British

vs.

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aisle
ant
ate
bare
be
blew
brake
buy
capital
cell
cellar
cent
chord
dear
die
fair
flea
flour
foul
guest
heal
hear
heir
hole
hour
in
its
knew
knot
know
lead
loan
made
mail
meat
night
one
pail

isle
aunt
eight
bear
bee
blue
break
by
capitol
sell
seller
sent
cord
deer
dye
fare
flee
flower
fowl
guessed
heel
here
air
whole
our
inn
its
new
not
no
led
lone
maid
male
meet
knight
won
pale

Ill

scent

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pair
peace
plain
pray
principal
rain
read
real
right
road
role
sail
scene
sea
sew
shone
sight
soar
sole
some
son
stair
stake
stationary
steal
tail
their
threw
to
vain
waist
wait
way
week
whose
wood
your

pare
piece
plane
prey
principle
rein
red
reel
write
rode
roll
sale
seen
see
sow
shown
site
sore
soul
sum
sun
stare
steak
stationery
steel
tale
there
through
too
vane
waste
weight
weigh
weak
whos
would
youre

American English
Example: In the UK, you play football; in the US, you play soccer.
1. In the UK, you eat biscuits; in the US, you eat _________________________.
2. In the UK, you buy a return ticket; in the US, you buy a ____________________.

pear

English
reign

rite
rowed

so
cite

they're
two
vein

3. In the UK, you take a lift; in the US, you take an __________________________.
4. In the UK, you go to the cinema; in the US, you go to the ______________________.
5. In the UK, you wear trousers; in the US, you wear _________________________.
6. In the UK, you go on holiday; in the US, you go on _________________________.
7. In the UK, you wait in a queue; in the US, you wait in a ______________________.
8. In the UK, you put petrol in your car; in the US, you put ____________________ in your car.
9. In the UK, you drive a lorry; in the US, you drive a _____________________.
10. In the UK, the third season is autumn; in the US, the third season is _____________.
11. In the UK, you wear a jumper; in the US, you wear a ____________________.
12. In the UK, you eat sweets; in the US, you eat ____________________.
13. In the UK, you live in a flat; in the US, you live in an ________________________.
14. In the UK, you live with a flatmate; in the US, you live with a _________________.
15. In the UK, you eat chips; in the US, you eat ________________________.
16. In the UK, you eat crisps; in the US, you eat _______________________.
17. In the UK, you throw away rubbish; in the US, you throw away _________________________.
18. In the UK, you throw rubbish in the dustbin; in the US, you throw garbage in the
__________________________.
19. In the UK, the back of a car is the boot; in the US, the back of a car is the ___________________.
20. In the UK, the front of a car is the bonnet; in the US, the front of a car is the ________________.
Answers:
1. cookies 2. roundtrip 3. elevator 4. movies 5. pants 6. vacation 7. line 8. gas 9. truck 10. fall 11. sweater
12. candy 13. apartment 14. roommate 15. fries 16. chips 17. garbage 18. trashcan 19. trunk 20. hood
American - British
eager=keen
exhausted=knackered
drunk=pissed
crazy=mad

her name is=she's called

eraser=rubber
schedule=timetable
flashlight=torch
elevator=lift
sucker=lolly
eggplant=aubergine
stroller=pushchair
baby carriage=pram
sunscreen=suncream
line=queue
call=ring
I like=I'm keen on / I'm fond of / I fancy

High Schools in the United States

High schools in the United States include students who are in 9 th through 12th grade (ages 14-18). Ninth
grade students are called freshmen, tenth grade students are called sophomores, eleventh grade students are called
juniors and twelfth grade students are called seniors. Before high school, students attend middle school, which is
5th through 8th grade (ages 10-14). Before middle school, students attend elementary school, which is kindergarten
through 4th grade (ages 5-10).

Schedules: If you were a high school student in the United States, you would finish classes
everyday by 3 pm. You would never have school on Saturday mornings, but you would
always have school on Wednesday afternoons. You would have 6 classes everyday at the
same time. And you would only have about 30 minutes to eat lunch, followed by a very short
recess.
Subjects: You would not have many choices of the classes that you could take. Every student
must take English, math, science, and history. You could also have a music or art class, gym or band, or computer
or language (usually Spanish or French.)
Grades: Students receive letter grades for their academic success. The highest grade is A+ followed by A and A-. B
is still good, while C is average. D is failing and E or F mean complete failure.
Vacations: The school year in the United States begins at the end of August and finishes in the middle of June.
Students have nearly 3 months of vacation during the summer. During the school year, students also have 2 days
off for Thanksgiving in November, 2 weeks off for Christmas in December, one day off in January for Martin
Luther King Jr.s birthday, one week off in April for Easter, and one day off at the end of May for Memorial Day.
Sports: American students have many choices of sports to play. Most schools have teams for basketball, football,
baseball, and track and field, but not always soccer or hockey. Students practice these sports after school during the
week, and they also participate in official games against other schools. Football is the most popular sport, followed
by basketball. Cheerleaders attend all of the football and basketball games to make the audience cheer for their
team.
Dances: School dances are very common in the United States. Homecoming refers to the football game, parade,
and dance that take place at the beginning of the school year. Snowcoming is another dance in the winter. Prom is
the major dance at the end of the school year for seniors, and students vote for each other to be Prom Queen and
King.
Buses: American students usually ride yellow buses to and from school. Few students can walk to school or have
their parents drive them. Students over 16 can drive to school but most younger students have to take the school
bus. You must wait at the end of your driveway for the bus to pick you up. After school, you must get on the same
bus and the bus driver will drop you off at your house. You do not have to pay for this bus; it is free.
Lockers: In almost every hallway, there are lockers for students to put their backpacks and coats in during classes.
Students are usually not allowed to bring their backpacks and coats into the classrooms. Students must remember
the number to the combination on their locker, and they usually share the locker with another student.

U.S. Quiz questions

1.

How many states are there? Can you name some territories?

50 states; Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, United States Virgin Islands
2.

What is the capital? (Full name!)

Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia)

3.

When is Independence Day? Independence from which country?

July 4, 1776; England

4.

Why are there 50 stars and 13 stripes on the flag?

50 stars = 50 states; 13 stripes = 13 colonies

5.

What is the flag's nickname?

Old Glory
6.

What is the national anthem?

The Star-Spangled Banner

7.

What is the largest city? (Population)

New York City (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Staten Island)
8.

What is the largest state?

California (population); Alaska (size)

9.

What is the population of the United States?

300 million
10.

How many times larger than France is the US?

17 times larger; Texas is even larger than France

11.

Who is currently the president and vice president?

George W. Bush and Dick Cheney

12.

What are the two major political parties?

Democrats and Republicans

13.

Who was the first president?

George Washington
14.

Which president freed the slaves (in 1863)?

Abraham Lincoln
15.

What is the largest minority?

Hispanics; African-Americans are now 2nd

16.

What is the official language?

There is no official language, though English and Spanish are spoken most.
17.

What is the exchange rate between the euro and US dollar?

1 euro = $1.40
18.

What is the American holiday in November? And on what day?

Thanksgiving; 4th Thursday in November

19.

Who are the most popular celebrities in Hollywood today?

Brad Pitt & Angeline Jolie

20.

What is the most popular television progam?

CSI (Les Experts)

21.

What are the most popular sports in the US?

Football and basketball

22.

What are the least popular sports in the US?

Soccer and rugby

23.

What is the legal age for drinking alcohol?

Twenty-One
24.

What is the legal age for smoking cigarettes?

Eighteen
25.

What is the legal age for driving a car?

Sixteen; or fifteen with your parent(s)

Test on American High Schools

1. High school in the U.S. lasts for four years.
True

False

2. The youngest students in high school (grade 9, ages 14-15) are called:

a) young ones
b) kittens
c) juniors
d) freshmen
3. The school day in the U.S. finishes around:
a) 5:00 pm
b) 3:00 pm
c) 6:00 pm
d) 9:00 pm
4. American students must pass a final exam, equivalent to the French baccalaurat, in order to receive a
diploma.
True

False

5. The grading system (les notes) in the U.S. uses:

a) numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.)
b) letters (A, B, C, D, E, etc.)
c) symbols (*, #, @, &, etc.)
6. Cheerleaders are:
a) always girls
b) players on the basketball team
c) players on the football team
d) people who chant and dance to support the basketball and football team
7. American high school "dances" are activities where:
a) students and teachers dance together
b) students dance in their classes
c) students dance after school

8. The most important school dance is:

a) Ball
b) Prom
c) Homecoming
d) Snowcoming
9. La remise des diplmes is called what in English?
a) graduation
b) ceremony

c) dance
d) diploma
10. Students at public schools must wear uniforms.
True

False

11. Groups of high schools students who exclude other students who are not like them are called:
a) gangs
b) clubs
c) cliques
d) meetings
12. How many months of summer vacation are there in the U.S.?
a) 2
b) 4
c) 1
d) 3
13. Lunch at American high schools lasts for two hours.
True

False

14. Students who play sports (les sportifs) are called jocks.
True

False