AGRUPAMNETO DE ESCOLAS DE PENALVA DO CASTELO ENGLISH CLASS PAPER 10th B - Ins Confessions of a Korean immigrant in America.

My first month in an American classroom, I was so lost. I tried to understand what the teachers were saying, but I could make out only a few words. One day after class, some of the other sixth graders approached me. I was hoping that they might tell me what the teacher had been saying. Instead, they smirked, Hey, stupid! Do you speak English? I felt so mad that I wanted to punch them in the face, kick them in the stomach and make them SHUT UP. Instead, I swore to myself that one day I would speak English, get straight As, laugh in their faces and have them admire me! But deep inside I doubted I would ever learn English, let alone get an A, in this wild place. When I left Seoul, South Korea, in the summer of 1995 at the age of 11, I didnt know more than 30 words of English, but I wasnt worried. Having been a class president, a straight A student, and an athlete in South Korea, I thought English would come to me easily. There were some guys who helped me out a lot. I remember three guys who listened to me attentively and talked to me slowly so I could understand. For the first three or four weeks of school, they showed me what I had to do or wrote the assignments in my notebook. It wasnt any easier for them to understand my coarse accent and illogical word order than it was for other classmates. They had no particular reason to be nice to me. But they were. Sometimes, they said, Whats up, Richard? or asked me how my class was. I cant describe how happy I was then, just for a kind word. Out of desperation, I threw myself into learning English, starting with simple childrens books. My first book was The Lion King. It took me two weeks to read, and I was so frustrated I ripped out one of the pages. To me, that book seemed as hard as Einsteins Relativity Theory. But I continued. All my efforts began to pay off six months after I entered the school. I dont know how to explain it. My English wasnt perfect. I still had a foreign accent, I stuttered and I didnt know all the words that others knew. But English wasnt so foreign anymore. I began to talk to others without having to stop and think of what words I should use. It was so awesome. To speak English without stopping every now and thenit was such an unforgettable joy! Then came my reward: an A- in English class in the second semester that year. A revelation, epiphany and victory! Now that I spoke English a bit better, people began to treat me differently. I wasnt a stupid immigrant who couldnt speak English anymore. People came and talked to me, played basketball with me during recess and lunch, asked me for the homework, and treated me like a normal teenager. http://www.layouth.com/ Nov/2011

A. Say whether these statements are TRUE or FALSE. Justify your choices with information from the text. (5x10p) 1. When Richard came to the USA he could easily communicate in English. 2. He used to be a good student when he was living in Korea. 3. In spite of his initial problems with the class, some classmates were nice to him. 4. It was very easy for him to read his first book in English. 5. Richard worked very hard and was able to learn English quite quickly.

AGRUPAMNETO DE ESCOLAS DE PENALVA DO CASTELO ENGLISH CLASS PAPER 10th B - Ins Nov/2011

B. Answer the following questions with complete answers. 1. Why did Richard feel mad in his first days at school? (10p) 2. Did Richard initially think he would become a good student in America as well? (10p) 3. What was his first great achievement as a student in America? (10p) 4. After he learnt English, did he feel integrated? Justify? (10p) 5. If you had a foreign student in your class, how would you react? Would you be nice and help him or would just ignore him? Explain your reasons? (min. 35 words - 20p) 6. How would you feel if you were in a situation like Richard? What would you do about it? (min. 35 words - 20p)

C. Find in the text synonyms for the following words in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4: (4x5p) 1. 2. 3. 4. furious promised specific nice

D. Knowing one or more foreign languages can be very helpful in certain situations of our life. In an essay of about 120 words, give some examples of situations where speaking a foreign language may be very useful. (50 pontos)