American Patchwork
S. Kathleen Kitao
Kenji Kitao Asahi Press ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors would like to express their appreciation to the following contributors: "Grand Canyon National Park Official Guide" Reprinted with permission of the National Park Service "Research Paper" excerpted from Kitao, S.K. and Kitao, K. (1988). Differences in Kinesic Codes Between Japanese and United States Nationals. World Communication, 17(1). Reprinted with permission of the authors. "Edison's Inventions" Reprinted with permission of the National Park Service "Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Visitor Program" Reprinted with permission of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Copyright, 1989 by S. Kathleen Kitao and Kenji Kitao. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from the authors. Published by Asahi Press 3-3-5 Nishi Kanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101 Japan Phone (03) 239-0271 Fax (03) 261-0532 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 famous places, nonverbal communication, famous people, and American history. 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 and American Panorama, which were published in 1986 and 1989, respectively, by Asahi Press, and this textbook, American Patchwork. 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. 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, one or 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. 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. We would also like to thank Ms. Tamara Swensen for reading and commenting on the manuscript. S. Kathleen Kitao, PhD Kenji Kitao, PhD May, 1989 Kyoto, Japan vi Table of Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii I. Famous Places . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1. Southern California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2. The Grand Canyon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Grand Canyon National Park Official Guide . . . . . . . . . 14 3. Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 4. Washington, D.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 II. Nonverbal Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 5. Gestures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Research Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 6. Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 7. Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Experiment on Personal Space or Territory . . . . . . . . 51 8. Touch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 III. Famous People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 9. Thomas Jefferson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 10. Thomas Alva Edison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Edison's Inventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 11. John F. Kennedy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 12. Sally Ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 IV. American History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 13. The Revolutionary War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 14. The Great Depression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 15. The Civil Rights Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 16. America in Space: The First 25 Years . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Visitor Program . . . . . . 123 vii I. Famous Places Americans enjoy visiting the varied and interesting parts of the United States. In this section, you will learn about four very different places. Southern California attracts many visitors every year. They are attracted by its good weather, a wide variety of activities, and Southern California's image of being new, exciting, and unusual. The Grand Canyon is on of the most beautiful places in the United States. It is a popular places for Americans to visit, with three million people going there every year. The State of Texas has an unusual and interesting history that has today made it one of the most unique states. It also includes great variety, ranging from mountains to deserts to beaches. Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, is another interesting place to visit. Besides government buildings, many of which are open to the public, it has monuments to famous Americans and cherry trees that bloom every spring.
4. Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., capital of the United States, is located between Maryland and Virginia. In the 1700's, a French architect designed a beautiful city like Paris, with wide boulevards and many parks and squares. However, it was many years before the city that he designed came into being. Even in the early 20th century, the area between the White House and Capitol was covered by a marsh, train tracks, and warehouses. The government decided to clean it up. Today, Washington has become one of the most beautiful cities in the world and a model of urban planning. Three important buildings house the three branches of the American government. They are the executive, legislative and judicial branches. The White House is the private home of the President and the office building of the executive branch. The public can tour parts of the first two floors. The Capitol, where Congress meets, dominates Washington's skyline due to its size and central location. It is decorated with paintings and statues related to American history. The public can tour the Capitol and observe sessions of Congress. The Supreme Court meets in a building like an ancient Greek temple, located east of the Capitol. In addition to these three buildings, there are many other government buildings open to the public. One such building is the National Archives. On permanent display there are the originals of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence. Many other documents are stored there, including treaties, Presidential papers, and other civil, military and diplomatic records. There are also photographs, newsreels, recordings, maps, and charts of historical interest. In addition to government buildings, Washington has many monuments. The Washington Monument honors the first President of the United States. This simple, beautiful monument is a single white marble needle 555 feet tall. Visitors can go up to the top, where they get a breathtaking view of the city. The Lincoln Memorial has 36 marble columns and a seated statue of Lincoln. The third major monument is the Jefferson Memorial. It is a round, columned building with a standing statue of Jefferson in the center. Washington is also noted for its museums. Founded in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution has grown to be the largest museum complex in the world. Eleven of its twelve museums are in Washington. The most popular museums include the National Air and Space Museum, the National Gallery of Art, the National Museum of History and Technology, and the Natural History Museum. Tourists come to Washington all year around. However, the most popular time is the first half of April. That is when the cherry trees presented to the city by the mayor of Tokyo are in bloom. Thousands of cherry trees bloom throughout the city. The most famous view of the cherry blossoms is of those surrounding the Jefferson Memorial. It is impossible, in one short article, to describe all of the things there are to see and do in Washington. Many visitors return to the city again and again. They explore new places and revisit old favorites. (512 words) Vocabulary 1. 3 boulevards: broad streets, often with trees on each side 2. 6 the White House: the building where the President lives and has his office 3. 6 the Capitol: the building where the law-making body meets 4. 6 marsh: area of low land that is soft and wet 5. 7 warehouses: buildings where things are stored 6. 9 urban planning: careful arrangement of the streets, parks, buildings, etc., of a city 7. 11 executive (branch): part of the government that carries out laws 8. 11 legislative (branch): part of the government that makes laws 9. 11 judicial (branch): part of the government related to interpreting laws 10. 14 Congress: the law-making body of the United States 11. 15 skyline: shape of city buildings against the background of the sky 12. 17 the Supreme Court: the highest court in the United States 13. 22 archives: place where important papers and records are kept 14. 23 the Constitution: a document that specifies the principles according to which the United States is governed 15. 24 the Bill of Rights: ten additions to the United States Constitution that protect such rights as freedom of speech and freedom of religion 16. 24 the Declaration of Independence: a document written in 1776, while the United States was thirteen colonies of England, declaring that they were an independent country 17. 27 newsreels: film of news events 18. 29 Washington: George Washington (1732-1799), the first President of the United States (1789-1797) and commander of all American soldiers in the war for independence from Britain (1775-1783) 19. 32 breathtaking: very beautiful; so beautiful that it takes the breath away 20. 32 Lincoln: Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), sixteenth President of the United States (1861-1865), during the war between the northern and southern states 21. 34 Jefferson: Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), third President of the United States (1801-1809) and author of the Declaration of Independence (1776) 22. 41 natural history: study of natural objects (animals, plants, rocks, etc.) and their development and relationships 23. 44 in bloom: with their flowers open 24. 48 article: piece of writing Pre-Reading Exercise What do you know about Washington, D.C.? What is it? Where is it located? What is located there? True/False Exercise T F ? 1. Washington has always been famous as a beautiful city. T F ? 2. Washington is now a good example of planning a city. T F ? 3. Two of the three branches of the United States government are located in Washington. T F ? 4. The public is not allowed in the White House. T F ? 5. Laws are made in the Capitol. T F ? 6. The public is not allowed to watch when Congress meets. T F ? 7. The Supreme Court Building is designed to look modern. T F ? 8. The Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials both have statues. T F ? 9. Most of the Smithsonian Museums are located in Washington. T F ? 10. The most popular of the Smithsonian Museums in the National Air and Space Museum. Comprehension Questions 1. What city was Washington designed to be like? 2. Who lives in the White House? 3. What three important documents does the National Archives have? 4. What does the National Archives keep, other than papers? 5. What three Presidents are honored with monuments in Washington? 6. What is the Washington Monument like? 7. Why is April such a popular time to visit Washington? 8. What is a famous view of the cherry blossoms? 9. Why do people visit Washington more than once? Cloze Exercise Three very important buildings in Washington are the White House, the Capitol, and the Supreme Court Building. The 1__________ lives and works in the 2__________ 3__________. The public can tour parts of the first two 4__________. Congress meets in the 5__________, which has many paintings and statues related to American 6__________. The Supreme Court meets in a building east of the Capitol. There are also other government buildings which the public can see, such as the 7__________ 8__________. Important historical documents, records, newsreels, and so on, are stored there. In addition to the buildings, there are also 9__________ in Washington. One is the Washington Monument. It is a white marble 10__________ 555 feet tall. From the top of it, visitors can see a beautiful 11__________. The Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial have columns and 12__________. Discussion Exercise List the buildings and attractions mentioned in this reading. What would you find in Japan that is similar? For example, the Capitol building in Washington would be similar to the Diet Building in Japan.Catalog (in Japanese)