English Unlimited HTL 4/5, Schulbuch mit Audio-CD und CD-ROM

63 Immigration and diversity 05 LANGUAGE SKILLS EXPLORE EXTRAS Read the report again. Talk about the highlighted expressions and try to explain them in your own words. Then look them up in a dictionary to check your explanations. Put together a wordlist, adding sample sentences and German equivalents if necessary. Talk together. Can you think of advantages and disadvantages that immigration entails for both sending and receiving countries? Work in A/B pairs. A, read the second part of the report on immigration below. Complete the text with words from the box, then make a list of challenges and benefits for receiving countries. B, read and complete the third part of the report on p. 197. List the challenges and benefits for sending countries. asylum  demographic  illegally  immigrants  legal  native  receiving  student LanguagE FOCuS 11 Immigration 12 a 13 http://www.mobility.com Receiving countries All over the world citizens’ attitudes towards newcomers have become less welcoming partly due to the growth of terrorism since 9/11 and the worsening of the economic climate since 2008. Among the challenges for (1) countries is the issue of managing the influx of migrants, e.g. by deciding how many would-be-immigrants to admit and which ones. Canada, for example, admits (2) on the basis of points awarded for education, skills, language and youth. Another issue is the integration of potential immigrants.  An existing network of family or friends in the country of destination makes the decision to leave easier. Certain nationalities cluster in certain countries or areas, like e.g. Chinese immigrants in the Toronto and Vancouver areas of Canada or the large influx of Algerians into France, a phenomenon known as ‘ demographic balkanisation ’. Settling in / integration Due to modern means of transport and communication, today’s migrants are able to keep strong links to their countries of origin , making emigration no longer as irrevocable as it used to be. The question of integration – settling into a new culture – is equally ambiguous. Often participating in both cultures and cultivating both their mother tongue and the language spoken in the host country , modern migrants are considered ‘transmigrants’ by demographics experts, who describe them as ‘ transnational identities’. Border areas where people commute between countries – e.g. the border region between Austria, Slovakia and Hungary – are referred to as ‘transnational spaces’. As soon as people are ready to sever the link with their country of origin and settle in their country of choice for good, integration becomes an issue. There is wide consensus that the key to economic and social integration is language. Mastering the language of the host country undoubtedly boosts the earning power of immigrants. The second most important factor is education and schooling, which is the touchstone for the integration of second- and third-generation immigrants . The better educated and skilled immigrant parents are, and the higher their linguistic competence in the language spoken in the host country is, the better the scholastic performance and, later, the employment opportunities of their offspring. Future generations With unemployment, petty crime and religious fundamentalism on the rise among second-generation immigrants – and with right-wing political groups playing on the fears of the native population – the integration of immigrants’ children and grandchildren will be the biggest challenge of future policies. Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eig e ntum des Verlags öbv