e. Hiroshima was abandoned after World War II.
f. Hiroshima is now the first choice venue for Sumo fight.
10.4. Answer the following questions.
a. Who established the city of Hiroshima?
b. When did Hiroshima become a major urban centre?
c. What was the number of deaths caused by the ‘Little Boy’?
d. What was the effect of typhoon in Hiroshima?
e. Why is Hiroshima the first choice venue for conferences on
world peace and other social issues?
f. Why are tourists attracted to Hiroshima these days?
g. What do the people of Hiroshima advocate?
Dolphin English Reader Book 7 151
Unit 7
Science and Religion
1 Warm Up Time
1.1. Look at the picture and say what is happening there.
a. b.
c. d.
1.2. Discuss the following questions with your teacher.
a. Are there lives in other planets?
b. Can we go too near the sun?
c. When stars explode, do they affect the earth?
d. Which star does the earth revolute around?
e. Do the gods control the universe?
152 Dolphin English Reader book 7
1.3. What would you do if….
a. you met an English speaking alien from the other planet?
b. you got a chance to travel the universe in a spaceship?
c. you were taken surprisingly to the space?
2 Reading Time
Read the story below and do the activities
The sTar
It is three thousand light-years to the Vatican. Once, I believed that
space could have no power over faith, just as I believed that the heavens
declared the glory of God’s handiwork. Now I have seen that handiwork,
and my faith is sorely troubled. I stare at the crucifix that hangs on the
cabin above the Mark VI Computer, and for the first time in my life I
wonder if it is no more than an empty symbol.
I have told no one yet, but the truth cannot be concealed. The facts are
there for all to read, recorded on the countless miles of magnetic tape
and thousands of photographs we are carrying back to Earth. Other
scientists can interpret them as easily as I can, and I am not one who
would condone that tampering with the truth which often gave my order
a bad name in the olden days.
The crew are already sufficiently depressed: I wonder how they will
take this ultimate irony. Few of them have any religious faith, yet they
will not relish using this final weapon in their campaign against me—
that private, good natured, but fundamentally serious, war which
lasted all the way from Earth. It amused them to have a Jesuit as chief
astrophysicist: Dr. Chandler, for instance, could never get over it (why
are medical men such notorious atheists?). Sometimes he would meet
Dolphin English Reader Book 7 153
me on the observation deck, where the lights are always so low that the
stars shine with undiminished glory. He would come up to me in the
gloom and stand staring out of the great oval port, while the heavens
crawled slowly around us as the ship turned end over end with the
residual spin we had never bothered to correct.
“Well, Father,” he would say at last, “it goes on forever and forever, and
perhaps Something made it. But how you can believe that Something
has a special interest in us and our miserable little world—that just
beats me.” Then the argument would start, while the stars and nebulae
would swing around us in silent, endless arcs beyond the flawlessly clear
plastic of the observation port.
It was, I think, the apparent incongruity of position that caused most
amusement to the crew. In vain I would point to my three papers in
the Astrophysical Journal, my five in the Monthly Notices of the Royal
Astronomical Society. I would remind them that my order has long
been famous for its scientific works. We may be few now, ever since
the eighteenth century we have made contributions to astronomy and
geophysics out of all proportion to our numbers. Will my report on the
Phoenix Nebula end our thousand years of history? It will end, I fear,
much more than that.
I do not know who gave the nebula its name, which seems to me a very
bad one. If it contains a prophecy, it is one that cannot be verified for
several billion years. Even the word nebula is misleading: this is a far
smaller object than those stupendous clouds of mist—the stuff of unborn
stars-that are scattered throughout the length of the Milky Way. On the
cosmic scale, indeed, the Phoenix Nebula is a tiny thing—a tenuous shell
of gas surrounding a single star.
154 Dolphin English Reader Book 7
Or what is left of a star . . .
The Rubens engraving of Loyola seems to mock me as it hangs there
above the spectrophotometer tracings. What would you, Father, have
made of knowledge that has come into my keeping, so far from the little
world that was all the universe you knew? Would your faith have risen
to the challenge, as mine has failed to do?
You gaze into the distance, Father, but I have traveled a distance beyond
any that you could have imagined when you founded our order a thousand
years ago. No other survey ship has been so far from Earth: we are at the
very frontiers of the explored universe. We set out to reach the Phoenix
Nebula, we succeeded, and we are homeward bound with our burden of
knowledge. I wish I could lift that burden from my shoulders, but I call to
you in vain across the centuries and the light years that lie between us.
We knew, of course, what the Phoenix Nebula was. Every year, in our
galaxy alone, more than a hundred stars explode, blazing for a few
hours or days with thousands of times their normal brilliance before
they sink back into death and obscurity. Such are the ordinary novae—
the commonplace disasters of the universe. I have recorded the
spectrograms and light curves of dozens since I started working at the
Lunar Observatory.
But three or four times in every thousand years occurs something beside
which even a nova pales into total insignificance.
When a star becomes a supernova, it may for a little while outshine all
the massed suns of the galaxy. The Chinese astronomers watched this
happen in A.D. 1054, not knowing what it was they saw. Five centuries
later, in 1572, a supernova blazed in Cassiopeia so brilliantly that it was
visible in the daylight sky. There have been three more in the thousand
Dolphin English Reader Book 7 155
years that have passed since then.
Our mission was to visit the remnants of such a catastrophe, to reconstruct
the events that led up to it, and, if possible, to learn its cause. We came
slowly in through the concentric shells of gas that had been blasted out
six thousand years before, yet were expanding still. They were immensely
hot, radiating even now with a fierce violet light, but were far too tenuous
to do us any damage. When the star had exploded, its outer layers had
been driven upward with such speed that they had escaped completely
from its gravitational field. Now they formed a hollow shell large enough
to engulf a thousand solar systems, and at its center burned the tiny,
fantastic object which the star had now become—a White Dwarf, smaller
than the Earth, yet weighing a million times as much.
The glowing gas shells were all around us, banishing the normal night
of interstellar space. We were flying into the center of a cosmic bomb
that had detonated millennia ago and whose incandescent fragments
were still hurtling apart. The immense scale of the explosion, and the
fact that the debris already covered a volume of space many billions
of miles across, robbed the scene of any visible movement. It would
take decades before the unaided eye could detect any motion in these
tortured wisps and eddies of gas, yet the sense of turbulent expansion
was overwhelming.
We had checked our primary drive hours before, and were drifting slowly
toward the fierce little star ahead. Once it had been a sun like our own,
but it had squandered in a few hours the energy that should have kept
it shining for a million years. Now it was a shrunken miser, hoarding its
resources as if trying to make amends for its prodigal youth.
No one seriously expected to find planets. If there had been any before
156 Dolphin English Reader Book 7
the explosion, they would have been boiled into puffs of vapor, and their
substance lost in the greater wreckage of the star itself. But we made
the automatic search, as we always do when approaching an unknown
sun, and presently we found a single small world circling the star at an
immense distance. It must have been the Pluto of this vanished solar
system, orbiting on the frontiers of the night. Too far from the central
sun ever to have known life, its remoteness had saved it from the fate of
all its lost companions.
The passing fires had seared its rocks and burned away the mantle of
frozen gas that must have covered it in the days before the disaster. We
landed, and we found the Vault.
Its builders had made sure that we should. The monolithic marker that
stood above the entrance was now a fused stump, but even the first
long range photographs told us that here was the work of intelligence. A
little later we detected the continent-wide pattern of radioactivity that
had been buried in the rock. Even if the pylon above the Vault had been
destroyed, this would have remained, an immovable and all but eternal
beacon calling to the stars. Our ship fell toward this gigantic bull’s eye
like an arrow into its target.
The pylon must have been a mile high when it was built, but now it looked
like a candle that had melted down into a puddle of wax. It took us a week
to drill through the fused rock, since we did not have the proper tools for
a task like this. We were astronomers, not archaeologists, but we could
improvise. Our original purpose was forgotten: this lonely monument,
reared with such labor at the greatest possible distance from the doomed
sun, could have only one meaning. A civilization that knew it was about
to die had made its last bid for immortality.
Dolphin English Reader Book 7 157
It will take us generations to examine all the treasures that were placed
in the Vault. They had plenty of time to prepare, for their sun must have
given its first warnings many years before the final detonation. Everything
that they wished to pre¬serve, all the fruit of their genius, they brought
here to this distant world in the days before the end, hoping that some
other race would find it and that they would not be utterly forgotten.
Would we have done as well, or would we have been too lost in our own
misery to give thought to a future we could never see or share?
If only they had had a little more time! They could travel freely enough
between the planets of their own sun, but they had not yet learned to
cross the interstellar gulfs, and the nearest solar system was a hundred
light years away. Yet even had they possessed the secret of the Transfinite
Drive, no more than a few millions could have been saved. Perhaps it
was better thus.
Even if they had not been so disturbingly human as their sculpture shows,
we could not have helped admiring them and grieving for their fate.
They left thousands of visual records and the machines for projecting
them, together with elaborate pictorial instructions from which it will
not be difficult to learn their written language. We have examined many
of these records, and brought to life for the first time in six thousand
years the warmth and beauty of a civilization that in many ways must
have been superior to our own. Perhaps they only showed us the best,
and one can hardly blame them. But their worlds were very lovely, and
their cities were built with a grace that matches anything of man’s.
We have watched them at work and play, and listened to their musical
speech sounding across the centuries. One scene is still before my
eyes—a group of children on a beach of strange blue sand, playing in the
waves as children play on Earth. Curious whip-like trees line the shore,
158 Dolphin English Reader Book 7
and some very large animal is wading in the shallows yet attracting no
attention at all.
And sinking into the sea, still warm and friendly and life giving, is the
sun that will soon turn traitor and obliterate all this innocent happiness.
Perhaps if we had not been so far from home and so vulnerable to
loneliness, we should not have been so deeply moved. Many of us had
seen the ruins of ancient civilizations on other worlds, but they had never
affected us so profoundly. This tragedy ¬was unique. It is one thing for a
race to fail and die, as nations and cultures have done on Earth. But to be
destroyed so completely in the full flower of its achievement, leaving no
survivors—how could that be reconciled with the mercy of God?
My colleagues have asked me that, and I have given what answers I can.
Perhaps you could have done better, Father Loyola, but I have found
noth¬ing in the Exercitia Spiritualia that helps me here. They were not
an evil people: I do not know what gods they worshiped, if indeed they
worshiped any. But I have looked back at them across the centu¬ries
and have watched while the loveliness they used their last strength to
preserve was brought forth again into the light of their shrunken sun.
They could have taught us much: why were they destroyed?
I know the answers that my colleagues will give when they get back
to Earth. They will say that the universe has no purpose and no plan,
that since a hundred suns explode every year in our galaxy, at this very
moment some race is dying in the depths of space. Whether that race has
done good or evil during its lifetime will make no difference in the end:
there is no divine justice, for there is no God.
This I could have accepted, hard though it is to look upon whole world
and people thrown into the furnace. But there comes a point when even
Dolphin English Reader Book 7 159
the deepest faith must falter, and now, as I look at the calculations lying
before me, I know I have reached that point at last.
We could not tell, before we reached the nebula, how long ago the
explosion took place. Now, from the astronomical evidence and the
record in the rocks of that one surviving planet, I have been able to date
it very exactly. I know in what year the light of this colossal conflagration
reached our Earth. I know how brilliantly the supernova whose corpse
now dwindles behind our speeding ship once shone in terrestrial skies.
I know how it must have blazed low in the east before sunrise, like a
beacon in that oriental dawn.
There can be no reasonable doubt: the ancient mystery is solved at last.
Yet, oh God, there were so many stars you could have used. What was
the need to give these people to the fire, that the symbol of their passing
might shine above Bethlehem?
By Arthur C. Clarke
Glossary
crucifix : a model or picture representing Jesus Christ on a cross
condone : to accept or allow a wrong behaviour
nebula : a cloud of gas or dust that is usually bright
incongruity : the state of being unusual or different
apparent : clear, able to be seen or understood
obscurity : the state of not being known to many people
remnants : a small piece or amount left by a bigger one
hurtle : to move very fast
squander : to miss an opportunity
obliterate : to remove or destroy all signs of something
dwindle : to become smaller in size or amount
160 Dolphin English Reader Book 7
2.1. Tick the correct answer.
a. The narrator in the story is a ……………………
physician astrologist astronomer
b. They are carrying thousands of ……………….to the earth.
nebulae photographs people from the other world
c. The ……………………… of the nebula can’t be verified for a billion
years.
prophecy heat origin
d. When a star becomes a supernova it becomes …………………
than other stars.
bigger quicker brighter
e. The cosmic bomb had ……………………… millennia ago.
detonated blasted stolen
f. The narrator vividly recalls …………………… in the blue sand
beach.
children stars nebulae
2.2 Answer the following questions.
a. What is the White Dwarf?
b. What is a supernova?
c. What was the mission of the crew?
d. How did the crew learn about the sunken races of the other
planets?
e. What affected the crew so profoundly?
f. How can we say there is no divine justice in the universe?
g. What made the narrator doubt his faith on God?
h. Why would the crew say that the universe has no purpose and
plan?
Dolphin English Reader Book 7 161
3 Grammar Time
3.1. Read the sentences below and note how an action is connected
with its purpose.
a. I went to school to study.
b. In order to cut the tree down, I had to hack through the
undergrowth first.
c. In order not to oversleep, I set the alarm for six o’clock.
d. We moved the house last year so as to be closer to our relatives.
e. He’s staying on in Australia for nine more months so that he
can apply for the PR.
f. Chun Bahadur had an afternoon nap in order that he wouldn’t
fall asleep during his duty at night.
g. So as not to forget his medicine he wrote a memo in his cell
phone.
h. He has appointed a bodyguard for his daughter so he doesn’t
have to worry about her security.
What you need to understand from the above sentences is:
To, in order to, so as to, so, so that and in order that are purpose connectives.
They connect an action with its purpose.
To, in order to and so as to come with an infinitive after them but so, so that
and in order that come with a complete sentence more often with a modal
verb.
3.2. Connect the following sentences with the connective from the
bracket.
a. I went to Ghorahi. I bought some fruits. (in order to)
b. The police cordoned the crime spot. No one could tamper with
the evidence. (so that)
162 Dolphin English Reader Book 7
c. I turned off the router. I didn’t let the boys use the Wi-Fi. (so as
to)
d. Surbir dived into the pond. Surbir found the ring. (in order
that)
e. He’s taking the class of IELTS. He wants to apply for a student
visa to Australia. (so)
3.3. Use ‘in order to’, ‘in order not to’ or ‘so that’ to complete the
sentences below.
a. ……………….. accept the job, he stayed out of contact.
b. My friend goes for a morning walk ……………….. he can lose
some weight.
c. I brought a packet of Zinc Phosphide ……………….. kill the rats.
d. The coach consulted a nutritionist …………………. he would help
his players diet better.
e. I hired some extra employees ………………….. complete the work
in time.
3.4. Take help from the teacher. Connect the following sentences with
the relative pronoun from the bracket.
a. The man died yesterday. He had a chronic asthma. (who)
b. Deliver me the table. I had ordered the table a week before.
(which)
c. This is the date. Sir Isaac Newton was born on this date. (when)
d. He was beaten for a reason. I told him the reason. (why)
e. This is the place. The tremor of the earthquake was first felt
here. (where)
f. She met a child. The parents had abandoned the child. (whom)
g. The woman rushed to the police station. Her child was lost in
the crowd. (whose)
h. I applied for a visa. I told Ramu the procedure. (how)
Dolphin English Reader Book 7 163
4 Vocabulary Time
4.1. Know the following words related to religion.
a. agnosticism : The philosophical position that the existence
or non-existence of God is unknowable
b. atheism : Disbelief in god, deity or any supernatural
power.
c. animism : the belief that material form of reality (plants,
animals, rivers, fire etc.) has an indwelling
spirit in it
d. eucharist : the sacrament of the god’s supper, a rite
in which bread and wine are consumed in
symbolic union with Christ.
e. gnoticism : the belief that salvation is obtained from secret
knowledge and that the material world is evil
f. Jihad : a holy war on behalf of Islam
g. monotheism : the doctrine or belief that there is only one god
h. nihilism : the viewpoint that all traditional beliefs are
unfounded and that human life has no meaning
i. orthodox : very strict to the official doctrine of the given
religion
j. polytheism : belief in more than one god.
k. profane : anything not related to religion and spirituality,
not holy
l. Secular : something that is not specifically religious,
worldly
m. heterodox : not orthodox, believing in progressive logic
about religion
n. blasphemy : indignity offered to god, disrespecting a god or
religion
164 Dolphin English Reader Book 7
o. asceticism : a mode of life that excludes physical pleasures
of life and indulgence like fasting, using less
clothes, giving up sex etc.
4.2. Use the words in 4.1. to complete the sentences below:
a. Hindus believe in ………………………….. There are more than
thirty three million gods and goddesses according to their
myth.
b. Bangladesh is an Islamic state but Nepal is a ……………..............
state.
c. Swami Deepakananda is observing …………………… He keeps
meditating all day avoiding food and family.
d. He is a ………………………. person. He doesn’t stand aback the
traditional doctrine of religion. He believes in progressive
interpretation of religious beliefs.
e. ……………………. is most seen in Hinduism. Animals, plants, air,
fire and water are also worshipped as god.
f. The man was accused of ……………………….. and the Islam
community declared ………………… against his organization.
g. I don’t think the god really exists. Religions and religious values
are just a few restrictions made and implemented by people.
Actually I believe in ……………………..
5 Listening Time
Listen to the audio file or the teacher and do the activities.
5.1. Tick the correct answer.
a. The woman is carrying a …………………..
gift package bouquet bag
Dolphin English Reader Book 7 165
b. It’s ……………….birthday today.
woman’s man’s the boss’s
c. The woman regards the boss as her ……………………
brother father guardian
d. The woman suggests the man to …………………
wish the boss leave the work enjoy his birthday
e. The man ………………… that the boss is a good man.
denies doesn’t know accepts
5.2. State true or false.
a. The man asks the woman what she is carrying.
b. The woman doesn’t remember her boss’s birthday.
c. The man thinks that their boss is like an eighteen century master.
d. The woman accepts that her boss is strict.
e. The woman finally decides not to wish her boss.
6 Speaking Time
6.1. Practice the following conversations with your friend.
A.
A : What is Syangja famous for?
B : It is famous for orange, coffee, government service and
education.
A : What is Palpa famous for?
C : It is famous for its beauty, Karuwa and Dhaka.
A : What is Mugu famous for?
D : Mugu is famous for Rara Lake.
A : What is Dolpa famous for?
E : It is famous for its size, virgin land and yarsagumba.
166 Dolphin English Reader Book 7
B.
A : What is Bimal Gharti famous for?
B : He is famous for his football skills.
A : What is Ramesh BG famous for?
C : He is famous for his beautiful and heart touching lyrics.
A : What is Binod Chaudhari famous for?
D : He is famous for his business innovation, entrepreneurship
and leadership.
A : What is Rishi Dhamala famous for?
E : He is famous for his interview techniques as a journalist.
C
A : What is Mount Everest famous for?
B : It is famous for its height and challenging expedition.
A : What is the Taj Mahal famous for?
C : It is famous for its architecture and the history of love it has.
A : What is the Amazon Rain Forest famous for?
D : It is famous for its area, exotic flora and fauna and the primitive
life style.
A : What is Chitwan National Park famous for?
E : It is famous for jungle safari and Tharu culture.
6.2. Prepare similar conversations and practice with your friends
with the clues given.
a. Rajesh Hamal – acting
b. Sandeep Lamichhane – cricket skills and achievements
c. Pokhara – beauty and adventurous sports
d. Argentina – footballers
e. Sirubari – homestay, hospitality and Gurung culture
f. Pramod Kharel – singing skills and sweet voice
Dolphin English Reader Book 7 167
7 Pronunciation and Spelling Time
7.1. The words below are the most mispronounced words in English
7.2 language. Pronounce the words yourself and later get the
teacher to pronounce them and follow.
epitome /ɪˈpɪt.ə.mi/ mortgage /ˈmɔː.ɡɪdʒ/
colonel /ˈkɜː.nəl/ squirrel/ˈskwɪr.əl/
choir /kwaɪər/ jewelry /ˈdʒu•əl•ri
chicanery /ʃɪˈkeɪ.nər.i/ celtic /ˈkel.tɪk/
gyro /ˈdʒaɪə.rəʊ/ cache /kæʃ/
niche /niːʃ/ chipotle /tʃɪˈpəʊt.leɪ/
foreign /ˈfɒr.ən/ foliage /ˈfəʊ.li.ɪdʒ/
premature/ˈprem.ə.tʃər/ chamois /ˈʃæm.wɑː/
coop /kuː/ debut /ˈdeɪ.bju/
depot /ˈdep.əʊ/ heinous/ˈheɪ.nəs/
karaoke /ˌkær.iˈəʊ.ki/ senile /ˈsiː.naɪl/
usage /ˈjuː.sɪdʒ/ amateur /ˈæm.ə.tər/
8 Fun Time
8.1. Let’s debate.
To the teacher:
• Organize a debate on the topic “Love Wins Better than War”.
• Divide the whole class into four groups and have two participants compete from
each group: one to speak for the motion and the other to speak against the motion.
• Give each participant the time of four minutes to speak.
• Evaluate on the basis of logics and presentation.
• Make more rules as per need.
• Invite someone from the school administration to declare the winner and reward.
168 Dolphin English Reader Book 7
8.2. Read the poem and enjoy
The Brook
I come from haunts of coot and hern,
I make a sudden sally,
And sparkle out among the fern,
To bicker down a valley.
By thirty hills I hurry down,
Or slip between the ridges,
By twenty thorps, a little town,
And half a hundred bridges.
Till last by Philip’s farm I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on forever.
I chatter over stony ways,
In little sharps and trebles,
I bubble into eddying bays,
I babble on the pebbles.
With many a curve my banks I fret
By many a field and fallow,
And many a fairy foreland set
With willow-weed and mallow.
I chatter, chatter as I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on forever.
Dolphin English Reader Book 7 169
I wind about, and in and out,
With here a blossom sailing,
And here and there a lustly trout,
And here and there a grayling.
And here and there a foamy flake
Upon me, as I travel
With many a silver water-break
Above the golden gravel,
And draw them all along, and flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on forever.
I steal by lawns and grassy plots,
I slide by hazel covers;
I move the sweet forget-me-nots
That grow for happy lovers.
I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance,
Among my skimming swallows;
I make the netted sunbeam dance
Against my sandy shallows.
I murmur under moon and stars
In brambly wilderness;
I linger by my shingly bars;
I loiter round my cresses;
And out again I curve and flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on forever.
By Alfred Tennyson
170 Dolphin English Reader Book 7
9 Writing Time
9.1. Study the invitation cards below and note the language used in
it.
9.2. Take help from the teacher. Prepare an invitation card to invite
your guests in the following functions.
a. Birthday Party of Dipesh Timilsina
Dolphin English Reader Book 7 171
b. School anniversary of Dibya Shakti School
c. Wedding ceremony of Lolita Nepali with Bikesh Thapa
10 Reading Time 2
Read the essay below and do the activities.
sCieNCe aND reLigioN
Science and religion are two
different aspects of life. Both
have their own importance and
value. History tells us that the
two have always been in conflict
in the beginning; religion was all
important and reigned supreme
in every spare of life. But
gradually its place was taken
by science. Today science is far
more important than religion.
There are basic differences
between the outlook of science
and religion. The outlook of
science is rational. Science
believes in experiment and observation. It teaches its followers that
nothing is to be believed until it has been proved to be true through
experiment. Religion, on the other hand, is a matter of faith. It teaches its
followers to believes and have faith in the teaching of religious teachers
and the authority of religious books. Thus whatever is written in the
172 Dolphin English Reader Book 7
‘VEDAS’ or the ‘GITA’ or the BIBLE or the QURAN is true, for it is the word
of GOD himself. The existence of god cannot be proved but it can be felt
by those who have faith. It is all a matter of faith and not of experiment
or observation.
Scientific truths are tentative. Science believes that nothing is absolutely
true. What is regarded as true today may be proved to be false the very
next day by further experiments and observations. Thus, there was a
time when the earth was supposed to be motionless and the sun was
supposed to go round it. Gradually science proved that this was wrong
and showed that it is the earth which goes round the sun. Similarly,
Newton’s law of GRAVITATION held the day till Einstein came out with
his superior theory of relativity. In this way, science advances towards
truth as absolute. Whatever is written in religious books is regarded
as absolutely true. Anyone who criticizes the teaching of religion is
considered to be heretic and is violently condemned. In the past, those
who dared to question a religious truth were mercilessly persecuted
and punished. The example of GALILEO readily comes to mind in this
connection. In short, science is progressive and dynamic while religions
are static and orthodox.
Science advances from the particular to the general laws and principles.
Thus, NEWTON saw an apple falling, observed a number of other similar
phenomena, and finally developed, on the basis of his observations his
famous laws of gravitation. Religion, on the other hand, works from
the general to particular. Its methods are entirely different from those
of science. Scientific laws and theories are based on a much sounder
foundation than the principles of religion.
With the advancement of science, religion has gradually lost ground. Its
truths have been subjected to searching analysis by science, one after
Dolphin English Reader Book 7 173
another, and have been proved some to be true but more to be false. The
methods of science have
appeared more convincing
and rational and people
have gradually lost faith in
religion. Science has also
conquered the heart of the
people by its practical utility.
The practical applications
of its laws has provided man
with undreamed comforts
and luxuries, religions has
no such visible and material
benefits to offer.
However, science has its
own limitations. Man has
a body as well as a spirit.
Science is concerned only
with the body; it can do
nothing for the sprit. Science may provide man with physical comforts,
but it is religion alone which can give him the courage to struggle against
heavy odds. He may even face death itself, with a smiling face. It is religion
and religion alone, which can bring the healing balm for his wondered
spirit.
In the end it may be mentioned that religion is a social phenomenon
as well as personal and individual. It is all a matter of individual belief.
Science has only weakened religious faith as a social phenomenon.
Science has not been able to touch religion, even the least, in its personal
174 Dolphin English Reader Book 7
and individual aspects. There are people even today whose faith in the
name of the religion remains unshaken and who can still make the
maximum sacrifice in the name of religion. It would, therefore be wrong
to say that science has made man irreligious or that it is an enemy of
morality.
Glossary
Conflict : an active disagreement
Supreme : Having the highest rank, level or importance
Rational : based on clear thought and reason
Condemn : to criticize strongly on moral ground
Heretic : not showing respect to the official opinion
Mercilessly : without kindness or willingness to forgive
10.1. Find the words from the above essay which are similar in
meaning to the following words.
a. areas b. variations c. survival d. ordinary
e. completely f. base
10.2. Find the words from the above essay which are opposite in
meaning to the following words.
a. doubt b. inferior c. fear d. social
e. relatively f. appreciate
10.3. State whether the following sentences are true or false.
a. The theories and principles of science are based on experiments
and observations.
b. Religion is completely an illusion of stupid people.
c. Religion was of supreme value in the past.
d. Science has made our life more miserable.
Dolphin English Reader Book 7 175
e. Religion may be changed but science doesn’t.
f. Newton and Einstein are religious preachers.
10.4. Answer the following questions.
a. What is the difference between the outlook of science and
religion?
b. Who is considered a heretic?
c. How has science contributed in the life of people?
d. How was the law of gravitation developed?
e. Why are people gradually shifting to believe in science?
f. What can people sacrifice for, science or religion?
176 Dolphin English Reader Book 7
Unit 8
Woman and Mother
1 Warm Up Time
1.1. Look at the set of pictures and explain what you see.
a.
b.
c.
1.2. Discuss the following questions with your friends.
a. What would you do if you were left alone in a big forest?
Dolphin English Reader book 7 177
b. How would you feel if your own mother wanted to abandon
you?
c. Do wild animals serve us?
d. What qualities should we possess during our hard times?
1.3. Narrate a story with happy ending you have recently heard or
read.
2 Reading Time
siLver BeLLs
It was in a lovely pine-wood that
little Mirabella wandered lonely
and hungry. The sand under her
feet was very cool, and the tufted
pine-trees sheltered her from the
fierce rays of the sun.
Through an avenue of tall but bare
pine-trees she could see the big
sea, which she looked upon for the
first time. Faint and hungry as she
was, she could not help wishing
to be nearer the waves; but she
recollected what her father had
once told her, that little children
should be careful not to go too
near the sea when they are alone.
Her father, however, was dead. He was King of the Silver Isles, and for
178 Dolphin English Reader Book 7
his goodness had been loved by all his
subjects. Mirabella was his only child;
and her mother having married again,
she wanted to get rid of Mirabella, so
that her little boy Gliglu might inherit
the crown. So she ordered one of her
servants to lead Mirabella into the
pine-wood far away and leave her
there, hoping the wolves would find
her and eat her.
When Mirabella was born, her aunt,
who was a fairy, gave her a silver bell,
which she tied around the child’s neck
with a fairy chain that could not be
broken. In vain did her mother try to take it from her; no scissors could
cut through it, and her strength could not break it, so that wherever
Mirabella went the silver bell tinkled merrily.
Now, it so happened that on the second night on which she was out the
silver bell tinkled so loudly, that a wolf who happened to be near, hearing
it, approached her and said—
“Silver bell, silver bell, do not fear;
To obey you, Mirabella, I am here.”
At first the little girl was very much afraid, because she had heard of the
cruelty of wolves; but when he repeated the words, she said—
“Dear Mr. Wolf, if you would be so kind as to bring me my mamma, I
would be so obliged.”
Dolphin English Reader Book 7 179
Off ran the wolf without
saying another word, and
Mirabella commenced
jumping for joy, causing
her silver bell to tinkle
more than ever. A fox,
hearing it, came up to her
and said—
“Silver bell, silver bell, do
not fear;
To obey you, Mirabella, I
am here.”
Then she said, “Oh, dear
Mr. Fox, I am so hungry! I
wish you would bring me
something to eat.”
Off went the fox, and in a short time he returned with a roast fowl, bread,
a plate, knife, and fork, all nicely placed in a basket. On the top of these
things was a clean white cloth, which she spread on the ground, and on
which she placed her dinner. She was indeed thankful to the fox for his
kindness, and patted his head, which made him wag his thick brush. She
enjoyed her dinner very much; but she was very thirsty. She thought
she would try tinkling her bell, and no sooner had she done so than she
heard the tinkling of another bell in the distance, coming nearer and
nearer to her. She stood on tiptoe, and she saw a stream of water flowing
towards her, on which floated a pretty canoe. When it got up to her it
stopped, and inside the canoe was a silver mug; but on the bows of the
180 Dolphin English Reader Book 7
canoe was hanging a silver bell just like her own.
“Silver bell, silver bell, do not fear;
When thy mother comes, step in here.”
So sang the canoe; but she could not understand why she should get into
the canoe if her mother came, because she loved her mother, and thought
her mother loved her. Anyhow she took hold of the mug, and, filling it
with water, drank it up. Water, which is always the most refreshing of
all drinks, was what the tired little girl most needed, and as her father
had brought her up very carefully and properly, she had never tasted
anything stronger; but her thirst made her enjoy the water more than
she ever had.
Suddenly she heard some one screaming for help, and the screams came
nearer and nearer to her. She turned round and saw the wolf bearing her
mother on his back, and however much she tried to get off she could not,
because the wolf threatened to bite her. Springing up to Mirabella’s side,
the wolf said—
“Silver bell, silver bell, do not fear;
To obey you, Mirabella, I am here.”
The wicked mother now jumped off his back, and commenced scolding
Mirabella for having sent for her. She said that as soon as she got back to
the palace she would make a law that all the wolves should be killed, and
that if Mirabella ever dared return she should be smothered. The poor
little girl felt very miserable, and was afraid that her mother might kill
her, so she stepped into the canoe, and said—
“Bear me where my father dwells,
Dolphin English Reader Book 7 181
Tinkle, tinkle, silver bells.”
The stream continued to flow, and as the canoe moved on she saw her
mother turned into a cork-tree, and she bid good-bye to the wolf and
the fox. On sped the boat, and it soon neared the big sea; but Mirabella
felt no fear, for the stream struck out across the ocean, and the waves
did not come near her. For three days and nights the silver bells tinkled
and the canoe sped on; and when the morning of the fourth day came,
she saw that they were approaching a beautiful island, on which were
growing many palm-trees, which are called sacred palms. The grass was
far greener than any she had ever seen, for the sun was more brilliant,
but not so fierce, and when the canoe touched the shore—oh, joy!—she
saw her dear father.
“Silver bell, silver bell, do not fear;
To protect thee, Mirabella, I am here.”
She was so pleased to see her father again and to hear him speak. It was
so nice to be loved, to be cared for, to be spoken kindly to. Everything
seemed to welcome her; the boughs of the sacred palms waved in the
summer breeze, and the humming-birds, flitting about, seemed like
precious stones set in a glorious blaze of light. Her father was not changed
very much; he looked somewhat younger and stronger, and as he lifted
her in his arms his face seemed handsomer and his voice more welcome.
She felt no pang of sorrow, she had no fears, for she was in her father’s
arms, to which the fairy silver bells had led her.
Farther up in the island she saw groups of other children running to
meet her, all with silver bells around their necks; and some there were
among them whom she had known in the Silver Islands. These had been
182 Dolphin English Reader Book 7
playmates of hers, but had left before her.
So periods of light sped on, in which joy was her companion, when,
looking into a deep but very clear pond, she saw a gnarled cork-tree,
which seemed to have been struck by lightning. Long did she stand there
gazing into it wondering where she had seen that tree. All at once she
spied a canoe passing close by the tree, in which stood a young man,
whom she recognized as her step-brother Gliglu. He seemed to cast a
sorrowful look at the tree, and then she recollected the fate of her mother.
At this moment her silver bell fell off, and, sinking into the pond, it went
down—down, until it reached the tree, and, tinkling, said—
“Take thy shape again, O queen!”
Then Mirabella saw her mother step into the canoe; and tinkling bells
in a short space of time told her that others dear and near to her had
arrived, and, running down to the shore, she cried out—
“Silver bells, O mother, wait you here,
Nought but joy with father, nought to fear.”
Glossary
tufted : closely grown especially leaves
tinkle : to make a light ringing sound
obliged : grateful
wag : move quickly upside down or side to side
smother : to kill someone by covering the face
pang : a sudden and sharp feeling of pain
gnarled : rough and twisted
Dolphin English Reader Book 7 183
2.1. Solve the following crossword puzzle with the words from the
above story.
1 Down :
1. Dreadful, frightening
2 3 3. Desire for water
4. A small river
4 5
5. Needing or wanting food
Across:
1. An object we use to pick up and eat food
6 2. To receive wealth or power after someone
dies
6. Circular jeweled decoration for the head
7. Happiness
7
2.2. Rearrange the following sentences in the correct order.
a. The mother sent Mirabela to a forest so that she could be eaten
up by wolves.
b. Mirabela was instead served by the wolves and foxes.
c. Mirabela’s father died.
d. A wolf brought Mirabela’s mother to the forest.
e. Mirabela reached her father on a canoe.
f. Her mother got married to another man.
2.3. Answer the following questions.
a. Where was Mirabela wandering?
b. Why was Mirabela’s father love by all his subjects?
c. Why did the mother want Mirabela to be left in the pine forest?
d. What was the strength Mirabela had that tinkled merrily?
e. How did the wolf and the fox treat Mirabela in the forest?
f. How did Mirabela feel when she met her father?
184 Dolphin English Reader Book 7
g. Was Mirabela’s family together in the end? How do you know?
3 Grammar Time
3.1. Read the following sentences and note how an action is connected
with its reason.
a. I didn’t drive the car because I was feeling dizzy.
b. I didn’t drive the car because of my dizziness.
c. I was feeling dizzy so I didn’t drive the car.
d. He doesn’t walk in the sun because he has an allergy.
e. Because of his smart work, Steve took his company to the next
level.
f. The schools in Kathmandu were shut due to the strike.
g. I hope they have decided to come as I wanted to hear about
their Thailand trip.
h. Since everything can be done on the computer sitting at home,
there is no need to dress up for office.
i. I left my pen at home so I borrowed one from Tilak.
j. Jasmine studied hard for the math exam therefore she got an A.
* Because, because of, so, due to, as, since, therefore are reason/
cause connectives. They connect an action with its reason/
cause. Sometimes they are used to show the effect and result.
* Because, as, since are used before the reason if the reason is in
a complete sentence and because of and due to are used before
the reason if the reason is in a noun phrase.
* So and therefore are used before the action/result.
3.2. Connect the following sentences with the connective from the
bracket.
a. I was feeling tired. I didn’t attend the training. (because)
Dolphin English Reader Book 7 185
b. They are living under the same roof. They are poor. (because
of)
c. The level of river rose above the danger level. They issued an
alert notice. (so)
d. The deer saw an attractive lawn of grass across the river. They
crossed the river. (therefore)
e. She stumbled on the log. She has a poor eyesight. (due to)
f. They are quite hard to find. They are rather expensive.
(therefore)
3.3. Use ‘because’, ‘so’ or ‘because of’ to complete the sentences below.
a. He fell into the pond ………………….. his stupidity.
b. I lost the balance ……………… the place was slippery.
c. There was a forecast of hurricane ………………… they ran to a
safe place.
d. Munni had an eye problem ……………. she went to an
ophthalmologist.
e. The accident took place ……………….. the driver’s carelessness.
f. The parties were on the street …………….the government hiked
the fuel’s price.
3.4. Read the sentences below and note the relationship of a condition
with its consequence.
a. If you invite me, I’ll come.
b. If they get there in time, they will be awarded.
c. If he is convinced, he can give up smoking.
d. If it rains, the river may get flooded.
e. If you pretend to be a sick, you’ll be excused.
f. If night falls, it gets dark.
g. If you melt ice, it turns into water.
186 Dolphin English Reader Book 7
h. If an eclipse occurs, the light to the earth is blocked.
i. If you see your teacher, greet him.
j. If you are in the bathroom, lock the door from inside.
* Above sentences are conditional sentences. Sentences from a
to e represent a likely and possible consequence in the given
condition.
* Sentences from f to h represent a certain consequence that is a
universal truth in the given condition.
* Sentences i and j represent an imperative consequence in the
given condition.
3.5. Add a suitable consequence as indicated in the bracket for the
following conditions.
a. If it rains,………………………….. (likely)
b. If we heat water, …………………………….. (certain)
c. If you see the robber, ………………………… (imperative)
d. If they see a lion, ……………………………….. (likely)
e. If you have a hundred rupees, ………………………..(imperative)
3.6. Take help from the teacher. Use the correct option to complete
the sentences below.
a. If he runs fast, he (can win, win, should win) the race.
b. If you (buy/will buy/can buy) two, you’ll get one free.
c. If we leave a stone from height, it (falls/will fall/may fall) down.
d. If you win, (dedicate/will dedicate/dedicates) the prize to
your father.
e. If we set fire in petrol, the fire (spread/spreads/may spread).
Dolphin English Reader Book 7 187
4 Vocabulary Time
4.1. Know the following words that describe the personality of people.
a. ambitious : having a strong wish to be successful, powerful
or rich
Use : Rajaram is an ambitious boy. He won’t be satisfied with
what he has now.
b. charismatic : very good at attracting people
Use : Aarin is a charismatic boy. He can easily draw the people’s
attraction
c. devious : dishonest, a quality of cheating others for one’s own
benefit
Use : Sam can be bit devious at times. I can’t believe him.
d. gregarious : very sociable
Use : Dhaniya is a gregarious girl. She can easily make friends
and adjust in no time wherever she goes
e. impulsive : doing something without a plan or thinking
Use : Pasang is too impulsive. He does a thing before thinking
about it and always regrets it.
f. creative : producing or using original and unusual ideas
Use : Preeya is quite creative. She always comes up with fresh
ideas.
g. courteous : polite and showing respect
Use : She is a courteous girl. She always keeps respect of the
seniors.
h. exuberant : very energetic
Use : There is a team of exuberant youths. They can easily
handle these strength related Issues.
i. persistent : stubborn and never willing to give up
Use : He is a very persistent man. Once he thinks, he does.
188 Dolphin English Reader Book 7
j. diligent : responsible, careful and labourious towards the duty
Use : Diligent people are always successful. They think duty is
their worship.
k. courageous : brave, fearless
Use : Hrishik is a courageous fellow. He is never afraid of taking
risks.
l. convivial : friendly and cheerful
Use : No one can be more convivial than she is; every time
smiling every time enjoying with friends.
4.2. Use the words in 4.1. to complete the sentences below.
a. Don’t believe him. He is a ……………… person who doesn’t
hesitate to manipulate people for his own benefit.
b. Karan’s …………………… look was enough to impress Karishma.
c. He never gives up without achieving what he wants. In fact he
is a ……………….guy.
d. He doesn’t get tired even with the sixteen hours duty. He is an
……………… boy.
e. It was just an ………………… task to invest on land. He should
have thought about it.
f. Barina is quite ……………….. She can make friendship and be
happy with every people.
5 Listening Time
Listen to the audio file or the teacher and do the activities.
5.1. Use the words below to complete the sentences.
Organizations countries against physicist birth
a. Albert Einstein was a …………………………….
Dolphin English Reader Book 7 189
b. Albert Einsteen was the citizen of Germany by ……………………..
c. Later he shifted to other ……………………….
d. Einstein was …………….. the use of nuclear bombs.
e. He worked for many ………………………..
5.2. Answer the following questions in brief.
a. Where was Albert Einstein born?
b. What did Einstein develop during the second world war?
c. Which prize Einstein won is mentioned in the text?
d. Who developed the theory of relativity?
e. What made a huge destruction?
5.3. Write what happened in the following years.
a. 1879 ……………………………… b. 1940 ………………………..
c. 1921 ……………………………… d. 1955 ………………………..
6 Speaking Time
6.1. Practice the following conversations with your friends.
A.
Sisam : Suni, we are going to Chandragiri Hills tomorrow, would
you like to go with us?
Suni : Chandragiri? I’d love to but you know I have a paper
tomorrow.
Sisam : Don’t worry dear. We are going in the evening.
Suni : Really? Then I will certainly join you.
Sisam : Hurrah!
190 Dolphin English Reader Book 7
B.
Rasna : Hey Reeva, how are you?
Reeva : I’m alright mate. After long, tell me about you.
Rasna : I’m coming to Dharan tomorrow and I hope you will love
to spend the day with me.
Reeva : What a pleasant surprise! I’ll for sure.
Rasna : Then tomorrow at 11.30, pick me up from the bus park.
Reeva : Ok, you will be picked.
Rasna : Thank you.
C.
Serina : Shila, I have organized a party tonight at my home. I hope
you will attend it.
Shila : Party, are you kidding? I have a small child with no one to
babysit.
Serina : No worries, dear. You can come with your cute little son.
Shila : It’s not that simple Serina. A mother with a small baby
can’t be enjoying the party.
Serina : Listen, I will talk to my housekeeping. They will take care
of your baby. And see how a mother enjoys the party.
Shila : Are you sure?
Serina : 100 percent, now Shila is coming, right?
Shila : You are absolutely right.
6.2. Study the pictures, make a story and narrate it to the class.
a.
Dolphin English Reader Book 7 191
b.
7 Pronunciation and Spelling Time
7.1. You learnt ‘stress’ and ‘syllables’ in grade six. If not, interact with
your teacher about this.
Now, know these rules about stress in English pronunciation.
a. Stress on the first syllable in nouns and adjectives with two
syllables.
eg. TA.ble, SCI.ssors, PRE.tty, CLEver but not in ho.TEL,
ex.TREME and con.CISE
b. Stress on the second syllable in verbs and prepositions with
two syllables.
eg. pre.SENT, ex.PORT, bet.WEEN, a.SIDE etc.
c. Stress on the first syllable when the word is both a noun and a
verb.
eg. PRE.sent, EX.port, SUS.pect etc. but res.PECT
192 Dolphin English Reader Book 7
d. Stress on the first syllable if the word has three syllables and
ends in ‘er’ and ‘ly’.
eg. OR.der.ly, QUI.et.ly, MA.na.ger etc.
e. Stress on the second last syllable if the word ends in ‘ic’, ‘sion’
and ‘tion.
eg. edu.CA.tion, im.PRE.ssion, pho.to.GRA.phic, etc.
f. Stress on the third last syllable if the word ends in ‘cy’, ‘ty’, ‘phy’,
‘gy’ and ‘al’.
eg. de.Mo.cra.cy, PO.ver.ty, GEO.gra.phy, an.thro.PO.lo.gy,
CO.mical etc.
g. Stress on the first syllable if the word is a compound noun.
eg. FOOT.ball, KEY.board etc.
7.2. Consult a dictionary. Check the phonetics, note its stress, write
the phonetics after the word and pronounce it correctly.
a. nutrition b. cancel
c. acclaim d. xylophone
e. manipulate f. biology
g. pivotal h. watchman
i. prolific j. composer
k. behind l. declare
m. costly n. tolerance
8 Fun Time
8.1. Get yourself ready for these witty IQ questions.
To the teacher:
• Organize this as an individual contest and reward on the basis of time and accuracy.
a. A clerk at a butcher shop stands five feet ten inches tall and
Dolphin English Reader Book 7 193
wears size 7 sneakers. What does he weigh?
b. Bob’s father has four children. Momo, Meme and Mumu are the
three of them who’s the fourth?
c. I have three apples. If you take two of them, how many will you
have?
d. What breaks and never falls and what falls and never breaks?
e. Which letter of the English alphabet flies, stings and sings?
f. Name all the numbers from 1 – 100 that have the letter ‘A’ in
their spellings.
g. Tina who is 16 years old is four times as old as her brother.
How old will be Tina when she is twice as old as her brother?
h. Both the doctors say that Babin is their brother but Babin says
he has no brothers. How is it possible?
i. Which English word becomes shorter by adding two letters in
it?
j. Nischal enters into a dark room. There is a candle, fireplace
and a kerosene lamp, what will he light first?
8.2. Read and enjoy
A. A professor was travelling by boat. On his way he asked the
sailor, “Do you know biology, ecology, geography, psychology?
The sailor said no to all his questions.
Professor : What the hell do you know on earth? You’ll die of
illiteracy.
After a while the boat started sinking. The sailor
asked the professor, “Do you know swiminology
and escapology from sharkology?
The professor said no.
194 Dolphin English Reader Book 7
Sailor : “Well, sharkology and crocodilogy will eat your
headology and you’ll diology because of your
mouthology.
B.
A little girl climbed up her grandfather’s lap and asked, “Did
God make me?”
“yes,” the grandpa replied.
“Did he make you, too?”
“Yes.”
“Well,” the girl said looking at his wrinkles and thin hair, “he
sure is doing a better job nowadays.”
9 Writing Time
9.1. Write a short essay on “The Position of Women in Our Society.”
9.2. Write a paragraph on, “Be Patient, Good Things are on the Way.”
9.3. Write a letter to your mother describing how good she is for you.
10 Reading Time 2
Read the poem given and do the activities.
a WoMaN of aLL TiMes
A woman of noble character, who can find?
She is more precious than rubies of any kind.
Her husband esteems her with love and respect.
She manages her household without neglect.
Dolphin English Reader Book 7 195
She rises early and plans her day with skill,
And with great wisdom she buys herself a field.
The woman works diligently with her hands;
her business is profitable and is in demand.
She helps the poor and those in need
and prepares for her family with love indeed.
Covering of scarlet for her home she makes
and sews linen and tapestry for her own sake.
Her husband is respected in the public place
as she works wisely with quiet grace.
The woman is clothed with honor and dignity,
speaks with wisdom, and quite charming is she.
Her children rise up and call her blessed,
and her husband praises her resourcefulness.
For favor is deceitful and beauty is vain,
but a God-fearing woman is of great gain.
Glossary
noble : moral in an honest, kind and strong way
precious : highly valuable
esteem : respect
tapestry : a piece of cloth woven with a design
grace : kindness, a humble way of doing something
deceit : keeping the truth hidden for an advantage
196 Dolphin English Reader Book 7
10.1. Complete the following sentences with the words from the above
poem.
a. A woman of noble character is more ……………………than the
ruby.
b. The ………………… of a good woman is profitable.
c. My mother does all the …………………… works herself.
d. Robin has a small and happy …………………. with four members.
e. ………………..lies in the eyes of beholder.
f. Good people are ………………. everywhere in the society.
g. Someone’s pain is someone’s ………………………..
h. I ………………. a pair of gloves for the winter.
10.2. Write ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on the basis of your perception.
a. If a mother is educated, the whole family is educated.
b. A good woman cares more for herself and less for the family.
c. A strict woman has more successful children.
d. Physical beauty is of no value if a woman is rude and ugly from
inside.
e. Humble clothing is a symbol of noble women.
f. Household work is the sole responsibility of women.
g. A noble woman cares her family but not the poor and needy.
Dolphin English Reader Book 7 197
10.3. Answer the following questions.
a. Is it easy to find a woman of noble character?
b. What type of woman does a husband esteem with love and
respect?
c. Why does a noble woman rise early?
d. How is a noble woman clothed?
e. Why is a god-fearing woman of great gain?
f. Which quality of a woman is of greater value, beauty or
diligence? Why?
g. Make a list of everything your mother does in a day.
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Unit 9
Politics: Struggle and Achievement
1 Warm Up Time
1.1 Look at the pictures and explain what you see.
a. b.
c.
Dolphin English Reader book 7 199
1.2. Say what you think.
a. Are people friends or enemies by birth?
b. What makes people battle against each other?
c. Does politics enhance integrity or division?
d. Does the bullet recognize the enemy or the friend?
e. Are war and politics still the men’s game?
2 Reading Time
The sNiper
The long June twilight faded into night. Dublin lay enveloped in darkness
but for the dim light of the moon that shone through fleecy clouds,
casting a pale light as of approaching dawn over the streets and the dark
waters of the Liffey. Around the beleaguered Four Courts the heavy guns
roared. Here and there through the city, machine guns and rifles broke
the silence of the night, spasmodically, like dogs barking on lone farms.
Republicans and Free Staters were waging civil war.
On a rooftop near O’Connell Bridge, a Republican sniper lay watching.
Beside him lay his rifle and over his shoulders was slung a pair of field
glasses. His face was the face of a student, thin and ascetic, but his eyes
had the cold gleam of the fanatic. They were deep and thoughtful, the
eyes of a man who is used to looking at death.
He was eating a sandwich hungrily. He had eaten nothing since morning.
He had been too excited to eat. He finished the sandwich, and, taking
a flask of whiskey from his pocket, he took a short drought. Then he
returned the flask to his pocket. He paused for a moment, considering
whether he should risk a smoke. It was dangerous. The flash might be
seen in the darkness, and there were enemies watching. He decided to
take the risk.
200 Dolphin English Reader Book 7
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