Level II
Chapter 1
Reading
IC3 | IT | TOEFL | Best Answer
English | Vietnamese
Assessment
Topic: Idenity
Who in the World Am I?
Tôi là ai trong thế giới này?
Skills:
In this chapter you will do these things:
English Language Skills:
The Verb Be: statements in the present tense - contractions, negative statements
Vocabulary for farm life
Simple present tense: affirmative and negative
Paragraphs and identifying topic sentences
Academic American styles of writing in contrast to academic Vietnamese styles of writing
Vietnamese Language Skills:
- Describe pictures
- Match the words with their antonyms
- Practice the structures of asking about age
- Answer comprehensive questions
- Discuss questions related to the topic
IC3 Skills:
An Asian view of cultural differences
IT Skills:
-
TOEFL Skills:
Reading comprehension
View the Introduction to TOEFL exercise.
Intercultural Communicative Competence
It is generally accepted that people from the East think in different ways than people in the West. One Vietnamese scholar wrote this poem describing the differences:
We live in time. We are always at rest. We are passive. We like to contemplate. We accept the world as it is. We live in peace with nature. Religion is our first love. We delight to think about the meaning of life. We believe in freedom of silence. We lapse into meditation. We marry first, then love. Our marriage is the beginning of a love affair. It is an indissoluable bond. Our love is mute. We try to conceal it from the world. Self-denial is a secret to our survival. We are taught from the cradle to want less and less. We glorify austerity and renunciation. Poverty is to us a badge of spiritual elevation. In the sunset years of life we renounce the world and prepare for the hereafter. |
You live in space. You are always on the move. You are aggressive. You like to act. You try to change it according to your blueprint. You try to impose your will on her. Technology is your passion. You delight in physics. You believe in freedom of speech. You strive for articulation. You love first, then marry. Your marriage is the happy end of a romance. It is a contract. Your love is vocal. You delight in showing it to others. Self-assertiveness is the key to your success. You are urged every day to want more and more. You emphasize gracious living and enjoyment. It is to you a sign of degradation. You retire to enjoy the fruits of your labor. |
Discussion Questions
If you are Vietnamese, do you agree with this characterization of Vietnamese thought? What details are true? Are there parts with which you disagree?
If you are North American or of Western culture(s), do you agree with this characterization of Western thought? What details are true? Are there parts with which you disagree?
Can these views co-exist? How?
Mọi người đều cho rằng người phương Đông nghĩ khác với người phương Tây. Một học giả Việt nam làm bài thơ dưới đây diễn tả sự khác biệt đó:
Sụ khác biệt văn hoá trong mắt một người chấu Á
Giáo sư Mai Văn Trang
(In trong “Lí do để sống và hi vọng, trang 64)
Tôi sống trong thời gian Tôi lúc nào cũng đủng đỉnh Tôi thụ động Tôi thích trầm ngâm Tôi chấp nhận thế giới Tôi hoà đồng với thiên nhiên Với tôi tôn giáo là tình yêu đầu Tôi ưa suy nghĩ về ý nghĩa của cuộc sống Tôi tin vào tự do của im lặng Tôi sa vào trầm tư mặc tưởng Tôi cưới trước yêu sau |
Bạn, trong không gian Bạn lúc nào cũng vội Bạn năng nổ Bạn thích hành động Bạn cố thay đổi nó theo ý mình Bạn đòi đứng lên trên nó Công nghệ là niềm say mê của bạn Bạn ham thích vật lí Bạn, tự do ngôn luận Bạn gắng nói rõ ý kiến của mình Bạn yêu trước cưới sau |
Đám cưới tôi là bắt đầu một mối tình, Tình yêu tôi thầm lặng Tôi giấu tình yêu đi |
Đám cưới bạn là kết thúc có hậu cuộc Tình yêu bạn đầy thanh âm Bạn vui sướng khoe nó ra với mọi người |
Bí quyết sống còn của tôi là tự phủ định thành công Tôi được dạy từ trong nôi phải có ngày càng ít nhu cầu Tôi ca ngợi khổ hạnh và quên mình Với tôi nghèo là biểu hiện của tâm hồn trong sáng Cuối đời tôi rút về ở ẩn và chuẩn bị cho kiếp sau |
Với bạn tự khẳng định là chìa khoá của Bạn được hối thúc phải muốn càng nhiều hơn nữa Bạn đề cao đầy đủ và hưởng thụ Với bạn nghèo là dấu hiệu của sự suy tàn Bạn rút về hưởng thành quả lao động của đời người |
Câu hỏi thảo luận
1. Nếu là người Việt nam, bạn có đồng ý với những đặc điểm suy nghĩ trên của người Việt nam không? Những chi tiết nào là đúng? Có phần nào bạn không đồng ý không?
2. Nếu là người Mỹ hoặc thuộc văn hoá phương Tây, bạn có đồng ý với những đặc điểm suy nghĩ của người phương Tây ở trên không? Những chi tiết nào đúng? Có phần nào bạn không đồng ý không?
3. Những cách nghĩ trên có thể cùng tồn tại được không? Tại sao?
These exercises draw upon an article by Eileen Conway,
"Coming Home to Vietnam"
( Ottawa, Canada: IDRC) http://archive.idrc.ca/books/reports/V224/vietnam.html.
Directions: In this section, you will read two passages. Each one is followed by a number of questions about the passage. You are to choose the one best answer, A, B, C, or D, to each question. Answer all questions about the information in a passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage.
Example:
The railroad was not the first institution to impose regularity on society, or to draw attention to the importance of precise timekeeping. For as long as merchants have set out their wares at daybreak and communal festivities have been celebrated, people have been in rough agreement with their neighbors as to the time of day. The value of this tradition is today more apparent than ever. Were it not for public acceptance of a single measurement of time, social life would be unbearably chaotic.
What is the main idea of this passage?
A. In modern society we must make time for neighbors.
B. The traditions of society are timeless.
C. An accepted way of measuring time is essential for society to function well.
D. Society judges people by the times at which they conduct their activities.
The main idea of the passage is that societies need to agree about how time is measured in order to function smoothly. Therefore, you should choose answer C.
Questions 1-10:
Anthropologist Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." In the Mekong Delta, this truth has been borne out. For scholars and farmers, together, are the living proof that individual educators working with teams of committed farmers can have an enormous impact on a country's progress.
Born in 1940 to a poor family in An Giang in southern Vietnam, Dr. Vo Tong Xuan is now Rector of An Giang University in the city of Long Xuyen. His proudest achievement is his leadership in helping transform war-ravaged Vietnam from a rice importer into one of the largest rice exporters in the world, all within one decade. One of Vietnam's foremost agricultural scientists, he was honored in 1993 with the Ramon Magsaysay Award for government service. The award, begun in 1953, honors the late Philippine president and today it is considered by many as Asia's equivalent of the Nobel Prize. In the award committee's citation to Xuan, it praised his efforts toward rebuilding Vietnam by combining practical scientific research and effective advocacy to improve the lives of Vietnamese farmers. This was possible only through sustained collaboration among scholars and farmers, both experts of rice production in their own ways.
Certainly, Xuan does not keep his admiration of the Vietnamese farmer a secret. My personal goal in life is to serve my country and to work on behalf of the Vietnamese farmers, he says. To appreciate the magnitude of Xuan's achievement in greatly increasing rice production in Vietnam, consider these hurdles faced in the 1970s and 1980s. First, the country needed to move toward greater land tenure for individual farmers; second, scholars had to develop laboratories with better technologies to examine high-yield rice varieties; third, there was necessary training for and inspiration among a large cadre of agricultural extension workers; and fourth, perhaps most challenging of all, scholars and farmers had to collectively educate and motivate millions of farmers in Vietnam to modify their traditional way of farming and accept new technologies and techniques generated by agricultural research.
1. The word "collaboration" in the 2nd paragraph, line 10, is closest in meaning to
- A. research
- B. critique
- C. teamwork
- D. funding
2. It can be inferred that the quote from Margaret Mead is MOST like which of the following?
- A. a proverb that applies across all of Asia
- B. a belief that grassroots advocacy is essential
- C. a conclusion that scholars and farmers are necessary partners
- D. an example of the spirit underlying the work of Dr. Xuan and many farmers in the Mekong Delta.
3. The main idea of this passage is
- A. Vietnam's progress in agricultural production is due, in significant part, to a unique combination of village-based knowledge, scholarly research, influence on government policies, and teamwork.
- B. Vietnam's steep rise in rice production is based on improved varieties of seeds.
- C. Vietnam's leadership in rice exports is a model for agricultural development in Southeast Asia.
- D. Vietnam's progress in agricultural production is due, in some part, to the collective motivation of individual farming families and villages.
4. The author mentions the Ramon Magsaysay Award and the Nobel Prize in the 2nd paragraph because
- A. of the equivalency of the Magsaysay and Nobel prizes.
- B. the recognition of an educator's contribution to agricultural extension learning in a region dependent on rice is as important as other forms of international recognition.
- C. President Magsaysay also received the Nobel Prize in 1953.
- D. the Magsaysay prize is to science what the Nobel prize is to diplomacy.
5. It can be inferred from this passage that the former president of the Philippines, Ramon Magsaysay, is remembered by the annual granting of this award for what reason?
- A. He is generally recognized as the Philippines' finest leader of the 20th Century.
- B. He was a renowned scholar turned politician.
- C. He is remembered for his valiant effort to support the poor of the Philippines.
- D. He is remembered as one who combined social welfare advocacy, national policy change, and sound research.
6. The word "cadre" in the 3rd paragraph, line 7, is closest in meaning to
- A. component
- B. leadership vanguard
- C. leader
- D. group
7. It can be inferred that Vietnam's leap in rice production and export is due to
- A. farmer expertise, scholarly input, and favorable government policies.
- B. enhanced seed varieties.
- C. world recognition that Vietnamese rice simply tastes better.
- D. scientific research, investment capital, and scholarships.
8. Why was the Ramon Magsaysay Award given to Dr. Xuan?
- A. He most nearly resembled the character of President Magsaysay.
- B. He demonstrated the ability to combine scientific research, advocacy, and policy changes that benefited agricultural production in Vietnam.
- C. He demonstrated the ability to lead a university and continue his research.
- D. This award goes to the most important scientist in Southeast Asia.
9. Which of the following does the author demonstrate in the last paragraph?
- A. Service to country comes ahead of individual profit.
- B. There is no denying the "magnitude" of rice production increases in Vietnam.
- C. It was a remarkable feat to overcome so many hurdles in Vietnam's quest to grow enough rice for consumption and export.
- D. Vietnam has entered a "Green Revolution" in its rice production.
10. The main idea of this passage is
- A. Vietnam's rice production has increased so much because of new technology and training.
- B. To serve one's country means a person must be prepared to surmount many challenges.
- C. Vietnam's growth in agricultural production would not have happened but for greater land tenure.
- D. To serve one's country involves a great deal of luck.
Questions 11-20:
Why did Dr. Vo Tong Xuan, son of a poor clerk and raised in the city, choose a life in agricultural research and advocacy on behalf of the Vietnamese farmer? He himself is not even remotely from a farming background. "I do not come from a farm, it's true, he admits. My family was poor, my father was a clerk and we moved several times when I was a child but always we lived in towns or cities. During high school exams, however, I used to escape the noise of the city and go for study breaks to my uncle's farm in the country. I remember being utterly amazed at how hard he worked, the long, long hours of work and toil, and yet how little financial gain he received. He and all his neighbors were the same: they all lived in extreme poverty."
When he finished high school, he wanted to pursue university studies in engineering; however, the university was offering scholarships only in agriculture and since he needed a scholarship, he applied and was accepted. In addition to the availability of scholarships, though, Xuan was accustomed to hard work. This was a habit that he learned early in life. "My father earned almost nothing in his job and so as a family we all had to work hard to survive. As a boy, I usually had one or two part-time jobs selling newspapers, guarding cars, whatever I could get, and of course also keeping up with my schoolwork. I feel lucky I did not come from a rich family, as I can appreciate the importance of work and I sympathize with other people who labor."
With his scholarship, he studied agricultural chemistry at the University of the Philippines during 1969-71, specializing in sugar cane. But he switched to rice when he realized that rice would be more important to the future of agriculture in Vietnam. As to the future of Vietnam, Xuan foresees the need for changes in technology and policy. "On the technology side, we need to develop even better rice varieties that can produce yields of at least 30% more, and at the same time these varieties must offer good eating qualities. We must develop more efficient ways of pest control and fertilization control so we can be sure of a clean environment. On the policy side, the government must continue to offer incentives to the farmer. And always, we need to address the serious growing gap between rich and poor farmers. " Vietnam is on the path to prosperity, although the advance is still slow. We have overcome all kinds of difficulties. I am proud to have been part of that."
11. Based on this reading, which of the following might account for Dr. Xuan’s appreciation for the challenge facing poor farmers in the Mekong Delta?
- A. his family experience and knowledge of the farmers’ hard work
- B. his scholarly work and publications about rice farming
- C. his international recognition in the Philippines
- D. his position as rector of An Giang University
12. The author believes that
- A. the only real knowledge to be gained is through the wisdom of farmers.
- B. Dr. Xuan’s sensitivity for Vietnam’s agricultural needs and potential is based on science, experience, and sound policies.
- C. rice farming is the most important factor in Vietnam’s agricultural future.
- D. hard work can solve any problem.
13. It can be inferred from these paragraphs that
- A. brilliant science and technology will accomplish nothing if they are not matched with proper policies and incentives.
- B. Vietnam needs an infusion of high technology.
- C. Vietnam needs large amounts of foreign direct investment.
- D. brilliant science and technology should solve Vietnam’s consumer needs.
14. The word “fertilization” in the 3rd paragraph, line 7, is closest in meaning to
- A. herbicides
- B. pesticides
- C. introduction of nutrients
- D. fungicides
15. The author mentions the thought of feeling “lucky” in the 2nd paragraph, line 8, because
- A. unearned wealth is only one path for addressing Vietnam’s development challenges.
- B. wealth at birth is a significant bonus for the next generation.
- C. the country is optimistic about its agricultural future.
- D. Dr. Xuan’s good fortune to be part of Vietnam’s agricultural development was not based on his family’s financial riches.
16. What is the main point of the second paragraph?
- A. “All work and no play” is an unfortunate way to grow up.
- B. More scholarships are needed for Vietnamese students.
- C. Flexibility in plans and untiring effort can be the key parts of one’s education.
- D. The choice of an agricultural over an engineering degree was the right one.
17. Why did Dr. Xuan switch from engineering to agricultural chemistry studies in sugar cane production, and then to a specialization in rice production?
- A. There were scholarships available for the study of rice, but not sugar cane and engineering.
- B. There were scholarships available for the study of rice, but not engineering.
- C. The country desperately needed a 30% increase in rice, not sugar cane, yields.
- D. In part, he followed scholarship opportunities, but also he deemed that rice production would be more important to Vietnam’s future than sugar cane production.
18. Which of the following concerns does the author address in the final paragraph?
- A. Quantity and quality of rice production must balance yield, taste, safety, efficiency, and income.
- B. The gap between rich and poor farmers is steadily closing.
- C. Dr. Xuan’s pride is the progress of Vietnam’s agricultural output is well-founded.
- D. It was a wise choice for this scientist to switch from the study of sugar to that of rice.
19. The word “prosperity” in the 3rd paragraph, line 10, comes closest in meaning to
- A. fame and glory
- B. riches
- C. sufficient wealth
- D. good health
20. The word “clerk” in the 1st paragraph, line 1, comes closest in meaning to
- A. government official
- B. civil servant
- C. a person with a desk job
- D. cashier
This “Best Answers” forum allows students and teachers to learn from one another inter-culturally. On each side of the world where classes are immersed in www.emu.edu/ic3 curriculum work, there has been consideration of an important development question. In Level II, Chapter 1, students have wrestled with a key developmental question, “Who in the world am I?” To answer this fully in another language, many steps have been taken. First, classrooms discussed this question through Listening/Speaking, Writing, and Reading exercises in a second language – either in Vietnamese or in English. Second, students have thought “internally” (within themselves) about this question. Third, they have written and corrected a draft of this response on the computer, using new second-language and IT skills. Third, they are now prepared to take the extraordinary step of sharing this work product with students in another land. Their counterparts are simultaneously trying their best to communicate to you. They are likewise posting their answer to this same developmental question, using their own new second-language and IT skills. Once the postings are complete on the “Best Answers” forum, classrooms at each end of the inter-cultural exchange may decide how best to read, comment upon, and respond to the answers posted by students at the “other end of the dialogue.”
Instructors and students, alike, may judge whether or not this exchange is deepening your learning. As you examines your own answer in light of another’s response from another culture, how does this sharpen or deepen your own understanding of self? Begin to write down and discuss whether you see small steps of progress in thinking across the North American and Vietnamese cultural boundaries as a result of your participation in this IC3 forum and curriculum. In the chapters and levels ahead, more and more developmental questions are posed. As participants progress from Level II to the three higher levels of university instruction, the same development concerns are examined with more challenging and sophisticated materials. The dialogue, therefore, is expected to gain momentum and depth, even as it requires more critical examination of your own, another student’s, and world expert analysis of key development questions.
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