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В. Reading Comprehension

DIRECTIONS: Complete the reading summary with words from this list. Try to complete it first without looking back at the reading.

it, and adjusting to it. People experience culture shock because of

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C. Think About It

DIRECTIONS: Discuss the answers to these guestions with your classmates.

1.What was your favorite hobby or pastime when you were in your country? Is it possible to do that in the United States?

2.Is there any activity that you enjoy (or might enjoy) doing in your free time in the United States? What is that? How difficult or expen­ sive is it to do?

3.How much time do you spend in your room, house, or apartment?

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D. Reading

DIRECTIONS: Read and answer the questions below.

Jody and her family spent a year in England while her husband was in a graduate program there. They lived in a friendly community and traveled to a lot of interesting places in the U.K. and in Europe. Back at home in the United States, Jody told her friends about their wonderful year. She said that England was a great place to spend a year, even though she wouldn't want to live there permanently. Jody was happy to be home, but she felt strange. Even one month after her trip, she didn't have any energy and kept doing stupid things—she left her wallet at stores twice and forgot to meet people for lunch and other appointments. She didn't feel like cooking and she spent a lot of time sleeping.

1.Where is Jody's home?

2.Did she have a good time in her year in England? Why or why not?

3.What do you think was the problem for Jody when she came back home? (answer below)

4.What can Jody do to feel better? (answer below)

section 3

Contact a Point of View

A.Background Building

1.What do you think the above illustration means?

2.Do you ever feel like the person in the illustration? Why or why not?

B.Timed Reading

DIRECTIONS: Read the following point of view and answer the questions in four minutes.

Nguyen Chau Van Loc came to the United States in 1979 from Vietnam. His first impression of the United States was very positive. He was

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particularly impressed with the way Americans had put technology to work for them. Americans made machines to take them upstairs and downstairs, give them money at the bank, and even open doors for them. He felt that this new environment offered him many exciting opportunities.

However, Loc quickly found himself unprepared to take advantage of these opportunities. He knew almost no English. Even when he knew what to say on a bus or in a store, no one understood him and he had to repeat and repeat. In Vietnam, Loc was a technician, but in the United States he did not have enough experience compared with other people. He had trouble finding a job. He felt that he did not have an important role or position in the city and missed the security and friendliness of his town in Vietnam. He felt that he would never learn English or feel happy in the United States. He began to feel very depressed and homesick.

Loc was lucky because there was a counselor in his English program. This counselor helped Loc to understand that his feelings were normal and that they were only a stage in his adjustment to this new culture. Loc began to look around him and to talk to other Vietnamese. He saw that many others felt the same way he did. Some, in fact, were more disoriented than he was and were afraid to go out into the city.

Eventually, Loc began to feel better about his life in the United States. He developed a position in the Vietnamese American community and adjusted to his new role in American society. He is accustomed to his life in this new country but will always miss Vietnam.

DIRECTIONS: Read each of the following statements carefully to determine whether each is true (Tj, false (F), or impossible to know (ITKj.

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1.Loc came from Vietnam.

2.Loc is married.

3.Loc came to the United States in 1977.

4.Loc had a positive attitude about American technology.

5.Loc did not have a job in Vietnam.

6.A counselor helped Loc.

7.The counselor was a woman.

8.No one felt the same way that Loc did.

9.People understood Loc's English easily.

10.Loc never thinks about Vietnam now.

C. Vocabulary

DIRECTIONS: Circle the letter of the word(s) with the same meaning as the italicized word(s).

D. React

DIRECTIONS: When you entered a new environment or culture, what was the most difficult thing you experienced? What was the easiest? Number these things according to the level of difficulty. Write I for the hardest and 10 for the easiest. Include all the numbers from I to 10.

the bank

the transportation system

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the post office

. the living situation (roommates, finding a place to live, neighbors)

. making friends

the weather

understanding American customs and lifestyles

understanding American values and beliefs

using the telephone

. finding good food to eat

Explain to the other people in your class why you had difficulties with your number 1, the hardest thing. Give examples of your experiences. After you were in this new environment for a while or even now, what was or is the most difficult thing for you? Did the most difficult thing become easier in time or did it stay the same?

E. Word Analysis

Part 1

DIRECTIONS: Look at the endings for nouns and adjectives below. Are the italicized words in the sentences nouns or adjectives? Remember that there is never an s on the ends of adjectives in English.

NOUN ADJECTIVE

1.This solution will be beneficial for everyone.

2.Our sense of community is very important.

3.Poverty is a serious social problem.

4.Racial conflict is an issue in the United States.

5.She is always very practical.

6.Downtown is the central business area.

NOUN ADJECTIVE

7.What is a typical name in your country?

8.There is some similarity between you and your brother.

9.Who has control here?

10.People in certain countries value formality greatly.

2. Complete the sentences with one of the above words.

d.He never thinks about himself and he's always giving to other people. He is really

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section 4

Look Back

A. Vocabulary

DIRECTIONS: Circle the letter of the choice that best completes each sentence.

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В. Matching

DIRECTIONS: Find the word or phrase in column В which has a similar mean­ ing to a word in column A. Write the letter of that word or phrase next to the word in column A.

С Synthesis Questions

Find someone who has visited another country (your country, if pos­ sible). Find out what was the most difficult thing he or she experienced there. Find out if he or she experienced culture shock in that country or when he or she returned to his or her own country.

D. Vocabulary Preview

DIRECTIONS: What shorter words can you see in these words from Chapter 6?

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