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4
Section One
Use of English
ly artificial construction of nationality fascinates Philippe. The boys he photographed to
represent Haiti (Adam) and Pakistan (Zishaan) have never actually been to those coun-
tries. “But Adam said it would make his mother, who’s from Haiti, very proud. And
Zishaan, well, he thinks of himself as fully English and fully Pakistani. He said to me,
‘How can I be half and half? I’m both.’ I find that strong sense of nationalism, from peo-
ple who’ve never even been to the country they say they’re from, very strange.”
It’s a testament to London’s unique diversity that of the whole list of Olympic nations (a
list he chose because it’s fairly neutral), Philippe only struggled to find people from
about five. “For these five nations I chose someone linked in some way to this place:
someone who has lived there, has family there, or even, in the case of Nauru, I settled for
someone who knew where it was.”
Philippe has mixed views on the complex issue of London’s multiculturalism. “Diversity
is great, but you can’t be too romantic about it. It’s not always a positive thing for every-
one. When your local shop stops selling your sausages and starts selling samosas, it can
be difficult for people to get used to.
“The best people can do is live with it, and get the positives out of it. Take the good.”
Activities:
1. Write a short summary of the excerpt (about 250 words)
2. For questions 1-7, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best
according to the text.
1) Born in Marseilles and an avid traveller, Philippe Sibelly:
A
has long been fascinated by the complex relationships between peo-
ple and places
B
has long been fascinated by London’s multiculturalism and by how
people identify with or choose to claim their nation of origin
C
has long been fascinated by the relationships between language, soci-
ety, cognition and culture, as well as the development of language
across time and space
D
has long been fascinated by the ways in which people and their com-
munities adapt, evolve and re-invent themselves in response to
change.
2) Inspired by the news that London would be hosting the 2012 Olympics,
he:
A
embarked on a World in One City challenge: showcasing that multi-
culturalism in a photography project.
B
joined the
Los Angeles Review of Books
as a contributing editor
C
wanted to help Londoners, but was unable to because he was too busy
D
decided to put his stories into writing, to prove that not only were his
stories true, but also to demonstrate how intelligent he was.