3 Multicultural Britain

Exercise 1. Read and translate the text.

Many states in the world today are characterized by multiethnic populations. Some states are ethnically diverse as a result of long histories of changing borders, occupations by foreign powers and regional migration. Other societies have become multiethnic more rapidly, as a result of deliberate policies encouraging migration, by way of colonial and imperial legacies.

Immediately after the Second World War, Britain looked like a prosperous and friendly country for an immigrant worker. All Commonwealth citizens were free to enter the country and look for work, which was plentiful. The influx of immigrants was aided by the adoption of the 1948 British Nationality Act, which granted favourable immigration rights to citizens of Commonwealth countries. However, since the Immigration Act of 1962, successive governments have introduced regulations to restrict the number of immigrants.

It is difficult to get statistics on race, but the following patterns are clear. The percentage of non-whites in Britain increased quite rapidly between 1945 and the end of the 1970s and the 2001 Census will show that it had reached 10 per cent by then. In addition, the number of people seeking political asylum reached 70,000 a year in 2001.

By now, most members of ethnic minority groups were born in the UK. This can be seen clearly by looking at the age structure of ethnic minority populations. Within the British Indian population, for example, more than 96 per cent of those aged 16 and under were born in Britain, while only 1 per cent of those aged 35 or more were born here. This marks an important shift from an ‘immigration population’ to a non-white British population with full citizenship rights.

Ethnic minorities are concentrated in the cities. They do not live in the inner city by choice; they moved there because such areas were least favoured by the white population and empty properties became available as whites moved out.

Black and Asian people in Britain are disadvantaged as a whole in comparison with the white population. The percentage of members of ethnic minorities who are unemployed, or in low-grade jobs, is higher than in the population as a whole. However, certain ethnic groups find greater occupational success than others. For example, African Asian men are as likely as their white counterparts to work as professionals, managers or employers, while Chinese women are twice as likely as white women to do so.

However, individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds are still faced with prejudice and racism in areas such as employment, income, housing and crime.

Racial discrimination and poor living conditions have contributed to racial violence, especially in the day-to-day form of relations between young blacks and the police, or in the more extreme form of inner-city riots. This is despite the Race Relations Act (1976), which was designed to promote equality of opportunity for people of all races.

Exercise 2. Answer the questions.

1. What proportion of the British population is non-white, and where do their families come from?

2. Where do most non-whites live in Britain?

3. Is the percentage of members of ethnic minorities who are unemployed, or in low-grade jobs, the same as in the population as a whole?

4. What contributes to racial violence?

5. What was the Race Relations Act designed for?

Exercise 3. Combine the following words into sentences:

1. Multiethnic, today, states, world, by, are, in, characterized, populations, many, the.

2. But, difficult, to, it, the, get, race, patterns, clear, statistics, on, are, is, following.

3. Of, groups, the, now, members, in, ethnic, born, by, UK, most, minority, were.

4. And, people, population, Britain, Asian, as, comparison, a, with, black, are, in,, disadvantaged, in, whole, the, white.

5. Certain, however, groups, greater, success, ethnic, others, occupational, than, find.

6. Ethnic, however, from, minority, are, still, individuals, with, prejudice, and, in, such, employment, as, income, crime, housing, and, faced, areas, racism, backgrounds.

Exercise 4. Rearrange the following sentences so that they logically summarize the text.

1. All Commonwealth citizens were free to enter the country and look for work, which was plentiful.

2. Black and Asian people in Britain are disadvantaged as a whole in comparison with the white population.

3. Many states in the world today are characterized by multiethnic populations.

4. This marks an important shift from an ‘immigration population’ to a non-white British population with full citizenship rights.

5. However, individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds are still faced with prejudice and racism in areas such as employment, income, housing and crime, which contributes to racial violence.

6. By now, most members of ethnic minority groups were born in the UK.

7. Some states are ethnically diverse as a result of long histories of changing borders, other societies have become multiethnic more rapidly, as a result of deliberate policies encouraging migration.

8. Immediately after the Second World War Britain looked like a prosperous and friendly country for an immigrant worker.

Exercise 5. Learn and reproduce the summary from Exercise 4.(5 баллов)

Exercise 6.Read the text.