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Many teenagers do not have jobs.Instead,they receive money from their parents.They might get as much as 20 dollars a week.They are permitted to spend thiS any way they choose. The lives of most American teenagers today are organized around the experience of high school.Students usually begin with school at the age of 13 or 14.Some leave at the age of 16.But most complete the 4-year high school program.They do not get their first full-time job or begin university studies until they are 17 or 18 years old. The high school day is about 7 hours long.The day is divided into classes of about 50 minutes.The students have a meal in the middle of the day.American teenagers study English，history，mathematics，science.art and languages.Some also learn job skills.They might learn how to use a computer or how to fix a car.Other students might learn by working in an office，a hospital or other places one day a week. 2.Taxes in America Americans often say that there are only two things a person can be sure of in life：death and taxes.Many people feel that the United States has the worst taxes in the world. Taxes are the money that people pay to support their government.There are general-ly three levels of government in America：fed-eral，state and city;therefore，there are three types of taxes. Salaried people who earn more than four of five thousand per year must pay a certain part of their salaries to the federal govern-ment.The percentage varies for different peo-ple.It depends on the salaries.The federal government has a two-level income tax.That is，15 or 28 percent.$17 850 is the cut off.The tax rate is 15 percent below $ 17 850 and 28 percent above. The second tax is for the state govern-ment：New York，California，or any of the other forty-eight states.Some states have an income tax similar to that of the federal gov-ernment.Of course.the percentage for the state tax is lower.Other states have a sales tax，which is a percentage charged on any item which people buy in the state.Some states use income tax and sales tax to raise their revenues. The third tax is for the city.This tax comes in two forms：property tax and excise tax，which is collected on vehicles in a city.The cities use this money for education，po-lice，public works，etc. Since Americans pay such high taxes,they often feel that they are working one day each week just to pay their taxes.People al-ways complain about taxes.They often say that the government misuses their tax dollars.They all believe that taxes are too high in this country. (责任编辑：admin) |