Учебно-дидактический материал «American homes»

What style do modern Americans like and why?

II. Speak on

— tepees;

— big wooden houses in the Northwest of the United States;

— pueblos;

— advantages and disadvantages of the Native American old houses.

Pioneers in the Midwest

Before 1800, the Midwest of America was Indian country. Then, the Europeans came. They did not want to move around or live in tepees. They were farmers, and they wanted houses.

The first European Americans, the "pio­neers", were tough people. They came to a hard country. The summers were very hot, and the winters were very cold. On the prairies, there were no trees and no stones. There was only earth. So the pioneers cut pieces of grass and earth and built houses with them.

These "sods houses" were very uncomfor­table. The rain came in through the roof. Pieces of wet earth fell into the food and onto the children's bed. The pioneers worked hard on their farms to make money. With the money, they built bigger, better farmhouses with wood, and tore down the old sod houses. No Americans live in sod houses now.

It was easier in the Rocky Mountains because there were trees. The pioneers could cut them down and make small wooden houses, called "log cabins". Log cabins were warm and dry inside. The people were poor, but they tried to make their homes comfortable.

Pioneer women had no money, but they wanted nice covers for their beds. They could not buy them, so they cut up old clothes and sewed the pieces together. The beautiful bedcovers they made are called "patchwork quilts". Many American women still keep their grandmothers' patchwork quilts, and they like to make new ones with the old patterns.

Nearly all Americans live in towns or cities now. And you can't be a pioneer in Philadel­phia or Chicago. But some people try. They like to go to vacation homes in the moun­tains, miles away from the cities. A real 200-year-old log cabin is best, but there are lots of new ones too. There, you can put your gun up on the wall above the fireplace. You can listen to the wind outside. You can talk about bears and rattlesnakes. For two or three weeks, you can be a pioneer again.

Exercises.

I. How much did you understand?

I. Are these statements true or false?

Before 1800, the Midwest of America was Indian country.

The Europeans came. They didn’t want to move around or live in tepees.

The first European Americans were weak people.

d) Pioneer women had a lot of money.
2) Can you answer these questions?

a) What were the first European Americans?

b) How did the pioneers build their houses?

Those "sod houses" were very comfor­table, weren't they?

What houses did the European Ameri­cans build, when they made money?

e) What houses were called "log cabins"?

f) What did pioneer women do to make their homes comfortable?

g) Where do Americans like to go on vacation. Why?

II. Speak on

— the houses the first European Americans built in prairies;

the houses the European Americans built in the Rocky Mountains;

advantages and disadvantages of "sod houses" and "log cabins";

the way American women made their houses comfortable;

the way some present-day Americans try to be "pioneers".

III. Imagine that a "Do you know the history of the USA" quiz will be held at your
school soon. Think of five interesting questions about American homes for the quiz.

Colonial Styles in the Northeast

Do you think that America is a new country? Go to Virginia or Maryland or New England. You will find a lot of old buildings. You will find old towns and villages, churches and houses.

Three hundred years ago, when the Euro­peans came to northeastern America, they lived in simple huts. But later, they built houses in the styles of their home countries. The Dutch built tall, narrow houses along the Hudson River. The French on the St. Law­rence River put windows in the roofs of their houses, and made fine, wooden shutters. The English built houses with warm, red-coloured brick, or white painted wood.

The largest number of new Americans were English. So the first towns of Virginia and New England copied English towns. The houses were square, and they had beautiful long windows. Americans still love this "co­lonial" style of house. There are many old colonial houses in the Northeast of the U. S. Williamsburg, Virginia, is a famous colonial

d) All those blue things next to the houses in California are swimming pools. 2. Can you answer these questions?

Where and when did bungalows first become popular?

What were bungalows called for a long time?

The Spanish style of house is popular in many places now, isn't it?

What are the Californian "Spanish Mis­sion" houses made of?

What is Santa Barbara, a favourite Californian vacation town, famous for?

Why was Santa Barbara built in the Spanish style?

The old ranch houses of California were comfortable, weren't they?

Do new houses today have patios?

What do people do there?

Are these swimming pools next to the houses in Los Angeles or San Diego?

II. Speak on

Californian climate;

Californian bungalows;

the Spanish style of house;

— Santa Barbara, a favourite Californian vacation town;

— new houses in California.

III. Your family is going to build a house in the country. Design the new house and
discuss it with your family.

Older Cities

The older cities of the U. S. are nine­teenth-century cities, and of course, there were no cars then. People had to walk from one place to another. The cities were small, and all the houses were close to shops and churches. Now, the old cities have a lot of new buildings, but not all the old houses are gone. In New York, there are old "brown-stone" houses. In Boston, there are old brick houses. San Francisco's old houses are stuc­co (штукатурка), painted in beautiful, bright colours.

And then trains and cars came. Rich people could now live outside the towns in new suburbs. The suburbs had bigger houses with large backyards. Rich people liked the clean air and the quiet.

The old houses in the city centres, or "inner cities", were suddenly empty. Soon, poorer people moved in. The owners of the houses would not pay to repair broken doors or leaking roofs. The old houses began to fall down. Now nearly all the old cities have poor inner cities. Two of the worst areas are the South Bronx in New York and the West End of St. Louis. There are a lot of people there with bad homes and no hope.

In the 1960s, city planners tore down some of the old houses. They built apartments in tall tower blocks for poor people. But people do not like these new buildings. They can't meet friends easily. They are afraid of crimi­nals. There are no friendly stores near home.

Now, some richer people want to go back to the inner cities. They want to live near the stores and offices in the city. They buy old houses and "gentrify" them. They clean them up and build new kitchens and bathrooms. The old houses are soon beautiful again.

The rich people are moving back into the cities, and the old houses are now very expensive. The poor people have to leave. Some of them have lost their homes. They can't easily find new places to live in. Now, thousands upon thousands of Americans have no homes. They sleep on the city streets or in the railroad stations.

Exercises.

I. How much did you understand?

1. Are these statements true or false?

The older cities of the USA are nine­teenth-century cities, and there were no cars then.

The older cities were large and all the houses were far from shops and churches.

The suburbs had bigger houses with large backyards.

In the 1960s, city planners tore down all the old houses.

2. Can you answer these questions?

Are there still old houses in New York, San Francisco, Boston?

Why did rich people live outside the towns in new suburbs?

Who moved into the old houses in the city centres, when they became empty?

Do poor people like apartments in tall tower blocks built for them? Why not?

Why do some richer people want to go back to the inner cities?

The old houses in the inner cities are very expensive now, aren't they?

The poor people have to leave the houses in the centres, don't they?

II. Speek on

the older cities of the USA;

the old houses in the city centres;

— the rich people, moving back into the cities centres.

III. You are waiting for an American delegation in your school. Prepare some
interesting questions on the problem of older cities in the USA to interview them.

(Тексты заимствованы из книги Laird E. American Homes – Longman.)