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Reading and Comprehension

A THE ROAD TO SUCCESS
1 America is well-known for being a melting pot of different ethnic groups and cultures. For example, in Queens, New
York, second-generation Puerto Ricans live alongside third-generation Greeks and first-generation Koreans, all united by a
common feeling of pride in their American identity.
2 However, they are also proud of and curious about their ancestral roots. National
Geographic’s Genographic Project set out to trace the origins and common ancestry of
the various immigrants in this community by examining their genetic makeup using a
simple DNA test. The study was well supported by local residents, but what was of more
immediate interest to them was something which surprises us all: the history of our
recent ancestry. In other words, how their grandparents and great-grandparents arrived
in America, what obstacles they had faced and what brought them there in the first place.
3 One recurring theme among young immigrants at the moment seems to be recognition of the hard work and sacrifices
that their grandparents put into building a new life, and how they themselves now feel a duty to honour their efforts by
working hard too. Here are two Queens residents’ stories.
Richard, 38
4 “My great-grandfather Tomas came to the USA from Poland when he was fifteen. His mother had become ill and died,
and his father had remarried to be able to take care of his seven children. Tomas didn’t like his stepmother, so he ran away
to Belgium, where he boarded a ship to America – without a ticket. Arriving in America with nothing, he got a job on the
railroads in California. Then one day he saw an announcement in a newspaper that was read by immigrants. It was from his
brother in New York who was also seeking his fortune in America and was looking for him. They had an emotional reunion
in New York. This is the story that my grandmother has passed down to my family. She is an amazing woman and the head
of the family, I suppose; the one who holds us all together. She’s actually quite forgetful now, but she never forgets family
details. What that has meant, is that all of us – brothers, aunts, cousins – have a strong family bond and a strong sense of
belonging to a group that has struggled and fought together to succeed here.”
Tanja, 29
5 “I’m a first generation American. Both my parents came here from Jamaica, where getting a good education is a must.
My mother always says that people may take everything away from you, but they can never take away your education.
My father was a nurse in Jamaica, but he had an ambition to be a doctor in the US. When he first came here, he studied
during the day and went to work at night. My parents have a strong work ethic. My mum has always worked as a nurse,
but at the same time has always been very involved in our lives also, helping with our studies and following our careers
with interest. Both my sister and I have followed our parents into the medical profession and now I’m working as a doctor
at the Mount Sinai hospital in Queens. I don’t know if that kind of dedication is genetic or just something that you learn
from your parents, but that desire to get ahead… we’ve certainly both inherited it.
Reading text adapted from the National Geographic Life Upper Intermediate Student’s Book

1. Write T (true) or F (false) next to each statement.

a) You can easily meet people from different ethnic backgrounds in the USA.
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b) National Geographic’s Genographic Project aims to determine the origins of immigrants. ...................
c) Local people in Queens didn’t support the National Geographic’s Genographic Project. . ...................
d) Richard’s grandmother plays an important role in keeping the family together. ...................

e) Tanja’s family is ambitious and hard-working. ...................

2. Find the words/phrases in the article for definitions 1-4. Which one is the most important for you to be
successful? Justify your answer.
a) the act of giving up something that is valuable to you in order to help someone else (paragraph 3) .........................
b) a close connection among the relatives (paragraph 4) .........................
c) acceptance as a natural member or part (paragraph 4) .........................
d) belief in the moral benefit and importance of your job (paragraph 5) .........................
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 Vocabulary
B
1. Fill in each gap with an appropriate word from the box. There is one extra.
benefits conquered innovative obstacle overcome revolutionary
a) The plan was designed to help women and old people ......................... discrimination in the workplace.
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b) The discovery of oil has brought many ....................... to the town. The unemployment rate has gone down and a
new hospital is being built.
c) The Spanish ......................... the New World in the 16th century.
d) She is an imaginative and ......................... manager. She focuses on the big picture and works with creative thinkers
who can add to that vision and make it greater.
e) The biggest ........................ in our way was a tree trunk in the road. Can we call someone to remove it?

2. Circle the correct word to complete the sentences.

a) Truck drivers never even glance/glare/see at their cell phones to check new messages or emails while driving.
b) Mum is buying some sugar, meanwhile Sonia is gaping/ squinting/peeking in wonder at a large jar of sweets.
c) Annette gazed/saw/glimpsed admiringly at Warren’s new car as he drove off.

Use of English
C
1. Fill in the gaps with the correct form of the verbs. BE CAREFUL about tenses, negatives, etc.
Sue Thomas is a fashion designer. She 1. ................. (make) clothes ever since she 2. .................(be) a young girl. She 3.
................. (get) her first job in a clothes factory when she was sixteen. She 4. ................. (sew) buttons onto a shirt one

day when she 5. ................. (have) a brilliant idea for a design. After she 6. ................. (speak) to her bank manager, she
got a loan and she 7. ................. (open) her own little workshop. Now she 8. ................. (make) lots of money. Next year,
she is opening a shop which will sell all her own designs. She already 9. ................. (sell) clothes to a lot of famous
people, including film stars and singers, and she 10. ................. (think) she will be very rich soon.

2. Circle the correct choice.

1) I almost didn’t recognize her because she _________so much since we last met.
a) is changing b) had changed c) changes d) has changed
2) The garden looked beautiful because it _________all night.
a) has snowed b) snows c) had been snowing d) would snow
3) Where _________when I saw you this morning?
a) did you go b) would you go c) you did go d) were you going
4) She got into her car and _________away.
a) was driving b) drove c) had driven d) did she drive
5) We’ll see them soon. Their plane has just _________.
a) landed b) been landed c) landing d) been landing
6) We’ve _________ for ages. I think we’re lost.
a) been b) been driven c) drive d) been driving

Writing
D Read the quote and write a paragraph about it based on the questions below.
“Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you
will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life.” Dr. David M. Burns
• What does it mean to have the ‘right to be wrong’?
• How does hanging onto that right affect our lives?