Talented baseball player Jose Navarro tells us all about his move from Cuba to Canada.

For the Love of the Game

From the moment I open my mouth, the questions begin. It happens every single time without fail. "Where are you from?" people I meet ask me. "I'm from Cuba," I reply, a treat for the inquiring mind. For I think we humans are born with a natural curiosity. If we hear an accent that is different from our own, we want to put a place to the voice, we want to know where the person is from. Of course, this is not a bad thing, or at least I don't think it is. I believe our desire to learn more about others shows that, by and large, we are social creatures. The way I see it, it's like having a new neighbour that you often sec from across the street but haven't had the chance to introduce yourself to yet. Well, it's perfectly natural to want to cross the road to say 'Hi!'

Before I continue, let me give you a brief history of how I came to be in Canada, a stranger in this new land. For as long as I can remember, I've been obsessed with baseball, the national sport of Cuba. I dedicated myself totally to both playing and watching it, sacrificing free time, friendships and sometimes school grades along the way. Eleven months ago, I finally made it onto a Cuban team. Wearing my team colours before fans in my home stadium for the first time was the proudest moment of my life. Then, six months ago, talent scouts from Canada saw me playing at the 'Estadio Latinoamericano' in Havana and were impressed enough to offer me a sports scholarship. I didn't think twice about accepting the offer. Within the month I was on a plane heading for Toronto. I realised my obsession had paid off.

The scholarship offered me a place at the renowned York University. I was given the opportunity to choose from a list which degree I wanted to pursue. After one or two sleepless nights and five long and somewhat heated phone calls with my parents, I decided to do a law degree. I thought it was very important to pick something that I could fall back on if I didn't make it as a big league player. There was only one catch: when I wasn't studying, I had to play ball. My opinion on that: 'No objections, Your Honour!'

When I first arrived, I wasn't afraid, even though I was all alone in a foreign country. On the contrary, I was eager to explore this new, unknown city. Toronto was a brand new world; mine to discover. Gone were the 1950s Cadillacs and cobbled streets and before my eyes were sleek, shiny visions of the future. And for reasons I've already explained, it hasn't been difficult to make friends with my fellow students. "What's it like living in Cuba?" they ask. "Did you like it?", "Have you come here to escape it?" You sec, Cuba, Cubans and the Cuban way of life are something of an enigma to them. They see my home as a secretive island, shrouded in mystery.

Sometimes we talk into the early hours of the morning, exchanging stories. I reminisce about walking barefoot along the Havana coastline in the tropical warmth. I talk about the many hours spent playing dominoes and eating shellfish with my family. I joke that it's not all politics and cigars! They say they realise this and joke back. But then we also chat about the many shared experiences that we have here in Canada. You know, we may start off thinking about our differences, but when all is said and done, we look for what we have in common.

1. What is the writer's attitude to being asked a lot of questions?

A He welcomes the attention.

В He wishes people weren't so curious.

С He believes it will help him make new friends.

D He believes it reflects human nature.

2. What do we learn about the writer's love for baseball while growing up?

A It made him feel like a foreigner in his own country.

В It developed over time.

С It wasn't encouraged by others.

D It caused him to miss out on certain things.

3. What does the writer mean by the phrase 'my obsession had paid off in line 35?

A His love for baseball was now bringing rewards.

В His talent would at last bring financial benefits.

С His dream had become a reality.

D His passion had led to more than expected.

4. The writer decided to study law because

A the course allowed him plenty of time to play baseball.

В he realised he was unlikely to succeed as a baseball player.

С he felt it would be useful if he failed in sport.

D he was respecting his parents' wishes.

5. When the writer first arrived in Toronto, he felt

A homesick.

В lonely.

С excited.

D anxious.

6. According to the writer, why were the other students so interested in his life back home?

A They wanted to understand why he had left his country.

В They were curious about something they knew very little about.

С They enjoyed the stories he told about it.

D They were eager to get to know him better.

7.At the end of the passage, the writer concludes that

A he would prefer to be living in his own country.

В life in his own country is very different to life in Canada.

С people from different cultures may be more similar than they realise.

D he still has a lot to learn about the Canadian people.

8. What was the writer's main purpose in writing the text?

A to describe his great love for baseball

В to share his experience of becoming a foreigner

С to show the value of learning more about others

D to encourage others to follow their dreams

A For every investigation, forms have to be filled in and reports written.

В During this time, the officer learns all the basics of general police work.

С In addition to catching criminals, they have to give evidence in court.

D Last but not least, a high degree of patience is an absolute must as, believe it or not, crime investigation can often be a very lengthy and boring process.

E In fact, it is nothing like it used to be.

F Detectives still have to ask questions and find answers.

G Typical mundane tasks include going house to house asking questions or searching carefully through a suspect's phone records for clues to a crime.

H There the officers receive intensive instruction in all areas related to solving major crime.