14 Migration 73 Language in use: Why immigrants are more successful than you a) Read the text about the the reasons for the economic success of immigrants. Some words are missing. Complete the text by writing one word for each gap (1–10) in the spaces provided. The first one (0) has been done for you. Do you love the four-hour … 0 ? Well, immigrants don’t. They don’t even believe in the forty-hour workweek. Instead of trying to figure out how they can work fewer hours each week, they try to figure out how they can … 1 more hours. Sixty, seventy and even eighty hours are numbers immigrants try to work each week. I know a few Indians who have two … 2 jobs, which means they are working eighty hours every week. And although working eighty hours a week doesn’t give you the best quality of life, it gives you the potential to make more … 3 . By the way, it’s easier to save money than to … 4 it. This is why immigrants are frugal because they understand that it is really hard to earn money – especially if you are working eighty-hour weeks. They are never afraid to ask for discounts, because they know that if you never … 5 you’ll never receive. From negotiating at clothing stores to only buying things that are on sale, immigrants always find ways to save money. When times get tough, the one thing that increases your odds of success is having a good … 6 . Whether you are a teenage immigrant or a middle-aged immigrant, it is never too late to go back to school. If you have a bachelor’s … 7 , on average you’ll make $900,000 more over your lifetime than someone who just has a high school diploma. And if you have a master’s degree, you’ll make $1,200,000 more in your lifetime than a high school graduate. Apart from that, immigrants never take “no” for an … 8 . Just because someone tells you “no”, it doesn’t mean that you can’t change that “no” to a “yes”. When my family first moved here my mum could not find a job as a preschool teacher. So when they told her “no”, she told them that she would work for … 9 . Months later they decided to hire her and, more importantly, pay her. If someone tells you “no”, it just means “not right now”. That “not right now” can … 10 into a “yes” later on. 0 workweek 1 6 2 7 3 8 4 9 5 10 b) Now read the conclusion of the text and underline all the different tense forms you detect. Can you explain why each tense form was used and what the author wants to express by using them? 4 ✔ Have you heard the saying that the grass is greener on the other side? For immigrants, it usually is greener. Although they may not be living in a fancy home or a rich neighbourhood when they first immigrate, those living conditions are still better than the ones they came from. This is why they rarely complain about life because there really is nothing to be sad about. In their eyes, life is truly good. They have a roof over their heads and their kids are getting a great education. The next time you see an immigrant walking by, don’t judge them because of their job, the way they talk or the clothes they wear. Be careful, as some of the richest immigrants I know still drive their beat-up car that is fifteen years old and they buy their clothes from Wal-Mart, and only when they are on sale. Immigrants are successful because of their beliefs and the way they were brought up. So, take a page out of their book and learn a few things from them because it isn’t too late for you to do so and, more importantly, to become successful. (Neil Patel, Quicksprout.com; adapted and abridged) 5 10 15 20 Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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