American School Textbook Reading Key CORE 1.
Further Questions
Unit 2. The United States - A Nation of Diversity
The United States is sometimes called a nation of immigrants. People from many
different countries and races live there. It took centuries for the United States to
become a multicultural society. And the country’s people did not come from all
over the world at the same time. In fact, immigration to America happened in
various stages.
After Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492, many Europeans
started to move to America. The first Europeans to come to America were
English, German, Irish, Dutch, and French. Many Africans started coming as
well. But they were slaves, so they were brought to America against their will.
Then, between 1880 and 1925, a second wave of immigrants poured into the
United States. Many of these newcomers came from Southern and Eastern
European countries, including Italy, Poland, and Russia. Since the late 1800s,
Asian immigrants – people from China, Japan, Korea, and other countries – have
streamed into the western United States.
While the first immigrants often spread out to rural areas, later immigrants
concentrated in the cities. For instance, New York and Boston were homes to
Italian and Jewish immigrants, the largest ethnic groups in the second wave of
immigrants. Chicago was home to a mixture of many races and nationalities.
Today, the United States has citizens from almost every country. But not all
nationalities have always gotten along with each other. Immigrants sometimes
encountered discrimination. Early immigrants, such as English settlers, Irish, and
Germans, shared much with English culture. However, later immigrants were
very different. They spoke different languages and had different religions and
customs. Some people who were already well settled disliked more poor
newcomers arriving. As a result, social discrimination against blacks, Jews,
Asians, and other ethnic groups continued into the 1900s.
However, the U.S. government passed laws to end discrimination in the 1960s.
now, all people are treated fairly no matter what race they are. So, most
Americans live together in harmony.
Vocabulary
a nation of immigrants Jewish
race ethnic group
century ethnic
a multicultural society second wave
at the same time nationality
immigration get along with
immigrant encounter
in various stages discrimination
against one’s will treat
pour into fairly
newcomer no matter what
stream into in harmony
spread out rural
concentrate in happen
discover slave
while mixture
settler share
religion custom
as a result against
culture almost every
millennia decade
century conqueror
isolationists geographic origin
time period religious beliefs
characteristic cultural heritage
concentrate current state
rural area prevalent
primarily eradicate
cite shift
heritage refers to
settlers Native
pioneer describe
movement emigration
immigration stream
migration melting pot
deport tolerate
overall tone optimistic
pessimistic neutral
ambivalent constant
infer remained
impact phrase
rapid chaotic
controlled political landscape
challenge assimilation
access healthcare
urban suburban
metropolitan countryside
destination rural areas
territory spread out
concentrated dispersed
centralized segregated
completely term
seek exploration
seeking adventure slavery
forced religious freedom
the second wave acceptance
indifference hostility
enthusiasm geography
economy political system
tense predominantly
Past tense political landscape
Present tense consent
Future tense infinitive
Present perfect tense multicultural society
economic impact conjunction
since newcomer
part of speech citizen
antecedent pronoun
comparative contain
Comprehension Questions
1. According to the text, what is the United States sometimes called?
a) A nation of conquerors c) A nation of immigrants
b) A nation of natives d) A nation of isolationists
2. How long did it take for the United States to become a multicultural society?
a) Decades b) Centuries c) Millennia d) Weeks
3. When did Christopher Columbus discover America?
a) 1492 b) 1776 c) 1620 d) 1812
4. Which group of people were brought to America against their will?
a) English settlers b) Africans c) Italians d) Germans
5. During which time period did a second wave of immigrants arrive in the United States?
a) 1600s-1700s b) 1700s-1800s c) 1880-1925 d) 1950s-1960s
6. Where did many of the second wave of immigrants come from?
a) Northern Europe b) Southern and Eastern Europe c) Asia d) Africa
7. Which city was home to Italian and Jewish immigrants during the second wave of immigration?
a) Chicago b) Boston c) New York d) Los Angeles
8. What is mentioned as a characteristic of later immigrants?
a) They shared much with English culture.
b) They concentrated in rural areas.
c) They had different languages and customs.
d) They were primarily from Africa.
9. What is one reason cited for social discrimination against certain ethnic groups?
a) Different languages spoken
b) Shared cultural heritage
c) Similar religious beliefs
d) Geographic origin
10. What decade did the U.S. government pass laws to end discrimination?
a) 1800s b) 1950s c) 1960s d) 2000s
11. What is the current state of discrimination in the United States according to the text?
a) Discrimination is still prevalent. c) Discrimination has been eradicated.
b) Discrimination has increased. d) Discrimination has shifted to other ethnic
groups.
12. What word in the text refers to people who were already established in the United States?
a) Immigrants b) Natives c) Settlers d) Pioneers
13. What term is used to describe the movement of people into the western United States?
a) Immigration b) Emigration c) Streamed d) Migration
14. Which city is mentioned as a melting pot for many races and nationalities?
a) New York b) Boston c) Chicago d) Los Angeles
15. According to the text, what was the result of discrimination in the United States?
a) Immigrants were deported. c) Discrimination increased.
b) Laws were passed to end discrimination. d) Discrimination was tolerated.
16. What is the overall tone of the passage regarding discrimination?
a) Optimistic b) Pessimistic c) Neutral d) Ambivalent
17. What can be inferred about the level of immigration over time based on the text?
a) Immigration has remained constant.
b) Immigration has decreased.
c) Immigration has increased.
d) Immigration has had no impact.
18. What does the phrase "streamed into" suggest about the movement of Asian immigrants?
a) Rapid movement c) Chaotic movement
b) Slow movement d) Controlled movement
19. What is the main idea of the text?
a) The United States' history of immigration c) The economic impact of immigration
b) The diversity of American cities d) The political landscape of the United States
20. According to the text, what is one challenge faced by immigrants in the United States?
a) Assimilation into American culture
b) Discrimination from native-born Americans
c) Limited job opportunities
d) Access to healthcare
21. Which word in the text is synonymous with "rural"?
a) Urban b) Suburban c) Metropolitan d) Countryside
22. What is the meaning of the phrase "against their will" in the text?
a) With their consent b) Without their c) By their choice d) By force
consent
23. What was the main destination for immigrants during the second wave of immigration?
a) Rural areas b) Southern states c) Urban cities d) Western territories
24. What word in the text refers to the act of spreading out over a wide area?
a) Concentrated b) Dispersed c) Centralized d) Segregated
25. According to the text, what is the result of the U.S. government passing laws to end discrimination?
a) Discrimination continued.
b) Discrimination ended completely.
c) Discrimination decreased.
d) Discrimination increased against different groups.
Grammar
1. What term is used to describe the United States in the text?
a) A nation of natives c) A nation of pioneers
b) A nation of immigrants d) A nation of conquerors
2. According to the text, when did Christopher Columbus discover America?
a) 1492 b) 1607 c) 1776 d) 1812
3. What was the main reason Africans came to America, as mentioned in the text?
a) Seeking adventure c) Seeking religious freedom
b) Exploration d) Forced slavery
4. During which period did a second wave of immigrants come to the United States?
a) 1492-1607 b) 1776-1789 c) 1880-1925 d) 1960s-present
5. Which regions did many of the second wave of immigrants come from?
a) Northern Europe b) Southern and Eastern Europe c) Asia d) Africa
6. What were New York and Boston primarily home to during the second wave of immigration?
a) African immigrants c) English immigrants
b) Italian and Jewish immigrants d) German immigrants
7. Which city was mentioned as a melting pot for many races and nationalities?
a) New York b) Boston c) Chicago d) Los Angeles
8. When did the U.S. government pass laws to end discrimination?
a) 1700s b) 1800s c) 1900s d) 2000s
9. What did the laws passed in the 1960s aim to end?
a) Immigration b) Discrimination c) Slavery d) Taxes
10. What was the attitude of some well-settled individuals toward new immigrants according to the text?
a) Acceptance c) Hostility
b) Indifference d) Enthusiasm
11. What is the main idea of the text?
a) The history of American immigration
b) The geography of the United States
c) The economy of the United States
d) The political system of the United States
12. Which tense is predominantly used in the text?
a) Past tense
b) Present tense
c) Future tense
d) Present perfect tense
13. Which phrase in the text contains an infinitive?
a) "The country’s people did not come from all over the world"
b) "to become a multicultural society"
c) "Many of these newcomers came from Southern and Eastern European countries"
d) "Since the late 1800s"
14. Which word in the text is a conjunction?
a) "for instance" b) "however" c) "not all" d) "very different"
15. In the sentence "They were slaves, so they were brought to America against their will," what is the
conjunction that joins the two clauses?
a) "so" b) "were" c) "they" d) "to"
16. What part of speech is the word "citizens" in the sentence "Today, the United States has citizens from
almost every country"?
a) Noun b) Verb c) Adjective d) Adverb
17. In the sentence "Immigrants sometimes encountered discrimination," what part of speech is
"discrimination"?
a) Noun b) Verb c) Adjective d) Adverb
18. What is the antecedent of the pronoun "they" in the sentence "Some people who were already well
settled disliked more poor newcomers arriving"?
a) "people" b) "newcomers" c) "some" d) "well settled"
19. Which sentence in the text contains a comparative adjective?
a) "However, later immigrants were very different."
b) "Today, the United States has citizens from almost every country."
c) "And the country’s people did not come from all over the world at the same time."
d) "But not all nationalities have always gotten along with each other."
20. In the sentence "Early immigrants, such as English settlers, Irish, and Germans, shared much with
English culture," what grammatical structure is used to provide additional information about the
immigrants?
a) Parenthetical phrase
b) Relative clause
c) Appositive phrase
d) Prepositional phrase
21. Which sentence contains a modal verb?
a) "Today, the United States has citizens form almost every country."
b) "The United States is sometimes called a nation of immigrants."
c) "However, the U.S. government passed laws to end discrimination in the 1960s."
d) "Chicago was home to a mixture of many races and nationalities."
22. In the sentence "As a result, social discrimination against blacks, Jews, Asians, and other ethnic groups
continued into the 1900s," what does the preposition "against" indicate?
a) Time b) Cause c) Direction d) Possession
23. Which sentence contains a passive construction?
a) "Today, the United States has citizens from almost every country."
b) "However, later immigrants were very different."
c) "While the first immigrants often spread out to rural areas."
d) "Many Africans started coming as well, but they were slaves."
24. What type of sentence is "Today, the United States has citizens from almost every country"?
a) Simple sentence
b) Compound sentence
c) Complex sentence
d) Compound-complex sentence
25. In the sentence "So, most Americans live together in harmony," what function does the word "so"
serve?
a) Coordinating conjunction
b) Subordinating conjunction
c) Demonstrative pronoun
d) Adverb of manner
