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the wall, rather than having a pump box attached to it. Sinks
usually have plenty of counter space around them, with storage
space in cabinets underneath. They usually have a single spigot,
with individual or combined taps for hot and cold water. A tap is
one of the two water controls, not the spigot, and the whole fixture
is called a faucet. Individual hot and cold water faucets are found
in bathrooms in older houses, but mixed taps are so common that
Americans don't call them mixed taps.

APPLIANCES AND ELECTRICITY

Electric current in the United States is 110/l20 volts, and
appliances and electrical equipment use a two-pronged plug.
Sometimes there is a third prong that acts as a ground. There are no
on/off switches on electrical outlets to regulate the power - it is just
on all the time.
The highest number of appliances and electrical gadgets is
usually found in the kitchen. American kitchens are well equipped
with a variety of labor-saving devices. Most obvious, of course, is
the massive refrigerator/freezer. These two items are almost
always integrated into one unit with two doors. Separate under-the-
counter refrigerators and freezers are rarely seen in the United
States.
Refrigerators are usually stocked with a few weeks' worth of
food, because people tend to shop far less frequently and they buy
more groceries in one trip, especially since the advent of the enor-
mous warehouse/superstore. Other appliances that are commonly
found in the American kitchen are the microwave oven,
dishwasher, blender, bread maker, food processor, and garbage
disposal.
The appliance used for cooking is called a stove or a range, not
a cooker. Ovens usually have a broiler, not a grill, and the broiler is
part of the oven compartment itself. A grill is the metal rack you
use for cooking over an open fire, as in a barbecue.
The washing machine and clothes dryer are not usually found
in the kitchen. Instead, they will be placed in a small room off the
kitchen (called a utility room) or maybe in the basement, if the
house has one. As with all other American appliances, washers and
dryers are very large, and they are always separate components,
rather than combination washer/dryers.