The changing american family

The American family unit is in the process of change. There used to be mainly two types of families: the extended and the nuclear. The extended family most often included mother, father, children, and some other relatives, such as grandparents, living in the same house and nearby. Then as job patterns changed and the economy progressed from agricultural to industrial, people were forced to move to different parts of the country for job opportunities. These moves split up the extended family. The nuclear family became more prevalent; this consisted of only me parents and the children.

In the American family the husband and wife usually share important decision making. When the children are old enough, they participate as well. Foreign observers are frequently amazed by the permissiveness of American parents.' The old rule that "children should be seen and not heard" is rarely followed, and children are often allowed to do what they wish without strict parental control. The father seldom expects his children to obey him without question, and children are encouraged to be independent at an early age. Some people believe mat American parents carry this freedom too far. Young people are| expected to break away from their parental families by the time they have reached their late teens or early twenties.

Now, besides these two types of traditional grouping, the word "family" is being extended to include a variety of other living arrangements. Today's family can be made up of diverse combinations. With the divorce rate nearly one in two, there is an increase in single-parent homes: a father or mother living with one or more children. Blended families occur when previously married men and women marry again and combine the children from former marriages into a new family. On the other hand, some couples are deciding not to have any children at all, so there is an increase in two-person childless families. There are also more people who live alone: single, widowed, divorced. Now, one in five Americans lives alone.

Распространенный; разделять; малый; превалирующий; вседозволенность; быть поощренным; количество разводов; смешанный.

CANADA

Canada consists of almost the entire North American continent north of the US except Alaska. Its total land area of more than 9 million square km makes it the second largest country in the world.

Canada's topography is dominated by the Canadian Shield, an ice-scoured area covering half of the country. Most of northern Canada has sub arctic or arctic climates, with long cold winters lasting 8 to 11 month, short sunny

summers, and little precipitation. In contrast, the populated south has a variety of climatologically landscapes.

The total population according to the 1981 census was about 24 million people with the average population density of 2.8 per sq. km.

English and French are the official languages of Canada and have equal status and equal rights and privileges as to their use in, all governmental institutions.

Canada is a federation of 10 provinces and 2 northern territories. The federal Parliament is made up of the House of Commons and the Senate. The leader of the party that wins the largest number of seats in a newly elected House of Commons is asked to form the government.

The civil law follows English common law everywhere except in Quebec, where it follows the Napoleonic Code.

Canada is a world leader in the production of asbestos, nickel and different other elements, forestry products, and ranks first in the world in export of minerals. Although no longer the foremost sector of the economy, agriculture is of major importance to the economy as a whole and still is basic in many areas. Canada is among the world's leading wheat producers and is second in the export of wheat.

Basically, Canada has a free-enterprise economy. A recurrent problem for Canada has been the dominant position of US corporations and investors.

Щит; размытый льдомj осадки; плотность населения; перепись; свободное предпринимательство; повторяющийся.