1 What do you miss most?

Preview

1 CULTURE
The United States is a country of immigrants. Until the 1960s, most
immigrants came from Europe. Today, most come from Latin America
and Asia, but there are some immigrants from almost every country in
the world. In Virginia, one high school has students from 85 countries.
In Sacramento, California, at one elementary school over 50% of the
students speak a language other than English at home. In both schools,
the school lunch program offers foods from many countries, and
most students have friends from different cultures. Still, students get
homesick. “I like it here, but sometimes I miss what I left behind,” says
Ji Eun Park, a South Korean immigrant to New York.

Are there immigrants in your country? Where are they from?

Do you have friends in other countries? Which countries?
What do you think immigrants miss? Name two things.

2 VOCABULARY  Life in a new place

pair work   Put three more items in each column. (Many can go in both
columns.) Then compare around the class.

architecture friends nature sports

family gatherings holidays professions traditions
food music and dance skills

Things immigrants bring with them Things immigrants miss

skills family gatherings
Food Friends
Traditions nature
Music and dance architecture
Sports
professions

3 GUESS THE FACTS

Watch the video with the sound off.  Where are these people from? What is it like there?

2 Unit 1 Interchange VRB 2 © Cambridge University Press 2012  Photocopiable

9781107651807_VRB_02_U01_WS.indd 2 10/17/11 1:48 PM

 Watch the video

4 GET THE PICTURE

Complete the chart. Fill in each person’s country of origin. Then add one
more piece of information. Compare with a partner.

1 First name: 2 First name:

Nami Patricia
Country: Country:
Syria Brazil
Other: Other:
used to play soccer Used to translate English

3 First name: 4 First name:

Rolando Mihoko
Country: Country:
Mexico Japan
Other: Other:
Used to work for a Used to study art
record company

5 WATCH FOR DETAILS

Check (✓) True or False. Then correct the false statements. Compare with a partner.

True False

1. Joon was born in North America. ✓  Joon was born in South Korea.
2. Joon moved when she was 18. Joon moven when she was 16
3. Nami used to play soccer in Syria.
4. Nami misses spending time with his brother. Nami misses spendind time with her mother
5. Patricia came to the U.S. when she was 19. Patricia came to the U.S when she was 6
6. Patricia’s parents miss having family around.
7. Rolando used to listen to music in English.
8. Rolando used to work for a record company.
9. Mihoko has been in the U.S. for 6 years. Mihoko has been in the U.S. for 8 years
10. Mihoko studied art in New York.

Interchange VRB 2 © Cambridge University Press 2012  Photocopiable Unit 1 3

9781107651807_VRB_02_U01_WS.indd 3 10/17/11 1:48 PM

 6 WHAT DO THEY REMEMBER?
What do these people remember most about their home countries?
Check (✓) all the correct answers. Then compare with a partner.

1 2 3 4

Nami Patricia Rolando Mihoko

family ✓ 
food
going to the beach
listening to music in English
parties
picnics
playing soccer ✓ 
restaurants

Follow-up

7 DIFFICULT CHOICES
A  group work   Imagine you’re going to move to a
new country. Add two questions to the list. Then
interview three classmates and complete the chart.

I’d like to move

to Australia.

Classmate 1 Classmate 2 Classmate 3

1.  Which country will you choose?

2.  What will you miss most?
3.  What will your biggest problem be?
4.  What would be your biggest
advantage?
5.  What would be your biggest fear?

B  class activity   Compare answers as a class.

4 Unit 1 Interchange VRB 2 © Cambridge University Press 2012  Photocopiable

9781107651807_VRB_02_U01_WS.indd 4 10/17/11 1:48 PM

 Language close-up

8 WHAT DID THEY SAY?

Watch the video and complete the conversation. Then practice it.
Joon Park is interviewing Rolando, an immigrant from Mexico.
Joon: When you were a kid, what did you use
to do for fun?
Rolando: Most of the time , I have to say, that I used
to listen to music in English. I used to
listen to records over and over and over.
Joon: What did you use to do for work in
Mexico?
Rolando:  I used to work for a record company .
Joon:  What was it like , moving to the United States?
Rolando: In the beginning, it was difficult not to be able to
communicate and talk to people and make
yourself understood, and so I felt, um,
frustrated a lot of times. But once my English
improved , I was able to communicate better .
Joon:  What do you miss most about your home country?
Rolando: Besides my family , the food. The food is amazing in
Mexico. It’s very colorful.

9 PAST TENSE QUESTIONS  Finding out about someone

A  Complete the questions with the phrases in the box. Then add two
questions of your own.

1. Where were you born ?

any sports in high school
2. How many people are in your family ?
English in high school
3. Did you play any sports in high school ? go to high school
4. Where did you go to high school ? ✓ were you born
English in high school part-time after school
5. Did you study ?
people are in your family
6. Did you work part-time after school ?
7. Did you have any pets? ?
8. Did you have a hobby? ?

B  pair work   Interview a classmate. Take turns asking and answering the questions.

Interchange VRB 2 © Cambridge University Press 2012  Photocopiable Unit 1 5

9781107651807_VRB_02_U01_WS.indd 5 10/17/11 1:48 PM

 Video Transcripts
Unit 1: What do you miss most?
Immigrants to the United States from four continents talk
about their lives.
Joon Park:   W elcome to Melting Pot, the show where we
talk about life in North America. My name is
Joon Park. I was born in South Korea, but my
family and I moved to the United States when
I was 16. There are many immigrants from all
over the world here. Over 45 million people
living in the United States and Canada were
born in a foreign country. That’s a lot of people!
And today we’re going to meet a few of them.  
   *      *      *
Nami:   My name is Nami Moussalli.
Joon:   Thank you for being our guest here on
Melting Pot.
Nami:   Thank you. I was born in Damascus, Syria.
Joon:   How old were you when you moved to
the U.S.?
Nami:   When I came to the United States, I was
12 years old.
Joon:   And what was that like, coming here, as a
12-year-old boy?
Nami:   It was very different. I grew up in a small town
in southern Damascus.
Joon:   What did you use to do for fun in Syria?
Nami:   I used to play a lot of soccer.
Joon:   What do you miss most about your home
country?
Nami:   My mother, definitely. That’s the number-
one thing, definitely. We spent a lot of time
together.
Joon:   Well, thanks for being our guest here on
Melting Pot.
   *      *      *
Patricia:   My name is Patricia de Oliveira. I am originally  
from Brazil.
Joon:   How old were you when you moved?
Patricia:   When I moved to the United States, I was 6
years old.
Joon:   What was it like for your family to move to a
new country?
Patricia:   When we first moved to the United States, it
was difficult, quite a culture shock. My parents
didn’t speak any English when they first moved
here, and so I used to translate for them in the
Interchange 2 Video transcripts © Cambridge University Press 2012  Photocopiable
651807_VRB_2_U01-U16_TS.indd 117
beginning. But as they took classes and learned
English, that stopped.
Joon:   What languages do you speak?
Patricia:   I speak both Portuguese and English now.
Joon:   What do your parents miss the most about
their home country?
Patricia:   The proximity of our family members. In Brazil,
um, because there was a lot of family around,
there’s always picnics, parties, going to
the beach.
Joon:   Have you been back to visit?
Patricia:   I have not been back to visit yet. I would like to
visit Brazil very soon.
  *      *      *
Rolando:   My name is Rolando Carrera. I was born in
Chihuahua, Mexico. It’s the, uh, northern area
of the country.
Joon:   When you were a kid, what did you use to do
for fun?
Rolando:   Most of the time, I have to say, that I used to
listen to music in English. I used to listen to
records over and over and over.
Joon:   What did you use to do for work in Mexico?
Rolando:   I used to work for a record company.
Joon:   What was it like, moving to the United States?
Rolando:   In the beginning, it was difficult not to be
able to communicate and talk to people and
make yourself understood, and so I felt, um,
frustrated a lot of times. But once my English
improved, I was able to communicate better.
Joon:   What do you miss most about your home
country?
Rolando:   Besides my family, the food. The food is
amazing in Mexico. It’s very colorful.
Joon:   Well, thank you for being our guest here on
Melting Pot.
Rolando:   You’re very welcome.
  *      *      *
Joon:   Welcome to our show.
Mihoko:   Thank you.
Joon:   What is your name?
Mihoko:   Mihoko Hakata. I am from Tokyo, Japan.
Joon:   How long have you been in the United States?
Mihoko:   Um, it’s been about eight years. I went to
school in New York City. I used to study art. And
now I go to school in Boston.
Joon:   What do you miss most about your home
country?
Unit 1 117
10/17/11 1:41 PM
 Mihoko:   I miss this place called Shonan. There’s a beach
and many restaurants also.
Joon:   Well, thank you for being our guest on
Melting Pot.  
Mihoko:   Thank you.
   *      *      *
Joon:   So many people, so many stories. Maybe you’re
wondering about me. What I remember most
about Korea is the food my grandmother used
to make: yuk gae jang. It’s shredded beef in
spicy broth. Yummy.
  *      *      *
Joon:   Mmm. This is pretty good, but not quite as
good as my grandmother’s. Hers is still the
best. And that’s our show. This is Joon Park
reporting for Melting Pot.

118 Unit 1 Interchange 2 Video transcripts © Cambridge University Press 2012  Photocopiable

651807_VRB_2_U01-U16_TS.indd 118 10/17/11 1:41 PM