Everyone knows that the American system of measures is significantly different from the Russian system. Every tourist who comes to the states finds it difficult to navigate the stores and take exactly as much as needed. In this article, I'll tell you why the US still uses inches, pounds, and yards.
Instead of the traditional measurement system, which is officially accepted in almost every country in the world, America uses the U. S. Customary System. It includes hundreds of different units of measurement, but it is interesting that with the same name they can mean different things. Take an ordinary ton, for example, from us, Russians, this means 1000 kilograms of a substance, no matter what. And in the United States there are about 10 definitions of the term “ton”: short ton, fuel ton, register ton, and so on.
Let's take a look at history. In the 18th century, the French developed a convenient metric system, then the states were dependent on Britain, which used its own British Imperial System. As soon as America gained independence, the country began to make active attempts to switch to a new system of calculation.
France invited representatives from all countries of the world, including the United States, to an international meeting in 1798 to acquaint everyone with the invented metric system. Although the trip was very costly for the United States, they nevertheless sent their representatives, who were delighted to see the new measurement rules. However, an attempt to convince the authorities to change the already established canons of measurement in the United States was crowned with defeat. American leaders proclaimed that the U. S. Customary System is sufficiently unified that there is no point in changing it.
After the Civil War, Americans again raised the issue of international measurement system standards. Looking around, they found that almost all European countries had switched to the decimal system. And at the end of the 19th century, the country officially adopted an act on the transition to other dimensions in all categories. After the signing of an international convention in 1866 on the transition of all countries to the metric system, metric standards were developed in the French city of Serve, and copies were sent to other countries, including America.
Having received the international standards of meter and kilometer, the Americans translated everything in their own way and defined the yard as 0.9144 meters, and the foot as 0.453 kilograms. What happens? Formally, the United States nevertheless switched to international metric units more than a century ago, but in fact, making a decision on paper does not at all mean translating it into practice.
Today, less than half of all industries use the new system. The pharmaceutical industry is called strictly metric, since the composition and other characteristics of medical products are indicated in accordance with international standards. Mildly metric is the beverage, tool and bicycle industries. In other areas, even in new ones, they are measured in the old fashioned way.
There are a number of perfectly logical reasons why the Americans still have not fully accepted the system proposed by France. First, the translation of all scientific papers, instructions, drawings, programs in a new way is a very costly business. Secondly, the psychological factor interferes. Stubborn and conservative Americans will resist innovations that are inconvenient for them to the last, especially those that are imposed by foreigners. And thirdly, the largest and most advanced corporations in the world, as you know, are located in the United States. The products manufactured by them are competitive in international markets, even in spite of the unusual measures. Therefore, when traveling around the country, be prepared that you will often have to use all sorts of reference books, so as not to accidentally buy too much.
Education in the United States is distinguished by a high level of education, the widespread popularity of American diplomas, the impeccability of the English language and the presence of brilliant job opportunities not only in a country of prosperity and limitless realities, but also in various parts of the world. The American educational system is renowned for its diversity. The proof of this is:
Education scheme
Despite the absence of a unified state education system and the determination of its structure by each state separately, education in America has a multi-stage nature. The educational system of the country is composed of:
Preparing children for school
Instilling an interest in learning, developing a child's abilities, and shaping him as a person are the main tasks of preschool education in the United States, which is represented by institutions such as nurseries, kindergartens, preschool centers (public and private). Creation of nursery schools for the smallest pupils has become a fairly common phenomenon at this stage of education.
The methodological activity of all preschool institutions is based on the principle of play, from which a smooth transition to reading, writing, and the formation of appropriate skills for doing educational work at school is carried out. Meanwhile, the main emphasis is on the all-round development of the child, which, to a certain extent, is facilitated by modeling, making crafts, music, drawing, singing, and physical exercises.
Some states issue certificates of general achievement for the pupil after graduation from preschool (in certain cases, a required document for enrollment in primary school).
The experience of opening small private kindergartens for Russian children from the age of two is known (the number of pupils does not exceed 8 people). 
School education
Schooling is the education of children in primary and secondary schools. Primary schools in America assume a differentiated principle of completing classes. Based on the results of the test, which tests the child's intelligence, flexibility and depth of mental ability, students are enrolled in groups ("gifted", "normal", "incapable"). Consequently, teaching in group "A" orients students towards entering college from the first days of classes, characterized by a high level of requirements for student knowledge.
The content of instruction at the initial stage is determined by the curriculum, which includes: reading, writing, literature, spelling, mother tongue (on an oral basis). In accordance with the planning, the study of arithmetic, geography, history, natural science, hygiene takes place. A certain role is assigned to manual labor and physical education, music and fine arts. However, the distribution of study time for the study of subjects is ambiguous: arithmetic, music, manual labor and the visual arts occupy equal positions.
The duration of education in secondary school is 6 years (junior level - 3 years, senior level - the same period). The lower secondary school is notable for the lack of uniform programs, plans and textbooks. The versatility of training at this level is due to the following factors:
- the duration of the academic year, including semesters (170-186 days);
- five-day school week;
- duration of classes (from 8.30 to 15.30);
- the presence of a system for choosing subjects from grade 8;
- compulsory study of English, mathematics, natural science, social studies, hygiene, physical education, music, labor and fine arts.
The main subjects of the upper secondary curriculum are English (4 years of study), mathematics (2 years), science (2 years), and social sciences (3 years of study). 
The presence of various types of secondary schools (academic, professional, multidisciplinary) predetermines their focus. The academic type of schools orients students towards the subsequent education at the highest level. A prerequisite for admission is the passing of the test, which determines the coefficient of the student's mental giftedness (90 and above).
Vocational secondary schools prepare students for practical activities.
A multidisciplinary secondary school assumes the presence of various departments from the 9th grade: industrial, agricultural, commercial, academic, general. Moreover, the last two profiles do not provide students with an adequate level of preparation for admission to colleges and universities.
Due to the compulsory secondary education, American schoolchildren are provided with public schools (education is free), private schools with a high level of education on a paid basis, specialized private schools for gifted children, the possibility of home schooling.
The presence of 3,000 private schools, where tuition fees are more than 2,000 dollars a year, testifies to the wealth of a certain number of Americans who can afford their children (about 3%) to study in such educational institutions. Natives of private schools hold posts of diplomats, leaders, members of the government. Most private schools have been given the status of boarding houses (students live throughout the academic year).
A certain percentage of American parents use pre-approved homeschooling opportunities. The explanation for this is their religious beliefs, the presence of features of the physical development of the student, the desire of parents to protect their child from weapons, drugs and alcohol.
If earlier special education in the United States was represented by a network of special institutions for children with mental, emotional or behavioral disabilities, now most children in this category receive the opportunity to study in regular classes in normal schools.
The presence of Russian emigrants in America contributed to the appearance of schools on the territory of the country that provide an educational process for their children. A striking example of this was the opening of a free Russian school in Florida (the city of Jacksonville) in 2009, where teaching is conducted in English (in addition to subjects, Russian language and literature). 
Such Russian institutions as extended-day schools, Sunday church schools at Orthodox parishes, and Jewish centers have become widespread in the States.
The opportunity to develop and improve their abilities and talents is provided to Russian children by various studios, educational centers of different orientations (sports, theater, visual arts).
There is no nationwide grading system in the United States (for some schools - a scale in numbers, for others - an alphabetic scale). A five-point letter scale with the highest marks A (excellent), B (good), C (average), D (below average), F (unsatisfactory) has become widespread in schools in the country.
The main form of testing students' knowledge is testing (annual tests of mental abilities, intra-class tests with a letter grading scale).
Completion of secondary education is accompanied by a high school diploma. The reality of this phenomenon is possible subject to the delivery of credit for 16 academic courses, which students choose independently for 4 years of study.
Some schools practice the organization of special courses, equivalent to the university level, for talented students, followed by the issuance of letters of recommendation for admission to elite universities.
A prerequisite for attempting to obtain higher education in the United States is passing the SAT test (determining the skills of literate writing, the level of problem solving).
Study in the States on vacation
The educational process during the holidays is carried out through the organization of children's camps in the United States, which provide children from many countries with a unique opportunity to relax and improve the level of language training. 
The effectiveness of summer education is achieved by a combination of the high professionalism of the teachers and the modern level of equipment for classrooms. Teaching English in the camp provides for a compulsory curriculum, designed for about 20 hours of classes per week. Improvement of grammatical and lexical skills, training of the skills of correct construction of phrases occurs naturally, in the process of carrying out various activities (role-playing games, excursions, meetings with interesting people, discos and sports).
The most important advantage of summer schools and camps is to provide a teenager with the opportunity to get rid of the language barrier due to complete immersion in the language environment. Private high schools are opening summer linguistic camps in America, offering children individual language courses and thematic programs focused on teaching English. Such camps can be organized in the spring, during the winter and autumn holidays. The programs “Language + Sports”, “English + Photo”, “English + Theater” have gained particular popularity among teenagers.
The opportunity to study in the USA for Russian schoolchildren can be realized through the following options:
- training at a public school throughout the year under the experience exchange program (FLEX) for adolescents from 15 to 18 years old;
- admission and study at a private school;
- obtaining permanent residence in America and choosing an educational institution for study (public or private).
Getting higher education
After graduating from high school, American adolescents are provided with the opportunity to access higher education thanks to the existence of colleges (community colleges), which form the backbone of the vocational education system in the United States.
These are two-year colleges in which the student receives an associate degree and upon graduation is transferred to the university. The cost of training in such a college is from 3.5 to 80 dollars per year.
These colleges are in demand not only among American, but also foreign students due to the availability of modern training programs, a simplified filing system, acceptable tuition fees, and comfortable living conditions. Professional colleges give the student the opportunity to continue their education at a university college with a bachelor's degree.
Higher education in the United States is represented by universities and colleges, which can be public (state funding) and private.
The main feature of institutions of higher education is the ability of a student to choose a study program in the United States. This means that they choose subjects for study (in addition to those compulsory in the specialty). Universities adequately provide their graduates with practical experience in their specialty through a combination of research and practice in the learning process. The duration of study at universities and colleges is 4 years. Graduates are awarded a bachelor's degree.
Obtaining academic degrees
A Master's degree in the United States provides the opportunity to obtain a master's degree after continuing education for two years. Education at the second stage of higher education is reduced to the preparation by the student of a large study in the specialty and its defense.
The highest level of education is a Ph.D. degree. The reality of getting it is determined by the following factors:
For graduates of universities and postgraduates in Russia, there is an opportunity for independent education and admission to graduate school in America. Candidates of science have a chance of admission to graduate school, but with subsequent training for 2-3 years. For them, internships in American institutions of higher education, participation in research activities or lecturing during the evaluation (legalization) of a diploma for the United States are real.
Education for Russians in America
If you want to study abroad, you should think about how much it costs to study in the United States. The initial number is from 30 thousand dollars per year. Therefore, it is worth looking for opportunities to receive free education in the United States, the reality of which can be realized through:
- scholarships awarded based on student achievement;
- grants provided in case of impossibility to pay for tuition;
- various types of financial assistance provided by the educational institution.
The following grant programs for studying in the United States are especially popular: the Fulbright program, the E. Musky scholarship program, and the AAUW educational foundation program.
To obtain an education in the States, you must pass tests (GRE, GMAT, SAT) for a high score, prepare a motivation letter of the highest quality, proving the uniqueness of the candidate for selection by the selection committee.
The search for a scholarship or grant for free education should begin two years before admission, because the application deadline has its own deadline.
There is a chance for outstanding athletes to receive free training opportunities through sports scholarships in the United States. However, the issuance of this unique American allowance is carried out only for 1 year, its extension is real at the end of the season, provided that the athlete improves his results.
Students from Russia can study in the States under a student exchange program, which involves an agreement between educational institutions for an internship or training for 1-2 semesters with accommodation on campuses or host families.
School education begins in the United States at the age of 5-6 and lasts 12 years. Basic information about school education in the United States can be found here.
After graduation, the US education system offers several options for continuing your studies: in a two-year community college or in a four-year college of higher education.
After a two-year study at community college, the student receives a professional Associate's degree of one of two types:
- professional AD, which allows you to work in junior positions in offices, in production, in medicine, but is not credited upon admission to a university. Typically, this is an associate of applied science degrees. Also, some community colleges do not issue diplomas to students, but certificates of completion, which, most likely, will also not be read by the university as part of the bachelor's program.
- Academic AD - actually replaces the first two years of undergraduate programs, recorded as Associate of Arts or Associate of Science.
Entering a four-year college of higher education, a student moves to a new level in the American education system - higher education.
The higher education system in the United States consists of three stages:
The first level is unergraduate: bachelor's degree. During the first two years on undergraduate programs, students receive a general education, and a specialization, major, is chosen in the 3rd year of study. Specialization is a block of items required to acquire a certain profession. However, the uniqueness of the US educational system is that specialization can be changed several times during the course of training - although this will most often require additional training time and costs.
Second level - graduate: master's degree. As a rule, in the United States, a master's degree is obtained by those who plan to pursue a scientific career, as well as a career in the field of psychology, education, and engineering. A significant part of master's programs are study programs consisting of classroom and self-study and a final written thesis - it is called "master's thesis" or "master's project".
The third level is postgraduate: postgraduate studies. A master's degree prepares a student for this level, but he can also immediately enter the program leading to a PhD degree, having received a master's degree in the course of training as an intermediate one. The PhD degree is awarded after the defense of the thesis.
All of the listed levels of education in the United States generally correspond to European educational levels. Read about how the educational system in the United States and Russia correlates and differs here.
The educational system in the United States is also quite unusual in terms of student assessment.
The educational system in America is highly flexible and variable, which attracts students from all over the world.
Political System of the USA
The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of 50 states. Each state has its own government ("state government *). In some ways the United States is like 50 small countries.
The government of the USA act according to the Constitution which was signed by the first thirteen representatives of thirteen original American states in 1787. The document was written in 1787 and since that time twenty six Amendments have been added. The first ten Amendments were simply rights or the Bill of rights. According to the Constitution the USA is a republic. So, the officials of any rank are elected by US citizens. Every citizen has rights which can not be violated.
The Constitution proclaims a federal system of government which keeps both the states and the federal power from getting too much power. It means that the federal government is given certain powers, for example, to make peace or war, to issue money and to regulate the trade and so on.
The federal power is located in Washington, D.C. It is based on legislative, executive and juridical branches of power.
The legislative power is vested in Congress, which consists of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives, There are 435 members in the House of Representatives and 100 senators in Congress. Each state elects two members for the Senate.
The executive branch is headed by the President who is assisted by the Vice President. The President enforces federal laws, serves as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The President can veto a bill unless Congress by a two-thirds vote shall overrule him. The Vice President, elected from the same political party as the President, acts as chairman of the Senate, and in the event of the death of the President, assumes the Presidency. The President of the USA is chosen in nationwide elections every 4 years together with the Vice.-President. The President can not be elected for more than two terms. The Cabinet is made up of Department Secretaries. The most important of them is the Secretary of State, who deals with foreign affairs.
The judicial branch is made up of Federal District Courts, 11 Federal Courts and the Supreme Court. Federal judges are appointed by the President for life.
Federal courts decide cases involving federal law, conflicts between citizens of different states.
Constitution has been amended twenty six times. The Bill of Rights guarantees individual liberties: freedom of word, »religion and so on. Later amendments abolished slavery, granted the vote to women and color people and allowed citizens to vote at the age of 18.
Political system of the USA
The United States of America is a federal republic of 50 states. Each state has its own government ("state government"). In some ways, the United States is like 50 small states.
The US government operates under a constitution that was signed by the first thirteen representatives of the thirteen original American states in 1787. The document was written in 1787 and since then 26 amendments have been made. The first ten amendments were simply human rights, or bill of rights. According to the Constitution, the United States is a republic. Thus, officials of any rank are elected by American citizens. Every citizen has rights that cannot be violated.
The constitution proclaims a federal system of government that keeps state and federal power from exceeding their powers. This means that the federal government has been given some powers, for example, to decide whether there will be peace or war, print money and regulate trade, etc.
The federal government is located in Washington, DC. It is based on the legislative, executive and legal branches of government.
Legislative power is vested in Congress, which consists of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. There are 435 members of the House of Representatives and 100 Senators in Congress. Each state elects two members for the Senate.
The executive branch is headed by a president, assisted by a vice president. The president signs federal laws and is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The President can veto the bill, but two-thirds of all votes in Congress opposing the President's decision overturn it. A vice president, elected from the same political party as the president, acts as chairman of the Senate and assumes the presidency in the event of the president's death. The President of the United States and the Vice President are elected in popular elections every four years. The President cannot be elected for more than two terms. The cabinet consists of the secretaries of the department. The most important of these is the Secretary of State, who deals with foreign policy.
The judicial branch consists of federal district courts, 11 federal courts, and the Supreme Court. Federal judges are appointed by the president for life.
Federal courts deal with cases where federal law is violated, as well as conflicts between citizens of different states.
The constitution has been amended 26 times. The Bill of Rights guarantees personal freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and so on. Later amendments abolished slavery, gave women and people of color the right to vote, and gave citizens over 18 the right to vote.
Questions:
1. What is the main document of the USA?
2. When was the Constitution of the USA signed?
3. How many Amendments have been added to the Constitution since 1787?
4. What does the Constitution proclaim?
5. What powers is the federal government given?
6. Where is the federal government located? ...
7. Where is the legislative power vested?
8. How many members are there in the House of Representatives?
9. Who is the head of the executive power in the USA?
10. How often do the President's elections take place?
11. Who deals with foreign affairs in the USA?
12. What does the Bill of Rights guarantee?
Vocabulary:
to consist of - to consist of
own - your own
to sign - sign, sign
original - bld. first
amendment - an amendment (to a resolution, a bill)
according to - in accordance with, according to
officials - officials, officials
citizen - citizen
to violate - to violate, trample, violate
to proclaim - to proclaim; to announce
certain - exact, certain
to issue money - issue money
to regulate the trade - regulate trade
federal power - federal power
to locate - to be, to be located
to vest - to vest (right), to give rights, to vest with the right
branch - department; branch (authority)
legislative - legislative
executive - executive
judiciary - judicial
Congress - Congress
house - bld. Ward
Senate - Senate
House of Representatives - House of Representatives
to assist - help, assist
Vice President - Vice President
elections - elections
to enforce - to compel, to compel (to smth.) ”to compel; impose (on)
commander-in-chief - commander-in-chief
armed forces - armed forces
to veto - to veto (on smth.), to prohibit
bill - bill
overrule - reject, refuse; set aside (smb. decision); reject
chairman - chairman
to assume - to accept, to assume (responsibility, management, etc.); receive (position)
Cabinet - Cabinet (ministers)
Department Secretaries - Ministers
Secretary of State - Secretary of State, Head of the U.S. Foreign Office
Federal District Court - Federal District Court
Supreme Court - Supreme Court
federal judges - federal judges
to appoint - to appoint
to amend - make changes, make amendments (to a bill, etc.)
to abolish - cancel, cancel, cancel, invalidate
slavery - slavery
to allow - allow, allow
It is determined by their main Law - the Constitution, adopted back in 1787. The main principles and defining concepts of the system are also indicated in amendments adopted a little later, or in other laws. Powers of the Constitution transfers to the Federal Government of the States. The main law of the country also defines the principle of separation of three powers, according to which the Federal Government consists of bodies independent from each other: legislative, executive, judicial. They, in turn, operate separately from each other.
The US Constitution is divided into several parts:
- the preamble, which describes in detail the main objectives of the adoption of the Constitution, their number is 85;
- articles - 7 pieces;
- amendments - 27 pieces, the first ten of which is the Bill of Rights.
The political system of the United States: the legislative branch of government
The highest body in the States is the bicameral Parliament, which makes up the US Congress, which consists of the US Senate and the US House of Representatives. In the Senate, each of the 50 states has 2 representatives. The specific number of people who can represent a particular state is determined each decade, it depends on the population in a particular state. However, even if the number of citizens residing is small, each state has at least one representative in the US Senate. Senators are elected for 6 years, representatives for two years. Each of them can be elected an unlimited number of times.
US Executive Branch
Executive power in the United States is exercised only by which is very voluminous. Everything is in his direct subordination, including ministers, heads of departments. The President is in charge of the entire mechanism of the executive apparatus.
The executive apparatus together with the president form the presidential power in the state. The President is responsible for the formation of the administration, the Cabinet of Ministers and executive boards. The Cabinet of Ministers, in turn, is not authorized to adopt government acts, it is an advisory body, so the President may not follow the advice given to him.
Form of government in the United States
Reflects the way of organization and structure of the highest power, the principles on which the interaction between its various institutions is based, and the participation of the population in the formation of the country's power units.
The form of government has several basic properties:
- the way in which the echelons of the highest power are formed;
- the structure of the authorities;
- principles underlying the interaction of authorities: legislative, executive;
- interaction between citizens of the state and the authorities;
- the degree of ensuring freedoms for the population by the power structures.
The political system of the United States is determined by the republican form of government, which is guaranteed by the Constitution of the state (Art. IV). in America it is implemented in the form of a presidential republic and has the following principles: The President of the Republic (in this case, the United States) is the head of government and state, the government is not accountable to Congress, the President does not have the authority to dissolve the chambers of Congress.
The political state power in the country is built on the principle of separation of powers. In the conditions of the United States, this principle has been transformed into the actual relations that exist between the three bodies that form power in the state - the President of the United States, Congress, the Supreme Court - are undergoing constant changes, but the principle of separation remains unshakable.