know
how to pronounce them). Use the words in the sentences of your own. Translate them into
Russian:
debris, coup d’etat, gaffe, entente, laicite, debacle, penchant, rapprochement, savoir-faire,
rapport, détente, acquiescence, adjournment
1. a friendly understanding or informal alliance between states or factions;
2. a sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government;
3. the confidence and ability to do the appropriate thing in a social situation;
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4. a strong or habitual liking for something or tendency to do something;
5. scattered pieces of rubbish or remains;
6. an agreement to do what someone wants, or acceptance of what they do even though you
do not agree with it;
7. an absence of religious interference in government affairs and government interference in
religious affairs;
8. the easing of hostility or strained relations;
9. an increase in friendliness between two countries, groups, or people, especially after a
period of unfriendliness;
10. a temporary stopping of a trial, enquiry, or other meeting;
11. mutual understanding;
12. an event or attempt that is a complete failure;
13. an unintentional act or remark causing embarrassment to its originator;
FOCUS ON STYLE:
The English employs many stylistic devices or figures of speech, one of which is called
metonymy. It is a device that refers to someone or something through the use of an associated
term.
Metonymy tends to use a lot of geographical names as shorthand for larger concepts or
organizations. This is a device that's frequently used when talking politics. Here are examples:
The White House to represent the U.S. Presidency
Washington to represent the American government
Wall Street to represent business
Downing Street for the British Prime Minister's Office
Hollywood to represent the film industry
Broadway to represent the New York theatre scene
Detroit to represent the U.S. auto industry
Silicon Valley for the IT industry
Now explain what the following metonyms stand for and use them in the sentences of your
own:
Madison Avenue
The City
Langley
Foggy Bottom
Whitehall
Main Street
Fifth Avenue
Beltway
Brussels
Fleet Street
K street
Strasbourg
DEBATE CLUB: DEBATE FORMAT
The main purpose of debate club is to develop critical thinking skills and tolerance for differing
viewpoints. To facilitate these goals, debaters work together in teams, affirmative and negative, and
must research both sides of each issue. Each team is given the opportunity to offer arguments and
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direct questions to the opposing team. Judges then offer constructive feedback, commenting on
logical flaws, insufficient evidence, or arguments that debaters may have overlooked.
Debate Topic: Should we reject the American way of life?
With its rise to the position of “hyperpower,” the global reach of the United States of America
has become beyond doubt. Everywhere you look, from global politics and trade to local
entertainment, cuisine and lifestyle choices, the mark of the United
States is evident. But as globalization has hastened the spread of the
American way of life, with its particular eating habits, popular culture,
lifestyle, system of government, and values, many have begun to
question the “cultural imperialism” that has spread “the American way”
across the globe.
So, should the American way of life be embraced as a grand
template for the world’s globalizing cultures, or should it be rejected as
a harmful and even dangerous influence?
Decide, which of the statements given below are constructive (affirmative/ negative), which
may be used as rebuttals. Arrange them in logical order, develop each of the arguments and
simulate debate.
 Moving towards the American way of life necessarily means the slow decay of individual
national cultural identities.
 The American way of life may well be unhealthy, but it is also delicious.
 Rejecting the American way of life denies the world’s people important economic
advantages, especially in terms of mobility.
 Differences in ways of life between countries can have positive economic consequences.
 As far as ways of life are concerned, the American is a pretty strong choice. The American
way of life boasts an emphasis on hard work, self-sacrifice, equality, and democracy.
 The American way of life is itself unhealthy for people everywhere.
 America’s culture should be rejected because it is inferior to those of many other nations.
Other suggested Debate Topics:
1. Is consumerism good for the economy?
2. Is the US turning into a police state?
3. Is the United States no longer the only power that matters?
Продайвода Е.Д.
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