New Citizens, Good Citizens - Exercise

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Solutions for English Teaching

New citizens, good citizensLevel 2 • Intermedíate

Key words

Choose the correct word to complete the sentences.

1 , A _ has the legal right to live in a country. (citizen / citizenship)

2. Someone who comes to live in a country from another country is calleo1 an _ .

(migrant / irnmigrant)

3. A _ is a legal (written) agreement between two or more parties. (policy / contract)

4. In Britain a _ can vote at the age of 18. (teenager / veteran)

5. A _ is an official group of people who make decisions about a local área, (council / government)

Use your dictionary to look up the definitions of the words you didn't use. Compare and contrast themeaníngs of each of the words.

Q Subtitles

Write down keywords you would expect to read in the part of the text that follows each of these subtitles.

Divisions in British society

Anewpointssystem

Reasons why the changes are needed

Plans for a 'Britain Day'

Ministers set out plans in a new report

Citizenship contract

Then skim-read the text and decide where each subtitle should go. Write them into the spaces(a-f) provided.

© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2007

NEWS LESSONS / New citízens, good eitizens / Intermedíate

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Rules to make migrants intégrateMinisters say citizenship should depend on goodbehaviour, passing English tests and knowledgeoftheUK.

Patrick Wintour, política! editorand Alan TravisJune 5, 2007

a.

1 Government ministers want to introduce anational British day as part of a 'citizenshiprevolution1 that would also toughen rules formigrants and try to instil community pride inall 18-year-olds.

2 Under the new plans, every teenager in the UKwould be given a citizenship pack when theybecame eligible to vote, and migrants would onlybe able to become British citizens if they coulddemónstrate good behaviour and a willingnessto intégrate.

3 The national day could be a bank holiday, similarto Australia Day. The proposals come from thecommunities secretary, Ruth Kelly, and theimmigration minister, Liam Byme, who wouldalso like to introduce citizenship ceremonies foranyone who wants to settle in íhe UK.

b.

4 Some of the ideas floated by the two ministersare likely to feature in a forthcoming report.The themes have already been enthusiasticallyembraced by the prime minister-in-waiting,Cordón Brown.

6 Another idea is to improve links betweenveterans and young people. The pack for18-year-olds would provide information ondemocracy, volunteering and civic duties suchas jury service. Student loan repayments couldbe reduced in return for volunteering.

c.

6 Mr Byrne and Ms Kelly argüe that the currentsettlement policy for new migrants is "difficult to

understand and unclear". In future, new citizenswould gain points for the length of time spent inthe country, bringing substantial new investmentinto the UK, passing English tests, demonstratingknowledge of the UK, undertaking civic work andliving in a law-abiding way. A points system forcitizenship would allow credits to be deducted foranti-social behaviour, fly-tipping or more seriouscriminal behaviour.

7 "This form of points system would be the basisof a clearer relationship between the citizenand the state. An easy to understand contrae!such as this would encourage integration anddemónstrate a clearer sense in which citizenshipand the rights that come with living in Britain areeamed."

d.

8 Local government should also provide acitizenship deal for newcomers, settíng out theirresponsibilities to be good neighbours, as wellas their access to English language training andemployment, say the ministers.

9 A 'life in Britain - good neighbour contrae!'would be provided to all migrants from insideand outside the EU, including trióse that staytemporarily. The contrae! would be introducedalongside identity cards. The ministers alsosay councils should spend less on translationservices and more on English language teaching.

e.

10 The ministers warn there is "a critica! risk thatafter 40 years in which diversity has grown,Britain's communilies are no longer lookingoutwards and celebrating what they havein common. Instead, they are beginning tolook inwards, stressing their differences anddivisions".

11 The threat to a united sense of feeling Britishcomes both from Islamist extremism andalso groups like the British National Party.Ministers point out that the government has toacknowledge and respond to the growing moodof English nationalism.


NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Intermedíate

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12 "We risk seeing a more divided society, moresuspicious of each other and no longer comingtogether around shared goals. We need astronger sense of why we live in a common placeand have a shared future." Mr Byrne admittedthat recent eastem European migration hadproved a "shock to the system".

13 He said new migrants needed to do more to"help them understand British valúes and its wayof life." He added: "We need to make it clearerthat citizenship isn't simply handed out, but issomething which is earned."

14 The ministers say newtrends are pushing Britonsapart in the workplace, the family, the mediaand new technology. They insist migration hasbrought benefits, but say sometimes the pace ofchange is rapid and destabilizing, pointing out

that by 2011, only 20% of Britain's workforce willbe white, able-bodied men under 45.

f.

15 In a speech to business leaders, Mr Byrne saidthe new measures were needed because the"spike" in asylum claims in 2000, the unpredictedlevel of eastern European migration and theforeign prisoners crisis has badly damagedconfidence in Britain's asylum and immigrationsystem. He added, "We have to be open aboutthe cholees available to us. In the 21 st centurywe can't make big decisions in secret."

© Guardian News & Media 2007

First published ¡n The Guardian, 5/6/07

Comprehension check

Choose the best answer according to the text.

1. Government ministers want to introduce a newbank holiday to...a. improve the relationship with Australia.b. hand out good citizen awards.c. toughen immigration rules.d. promote community relationships.

2. The Prime Minister-in-waiting, Gordon Brown,thinks the plans are...a. a bad ¡dea.b. ok, but not for Britain.c. a great idea.d. not modern enough.

3. Ministers say the current settlement policy is...a. too easy.b. too complicated.c. too long.d. too expensive.

4. Under a new policy, points would be awarded for..a. criminal behaviour.b. volunteering.c. fly-tipping.d. oíd age.

5. Mr Byrne says citizenship needs to be...a. bought.b. fought for.c. earned.d. handed out.



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Vocabulary 1: Collocations

Which words come before or after the words in the centre of the word wheeis below? Find verbs or nounsin the text to complete the word wheeis.

3.

Can you think of any more words to add to the word wheeis?

Vocabulary 2: Compound words

Skim-read and subtitle are both compound words, i.e. two or three words that are combined to make a newword. Put these single words together to make compounds words f rom the text.

waiting minister abiding social fly in bodiedyear anti able tipping 18 law oíd

Try to work out whai they mean by reading the text again.



New Citizens, Good Citizens - Exercise

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