New citizens, good citizens

Level 3 Advanced

1 Key words

Write the words below next to the definitions.

citizenship immigration integration immigrant

asylum indigenous migrant diversity

1. _______________ The process in which people enter a country in order to live there permanently.

2. _______________ Someone who comes to live in a country from another country.

3. _______________ Someone who travels to another place or country in order to find work.

4. _______________ People who lived in a place for a very long time before others came to live there.

5. _______________ The legal right to be a citizen of a particular country.

6. _______________ The right to stay in a country, given by a government to protect someone who has escaped

from war or political trouble in their own country.

7. _______________ The process of becoming a full member of a group or society, and becoming involved

completely in its activities.

8. _______________ The fact that very different people or things exist within a group or place.

2 What do you think?

Which of these subjects would you expect to read about in a text on integration, citizenship and national
a
pride? Tick ( ) the subjects you think will appear in the text. Add a further suggestion of your own.

Anti-social behaviour Pets Your suggestion:

Personal savings Voting _____________________

Civic duty Bank holidays

Extremism Asylum claims

Council housing Prisoners

English language skills Bi-lingual schooling

A contract Extended family

Now read the text and check your answers.

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NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Advanced

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New citizens, good citizens
Level 3 Advanced
Rules to make migrants integrate investment into the UK, passing English tests,
Ministers say citizenship should depend on good demonstrating knowledge of the UK, undertaking
behaviour, passing English tests and knowledge civic work and living in a law-abiding way.
of the UK. A points system for citizenship would allow
credits to be deducted for anti-social behaviour,
Patrick Wintour, political editor
fly-tipping or more serious criminal behaviour.
and Alan Travis
June 5, 2007 7 “This form of points system would be the basis
of a clearer relationship between the citizen
and the state. An easy to understand contract
1 Government ministers want to introduce a
such as this would incentivize integration and
national British day to complete a ‘citizenship
demonstrate a clearer sense in which citizenship
revolution’ that would also toughen rules for
and the rights that come with living in Britain
migrants and try to instil community pride in
are earned.”
all 18-year-olds.
8 Local government should also provide a
2 Under the new plans, every teenager in the UK
citizenship deal for newcomers, setting out their
would be given a citizenship pack when they
responsibilities to be good neighbours, as well
became eligible to vote, and migrants would only
as their access to English language training and
be able to become British citizens if they could
employment, say the ministers.
demonstrate good behaviour and a willingness
to integrate. 9 A ‘life in Britain – good neighbour contract’
would be provided to all migrants from inside
3 The national day, which could be a bank holiday,
and outside the EU, including those that stay
would be loosely modelled on Australia Day. The
temporarily. The contract would be introduced
proposals come from the communities secretary,
alongside identity cards. The ministers also
Ruth Kelly, and the immigration minister, Liam
suggest councils might spend less on translation
Byrne, who are also calling for more inclusive
services, and more on English language
and visible citizenship ceremonies for anyone
teaching. “Support cannot become dependency,”
wanting to settle in the UK.
they say.
4 Some of the ideas floated by the two ministers
10 The ministers warn there is “a critical risk
are likely to feature in the forthcoming report from
that after 40 years in which diversity has
the Commission on Integration and Cohesion.
grown, Britain’s communities are no longer
The themes have already been enthusiastically
looking outwards and celebrating what they
embraced by the prime minister-in-waiting,
have in common. Instead, they are beginning
Gordon Brown.
to look inwards, stressing their differences
5 Another idea is to improve links between and divisions”.
veterans and young people. The pack for
11 The threat to a united sense of feeling British
18-year-olds would set out information on
comes both from Islamist extremism and also
democracy, volunteering and civic duties such
groups like the British Nationalist Party. Ministers
as jury service. Student loan repayments could
argue that government has to acknowledge
be reduced in return for volunteering.
and respond to the growing mood of English
6 Mr Byrne and Ms Kelly argue that the current nationalism.
settlement policy for new migrants is “difficult to
12 “We risk seeing a more divided society, more
understand and unclear”. In future, full citizens
suspicious of each other and a society less
would need to accrue credits linked to time
capable of coming together around shared goals.
spent in the country, bringing substantial new
We need a stronger sense of why we live in a
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NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Advanced

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New citizens, good citizens
Level 3 Advanced
common place and have a shared future.” Mr level of eastern European migration and the
Byrne admitted that recent eastern European foreign prisoners crisis has badly damaged
migration had proved a “shock to the system”. confidence in Britain’s asylum and immigration
system. He added, “We have to be open and
13 He said new migrants needed to do more to candid about the choices we have. In the 21st
“help them understand British values and its way century we can’t make big decisions in secret.”
of life.” He added: “We need to make it clearer
that citizenship isn’t simply handed out, but is 16 Mr Byrne’s intervention follows the row ignited
something which is earned.” last month by Margaret Hodge’s claim that new
migrants were getting priority for council housing
14 The ministers say a host of trends are pushing
over ‘indigenous’ residents.
Britons apart in the workplace, the family, the
media and new technology. They insist migration
has brought benefits, but say sometimes the © Guardian News & Media 2007
pace of change is rapid and destabilizing, First published in The Guardian, 5/6/07
pointing out that by 2011, only 20% of Britain’s
workforce will be white, able-bodied men
under 45.

15 In a speech to business leaders, Mr Byrne said

the new measures were needed because the
“spike” in asylum claims in 2000, the unpredicted

3 Comprehension check

According to the text, are these sentences True (T) or False (F)?

1. Britain has a national day, like Australia.

2. Migrants need to demonstrate good behaviour in order to vote in the UK.

3. The ministers want to encourage cooperation and understanding between the young and the old.

4. Law-abiding immigrants could gain points while anti-social and criminal immigrants could lose them.

5. There should be more English language lessons available for migrants, say the ministers.

6. Ministers think immigrants should learn to be more autonomous so that they don’t have to depend

on translators and interpreters.

7. Immigrant groups are integrating into society better than they used to.

8. A feeling of British nationalism is increasing amongst ‘indigenous’ people.

9. The recent number of immigrants arriving from eastern European countries has been higher than

anyone expected.
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NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Advanced

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New citizens, good citizens
Level 3 Advanced

4 Vocabulary 1: Collocations

Match the verbs on the left with the nouns on the right to make collocations from the text.

instil links
improve risk
accrue pride
critical credits
growing future
divided knowledge
demonstrate mood
shared society

Write example sentences for any of the collocations that are new to you. Use a dictionary or the Internet to
help you.

5 Vocabulary 2: Phrases

1. Match the halves of the phrases.

a shock a row
eligible of life
float to the system
ignite ideas
a way to vote

2. Now complete the sentences using the phrases.

a. Are we trying to protect ________________ that no longer exists?

b. The committee are meeting again tomorrow to ________________.
c. His comments are going to ________________.
d. In the UK, people are ________________ from the age of eighteen.
e. Arriving there in mid-winter will be a bit of ________________.
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NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Advanced

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New citizens, good citizens
Level 3 Advanced

6 Discussion

Does your country require new immigrants to take a citizenship test?

What subjects would you include when writing questions for a citizenship test?
Is nationalism generally a good or a bad thing? Try to think of different instances where national pride is acceptable
or not acceptable.

7 Webquest

Choose a country you would like to move to. Check out the immigration requirements for that country on the
Internet. Would you be able to move to the country of your choice without too many problems? In your opinion,
which would be the most difficult requirement to fulfil?

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NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Advanced

CA O
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New citizens, good citizens
Level 3 Advanced

KEY

1 Key words 4 Vocabulary 1: Collocations

1. immigration instil pride

2. immigrant improve links
3. migrant accrue credits
4. indigenous critical risk
5. citizenship growing mood
6. asylum divided society
7. integration demonstrate knowledge
8. diversity shared future

2 What do you think? 5 Vocabulary 2: Phrases

anti-social behaviour, civic duty, extremism, 1. a shock to the system

council housing, English language skills, eligible to vote
a contract, voting, bank holidays, asylum float ideas
claims, prisoners ignite a row
a way of life
3 Comprehension check
2. a. a way of life
b. float ideas
1. F c. ignite a row
2. F d. eligible to vote
3. T e. a shock to the system
4. T
5. T
6. T
7. F
8. T
9. T
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NEWS LESSONS / New citizens, good citizens / Advanced

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