Active English Rev ed (Asia Ed) CB G6 Int Inside_LR

5Memories of My Childhood Before you read Which incident from your childhood do you remember very clearly? Chinese Cinderella An autobiography is a description of a person’s life written by that person himself or herself. SCHOLASTICThis extract is from the autobiography Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah. Adeline was born in Tianjin, China in 1937. She grew up to become both a successful physician and an award-winning author. This is a story from her childhood in her own words. At the time of my birth, Big Sister was six-and-a-half years old. My three brothers were five, four and three. They blamed me for causing Mama’s death and never forgave me. A year later, Father remarried. Our stepmother, whom What do you think we called Niang, was a seventeen-year-old Eurasian the term “Eurasian beauty fourteen years his junior. Father always beauty” means? introduced her to his friends as his “French wife” though she was actually half French and half Chinese. Besides Chinese, she spoke French and English. She was almost as tall as Father, stood very straight and dressed only in French clothes—many of which came from Paris. Her thick, wavy, black hair never had a curl out of place. Her large, dark-brown eyes were fringed with long, thick lashes. She wore heavy fringed with: covered on the edge with 50 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

make-up, expensive French perfume and many diamonds and pearls. It was Grandmother Nai Nai who told us to call her Niang, another Chinese term for “mother”. A year after their wedding, they had a son (Fourth Brother) followed by a daughter (Little Sister). There were now seven of us: five children from Father’s first wife and two from our stepmother, Niang. Apart from Father and Niang, we lived with Grandfather Ye Ye, Grandmother Nai Nai and Aunt Baba in a big house in the French Concession of Tianjin, a city port on the SCHOLASTIC north-east coast of China. Aunt Baba was our father’s older sister. As she was meek, shy, unmarried and had Who are the no money of her own, my parents ordered her to take members care of me. From an early age, I slept in a cot in her of the family? room. This suited me well because that way I grew to know her better and better. Perhaps inevitably, under the circumstances, we came to love each other very deeply and to share a life apart from the rest of the family. Many years ago, China had lost a war (known as the What are “coastal Opium War) against England and France. As a result, cities”? many coastal cities in China (such as Tianjin and Shanghai) came to be occupied by foreign soldiers. The conquerors parcelled out the best areas of these treaty ports for themselves, claiming them as their “territories” or “concessions”. Tianjin’s French Concession was like a little piece of Paris transplanted into the centre of this big Chinese city. Our house was built in the French style and looked as if it had been lifted from one of the inevitably: naturally treaty ports: Asian towns or cities with harbours occupied by: taken control of by use of military force that were opened up to foreign trade after a war parcelled out: divided into parts and then distributed or due to military pressure from other countries transplanted: moved something to another place © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9 51

SCHOLASTIC tree-shaded avenues near the Eiffel Tower. Surrounded What was the by a charming garden, it had porches, balconies, bow French-style windows, awnings and a slanted tile roof. Across the house like? street stood St Louis Catholic Boys’ School, where the teachers were French missionaries. In December 1941, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the United States became involved in the Second World War. Although Tianjin was occupied by porches: covered shelters in front of the entrance awnings: sheets of canvas or other such materials to buildings that are stretched on frames placed above windows or doorways to keep the sun or rain off 52 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

the Japanese, the French Concession continued to What were the be governed by French officials. French policemen French policemen strutted about looking important and barking out like? orders in their own language, which they expected everyone to understand and obey. –Adeline Yen Mah After you read What kind of childhood do you think Adeline had? Do you think it was a happy one? Why or why not? SCHOLASTIC Reading Comprehension A. Answer the following questions. 1. Who did Adeline’s father remarry and how old was she? 2. What did Niang look like? Describe her in brief. 3. How many children did Adeline’s father and Niang have? 4. Who was Adeline close to? Why? 5. Why were foreign soldiers stationed in large numbers in many of China’s coastal cities? 6. What did Adeline’s house in Tianjin look like? 7. What major world event took place in December 1941? 8. What effect did the event have on Tianjin? 9. Do you think the first paragraph of the extract is powerful? Give reasons for your answer. 10. What effect did the death of Adeline’s mother have on Adeline and her family? strutted: walked in a stiff and erect way so barking out: shouting out in a forceful manner as to look important 53 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

11. Why do you think Adeline’s family house was built in the French style? 12. How does Adeline feel about the French policemen? 13. When Adeline was born, she was blamed for her mother’s death. Do you think she would have been blamed similarly if she had been born in the present time? Give reasons for your answer. B. Check your understanding of Sequencing. Number the sentences in the correct order. 1. Niang gave birth to two children. [] 2. Niang was a young Eurasian beauty. [] SCHOLASTIC 3. Adeline was born. [] 4. Adeline’s father remarried a year later. [] 5. Adeline’s mother passed away. [] Vocabulary Many coastal cities in China came to occupied by foreign soldiers. Our house had a charming garden and a slanted roof. Some words are used to describe people, places, animals and things. They add details to a story and make it more interesting. A. Find words used to describe Niang in Paragraph 2. Write them down next to the items they describe in the table given below. Item Describing word hair eyes eyelashes make-up perfume 54 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

B. Find words and phrases that describe Aunt Baba in Paragraph 4 and use them to label the illustration. SCHOLASTIC C. What other words can you think of to describe Aunt Baba? Add a few of them to the illustration in Question B. D. Write a brief description of Aunt Baba using some of the words in your list. Focus on the following aspects. 1. Her position in the family 2. Adeline’s parents’ attitude towards her 3. Her relationship with Adeline E. Read the describing words listed in the table. They are synonyms of some of the describing words used in the extract from Chinese Cinderella. Find the synonyms in the extract and write them next to the correct describing words. The paragraph numbers will help you. © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9 55

Describing word Synonym in the extract upright Paragraph 2: Paragraph 4: enormous Paragraph 4: elder Paragraph 6: finest Paragraph 6: roads Paragraph 6: Paragraph 6: attractive sloping W B Unit 5, pages 23–25 Try it out Pair up with a classmate. Take turns to talk about your favourite book or film. Tell your partner about a character you liked in the film or book. Use as many describing words as you can. SCHOLASTIC Grammar At the time of my birth, Big Sister was six-and-a-half years old. There were now seven of us. Certain words and phrases such as now and at the time tell us the order in which the events in a story, or any other written text, took place. They are known as time connectors. A. Underline the time connectors. 1. We had finished packing the boxes by the time the truck arrived. 2. She caught the glass before it fell to the ground. 3. As soon as I heard the news, I called my friend to congratulate him. 4. He will clean the table once he is done cleaning the chairs. 5. They understood right away that the man was lying. 56 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

B. Read the autobiography on pages 50 to 53 again. Find time connectors that show the order of events and list them under the correct heading in the table below. Remember, only list connectors related to time (or sequence). The first one has been done for you. Then, write sentences with any five connectors that you have listed. Time connectors At the beginning of Within paragraphs paragraphs At the time SCHOLASTIC W B Unit 5, page 25 Try it out Pair up with a classmate. Take turns to talk about something that happened to you or a major event that you were a part of last year. Use time connectors in your sentences. Punctuation There were now seven of us: five children from Father’s first wife and two from our stepmother, Niang. You will need at least four ingredients to make a pancake: flour, eggs, milk and sugar. A colon is used to explain something that has been mentioned in the first part of a sentence. It is also used to introduce a list of things. © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9 57

Add colons where needed. 1. The trip was memorable for us in other ways we lost our luggage twice, reached the wrong town, missed a flight and, to top it all, misplaced our passports. 2. There was only one sign indicating that Ruff had been there at all the pug marks left in the spilled flour. 3. Five students were present in the hall that day Jin, Anna, Reuben, Sarah and Ken. 4. I found quite a few useless things in the bag a broken pen cap, a rusted belt buckle, bits of paper and a strip of plastic. SCHOLASTIC 5. There are two things I absolutely love in this world watching a cat play with a ball of wool and discovering new ice-cream flavours. W B Unit 5, page 26 Listening Listen to the passage about Adeline’s aunt and her grand-aunt. Tick the correct sentences. 1. Adeline Yen Mah had a very normal childhood. 2. Her life was made worse because of Aunt Baba. 3. Aunt Baba was largely responsible for her growing up to be a strong woman. 4. Adeline’s grand-aunt was born in the nineteenth century. 5. In her time, girls were required to keep their feet tightly wrapped. 6. Large feet were considered a mark of beauty in China. 7. Adeline’s grand-aunt also got her feet bound. 8. She laid the foundation of the Shanghai Women’s Bank. 58 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

SCHOLASTICSpeaking Zara and Luke are discussing Adeline’s autobiography. Zara : So what did you think of Adeline Yen Mah’s autobiography? Luke : I found it to be very inspirational. I really loved reading about Aunt Baba. Zara : Oh yes! I admire her deep love for Adeline and how she took such good care of her. Luke : Exactly. Even though she was actually forced to take care of Adeline, Aunt Baba didn’t show any anger towards her. Zara : I think that she is the reason that Adeline didn’t give up hope even when things became unbearable. Luke : I agree. I believe it was because of Aunt Baba’s sweet and kind nature that Adeline gained the confidence to be herself. Try it out Pair up with a classmate. Think of a member of your family, or even an older friend, whom you greatly admire. Describe that person to your partner and say why you admire him or her. Take turns to do this activity. Keep these points in mind. Talk about his or her appearance and qualities. Use adjectives wherever possible. Ask your partner questions about the person he or she is describing. For example, Can you mention a specific occasion when this person inspired you? Would you like to grow up to be like him or her? © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9 59

Writing A. Remember, a diary entry is a record of the events that happened to you at a particular period in time, and your thoughts and feelings about these events. Choose two events from the extract Chinese Cinderella, which you believe affected Adeline, and write two separate diary entries. (For example, one entry could be about her father marrying Niang.) Here are a few points to help you. First, mention the day and date for each diary entry in the far left corner at the top. Use fictional dates for your diary entries, but bear in mind that Adeline was born in 1937. Then, begin with “Dear Diary” followed by a comma. Make sure you use the first person “I” since you are writing from Adeline’s point of view. B. Imagine you are Adeline and that you are living in Aunt Baba’s room in the French-style house mentioned in the extract. Write a diary entry describing the room and what it means to you. Here are some ideas to get you started. peaceful and calm SCHOLASTIC Aunt Baba’s Aunt Baba’s room comforting presence a safe place 60 W B Unit 5, pages 26–27 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

SCHOLASTICReview What did you learn? Tick. Certain words and phrases such as now and at the time tell us the order in which the events in a story, or any other written text, took place. They are known as time connectors. A colon is used to explain something that has been mentioned in the first part of a sentence. It is also used to introduce a list of things. Project Work A family tree allows you to see at a glance the relationships between the members of a family. Create Adeline’s family tree using the information given in the extract Chinese Cinderella. Start with the oldest members of the family, as shown below. Include Adeline in the family tree as well. Follow the steps below. 1. Draw up a list of all the relatives Adeline lived with. Include names where you can. You can use expressions such as “First Brother” or “Second Brother” in cases where the names are not available. 2. Find a way to indicate that Adeline’s father married twice. Adeline’s family Grandfather (Ye Ye) and Grandmother (Nai Nai) © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9 61

6An Invisible Power Before you read What are natural disasters? Name any natural disasters that have affected your country. Earth’s Floating Plates The Earth’s Layers SCHOLASTIC The Earth’s hard outer layer is called the crust. Extending only for about 40 km deep at its deepest point, it is remarkably thin compared to the 6,000 km that make up the layers spanning the Earth’s surface and its centre. The crust and the uppermost part of the mantle, What do “plates” which is the layer immediately below the crust, refer to? together form the lithosphere. About sixty years ago, geologists discovered that the lithosphere is not one CRUST solid piece. Instead, it is split into separate slabs MANTLE that are now commonly referred to as “plates”. The plates float like giant rafts on top of the lower layers. About 300 million years ago, there was OUTER CORE only one large continent that geologists call INNER CORE Pangaea. Gradually the continent began to break up into separate plates. Since then the plates have been moving about in all directions. Places that were once near the equator are now much further north. The fact helps to explain why spanning: covering a certain amount of space rafts: flat floating structures that are often made of pieces of wood geologists: people who study or are experts in the study of tied roughly together rocks and other substances that make up the Earth’s surface 62 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

coral fossils are found in places where it is now far too cold for coral to grow. There are now about seven major plates and several How was the smaller ones. They move very slowly—about 2 to 4 cm every Atlantic Ocean year. This does not seem fast to us, but geological time is formed? measured against millions of years. Geologists, going by their calculations, believe that the speed is strong enough to open up an ocean 2,000 km wide in approximately 50 million years. In fact, the Atlantic Ocean opened up in this kind of a time frame. This explains why some of the older rocks, such as coal, are found to be of the same kind on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. SCHOLASTIC Why the Plates Move Why is it difficult to know how It is quite evident that a phenomenon is taking place plates move? inside the Earth and shifting the plates around. It is hard to find out the exact nature of this phenomenon as it is not possible for anyone to go that deep inside. The molten rock thrown up by volcanoes contains clues about what may lie deep under the lithosphere. Shock waves from earthquakes also give indications about the inside of the Earth. coral: a hard stony substance that is formed by groups of evident: seen or understood clearly certain small sea animals found in oceans near the equator phenomenon: a fact or event that fossils: the remains or shapes of plants or animals that have can be observed or studied been preserved in rock for a very long time molten: made liquid by heat © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9 63

The inside of the Earth is so hot that rocks tend to melt and flow. However, they remain partially solid and move only very slowly because of the intense pressure all around. Currents of hot material move towards the crust from inside the mantle. When they reach the mantle, they separate under the crust and flow along in different directions. These streams of hot molten material are called convection currents. The convection currents in the rocks push the plates above them and set them moving. As the plates move, they crash into each other, move away or slide past each other. The pressures that cause these movements are enormous and cannot be stopped. The plates move slowly, grinding against each other and sending out vibrations through the rocks. These vibrations are felt on the ground as tremors. Sometimes, parts of the plates get locked into each other and stop moving for a while. On such occasions, the pressure to move keeps building up until the plates jolt forward again. As a result, all the energy is suddenly released and there is a major earthquake. Some earthquakes are so strong that they can also cause volcanoes to erupt. –Fred Martin SCHOLASTIC After you read Would you like to be a geologist? Why or why not? intense: very strong 64 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

Reading Comprehension A. Read the sentences below. Write T for True and F for False. 1. The lithosphere consists of the crust and a part of the mantle. 2. The continent Pangaea broke up into separate plates. 3. The plates move about 2 to 4 m every year. 4. The inside of the Earth is extremely hot. 5. The rocks inside the Earth are in liquid form. 6. Tremors are felt when the plates are locked together. SCHOLASTIC B. Answer the following questions. 1. What is the Earth’s crust? How deep is it? 2. How different is the present-day lithosphere from what it was 300 million years ago? 3. What have the plates been compared to? Why has this comparison been made? 4. Why is it strange to find fossils of coral in the northern countries? How do geologists explain this discovery? 5. What have you learnt about the movement of the plates? 6. What is the difference between time as we know it and geological time? 7. How do we know what lies deep under the Earth’s lithosphere even though no one can go that deep inside? 8. How are convection currents formed? 9. Which is more dangerous—a tremor or an earthquake? Give reasons for your answer. 10. How can the study of earthquakes help us? © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9 65

C. Check your understanding of Identifying Cause and Effect. 1. Complete the following sentences. a. Oceans open up due to  . b. The heat inside the Earth causes  . c. The pressure on locked plates finally causes them to  . 2. Read these statements taken from the extract. Then, say which one is the cause and which one is the effect. SCHOLASTIC a. The plates have been moving about in all directions. b. Consequently, places that were once near the equator are now much further north. 3. Complete the flow chart showing the chain of events that cause tremors. Convection currents are formed in the molten rocks. These set the moving. The moving send out through the rocks. These are felt on the as tremors. 4. What causes earthquakes? What are the effects of earthquakes? 66 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

Vocabulary The pressure to move keeps building up until the plates jolt forward again. As a result, all the energy is suddenly released and there is a major earthquake. I bought the red files because the blue ones were not available. Connecting words and phrases show the cause and effect relationship between two sentences or two parts of a sentence. When they are placed at the beginning of a sentence, they are usually followed by a comma. Some examples of connecting words and phrases are given in the box below. SCHOLASTIC because    since    so    thus    consequently in consequence   therefore   as a result   resulting A. Join each pair of sentences using suitable connecting words or phrases from the box. 1. Over millions of years the plates moved further apart. The Atlantic Ocean opened up. 2. The dolphin has a smooth curved shape. It moves rapidly through water. 3. Rain falls. Clouds become saturated with water droplets. 4. The dodo was a very large flightless bird. It was very easy for humans to hunt it. B. Fill in the blanks with suitable connecting words or phrases. Use a different word or phrase for each blank. the road was blocked at either end, they climbed up the steep bank as fast as they could. The full moon slipped from behind a © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9 67

cloud. They feared being seen and threw themselves on the wet earth under the old oak tree.  , Polly’s dress was covered in dirt and Jack’s white trainers turned a muddy brown. They stayed as still as they could for several minutes.  , they were soaked through, but at least the guards had not caught them. C. Add suitable connecting words or phrases to each pair of sentences below. Make changes to the punctuation as necessary. 1. She left her bag on the train. She had no money to get home. 2. He designed the perfect computer game. He won several awards. 3. Jackie loved skiing. She skied as often as she could. 4. We did not win the race. We have to accept it. W B Unit 6, page 28 Try it out Get into groups of three. Create a short story by taking turns to add at least one sentence each to the story using connecting words and phrases. For example, Mara woke up late that morning. As a result, she missed the bus. Consequently, she was also late for her tennis lessons. She was very tired by the end of the day because she had spent all her time running from one place to another. SCHOLASTIC Grammar The lithosphere is not one solid piece. The plates float like giant rafts on top of the lower layers. I go to the gym every day. Remember, we use the present tense to talk about something that is always true, for actions as they happen and for actions that happen regularly. 68 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

About 300 million years ago, there was only one large continent. The plates locked into each other and stopped moving. Remember, when we talk about something that happened in the past, we use the past tense. They will continue to do so for millions of years to come. The pressure will build till the plates jolt forward again. Remember, when we talk about something that will happen in the future, we use the future tense. We use shall with the pronouns I and we and will with all nouns and other pronouns. SCHOLASTIC A. Read the sentences given in the table below. Tick the correct column for each sentence. Then, change the sentence to the other tenses and write the new sentences in the correct columns. The first one has been done for you. Present tense Past tense Future tense It was warm. It will be warm. It’s warm. She played well. They were fine. He’ll be here. You’re late. We eat buns. It’s over! Cats will meow. © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9 69

B. Change the following paragraph into the present tense by changing the underlined verbs as needed. Next, change it into the past tense. Write both paragraphs in your notebook. I’ll plan everything very carefully. First, I’ll buy the best ingredients. Then, Mum will show me how to prepare the vegetables and spices. I’ll ask Dad to help too. He’ll be happy to show me how to cook the rice. Timing will be important, so I’ll take advice from Mum again. That’ll be how I’ll make a healthy evening meal. C. Read the paragraph given below. Change it into an informative text by making changes to the tense as necessary. Remember, such texts contain facts. Many natural disasters occurred each year, from volcanic eruptions to earthquakes to avalanches. We forgot how unpredictable and violent the Earth was and it was only when such disasters hit the headlines that we realised how much we were at the mercy of nature. SCHOLASTIC W B Unit 6, pages 29–30 (conjunction) When they reach the mantle, they separate under the crust. (adverbial clause of time) (conjunction) As the plates move, they crash into each other. (adverbial clause of time) A subordinate clause that begins with conjunctions such as when, as, once, till and whenever tells us when the action in the main clause happens. Such clauses are called adverbial clauses of time. Remember, we add commas after subordinate clauses that are placed at the beginning of a sentence. 70 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

A. Circle the conjunctions and underline the adverbial clauses of time. 1. We stayed inside the room till we were called for dinner. 2. Whenever James goes on holiday, he brings back gifts for all of us. 3. I cannot attend the seminar as I have an exam that day. 4. When the mixture cools down, pour it on to a plate. 5. He will know what to do once he reads the letter. B. Complete the following sentences with suitable adverbial clauses of time using the conjunctions given in the brackets. Add commas where needed. SCHOLASTIC 1. you will receive a certificate. (once) 2. he begs me for treats. (whenever) 3. You should practise singing this song . (until) 4. I noticed a boy standing near the door. (as) 5. She was standing on the roof . (when) W B Unit 6, pages 30–31 Listening Listen to the conversation and fill in the blanks with the correct words. Sam : Did you have fun at the picnic yesterday? Tina : Oh yes! it was a bright sunny day, we played a lot of games. Sam : What else did you do? Tina : This was the first time our entire family got together after nearly a year. , we also ended up talking quite a bit! Sam : Tell me about the food you had. © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9 71

Tina : Well, our family is full of people who love to cook and, , there were a lot of delicious food items there. My favourite was the apple pie that my uncle made. Sam : Sounds like you all had a good time. Tina : Yes, we did and , we have already made plans for another picnic next month. SCHOLASTICSpeaking Judy and Ken are talking about tsunamis. Judy : I really enjoyed today’s lesson on tsunamis. It was very informative. Ken : That’s right. I always thought that a tsunami was a huge single ocean wave but today I learnt that it is a series of ocean waves. Judy : I didn’t know that “tsunami” is a Japanese word or that tsunamis are common in Japan. Ken : I was surprised to learn that they are caused by earthquakes, landslides or volcanic eruptions on the ocean floor. Judy : I was impressed to learn that they can reach shores as fast as 160 kilometres per hour. Ken : What impressed me was the story of how the young British girl, Tilly Smith, saved the lives of all those tourists during the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004. Try it out Pair up with a classmate. Think of any natural disaster such as an earthquake or flood. Talk to each other about what you can do to help yourself and others when such an event happens. 72 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

Writing Newspaper reports provide information about important events that have occurred all over the world. A newspaper report has the following features. It has a headline that is short, catchy and provides a quick idea of what the report is about. It usually answers the questions who, what, where, how and when. The name of the person who wrote the report is usually written below the heading. The report is written in the past tense though the headline may be in the present tense. SCHOLASTIC Imagine that an earthquake has occurred in some part of the world. Write a newspaper report on the earthquake and the work that was done to help the affected people. Remember to give it a suitable headline, and to include your name. Here are some points to help you write your newspaper report. When and where did the earthquake occur? How severe was it? Have any other natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions, occurred as a result of the earthquake? What are the losses to life and property? What has been done so far to help those people? Were the people prepared for such a natural disaster or were they taken by complete surprise? Which global agencies, such as the UN, are helping in relief efforts and in what way? How long will it be before life returns to normal? 73 W B Unit 6, pages 31–32 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

SCHOLASTICReview What did you learn? Tick. Connecting words and phrases show the cause and effect relationship between two sentences or two parts of a sentence. When they are placed at the beginning of a sentence, they are usually followed by a comma. We use the present tense to talk about something that is always true, for actions as they happen and for actions that happen regularly. When we talk about something that happened in the past, we use the past tense. When we talk about something that will happen in the future, we use the future tense. We use shall with the pronouns I and we and will with all nouns and other pronouns. A subordinate clause that begins with conjunctions such as when, as, once, till and whenever tells us when the action in the main clause happens. Such clauses are called adverbial clauses of time. Project Work Get into groups of three. Find out about a major earthquake that occurred anywhere in the world. Use the information you have gathered to give a short presentation in class. You may use charts and pictures for your presentation. 74 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

7 Stargazing Before you read Name all the planets in our solar system. One planet was removed from this list. Do you know which planet it was and why? Science Star Omar SCHOLASTIC What do you learn about Omar from Omar Khayyam (1048–1131 C.E.) was born in Nishapur in this paragraph? Persia, now known as Iran. Nothing is known about his family but the name “Khayyami” means “tent maker”, so Name Omar’s fields maybe that’s what his family did for a living. Young Omar of interest. must have had a good education because he became a teacher with an interest in scientific subjects. However, he later admitted that as a teacher he was so busy teaching that he had little time to learn more about those subjects himself. At least Omar managed to find time to write a book on algebra and another on music. Given a bit longer he might have written a book on musical maths! Around 1070 Omar made friends with an important judge named Abu Tahir. The judge must have been into maths because Omar dedicated two more books on algebra to him. Omar’s work for the judge attracted the attention of the Sultan Malik-Shah I. The Sultan gave Omar the job of looking after his astronomical observatory. dedicated: declared or said publicly that a book astronomical: related to astronomy, which is or other artistic work has been created to honour the branch of science that deals with outer space someone observatory: a room or building that contains a large telescope for studying space © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9 75

Omar was very happy; he spent the next eighteen years SCHOLASTIC tracking the movements of over a hundred stars. And this is how he made his crucial calendar. Seen from the Earth, the stars seem to move around us during the year. By 1079 Omar had enough information from his stargazing to calculate the exact length of a year. In fact, he was just 0.0002 days wrong. This meant that if you followed a calendar drawn up by Omar, you’d find it was one day out in 5,000 years. Mind you, by then you might be too old to care too much even if you ended up missing your birthday or eating Christmas pudding on Boxing Day! Our present calendar is actually less accurate than Omar’s because it loses one day in 3,333 years. The Sultan rejigged the calendar to fit in with Omar’s newly calculated year. Soon afterwards, however, things began to go wrong. First, the Sultan died. Omar thought things could carry on because he was a friend of the Grand Vizier—the Persian Prime Minister. But the Sultan’s queen seized power. She quarrelled with the Vizier and he was murdered by a mysterious killer. crucial: of great importance rejigged: rearranged or organised in a different way Persian: belonging to Persia (now known as Iran) stargazing: studying outer space Boxing Day: the first weekday after Christmas Day 76 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

Any friend of the Vizier wasn’t exactly flavour of What does “flavour the month with the queen. Omar’s observatory was of the month” closed down. mean? Omar wrote a book claiming that the ancient rulers of Persia were really nice, kind-hearted and generous—especially to astronomers like Omar. But the queen was definitely not amused by this Did the queen like unsubtle hint and not surprisingly, Omar was never Omar’s book? How given another job by her. do you know? SCHOLASTIC One of Omar’s jobs was to draw up horoscopes based on the positions of the stars to foretell the future for important people. He wasted loads of time on this even though he secretly didn’t believe in it. Of course, people still believe in this practice, known as astrology, but you’d never catch modern scientists peeping at their horoscopes in the paper. Omar was also an excellent poet and he is better known in Europe for his verse, rather than for his study of the universe. The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, a translation of Omar’s poems by the famous British poet Edward FitzGerald, is one of his most well- known works. The poems are short, mostly consisting of quatrains, and speak of love, beauty, mystery and freedom of thought. –Nick Arnold After you read If you could have Omar’s talent for either astronomy or poetry, which would you choose? Why? unsubtle: not hidden, easily understood quatrains: stanzas of four lines, especially ones that have alternate lines that rhyme © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9 77

Reading Comprehension A. Answer the following questions.SCHOLASTIC 1. What was Omar’s second name? 2. When was Omar born and when did he die? 3. What was Omar’s nationality? 4. What do we know about Omar’s family? 5. What profession did Omar first take up? 6. What were the two subjects Omar wrote about early in his career? 7. Who was the judge Omar became friends with? 8. What does The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám contain? 9. The writer says Omar wasn’t quite right about the length of a year but that it doesn’t matter much. Why does the writer say this? 10. How did Omar try to influence the queen? 11. What important calculation did Omar make and how do you think he felt about it? 12. Do you think Omar was a man of many talents? Give reasons for your answer. 13. The extract says that “you’d never catch modern scientists peeping at their horoscopes in the paper”. Do you agree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer. 14. Would you say that astronomy and poetry are equally important or that one is more important than the other? Give reasons for your answer. B. Check your understanding of Identifying Cause and Effect. 1. What happened when Omar wrote a book about the ancient rulers of Persia? 2. How has Omar’s fame in Europe been affected by Edward FitzGerald’s translation of his poems? 78 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

3. Complete the table. The first one has been done for you. Cause Effect 1. Omar became friends with Abu Tahir. He dedicated two of his books on algebra to Abu Tahir. 2. The Sultan learnt of Omar’s work. 3. Omar spent eighteen years tracking the movements of over a hundred stars. 4. The Sultan’s queen came to power. 5. The queen disliked the Vizier’s friends.SCHOLASTIC 6. Important people liked to have their future foretold. Vocabulary Around 1070 Omar made friends with an important judge named Abu Tahir. And this is how he made his crucial calendar. The word important is a synonym of the word crucial. Synonyms are words that mean the same or nearly the same. A. Find the words listed below in the extract given on pages 75 to 77. Then, write their synonyms. Word Synonym teacher admitted attention present quarrelled murdered hint © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9 79

B. Match the words with their synonyms. 1. manufacture a. short 2. imperfect b. always 3. erode c. make 4. awful d. order 5. outcome e. wear away 6. forever f. terrible 7. brief SCHOLASTIC g. result 8. command h. faulty C. Many words fail to make an impression on the reader because of overuse. One such word is nice. List at least three words that can be used in place of nice. D. Read the following paragraph from Science Star Omar carefully. Then, replace the underlined words with suitable synonyms and rewrite it in your notebook. You may use more than one word if needed. One of Omar’s jobs was to draw up horoscopes based on the positions of the stars to foretell the future for important people. He wasted loads of time on this even though he secretly didn’t believe in it. Of course, people still believe in this practice, known as astrology, but you’d never catch modern scientists peeping at their horoscopes in the paper. W B Unit 7, page 33 Try it out Get into groups of three. Take turns to make a sentence describing the people or things around you. The other members will replace any one word with a synonym and repeat the sentence. 80 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

SCHOLASTICGrammar Omar managed to find time to write a book on algebra and another on music. We use the word and to connect two similar thoughts, ideas or pieces of information. People still believe in astrology but you’d never catch modern scientists peeping at their horoscopes in the paper. We use the word but to connect two thoughts, ideas or pieces of information that have different or opposite meanings. The name “Khayyami” means “tent maker”, so maybe that’s what his family did for a living. We use the word so to show the reason for something. You might be too old to care too much even if you ended up missing your birthday or eating Christmas pudding on Boxing Day! We use the word or to show a choice between two or more options. Omar did not believe in astrology yet he made horoscopes for important people. We use the word yet to introduce a contrasting idea. The words and, but, so, or and yet are known as coordinating conjunctions. They link words, phrases or clauses in a sentence. © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9 81

A. Join each pair of sentences using suitable coordinating conjunctions from the box. and but so or yet 1. Omar Khayyam was born in Persia. We do not know anything about his family. 2. Omar was deeply interested in science. He became a teacher. 3. He did not find it easy to study. He became a great scholar who still inspires the world today. 4. He wrote a book on mathematics. He wrote another book on music. 5. Omar was busy teaching. He could not do as much research as he wanted to. 6. He studied the stars with dedication. He gathered information about them. SCHOLASTIC B. Fill in the blanks with suitable conjunctions. 1. Hurry up you will be late. 2. I went to the market bought some vegetables. 3. She is very busy today she will attend the meeting in the evening. 4. We were getting tired we stopped for a rest. 5. He wanted the red shirt he was given the blue one instead. 6. The principal spoke kindly firmly to the parents. 7. You haven’t watered the plants fed the cat. What have you been doing all day? 82 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

8. Sharon sprained her ankle she went to the doctor. they 9. Debbie and her twin Lizzie look the same locked the office. have very different personalities. 10. Clive switched off the lights C. Complete these pairs of sentences. Then, discuss how the meaning changes with the change of conjunction in each sentence pair. 1. They found the keys but... They found the keys so... 2. She would feed the fish in the tank and... She would feed the fish in the tank or... 3. The day had finally arrived yet... The day had finally arrived and... SCHOLASTIC W B Unit 7, pages 34–35 Punctuation Omar was very happy; he spent the next eighteen years tracking the movements of over a hundred stars. Omar was very happy and he spent the next eighteen years tracking the movements of over a hundred stars. Omar thought things would carry on; the queen had other plans. Omar thought things would carry on but the queen had other plans. A semicolon is used between two groups of words with connected thoughts, ideas or pieces of information that can stand as sentences on their own. It is used to show a pause between sentences and is often used in place of a coordinating conjunction. © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9 83

Replace the coordinating conjunctions with semicolons. 1. The store was open yesterday but it is closed today. 2. I have read this book and I would love to read it again. 3. Stan was very ill yesterday but he is much better today. 4. The bag wasn’t hers so she handed it over to the guard. 5. He had said that he wouldn’t be attending the party but I guess he changed his mind. W B Unit 7, page 36 SCHOLASTICListening Listen to the sentences. Tick the correct answers. 1. Venus is known by different names. a. two b. three 2. It is similar to the Earth because . a. it is also made up of rock and metal b. it is close to the sun 3. Mercury and Mars also have . a. water b. volcanoes 4. Jupiter is mainly made up of . a. helium b. hydrogen 5. The Great Red Spot is a found on Jupiter. a. spot b storm 84 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

Speaking Sally is answering Fred’s questions about the planets Venus and Jupiter. SCHOLASTICVenus Jupiter Fred : How many moons does Venus have? Sally : It has no moons at all but Jupiter has fifty moons. Fred : That is fascinating. What else do you know about these planets? Sally : Well, Jupiter is named after the king of the ancient Roman gods and Venus is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty. Fred : Does either planet have rings? Sally : Jupiter has three rings but they are very hard to see. Fred : Are there people on Venus? Sally : Venus is quite similar to the Earth yet it cannot support life. Try it out Pair up with a classmate. Talk about the similarities and differences between any two things using coordinating conjunctions. © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9 85

Writing A biography is an account of a person’s life written by someone else. It contains facts and details about the achievements of that person. Read the recount of Omar Khayyam’s life given on pages 75 to 77 again. Then, research some more facts about him. Use this information, along with information from the recount, to complete the table given below with facts from Omar Khayyam’s life. Omar Khayyam SCHOLASTICNotes Essential facts (such as when and where he was born) His occupations and the places where he lived and worked Brief outline of his life (chain of main events and important people he knew) Work that he carried out in different fields (such as science and literature) His contribution to world knowledge Any other information Now, write a short biography of Omar Khayyam using the points in the table. Remember to give it a suitable title. You may also include pictures and sketches in your biography. W B Unit 7, pages 36–37 86 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

SCHOLASTICReview What did you learn? Tick. Synonyms are words that mean the same or nearly the same. We use the word and to connect two similar thoughts, ideas or pieces of information. We use the word but to connect two thoughts, ideas or pieces of information that have different or opposite meanings. We use the word so to show the reason for something. We use the word or to show a choice between two or more options. We use the word yet to introduce a contrasting idea. The words and, but, so, or and yet are known as coordinating conjunctions. They link words, phrases or clauses in a sentence. A semicolon is used between two groups of words with connected thoughts, ideas or pieces of information that can stand as sentences on their own. It is used to show a pause between sentences and is often used in place of a coordinating conjunction. Project Work Research and create a scrapbook about different calendars such as the Gregorian calendar, the Lunar calendar, the Mayan calendar and the Iranian calendar. Organise your scrapbook into various sections such as the names of the cultures and places where they are followed, and the basis on which they were created. Decorate your scrapbook. © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9 87

8Expressing Feelings Before you read How do you feel when you read a poem or the verses in a song? Why do you think you feel that way? Pretty Words Why do you think the poet compares Poets make pets of pretty, docile words: words to fish? I love smooth words, like gold-enamelled fish Which circle slowly with a silken swish, And tender ones, like downy-feathered birds: Words shy and dappled, deep-eyed deer in herds, Come to my hand, and playful if I wish, Or purring softly at a silver dish, Blue Persian kittens fed on cream and curds. SCHOLASTIC docile: easy to influence or control swish: to move quickly in a way that makes a soft sound gold-enamelled: covered by a layer of protective, gold-coloured coating downy-feathered: made of fine and soft feathers dappled: marked with rounded patches or spots 88 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

I love bright words, What do some words up and singing early; words do in Words that are luminous in the dark, the dark? and sing; Warm lazy words, white cattle under trees; I love words opalescent, cool, and pearly, Like midsummer moths, and honied words like bees, Gilded and sticky, with a little sting. –Elinor Wylie SCHOLASTIC After you read Would you say that the poet loves nature? Why or why not? Reading Comprehension A. Complete the table. The first one has been done for you. Types of words What they have been compared to smooth gold-enamelled fish tender shy lazy B. Answer the following questions. 1. Name all the animals mentioned in the poem. 2. What purrs softly at a silver dish and why? luminous: glowing, shining honied: containing or covered with honey opalescent: having a surface with shiny rainbow-like colours gilded: covered with a thin layer of gold or something that looks like gold © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9 89

3. What are bright words like? 4. How does the poet describe midsummer moths? 5. How do you think poets make “pets of words”? 6. What does “silken swish” refer to? 7. Apart from words, can you think of other things that may be described as “opalescent, cool, and pearly”? 8. In what way or ways are some words “like bees with a sting”? 9. What kind of words in the poem best appeal to you? Why? 10. Which lines in the poem do you particularly like? Why do you like these lines? C. Check your understanding of Identifying the Author’s Point of View and Purpose. 1. What does the poem’s title tell you about the poet’s point of view? 2. Do you agree with the poet’s point of view? Give reasons for your answer. 3. How do you know that the poet is expressing her own point of view in the poem and no one else’s? 4. What do you think is the poet’s purpose in writing this poem? SCHOLASTIC Vocabulary Poets make pets of pretty, docile words. Words shy and dappled, deep-eyed deer in herds. The repetition of the same letter or consonant sound at the beginning of a string or sequence of words is called alliteration. It is usually used to emphasise the sound effect and rhythm of a poem, or to emphasise an idea and support the theme. 90 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

SCHOLASTICApart from poems, alliteration is also used in advertising, leaflets, newspaper headlines and other writing that aims to catch instant attention. Businesses often use alliteration to help people remember the names of their products. Alliterative words are also common in television shows, comic strips, video games and in the naming of cartoon characters. A. Underline any other example of alliteration given in the poem. B. Circle the alliterative sounds in these sentences. 1. Sleepy Suzy sat on a swing. 2. Face the fence while folding the fan. 3. Crazy crows crowded around the crates of crabs. 4. Bubbles blowing in the breeze brighten my day. 5. The tower’s tall walls terrified Tim. C. Write alliterative sentences using the words given below. 1. clowns 2. goat 3. little W B Unit 8, page 38 Grammar I love smooth words which circle slowly with a silken swish. The girl whose bag was stolen is Rob’s sister. The shirt that I wore yesterday has two missing buttons. Words such as who, whom, whose, that and which refer to the nouns or pronouns that come before them. They are called relative pronouns. © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9 91

A. Fill in the blanks with relative pronouns. 1. This is the box contains the gifts. 2. Mr Peters, works in Croatia, is home for the holidays. 3. He is the writer books have sold more than a million copies. 4. The lady to I spoke assured me that my complaint would be addressed. 5. The path along we walked yesterday leads to the factory. SCHOLASTIC B. Match the columns to make complete sentences. 1. Ben would like to a. whom you must present borrow the book your report. 2. There goes the boy b. who can solve this puzzle. 3. She is the lady to c. that you bought last week. 4. Heather is the d. which is lined with trees. only person 5. Take the road e. whose cat got stuck on a pole. relative pronoun W B Unit 8, page 39 I love bright words that are luminous in the dark. relative clause relative pronoun Ms Stevens, who owns that bakery, lives in our neighbourhood. relative clause Relative pronouns introduce subordinate clauses that describe or identify the noun or pronoun in the main clause. These clauses are known as relative clauses. 92 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

A. Circle the relative pronouns and underline the relative clauses. 1. I spoke to someone who helped me find the pharmacy. 2. Did you find the bag that you were looking for? 3. The man who you met at the park yesterday is our uncle. 4. We bought a carton of pineapples, which is my favourite fruit. 5. Here is the lady to whom this parcel is addressed. B. Complete the sentences with suitable relative clauses. SCHOLASTIC1. The waiter who has been working here for twenty years. 2. The lady whose lives next door. 3. The panda that was brought all the way from China. 4. Here is the shop which  . 5. Where is the boy to whom ? 6. The man to whom told me to come by the office today. 7. Sue is wearing the scarf that . 8. The woman who had a limp. W B Unit 8, pages 39–40 Try it out Pair up with a classmate. Create a short story of about four or five sentences using relative pronouns. For example, Yesterday in the park, I met a little girl who was crying. She told me she could not find the toy car that her uncle had given her on her birthday. I helped her look for the car. We found it under a bush that was growing nearby. The little girl was very happy. Take turns to do this activity. © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9 93

SCHOLASTICListening Listen to the sentences. Fill in the blanks with a feeling word from the box that matches each sentence. jealousy   anger   fear   happiness   sadness 1. Sentence A 2. Sentence B 3. Sentence C 4. Sentence D 5. Sentence E Speaking Dana is telling Evan about the people present at her birthday party. Dana : I’m so glad you could come today. Evan : I’m glad too, though I don’t really know anyone here. Dana : Well, the boy who is standing by the table is my cousin, Jared. Evan : I remember you mentioning him once. Dana : Yes, he is the one with whom I spent my summer vacation. Evan : That’s right. Dana : The lady in the corner, whose skirt is the same colour as mine, is my neighbour. She makes the cakes that you love so much. Evan : I must go over and thank her in that case. Try it out Pair up with a classmate. Imagine you are at a zoo. Now, imagine the people and animals at the zoo. Use relative pronouns to describe the scene. Take turns to do this activity. 94 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

Writing Remember, an informal letter is a letter you write to a family member or a friend. Write a letter to your friend telling him or her about a poem you wrote that won an award at a competition. Here are a few points to help you write your letter. 1. Address SCHOLASTIC Write your address in the top-left corner of 2. Date the page. 3. Greeting Write the date below the address. 4. Body Write your greeting using phrases such as Dear 5. Closing Father or Dearest Sally, followed by a comma. Include only the first name of the person you are writing to. In the first paragraph, enquire about the receiver’s health and well-being. You can also briefly refer to something related to the person. For example, I hope you enjoyed your trip to the Maldives. F rom the second paragraph onwards, discuss the main reason why you are writing the letter. W rite your final greeting such as Your friend, followed by a comma. W rite only your first name below the final greeting. You may include the following points in your letter. What is your poem about? What inspired you to write the poem? How did you feel as you wrote it and once it was complete? Give only necessary details about the competition you participated in such as how you found out about it and what made you decide to enter it. How did you feel when you won the award? W B Unit 8, pages 40–41 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9 95

Review What did you learn? Tick. The repetition of the same letter or consonant sound at the beginning of a string or sequence of words is called alliteration. Words such as who, whom, whose, that and which refer to the nouns or pronouns that come before them. They are called relative pronouns. Relative pronouns introduce subordinate clauses that describe or identify the noun or pronoun in the main clause. These clauses are known as relative clauses. SCHOLASTIC Project Work A kenning is a compound word or two-word A seabird could be a phrase that describes the nature or feel of a “foam-winger”. person, animal or thing. It describes one thing in terms of another. For example, a snake slides on the ground. This quality can be used to form the kenning “ground-slider”. Kennings were used in Old Norse poetry which was written hundreds of years ago by poets living in Arctic countries such as Iceland and Norway. Write at least six kennings describing an animal of your choice. Here are two points to help you. First, make a list of all the qualities or traits of that animal. Then, use these qualities to make kennings. 96 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

9We Are the World Before you read What is a community? Think about some of the groups that you can identify with. Are they part of a community? The Global Community When we hear the word “community”, we usually think of the people who live around us, perhaps within walking distance of our own home. We probably know some of them well, some not so well and others not at all. They may be all the inhabitants of our village or, in a large town or city, those who live in our immediate neighbourhood. Members of the community get together to socialise, to help one another, to protest against things that will harm the area in which they live or to campaign for things that will improve it. SCHOLASTIC However, the term can be interpreted in a much broader sense. Its resemblance to the word “common” What are the is not coincidental: both have the same Latin origin. A different kinds community is a group of people with something in of communities common. This doesn’t have to be the place where mentioned in the they live—it could be their nationality, their religion, their culture, their profession, their language or simply the paragraph? fact that they are all members of the human race. The boundaries of national communities are clear: you have only to look at a map of the world to see where they begin inhabitants: people or animals that live in a interpreted: explained the meaning of an particular place action or a piece of information campaign: work in an organised and active manner coincidental: happening by chance to achieve a goal © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9 97

and end. But other types of communities are less well-defined. Within each country there may be several different religious communities, such as Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews and Buddhists. In an ideal world, all these groups would live together in harmony and work together for the greater good of the nation as a whole. Sadly, this is sometimes not the case. Language is another unifying factor that crosses national In what way is boundaries. The English-speaking community comprises language a unifying not only the inhabitants of Britain, North America, factor? Australia and New Zealand, but also those of many African and Asian nations where English is the official language. Similarly, Spanish is spoken in some countries of South America and French is widely used outside France. SCHOLASTIC Within nations there are often smaller cultural communities. These may be made up of the original inhabitants of the country, such as the Maoris of New Zealand, or of immigrants with the same ethnic background. The latter often import their own traditions and festivities into their new homeland, enriching the multicultural mix of the host nation. For example, some of the most colourful and noisy celebrations of the Chinese New Year are not even held in China! The largest community of all is, of course, the What types of global community itself. Developments in transport, people travelled the communications and technology have greatly increased world in the past, our understanding and knowledge of how people live in and why did they other parts of the world. In the past, this information need these qualities was restricted to what could be learnt from books, or advantages? or from the tales of those brave or rich enough to undertake long journeys over land and sea. Now, it’s comprises : is made up of ethnic: relating to a subgroup within the population that has a common national or cultural tradition immigrants : people who come to live permanently in a foreign country restricted to: limited to 98 © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9

possible to fly from one side of the world to the other in less than a day. Those who prefer to stay at home have television and the Internet to bring the people and events of foreign places into their own living room. International business interests and activities have also made a significant contribution. From fast-food chains to blockbuster films, they have brought a certain sameness to cities all around the world, in a process known as globalisation. Some regard this as a bad thing; others feel that it enhances the sense that we all belong to the same global community. This has to be a good thing, at a time when there are so many ecological threats to our world. Just as the inhabitants of a small rural or urban community might unite to oppose an undesirable new development in their locality, so the inhabitants of the global community must unite to protect the planet as a whole. After you read What is your opinion on globalisation? Do you think it is a good thing? Why or why not? SCHOLASTIC Reading Comprehension A. Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the text. 1. Our community may be those who live in our immediate  . 2. The boundaries of communities are clear. blockbuster: a product, particularly a film or ecological: relating to the relationship between the book, that is very successful commercially physical environment and living organisms as well as enhances: improves the strength, quality or between living organisms themselves amount of something undesirable: not wanted because it is harmful or unpleasant © 2017 Scholastic Education International (S) Pte Ltd ISBN 978-981-49-6923-9 99