2. Building your vocabulary

A. These are the 15 key vocabulary words for this chapter. They are boldfaced in the reading. Pronounce these words after your teacher and discuss their meaning.

advantage eligible obligation

alien entitle oppose

bill jury pending

compulsory naturalize refund

controversy neutral resistance

B. Complete these sentences with some of the key vocabulary words. Make the nouns plural if necessary, and put the verbs into the correct tense and form.

1. Mr. Brown's income tax return showed that he was _______ to a(n) ______ because he had overpaid.

2. Should we lower taxes? There is a lot of _______ about that issue.

3. Some people favor higher taxes, and some are against the idea. I have no opinion on the matter. I'm ________ .

4. There are two types of American citizens: native-born and _______ .

5. In the U.S., an 18-year-old citizen is _______ to vote, but a resident alien sn't.

6. A(n) ______ is a selected group of people who decide legal cases in court.

7. A proposed law being considered by a legislative body is called a(n) _____ .

8. The government wants to raise the prices on postage stamps, but many people _______ this plan. Most people don't want to pay more for stamps.

9. This court case is delayed _______ the arrival of an important witness.

10. Citizens have the right and the ________ to vote.

11. Pedro is a permanent resident in the U.S., but he hasn't become a citizen yet. He is a(n) _______ .

12. One of the ________ of becoming a citizen is that citizens can vote in local, state, and national elections.

3. Sharpening reading skills.

Many English words have two or more meanings. To understand what you read, you need to consider the context in which these words are used.

Find these words in the text. Then mark the sentence that uses the word as it is used in the text.

Example

The word neutral:

___ a. The car is in neutral. It won't move.

___ b. I want a new jacket in a neutral color: white, beige, or gray.

___ c. I'm not siding with you or your wife in your divorce case. I'm neutral.

1. The word alien:

___ a. In that science fiction movie, the main character is an alien from the planet Mars.

___ b. He has lived alone in a hut for 35 years. His behavior is alien to us.

___ c. He's an alien now, but he wants to become an American citizen.

2. The word voice:

___ a. Her singing voice is beautiful.

___ b. Should children have a voice in making family decisions?

___ c. Is this verb in the active or passive voice?

3. The word bill:

___ a. The president won't sign that bill, so it will probably never become a law.

___ b. Did you pay your electric bill yet?

___ c. I don't have any change. Can I put a $1 bill in this coffee machine?

4. The word draft:

___ a. Please close the window. I don't like the cold draft.

___ b. This isn't the final version of my paper. It's just the first draft.

___ c. Some people were against the draft during the Vietnam War.

5. The word graduated:

___ a. My sister graduated from medical school last month. Now she's a doctor.

___ b. This is a graduated series of exercises. Each one is a little harder than the one before.

___ c. My college graduated 525 students last year.

6. The word return:

___ a. Please return this book to the library.

___ b. Seven percent is a good return on money in a savings account.

___ c. The U.S. tax return is very complicated.