Category: READING COURSE

Sometimes, certain things happen as if designed by a hidden hand, who’s working are not known to us. Well-crafted( to make something with special skills especially your hands in a very good way) places are suddenly over turned by unforeseen( that you did not expect to happen) events ( a thing that happens, especially something very important). Gifts(a thing that you give to somebody, especially in special ocassions), which one would have never imagined( to form a picture in your mind, of what something might be), land in your lap(top part of your legs that forms a flat surface when you are sitting down).
For me, writing a book on and called value was one such mysterious(difficult to understand or explain) gift. There was no intention(what you intend or plan to do) of ‘writing’ it to start with. It was more like a playful( full of fun, wanting to play) exercise ( an activity that you do to stay healthy). As the book unfolded( to be gradually made known), each session(a period of time spent doing a particular activity) of writing became a peaceful(quiet or calm; not worried in any way) joyful(causing people to be happy) experience(the knowledge and skill that you have gained through doing something for a period of time ). Every morning, one sat down and surrendered (to admit that you have been defeated and want to stop fighting ) to the flow of words pouring out (to express your feelings or give an account of something , especially after keeping them or it secretly )on to the pages of notebook bound beautifully(very well) in colourful hand-woven cloth. Every bit of writing was like a silent communion ( the state of sharing or exchanging thoughts and feelings) with a loving source.
The value book is an interweaving( put your facts, events, details etc. together to make a story or a closely connected whole) of randomly picked messages from two other books with the words that came to me using ‘speed writing’. I have enjoyed reading these two reference books( a book that contains facts and information, that you look at when you need to find out something particular) over the years. They are, a course in miracles( an act or event that does not follow the laws of nature and believed to be caused by God) and opening doors within. I have also enjoyed speed writing.
On the morning of October 3, 2007, my quest( a long search for something especially for some quality such as happiness) for a deeper understanding of values, my love for the two books mentioned above, experience with speed writing and a deeper surrender to the source, all came together. Work, began in a nice hand-bound notebook which had been gifted to me. Every morning some words would flow. The morning ritual (a series of actions that are always performed in the same way, especially as part of a religious ceremony ) ended on the last page of the notebook on June 28 2008.
Source: Life Positive

QUESTION TIME

Match the words in column A with their meaning in column B.
Make sure while doing this exercise you don’t cheat, or else the entire purpose of it will be lost.

ANSWERS

1. vii
2. xii
3. xiv
4. ix
5. viii
6. vi
7. v
8. x
9. iv
10. xiii
11. i
12. xi
13. ii
14. iii
15. xvi
16. xxii
17. xx
18. xviii
19. xxiii
20. xxiv
21. xix
22. xv
23. xxi

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In a small town, there lived a little boy and a girl. The little boy and the girl were best friends. They always played together. One day, the two friends went to a new park and saw some big kids playing. They were playing football, running from one part of the park to other. The little boy admired(fond of and amazed at somebody’s skills) the big kids. “How wonderful(great) it would be if I could play football too”, thought, the little boy.
The little boy, then, told his best friend, girl, about his idea of playing football. The girl did not agreed(understanding with each other) with him. “Please don’t force yourself to do something difficult. You already have issues(problem) with your leg”, said the girl. “You are not encouraging(supporting) me at all,” said the boy angrily. “I will show you that I can play as well.” The little boy and the girl came to the big boys who were playing. The big kid told him, he better not play as he can end up hurting himself. But he did not listen and insisted(to demand that something happens or that somebody agrees to do something) that he wanted to play.
The big boys finally agreed but told him that if he got hurt then they will not be responsible(being able to blamed for something). The game began and a boy passed him the ball, but rather than passing it further, the little boy got rolled up(to turn over and over and move in a particular direction) in the ball, and fell down. But the boy was determined(to decide definitely to do something) and continued the game. By this time, he had fallen many times and his leg started bleeding. By this time, he could barely stand and when a ball hit him, it blew him off(destroyed completely).
He started crying and was badly bleeding. The big kids took him to hospital and told him, “There is a certain time for everything and never try to force yourself to do something that is beyond your means”.
REVISION
Okay, so what are the words you have learnt today?

1. admired
2. wonderful
3. encouraging
4. insisted
5. responsible
6. rolled up
7. determined
8. blew him off

Let us make sure you remember them for life.

ADMIRED

Is there someone whom who look up to? Someone whom you want to be like? For instance, there are many who want to be like Steve jobs, some are there who want to be like Taylor swift or Virat Kohli. That is, people admire Steve Jobs, Taylor Swift or Virat Kohli.

WONDERFUL

Has there been anything that you really liked or may be something that is very beautiful. For example, Taj Mahal or the Great Wall of China. So, what are they? They all are wonderful.

ENCOURAGING

Now, remember a time when you were very sad and someone came and told you that everything will be perfectly fine and you felt good. What did they did? That person actually encouraged you and such person is said to be encouraging. May be you were in dire need of money and someone just lent you money. Any ways, you were encouraged and the things /people around were encouraging.

INSISTED

Do you remember your childhood? Remember, those times when you wanted a toy and you made sure you get it. May be you cried, may be black mailed, but you made sure you have the toy. Right? You actually insisted your parents to give you that gift. Obviously now, you don’t cry, but there are times when you force someone or demand something, those are the times when you insist.

RESPONSIBLE

Okay, now responsible has many meanings. Right now, I am talking about the one used in the above passage. Responsible means that if something wrong happens to the thing you are made responsible for, you will be questioned. Do you remember, when you got poor marks in school and you were scolded? That was because you are responsible for them.

ROLLED UP

Have you noticed your bike or car when you drive? If not, then notice it, because that is a perfect example of rolling up.

DETERMINED

Have you ever told yourself or others, that you are going to do it. It could either be getting good marks in school or winning a championship. Something you worked for, something you worked for badly. Now, this is the thing you were determined for.

BLEW HIM OFF

Do you remember, the atom bomb, America threw on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Now, what did the atom bomb did? It blew off the two cities of japan.

Now, the story is not over here. Note down these words and try using them in whatever you speak or write in English. All the best.
IELTSBAND7

You must have seen picture and movies of volcanoes erupting (when a volcano erupts or burning rocks, smoke etc. are erupted the burning rocks etc. are thrown out from the volcano), but do you know what a volcano actually is? To put it very simply, a volcano is a mountain that has a hole or vent(an opening that allows air, gas or liquid to pass out of or into a room, building, container etc.) that leads to reservoirs(a large amount ) of molten or liquid rock deep below the earth’s surface. As the pressure builds up inside the earth, eruptions occur. Gases and molted(heated to a very high temperature so that it becomes liquid) rock shoot up through the opening, and spill over, or fill the air with lava fragments(a small part of something that has broken off or comes from something larger).
Eruptions can cause sideways blasts, lava flows, hot ash flows, mudslides, avalanches, failing ash and floods. Volcano eruptions have been known to knock down entire forests. An erupting volcano can trigger(to make something happen suddenly)tsunamis too. Volcanic eruptions mould and shape the earth’s structure. They give rise to new land masses, and constantly create changes in the Earth’s atmosphere.
The word volcano comes from the roman god of fire, Vulcan. Vulcan was said to have had a forge(a place where objects are made by heating and shaping pieces of metal, especially one where a black smith works)- which is a place to melt and shape iron on the little island of volcano in the Mediterranean Sea, off Sicily. The island was the site of an active volcano in ancient times. Centuries ago, the people living in this area thought that the hot lava fragments and clouds of the dust erupting from a volcano came from Vulcan’s forge as he beat out thunderbolts for Jupiter, king of the gods, and weapons for mars, the god of war.

QUESTION TIME
Questions
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?
In boxes 1- in your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there information on this.

1. Volcano is a phenomenon of eruption which can occur in any mountain.
2. Eruptions occur when the pressure inside the earth’s surface increases.
3. When lava erupts, only gases erupt out of the vent in the rock.
4. After a volcanic eruptions, usually new landmasses are created and changes in Earth’s atmosphere are seen.

SAMPLE ANSWER

1. False
2. True
3. False
4. True

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