Page 37 - Lifelines Pre-intermediate.Student's book
P. 37
The future 4
4 Complete these sentences with the verbs in 5 Discuss these questions, giving reasons fot
brackets. your answers.
I If immigration (rise), Hispanics f Why do you think the new immigrants don't
(overtake) Alrican Americans. integrate as earlier immigrants did?
2 If you (go) into the supermarket in 2 Do you think they will integrate in the future?
-
Rockville, you (not hear) any I What is the implication of Senator Byrd's
English. expression'these people'?
Schools (teach) in immigrant 4 According to the article, what is the basic cause
Ianguages if parents (get) their of the immigration problem in the USA?
demands. - 5 What do you think the writer feels about the
If more immigrants (come), there situation in the article?
(be) fewer iobs for A{rican 6 How do you feel about the situation described in
Americans. the article?
The middle classes (lose) their 7 What results do you think that the language
cheap servants if immigration _ (stop). issue will have?
J f present levels of immigration you won't hear any English. And this
T. continue, by the year 2050 language problem won't get any better.
America's population will increase Immigrant parents are demanding ;:
by 50 per cent to 383 million. education fot their children in their
ow-n language. If this happens, it will
A4ore importandy the tacial balance soon bc possible to erow up in
will change. Hispanics will overtake America and never speak English.
Blacks (or Aftican Americans, as they
are now called) to become the largest Politicians are asking: How far wili
minotity at 21 pet cent. Asiars and this go? 'iUhat kind of country will it
Pacific Islanders will increase five produce? Senator Robert Byrd, a
times to more than 12 per cent. This Democrat from r{/est Vitginia recendy
wili push rhe toral of minoriries to o\er told the Senate: qXrhen I phone the
!0 per cent oI the population. local garage I can't understand the pet-
son on the other end of the line and he
The USA is a country of immigtants, can't understand me. These peopie are
but today's riewcomers are different. all over the place and they don't speak
Immigtants in the nineteenth and ear- English. Do we want more of this?'
1y twentieth centuries became part of Both Democrats and Republicans are
the great American melting pot. They demrnding srrict immigration con-
learnt the language and integrated into trols.
the culture of their new home. But
today's immigrants keep their own cu1- The biggest problem is illegal immi-
ture. They have their own TV chan- gration. African Ameticans are r,ery
ne1s, daily ne\rrspapers and magazines. worried about this, because the illegal
immigrants compete with them lor
The English language has almost houses, schools and especially iobs.
disappeared in many places. Parts of $7ork is the key to the problem. \While
Fiorida, Califotnia and Texas are now the white middle classes complain,
Spanish-speaking. The Hispanic com- many of them (includhg politicians
munity is a bil[on dol1ar market and and lau,yers) employ il1ega1 immigrants
companies ptoduce adverts in as cheap nannies, housekeepers, gar-
Spanish. In a huge supermarket in deners, chauffeurs and maids. And if
Rockville, Maryiand, evcry custome r is there are jobs, the immigrants will con-
from the Far East. You'1i hear Tbe Statue of Liberty: still tbe elttrance to tinue to come. I
Japanese, I(orean and Chinese, but tbe Neut World?
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