My secret life as an undocumented immigrant

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精彩导读

外面的世界很精彩，外面的世界很无奈。国外的生活貌似光鲜亮丽，但隐藏其背后的不仅有引人注目的繁华，还有无尽的眼泪，难言的屈辱，以及为争取成为合法公民的不懈奋斗。本文即以一位移民者的身份叙述了其自幼移民加州，经过20多年的忧虑、恐惧和奋斗最终“登堂入室”成为美国公民的艰辛历程。多处细节的描述令人动容，引人感叹：要生存，先把泪擦干！

I was speaking to my mom the other day when she said, “Maybe this place isn't safe for us any longer.”The birds were singing,but I had no idea what she was talking about.

“But we're citizens now,we don't have to worry,”I said.

“But to them we'll always be immigrants,not Americans”she replied.

My pregnant mother,my then three-year-old brother,and I came to this country from the Philippines in 1985 when I was 4.I don't remember much about arriving in California,except that everything seemed much larger than what I had been used to.The streets were wide and open,and the mountains surrounding the valley were taller than those I had ever seen.

We shared a narrow room.My grandpa lived there too,along with my teenage cousin.In addition to visiting my aunt and uncle,my mom wanted to help my grandfather land his citizenship.Our six months came and went,yet we stayed.My sister was born,and my mother began attending night school to get her nursing certificate.

My father remained in the Philippines until I was 9 years old.We wrote letters,and tried to speak on the phone at least once or twice a month,though the cost was prohibitive.As time wore on,my father started to feel like a pen pal—a person you know exists,but who you'll probably never meet.When my father finally joined us in California,I found myself wondering who this stranger of a man was.The first time my sister met our father she was 4,the same age I was when we left.

In staying longer than we were allowed,we never took for granted the privilege it was to live here smoothly,nor did we forget the risk and fear that came with living as undocumented immigrants.We lived quietly to not attract too much attention，praying that one day my mom and grandpa's accents would just disappear，and hoping that we could look and sound like any other Ameri-can family.The first time I ate Hamburger Helper at a friend's house,I didn't ask where the rice was or why we were eating with forks instead of spoons.I just pretended that it was something I ate all the time.

When it came to protecting ourselves,the basic lesson was that we could trust no one outside the family.However，my biggest fear was that my little sister,a citizen,would grow up alone—that one day she would wake up alone because the immigration office had taken us in the middle of the night.

As I grew into my teenage years,I learned that I could not afford to make any mistake.I could not fail at school.I could not attend a protest that my church youth group was holding.My dad warned me， “They could be arresting people,and that can't happen to you.”So my family and I tried to be good citizens and contribute to this country during the years we lived here illegally.

When I finally became a U.S.citizen at 28 in 2009,it was an unforgettable moment.I studied hard for my citizenship test.I could leave nothing to chance.I cried when the judge said,“Welcome to the United States of America！ ”as if I hadn't been calling this country home since I was 4.I could finally believe my voice;it was finally okay to be heard.I could vote and stand up for my beliefs without worrying about being asked to leave the country that I called home.I could finally feel safe.

But now I'm not so sure.We'll always be immigrants,as my mom said.

Reading check

阅读短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

1.What country did the author come from according to the text？

A.Mexico. B.Vietnam.

C.The Philippines. D.South Africa.

2.We can learn from Paragraph 5 that_______

A.the author and her family lived a very tough life in the beginning.

B.the author's mother attended night school for her certificate as a housekeeper.

C.the author lived with her grandpa in the same narrow house to decrease the rent.

D.the author's grandfather was a documented immigrant when he came to America.

3.The underlined word in Paragraph 6 can be best replaced by _______.

A.affordable B.expensive C.bearable D.steady

4.Why didn't the author ask a single question the first time she ate at a friend's house？

A.Because she was afraid that she would be laughed at.

B.Because she was unable to express herself in English.

C.Because she would give her identity away for her accent.

D.Because she had eaten what was on the table before that.

5.The author's biggest concern as an undocumented immigrant was that _______.

口语交际是指交际者出于某种社交需要，运用连贯标准的有声语言传递信息、表情达意的社会活动。口语交际作为一种有目的的、有实效的人与人之间的语言沟通活动，其实质是一种双向的社会活动。它以人类的语言能力为前提，强调实际情境中交际对象之间的交流与互动， 在动态的语境中运用口头语言接收对方信息，同时把自己的思想情感传递给对方的过程。

A.her family would be sent back to their country for illegal living

B.she made a mistake and was arrested by the immigration office

C.she failed in an examination at school and was seriously punished

D.her little sister would grow up with no relatives keeping her company

Language study

Ⅰ.熟词生义

文中词条 基本含义 引申含义 生义例句l a n d 着陆；落地s m o o t h l y 光滑地 顺利地；顺畅地获得；赢得H e l a n d e d a s e n i o r e d i t o r i a l j o b.他得到了一份高级编辑的工作。I f a l l g o e s s m o o t h l y,w e s h o u l d a r r i v e b y 9 o'c l o c k.如果一切进展顺利，我们应该9点之前就能到。

Ⅱ.热词复现

1.in addition to除……之外；除了；除……外

Eg.In addition to what he said at the meeting,there was something else about the matter.除了他在会上所说的之外，关于这个问题还有些弦外之音。

2.wear on消逝；缓慢地进行；时间消逝

Eg.As the hours wore on,though,discomfort might be worse then if they had chosen tea or water instead.尽管随着时间慢慢过去，他们要比喝茶或喝水之后感觉更加不舒服。

3.take...for granted想当然

Eg.It's an awful thing to live in the dark,unable to see what others take for granted.生活在黑暗之中，看不见别人习以为常的事物，是件可怕的事情。

4.contribute to捐助；给……投稿；有助于；促成；贡献

Eg.Don't argue with Frank any longer.You are only wasting your breath trying to get him to contribute to the Red Cross.不要与弗兰克再争下去了，你要他给红十字会捐款只不过是白费口舌而已。

5.leave nothing to chance万无一失；不留下任何漏洞

Eg.We'll plan everything very carefully and leave nothing to chance.我们将非常周密地筹划一切，决不

留任何纰漏。

Ⅲ.美句赏析

1.When my father finally joined us in California,I found myself wondering who this stranger of a man was.最后，当父亲在加州加入到我们中间时，我发现，我竟然不知道这个陌生的男人是谁。

点拨：“found myself wondering”使用的是“find+宾语+宾补”的结构，宾补可以由形容词、介词短语、现在分词，以及过去分词充当。

When I woke up，I found myself lying in a bed in my friend's house.当我醒来的时候，我发现自己躺在了朋友家的床上。

微练：句式仿写

当男子到达峡谷时，他发现自己被芬芳的（fragrant）鲜花环绕着。

2.In staying longer than we were allowed,we never took for granted the privilege it was to live here smoothly,nor did we forget the risk and fear that came with living as undocumented immigrants.在居住超过允许期限的时期，我们从来不敢理所当然地认为我们有权利在这儿居住得风平浪静，我们也没有忘记伴随着作为无证移民生活而来的风险与恐惧。

点拨：“neither/nor+助动词+主语”用于否定的倒装，表示“同样也不……”；肯定的倒装要用“so+助动词+主语”，意为“……也是如此”。

I will not tell you the secret，neither/nor will John.我不会告诉你秘密，John也是一样。

微练：将下列句子变为倒装句。

（1）Tom is good at maths.His sister is good at maths，too.

（2）Jack didn't pass the exam.Mary didn't pass the exam，either.

3.When it came to protecting ourselves,the basic lesson was that we could trust no one outside the family.当谈到保护我们自己时，基本的教训就是除了家人之外，我们没有人可以信赖。

点拨：that引导的是一个表语从句；句型 “when it comes to...”意为“当谈到……时”，其中的to为介词。When it comes to dealing with cloze test，many students consider it to be the toughest in the examination.当谈到处理完形填空时，许多的学生认为它是考试中最难的。

微练：句式仿写

当谈到学习英语语法时，很多学生说他们根本不喜欢它。

Instant drills

完成句子

1.除英语外，他还要学第二外语。

________ _______ ________ _English,he has to study a second foreign language.

2.当晚的时间过得很慢,她越来越紧张了。

As the evening _______________,she became more and more nervous.

3.我们通常把我们应该感谢的事视为理所当然。

We often _____________________the things that we should give thanks for.

4.吸烟会导致肺癌吗?

Does smoking ______________lung cancer?

5.做实验时，我们要万无一失。

In the experiment,we____________________________.

6.我们在火车上睡着了，醒来时发现已经错过了目的地。

We fell asleep on the train and woke up to______________ ________ _English,he has toour destination.

7.我不知道，也不关心他出了什么事。

I didn't know what happened to him，________________ _______ ________ _.

8.当谈及到帮妻子做家务活这件事的时候，他从来不抱怨。

He never complains____________________________helping his wife with the house work.