Unit 2 PDF - Reading Comprehension

UNIT 2 Structure Objectives Reading Comprehension 2.1.1 Study Guide 2.1.2 Passage for Reading: 'HumanEnvironment', by Indira Gandhi 2.1.3 Note on the Author 2.1.4 Glossary 2.1.5 Comprehension Questions Vocabulary Grammar and Usage:...

UNIT 2 Structure Objectives Reading Comprehension 2.1.1 Study Guide 2.1.2 Passage for Reading: 'HumanEnvironment', by Indira Gandhi 2.1.3 Note on the Author 2.1.4 Glossary 2.1.5 Comprehension Questions Vocabulary Grammar and Usage: Concord of Number and Person Writing Let Us Sum Up Key Words Books Suggested Cassette Recording Answers to Exercises 2.0 OBJECTIVES In this unit our aim is to give you practice in reading comprehension by (i) setting an extract from a speech by Indira Gandhi for you to read, and (ii) giving a glossary of difficult words, R. and questions on comprehension. We have also set exercises on selected items of vocabulary. The section on grammar and usage deals with the concord of number and person with verbs other than be, do, and have,which we discussed in Unit 1. For practice in writing, you will complete a short essay on the subject of the passage read by you, with the help of an outline given by us. After completing this unit you should be able to read speeches on matters of current interest with understanding; distinguish between pairs of words with related meanings; observe the subject-verb concord with all verbs; and write paragraphs forming part of a short essay with the help of a given outline. 2.1 READING COMPREHENSION 2.1.1 Study Guide Read the passage given below and try to understand it. It has extracts from a speech made by Indira Gandhi in 1972 at the United Nations Conference on 'human Environment'. Some of the words are explained for you in the glossary given at the end of the passage. After you have read and understood the passage, you must answer all the comprehension questions. You should then check your answers with those given by us at the end of the unit. 2.1.2 Passage for Reading Human Environment by Indira Gandhi 1 One cannot be truly human and civilized unless one looks upon not only all fellow-men but all creation with the eyes of a friend. Throughout India, edicts carved on rocks and iron pillars are reminders that 22 centuries ago Emperor Ashoka defined a king's duty as not merely to protect citizens and punish wrong-doers but also to preserve animal life and forest trees. Ashoka was the first and perhaps the only monarch until very recently, to  forbid the killing of a large number of species of animals for sport or food. He went further, regretting the carnage of his military conquests and enjoining upon his successors to find "their only pleasure in the peace that comes through righteousness". 2 Along with t y rest of mankind. we in India -in spite of Ashoka -have been guilty of wanton disregard for the sources of our sustenance. We share your concern at the rapid deterioration of flora and fauna. Some of our own wild life has been wiped out, miles of forests with beautiful old trees, mute witnesses of history, have been destroyed. Even though our industrial development is in its infancy, and at its most difficult stage, we are taking various steps to deal with incipient environmental imbalances; the more so because of ou concern for the human being -a species which is also imperilled. In 6 poverty he is t reatened by malnutrition and disease, in weakness by war, in richness by the pollution brought about by his own prosperity. 3 On the one hand the rich look askance at our continuing poverty, on the other they warn us against their own methods. We do not wish to impoverish the environment any further and yet we cannot for a moment forget the grim poverty of large numbers of people. Are not poverty and need the greatest polluters? For instance, unless we are in a position to provide employment and purchasing power for the daily necessities of the tribal people and those who live in or around jungles, we cannot prevent them from combing the forest for food and livelihood, from poaching and from despoiling the vegetation. When they themselves feel deprived, how can we urge the preservation of animals? How can we speak to those who live in villages or slums about keeping the oceans, the rivers and air clean when their ownlives are contaminated at the source? The environment cannot be improved in conditions of poverty. Nor can poverty be eradicated without the use of science and technology. 4 Must there be conflict between technology and a truly better world or between enlightenment of the spirit and a higher standard of living? Foreigners sometimes ask what to us seems a very shange question, whether progress in India would not mean a diminishing of her spirituality or her values. Is spiritual quality so superficial as to be dependent upon the lack of material comfort? As a country we are not more or less -if; spiritual than any other but traditionally our people have respected the spirit of detachment and renunciation. 3 The Government of India is one of the few which has an officially sponsored programme of family planning and this is making some progress. We believe that planned families will make for a healthier and more conscious population. But we know also that no programme of population control can be effective without education and without a visible rise in the standard of living. Our own programmes have succeeded in the urban or serni- urban areas. To the very poor, every child is an earner and a helper. We are experimenting with new approaches and the family planning programme is being combined with those of maternity and child welfare, nutrition and development in general. 6 It is an over-simplification to blame all the world's problems on increasing population. Countries with but a small fraction of the world population consume the bulk of the world's production of minerals, fossil fuels and so on. Thus, we see that when it comes to the depletion of natural resources and environmental pollution the increase of one inhabitant in an affluent country, at his level of living, is equivalent to an increase of many Asians, Afncans or Latin Americans at their current material levels of living. (from Indira Gandhi's speech at the UN Conference on 'Human Environment', 1972) 2.1.3 Note on the Author Indira Gandhi (1917-1984) was Prime Minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and 1980 to 1984. 2.1.4 Glossary 1 civilized : at a highly developed stage of social oganization creation : the whole universe; the world and all the things in it edicts :orders issued by a king or state carved :cut preserve :protect monarch : a king who rules a state and has supreme power species : a group of related animals or plants regret : feel sorry about  r carnage : large-scale killing of human beings G I enjoin : require a person to do something righteousness : moral goodness 2 wanton : without justification sustenance : means of sustaining life concern : anxiety deterioration : becoming lower in quality; wearing away flora : plants fauna : animals wiped out : destroyed completely mute : silent witness : one who has seen some event infancy : childhood incipient :just starting environmental : relating to the surroundings in which people live imperilled : placed in danger malnutrition :lack of adequate nutrition pollution : making unclean or impure 3 askance :without liking impoverish : make poor grim : severe, cruel combing : searching poaching : catching or killing animals and birds illegally despoiling : robbing urge : insist on slums : dirty and poor section of a city contaminated : made impure eradicated : uprooted; removed completely technology : the use of science in industry 4 conflict : opposition enlightenment : giving the light of understanding spirit : the principle of life diminishing : making less spirituality : caring for spiritual things or values values : moral principles or beliefs superficial : being on the surface only lack : shortage or absence material : related to physical well-being traditionally : as a tradition (thoughts and practices continued over a long period) detachment : freedom from self-interest renunciation : giving up one's claims or rights 5 sponsored : promoted conscious : aware effective : producing a result urban : of cities and towns maternity : motherhood nutrition : provision of food necessary for healthy growth 6 fossil : a remnant of a plant or animal of a past age depletion : using up; exhausting affluent : rich equivalent : equal in significance Latin Americans : people in those areas of America where the official languages are Spanish and Portuguese derived from Latin; people in South America 2.1.5 Comprehension Questions Now try to answer the following questions. You may check your answers with those given 1 by us at the end of the unit. Exercise 1 1 a) How does Mrs. Gandhi describe a person who looks upon his fellow-men and the world with friendly eyes? b) Were Indians aware of this even in ancient times? Give an example to prove this. 2 a) The environment around us has been destroyed. What are the three examples given?......................................................................................................................................... b) It is not only the environment but man also who is in danger. i) What dangers face him when he is poor? ii) What dangers face him when he is politically weak?.................................................................................................................................. iii) What dangers face him-.whenhe is rich?.................................................................................................................................. 3 a) Mention the ways in which the poor are compelled to spoil the environment................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... b) How can poverty be removed?......................................................................................................................................... 4 What have Indians down the ages respected?.............................................................................................................................................. 5 a) When can a programme of population control be successful?......................................................................................................................................... b) Why do some poor people want big families?......................................................................................................................................... 6 Natural resources are being depleted. a) How are the developed countries responsible for this?......................................................................................................................................... b) How are the developing countries responsible for this?......................................................................................................................................... 2.2 VOCABULARY Exercise 2 Fill in the blanks with suitable words out of those given in brackets: i) a) Children in this orphanage are happy because they are well...................... b) Many trees in the jungles are now.........................by the Forest Department. (preserved, looked after) ii) a) Smoking in cinema halls is.............................. b) We are............................to speak loudly in the library. (prohibited, forbidden) iii) a) Many trees in the forests have been............................... b) Standards of morality have........................... (destroyed deteriorated) iv) a) We............................reading stories. b) It is a..............................walking in the hills. (pleasure, enjoy) v) a) They spent a lot of money on their daughter's wedding, so their bank balance has now been........................... b) Mr. La1 has been unemployed for four years now. He and his family are quite.............................. (improverished,depleted) Exercise 3 Use the following words in s'entences. Use the dictionpry, if necessary. (A good one is Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.) empty, vacant.................................................................................................................................................. environment, neighbourhood.................................................................................................................................................. employment, job.................................................................................................................................................. clean, pure -- 2.3 GRAMMAR AND USAGE:CONCORD OF NUMBER AND PERSON In this section you will leam how verbs in the present tense agree with their gubjects in number and person. Look at these examples from the reading passage in section 2.1.2. Subject Verb Paragraph 1 one looks Paragraph 2 we share Paragraph 3 they wam they feel Paragraph 4 foreigners ask Paragraph 5 we believe we know Paragraph 6 countries consume we see it comes You will find more examples in the following extract from a newspaper. The verbs are printed in bold type. Notice how they agree with their subjects in number. Example Almost every full moon night, the officials in Andaman and Nicobar Islands take part in a cautious ritual. The tribesmen watch from a safe distance as the officials approach the island in a boat carrying gifts for them. The islanders come forward hesitantly only after the officials have dumped the coconuts brought for them onto the beach and begin sailing away from their small island. On some nights the tribals even muster up enough courage to swim upto a few feet away from the boat. The Lieutenant Governor maintains that they do not want to interfere with the way of life of the tribals........................The islands rely heavily on the mainland for most goods. (from The Times of India, 17th November, 1986) In verbs that have regular forms the third person singular of the present simple tense is formed by the addition of -s or -es (for example looks, comes, maintains, relies, passes, mixes, reaches, pushes). The simple form is used in all other cases. Examples 1 Government officials give the islanders coconuts as gifts. The Lieutenant Governor gives the islanders food and medicines. I like reading stories. We You All of us Most children 3rd person singular subject verb with - s My friend Suresh likes reading poems. The doctor He She No one One of my friends Exercise 4 Fill in the blanks with the correct present tense forms of the verbs given below: 1 Animal lovers...............to find a shelter for injured animals. 2 There...............a number of good schools in this city. 3 What we...............is a sound philosophy of education. 4 You...............advised not to be too generous with your sentiments. 5 He...............no English. 6 He...............more time in India than anywhere else in the world. 7 Faith, they............, can move mountains. 8 They...............here to satisfy their curiosity. 9 He...............to come here as a guest. 10 My watch...............the date as well as the time. The date............... automatically at midnight. (say, show, come, be, change, need, try, want, spend, speak) 2.4 WRITING Exercise 5 Here is a composition exercise for you. Complete this essay on 'Trees are our best friends' by writing Paragraphs 3 and 4 with the help of the outline given here. 1 Trees are useful to man in three important ways: they provide him with wood and other products; they give him shade; and they help to prevent droughts and floods. 2 Unfortunately man has not realized that the last of these services is the most important. In his eagerness to make quick money, he has cut down trees in large numbers, only to find that with them he has lost the best friend he had. 3 Two thousand years ago...............a powerful country cut down trees..................to build warships.....................conquered a big empire..................but without trees soil became hard and poor..................country faced floods and starvation. 4 Governments realize importance.of trees.....................difficult to persuade the average man.....................wood to cook.....................make charcoal...............people too careless to plant new trees..................essential to educate people..................... otherwise forests will disappear. 2.5 LET US SUM UP In this unit we have given you practice in i) understanding an extract from Indira Gandhi's speech on 'Human Environment', ii) distinguishing between pairs of words that have related meanings and using them in appropriate contexts, iii) subject-verb concord, and iv) writing paragraphs of an essay with the help of a given outline. 2.6 KEY WORDS audio- : related to hearing cassette : a container for magnetic tape composition : the act of putting together words, ideas, etc. in a literary form contemporary : of the present time context : what comes before and after a word, phrase, statement, etc., helping to fix the meaning dictionary : a book listing and explaining the words of a language environment : surroundings human :of man outiine : a statement of the chief facts, points, etc. 2.7 BOOKS SUGGESTED 1 The Years of Endeavour: Selected Speeches of Indira Garldhi (1969-1972). Publications Division, Government of India. 2 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Indian edition. 3 A.S. Homby : Odord Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Current English, 3rd edition (Revised). 2.8 CASSETTE RECORDING An audio-cassette recording based on the reading passage in this unit is available at the study centres of the university. 2.9 ANSWERS TO EXERCISES Exercise 1 1 a) She describes him as truly human and civilized. b) Yes. More than two thousand years ago Emperor Ashoka laid down that a king must protect animal life and forest trees, and he was very sorry about the large-scale killing of human beings during his conquests. 2 a) i) Some of the wild animals have been destroyed completely, ii) some of the forests have also been destroyed, and iii) industrial development has upset the balance in our environment. b) i) He faces the danger of poor nutrition and disease. ii) He faces the danger of war. iii) He faces the danger of an impure environment. 3 a) When the poor people living around the jungles cannot get employment and cannot buy the things they need every day, they have to search for food in the forests, kill animals there, and cut down trees and plants. b) By the use of science and technology. 4 Detachment and renunciation. 5 a) When we spread education and raise the standard of living of the people. b) They think e3ery child is an earner and a helper. 6 a) The developed countries consume most of the world's production of minerals and fossil fuels. b) In developing countries people are so poor and their lives are so contaminated that they cannot think of keeping the air, the rivers, and the oceans clean. Exercise 2 i) a) looked after iv) a) enjoy b) preserved b) pleasure ii) a) prohibited v) a) depleted b) forbidden b) impoverished iii) a) destroyed b) deteriorated Exercise 3 :Specimen Answers This ink bottle is empty. I must buy another one. The post of principal at this college has been vacant for some time. A man's character is influenced by his environment. There are some very friendly people in our neighbourhood. A large number of educated people in India cannot get suitable employment. If you do not like your present job, try to find another one. To avoid disease, we should keep our environment clean. The air in our cities is not pure, because the trucks, buses, cars, and scooters give out a lot of smoke. Exercise 4 1 try 2 are 3 need 4 are 5 speaks 6 spends 7 say 8 &come 9 wants 10 shows, changes