Some More Practice on Summarizing Paragraphs

Some More Practice on Summarizing Paragraphs

1. Learning another language is never easy, but the rewards of knowing another language are immense. The reasons for studying intercultural communication that we discussed in Chapter 1 can also be applied to learning a second language. The demographic and economic imperatives are especially relevant, particularly in regions of the country where there is increasing ethnic and linguistic diversity. Our student Laura recently moved from Michigan to Arizona, where she works with many internationals who have recently moved there from Mexico. She comments, “It is sometimes hard, because you want to communicate, but do not always have the words. I do not speak much Spanish, so conversations can be difficult. However, where there’s a will, there’s a way. My friends and I make an effort to get our meanings across, and I have met some wonderful people as a result.”












2. Since the 1960s, South Korea has been one of the fastest-changing societies in the world. The economy grew at a blistering pace, the country industrialized and urbanized, a middle class emerged, and these days respect tends to go to those with money and E-mail accounts, not to the old men and women who make great bean paste. “Generation gaps exist everywhere, but the gap is wider here, because Western culture is pouring in at an amazing speed,” said Annette E. Y. Ahn, 28, a Seoul interpreter who grew up partly in the United States and Europe. “I also think it’s wider here because looking back in history, we were the last country to open up to Western culture, and how the doors are open and it’s pouring in.”










3. I must now, unavoidably, become personal-to emphasize this point. I was brought here very young, very poor, by one surviving parent of a massacre, and shortly after arriving in the United States I was orphaned. After a few years in an orphanage, my first job was as a farm hand. I had a dream to be a lawyer; thereafter, I made steady progress: educationally, professionally, and economically. Taking advantage of America’s opportunities, I was able to support a family of four children, each of whom now has a college education at my expense and has employment of his or her choice. And how nice it is that my wife and I are not financially dependent on our children as we approach the later years.














4. Moreover, the traditional family also provides a stronger union and closer relationship among family members, which is vital if they are to defend themselves against outside threats. However, the more people living together, the more complicated their relations will be. Disputes and conflicts may often arise and thus threaten the existence of the family. As a means to counteract the disintegrating force within the family, an authoritarian leadership is needed to decide on important issues and settle disputes. This is often the job of the eldest son in the family. In turn, everyone has to obey and submit to the authorized figure; that is, they have to pay the price of giving up freedom for family union, which Wan Lam found unreasonable and disagreeable.