Cornfields in Iowa
The USA
- 1 Welcome to America
- 2 Living the dream
- 3 A melting pot or a salad bowl?
- 4 The Heartland
- 5 The sound of America
- 6 You can really be someone
- 7 If you’re so smart, why aren’t you rich?
- 8 Over easy and hash browns on the side
- 9 Super-sized or super hungry?
- 10 On the move
Welcome to America
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The Badlands, South Dakota
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Tropical beach in Hawaii
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Mountains in Alaska
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Manhattan, New York
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The American Dream
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The melting pot
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Flag in classroom
Welcome to America
Perhaps you feel you already know the USA. You’ve probably seen many American films and TV series. In fact, you’re very likely to have watched American cartoons and listened to American music since you were little. You are certainly connected to the world through the products and services designed there – smartphones, tablets, PC’s, Google, Facebook and Snapchat.
At the time of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, there were 2.5 million people living in the USA. Now there are about 320 million spread over 50 states. The USA is a very large country, with a landmass of almost 10 million km2. There are nine time zones and it takes between 5 and 7 hours to fly coast to coast on the mainland. The climate and geography are enormously varied. From the rolling cornfields of Iowa to the strange rock formations in South Dakota, from the tropical beaches of the islands of Hawaii to the snow-capped mountains in Alaska … You would need more than one lifetime to see them all.
The USA is a young nation. It was founded by immigrants who dreamt of a better life in a new country. This dream has now become what is known as the American Dream, which is a belief that everyone is created equal and that everyone can be a success if they work hard enough. However, not all jobs in the USA lead to success, not everyone can find work and some work is badly paid. Someone serving burgers or coffee has to work for more than six months to earn what the bosses of McDonald’s or Starbucks earn in one hour. And what about the people whose ancestors were brought to the USA as slaves? Or were cheated of their land, like the Native Americans? Many still face difficulties in the race to succeed.
So what holds this vast country together? What does a farmworker in Texas have in common with a computer engineer in California or a high school student in New Jersey? In the USA there is a very strong sense of pride in being American, whatever your background. Many Americans believe that the USA is the greatest place on earth. Every day schoolchildren face the American flag in their classroom and say: “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands – one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”. The USA is a big country with big ideals.