Reading the Text Long ago, the Jade Emperor of China invited all the animals to a swimming race. He declared that the first twelve animals would each have a year of the zodiac named after them. All the animals lined up along the river bank. The rat and the cat were poor swimmers. They asked the strong ox to help them. ‘Of course’, said the kind ox. ‘Just climb on my back. I will take you across the river.’ zodiac They had almost reached the other bank when the rat pushed the cat into the water. Just as the ox was about to win the race, the rat leapt onto his head and then onto the bank to finish first. ‘Well done’, said the emperor to the proud rat. ‘The first year of the zodiac will be named after you.’ The poor ox had the second year of the zodiac named after him. Shortly after them, an exhausted tiger clawed his way to the river bank. The third year of the zodiac was named after him. exhausted The next to arrive was the rabbit. He had reached the shore by floating on a log. The Jade Emperor declared the fourth year after his name. Just then, a dragon swooped down to take fifth place. The emperor asked, ‘Why didn’t you win the race when you can fly?’ ‘I needed to make rain for a few thirsty animals and swooped people. Then, I blew a puff of wind to help the rabbit float to the river bank.’ puff ‘Well, that was very kind of you. You will have the fifth year of the zodiac named after you’, declared the emperor. The next thing the Jade Emperor heard was the sound of the horse’s sneaky hooves. Suddenly, a sneaky snake wriggled out from around one of the horse’s hooves. The horse was surprised and jumped backwards, giving the snake a chance to take the sixth place. The poor horse had to be wriggled satisfied with seventh place. The Great Race 47 Alpine_English_G4_TB.indb 47 12/13/2018 7:21:32 PM
Not long afterwards, a raft arrived, carrying the goat, the monkey and the rooster. The emperor said that the goat would be the eighth zodiac animal. The monkey would be the ninth and the rooster the tenth. The next animal to finish was the dog. His reward was raft to have the eleventh year named after him. rooster There was only one place left in the zodiac. Finally, the emperor heard a grunt from the boar. ‘You took a long time to cross the river’, said the emperor to the boar. boar ‘I was hungry and stopped to eat’, explained the boar. ‘You have still done well’, said the emperor. ‘The last year of the zodiac will be named after you.’ As for the cat, he was too late to have a year named after him. He felt very angry with the rat. Since then, cats have never been friends with rats. From that day onwards, the Chinese Zodiac has followed this cycle of years that was named after these twelve animals. – Adapted from a Chinese folktale Let Us Discuss 1) What did the Jade Emperor declare? 2) Which animal came first? 3) Which were the animals in the story that were kind and helpful? 4) According to the story, why have cats and rats not been friends since the race? 48 12/13/2018 7:21:33 PM Alpine_English_G4_TB.indb 48
Understanding the Text Meaning Exercise 1: New words Word Jade Emperor zodiac exhausted swooped puff sneaky wriggled raft rooster boar Speaking Task Role play This is an activity to help you to practise your speaking or conversational skills in English. Conversation 1 Act out the following situation with your partner in front of the class. Situation: Mahesh introduces his cousin, Anand, to his friend. Mahesh: Hello, Zara, how are you? (greeting) Zara: Fine, thank you. How are you? The Great Race 49 Alpine_English_G4_TB.indb 49 12/13/2018 7:21:34 PM
Mahesh: I am fine too. (responding to the greeting) Mahesh: Zara, meet my cousin, Anand. Anand, meet my friend, Zara. Zara: How do you do? (responding to the first introduction) Anand: I am fine. How do you do? Mahesh: Zara, yesterday I saw your brother at the railway station. Was he going somewhere? Zara: No. He had gone to the station with my grandparents to help them to carry the luggage. Conversation 2 Enact the given situation with your partner in front of the class. Situation: A conversation between a shopkeeper and a customer. Shopkeeper: How can I help you? Customer: Can you show me some shoes, please? Shopkeeper: Sure, which colour and size? Customer: Black. And size eight, I think. Shopkeeper: How about these shoes? Customer: They seem to fit well. Could you pack these shoes, please? Shopkeeper: Certainly! Here is your packet. Customer: Thank you! 50 12/13/2018 7:21:35 PM Alpine_English_G4_TB.indb 50
S5 Speaking Project My favourite invention When it rains, what does a car driver use to wipe the water away from the windshield? The driver uses a windshield wiper. Did you know that Mary Anderson invented the windshield wiper in 1905? Human beings have invented many things that have made our lives easier and more comfortable. Inventions are all around us. Speak about your favourite invention. Here are a few hints to help you get started. • Talk about who invented it. • Talk about an interesting story behind it. • Also, share why you think it is useful. • Discuss how the invention can be used more interestingly. Alpine_English_G4_TB.indb 51 51 12/13/2018 7:21:37 PM
R5 Reading Comprehension Passage 1 Read the story and answer the questions given below. Spit keeps our mouths moist and softens our food when we chew. Without spit in our mouths, we would have a hard time talking and swallowing. But for some animals, spit works better after it has left the mouth. Some animals are experts at surviving because they are expert spitters. Llamas are animals that like their personal space. A llama that feels threatened or annoyed will spit slimy gobs at you to get you to leave it alone. Sometimes, llamas even spit on each other to steal food! Llama spit includes food from the llama’s stomach, and it can be quite smelly. When a llama spits on another animal, the animal usually loses its appetite and walks away, leaving its food llamas behind. The archer-fish is a very skilled spitter. It takes aim and spits jets of water at insects and other small creatures to knock them into the water. Then, it gulps them down quickly. Spitting cobras are also known for their expert aim. These snakes spray venom from their fangs to protect themselves. Scientists believe that these snakes actually aim for the eyes! When a cobra’s venom gets into the eyes of an animal, the venom causes terrible pain and even blindness. This gives the snake plenty of time to get away. 1) How does spit help human beings? Ans. 52 12/13/2018 7:21:38 PM Alpine_English_G4_TB.indb 52
2) How do spitting cobras protect themselves? Ans. 3) Write the present continuous tense form of each of the words below. a) walk – ___________________________ b) talked – ___________________________ c) stole – ___________________________ 4) The meaning of ‘appetite’ is ______________________________________________. 5) Match the words with their correct meanings. Column A Column B 1) soften a) continuing to live 2) surviving b) poison 3) venom c) to make soft Passage 2 Read the story and answer the questions given below. Bullying is being unkind to another person again and again. Bullying can be of many types. It can be teasing, threatening to hurt someone or telling lies about someone. Yelling at someone, hitting them or excluding them can also be bullying. Being bullied makes people feel powerless, sad and alone. It can be difficult to stand up for yourself when you are being bullied. The bully seems more powerful than you. Being bullied can lead to illness or problems at school. It can also result in some people turning into bullies themselves. Reading Comprehension 53 Alpine_English_G4_TB.indb 53 12/13/2018 7:21:39 PM
There are a lot of reasons why bullying happens. Some want to copy their friends. Some think that being a bully will make them respected or popular. Sometimes bullies think that they are better than their peers, and so they bully them to prove it. Bullies use power to hurt people. Bullies might use physical strength. They might use their popularity or smartness in school. Or they may use secrets they know to hurt others. No matter what the reasons behind it are, or how it is done, bullying is wrong! Bullying isn’t just bad for the victim being bullied. It’s bad for the bully too. Those who are bullies often grow up to have problems like getting into fights. You may not know what to do if you witness bullying. It may make you feel depressed or worried. You may not feel safe. These feelings may make you want to join in the bullying, or be silent, so as not to get bullied yourself. Or perhaps the bullying makes you so angry that you stand up to the bully yourself. The best and safest thing to do is to inform an adult whom you trust so that they can help put a stop to it. 1) What are the different ways by which bullying can happen? Ans. 2) What can you do if you see somebody getting bullied? Ans. 3) Change the given sentences by following the instructions in brackets. a) Bullying can be of many ways. (change into interrogative sentence) Ans. b) You should always inform an adult about the bullying. (change into imperative sentence) Ans. 54 12/13/2018 7:21:39 PM Alpine_English_G4_TB.indb 54
c) Do not bully your classmates. (change into declarative sentence) . Ans. 4) The meaning of the word ‘witness’ is 5) Match the words with their correct meanings. Column A Column B 1) threaten a) the person harmed by an unpleasant event/action 2) powerless b) to intend to cause harm to someone 3) victim c) without the power to prevent something from happening Reading Comprehension 55 Alpine_English_G4_TB.indb 55 12/13/2018 7:21:39 PM
Glossary Sr. No. Words Meaning 1 acquaintance (n.) a person whom one knows but is not close to 2 aliens (n.) creatures from outer space 3 arrant (adj.) complete; absolute 4 boar (n.) a wild pig 5 butler (n.) the chief servant in the house of a rich person 6 buttercup (n.) a plant with small, bright yellow flowers caught it red- caught during a crime 7 handed (phr.) 8 charmingly (adv.) pleasingly or delightfully 9 civil (adj.) polite or well-mannered 10 commotion (n.) a state of confusion or excitement 11 coward (adj.) someone who is not brave 12 crumbs (n.) tiny pieces of bread 13 curiosity (n.) the desire to know or learn about something new 14 dart (v.) move quickly Alpine_English_G4_TB.indb 56 12/13/2018 7:21:39 PM
Sr. No. Words Meaning 15 delighted (adj.) very happy 16 dew (n.) droplets of water that form on cool surfaces at night 17 efficiency (n.) the ability to do something very quickly and well 18 elegant (adj.) graceful or having good taste 19 exhausted (adj.) very tired 20 fed up (phr. v.) tired beyond one’s patience 21 fireplace (n.) a place designed to light a fire to keep a room warm 22 furiously (adv.) very angrily 23 furnished (adj.) provided with furniture 24 gangster (n.) a member of a group of criminals 25 gloomily (adv.) sadly and hopelessly 26 groceries (n.) supplies like food, meat and vegetables 27 heedful (adj.) mindful and attentive 28 India-rubber ball a ball that bounces very high (n.) 29 Jade Emperor (n.) the primary god in Chinese traditions 30 luxuries (n.) expensive things that people enjoy but do not really need Alpine_English_G4_TB.indb 57 12/13/2018 7:21:39 PM
Sr. No. Words Meaning 31 malaria (n.) a disease from a certain type of mosquito bite 32 maximum (adj.) as high as possible 33 meekly (adv.) shyly or humbly 34 mince (n.) meat that is chopped or cut into small pieces 35 miracles (n.) amazing or wonderful occurrences 36 notion (n.) an idea or belief about something 37 nursie (n.) nurse; caretaker 38 ought (v.) should 39 poised (adj.) in a ready position 40 pound (n.) a basic unit of money in some countries in the UK 41 process (n.) method 42 programmed (adj.) given a set of instructions to perform an action 43 puff (n.) a short, sudden burst of breath 44 quince (n.) a hard, pear-shaped fruit 45 raft (n.) a flat, wooden structure used as a boat 46 raven (n.) a common bird in the crow family with dark feathers Alpine_English_G4_TB.indb 58 12/13/2018 7:21:39 PM
Sr. No. Words Meaning 47 regally (adv.) in a royal manner 48 revolver (n.) a pistol that allows several shots to be discharged 49 rooster (n.) an adult, male chicken 50 runcible (adj.) 51 scattered (adj.) a nonsense word that has no meaning; created by Lear and used in many of his other works thrown all around 52 severely (adv.) in a serious manner 53 shilling (n.) 54 sneaky (adj.) a coin that was used in Britain; which has less value than a pound secretive 55 suspiciously (adv.) with doubt or distrust 56 swooped (v.) pounced; moved down very fast 57 tarried (v.) delayed 58 uneasily (adv.) worriedly or nervously 59 uninvited (adj.) without invitation 60 whirring (v.) moving very fast with a low, continuous sound 61 wriggled (v.) twisted and turned quickly 62 zodiac (n.) a cycle of twelve years with animal symbols for each year Alpine_English_G4_TB.indb 59 12/13/2018 7:21:39 PM
n. Key v. noun adj. verb adv. phr. adjective prn. adverb abbr. phrase pronoun abbreviation Alpine_English_G4_TB.indb 60 12/13/2018 7:21:39 PM
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