Reading and comprehension

Different places, different ways

Different places, different ways UNIT 1 Read the definition. Then discuss the question below in pairs or small groups. What do you think are the main things that go together to make the culture of Palestinians? culture (noun): the beliefs, habits, and ways of life shared by a particular group of people 2 Read the text. Then complete the tasks on page 113.

Clinging to culture

Almost everything in New York was different. We were used to living in an area where everyone knew everyone else’s business, but here no one seemed to take any notice even of their neighbours. Instead of having a common culture, the people around us dressed in different styles, ate different kinds of food, even spoke different languages. It was a complete puzzle to me how they could be so various yet still call themselves Americans. I was born in 1942, so I must have been about six or seven when the 1948 catastrophe (Nakba) happened. As a result, thousands of Palestinian families, including mine, were forced to leave Palestine. We spent a short time in Jordan before we children were taken to America by our aunt and uncle. Being so young, I saw our new life mostly as an adventure, even though I missed my friends and our old home. My parents had important work to do, but they had promised to join us as soon as possible. My older brother went through a period of anger, saying he hated everything about America. My uncle had his job at the newspaper and was quite fluent in English, so he managed fairly well. My aunt, though, never got used to life in America. I now realise that this was mostly a choice she made herself. She refused to learn any English, so she found herself stuck in the house most of the time, only going out to buy ‘food like we had at home’, for which she would walk miles rather than use the stores in the neighbourhood. She also refused to make any changes to the tiny apartment we rented, apart from spending hours keeping it clean. This meant that it was very hot in the summer and freezing in winter. I’m sure we could have afforded a fridge, but she wouldn’t have one, preferring to keep things cool in the traditional way. At the time, I remember feeling annoyed with her stubborn attitude, but now, looking back, I know I should have realised what it was: a sign of her deep feeling of loss. In one way, I now understand, she was clinging to the way of life that had been taken from her. Mainly, though, her refusal to become accustomed to living in America was an expression of her conviction that our situation was only temporary. ‘Don’t get used to all this,’ she often told us, ‘because it won’t last. We’ll be going home soon.’

1 Replace the underlined parts of the sentences with words or phrases from the text. (The sentences are in the same order as the words and phrases in the text.) 1 The reason for her decision is still a hard thing to explain. 2 She is able to express herself easily in several languages. 3 I don’t know why you’re being so unwilling to change your mind. 4 He spent two hours holding on tightly to the rock before he was saved. 5 When you live in another country, there are many things you have to get used to. 6 He has a strong belief that what he is doing is the right thing.

2 Answer the questions. 1 What was the main difference the writer noticed between Palestine and New York? 2 What did she find especially surprising? 3 Why did the family move to another country? 4 How did these people react to the new situation? The writer Her brother Her uncle 5 Why did her aunt refuse to learn English? 6 What did the writer think about her aunt’s attitude at the time? 7 How have the writer’s feelings now changed?

3 Discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. 1 What are the positive and negative points of living in another country? 2 Do you think children find it easier or more difficult to get used to new situations than adults? Why? Most children seem to get used to changes quite quickly. I think I’d find it quite exciting to live in another country, but of course there are things that I’d miss.

1 Look at the pictures and discuss the questions below in pairs or small groups. 1 What cultures do the pictures make you think of? 2 What things (e.g. clothes, food) would you choose to show the following? ▸ American culture ▸ African culture ▸ Palestinian or Arabic culture kilt

2 Read the text. Then choose the best title. Circle A, B or C. A The advantages and disadvantages of living abroad B There’s no place like home C Culture, language and identity I enjoyed reading the article ‘Clinging to culture’ and I’d like to add a few points of my own. It’s often been observed that expatriates are more likely to show the outward signs of their culture than their fellow countrymen who stay at home. Think of Scotsmen in New Zealand who wear kilts, or English people in Spain who insist on drinking tea with milk and eating fish and chips, or ‘Irish-Americans’ who often seem more Irish than the Irish. As a Welshman living in South America, I can understand why this happens. It’s not that these people spend their time looking forward to ‘going home’: they’re usually committed to living in the place they’ve chosen. They don’t, for example, object to paying local taxes. They just have a need to hold on to what they see as an important part of their identities. The same kind of need, I believe, happens with language. When I lived in the south of England, one of my neighbours was an old lady who had moved there from a northern town when she was quite young. Despite living in the south for over fifty years, her accent remained strongly northern. The reason, I think, is clear: being ‘a northerner’ was, unconsciously, an essential part of who she was. Language teachers will tell you that learners often find pronunciation the hardest part of a foreign language, and I’m sure there’s a connection. If, say, Italian learners of English start speaking with a ‘correct’ accent, they feel they are becoming more English, and therefore less Italian. Unless you actually want to change your identity, it’s hard to let go. Just as an example, listen to French people who speak almost perfect English. However good they are, it’s usually impossible to mistake them for anything other than French. The accent, it seems, is always the last thing to disappear.

3 Match the words and phrases from the text with their meanings.

4 Use the words and phrases in Activity 3 to complete the sentences below. 1 Others might _ that it’s too expensive, but I think it’s worth the money. 2 He never stops trying because he’s fully to the career he’s chosen. 3 Most at least try to learn the language of their new home. 4 If you want to study science, it’s to have a good knowledge of maths. 5 When I’m on holiday, I don’t want to spend all the time with my . 6 I guessed from your that you are from Australia. 7 I’ve done this journey so many times that I can find the way __.

5 Choose the best way for the sentences to continue. Circle A, B or C. 1 The text is probably A a letter to an academic journal. B an article in a magazine. C a letter to a colleague. 2 The writer says that the behaviour of many expatriates is A hard to explain. B rather surprising. C quite well known. 3 The writer’s neighbour A made a decision to speak in a certain way. C had difficulty in pronouncing some words. B had lived in the north for a long time. 4 The writer believes that A no one can ever speak a second language perfectly. B it is natural for language learners to keep their foreign accent. C English is especially hard to pronounce for French people.

6 Work in pairs. Discuss which opinion below you agree with most. If you’re learning a language, you should try to pronounce it as correctly as possible.

⌘ Pronunciation reminder Some words, like object, change their stress depending on whether they are used as verbs or nouns. For example: They don’t object to paying taxes. (v) This word is the object of the sentence. (n) Other words like this include record, increase / decrease, import / export and permit. Even if it was possible, I wouldn’t want to speak English like a native speaker.