READING – WRITING B2

TIMED READING PRACTICE

PASSAGE 1

AUSTRALIAN CULTURE AND CULTURE SHOCK

Sometimes work, study or a sense of adventure take us out of our familiar surroundings to go
and live in a different culture. The experience can be difficult, even shocking.

Almost everyone who studies, lives or works abroad has problems adjusting to a new culture.
This response is commonly referred to as ‘culture shock’. Culture shock can be defined as ‘the
physical and emotional discomfort a person experiences when entering a culture different from
their own’ (Weaver, 1993).

For people moving to Australia, Price (2001) has identified certain values which may give rise
to culture shock. Firstly, he argues that Australians place a high value on independence and
personal choice. This means that a teacher or course tutor will not tell students what to do, but
will give them a nunber of options and suggest they work out which one is the best in their
circumstances. It also means that they are expected to take action if something goes wrong and
seek out resources and support for themselves.

Australians are also prepared to accept a range of opinions rather than believing there is one
truth. This means that in an educational setting, students will be expected to form their own
opinions and defend the reasons for that point of view and the evidence for it.

Price also comments that Australians are uncomfortable with differences in status and hence
idealise the idea of treating everyone equally. An illustration of this is that most adult
Australians call each other by their first names. This concern with equality means that
Australians are uncomfortable taking anything too seriously and are even ready to joke about
themselves.

Australians believe that life should have a balance between work and leisure time. As a
consequence, some students may be critical of others who they perceive as doing nothing but
study.

Australian notions of privacy mean that areas such as financial matters, appearance and
relationships are only discussed with close friends. While people may volunteer such
information, they may resent someone actually asking them unless the friendship is firmly
established. Even then, it is considered very impolite to ask someone what they earn. With
older people, it is also rude to ask how old they are, why they are not married or why they do
not have children. It is also impolite to ask people how much they have paid for something,
unless there is a very good reason for asking.

Kohls (1996) describes culture shock as a process of change marked by four basic stages.
During the first stage, the new arrival is excited to be in a new place, so this is often referred
to as the “honeymoon” stage. Like a tourist, they are intrigued by all the new sights and sounds,
new smells and tastes of their surroundings. They may have some problems, but usually they
accept them as just part of the novelty. At this point, it is the similarities that stand out, and it
seems to the newcomer that people everywhere and their way of life are very much alike. This
period of euphoria may last from a couple of weeks to a month, but the letdown is inevitable.

During the second stage, known as the ‘rejection’ stage, the newcomer starts to experience
difficulties due to the differences between the new culture and the way they were accustomed
to living. The initial enthusiasm turns into irritation, frustration, anger and depression, and these
feelings may have the effect of people rejecting the new culture so that they notice only the
things that cause them trouble, which they then complain about. In addition, they may feel
homesick, bored, withdrawn and irritable during this period as well.

Fortunately, most people gradually learn to adapt to the new culture and move on to the third
stage, known as ‘adjustment and reorientation’. During this stage a transition occurs to a new
optimistic attitude. As the newcomer begins to understand more of the new culture, they are
able to interpret some of the subtle cultural clues which passed by unnoticed earlier. Now things
make more sense and the culture seems more familiar. As a result, they begin to develop
problem-solving skills, and feelings of disorientation and anxiety no longer affect them.

In Kohls’s model, in the fourth stage, newcomers undergo a process of adaptation. They have
settled into the new culture, and this results in a feeling of direction and self-confidence. They
have accepted the new food, drinks, habits and customs and may even find themselves enjoying
some of the very customs that bothered them so much previously. In addition, they realise that
the new culture has good and bad things to offer and that no way is really better than another,
just different.

adapted from Intercultural Communication for Students in the Faculty of Economics and
Commerce, University of Melbourne

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage?
Write:
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

1. Australian teachers will suggest alternatives to students rather than offer one solution. true
2. In Australia, teachers will show interest in students’ personal circumstances. not given
3. Australians use people’s first names so that everyone feels their status is similar. true
4. Students who study all the time may receive positive comments from their colleagues. not given FALSE
5. It is acceptable to discuss financial issues with people you do not know well. false
6. Younger Australians tend to be friendlier than older Australians. not given

PASSAGE 2

WHY GO TO UNIVERSITY?
Four graduates talk about their experiences.

A – Sonia
While I was doing my physics degree people would often say I was acquiring skills I’d be able
to use in my future career, even if I didn’t become a physicist. It sounded like nonsense to me:
if I did another job in the end, what could be relevant about knowing what’s inside an atom or
how to operate a laser? It turns out they were referring to the wealth of other skills you pick up
along the way. Communication and problem-solving are just two of these. In contrast to the
way you may have been taught before, university teaches you to be innovative and to think for
yourself. Going to university is about more than just studying though! I got to make friends
from all over the world and they have proved to be useful work contacts.

B – Jane
I went to university because it was the career path expected by school, parents and classmates
(to an extent) and also because I didn’t really have a clue about what other options were open
to me. It’s difficult to know how things would have turned out if I hadn’t gone. I do know that
the job I do ‘requires’ a degree to do it, though there must be alternative ways of developing
these skills. The degree, like it or not, is the screening method used by large numbers of
employers and as such opens certain doors. It’s certainly harder to get into all sorts of careers
without a degree. The debates about university education typically revolve around routes into
employment, yet for many the degree is barely relevant to the work we end up doing later on.
It gives access to a certain type of career but the actual degree can often be of little practical
value.

C – Lydia
There is a lot of pressure on teenagers to know exactly what they want to do with their lives.
As a high-achieving student at school, the alternatives to university didn’t really appeal to me.
So I took up a place at a good university but ended up studying something I wasn’t sure I was
interested in. Some people know what they want to do from a young age, and for those people,
going to university straight out of school may be a great idea. However, many of us are very
unsure of our future ambitions aged 18, and should therefore be given as many choices as
possible, rather than being pushed into a degree course. Many of my friends went to university
straight from school.

D – Bethany
I don’t really remember making the decision to go to university. Everyone always assumed I
would, even though I was never the most gifted academically. Someone asked me during my
second year why I had gone, and I remember not being able to answer the question. Maybe it
was the way I was raised? Maybe it was the school I went to? But university was the next step.
I had a great time there, I must say. It’s so much more than the place you go to get a degree.
You learn so many life skills that I would urge anyone to give the idea some thought. Since
graduation I’ve had a string of jobs. University is an excellent decision for some, and may
provide the right qualifications to start a career. But for others, going straight into a job is just
as appropriate.

Which graduate
7. says people should be allowed to consider a range of options apart from university? C
8. says that some people are expected to make important decisions before they are ready? B C
9. initially rejected something she was told? D A
10. was unaware of the alternatives to university? C B
11. says that the type of learning at university is different from that at other institutions? A
12. felt when she was a student that she might not be doing the right course? C
13. says that some people discover that what is studied at university is not useful in the
workplace? B
14. was uncertain about her reasons for going to university? D
15. says graduates have an advantage when applying for jobs? B
16. was expected to go to university despite being a fairly average student at school? D

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