Introduction

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east across North America and south throughCentral and South America. When Columbusarrived in the fifteenth century, there wereperhaps 10 million people in North Americaalone. They had developed many differentkinds of societies. These were the people thatColumbus called "Indians," in the mistakenbelief that he had reached the East Indies.

The story of the westward growth of theUnited States was also the story of the destruc-tion of the Native Americans, or Indians. To-day there are about 1.5 million Indians in theUnited States. Western states-especially Cal-ifornia, Oklahoma, Arizona, and New Mex-ico-have the largest Indian populations.About one-third of the Native Americans liveon reservations, land that was set aside forthem. Most of the others live in cities. Povertyand unemployment are major problems, es-pecially on the reservations.

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Farming

HuntingHunting andGatheringFishing

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The American People ..~

The Native AmericansThe first people on the American continentcame from Asia, They came across the BeringStrait from Siberia to Alaska at various timeswhen the sea level dropped. The first migra-tion might have been as early as 40,000 yearsago. Once in America, these people migrated

The United States has the third-largest pop-ulation in the world (after China and India).In 1990, population in the United States passedthe 250,000,000 mark. Who are the Americanpeople?

The most distinctive characteristic of theUnited States is its people. As nineteenth-cen-tury poet Walt Whitman said, the United States"is not merely a nation but a nation of na-tions./I People from around the world havecome to the United States and influenced itshistory and culture.

THE SOUTH

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2 Spotlight 01/ the USA II/traduction 3

AFRICAPercentage 01Immigrants to U.S.

1980 by Region

Melting Pots and MosaicsFor years, it was thought that the United Stateswas and should be a "melting pot" -in otherwords, that people from all over the worldwould come and adopt the American cultureas their own. More recently, some people havecompared the United States to a mosaic-apicture made of many different pieces. Amer-ica's strength, they argue, lies in its diversityand in the contributions made by people ofmany different cultures. America needs to pre-serve and encourage this diversity, while mak-ing sure that everyone has equal opportunityto succeed.

Asian-AmericansIn the nineteenth century, laws limited Asianimmigration. Also, Asians in the United States,such as the Chinese and Japanese who hadcome to California, met with widespread dis-crimination.

Since the mid-1960s, with changes in im-migration laws and with conflicts in South-east Asia, Asians have been a major immigrantgroup. In the 1980s, for example, almost halfof all immigrants were Asian. Countries thatAsian-Americans have come from includeChina and Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Ko-rea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, andIndia. Many have settled in California, Ha-waii, New York, and Texas.

DAMERICAS

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Hispanic-AmericansHispanics are people of Spanish or Spanish-American origin. Some Hispanics lived inareas that later became part of the UnitedStates (for example, in what are now thestates of California and New Mexico). Manyothers immigrated to the United States. His-panic immigration has increased greatly inrecent decades.

Hispanics come from many differentcountries. Three especially large groups areMexican-Americans (who make up about two-thirds of the total Hispanic population),Puerto Ricans, and Cuban-Americans. (PuertoRico was a U.S. territory and since 1952 hasbeen a self-governing commonwealth.) Whilethe groups have much in common (espe-cially the Spanish language), there are alsomany differences. The groups are also con-centrated in different areas-Mexican-Amer-icans in Texas and California, Puerto Ricansin New York, and Cuban-Americans in Flor-ida. Many recent immigrants are from Cen-tral American countries.

Hispanics are one of the fastest growinggroups in the United States population. Within25 years, they will be the largest minoritygroup.

Percentage 01Overallimmigralion to U.S.1820-1990 by Region

Not including persons brought over in slavery

In the 1920s discrimination and preju-dice in the United States led to laws limitingimmigration. Immigration slowed down untilthe 1960s, when these laws were changed.

Immigrants arriving in the late 1800s

way. In the late 1840s, for example, wide-spread hunger resulting from the failure ofthe potato crop led many Irish people to em-igrate to the United States.

During these years; the United States wasexpanding into what is now the Midwest. Therewas a lot of land available for farming. Manynew immigrants became farmers in the Mid-west. To this day, German and Scandinavianinfluence is obvious in Midwestern foods andfestivals.

Immigrants from Southern andEastern EuropeAlthough immigration from northwesternEurope continued, from the 1870s to the 1930seven more people came from the countries ofsouthern and eastern Europe-for example,Italy, Greece, Poland, and Russia. Like the ear-lier immigrants, they came to escape povertyand discrimination. From 1900 to 1910 alone,almost 9 million people arrived from theseand other countries.

During this period, the United States waschanging from a mainly agricultural to amainly industrial country. The new immi-grants helped make this change possible. Manysettled in cities and worked in factories, oftenunder conditions that were quite bad (see page37).

The BritishBeginning in the 1600s, the British settled theeastern part of North America. By the time ofthe American Revolution (1776), the cultureof the American colonists (their religion, lan-guage, government, etc.) was thoroughly Brit-ish - with an American "twist." In a sense, then,the British culture was the foundation onwhich America was built. Also, over the years,many immigrants to the United States havecome from the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Mrican-AmericansFrom 1620 to 1820 by far the largest group ofpeople to come to the United States came, notas willing immigrants, but against their will.These people were West Africans brought towork as slaves, especially on the plantations,or large farms, of the South. In all, about 8million people were brought from Africa.

The Civil War, in the 1860s, ended slaveryand established equal rights for black Amer-icans (see pages 66-68). But many states, es-pecially in the South, passed laws segregating(separating) and discriminating against blackAmericans. The civil rights movement, in the1950s and 1960s, helped get rid of these laws(see pages 66-70). '

However, the effects of 200 years of slav-ery, 100 years of segregation, and continuedprejudice are not as easy to get rid of. Despitemany changes, black Americans are still muchmore likely than white Americans to be poorand to suffer the bad effects that poverty brings.Today about 12 percent of America's popu-lation is black. Many black Americans.live inthe South and in the cities of the Northeastand Midwest.

Immigrants from Northern andWestern EuropeBeginning in the 1820s, the number of im-migrants coming to the United States beganto increase rapidly. Faced with problems inEurope - poverty, war, discrimination - im-migrants hoped for, and often found, better.opportunities in the United States. For the firsthalf-century, most immigrants were fromnorthwestern Europe-from Germany, theUnited Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden, and Nor-

4 Spotlight 011 the USA Introduction 5

Mosaic or melting pot?

The United States is an indirect democracy-that is, the people rule through representa-tives they elect. Over time, the vote has beengiven to more and more people. In the be-ginning, only white men with property couldvote. Today any citizen who is at least 18 yearsold can vote.

" Discussion Points, Over the years, did many people immigrate

to your country? Are there many immi-grants today? Where are the immigrantsfrom? Why did they leave their countries?

Did many people emigrate from your coun- 'try to other countries? What are some ofthe countries they went to? Did many peo-ple go to the United States? If so, do youknow if there was a particular period whenthey went and a particular region wherethey settled?

: What do "melting pot" and "mosaic" referto? What do you think are some of the advantages and disadvantages of each?

stitution gives certain powers to the federalgovernment, other powers to the state gov-ernments, and yet other powers to both. Forexample, only the national government canprint money, the states establish their ownschool systems, and both the national andthe state governments can collect taxes.

partment manages the nation's money, whilethe State Department helps make foreign pol-icy. The President appoints the departmentheads, who together make up the President'sCabinet, or advisers. The agencies regulatespeciftc areas. For example, the Environmen-tal Protection Agency tries to control pol-lution, while the Securities and ExchangeCommission regulates the stock markets.

The judicial branch interprets the lawsand makes sure that new laws are in keepingwith the Constitution. There are several levelsof federal courts. The Supreme Court is themost important. It has nine members, whoare appointed for life.

The system of checks and balances, es-tablished by the Constitution, is meant to pre-vent any branch from having too much power.Each branch has certain controls over the otherbranches. For example, Congress makes thelaws but the president can veto, or reject, alaw and the Supreme Court can decide a lawis unconstitutional.

State and Local GovernmentEach state has its own constitution. Like thenational government, state governments aredivided into legislative, executive, and judi-

cial branches. There are state senators and rep-resentatives and state court systems. Just asthe President is the leader of the national gov-ernment, each state has a governor as its leader.Below the state level of government, there arecounty and city governments.

Two-Party SystemThe United States has two main political par-ties-the Democratic and Republican parties.Many other smaller parties play little if anyrole.

Voters elect the president, as well as sen-ators, representatives, governor, etc. A votercan choose candidates from different parties(e.g., vote for Republicans for President andvice-president and a Democrat for senator),so the President does not have to be from theparty that has a majority in Congress. In re-cent years, in fact, voters have tended to chooseRepublican presidents and Democratic con-gresspeople.

There are not clear differences betweenthe Republican and Democratic parties.' Ingeneral, the Republicans tend to be more con-servative and to have more support amongthe upper classes, while the Democrats tendto be more liberal and to have more supportamong the working classes and the poor.

The ConstitutionThe United States Constitution, written in1787, established the country's political sys-tem and is the basis for its laws. In 200 years,the United States has experienced enormousgrowth and change. Yet the Constitution worksas well today as when it was written. One rea-son is that the Constitution can be amended,or changed. (For example, the FifteenthAmendment gave black Americans the rightto vote and the Nineteenth Amendment gavewomen the right to vote.) Another reason isthat the Constitution is flexible: its basic prin-ciples can be applied and interpreted differ-ently at different times.

FederalismThe United States has a federalist system. Thismeans that there are individual states, eachwith its own government, and there is afederal, or national, government. The Con-

Three Branches of GovernmentWithin the national government, power is di-vided among three branches: the legislative,executive, and judicial branches.

The legislative branch consists of Con-gress, which has two parts-the House ofRepresentatives and the Senate. Congress'smain function is to make laws. There are100 senators (two from each state) and 435representatives (the number from each statedepends on the size ofthe state's population).

The President is the head of the executivebranch and the country. The executive branchadministers the laws (decides how the lawsshould be carried out). In addition to the Pres-ident, the Vice-President, and their staffs, theexecutive branch consists of departments andagencies.

There are now 14 departments, includingTreasury, State, Defense, and Health and Hu-man Services. Each department has differentresponsibilities. For example, the Treasury De- The U ,S. Congress at work (Pamela Price/Picture Group)

6 Spotlight on the USA Introduction 7

The Economy

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Discussion Points What are some of the major imports andexports of your country?

The passage says that in the United Statestwo major economic challenges are (1) in-creasing productivity of workers and (2)training workers for new kinds of jobs. Doyou know what major economic chal-lenges your country is facing now?

The Situation TodayThe United States is a large country and is richin natural resources. It is a leading producerof fuel-of oil, natural gas, and coal. It isalso a leading producer of many other min-erals, including copper, gold, aluminum, iron,and lead. The United States grows wheat,corn, and other crops and raises many cows,pigs, and chickens.

However, the United States is also a majorconsumer of resources. This means, for ex-ample, that the United States must importmuch of the fuel it uses.

Not surprisingly, international trade isimportant to the United States. Major exportsinclude machinery and high-technologyequipment, chemicals, cars, aircraft, and grains.Major imports include machinery and tele-communications equipment, oil, cars, metals,and chemicals.

Today, the United States faces some ma-jor economic challenges. One important chal-lenge is increasing its productivity, or theefficiency of the labor force, in order to in-crease the rate of economic growth. Anotherchallenge, as the country shifts from man-ufacturing to services, is to train people tofill new kinds of jobs.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the U.S. economygrew rapidly. Many companies moved to theSouth. and Southwest, and these areas expe-rienced change and growth. Then, in the mid-1970s, economic growth began to slow down.

Just as there had been a shift from agri-culture to industry, there is now a shift fromindustry to services. (Services are provided byhospitals, banks, law firms, hotels and restau-rants, and so on.) In recent years, most newjobs have been service jobs.

Agriculture and industry have been major forces in theU.S. economy.

Discussion Points How many main political parties does yourcountry have? Are there clear differencesbetween the parties?

What are some of the bad effects of a lowvoter turnout? What can be done to in-crease voter turnout? In your country, isvoter turnout high or low?

explaining their views in detail, they try tomake their opponents look bad. Understand-ably, in the end many voters may not feelenthusiastic about any candidate.

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18-20 21-24 25-34 3~ 45-54 55-64 65-74 75+ Male Female Grammar Same High Same Collegel(hool high l(hool (ollege graduate

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Recent TrendsIn the twentieth century, as society has be-come more complex, government has takena much more active role. However, manyAmericans worry about too much govern-ment interference in their lives. Still, com-pared to many other countries, the role of theU.S. government remains limited.

In recent years, fewer people are voting.In the 1988 presidential election, for example,only 50 percent of people of voting age ac-tually voted. Some experts think television mayhave contributed to the problem. Candidatestoday often campaign mainly through briefTV appearances and commercials. Instead of

ReligionThe Free Enterprise SystemThe United States economy is based on thefree enterprise system: Private businessescompete against one another with relativelylittle interference from the government. Sincethe depression of the 1930s, when the econ-omy essentially collapsed, laws have been madegiving the government a more active role ineconomic and other matters.

Changes Over TimeUntil the second half of the last century, theUnited States was a mainly agricultural na-tion. The Civil War (1861-1865) helped stim-ulate industry. In the years that followed,industrialization transformed the country,although many areas, especially the South,remained mainly agricultural and rural.

Separation of Church and StateA basic American principle is separation ofchurch (religion) and state (government). TheU.S. Constitution says that people have theright to worship as they choose and that noreligion can be made the official religion. In

keeping with this principle, governmentmoney cannot be used to support church ac-tivities and prayers may not be said in publicschools. (The U.S. Congress, however, openseach year with a prayer.)

8 Spotlight 011 the USA Introductioll 9

Although some women wait until theirthirties to have their first child, other womenbecome mothers while they are still teenagers.Many of these teenaged mothers are not mar-ried. Many are also poor. Poverty among chil-dren in homes headed by single mothers hasbecome a serious problem in the United States.

Often people who are divorced get mar-ried again. This has led to a new kind of fam-ily-the "reconstituted family," in which thereare children from previous marriages as wellas from the present marriage.

An Aging PopulationIn the past, it was common for three gener-ations - grandparents, parents, and children-to live together. Now most older peoplelive on their own. They generally stay in con-tact with their children but might live in adifferent part of the country. People are alsoliving longer-often for 20 years after they'veretired from their job. Modern American cul-ture tends to value youth rather than age. Allof this creates an interesting challenge for olderpeople-and for the country, since by the year2020, 1 in every 6 Americans will be over theage of 65.

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10 Spotlight on the USA Introduction 11

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WriteWhat are some differences between the ed-ucational system in the United States andthe educational system in your country? Readthe passage again and then write a paragraphdescribing some of the main differences.

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The New York Philharmonic

There are many theories about where theproblems lie. Some think that students havetoo many "electives," or courses they choose,and too few courses in basic subjects. Othersthink students watch too much TV and do toolittle homework. Everyone agrees the prob-lems must be addressed.

The United States is an international centerof culture. Its major cities (like New York, Bos-ton, Washington, Chicago, San Francisco, andLos Angeles) regularly host many concerts, artexhibitions, lectures, and theatrical perfor-mances. And on a smaller scale, the same istrue of smaller cities. Some of the world'sgreatest museums, orchestras, theaters, andconcert halls are located in the United States.Performances and exhibitions are usually verywell attended. Tickets can be hard to get, de-spite their high prices! Many cities also havelarge communities of artists, actors, dancers,and musicians.

The national and state governments, aswell as private organizations, have tradition-ally supported the arts with money. Recently,

Trends in EducationMany more Americans than ever before arefinishing high school and college. More than20 percent of all adults have finished college,and more than 7S percent have finished highschool.

Although the number of years of school-ing is going up, there are signs that the qualityof education may be going down. This is ofgreat concern, especially since education isconsidered crucial to the American ideal thateach person should achieve all that he or shecan.

Advanced SchoolingMany students, upon finishing high school,choose to continue their education. Com-munity colleges, also known as junior col-leges, offer two-year programs. They are pub-lic schools and the tuition costs are usuallylow. Colleges and universities have four-yearprograms leading to a bachelor's degree (aswell as, in many cases, further programs lead-ing to higher degrees). These schools may bepublic or private; private schools cost a lotmore. U.S. colleges and universities have manystudents from around the world, especiallyfrom Asia.

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Future of the FamilyIs the American family in trouble? People pointto the divorce rate, to the fact that workingmothers might have less time with their chil-dren, and to the "generation gap," or theproblems that parents and children some-times have understanding each other. Expertssay, however, that the family is as strong asever. Family is still at the center of most peo-ple's lives.

dren are required to be in school from theages of 7 though 16.

About 90 percent of all children attendpublic school, which is free. The remaining10 percent go to private schools, which oftenare associated with a religion. About half ofall private schools are Catholic.

In the United States, education is mainlythe responsibility of state and local govern-ments, rather than the national government.The amount of money spent on educationvaries considerably from state to state. Thesubjects studied also vary somewhat. Theschool year usually runs from September toJune.

At the high school level there are somespecialized schools, including schools thatemphasize vocational subjects like business orauto mechanics. Most high schools, however,are general schools. High school students areoften involved in non-academic activities thattheir school offers-for example, in dramaclubs, sports teams, or the school newspaper.

Discussion Points, The passage describes several ways in which the American family is changing. Are

families .in your country changing? If so,are the changes similar to the changes inthe United States?

What do you think the perfect family is like?For example. how many children shouldthere be? Should both parents work? Shouldthe grandparents live with the family?

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Elementary School ThroughHigh SchoolThere are three basic levels in the U.S. edu-cational system-elementary school, whichusually goes from kindergarten to sixth grade;junior high school, from seventh througheighth or ninth grade; and high school, fromninth or tenth through twelfth grade. Chil-

Education is for everyone.

12 Spotlight on the USAIntroduction 13

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Labor Day honors the American worker.Just as Memorial Day means the beginning ofsummer, Labor Day, which falls on the firstMonday in September, marks the end of sum-mer. For many students, the school year startsthe day after Labor Day.

Columbus Day celebrates Christopher Co-lumbus's arrival in the Americas in 1492. AsColumbus was Italian, working for Spain, Co-lumbus Day is an especially important holi-day for many Italian-Americans and Hispanic-Americans.

Although Halloween, on October 31, is notan official holiday, it is a very special day. OnHalloween, children dress in costume as allkinds ofthings-as witches, ghosts, monsters,pirates, TVcharacters, and even computers andcereal boxes. The windows of many houseshave Halloween decorations and jack-o'-lan-terns. Qack-o'-lanterns are pumpkins that havebeen carved with strange faces and have a can-dIe inside.) In the evening, the children gofrom house to house, knocking on doors andsaying "trick or treat." The people in the housesgive the children candy or some other treat.If they don't, the children might playa smalltrick on them!

Trick-or-Treating

(see pages 66-70). King was assassinated in1968. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which fallsin January, around King's birthday, is a timeto celebrate the life and achievements of thisgreat American.

Two other great Americans are honoredon Presidents' Day. George Washington wasthe country's first president. Abraham Lin-coln brought the country through the CivilWar (see pages 56-57 and 66-68). Their birth-days were both in February and are celebratedtogether.

Memorial Day honors American soldierskilled in war. There are many parades onMemorial Day. Memorial Day, which comeson the last Monday in May, is also the un-official beginning of the summer vacationseason. On Memorial Day, many people go tothe beach.

The most important American holiday isthe Fourth of July, or Independence Day. OnJuly 4, 1776, the American colonies declaredtheir independence from Britain (see page 52).Many families celebrate the Fourth of July byhaving picnics and, at night, watching fire-works.

Fourth of July fireworks

Discussion Points What are some popular leisure and enter-tainment activities in your country? Whatare some favorite sports? What are somefavorite places to travel to?

How about you? What do you like to do inyour leisure time?

Many adult Americans regularly engage insports like tennis, softball, golf, and bowling.

Americans also love to travel. Weekendautomobile trips are a tradition for many fam-ilies, as are longer summer vacation trips. Cartravel is the most common leisure activity inAmerica.

When Americans take car trips, they don'tusually just drive and sightsee. They like tohave a destination. Amusement parks, beaches,and other special attractions are alwayscrowded when the weather is good.

Airplane travel is also common in Amer-ica. At holiday time, many people fly to othercities to visit friends and relatives. During thewinter, many people take short vacations toplaces with warm climates, like Florida andthe islands of the Caribbean.

... and playing baseball in the park.

make New Year's resolutions (to eat less, towork more, etc.). Few people keep their res-olutions.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Martin LutherKing, Jr., led the civil rights movement-thestruggle for equal rights for black Americans

Americans love watching TV.

however, problems in the U.S. economy havedecreased this support.

Though art and "high" culture are im-portant in America, the most popular sourcesof entertainment and information are televi-sion, movies, radio, and recorded music. Withcable TV, a lot more programs are available,but many people still complain about the lowintellectual level of TV. They also feel that theemphasis on youth, sex, and money teacheschildren (and adults) the wrong values andgoals. These criticisms are often made aboutAmerican movies too. But despite the "bad"movies, many wonderful and internationallysuccessful movies are produced in the U.S.The rapid spread of videotaped movies,watched nightly by millions of Americans intheir homes, has made movies an even morepopular and influential form of entertain-ment in recent years.

Most Americans enjoy sports-both play-ing sports themselves and watching their fa-vorite sports and teams. Major professionalsports events - baseball, football, basketball,and hockey, as well as golf and tennis-arewitnessed by tens of thousands of fans, andby millions more on TV. Boys and girls playon sports teams in school and after school.

Many people spend New Year's Day resting.That's because they've stayed up most of thenight, greeting the new year! Some went toparties at friends' homes or at nightclubs.Others were out on the streets, throwing con-fetti and blowing noisemakers. Many people

14 Spotlight on the USAIntroduction 15

QuizWhat do you remember about the United States? Answer the following questions.

......Glossary

Thanksgiving dinner

In 1620one of the first British settlementsin America was established in Massachusetts.These settlers, known as Pilgrims, had cometo America to freely practice their religion.They arrived in November, when it was toolate to plant crops. Although many people died,the Pilgrim settlement survived the winter be-cause of help from Indians who lived nearby.The Indians taught the Pilgrims about cornand showed them where to fish. The next No-vember, after the crops were harvested, thePilgrims gave thanks to God at a feast to whichthey invited the Indians.

Every year, Americans celebrate Thanks-giving. Families and friends get together for abig feast. The meal usually includes roast tur-key with stuffing and gravy, a sweet sauce madefrom cranberries, sweet potatoes, and pump-kin pie. What a meal! lt's not surprising thata recent Thanksgiving tradition is to sit after

dinner in front of the TV watching a profes-sional football game.

Christmas, marking the birth of Christ inthe Christian religion, is another time whenmany families get together. Christmas is animportant time for giving gifts. In fact, peoplestart buying gifts right after Thanksgiving, al-though Christmas is a month away. Manyfamilies put up a Christmas tree and bake lotsof special Christmas cookies.

Small children believe that their gifts comefrom Santa Claus. Their parents tell them thatSanta lives in the North Pole and, on the nightbefore Christmas, he travels the world in asled pulled by reindeer. He goes down thechimneys of houses to leave gifts for childrenwho have been good. Naturally, children arethe first to get out of bed on Christmas morn-ing!

1. Where did the first people to settle NorthAmerica come from?

2. In the years 1870-1930, what part of theworld did many immigrants to the UnitedStates come from?

3. What two parts of the world are most im-migrants from today?

4. Why does the U.S. Government have a sys-tem of checks and balances?

5. What are the two major political parties inthe United States?

6. What written document set up the basicgovernment of the United States?

7. Why does the United States have to importmany resources?

academic having to do with studiesachievement something good and

important that a person has doneaging getting oldagriculture farming; agricultural

characterized by farmingassassinate to kill someone, especially a

politically important personcampaign (v) to try to get elected (by using

ads, making speeches, etc.)candidate someone who is trying to be

elected to a political positioncareer a job, a professionchallenge (n) an interesting and important

problem to be solvedcommercial (n) an ad on TVcommonwealth a political unit that

governs itself but is associated witha more powerful country

conservative a political view characterizedby wanting things to remain the same

consist of to be made up ofconsumer someone who buys or

uses things

8. What are some U.S. exports?9. Does the United States have an official

religion?10. What is the single largest religious group

in the United States?11. What is a "reconstituted family"?12. What is the "generation gap"?13. How many basic levels are there in the

U.S. educational system?14. Do most American children attend public

school or private school?15. What does the Fourth of July celebrate?16. On what day will you see many jack-o'-

lanterns?17. What was the reason for the first Thanks-

giving?

county the largest division of governmentwithin a state

culture the arts and way of life for a groupor nation

decade a ten-year period (e.g., 1990-1999)decrease to become lessdegree an academic title given by a college

or university to someone who hasfinished a course of study

discriminate against to treat members of acertain group in an unfair way

distinctive differentdiversity the condition of having many

different parts, of not being allthe same

divorce (n) the legal end to a marriageemigrate to move away from one's

own countryestablish to set upexecutive having to do with carrying

out lawsexpert someone with special knowledge in

. a certain areaexport (v) to send to a foreign country

New England

ATLANTICOCEAN

Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, andNantucket are popular Massa-chusetts summer resorts,

Aligustao

MAINE

over exactly which states are part of theSouth, but for everyone New England in-cludes six states-Maine, New Hampshire,Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, andConnecticut.

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The Appalachian Trail, a 2,OOO-milehiking trail, begins in Maine. It goesall the way to Georgia. in the South.

CANADA

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New England is highly industrial, butit also has many fields, woods, and smalltowns. New England is the part of the UnitedStates that is most like "old" England. It isalso the most well-defined region of theUnited States; Americans might disagree

population all the people living in a place,country, or area

poverty the condition of being poorprejudice disliking or having a bad opinion

of people without reasonpreserve to keepprinciples basic ideas and rulespumpkin a large, round, orange vegetableregion an area of a countryregulate to make rules for and have some

control overrelative any family memberrepresentative a person elected to serve in

government; often used specificallyfor a member of the U.S. House ofRepresentatives, the lower houseof Congress

role task, functionsalary money earned for work done based

on a total amount for a yearshift a movement or changesightsee to go and visit interesting placessingle-parent family a family where there is

one parentslave a person owned by another personsociety a community of people and its way

of livingstimulate to help cause, to increasesucceed to do well, to have successteenager someone aged 13 through 19theory an idea trying to explain somethingthoroughly completely; verytradition something that has been done a

certain way for a long timetrain (v) to teachtransform to change greatlytreat (n) something that is good and

special, particularly a sweet foodtuition money paid in order to go to schoolunemployment the condition of not

having workvalues standardsvary to differwage-earner someone who works for payworship to take part in a religious activity

, 6 Spotlight 0/1 the USA

feast a large meal with many good thingsto eat

festival a celebration, often with specialevents like music and dancing

foundation the base or starting point ofsomething

harvest to cut and gather cropsimmigrate to move to a new country to

live; immigrant someone who movesto another country to live

import (v) to bring in from a foreigncountry

industrialization the process of developingan economy based on factories and thegoods they produce

intellectual having to do with intelligenceand with thinking

interference becoming involved in thebusiness of others

interpret to make the meaning ofsomething clear

judicial having to do with courts and withmaking judgments

lecture (n) a talk given to an audiencelegislative having to do with making lawsleisure time free from work; activities done

in free timelevels grades or stages of somethingliberal a political view characterized by

wanting to change thingsliterally exactlymajority more than half; mostmigrate to move from one place to another;

migration a movement of a group ofpeople from one place to another

minority group a group that makes up lessthan half of the population (in theUnited States, often used for anygroup of Americans other thanwhite Americans)

natural resources materials that come fromnature and are used by people(minerals, fuels, etc.)

opportunity a chancepicnic a meal eaten outdoors, often as part

of a trip

17

18 Spotlight on the USA New England 19

........::,;+fJ~~~~qne;NeWWEllg1a,ill.~Yankee.i.#~i~!~~l~;;';;~~f.1:.~:.2;j:.,~~ "I want to go to Bennington," he says. "We'veno objections," one of the New Englandersreplies.

Calvin Coolidge, the thirtieth Presidentof the United States, was a Yankee. Once heand a friend took a ride from Boston to a town30 miles inland. "It's cooler here," Coolidgesaid as they returned to Boston. These werethe only words he spoke during the entire trip.(When Coolidge was president, Americanscalled him "Silent Cal.")

Yankee thrift is well expressed by a NewEngland saying: Eat it up, wear it out, makeit do, do without.

Frederick Tudor, a Bostonian, is an ex-ample of the business shrewdness of the Yan-kees. As a young man, Tudor heard someonesay jokingly that, if ice were a crop, New Eng-land. would be wealthy. Tudor rememberedthis joke and, years later, figured out how tobreak up ice and ship it south. Tudor becamea very rich man.

The Yankee character may partly explainthe special role that New England has playedin United States history. In the eighteenthcentury, the American Revolution began inNew England. Yankees were among thestrongest supporters of independence. In thenineteenth century, many New Englanders saidslavery did not fit with their beliefs and prin-ciples. New England Yankees led the move-ment to end slavery in America.

"Ice Farming" in New England made Frederick Tudor a very rich man,

realistic and to-the-point; practical rather thanromantic; untalkative, thrifty, principled, andindependent.

Many stories illustrate the realistic anduntalkative Yankee nature. In one story, atourist asks a Maine fisherman whether thefisherman has lived in the same village all hislife. "Not yet," the fisherman replies. In an-other story, a tourist who has lost his way inVermont stops a couple to ask for directions.

To people from the South of the United States,Yankee may mean a Northerner. To peoplefrom other countries, Yankee means an Amer-ican. But, properly used, Yankee has a morespecific meaning: It refers to people who livein New England.

The New England Yankee has a distinctcharacter, shaped in part by the history andgeography of the region. New England wassettled in the 1600s by Puritans from England.The Puritans were a religious group who ob-jected to the rituals of the Church of England.The Puritans wanted to "purify" the religion,making it stricter and simpler. They were alsovery strict about the way people lived. For ex-ample, when a sea captain back from a three-year voyage kissed his wife on their doorstep,he was publicly punished.

The land was even harsher than the peo-ple. Its soil was thin and poor for farming.And before any land could be farmed, largestones had to be cleared away. The stones wereused for walls, many of which still exist.

What, then, is the Yankee character? Yan-kees are known for being honest but shrewd;

20 Spotlight on the USANew England 21

.Two 'NewJF;ifglqnajWriters -

A Yankee Replies~The passage gives two stories involving "typical Yankee" replies. Here is another story.What might the New Englander say?

A tourist in a New England town drives down Elm Street looking for a gas station. The tourist stops a man from the town. There is a gas station at Elm and Main Street.

Tourist: Excuse me, sir. Do you know where there's a gas station?New England Yankee:

(For a possible answer, see page 171.)

(For the answers, see page 171.)

CompleteHawthorne's most famous novels are set inthe town of One of Haw-thorne's ancestors was a ----------atthe Salem trials. Awoman hefound guilty put a on the Haw-thorne family. Nathaniel Hawthorne used thistherne in his novel .

Thoreau is known for his book based onhis experiences at Pond, nearthe town of Concord, Massachusetts. Tho-reau believed that citizens had the duty of_____ . To express his disapproval ofthe Mexican War, he refused to pay his

Discussion Points Do you agree with Thoreau's idea that civildisobedience is a citizen's duty? Do youthink people should protest against gov-ernment policies they disagree with? Howdo you think they should protest?Reread Thoreau's statement about why hewent to live alone at Walden Pond. Do youthink Thoreau's goals were important? Doyou think living alone in nature is a goodway to achieve those goals?

Visitors today can appreciate the isolatedbeauty of Walden Pond - unless they go in thesummer, when the pond is a very popularswimming hole!

Visitors to Salem can tour Hawthorne'shome and also the House of the Seven Gables.This strange house belonged to Hawthorne'scousin. Today, tour guides will point out roomsand objects associated with Hawthorne as wellas with his characters!

Walden Pond

An Isolated PondConcord, Massachusetts was home to manyAmerican writers of the 1800s, including Haw-thorne for a few years. Today their houses areopen to the public. But perhaps the best-knowndwelling in Concord is marked only by somestones and a chain. It wasn't even a house,but just a cabin near a pond. From 1845 to1847, Henry David Thoreau lived in this cabin.There he wrote his greatest book, Walden.

The cabin at Walden Pond was Thoreau'sexperiment in living alone close to nature.Thoreau wrote, "I went to the woods becauseI wished to live deliberately, to front only theessential facts of life, and see if I could notlearn what it had to teach and not, when Icame to die, discover that I had not lived."

Thoreau's ideas and concerns are very rel-evant to our own times. Concerned with thedestruction of the forests, he wrote, "ThankGod they can't cut down the clouds." He be-lieved that citizens had the duty of civil dis-obedience, that is, of peacefully protestinggovernment policies they considered wrong.Thoreau practiced what he preached. In pro-test against the Mexican War, he refused topay his taxes and consequently went to jail.

The House of the Seven Gables tells of thePyncheon family, who live under the curse ofa man their ancestor condemned to death forwitchcraft. The Pyncheons' lives are hauntedby greed, violent death, false accusations, andslow decay-until one day love destroys thecurse.

The House of the Seven Gables

WordsThe adjectives in the left-hand column were used in the passage to describe Yankees.Match each adjective with the best phrase from the right-hand column. People who are:1. independent a. do not talk a lot

2. honest b. don't cheat other people3. shrewd c. have strong ideas about what is right and what is wrong4. realistic d. use money and other things carefully5. untalkative e. see things as they really are6. thrifty f. don't let other people cheat them7. principled g. do things themselves instead of asking others for help

A Witch's CurseIn the 1800s, when Nathaniel Hawthorne wrotehis novels, the town of Salem, Massachusettswas a beautiful and prosperous seaport. Butthe novels look back to the 1600s, a dark pe-riod in Salem's history. The Puritans who ruledhad very strict ideas and severely punishedpeople who did not conform. In 1692, hys-terical accusations made by some girls led tothe Salem witchcraft trials. Twenty people werehanged as witches and many more were im-prisoned. Finally, the governor of Massachu-setts ended the trials when his own wife wasaccused of being a witch.

The Hawthorne family history was closelytied to Salem's. The first Hawthorne to settlein Salem was a judge. He once had five womentied to a cart and dragged through town; their"crime" was that they weren't Puritans. Thisman's son was a judge during the witchcrafttrials. A woman he condemned to death puta curse on the Hawthorne family. There's noevidence that this curse had any effect on theHawthornes. It did, however, show up in Na-thaniel Hawthorne's writing.

22 Spotlight on the USA New England 23

L F T R A D ALIP PER SD S N I C K TE H A XES ABINADIW

F Z N T P Y S HK A G U Q R H AISH C L P I L

L E M A K N E P ISAN TEe I L NL T B GTE M P G

COD GA B S CPOE LT R A DA T P CI N 0NORI L TS AT NS E

{For the answers, see page 1711

Word SearchCan you find ten words that are connectedwith New England shipping? All the wordsare from the passage. The words are writtenhorizontally and vertically.

broke many records. When the 1849 Gold Rush(see page 155) suddenly populated San Fran-cisco, clippers took goods to California. Thetrip around Cape Horn at the tip of SouthAmerica was dangerous but worth it. The min-ers had gold and not much else. In California,goods were worth twenty times what they wereworth in the East!

SInce these trips were long and captainsdid not socialize with their crew, many cap-tains took their wives along for company. Thewomen from New England sea towns oftenknew as much about sailing as the men. WhenCaptain Patten fell ill of brain fever whilerounding Cape Horn in a storm, Mary BrownPatten, his 19-year-old wife, took commandand sailed the ship safely to San Francisco.

The discovery in the 1850s of under-ground sources of oil marked the decline ofthe whaling era in New England. The days ofthe clipper ship ended even more quickly. Theclippers simply could not compete with themetal steamships developed in England inthe 1860s.

By the late 1800s, the sea no longer playedsuch an important role in New England'seconomy. But money earned from the :Seawasused to build factories. The result was a newdirection for New England's economy.

Clipper ships in Boston Harbor

with Russia, Sweden, and even China. Whal-ing became an important activity. As thewhaling industry grew, so did New Englandseaports like New Bedford, Salem, Marble-head, and Nantucket.

The mid-1800s were the era of the Yankeeclipper ships. These elegant wooden ships, builtin New England, were designed for speed and

\ ./-;"'::::..;:~.7~:.:".~._~~::-.2~.~.~:-~~~.\-~7

From the time the first settlers discovered theycould not expect much from the soil of NewEngland, the sea played a major role in theregion's economy.

In colonial times, New England pros-pered from fishing and trade. One kind oftrade was the "triangular trade": New Eng-landers brought sugar up from the islands ofthe West Indies, used the sugar to make rum,took the rum to West Africa and traded it forslaves, and then sold the slaves in the WestIndies.

Cod was the main fish export, Its impor-tance was reflected everYWhere-from grave-yards, where an inscription reads:

Captain Thomas CoffinBorn Jan. 7, 1792. Died Jan. 10, 1842.He has finished catching cod,And gone to meet his God

to the Massachusetts Legislature, where the"Sacred Codfish" was prominently hung.

The American Revolution disrupted tradewith England, and New Englanders had to findnew trading partners. They soon were trading

Triangular Trade" involved slaves, sugar, and rum.

24 Spotlight on the USANew England 25

...... ; ...._-~"'-~ .Winter skiing

Discussion PointWhich of the following Maine vacations would

. you prefer to take?(1) a seaside vacation(2) a camping and hiking vacation(3) a skiing vacation

Explain the reasons for your choice.

in 1768 led to the occupation of Boston byBritish soldiers. From there, problems grew.In 1770, an angry crowd threw snowballs (ev-idently filled with stones and ice) at some sol-diers. The soldiers then fired into the crowd,killing five men; this event became known asthe Boston Massacre. In 1773, to protest.a newtax, Bostonians, dressed as Indians, threw 400crates of British tea into the Boston Harbor.

, Find the Question for TheseAnswersAsk questions to get these answers.

1. It's hardly ever over 55F.2. Hot dogs are used, but not hamburgers,3. Always; it never closes.

. 4. Don't plan it for May.5. There are thousands.

you can find them in Freeport, Maine at L.L.Bean, the outdoor clothing and equipmentstore. L.L. Bean is open 24 hours a day, everyday of the year!)

Maine has hundreds of lakes and riversfor boating. Maine is also popular amonghunters, because of its many deer, bears,squirrels, and rabbits.

In September, people drive through Maineto see the leaves turn all shades of red, yellow,and orange.

When the snows arrive-and they usuallyarrive early-skiers rush off to Maine's manymountains.

Depending on the kind of vacation youwant, you can visit Maine at just about anytime of year. The one time not to visit is May,when the fierce black flies make their yearlyvisit!

.',....'.c':-~i:7?;:AW{illij"glli~liEi:e:e4Qm'.ffrgil.:~~Sifitlt}fJ~~K'~;:'ir:,,"/:i~~'The American Revolution lasted from 1775 to1781. After March 1776, the city of Boston wasnever again touched by fighting. Yet no othercity played as important a role in the strugglefor independence. It was events in Boston thatled to the revolution.

In the 1760s, .England passed laws thatimposed taxes on the colonists and limitedtheir rights. Bostonians strongly objected. Riots

Colorful autumn

A delicious clambake

Cover the hot rocks with seaweed and then arack. Put food on the rack in the followingorder: clams, potatoes and onions, chickenand fish, hot dogs, and-finally-lobsters andcorn. Cover the food with a heavy cloth. Inan hour you'll have a feast!

Maine's woods are perfect for a hikingand camping vacation. You might try BaxterState Park in the north. This 200,OOO-acre parkis named after Percival Baxter, a governor ofMaine who bought the land little by little andthen gave it to the state. The park has manytrails and campsites; some you can reach onlyby boat. (By the way, if you need any supplies,

Summer on a lake

A.Maine~Vacation

A lighthouse on the rocky coast

A Maine vacation can be almost any kind ofvacation you want.

A Maine vacation can be a seaside vaca-tion along 'the state's rocky and winding coast.Glaciers and the sea have carved so many in-lets and harbors that the 228-mile-long coastwould be 3,478 miles if it were stretched outstraight! Thousands of islands lie off the coastof Maine. Most are uninhabited and are vis-ited only by fishermen. Many have strangenames-for example, Wreck Island, the Hyp-ocrites, Junk of Pork, Pope's Folly, and NoMan's Land.

If you want to explore the coast and is-lands, you can hire a boat and a captain.

One large and well-known island is MountDesert Island. Here you'll find the town of BarHarbor, a very popular summer resort. If youget tired of the shops and crowds, you canvisit Northeast Harbor, Southwest Harbor, andSomesville, the island's smaller towns. Youcan also go for a swim, although the watertemperature is hardly ever over 55F!

Maine is famous for its lobster. Whileyou're near the sea, you might want to havesome lobster or even a clambake-a tradi-tional meal that New Englanders adopted fromthe Indians. Here's how you can prepare aclambake: First, pile up layers of logs and rocks.When burned, the logs will heat the rocks.

26 Spotlight on the USA New England 27

The Battle of Bu~ker Hill. by American painter. John Trumbull

~BOSTOfll d~o~Boston's Freedom Trail

In response to the Boston Tea Party, Britainclosed the harbor. This response was a severeone, since Boston depended on trade.

Before long, colonists in and around Bos.ton began raising armies and preparing to fightif necessary. The first shots were fired in April1775, in the nearby town of Lexington. In.dependence was formally declared, by Mas-sachusetts and the 12 other colonies, on July4,1776."

Visitors to Boston can see landmarks ofthe revolution by walking the Freedom Trail.

1. The Freedom Trail begins in the BostonCommon. Today a public park, the Commonwas in the past a cow pasture, a public exe-cution site, lInd a drilling field for soldiers.When the British occupied Boston in 1768,their troops camped on the Common. TheBritish set off for Lexington and the first battleof the war, leaving the Common by boat. (To-

"The thirteen American colonies were Massachu-setts. New.Hampshire. Rhode Island. Connecticut.New York. New Jersey. Pennsylvania. Delaware.Maryland. Virginia. North Carolina. South Carolina. andGeorgia.

day this wouldn't be possible; the area waslong ago filled in to make more land!)

2. In times leading up to the Revolution,the Old South Meeting House was a church and,as its name suggests, an important meetingplace for the people of Boston. Here leaderssuch as Samuel Adams and James Otis gavespeeches that stirred up the colonists' emo-tions. Only hours before the Boston Tea Party,thousands met to discuss the tea tax. Later,British general "Gentleman Johnny" Bur-goyne, as a deliberate insult, tore up the churchbenches and used the Meeting House to ex-ercise horses.

3. The Old State House was the buildingfrom which the British had ruled Massachu.setts. On July 18, 1776, the Declaration ofIndependence was read from its balcony.The statues of a lion and a unicorn, symbolsof the British government, were thenthrown down into the streets. The streetsoutside the State House were also the sceneof the Boston Massacre, in 1970.

4. Faneuil Hall, sometimes called "theCradle of Liberty," functioned as both a mar-ket (downstairs) and a meeting place (up-stairs). The British took over Faneuil Hall and

I

\I

used it as a weapons storehouse and a theater.British officers were watching The Blockade ofBoston, a comedy written by General Bur-goyne himself, when someone cried out, "Therebels! The rebels! They're attacking Charles-town Neck!" The officers roared with laugh-ter-until they realized the play had beeninterrupted by a scene from real life!

5. Paul Revere was a well.known silver-smith and a hero of the revolution. The Free-dom Trail continues to a neighborhood known.as North Boston, where visitors can see PaulRevere'sHouse. This house is the oldest in Bos-ton. In the garden there is a large church bellmade by Revere. Nearby there is a statue inhonor of Revere's famous ride to Lexington.

6. The colonists knew the British plannedto attack Lexington. But they did not knowwhen or how the British would attack. PaulRevere said that when the British left Bostonhe would carry the word to Lexington. Heasked another Bostonian to hang either oneor two lanterns from the high steeple of OldNorth Church. One lantern would mean theBritish had left by land, two that they had left

by sea. As he galloped to Lexington, Reveresaw the two lights.

7. The last stop on the Freedom Trail isBunker Hill. Colonists defended Bunker Hillagainst a much stronger British force. The col-onists were defeated, but at a huge cost to theBritish. Bunker Hill convinced other coloniststo fight. For the colonists, it was a victory indefeat.

True or False. __ 1. Hundreds were killed in the BostonMassacre.__ 2. The Boston Tea Party was a meet-

, ing held to discuss a tea tax imposed by theBritish government.__ 3. The first battle of the Revolutionwas fought in 1775.

, __ 4. Inthe beginning. the Revolution tookI place mainly in Boston and the surroundingarea.___ 5. Boston was occupied by the Britishthroughout the Revolution.(For the answers. see page 171.)

-- . ~ 'P

28 Spotligllt on tile USA New England 29

I @iiiiifiiti1Jj# I I ,fJDmWJ !1iiifjjjjj};Jj I

COI,ectlngmaplesyrupfro", a tree

*Beans baked for hours with dark sugar and baconare a traditionaldish in Boston. where winters arecold.

married among themselves and gave their sonsBrahmin names (Cabot Lowell, Lowell Cabot,Endicott Peabody). Their sons always went toHarvard.

The Boston Brahmins were very "prop-er" - they did things in established ways. Mrs.John Lowell Gardner, a wealthy New Yorkerwho married a Brahmin, shocked the com-munity by posing for her portrait in a tight-fitting dress- not to mention taking walks withher pet lion!

The Brahmins were definitely exclusive.They did not like to socialize with other Yan-kees, and they especially looked down on theIrish Catholic immigrants who poured intoBoston in the mid-1800s. In response, an IrishBostonian wrote these now-famous sarcasticlines:

And this is good old Boston,The home of the bean and the cod,Where the Lowellstalk only to the Cabots,and the Cabots talk only to God.

In our century, barriers broke down, partlybecause of the growing influence of a certainIrish-American family from Boston - namely,the Kennedy family. And yet, even after hewas elected president, John F. Kennedy told afriend that he wasn't sure the Somerset Clubwould have him as a member!

For a brief period each spring in Vermont it'ssugaring time. When days are warm but nightsare cool, sap begins to run in the sugar mapletrees. The trees are then tapped and bucketsare put under the taps, in order to collect thesap. The maple sap is boiled down in sugar-houses, until it becomes a thick, rich liquidknown as maple syrup. Millions of trees mustbe tapeed, since it takes four trees to get enoughsap for a single gallon of syrup!

Elites don't fit the American ideal of equality,and the United States has had few elites. TheBoston Brahmins, however, were certainly anelite .

The Boston Brahmins were wealthy, well-educated, and exclusive. They were alwaysProtestants and belonged to old Yankee fam-ilies. Prominent among them were Cabots,Lowells, Peabodys, and Endicotts. These fam-ilies often lived in Beacon Hill, an elegant partof Boston. They socialized in private clubs likethe Somerset Club on Beacon Street. They

IC=---;~~~~:?";ffii'lfftIIrg~.----]

I

John SingletonCopleypaintedBoston's elite.

Student lifearoundHarvardSquare.Cambridge.

, Discussion Points Have you heard of Harvard University and

. MIT? If so, what else do you know aboutthem? Would you want to go to either uni-versity? If so, which?

i Would you want to live in a town likeCambridge, with many students? Why orwhy not?

Rowingon the CharlesRiver

Just across the Charles River from Boston isCambridge, America's most famous studenttown.

Cambridge is sometimes called the birth-place of American intellectual life: It has thenation's oldest university, Harvard University,founded in 1636. Cambridge remains a centerof intellectual life, especially since it's alsohome to MIT, the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology.

Harvard has an excellent reputation inmany fields; MIT is a leader in science andtechnology. Students attending Harvard andMIT come from around the world; Harvardalone has students from 90 countries.

Since one-fourth of the people in Cam-bridge are students, it's not surprising thatCambridge has many bookstores, shops, res-taurants, coffee houses, and clubs.

A common sight in Cambridge is Harvardoarsmen rowing on the Charles River. TheHarvard rowing team spends all year prepar-ing for races in the spring, especially for theHarvard-Yale Regatta. Yale University is Har-vard's big rival.

The ivywallsof HarvardUniversity

30 Spotlight on the USA New England 31

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Maple syrup is good on vanilla ice cream.It is absolutely necessary on pancakes-theflat, flour cakes that Americans sometimes eatfor breakfast. Some Americans may settle forimitation maple syrup, made in factories fromwater, sugar, and artificial colors and flavor.But the true pancake lover insists on havingthe real thing.

accusation a statement that someone hasdone something wrong

ancestor someone who was in your familylong ago (great-grandmother, great-great-grandfather, etc.)

barrier something that stops youfrom passing

Brahmin a member of the highest socialclass (this word is borrowed fromHindu castes in India)

campsite a place where people campcharacter your nature, what kind of person

you areclam a shellfish that is eaten as seafoodcolony an area that is governed by

another countryconform to go along with the rules, to

behave in the expected waysconvince to make someone believe

somethingcradle a small bed for a baby; the starting

point of an activity or movementcrate a large box usually made of woodcrop plants grown by farmers-fruits,

vegetables, etc.

: PuzzleDuring sugaring time. the temperaturechanges each day from warm during the dayto cool at night. See if you can change thetemperature from "warm" to "cool." Dothisby changing the starting word one letter ata time. You must form a word at each step.

: (In the example. there are only four stepsbetween "warm" and "cool." Any numberof steps is possible, Keep making changes

, until you get the word you want.)

'Example: warmwQrmworgwOQdwoo!cool

curse a strong wish for something bad tohappen to someone

decay to become ruined, usually slowlyover time

declare to say something firmly and clearly,especially in an official way

defeat (11) the losing of a game, fight,war, etc.

disrupt to bring or throw into disorder, tocause a change in something

distinct clear, easy to see, hear, or smelldwelling a place where people liveelite a small group with a lot of money

and/or poweremotion a mood or feelingera a period of timeessential necessaryevent something that happensexclusive including only certain people and

not including othersexport (11) something one country sells to

another countryfeast a large and special mealgallop to ride very fast on a horse

geography the land, climate, etc., of an areaglacier a huge piece of moving icehang to be killed by hanging from a

rope around the neck, especially ascapital puniShment

harsh cruel, severehike a long walk, especially in the countryimmigrant someone who comes from one

country to live in another countryimpose to force something on someoneindustrial with many factoriesinland away from the seainlet a bay or strait; a place where the coast

goes inlandmark an important building or other

important place, often easily recognizedlobster a shellfish with large clawslog a thick, rounded piece of wood from

a treemarket a place where food and other things

are soldmassacre killing of a group of people in a

cruel wayminer someone who digs in the ground for

metals or minerals like gold or coalmovement people coming together to reach

a goal, especially a political goalobject (v) to disagree with, to not likeobjection disagreements with somethingpolicy general plan of a government,

business, company, etc.practice what you preach to behave in a

way that fits with what you sayproperly correctly

prosper to become wealthy, to dowell financially

prosperous wealthyrelevant to have meaning for, to be

important toresort a place that many people visit on

vacationriot fighting in a crowd of peoplerole a part, a function; playa role to act a

part (e.g., in a movie), to have a certainfunction

rum an alcoholic drink made fromsugarcane

sarcastic using expressions that clearlymean the opposite to what is felt

seaport a town with a harbor used bylarge ships

seaweed a kind of plant that grows inthe sea

settle to make your home in a new placesocialize to spend time with other people in

a friendly waystruggle a big effort, a fighttrade (11) buying and sellinguninhabited not lived inweapon an instrument for fightingwear out to use something until it is

completely finishedwhaling hunting and killing whales for

their oilwinding having many twists and turnswitch a woman who uses magic to

do things

, i

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