Green-Essential-English-Reader-6-Final-2078-PDF

Approved by the Government of Nepal, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Curriculum Development Centre (CDC), Sanothimi, Bhaktapur, Nepal. Essential English Reader 6Book Authors and Editors Anirudra Thapa Ramesh Lamsal

Essential English Reader 6Book Publisher Green Books Copyright Authors Edition Revised : 2078 BS Illustrations Basu Kshitiz Layout Focus Computer [email protected] Printed in Nepal Price: 280/-

Preface The practice of curriculum design and instructional materials development in Nepal, specially for language learning, has either predominantly focused on instructing learners on the linguistic forms, rules, and conventions of English language or alternatively on a set of fairly predictable classical literary texts. While both approaches have their own merits and address a set of specific educational goals independently, they rarely complement each other and seldom holistically answer the needs of young learners in an integrated way. The Essential English Reader, thus, has been designed to facilitate teaching English as a school subject both as a tool and a way of gaining knowledge and personal insight. As such the series is informed mainly by four broad educational goals of facilitating linguistic enrichment, cultural competence, critical thinking, and learners’ personal involvement. In addition to learning the English language, the Reader, we believe, will contribute to developing insight into life, values, and cultures. Through an ideal blend of literary and linguistic inputs, the Reader aims to enable learners to communicate with others at personal, social, and inter-cultural levels. We believe that the communicative skills and cultural insight, thus gained, can promote greater interaction, understanding, and foster democratic practice. Towards achieving these broadly conceived goals, we have organized each textbook with meticulously selected reading materials and clustered them around theme-based units. Each unit allows learners to acquire specific language and communicative skills which they, in turn, apply to anticipate, recall, interpret, critically think, and respond to situations provided in the selected fictional and non-fictional literary readings. This also allows instructors to design and plan each teaching session in the most flexible way to address the specific needs of their own unique learning environment. We have been very particular in selecting reading materials to ensure that the selected texts closely resonate with the learners’ age-specific psycho-social dynamics. Themes such as “My School,” “Me and My Family,” “Our Environment,” “Communication, Technology and Market,” while fostering personal involvement in the learning process, help students understand the world they inhabit as well as to reflect, respond to, and communicate what they personally think, feel, and believe. The present series is also informed by our experience of designing English textbooks. As such, the series incorporates valuable insights and suggestions we have received from fellow teachers during numerous workshops and training sessions over the decades. We are especially indebted to hundreds of English teachers whose feedback has been instrumental in conceptualizing the present series. As always, we welcome suggestions, questions, and queries from our teachers, students, and parents. Our special thanks go to Green Books for publishing and bringing the series to the teachers and learners. We hope the Essential English Reader will make teaching and learning an enjoyable and productive activity. Kathmandu May, 2020

Contents 1. Araniko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2. Daedalus and Icarus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 3. You Can’t Have Everything You Want . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 4. The Hill of The Flaming Lotus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 5. The Knee-High Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 6. Planet Earth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 7. Teach Your Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 8. Gulliver in Lilliput . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 9. Hare I Am . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 10. Godawari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 11. The Wind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 12. Mother to Son . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 13. Amarsingh Thapa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 14. Letter to My Mother . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 15. Why Does the Sun Follow You? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 16. Mama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 17. Uncle Tom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 18. What is Civilization? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Unit Araniko 1 1 Lead-in A. Learning new words An architect designs buildings. Below is a cross-word puzzle about places and buildings. Can you solve it? 12 3 4 6 Across 5 78 3. Planes fly from here 9 4. I am hungry. Let’s go to a ... 7. I am sick. I must go to ... 9. We can read books here. Down 1. It’s lunch time. Let’s eat something at the ... 2. Animals are kept here for people to look at. 5. Some people visit this place to pray. 6. Where can I cash my cheque? 8. At ....... we study. Essential English Reader Book 6 5

B. Learning new structures Read and learn. Hello, Mr. Yes, I love Rabbit. Do eating you like eating carrots. Do carrots? you have some? We use “Do you like +v-ing . . .?” type of sentences to ask about someone’s likes and dislikes. We use “like/ love +v- ing” to express likes and dislikes. We use “love” to state our likings strongly. Pair work Ask your partner if he or she likes doing something. The partner replies using “like/love doing something.” Take help from the cues given in the box. watch/ movies Example: play/ soccer You : Do you like visiting places? eat/ out Partner : Yes, I like visiting places. dance/ parties Oh, I love visiting places. solve/ equations stay/ indoor baby-sit 2 Reading Araniko [ The following biography of Araniko tells students about some of his wonderful exploits and his contribution to Nepali architecture.While teaching this lesson, we may even design a mini biography project in which students write a photo- essay about a historical character they like.] Do you like visiting historical places? Isn’t it wonderful to visit the ancient cities of Nepal and see the beautiful temples, palaces and 6 Essential English Reader Book 6

buildings? As you enjoy the splendid art of such monuments you are filled with respect for those talents of past who created them. There were many of them. But among those, one who became famous not only in Nepal but also in Tibet, China, Mongolia and as far as Indonesia was Araniko. During Araniko’s time, which was thirteenth century A.D., there was a renowned emperor in China named Kublai Khan. He was a great lover of art and architecture. Once he wanted to build a golden stupa in Lhasa for his teacher Pags-pa. In 1260 A.D., he decided to ask Nepal to send skilled architects to supervise the work. At that time, Jayabhimdev Malla was the king of Nepal. When he called the architects to go to Lhasa, more than eighty people showed their interest. The king had a great difficulty in selecting the most skilled artist to lead the mission. Finally, Araniko came forward and said, “I shall lead the mission of the architects.” The king could not believeAraniko at first, as he was quite a young man. However, looking at his skill, the king made him the leader and sent him to Lhasa. In Lhasa, Araniko built a beautiful pagoda-style monastery. He carried out his work so well that the emperor’s teacher Pags-pa requested him to go to China and meet the emperor. After meeting Araniko, Kublai Khan wanted to test him. So he asked young Araniko to repair a copper statue of a Sung Emperor. When Araniko had finished, the statue looked so perfect that even the most skilled sculptors of China present at that moment greatly admired him. Essential English Reader Book 6 7

Araniko, through his works, proved that he was an uncommon genius. He was equally good at painting, sculpture and architecture. He painted a series of portraits of Chinese emperors and impressed everyone there. He was given a silver plate to wear with an image of a tiger on it. This meant the highest honour he had in China. The emperor grew very fond of him. He was given the title of “Duke of Liang” as an honour. The White Pagoda or the Pai Ta Sze in Peking still stands today as a great work of Araniko. The other famous work by Araniko is the Archway of Yungtang. Its design exactly follows the Nepali style. Although Araniko married in China and died there in 1306, he was a Nepali. The story of his success is highly admired in China. This makes us really proud of him. 3 Vocabulary A. Learn the meanings of these words and use them in your own sentences. historical : connected with the past ancient : very old splendid : very good, excellent monuments : buildings or statues with special historical importance renowned : famous emperor : a great ruler architecture : the design or style of buildings stupa : a Buddhist shrine architect : a person who designs buildings supervise : to check mission : a special job monastery : a building in which monks live 8 Essential English Reader Book 6

sculptor : a person who makes statues from wood, genius stone, clay, metal, etc. : great skill Everyday you meet a number of people around. They are different from each other. Similarly, no one in the classroom exactly looks like you. How do you describe your best friend? The following are some of the words you use to describe people. Learn them and add as many words as you can to the list. complexion build face eyes nose fair tall long black long dark short round blue pointed brown ………… ………… ………… ………… ………… ………… ………… ………… ………… ………… ………… ………… ………… ………… B. Now ask your teacher for words that are used to describe somebody’s hair. …………………… …………………… …………………… …………………… …………………… …………………… C. Match the following. complexion a. long nose b. curly eyes c. fair face d. flat hair e. blue Essential English Reader Book 6 9

4 Vocabulary A. Answer the following questions. a. Why did Kublai Khan want to build a golden stupa in Lhasa? b. What was the difficulty that the king of Nepal faced in selecting the most skilled artist? c. Why did the king of Nepal select Araniko as the leader of the mission? d. How did the emperor of China test Araniko? e. Why was Araniko given a silver plate to wear? f. What are the important works of Araniko? B. Think and answer. a. In your view, why did Kublai Khan ask Nepal to send architects to Lhasa? b. Why does the writer callAraniko “an uncommon genius”? 5 Grammar We need to use the simple present tense a lot in English, so it’s really important to understand it well. Many students have problems with the form (or how to make it). The verb ‘be’ is different from the other verbs in this tense. Let’s look at ‘be’ first: Here’s the positive form (positive means a normal sentence, not a negative or a question; this is sometimes called ‘affirmative’). 10 Essential English Reader Book 6

Positive Positive short form Positive Positive short form I am I’m you are you’re he is he’s she is she’s it is it’s we are we’re they are they’re 1. Put in am / is / are. b. We ........ (be) hungry. a. She ........ (be) a teacher. d. They ........ (be) Japanese. c. Luna ........ (be) late. f. I ........ (be) thirsty. e. You ........ (be) happy. h. She ........ (be) German. g. It ........ (be) cold. j. We ........ (be) tired. i. He ........ (be) early. Next, here’s the negative. It’s very easy. You only add ‘not’. Negative Negative short form Negative Negative short form I am not I’m not you are not you aren’t he is not he isn’t she is not she isn’t it is not it isn’t we are not we aren’t they are not they aren’t 2. Make the negative with ‘be’. a. I ......... (not/be) cold. b. She ......... (not/be) French. c. You ......... (not/be) a teacher. d. Jyoti ......... (not/be) my brother. e. They ......... (not/be) from India. Essential English Reader Book 6 11

6 Communicative skills Listening 1. Listen to the introduction to the British royal family and answer the following questions. a. What is the name of the British queen? b. Who is the queen's husband? c. How many children does the queen have? d. List the names of the three sons of the queen. e. What is the name of the daughter? 2. You may listen to the record again. Then write True or False against the statements below: a. The British queen has two daughters. b. Prince Philip is the father of Princess Anne. c. The queen and the prince have four sons. Fun activity Student A Think of a person in the class, and describe him or her without naming. Student B Guess who the person described by ‘A’ is. 12 Essential English Reader Book 6

7 SoundsofEnglish Listen and practise: Vowel /ə/ about / again banana / pencil occur / aloof / of Repeat the sentences after your teacher. Did Mr. Foxy eat another banana again? He keeps eating banana again and again to abate his stomach ailment. 8 Time for writing Mini Biography Project (can be assigned as mid-term project) As we did in the third grade, we are going to write a mini biography. Biography means the story of a person’s life. All you have to do is follow the instructions below. 1. Choose a famous person you like the most. 2. Ask your parents or teachers to supply the following information about the person. a. What is the name of the person? b. When was the person born? c. Where was the person born? d. Who are the parents of the person? e. Which school the person attended? f. What is the last degree the person received? g. What are the main works the person did? h. What is the person famous for? i. Why do you like the person? 3. Then, write a short biography using those answers. 4. You may as well paste photographs to make your work attractive. Essential English Reader Book 6 13

Unit Daedalus and Icarus 2 1 Lead-in A. Learning new words Read and learn. Icarus flew closer to the sun. The blazing sun beat down. Icarus flapped his arms. But no feathers remained to hold him up. The expressions beat down and hold him up are phrasal verbs. They are formed with verbs and particles. Learn a few more phrasal verbs that have “hold” as the verb. hold sth/sb back : prevent something or someone from moving forward hold sth down : to keep something at a lower level hold forth : to speak for a long time on something in a boring way hold off : not to start; not to begin hold on : to tell somebody to wait or stop hold out : to last or survive in a difficult situation hold up : to remain strong or working 14 Essential English Reader Book 6

Now complete each sentence with a correct phrasal verb. a. ....................... Rohan. I want to go with you. b. The chief guest ....................... on the importance of education for hours. c. The final sports meet has been ........................ d. I have applied a good glue on it. The part will definitely ................... e. ....................... the gun ........................ It scares me. f. Your poor Nepali might ....................... you ........................ g. I don’t think the plants will ....................... the summer heat. B. Learning new structures Keep well above the Read and learn. sea, Icarus, so that the spray does not wet the Look father! I can feathers. fly over the sea. We often use imperatives or commands to give advice. We also explain the reason using so that. In the example above, Daedalus advises his son to keep well above the sea. He also explains the reason saying “so that the spray does not wet the feathers.” Explain the reason for the following general advice. Use “so that.” Example: a. Wash your hands before eating. Wash your hands before eating so that germs don’t harm you. Essential English Reader Book 6 15

b. Look both ways while crossing the street. ............................................................................................................ c. Never talk to strangers. ............................................................................................................ d. Don’t go out after dark. ............................................................................................................ e. Always carry an umbrella. ............................................................................................................ f. Drink a lot of water during summer. ............................................................................................................ g. Take a camera while travelling. ............................................................................................................ h. Don’t eat stale food. ............................................................................................................ 2 Reading Daedalus and Icarus [This classic story belonging to Greek mythology deals with human ambition and innovation and yet shows the consequences of excess pride and ambition.] Long ago, a cruel king called Minos ruled the island of Crete. Minos had conquered much of Greece, including the city of Athens, and at regular intervals he ordered the Athenians to send him seven young men and seven women. The young people were a 16 Essential English Reader Book 6

sacrifice to a terrible monster called the Minotaur. This creature had a bull’s head and a human body. It was a dreadful beast, so strong and fierce that it was kept in a deep maze called the Labyrinth. The Labyrinth had been designed by a skilled inventor and craftsman called Daedalus. But at last one of the young men proved a match for the Minotaur. His name was Theseus and he managed to kill the monster and escaped from the maze. When Theseus escaped, King Minos flew into a rage with Daedalus and ordered that he be shut up in a high tower overlooking the sea. In time Deadalus managed to escape from the tower with the help of his young son, Icarus, but they were still trapped on the island of Crete with no chance of escape. But Daedalus had an inventor’s mind and skill and he told Icarus to gather all the feathers he could find along the shore. Melting some wax, Daedalus pressed the feathers one by one into the shape of a wing and secured them with thread. When four huge wings were finished, Daedalus and Icarus strapped them on and raised their arms in a flapping motion. Immediately the wings were caught by the sea breeze, and as soon as the man and the boy copied the movements of the birds, they too rose and soared into the sky. With slow, graceful sweeps they flew out over the sea and headed for the distant shores of Greece. Icarus was thrilled. He practised gliding, and rising and falling with faster beats of his wings. Essential English Reader Book 6 17

“Take care, Icarus,” his father called out to him. “Don’t try to be too clever! Keep well above the sea so that the spray doesn’t wet the feathers. But don’t fly too high or the sun will melt the wax.” But Icarus was bewitched with the magic of flying. He beat his wings frantically so that they would carry him higher and higher. The blazing sun beat down and softened the wax that held the feathers. Small downy fragments fluttered from the wings, then the larger feathers drooped and fell. In terror Icarus flapped his arms, but no feathers remained to hold him up. Daedalus watched in horror as his son plunged down through the clouds and into the sea. He hurried to save him, but it was too late. All he could do was gather up the drowned body in his arms and haul it to land as best he could. So Daedalus was saved, but his young son perished and was buried in a place named Icaria in his memory. 3 Vocabulary A. Match the words with their meanings. a. conquer a feeling of great fear b. dreadful angry c. fierce one who invents something d. escape to get away from a dangerous situation e. inventor defeat, take control f. horror very bad 18 Essential English Reader Book 6

B. Learn the meanings of these words and use them in your own sentences. rule : control or govern a country or a state interval : a period of time between two events maze : a path through which it is difficult to find way rage : extreme anger secure : that cannot be harmed strap : tie something with a belt soar : rise very quickly thrilled : very pleased bewitched : attracted very much frantically : quickly and fearfully downy : covered in soft feathers fragments : small parts of something fluttered : moved lightly and quickly drooped : bent, hung terror : feeling of extreme fear, rage haul : to pull something with a lot of effort perished : died in a violent way memory : a thought of something that you remember Essential English Reader Book 6 19

C. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences choosing the suitable word given in the box. bewitched escaped buried drooped sacrificed conquered fluttered a. The city of Athens was ....................... by Minos. b. Seven young men and seven women from Athens were ....................... at regular intervals. c. Theseus ....................... from the labyrinth after killing the monster. d. Icarus was ....................... with the magic of flying. e. Small downy fragments ....................... from the wings. f. The larger feathers ....................... and fell. g. Daedalus ....................... the dead body of his young son in Icaria. D. Make sentences about yourself using the following words. a. interval b. thrilled c. dreadful d. bewitched e. young f. save 20 Essential English Reader Book 6

4 Comprehension A. Answer the following questions. a. Who was Minos? b. Why did he demand seven young men and seven women from the Athenians? c. Describe the Minotaur. d. How did Theseus prove a match for the Minotaur? e. How did King Minos punish Daedalus? f. What did Daedalus and Icarus use to make their wings? g. Why did Daedalus ask his son not to fly too high? h. What happened when Icarus flew higher and higher? i. Could Daedalus save his son? j. Why was the place called Icaria? B. Think and answer. a. Why do you think King Minos became so angry with Daedalus? b. Do you find Icarus foolish or wise? Give reasons. c. What lesson do you learn from the story? C. Read the following carefully and write the name of the person who did it. a. Ruled the island of Crete King Minos b. Designed the labyrinth ............................ c. Killed the Minotaur ............................ d. Shut up Daedalus in a high tower ............................ e. Made the wings of wax and feathers ............................ f. Beat his wings frantically ............................ g. Buried the dead body of Icarus in Icaria ............................ Essential English Reader Book 6 21

5 Grammar No. I haven’t. But, I have swum in a pool. 2. Read, learn, and practise. Have you ever swum in the ocean? A. Talk about yourself. Answer the following questions. a. Have you ever ridden a horse? Yes, I have. No, I haven’t. But, I have ridden a camel. b. Have you ever seen a ghost? c. Have you ever failed a test? d. Have you ever been lost? e. Have you ever been on TV? f. Have you ever met a famous person? g. Have you ever travelled to a foreign country? 22 Essential English Reader Book 6

B. See the activities below and then ask if your partner has ever done it. driving a car going to cinema alone staying awake all night sleep walking crying during a sad movie doing something very dangerous jumping over the fence swimming across a river Example A : Have you ever driven a car? B : Yes I have. / No I haven’t. 6 Communicative skills Practise this conversation A : Why was he absent yesterday ? B : Because he was sick A : What happened to him? B : His stomach was aching. A : How did it happen? B : He ate a lot of spicy food in the party the day before. Essential English Reader Book 6 23

7 SoundsofEnglish Listen and practise: Consonant /ʃ/ she / gash sheet / shock shop / bosh show / short Repeat the sentences after your teacher. Show me the new shorts you shipped at Macy. It looked like a sheet of shiny silk. It shocks me to see you choose shiny silk for summer shorts. 8 Timeforwriting If you were to fly like a bird or like Daedalus, what would you like to do? what places would you like to visit? what things would you do that you can’t do now? how would you feel flying over land? Now using the answers as cues, write about “Flying Like a Bird.” Flying Like a Bird ............................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................ 24 Essential English Reader Book 6

Unit You Can’t Have Everything 3 You Want 1 Lead-in A. Learning new words Go Fishing! Do you like fishing? You’re going to read a story about fishing. Can you solve the puzzle? All words are related to fishing! 1 2 allure 3 fillet gaff 45 reef 6 trawl 7 troll 8 net harpoon Across Down 2. a weapon like a spear 1. to catch fish by pulling a line 4. a piece of fish meat 3. a line of rocks without bone 5. to fish pulling a large net 6. a pole with a hook 7. tool made of strings or thread 8. attract to catch fish Essential English Reader Book 6 25

B. Learning new structures Read and learn. Once a poor fisherman came home without bringing any fish. His wife was waiting for him. Here is how they talk about it. Wife : How was your day, my dear? Fisherman : There was one big fish but I put it back in the water. Wife : You what? Fisherman : I put it back in the water because it asked me to do so. Wife : Don’t be a fool. Tomorrow morning, go to the river. Get the big fish in your net again. Then ask for something. The structures like “Don’t be a fool,” Go to the river,” “Get the big fish,” and “Ask for something” are generally called “directives.” We divide directives into the more direct type (commands, instructions) on the one hand and the indirect type (warnings, requests, advice, suggestions, permissions) on the other. The function of commands, as in the examples, is to direct the listener to act in a particular way. Look at the picture below. Write an appropriate command for each situation. 26 Essential English Reader Book 6

2 Reading You Can’t Have Everything You Want This is a story from India. Gopal lived with his wife, Nataki, in a small house near a river. They were very poor. Everyday Gopal went to the river to get fish. Then he went home to Nataki and said, “We can eat today.” Sometimes there were no fish in the net. Then Gopal didn’t eat. Gopal was always happy. One day Gopal saw a very big fish in his net. “Good.” He said. “We’re going to eat today and tomorrow too.” But the fish opened its mouth and said, “Don’t kill me. Put me back in the water. I want to live.” “But . . .” said Gopal. “Please,” said the fish. “My wife isn’t going to be happy about this,” said Gopal. “Then tell her about me,” said the fish, “but please, put me back in the water.” So Gopal put it back. He went home without any fish. “No fish today?” said Nataki. “Oh, Gopal.” “There was one big fish,” said Gopal, “but I put it back in the water.” “You what?” “I put it back in the river.” “You had a big fish and you put it back in the water? We have no food.” “The fish talked,” said Gopal. “What?” “It talked. It said, “Tell your wife.” “Oh,” said Nataki. Then she said, “Tomorrow morning, Gopal, go to the river. Get the big fish in your net again. Then ask for something.” “Ask for what?” “Some food,” said Nataki. “And a new red dress for me.” So Gopal went to the river in the morning and the big fish jumped in his net. Essential English Reader Book 6 27

“Yes?” it said. “Nataki wants some food for us and a new red dress.” “Then put me in the water and go home, Gopal.” Gopal went home. There was food on the table, and Nataki had a new red dress. “Beautiful,” said Gopal. “Are you happy now?” “No, I want a good dinner and a new dress every day. Ask the fish tomorrow.” So in the morning Gopal went to the river. The big fish jumped into his net. “Yes?” it said. “Nataki wants good dinner and a new dress every day.” “She can’t have everything she wants,” said the fish. “I know,” said Gopal. “Then put me in the water and go home.” Gopal went home. There was a good dinner on the table, and Nataki had a new blue dress. “Beautiful,” said Gopal. “Are you happy now?” “No.” “Why not?” “I want a big house,” said Nataki, “and some tables and chairs. Ask the fish.” So in the morning Gopal went to the river, and the big fish jumped into his net. “Yes?” it said. “Nataki wants a big house and some new tables and chairs.” “She can’t have everything she wants.” “I know,” said Gopal. “Put me in the water and go home,” said the fish. Gopal went home. Nataki, in a new white dress, was in a new armchair. 28 Essential English Reader Book 6

“Happy now?” said Gopal. “No.” “You can’t have everything you want.” “Can’t I? This is a big house now. I want two girls and a man, three servants for the work in this house. I can’t do it all.” Gopal went back to the river in the morning and the big fish jumped into his net. “Yes?” it said. “She wants servants.” “How many?” “Two girls and a man.” “Put me in the water and go home.” Gopal went home. Nataki had three servants. “Aren’t you happy now?” said Gopal. “No.” “Why not?” “I want some money,” said Nataki. “I want money for the servants. And I want some rings for my ears.” In the morning, Gopal went to the river, and the big fish jumped into his net. “Yes?” it said. “She wants money for the servants, and some earrings.” “She can’t have all the things she wants.” “I know,” said Gopal. “Put me in the water and go home.” Gopal went home. There was a lot of money on the table, and Nataki had some new earrings. Essential English Reader Book 6 29

“Beautiful,” said Gopal. “Now you must be happy. You have all the things you want.” “No,” said Nataki. “What?” “I want this country. It must all be mine. I want to be Queen of this country.” “You are my Queeen.” “I want to be Queen of this country. Tell the fish tomorrow.” In the morning Gopal went to the river, and the big fish jumped into his net. “Yes?” it said. “She wants to be Queen of this country.” The fish said nothing. “I know,” Gopal said. “She can’t have everything she wants.” “That’s right,” the fish said. “Put me back in the water and go home. Oh, and Gopal . . .” “Yes?” “Goodbye,” said the fish. Gopal went home. Nataki was in the old house. She had no food, no new dresses, no new tables and chairs, no servants, no earrings, nothing. She looked at Gopal. “Go back to the river now!” she said. Gopal went to the river. But the big fish wasn’t there. It never jumped into his net again. – Ravgary Morris 30 Essential English Reader Book 6

3 Vocabulary A. Write a word that has an opposite meaning to each of the following. B. You can get an adverb by adding “-ly” to an adjective. Add “-ly” to the following adjectives and make sentences using each of them. C. You have just read a story about a big fish. Learn a few idiomatic expressions that have “fish” as the main word. 4 Comprehension A. Answer the following questions. a. Where did Gopal and Nataki live? b. What did they eat regularly? c. What did Gopal think when he saw the big fish? d. Nataki wanted many things. Which ones did the fish provide for her? e. What last demand by Nataki makes her lose everything she had? f. How would you describe Nataki? g. What lesson do we learn from the story? B. Think and answer. a. Why do you think the fish did not appear at the end? b. Who do you think is the fish? And why? Essential English Reader Book 6 31

5 Grammar Read and learn. A. We often use the modal verb “will” in the following situations. I will accept your offer. (choice, preference) It will be a great party. (to show future) I will pass my English test. (to express determination) B. We often use “would” in the following situations. I would rather go fishing today. (preference) I would like to have more free time. (wish) If I were you, I would call the doctor. (advice) 1. Complete the following sentences filling in the blanks appropriately with will/ would. a. Parents .................... (repeat) the same things again and again. b. She loved cooking; she .................... (help) me prepare every meal. c. We ............ (take) a walk every afternoon. We couldn’t do without it. d. He is lucky; he .................... (sleep) anywhere. e. I don’t think I .................... (be able) to come. f. .................... you (mind) moving a bit? g. .................... you (like) another cup of coffee? h. He .................... (not come) unless he is invited. 32 Essential English Reader Book 6

2. Read the sentences and decide whether the gap should be filled with ‘will’ or ‘would’. a. .............................. you mind closing the door? Will Would b. Maybe I .............................. speak to her. will would c. We ............................... see what happens tomorrow. will would d. What ............................... you like to eat? will would e. If I see her I .............................. let you know. will would f. She .............................. speak to me, she was so upset. won’t wouldn’t g. I promise, I .............................. tell anyone. won’t wouldn’t h. She thought she .............................. be late, so she took a taxi. will would 3. Make two sentences each using will and would. a. ..................................................................................................... b. ..................................................................................................... c. ..................................................................................................... d. ..................................................................................................... Essential English Reader Book 6 33

6 Communicative skills Conversation: Talking about wants Practise the following conversation between Mrs. Sharma and her daughter. Mrs. Sharma : What would you like for your birthday gift, Susan? Susan : I would like to have a box of crayons. Mrs. Sharma : Is that all? What else would you like? Susan : How sweet! Can I get more? Mrs. Sharma : Why not? Susan : Then, I would like to have a new school bag, a pair of ski-boots, and a box of chocolate, of course. Mrs. Sharma : Consider you got them all. Pair work Imagine today is your birthday. Your class wants to give some gifts. Have a similar conversation with a group of your friends. 7 SoundsofEnglish Listen and practise: Consonant /dʒ/ judge/sage/education jam/region/adjust just/fudge/lodge logic/soldier/lodgers Repeat the sentences after your teacher. A sage judge gave Zim an education. The judge had lodged with the other lodgers in the river side lodge. Nobody lodged a complaint against the judge in that region. 34 Essential English Reader Book 6

8 Time for writing Suppose you meet someone who is going to fulfill your wish. What things would you ask for? Also give reasons as to why you need them. Begin as: If I were to meet someone who is going to fulfill my wishes, I would like to ask for............................................................................................. ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................... Essential English Reader Book 6 35

Unit The Hill of The Flaming 4 Lotus 1 Lead-in A. Learning new words Read and learn. Geologists believe that the Kathmandu valley was once under water. Chemists believe that the under ground water often contains harmful chemicals. In the sentences above, geologists are those who study geology; and chemists are those who study chemistry. To form such words, we often use –ist, -er suffixes to the root word. Can you supply th word to describe the following people? a. Someone who studies science? ....................................... b. Someone who studies zoology? ....................................... c. Someone who studies botany? ....................................... d. Someone who studies geography? ....................................... e. Someone who studies sociology? ....................................... f. Someone who studies language? ....................................... The following are similar words made of a root word and a suffix. Can you separate the suffix and the root? Words root suffix mathematician ............................... ............................... criminologist ............................... ............................... 36 Essential English Reader Book 6

numerologist ............................... ............................... ornithologist ............................... ............................... physicist ............................... ............................... herbalist ............................... ............................... anatomist ............................... ............................... astrologer ............................... ............................... Look up the dictionary and write down the meaning of each word listed above. B. Learning new structures Yes. I am extremely Read and learn. hungry. I wish I had some carrots! Hello, Mr. Rabbit. You look awful. You must be hungry. We use “must” with “be-verb” to guess something. This is called deduction. Mr. Fox saw Mr. Rabbit looked awful. So, he guessed that Mr. Rabbit must be hungry. Pair work Your partner describes the following situations to you. You will have to make the correct guess. Partner : I can see smoke rising in the hill. You : There must be a fire. Partner : I hear a lot of noise. I can see people running here and there. You : ................................................................................................. Essential English Reader Book 6 37

Partner : Look at that bird. It seems unable to fly. You : ................................................................................................. Partner : I feel like vomiting. My head is spinning. You : ................................................................................................. Partner : I saw Alisa walk away. She was dressed up. You : ................................................................................................. Partner : I saw a lot of riot police in the street today. You : ................................................................................................. Partner : I see no one around in school. You : ................................................................................................. Now, you describe the situations. Your partner guesses differently about them. You : I hear a lot of noise. I can see people running here and there. Partner : ............................................................................................... You : Look at that bird. It seems unable to fly. Partner : ............................................................................................... You : I feel like vomiting. My head is spinning. Partner : ............................................................................................... You : I saw Alisa walk away. She was dressed up. Partner : ............................................................................................... You : I saw a lot of riot police in the street today. Partner : ............................................................................................... You : I see no one around in school. Partner : ............................................................................................... 38 Essential English Reader Book 6

2 Reading The Hill of the Flaming Lotus [Thislessonimpartsstudentswithhistorical/legendarystoryofSwyambhunath and its panoramic surroundings. Photos and images could help students visualize the place and connect to the lesson.] Have you ever visited Swyambhunath? If not, you must have heard about it or, at least, seen its beautiful posters and paintings. Once you go to visit Swyambhunath on top of a beautiful hill to the north-west of Kathmandu city, you wonder how it came into existence. There are several legends about its origin. One legend goes like this. Many many years ago, there was a big lake where there is Kathmandu valley now. It was turquoise like, blue green everywhere. Upon its water rested a single lotus from which rose a flame as colourful as a rainbow. In time it was called Swyambhu, the self-born one. Among them who heard about its divine fame was the great Mongolian saint Manjushri, who came to pay homage to this holy place. When he saw the lotus for himself, so great was his desire to approach it that he cut the valley wall with his flaming sword of wisdom to allow the water to drain away. The lotus settled on a low hill and there Manjushri worshipped and had a shrine built. As people settled in the new valley, the city they built was called Manjupatan. Even geologists, nowadays, believe that the Kathmandu valley was once under the water. Swyambhunath hill was probably a little island in the emerald fields. On top of this small hill stands the majestic Essential English Reader Book 6 39

temple of Swyambhunath. To reach the temple of Swyambhunath, you have to climb up a flight of 365 winding steps. A colourful Tibetan style gateway stands at the entrance to the stairs and a wall of prayer wheels surrounds the hill. At the foot of the stairs are three big statues of Gautam Buddha in meditation. You can see old people pass touching the pedestals of statues with their heads. Going up the stairs may be a bit hard, but it is equally rewarding. As you climb up, the steps lead you through lush trees. Of course there are monkeys too, agile and squeaking on both sides hanging and gliding among the branches of the trees. This is why many tourists call it the “Monkey Temple.” The great white pearl of the stupa is streaked with the colours of worship. It stands for creation. Upon it rests a square, golden tower painted on four sides with the all seeing eyes of the Buddha – cobalt, white and red. And above the tower is the soaring spire of thirteen gold rings. There are hundreds of prayer wheels fixed onto a metal fence around the stupa. Some believe the flame that once burnt at the heart of the lotus still burns inside the stupa. Thousands and thousands of devotees come to pay homage to Swyambhunath, specially, on Buddha Jayanti, which falls on the full moon day of the month of Baishakh. Every twelve years, hundreds of gilded Buddha statues are brought there from all over the valley. Many Hindus and Buddhists climb the hill everyday to worship, as Swyambhunath is a holy shrine for them. 40 Essential English Reader Book 6

3 Vocabulary A. Match the words with their meanings. a. legend ....... a place where people come to worship b. saint ....... reach nearby c. approach ....... very old story d. shrine ....... scientist who studies the earth e. geologist ....... a holy person B. Learn the meaning of these words and use them in your own sentences. come into existence : begin to be origin : beginning turquoise : blue or greenish divine : from or like god majestic : attractive, beautiful winding : having a curving or twisting shape meditation : thinking deeply in silence pedestals : the base that a column, statue rests on lush : beautiful, pleasant, green agile : active streaked : marked or covered with lines creation : the making of the world cobalt : hard silver white metal soaring : high devotees : admirers of god gilded : covered or painted with a layer of gold Essential English Reader Book 6 41

To say exactly to what direction a place is, we often use special words. These words are called direction words. See the following diagram of compass pointing directions. A E H North North-east North-west D West Z CEast South-west BSouth FSouth-east G If ‘Z’ is at the centre, write in which directions the other letters are. a. .A...i.s...t.o...t.h...e...n..o..r.t..h...o..f..Z...... b. ....................................... c. ....................................... d. ....................................... e. ....................................... f. ....................................... g. ....................................... h. ....................................... 4 Comprehension A. Answer the following questions. a. How was the valley of Kathmandu long, long ago? b. What does the word ‘Swyambhu’ stand for? c. Why did Manjushri cut the valley wall and drain the water away? d. How can one reach the temple of Swyambhunath? e. What makes climbing up the stairs rewarding? f. Why do tourists call Swyambhunath the ‘monkey temple’? g. Describe the stupa in a few lines. h. Why is the full moon day of Baishakh special? 42 Essential English Reader Book 6

B. Think and answer. a. Do you believe in the story about the origin of Swyambhunath? If not, why? b. Is it good to call such a holy place the monkey temple? Give your reason. 5 Grammar imperative Commands are also known as the imperative form. There is no difference if you give a command to a single person or to a goup of people - the form of the verb is the same. Put the verb in the infinitive form without “to” at the beginning of the sentence, you don’t use a subject and end the sentence with an object. Tell someone to do something Put out the rubbish. Take an umbrella with you. Turn off the TV. Negative form: to make commands negative, put “don’t” or “do not” before the verb. Tell someone not to do something Don’t shout at me. Don’t open the window. Do not stay out too late. Essential English Reader Book 6 43

polite form If you want to use the polite form, then add the word “please”. Please don’t shout at me. Please tell me your phone number. Hand out the books, please. Help me with the homework, please. 1. Fill in the blanks with the correct words in the box. open have give call answer do (not) interrupt help a. Don’t be lazy ............................ some exercise. b. She’s sick. ............................ an ambulance. c. ............................ your books on page 56. d. ............................ me. I’m speaking. e. I’m tired. Please ............................ me with these bags. f. ............................ a piece of cake. It’s delicious. g. I’m thirsty. ............................ me a glass of water please. h. Please ............................ the questions. 2. Make the imperatives negative by using “don’t”. a. Drive her to the shopping mall. b. Stop at the next gas station. c. Put your books on the desk. d. Water the plants. e. Cross the street. f. Tell him your address. g. Take an umbrella with you. h. Close the door. 44 Essential English Reader Book 6

6 Communicative skills Speaking 1. Read out these sentences in class. a. The post office is next to the park. b. There is a hospital beside the park. c. The temple is located between the park and the hospital. d. The hall is opposite to the hospital. e. The parrot is on the table. f. The dog is behind the gate. g. The cow is grazing in the field. h. Milan is sitting next to Sita. i. Prakash is working on computer. 2. Give directions looking at the map. Bus park Hospital Stadium Museum Supermarket Temple Garden Park Restaurant School Essential English Reader Book 6 45

6 Sounds of English Pronounce the following sets of words carefully. Underline each vowel sound and write them next to the word. score ............................... hoard ............................... enough ............................... broad ............................... teacher ............................... all ............................... author ............................... small ............................... august ............................... umbrella ............................... autumn ............................... aloof ............................... 6 Time for writing Write how to get to these places from where you are now. a. Your house b. Your brother’s school c. Post office d. Your school library 46 Essential English Reader Book 6

Unit The Knee-High Man 5 1 Lead-in Nobody did ever try to start a fight A. Learning new words with me. Read and learn. Has anybody ever tried to pick a fight with you? Mr. Hoot Owl Mr. Knee-High Man The expression, pick a fight, is an example of an idiom in which “pick” is the main word. Let us learn a few more idioms that have “pick” as the main word. pick somebody’s brains : to ask somebody a lot of questions pick a fight : to knowingly start a fight pick a lock : to open a lock without a key pick somebody’s pocket : to steal from somebody’s pocket pick up the bill : to pay for something pick up the pieces : to help somebody return to a normal situation after something bad happens Essential English Reader Book 6 47

Complete the following sentences with the correct idiom. a. Roshan lost his ID card when someone ....................... his ....................... b. He had drunk too much. So he wanted to ....................... a ....................... with everyone. c. The thief must have ....................... on the back door. d. The school will ....................... up ....................... for students’ hotel. e. A student really ....................... the teacher’s ....................... during the class. f. Parents cannot live life for their children. They can be there to ....................... up ....................... when things go wrong. B. Learning new structures Once a little man wanted to get big. He asked the Owl about it. Read the conversation. Little Man : Mr. Owl, how can I get big like Mr. Horse and Mr. Bull? Owl : What do you want to be big for? Little Man : I want to be big so that when I get into a fight, I can whip everybody. We use so that to talk about the reason or purpose of doing something. In the example above, the reason or purpose for the Little Man to be big is to be able to whip everyone. “So that” can also be replaced with “to-infinitive:” I want to be big to whip everyone. 48 Essential English Reader Book 6

Add a reason or purpose to the following. a. I want to grow muscle so that ................................. b. He wants to learn French so that ................................. c. The government raised taxes so that ................................. d. Parents sometimes scold us so that ................................. e. We are going to cut the cake equally so that ................................ f. She sprayed air freshener so that the room ................................. g. We went to the station early so that ................................. 2 Reading The Knee-High Man Once upon a time there was a knee-high man. He was no taller than a person’s knees. Because he was so short, he was very unhappy. He wanted to be big like everybody else. One day, he decided to ask the biggest animal he could find how he could get big. So he went to see Mr. Horse. “Mr. Horse, how can I get big like you?” Mr. Horse said, “Well, eat a whole lot of corn. Then run around a lot. After a while you’ll be as big as me.” The knee-high man did just that. He ate so much corn that his stomach hurt. Then he ran and ran Essential English Reader Book 6 49

and ran until his legs hurt. But he did not get any bigger. So he decided that Mr. Horse told him something wrong. He decided to go ask Mr. Bull. “Mr. Bull? How can I get big like you?” Mr. Bull said, “Eat a whole lot of grass. Then bellow and bellow as loud as you can. The first thing you know, you’ll be as big as me.” So the knee-high man ate a whole field of grass. Then bellowed and bellowed all day and all night. That made his throat hurt. But he did not get any bigger. So he decided that Mr. Bull was all wrong, too. Now he didn’t know anyone else to ask. One night he heard Mr. Hoot Owl hooting, and he remembered that Mr. Owl knew everything. “Mr. Owl, how can I get big like Mr. Horse and Mr. Bull?” “What do you want to be big for?” Mr. Hoot Owl asked. “I want to be big so that when I get into a fight, I can whip everybody,” the knee-high man said. Mr. Hoot Owl hooted. “Anybody ever tried to pick a fight with you?” The knee-high man thought for a minute. “Well, now that you mention it, nobody ever did try to start a fight with me.” Mr. Hoot Owl said, “Well, you don’t have any reason to fight. Therefore, you don’t have any reason to be bigger than you are.” “But, Mr. Owl,” the knee-high man said, “I want to be big so I can see far in the distance.” Mr. Hoot Owl hooted. “If you climb a tall tree, you can see into the distance from the top.” 50 Essential English Reader Book 6