January

1 New Year's Day (新年）
15 Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday
19 Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday Observed

February

12 Lincoln's Birthday
14 Valentine's Day （情人節）
16 President's Day
22 Washington's Birthday
25 Ash Wednesday

March

8 International Women's Day（國際婦女節）
17 St. Patrick's Day

April
1 April Fools Day （愚人節）
5 Palm Sunday
10 Good Friday
Arbor Day （植樹節）
11 Passover
12 Easter （復活節）
17 Orthodox Holy Friday
19 Orthodox Easter
22 Secretaries Day
22 Earth Day

May

6 Nurses'Day
7 National Day of Prayer
10 Mother's Day （母親節）
16 Armed Forces Day
25 Memorial Day Observed
30 Memorial Day

June

14 Flag Day （美國國旗紀念日）
21 Father's Day

July

4 Independence Day （美國獨立日）

August

2 Friendship Day

September

7 Labor Day
Grandparents Day
17 Citizenship Day
21 Rosh Hashanah
30 Yom Kippur

October

11 National Children's Day
12 Columbus Day
16 National Boss Day
17 Sweetest Day
24 United Nations Day
31 Halloween （萬圣節前夜）

November

3 Election Day
11 Veterans Day （退伍軍人節）
26 Thanksgiving

December

14 First Day of Hanukkah
25 Christmas （圣誕節）
26 First Day of Kwanzaa

生活在美國(二) 美國人的用餐習慣

美國人吃飯用刀叉，而且他們的用餐方式是很有講究的。因此，在應邀與美國朋友一起吃飯時，應特別注意他們的用餐習慣。一般情況下，餐桌上擺放有一幅餐刀和兩幅餐叉，外邊的餐叉供你吃色拉，里邊的餐叉用于吃主食和其它點心食品，餐刀用來切肉食。如果你兩手并用，應左手握叉，右手握刀，而且一次握刀時間不能太長。美國人的早餐有：炒或煮雞蛋、香腸、油炸土豆片、薄煎餅、果子凍、烤面包、松餅、桔子汁以及咖啡等。

Eating Custom and Practice 用餐習慣

American eating is funny. They eat almost everything with a fork, and it appears that holding a knife in one's right hand longer than a few seconds is considered to be against good table manners.

The system is that if it is absolutely necessary to use a knife, people take the fork in their left hand, and cut off a piece of meat or whatever it is in the normal manner. Then they put the knife down, transfer the fork to their right hand, and only then do they transport the food to their mouth. This is clearly ludicrous(滑稽可笑), but it is considered good manners.

There are several results of this system. First, if it is not absolutely necessary to use a knife, Americans don't use one, because obviously this greatly complicates(使復雜化) things, and you will therefore see them trying to cut things like potatoes, fish and even bacon(熏豬肉) with a fork. Second, towards the end of a course, since only one implement(器具) is being used, food has to bo chased around the plate with the fork — and for the last mouthful the thumb has to be used to keep the food in place, although one is not supposed to do this.

Third, tables are generally laid with one knife and two forks, the outside fork being for the salad. There is no need for foreign visitors to follow the American system and try to eat the salad with only a fork, but if you do use your knife, remerber to save it for the meat course. Even desserts(甜食) (except ice cream) are eaten with a fork if at all possible, and the spoon you see by your dessert is meant to be for coffee (but if you use it for your dessert no one will say anything).

Some Breakfast Dishes 早餐食譜

Breakfast in a restaurant is a very enjoyable experience. If you order eggs in a restaurant, the waiter/waitress will ask you how you want them . You can reply that you want them scrambled(炒) or boiled. It is not sufficient, however, to ask for them fried; you will have to specify whether you would prefer them sunny-side-up (煎一面), over(兩面煎), over-easy/easy-over(兩面煎，但蛋黃仍然呈流體狀).

American sausage(香腸) comes in slices and is quite spicy. But you can also have link sausage.

American bacon comes in small strips, can be rather fat, and is served crispy. It is usually very tasty, and you can eat it with your fingers.

Hash brows(油炸土豆片) are shredded(切成碎片的) and fried potatoes. They are wonderful, especially with fried eggs and ketchup(蕃茄醬).

Pancakes, sometimes called hot cakes, are made with baking power. They are normally served in a pile, and you are supposed to put butter and syrup(果漿) on them.

Jelly(果子凍) is jam and includes grape jelly, which is very tasty.

Toast is often served already buttered.

English muffins(松餅) are like small crumpets(烤餅) without the holes and are served toasted. You put jam on them.

A biscuit(軟餅) is a snall, scone-like bread roll, often served hot.Orange juice and coffee are often serced with breakfast.

生活在美國(三) 美國人的主食

美國人吃午餐和吃晚餐之前通常要喝點雞尾酒，但在加利福尼亞州，人們大都喝葡萄酒。吃主食之前，一般都要吃一盤色拉。炸磨茹和炸洋蔥圈可作為開胃食品，牛排、豬排和雞（腿）為主食，龍蝦、貝殼類動物以及各種魚類甚至包括淡水魚被統稱為海鮮。炸土豆條是深受人們喜愛而且幾乎成了必不可少的食物。另外應特別注意的一點，如有吃剩的食物，一定要打包帶回家，以免浪費。

Cocktail雞尾酒

It is quite usual to drink cocktails before lunch and dinner in America and somewhat less usual, except in California, to drink wine with a meal. You can either have a cocktail in the bar, if there is one, while you wait for a table or for friends, or you can have one served before your dinner comes. At some restaurants the waiter/waitress will come to your table as soon as you sit down to ask if you want a cocktail, and you can then drink this while deciding what to order to eat. At others, there may be a separate cocktail waiter or waitress. In this case, you do not normally order wine from him or her but from the normal waiter- or the wine waiter is there is one.

Do not hesitate to order Californian wines. They can be excellent and in many parts of the country are cheap.

Salad 色拉

It is usual to have a salad with your meal, and a separate plate is provided for this purpose. The normal practice in America is to eat the salad before the main course. A wonderful American invention is the salad bar. In restaurants that have these salad bars the waiter does not bring your salad. You go to the salad bar and help yourself, usually to as much as you want. This is normally done after you have ordered your meal; you eat the salad while the main course is being cooked.

Choosing from the Menu 選菜

American menus can look rather confusing at first sight, for they may use some terms which are unfamiliar to most vistors. Here are some points which may be useful.

Fried mushrooms, fried onion rings (洋蔥圈) and fried zucchini (小胡瓜) are sometimes served as starters (第一道菜).

Potatoes most often come French-fried or baked. If you order a baked potato, the waiter will ask you what you want on it. The choice is butter and/or sour cream and sometimes chives (細香蔥).

Very often vegetables do not come automatically with the meal, and you have to pay extra for them.

Scrod (小鱈魚), red snapper (嚙龜) and mahi hahi are all name of fish. Seafoodmeans lobster (龍蝦), shellfish and fish, including,funnily enough, freshwater fish! Prawns (對蝦) are known as shrimp.

American beef is usually good and often wonderful.

American salt and pepper (糊椒粉) pots are confusing until you realize that the salt pot may look like a pepper pot except that the salt pot's holes are bigger. Pepper is normally black rather than white. American mustard (芥末) is mild and normally eaten with hot dogs or hamburgers rather than meat.

And that stuff in a dish that looks ice cream is actually whipped (攪拌過的) butter.

Leftovers 吃剩的食物

You have probably heard that in American restaurants, if you can't finish your meal, you can put the remains in a doggy bag and take them home. This is quite true. If you leave some meat, in particular, your waiter may ask you if you'd like him to put it into a little bag, or you can ask him to do this.
生活在美國(四) 美國用餐常識

中國菜著重色、香、味， 西餐講究實惠。初到美國餐館用餐，應該注意如下事項：

1）選擇合適的餐館（如：家庭式餐館、特色餐館以及自助式餐館等）；

2）餐館營業時間（上午11：30開門營業，直到夜晚）；

3）一般都應事先預訂餐位：

4）到達餐館后，不能徑直地到餐桌旁入桌，除非餐廳有“隨意就坐”的告示；

5）付款時，別忘了留給服務員一定比例的小費（一般為實際總額的10%～15%）。

Eating out is one of the joy of being in the USA. The food is usually good and often excellent; the prices are reasonable ; and the service is mostly fine.

Choosing a Restaurant 選擇餐館

Some restaurants are open for breakfast; others are open twenty-four hours a day. A number of restaurants call themselves family restaurants. Many of these serve no alcohol and have fairly restricted menus which include steaks, hamburgers, omelettes(炒蛋) and sandwiches, and all are at very reasonable prices. They may also serve smaller and cheaper children's portios(份餐). Note that many American restaurants are speciatly restaurants . They may serve only, or mainly , steaks , seafood, etc.

When to Eat 供餐時間

Many restaurants, especially the more expensive ones, open at about 11：30 a.m.(midday, rather than 1 p.m. , is the most normal time for lunch in the USA), and some remain open until the evening, so it is possible to order a meal throughout the afternoon.

In many areas it is usual for people to leave work and go out for an evening meal at 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. , than waiting until later.

Reserving a Table 預訂餐位

Eating out is rather popular in the USA. And it is often necessary to make a reservation. You will sometimes see short queues of people waiting for tables at restaurants-it's more pleasant to wait in the bar , of course, if there is one-but there queues more quickly.

Arriving at Restaurant 到達餐館

When you arrive at most restaurant, you should not just go in and sit down-unless you see a sign saying Please seat yourself . Usually you will have to wait for a hostess or captain(領班) to escort(陪同) you to a table . Often there will be a sign that reads Please wait to be seated.

Do not expect to share a table with other parties, even if the restaurant is crowed . It just isn't done.

Many restaurant have a no-smoking section, in some place by lows.

One excellent American custom is that after you have sat down your waiter or waitress will often bring you a glass or water(with ice naturally) and will keep on refilling it throughout the meal. (Most American are incapable of eating a meal without drinking something at the same time.)

When your waiter or waitress takes your order, it is not very normal for one person to order for the whole table. Each person orders separately , except in the most expensive restaurants.

Summoning a waiter 召喚侍者

You may find your waiter unusually friendly. He may ask you how you are (You're supposed just to say Fine), inquire whether you have a good day and , later on say that he hopes you will enjoy your meal.

To summon a waiter in a American restaurant you may call Bill, or Mary, or Claude, or whatever. Waiters and waitresses often actually introduce themselves when they first come to your table or wear name tags, you are permitted to use their first names.

Paying the Bill 付款

The bill (often called the check) comes usually with tax added but no service chare-though some restaurant do now add a service charge. The etiquette(規矩) books say that you should leave a ten per cent tip(小費) for lunch, fifteen per cent for dinner. The tip should be calculated on the basis of the total before the addition of tax.

At many restaurant you can ask the waiter to bring the bill and than pay at a cash desk on the way out.

美國人種種

語言是文化的載體。美國不同階段的經濟文化變化都反映在語言中。隨著時代變化，新的詞語不斷應運而生。繼一次大戰后的“迷惘的一代”（Lost Generation）和二次大戰后的“垮掉的一代”（Beat Generation），又出現了“Baby Boomers”、“Yuppies”、“Dinks”、“Sandwich Generation”、“Couch Potato”、“Mall Rats”等等。

在第二次世界大戰期間，美國大約有一千三百萬人參加服役，其中許多人都沒有結婚。在戰后，他們紛紛組建家庭，生兒育女，因此在1946年至1964年這18年間，美國人口急劇增長，新生兒的人數共有七千八百萬。不久美國人就稱這一代為“Baby Boomers”。

這些“Baby Boomers”一改其父母對戰爭的“狂熱”，對生活采取務實的態度。他們要彌補戰爭給父母所造成的損失，他們勤奮工作，少生孩子。他們其中的許多人都獲得了成功，他們有抱負，受過高等教育，生活在城市，有專業性的工作，收入頗豐，生活很富裕。美國又為這些成功者命名為“Yuppies”，前三個字母是“young urban professionals”縮略。對“Yuppies”中那些不要孩子的人，美國人又將他們稱為“Dinks”，它是“Duble Income， No kids”的縮寫。

其實，“Baby Boomers”并不都是富有的“Yuppies”，有的夫婦不僅有孩子而且有老人要撫養，這樣另一個名字又產生了，那便是“Sandwich Generation”，意味著這些人象三明治中的肉一樣夾在老人和孩子之間，負擔很重。

美國的電視業發展迅速，幾乎所有人都能看到有線電視節目，家庭影劇院的出現更是許多人沉迷于電視，這種一有時間就坐在沙發上看電視的人被稱為“Couch Potato”。它不禁使人們想到悠然坐在沙發里一聲不吭，一動不動，象土豆似的人。

隨著商業的發展繁榮，大的購物中心（shopping mall）不斷涌現。逛購物中心成了一種樂趣，尤其是年輕人，他們即使不購物也在中心鉆來鉆去，象老鼠一樣，美國人將他們戲稱為“Mall Rats”。