Anglais Deuxième année Reading.

Americans Reading


A
mong the reasons why immigrants have traditionally come to the USA is
to have a better life – that is to raise their standard of living. It
was properly the most important reason for leaving their homeland.
Because of its abundant natural resources, the United States appeared to
be a “land of plenty” where millions could come to seek their fortunes.
Of course, most immigrants “didn’t get overnight” and many of them
suffered terribly, but the majority of them were eventually able to
improve their former standard of living.

A
mericans pay a price, however, for their material wealth: hard work.
Hard work has been both necessary and rewarding for most Americans
throughout their history. Because of this, they have come to see
material possessions as the natural reward for their hard work. In some
ways, material possessions are seen not only as a clear evidence of
people’s work, but also of their abilities. Most Americans believe that
if people work hard, they are likely to have a good standard of living.

S
ince people’s status in society is frequently measured by how much they
own, Americans often feel pressured to buy more than they need. They
want to appear as prosperous as everyone else round them, and this means
making a continuing effort to buy newer and better material.

I
n reality, some people have a better chance for success than others.
Those who are born into rich families have more opportunities than those
who are born in poorer families. Inheriting money gives a person a real
advantage. In spite of laws designed to promote equality of opportunity
for all races, many black Americans have fewer opportunities than the
average white Americans.

A. Are these sentences true or false? Justify.

1. American people see their material possessions as a reward for their hard work.
   
2. Not all Americans have equal opportunities to become rich.
   

B. Answer the question.

• How do American people show that they live a ‘successful’ life?
  

C. What do the underlined words in the text refer to?

1. their (§ 1)
   
2. its (§ 1)
   
3. Those (§ 4)
   

D. Find in the text words that mean the same as …

1. mother country
   
2. beneficial
   
3. forced
   
4. flourishing
   

Key

Exercise A

1. True . Hard work has been both necessary and rewarding for most Americans throughout their history.
   
2. True
   . In spite of laws designed to promote equality of opportunity for all
   races, many black Americans have fewer opportunities than the average
   white Americans.
   

Exercise B

• 
  American people show that they live a ‘successful’ life by squandering
  money on unused things and by buying newer and better material.
  

Exercise C

1. ‘their’ refers to immigrants
   
2. ‘its’ refers to the USA.
   
3. ‘Those’ refers to American people.
   

Exercise D

1. homeland
   
2. rewarding
   
3. pressured
   
4. prosperous
   

Racism Reading



T
urkish children playing in a muddy courtyard; faces of Vietnamese girls
pressed against the windows of dirty barracks; security guards with
their guns standing near the fences. This is an area in Cottbus, an
industrial town in Germany that the police are trying to protect. It
looks more like a prison than a refuge for immigrants who are more and
more exposed to the violence of racist groups, like the skinheads.

E
arlier this month, gangs of lawless German youths began attacking
Vietnamese, Turkish and African labourers, so the authorities have
rushed the victims to such places like Cottbus. Indeed, a wave of
anti-immigrant violence is sweeping Germany. Every day brings some new
spectacle of terror.

L
uckily the violence is limited to small uncontrolled groups. Most
Germans are outraged at those racist gangs and refer to them as
criminals and delinquents looking for fun. Thousands of Germans have
marched in Berlin and other cities to protest against racism.

H
owever, foreign workers in Germany still fear for their lives and their
families and do not feel totally secure. Some are thinking of going
back to their native countries.

A. Answer the questions.

1. What’s the immigrants’ refuge in Cottbus like?
   
2. Who are responsible for the racist violence?
   
3. What’s the attitude of most Germans to this situation?
   

B. Complete the sentences.

1. Foreign workers and their families have moved to Cottbus because …
   
2. In spite of the security measures taken by the authorities, …
   

C. Is this sentence ‘ true’ or ‘ false’ ? Justify.

• The racist gangs have no serious reasons for being violent.
  

D. What do the underlined words refer to?

1. the victims (§ 2)
   
2. them (§ 3)
   
3. Some (§ 4)
   

E. Find in the text words which mean the same as …

1. shelter
   
2. workers
   
3. safe
   

Key

Exercise A

1. It is like a prison.
   
2. Racist groups are.
   
3. The attitude of most Germans is they are against being racist towards foreigners.
   

Exercise B

1. Foreign workers and their families have moved to Cottbus because they have been attacked by German racist groups.
   
2. In spite of the security measures taken by the authorities, immigrants still feel unsafe.
   

Exercise C

True . Most Germans are outraged at those racist gangs and refer to them as criminals and delinquents looking for fun.

Exercise D

1. ‘the victims’ refers to the immigrants.
   
2. ‘them’ refers to racist gangs.
   
3. ‘Some’ refers to the foreign workers.
   

Exercise E

1. refuge
   
2. labourers
   
3. secure
   

Immigration to the USA




Twenty seven million white immigrants entered the United States between 1880 and 1924. Two thirds of these so-called new immigrants
came from different parts of Europe that were economically
underdeveloped. In the first decade of the 20 th century, about six
million immigrants arrived from Russia, Austria, Hungary and Italy. They
were drawn by the flourishing manufacturing sector of the economy. They
not only brought their labour force but also their skills that were
vital to industries such as construction and textile. Nevertheless,
their customs and culture struck native-born, Americans who considered
them as impossible to assimilate. T
hat phenomenon did not last forever. With the end of the colonial
empires in the fifties and sixties and emergence of independent Asian
and African countries, a new law was voted: The 1964 Hart-Cellar Act.
This law gave equal access to Asians, Africans, Latin-Americans and
Europeans. Since then, over eight million legal immigrants have entered
the United Stated, about half of them from the Third World.

The new immigrants are likely to change the composition of the American
population. Some demographers predict that by 2030, American and
Europeans roots will not be a majority. Even the dominance of the
English language is seen as uncertain. The problem is whether the
diversity of origins will continue to maintain American Society as
united as it has been so far.
A. Find in the text words or phrases that mean almost the same as …

• a period of ten years
  
• understand
  
• poorer countries of Asia, Africa and South America
  
• variety
  

B. Fill in the chat with information from the text.

number of immigrants	countries of origin	period
		between 1880 and 1924
	from the Third World

C. True or false? Justify.

• Native-born Americans reacted against the new immigrants’ culture and customs.
  
• The Hart-Cellar Act continued to favour European immigrants.
  

D. Answer the questions.

• How did the new immigrants contribute to the development of the American industry?
  
• Is the American population likely to change in the coming years? Explain!
  

Key
Exercise A

• decade
  
• assimilate
  
• Third World
  
• diversity
  

Exercise B

number of immigrants	countries of origin	period
18 million	from underdeveloped countries of Europe	between 1880 and 1924
about 4 million	from the Third World	from 1964

Exercise C

• True . Nevertheless, their customs and culture struck native-born Americans who considered them as impossible to assimilate.
  
• False . This law gave equal access to Asians, Africans, Latin-Americans and Europeans.
  

Exercise D

• 
  The new immigrants contributed to the development of the American
  industry through their skills in the fields of construction and textile.
  
• Yes. According to the writer, some demographers predict that
  in the coming years, European-root Americans will not make the majority
  of the US society; consequently, English will not be the dominant
  language
  

Are tourists good for a country?


Are tourists good for a country?
T
his question can be looked from several points of view. Firstly,
tourism should be considered in relation to a country’s economy.
Secondly it can be seen in terms of its effects on the countryside and
environment. Thirdly, the influence of the tourist industry on culture
must be taken into account.
T
he economy of a country often benefits as a result of tourism; foreign
visitors come and spend their money, and this creates jobs for those who
run hotels and restaurants. However, there are also certain drawbacks.
Whereas the people directly involved in the industry may benefit, other
may find that they are worse off. This is because the cost of living
goes up and goods become more expensive since tourists are prepared to
pay more for them.
A
s far as the effect on the environment is concerned, tourism is often a
bad thing. While it is true to say that development results in better
roads being built and improvements for poorer areas, it is sometimes
very harmful. In some countries, huge hotels and skyscrapers have ruined
areas of unspoilt beauty.
T
he cultural influence of tourism is difficult to measure. In some
countries foreign influence can destroy the local way of life. On the
other hand, countries which do not encourage tourism may miss the
benefits that foreign technology and investment can bring.
I
n conclusion, it can be seen that tourism has both advantages and
disadvantages; if it is controlled properly, it can be good for a
country, but there will always be a danger that it may do a great deal
of harm.
A. Fill in the chart with information from the text.

	TOURISM
	ADVANTAGES	DRAWBACKS
Economy
Environment
Culture

B. What do the underlined words refer to in the text?

• its (§ 1)
  
• the industry (§ 2)
  
• it (§ 5)
  

C. Find in the text words or expressions that mean almost the same as …

• rises
  
• risky
  
• mode of living
  
• the money that has been put into a company or business in order to get a profit
  

Key
Exercise A

	TOURISM
	ADVANTAGES	DRAWBACKS
Economy	creating jobs	cost of living and goods get higher
Environment	building roads improving poor areas	spoiling of the beauty of areas
Culture	benefit from technology and investments	destruction of local way of life

Exercise B

• ‘its’ refers to tourism.
  
• ‘the industry’ refers to tourism.
  
• ‘it’ refers to tourism.
  

Exercise C

• goes up
  
• harmful
  
• way of life
  
• investment
  

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