A Foreigner in NewYork Solutions PDF
A Foreigner in NewYork Solutions PDF
Te a c h e r ’ s
Material
C O N T E N T S
Before Reading...................................................................................................................... 5
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A Foreigner in New York
TO THE TEACHER
P L O T S U M M A RY
The narrator, Antonio, studied at Salamanca University, where he met Jason, an American student spending
one year of his university studies there. Two years later, Jason invites Antonio to visit him in New York
City, where Jason now lives. Antonio arranges for the magazine that he works for to send him to New York
to write an article about the city. Jason introduces Antonio to his friends, who take Antonio to see the
sights. Antonio tells us about the people he meets and the places he sees during his exciting visit.
Antonio’s visit begins with a ride in a limousine with George, an editor for The New York Times, who had
sat next to him on the plane from Madrid and then offered to take him to Manhattan. The next day Antonio
goes to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. He watches the spectacular parade of floats with Jason
and his attractive friend, Elaine, who is studying the history of New York. Later they have a traditional
Thanksgiving dinner with the most interesting group of people Antonio has ever met and Elaine volunteers
to show Antonio some of the famous tourist attractions in the city. First, they study the best routes of the
subway system so they can get around easily. They take a ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island,
where 30 million immigrants passed through to their new lives in the United States. They then continue to
Ground Zero, which Antonio describes as surrealistic, and after that, to the Empire State Building, where
they look out over a fantastic view of Manhattan.
Antonio spends the next few weeks exploring the city, sometimes on his own and sometimes with new
friends Jason has introduced him to. He sees some famous people doing normal things such as buying a
newspaper or going for a walk in the busy streets of New York. He enjoys excellent meals in Chinatown
and at a variety of ethnic restaurants, and drinks delicious espresso in Little Italy.
One evening, Jason comes home with tickets for the New York Knicks’ basketball game at Madison Square
Garden. Even the introduction of the players is spectacular, highlighted by a laser light show. Antonio and
the other fans go crazy after the Knicks win the game by two points. Just before travelling to New Jersey to
spend Christmas with Jason’s family, Jason takes Antonio ice-skating at Rockefeller Centre, where Antonio
has the opportunity to see the 20-metre Christmas tree that is a New York landmark every Christmas.
Elaine invites Antonio to a New Year’s Eve celebration in an elegant hotel restaurant. He spends a
wonderful evening, dancing and laughing. The next day, he returns to Spain but six months later, he finds
himself planning a second visit to New York. Jason has a role in a Broadway play and he wants Antonio to
come and see it. Because Antonio’s first travel article about New York was so successful, his editor agrees
that Antonio should return to the city to write a second article, this time about New York in the summer. So,
one July afternoon, Elaine greets Antonio at the airport and tells him to get ready to attend Man of La
Mancha that very evening as Jason is substituting for an actor who is ill. The performance is excellent,
Jason does very well and later gives Antonio and Elaine a little tour backstage.
In the summer, there are many free cultural events in New York, and Antonio often finds himself in Central
Park, watching the New York Philharmonic, seeing an opera or a Shakespeare play, or attending other
events. He even meets Antonio Banderas at a softball game in the park.
Antonio’s summer fun continues as he goes with friends to Yankee Stadium to watch the New York
Yankees baseball team. Antonio notices how often the people around him buy things to eat and drink. At
the end of his visit, he and Elaine spend a day on Coney Island at the famous amusement park, where they
act like two children, laughing and running from ride to ride. Elaine asks Antonio to teach her some words
in Spanish and tells him she wants to visit him in Spain. Antonio finally leaves New York hoping that his
adventures there will inspire us to visit the city too.
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A Foreigner in New York
BACKGROUND
• Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. This American harvest holiday
originated in the 1620s when the early settlers, called Pilgrims, held a three-day festival in Massachusetts
to give thanks after an especially abundant harvest. They invited the American Indians, who had taught
them about planting corn and other useful agricultural knowledge, to join their celebration. Thanksgiving
in the USA today is marked by family gatherings and holiday meals of turkey, corn, cranberries and
pumpkin pie. Many people decorate their homes with things connected to Thanksgiving, such as
pumpkins, ears of colourful Indian corn, models of the early Pilgrims, etc.
• Macy’s is the oldest and largest department store in the USA and has been in business since 1902. Spread
over ten floors with half a million items for sale, Macy’s is a New York City landmark.
• The Statue of Liberty is one of the universal symbols of political freedom and democracy. It was
extensively renovated in 1986 for its centennial celebration. In recent years, the statue has been closed to
tourists for security reasons.
• At the end of 2003, the rebuilt commuter train station, named the World Trade Center station, was the
first part of the restoration at the Ground Zero site to open. The design for a new skyscraper to be
constructed at Ground Zero has generated much controversy among the public.
• Madison Square Garden is a huge business, sports and entertainment facility. This exciting arena is
home to two professional sports teams, the New York Knicks basketball team and the New York Rangers
ice hockey team. A tour of Madison Square Garden shows visitors how the basketball court can be
converted into an ice hockey rink. Madison Square Garden also houses a theatre.
• The NBA, the National Basketball Association, was formed in the USA in 1949 and is the most famous
and prestigious professional basketball league in the world.
• The Knicks, the NBA team from New York City, plays its home games in the Madison Square Garden
arena. The Knicks are traditionally a strong, competitive team.
• Broadway is a street in Manhattan, famous the world over. Some 40 theatres of various sizes, situated
primarily along 42nd through 46th Streets and a few on Broadway itself, offer a stunning year-round
selection of plays, musicals and shows.
• Yankee Stadium hosted its first game in 1923 and is the home of the professional baseball team, the
New York Yankees. The stadium became known as the ‘Home of the Champions’ because of the team’s
26 World Series titles, far more than any other professional baseball team. The original stadium was
triple-decked, having three tiers of seats one above the other. It was demolished after its 50th anniversary
in 1973 and rebuilt to modern standards with a seating capacity of approximately 80,000. In the past, the
stadium hosted professional football games as well as the Yankees’ baseball games, and two popes
celebrated mass there.
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A Foreigner in New York
BEFORE READING
K E Y V O C A B U L A RY
Pre-teach the words in bold. Write the words on the board and then write the following text (omitting the
words in bold). Ask the students to copy the text and fill in the correct words.
My sister Nina writes travel articles for a magazine. Recently, she was a guest at a famous hotel in New
York City. The hotel was actually a skyscraper, one of the many forming New York City’s famous skyline.
Many other reporters were there for a seminar. Nina’s roommate was an interesting woman from India.
They went sightseeing together and also to a wonderful performance by a famous singer. Nina even saw
Cameron Díaz at the corner of a busy street near the hotel. However, she felt a bit embarrassed because
she was the only travel reporter who had never been on a subway ride.
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A Foreigner in New York
6
A Foreigner in New York
TO THE TEACHER:
1. Hand out two copies of this page to each group.
2. Tell the students to imagine that they are tour guides. They have to decide what type of tourist or tourist
group they are guiding for their first visit to New York City, for example: one person, a family or a
class of foreign teenagers. The students must then plan a 2-day tour using the schedule provided. They
should include: places to be visited; remarks to be made; means of travel; information to be passed on.
Tell the students they will have to use their imagination as well as information from the story.
3. The group spokesperson reports the group’s ideas to the whole class.
TO THE STUDENTS:
1. Imagine that you are working as a tour guide. Decide what type of tourist or tourist group you are
guiding for their first 2-day visit to New York City. Fill in your schedule for the tourist(s), showing their
name(s) and the dates for the tour. Include the places you will visit, how you will travel there, the
reason you chose each place and some notes about things you want to tell your visitor(s). Use the
information from A Foreigner in New York and your imagination.
2. The group spokesperson reports the group’s ideas to the rest of the class.
TRAVEL SCHEDULE
Name of Tourist / Group: ______________________________________________________________
Remarks: __________________________________________________________________________
Date: ______________________________________________________________________________
See the Burlington Reader Series general information leaflet, pages 13-15, for more After Reading
activities.
7
Group Work
POSSIBLE ANSWERS
Name of Tourist / Group: English class from Top High School, Rome, Italy with their teacher
Remarks: Interested in Ground Zero, want to see Little Italy, like sport
Date: Thursday, 8th July
9
Worksheet 1: Introduction and Chapters 1-7
ANSWERS
A. 1. gangs
2. even
3. lofts
4. owned
5. dish
6. storeys
7. skyscrapers
8. busy
B. 1. agreed to
2. what it was like to
3. don’t mind
4. You’re very welcome
5. We’d better
6. didn’t mean to
C. 1. True
2. True
3. False
4. True
5. True
6. False
7. True
8. False
D. 3. The most impressive things in the Thanksgiving parade are the enormous balloons.
6. On Ellis Island, Antonio visited a museum about immigration to the USA.
8. Chinatown in New York is much bigger and busier than Chinatown in London.
E. 1. hadn’t been
2. visited
3. would have stayed
4. invites
5. would feel
6. would have used
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A Foreigner in New York
1. After kissing Antonio .............................. , Elaine told him about the Broadway show.
2. Antonio and Elaine could have a tour backstage because they were Jason’s .............................. .
3. Scott’s girlfriend, Elise, was Elaine’s .............................. and lived in the apartment with her.
4. Everyone knew that Antonio was .............................. because his face became red.
5. People .............................. early to get their free tickets for the show in Central Park.
6. The sandwiches were delicious and it would have been a .............................. to throw them out.
7. Antonio and Elaine went on the roller coaster and all the other .............................. .
8. Antonio’s second article on New York was a tremendous .............................. .
C. Where did Antonio do the following things? Write M for Madison Square Garden, CP for
Central Park, or CI for Coney Island.
1. watch an NBA game .......... 6. watch a softball game ..........
2. ride on a roller coaster .......... 7. ask Woody Allen for an autograph ..........
3. talk to Antonio Banderas .......... 8. learn about the hot dog ..........
4. teach Elaine some Spanish .......... 9. see a Shakespeare play ..........
5. see an exciting laser show .......... 10. play football ..........
D. Complete the sentences with the correct relative pronoun: who, which, where, when, whose.
Jason had a role in Man of La Mancha, 1. .............................. had opened on Broadway. The tickets,
2. .............................. cost $98, were very expensive, so Antonio and Elaine were very grateful to Jason,
3. .............................. had reserved tickets for them. The actor 4. .............................. role Jason had been
understudying was sick, so Jason was going to play his part. Fortunately, right from the moment
5. .............................. Jason sang his first song, everything went very well.
After the play, Antonio stood on the stage 6. .............................. Jason had sung his song so beautifully.
He was filled with admiration for the actors, 7. .............................. had performed so professionally.
Then Antonio, Elaine and Jason went to a nearby bar 8. .............................. most of the actors in the
show came to celebrate. It was a lot of fun.
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Worksheet 2: Chapters 8-12 and Epilogue
ANSWERS
A. 1. warmly
2. guests
3. roommate
4. embarrassed
5. lined up
6. pity
7. rides
8. success
B. 1. c
2. d
3. a
4. e
5. f
6. b
C. 1. M
2. CI
3. CP
4. CI
5. M
6. CP
7. M
8. CI
9. CP
10. CP
D. 1. which
2. which
3. who
4. whose
5. when
6. where
7. who
8. where
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A Foreigner in New York
FINAL TEST
C. Choose one topic and write a paragraph. Your paragraph should be at least 60 words long.
1. If you were going to design a poster to advertise New York City, which place or event mentioned in
the book would you choose to represent the city? State the place and the reasons for your choice.
2. Choose one of Antonio’s companions in New York. Write a little about the person, say how Antonio
met the person and describe a place where they went together.
3. Describe George’s background and explain why Antonio felt lucky that he had met George.
25 points
13
Final Test
ANSWERS
A. 1. c 3. b 5. b
2. a 4. a 6. c
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A Foreigner in New York
These answers relate to the questions on pages 72-75 of the reader itself.
Introduction Liberty to America to commemorate the 100th
1. Antonio’s family moved from Florida to Spain anniversary of the founding of the USA.
just before his 12th birthday and he never got 5. They left their countries, their cultures, their
the opportunity to visit New York. OR Antonio friends and their families for a new life in a new
didn’t have enough money to stay there for a and unknown place.
long time. Chapter 4
Chapter 1 1. She felt like a part of her had been amputated.
1. People from different races and cultures have When she looked at the skyline, she still
been coming to New York to make a better life expected to see the Twin Towers.
for themselves since the city was founded. 2. He had to be at a meeting at 9.00 am, and he got
2. He was speechless because there were so many to his building 15 minutes early. If he had
people and lights and traffic. It had an energy arrived a few minutes later, parts of the plane
he’d never felt before or since. that hit the first tower would have killed him.
3. Hell’s Kitchen was very near the piers where 3. They realised that they needed a big green space
the ships used to arrive and there were a lot of for people to relax from city life.
gangs in the area. Chapter 5
4. Times Square and the Puerta del Sol both have a 1. Antonio liked to wander at his own pace and to
building where a ball comes down during the see things that weren’t in the usual guidebooks.
countdown to midnight on New Year’s Eve. 2. He was surprised because he saw them in the
Chapter 2 middle of the day on very busy streets and
1. Thanksgiving commemorates how the Native almost everyone left them alone.
Americans, or Indians, helped the first English 3. The signs on the walls in the subway station
settlers in Massachusetts survive their first were all in Chinese and English and the streets
difficult year in the New World. were crowded with Chinese people.
2. Marching bands from high schools all over the 4. Chinatown in New York is much bigger and
country, clowns and famous people who ride in busier than in London and it’s the biggest
elaborate floats all take part in the parade. Chinese neighbourhood in the United States.
3. Elaine and Jason had friends who couldn’t be 5. When they crossed Canal Street, they were in a
with their families for Thanksgiving. They were completely Italian neighbourhood.
having Thanksgiving dinner together and Chapter 6
making their own family, as if they were 1. He read as much as he could about both teams
orphans. and watched any televised game they played.
4. The apartment was so big that one of the guests He wanted to know all the rules as well as the
was riding a bicycle around it although it was players on both teams.
fully furnished. 2. All the lights went out, really loud music began
5. There’s a very large Hispanic population in New to play and an exciting laser show began.
York with people from almost every part of 3. Antonio shyly walked up to Woody Allen, got
Latin America. Many of them like to read the his attention and told him that he was visiting
news in Spanish. from Spain and was a big fan of his.
Chapter 3 4. Antonio really enjoyed the hamburgers at the
1. Antonio’s body was still getting used to the sports bar close to Madison Square Garden. All
change in the hours and he needed some rest the ingredients were fresh and the hamburgers
before his big day of sightseeing. were really big.
2. Elaine told Antonio that the subway was the Chapter 7
fastest, cheapest and most efficient way to travel 1. Antonio is going to go with Elaine and some of
around the city. the people from the Thanksgiving dinner to a
3. Ellis Island was the place where the majority of hotel overlooking Times Square. They’ll have
immigrants who came to America between 1892 dinner and dance.
and 1954 were processed. 2. You can see an outdoor ice-skating rink, and an
4. The French government gave the Statue of enormous Christmas tree above it. There are
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A Foreigner in New York
more than five miles of lights on the tree. nice to speak to people from his own country.
3. Times Square was already almost full. There 3. People lined up to get their free tickets early
were thousands of people there although it was and organised picnics in the field next to the
freezing. theatre while they waited for someone from the
4. There was a photograph of the two of them at theatre to distribute the tickets. Some time
the Empire State Building with something between 1.00 pm and 2.00 pm, a representative
written on the back. from the theatre distributed the tickets for that
Chapter 8 evening’s performance.
1. Antonio had received an e-mail from Jason Chapter 11
entitled ‘Urgent’. In it, Jason asked Antonio to 1. During the summer, José Luis was in charge of
call him at home as soon as possible. writing about the New York Yankees baseball
2. Jason was an understudy for one of the principal team for his newspaper and that’s why he could
roles in a Broadway show. If that actor got sick get Antonio tickets.
or couldn’t do the show for any reason, Jason 2. They have been World Series champions 26
would play his part. times in less than 100 years. A lot of the greatest
3. The actor Jason was understudying for was sick, players in baseball history have been on this
so Jason would be doing the role in that night’s team and are now part of national folklore.
show. Jason had reserved two free tickets for 3. What most attracted Antonio’s attention was
them for the show. how often people bought things to eat and drink.
4. A place in the middle of Times Square sells 4. He wanted Antonio to have some typical New
half-price tickets for Broadway shows. They York food. He also thought that Antonio would
only sell tickets for that night’s performance and like to see a place connected to Woody Allen.
for shows that aren’t completely full. There’s Chapter 12
usually an enormous line. 1. The hot dog was invented there. It was a
5. Antonio would be scared to death to walk out in popular vacation place for rich people during
front of almost 1,000 people and sing and act! the second half of the 19th century. It had the
Chapter 9 oldest amusement park in the USA.
1. The New York Philharmonic Orchestra gives a 2. In 1920, the subway reached Coney Island and
free classical music concert in Central Park. it became a recreational place for people of all
2. John Lennon, one of the Beatles, liked to spend classes.
time in the garden. Shortly after he died, the 3. He convinced ten vagabonds to have a bath and
city dedicated the garden to him. In the centre then dress as doctors in white coats for free
of the garden is a circular area with a mosaic food. Then he put up a sign that said, ‘If doctors
that spells out ‘Imagine’, the title of Lennon’s eat our hot dogs, you know they’re good!’
most famous song. 4. Elaine wanted to take Antonio for a ride on the
3. Central Park has got millions of trees and Cyclone, one of the first and most famous roller
plants, bushes, lakes and green spaces. coasters in the world.
4. Everyone in the field had lit candles and was 5. He was thinking that he would be returning to
eating silently while listening to the music. Spain in a couple of days. He was going to miss
Chapter 10 New York and the friends that he had there and
1. Most of the Broadway shows form teams with he was going to miss Elaine most of all.
their actors and technicians and play softball Epilogue
every Thursday. This is called the Broadway 1. When Antonio invited his friends to visit him in
Show League. Spain, Peter replied that they knew they would
2. He didn’t know much about softball and it have to wait until after Elaine had visited him.
sounded as if Antonio and José Luis did. It was