At an American home / В американском доме

The lives of most Americans spin around their homes. The number of Americans who own their houses is the highest among western nations. Most Americans live in "single-family-dwellings", They are houses with front and backyard.

There are four seasons almost everywhere in America. The rhythm of life around an American home tends to follow the seasons pattern. Spring means that the storm windows must be taken down, in those areas where it gets cold in winter. The screen windows, the ones that keep the American home from insects and mosquitoes, need to be cleaned or painted or put up in their places. After winter, the garden needs a lot of work, in summer, the lawn must be mown every week or so. It's a good time to scrape and paint whatever is wood in the house. As soon as autumn leaves begin to fall, they must be raked, and the storm windows need to be ready and put up again. What an American wants to do — put in a new patio, or build on a new room, or finish the attic — will have to wait until next summer

There is always something that needs to be done at home. The majority of American home-owners do everything around their homes themselves.

Словарь

to spin around smth — вращаться вокруг чего-либо

a single-family-dwelling — жилье, жилище для одной семьи

to tend to follow smth — быть склонным следовать чему-либо

insects and mosquitoes — насекомые и комары

to mow the lawn — (to mow — mowed — mown) — косить газон

to rake the autumn leaves — сгребать граблями осенние листья

a new patio — новое патио, новый дворик

to finish the attic — закончить чердак или мансарду