American Panorama
S. Kathleen Kitao
Kenji Kitao Asahi Press ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors would like to express their appreciation to the following contributors: "State Symbols" Reprinted with permission of the Alaska State Department of Commerce and Economic Development, Division of Tourism "Niagara Falls Vacation Guide" Reprinted with permission of the Niagara Parks Commission "Ford's Theatre" Reprinted with permission of the National Park Service "The Arizona Memorial" Reprinted with permission of the National Park Service "A Clash of Cultures" Reprinted with permission of the National Park Service "Asian Americans Awake Politically" Reprinted with permission of ? ii INTRODUCTION Hints for Students The following suggestions will help you get the most out of this textbook. As you read, try to be open to another culture and way of life. The readings in this textbook include information on such diverse cultural areas as history, nonverbal communication, famous places, and minority groups in the United States. They will help you understand more about Americans and how they live. Be aware of the differences in literary form and writing style. The main reading selections are written in essay form. The supplementary readings are authentic materials, or materials written in other literary forms, on subjects related to the main readings. They included brochures, instructions, and a research paper. These will give you experience in reading real English. You will find that you need to use different strategies to read different selections. You do not always need to read every word or understand everything in the reading. In many cases, you just need to look for specific pieces of information. Do not translate the English you read. One purpose of this textbook is to help you develop reading skills and improve your reading speed without translating word-for-word into Japanese. Readings are grouped according to topic and level of difficulty. Difficult words and expressions are explained in easy English. Use these definitions to help you read without translating. Try to guess meanings of words you do not know. If you need to use a dictionary, use an English-English dictionary. Use the exercises to guide you in understanding the readings. iii Various types of exercises help you understand the content of each reading, including the main point, important details, and how they are related. Reading these selections and doing the exercises will help you learn reading techniques inductively. As you read each selection, time yourself. Record your reading speed in the "Time Record Chart". Use the "Reading Speed Chart" to calculate your reading speed. (The number of words in each main selection is at the end of the reading and in the "Time Record Chart".) Using these charts, you can see your reading speed improving. Use the photographs and other visual aids to help you understand what you are reading. Many illustrations were included to help you visualize the things you are reading about and give you background information. Read other material about American culture on your own. In this textbook, we are able to present only a few aspects of American life and culture. You should also read about other aspects on your own. Read as much as possible in English, so you can further improve your reading ability and increase your reading speed. You will be more motivated to read if you read about something you are interested in. To the Teachers The College Reading Materials Research Project began with six college and high school English teachers in December, 1979, and was partially supported by research grants from the Japanese Association of Language Teachers (JALT) in 1980 and 1981. Our goal is to develop reading materials that will help first and second year college students by: 1) giving them information about the United States of iv America, 2) interesting them in reading English, 3) exposing them to a variety of literary forms, 4) helping them improve their reading skills, and 5) helping them increase their reading speed. We started by doing research on reading problems of Japanese college students. Based on our findings, we developed reading materials and printed the first edition of An American Sampler in 1981. After using this first edition in the classroom in 1982, we revised it and expanded it into three volumes. The first volume, published by Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, is being marketed worldwide. Two more texts in the American Reading Series have since been published by Addison-Wesley under the titles of American Patterns and American Vistas. In 1982, we also began working on American Holidays, a text that has since been published by Eichosha Shinsha, along with American Mosaic and later American Reflections. Through our experiences in developing these texts, we have learned much about Japanese students and their reading problems and needs. In order to to help students with these problems and particularly to help them get used to extensive reading at a reasonable speed, we developed American Potluck, which was published in 1986 by Asahi Press, and this textbook, American Panorama. These textbooks have two types of readings. The main readings are in essay form. The vocabulary used in these readings is mostly limited to words on a 4000-word list compiled by the Japan Association of College English Teachers (JACET). Because they are in essay form and have limited vocabulary, these are good to use for practice to increase reading speed. Words that are not on JACET's list are defined after the reading. (These words are marked with asterisks.) In addition, words that might have an unfamiliar meaning or might require unfamiliar cultural information in order to understand are also defined. v In each section, two of the readings have supplementary readings or activities on topics related to the topic of the reading. These are mostly authentic English, without limitations on the vocabulary. The supplementary readings give students exposure to authentic English and help them develop certain skills, such as skimming. Only words that are not on the list and are important to understanding the overall meaning of the passage or words that are necessary for answering the questions in the exercises are defined in the supplementary readings. We wish to thank the contributors who allowed us to reprint their writings and Ms. Cathy Duppenthaler, who read the manuscript and made many useful comments that helped us improve it. We would also like to express our appreciation to Mr. Vincent Brodrick, Ms. Barbara Fujiwara, Ms. Michiko Inoue, Mr. Hideo Miyamoto, Ms. Junko Miyazaki, and Mr. Leslie Sackett for helping lay the foundations for this textbook and Mr. Shinsuke Yoshida, Ms. Haruyo Yoshida, Mr. Makoto Kurata, and Mr. Kinji Kawamura, who helped with the preliminary research. S. Kathleen Kitao, PhD Kenji Kitao, PhD May, 1988 Kyoto, Japan vi Table of Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii I. Famous Places . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1. Alaska--The Forty-Ninth State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 State Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2. Alcatraz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 3. Niagara Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Niagara Falls Vacation Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 4. Colonial Williamsburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 II. American History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 5. Colonial New England . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 6. The Westward Expansion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 7. The Civil War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Ford's Theatre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 8. Pearl Harbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 The Arizona Memorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 III. Minorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 9. American Indians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 A Clash of Cultures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 10. The Jews in the United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 11. The Amish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 12. Japanese-Americans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Asian Americans Awake Politically . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 vii I. Famous Places Most working Americans get two to three weeks vacation every year. Many travel inside the United States. Here, you will read about four of the places that are popular with people on vacation. Alaska is a vast state, rich in natural resources. Many people visit this state on cruises. They visit port cities and interesting sights along the coast. Niagara Falls is one of North America's great natural wonders. It is a popular place for people to go for their honeymoon. Alcatraz is an island in the San Francisco Bay. It was a prison from 1934 to 1963. Now it is a popular tourist attraction among visitors to San Francisco. Williamsburg is a city founded during America's colonial period. It has been rebuilt to look like it did in 1770. People who visit Colonial Williamsburg can learn about colonial life. Vocabulary 1. 5 * cruises: sea or river voyages for pleasure 2. 8 * honeymoon: holiday taken by a man and woman who have just gotten married 3. 14 America's colonial period: period of American history from the founding of the first permanent English colony (1607) until the English colonies became independent in 1776
4. Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg is a town in Virginia that has been reconstructed to look as it did in the 18th century. It is one of the most popular tourist sites in the United States. In Williamsburg, visitors can almost feel that they are back in the 18th century. Williamsburg was founded in 1633. In 1699, it became the capital of the colony of Virginia. The governor of the colony planned the new town. The plan featured three streets running east to west. The street in the center was a broad street running from the campus of the College of William and Mary to the Capitol. The Palace Green formed the north-south axis of the town. It was also the main approach to the new Governor's Palace, where the governor lived. Before and during the American Revolution, colonial leaders met in Williamsburg to discuss the important issues of their day. Many of these leaders had close connections to Williamsburg. Decisions that would influence the course of the Revolution were made there. In 1790, the capital of Virginia was moved, and Williamsburg became a quiet little town again. Gradually, modern commercial buildings were built. Williamsburg came to look like any other small American town. However, some of the buildings of the colonial period survived. In 1926, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., became interested in reconstructing Williamsburg as an educational project. At that time, ninety buildings from the period before the Revolution were standing. Property was purchased in the older sections of town, and preparation for the reconstruction began. Architects, historical researchers, and archaeologists began their research. They wanted to make the reconstruction of Williamsburg look as much like the original town as possible. First, they studied the buildings that remained standing. They also studied the foundations of buildings that had been destroyed, in order to learn more about these buildings. In addition, they went to other parts of Virginia to study buildings from the colonial period. Some buildings had to be reconstructed--they had been destroyed and had to be built again. Two important buildings had to be reconstructed--the Governor's Palace and the Capitol building. Some buildings were still standing. They had to be restored--returned to their appearance in colonial times. Colonial Williamsburg officially opened in 1934, after the Capitol and the Governor's Palace were completed. Since then, the rest of the old city has been restored or reconstructed. Thorough research has allowed the city to be restored so it looks much as it did more than 200 years ago. As a visitor to Colonial Williamsburg, you could easily spend several days on the activities and tours available in the town. The most popular sites are the Capitol and the Governor's Palace. There are also several other public buildings, including the Gaol (jail), the Courthouse, the Bruton Parish Church, and the Wren Building on the campus of the College of William and Mary. Many private houses have also been reconstructed or restored, so visitors can see how the people of colonial Virginia lived. Houses of both old, upper-class families and middle-class families have been restored. Some of these houses are open for tours. They contain beautiful furniture from the colonial period. The gardens of many of the houses have also been planted to look as they did in colonial times. Craft shops are also popular. Visitors can watch craftspeople practice their trades. They use the same methods, tools, and equipment that the craftspeople of Williamsburg did two hundred years ago. They make a wide variety of articles, including cabinets, chairs, and other pieces of furniture, books, boots and shoes, barrels, and musical instruments. They also make items from silver, bronze, brass, and other metals. Another interesting aspect of Williamsburg is the clothing that is worn by the people who work in the town. Tour guides, workers in the craft shops, and other employees of Colonial Williamsburg dress as people did in colonial times. In addition to the colonial buildings, Williamsburg offers a wide variety of educational and entertainment activities. Restaurants serve meals that were common in the city during colonial times. In the evening, visitors can see slide shows and films on a wide variety of topics related to life in the colonial period and to the Williamsburg project. A special tour for children allows children to participate in activities that the children of Williamsburg may have taken part in two hundred years ago. There are also special conferences at different times during the year. They deal with such areas as gardening and antiques. Since Colonial Williamsburg opened, millions of Americans and visitors from overseas have taken the opportunity to visit it. It is an experience no one could forget. (780 words) Vocabulary 1. T colonial: of a colony; related to the time America was a colony of Britain 2. 9 * Capitol: building where a congress meets 3. 9 green: smooth stretch of grass 4. 10 axis: line the divides something into two equal parts 5. 10 approach: way or means of coming to a place 6. 21 John D. Rockefeller, Jr.: (1874-1960) an American whose family became rich in the oil business and who was helpful to many people 7. 26 * archaeologists: people who study the buried remains of ancient times, such as houses, tools, etc. 8. 47 courthouse: building in which a court of law meets 9. 56 craftspeople: highly skilled workers who make things with their hands 10. 62 brass: a bright, hard, yellow metal, made of a mixture of copper and zinc 11. 69 colonial times: the period of time before the United States became an independent country, when it was a colony of Britain 12. 76 * antiques: furniture, jewelry, etc., that is valuable because it is old and rare Skimming Exercise Put the following topics in the order they appear in the reading. a. private homes and public buildings in Williamsburg b. John D. Rockefeller's interest in Williamsburg c. preparations for the reconstruction project d. educational and entertainment activities e. the history of Williamsburg f. craft shops True/False Questions T F ? 1. Colonial Williamsburg is a town that was reconstructed to look as it did during the time America was a colony of Britain. T F ? 2. Williamsburg was planned with three streets running east and west, and the Palace Green running north and south. T F ? 3. Williamsburg was still the capital of Virginia when the reconstruction project began in 1926. T F ? 4. Much research was done in order to make the buildings in Colonial Williamsburg look like the original ones. T F ? 5. Some buildings in Colonial Williamsburg had to be rebuilt; others were still standing, and only had to be restored. T F ? 6. The only tourist sites in Williamsburg are public and private buildings. T F ? 7. In Colonial Williamsburg, craftspeople use modern methods to make items that were used in Williamsburg 200 years ago. T F ? 8. Some of the people who work in the town wear clothing like that worn in colonial America. T F ? 9. Parents are discouraged from bringing children to Colonial Williamsburg, because there are no special activities for children there. T F ? 10. There is a conference on literature of the colonial period every year in Williamsburg. Comprehension Questions 1. What is Colonial Williamsburg? 2. How do visitors feel in Colonial Williamsburg? 3. Where did the middle street of the three east-west streets run? 4. What happened in Williamsburg during the Revolution? 5. What was Williamsburg like after the capital of Virginia was moved? 6. What was done to help make sure that Colonial Williamsburg looked as much like the original town as possible? 7. Were the Capitol and Governor's Palace still standing when the Colonial Williamsburg project began in 1926? 8. What can you see inside some private homes? What can you see outside? 9. What is served in restaurants in Colonial Williamsburg? 10. What can visitors do in the evening? Cloze Exercise Ann: Did you have a good time on your vacation? Linda: Yes, I had a great time. Ann: Where did you go? Linda: I visited friends in Virginia. They took me to see 1________ Williamsburg. Ann: How did you like it? Linda: It was really fascinating. We almost felt that we had gone back to colonial America. Ann: What kinds of things can you see there? Linda: Both the 2________ and the 3________ 4________ have been reconstructed, and they're the most popular sites. Some other public buildings, such as the Gaol, the 5________, and the Wren Building on the campus of the 6________ of William and Mary, have been restored. In addition, many private 7________ have been restored. Some of them are open to the public. They have beautiful 8________ from the colonial period. Some 9________ have also been planted as they looked in the eighteenth century. Ann: I've heard that you can watch 10________ making things like furniture and books. Linda: That's right. We got to watch people working in several shops, including a man making 11________ instruments and ones making items from 12________, brass, bronze and other metals. That was one of the most interesting things we saw. Ann: Is it true that people who work in the town wear 13________ from the colonial period? Linda: Yes, it is. Ann: What else can you do, besides looking at the buildings and watching the crafts? Linda: Well, the restaurants serve 14________ that were common during colonial times. And in the evening, you can see slide shows and films about 15________ 16________ and the Colonial Williamsburg 17________. While we were in Williamsburg, there was a 18________ on gardening going on. Ann: It certainly sounds interesting. I'd like to visit Williamsburg some time. Linda: You should. I'm sure you'd really enjoy it. Visualization Exercise Locate the Capitol, Courthouse, Governor's Palace, Bruton Parish Church, and the Wren Building. How far apart are the Governor's Palace and the Bruton Parish Church? the Wren Building and the Capitol? Discussion Exercise 1. Would you like to go to Williamsburg? If so, what would you like to see there? Why? If you aren't interested in going to Williamsburg, why not? 2. Have you even been to a place like Williamsburg in Japan? How was in similar to Williamsburg? How was it different? Did you like it? Why or why not? 3. Do you think it is important to preserve places like Williamsburg? Why or why not? Catalog (in Japanese)