Lesson Dreams of the Future
11
Scan Here
Everyone has a dream? What is your dream?
........................................................................................................................
Audio Script
Read to Understand
Little Women is a very famous novel by Louisa M. Alcott. It tells the story of
the March family—a mother and her four daughters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and
Amy. The father is away at war, and the mother guides the family through the
troubled times. The girls play and work together, and tease one another, as
all sisters do, yet they have a deep love for one another. Laurie lives next
door to the March family, with his overprotective rich grandfather. The girls
befriend him and provide company to the lonely boy. This extract is about
these young people's dreams—what they will be when they grow up.
One day, Laurie, from
where he lay in his garden,
saw the sisters set out for
a walk. “Where are those
girls going?” he thought.
Each wore a large hat,
each had a bag over her
shoulder, and each
carried a long stick in her
hand. Meg had something
to sit on, Jo a book, Beth a
basket, and Amy her
drawing things. They
walked one behind the
other. “Are they going to
the waterfront?” thought
Laurie. But they went out
of the garden, down the road, and began to climb a hill leading to the woods at
the top.
“Well! I think they might have asked me!” Laurie decided to follow them and see
what it all meant. By the time he was ready to go, he could not see the girls. But,
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them sitting on the ground
under some trees. They did not
see Laurie, and he stood
behind a tree watching them. It
was a pretty picture. Meg was
mending, Beth was playing with
her doll, Amy was drawing, and
Jo was making some socks as
she read aloud.
The boy felt that he should not
have come and ought to go
away. But he was lonely and so
he stayed. Then Beth looked
up, saw Laurie, and smiled.
“May I join you, please, or do you not want me to?” he asked.
Jo said, “Of course, you may. We would have asked you before but we thought
you wouldn’t like such a girl’s game as this. You see, we like to play the
characters from the book ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ and we usually do it indoors. This
summer, we decided to go on with it in the open air. As part of the game, we wear
old hats and use sticks to help us climb the hill.”
“Well,” said Meg, “as it is against our rules for anyone to do nothing here, you
take the book and nish reading the story. Jo can go on with her socks.”
“Yes, madam,’ replied Laurie. “I’ll do anything if you let me stay for a bit. I hate to
be alone, for it’s very dull down there.” The story was not a long one. When it was
nished, they sat for a time talking of all the things each wished to do in the future.
“Wouldn’t it be fun if all the things we dream of doing could come true?” said Jo.
“Let us each say what we would most like to do. What about you, Laurie?”
“If I tell you, will you tell me?”
“Yes, if the others will too.”
“We will. Now begin, Laurie.”
“Well,’ said Laurie, “I would like to travel.
I would see as much of the world as I wanted to. Then I would live in this country
and become famous as a musician. I never want to worry about money or
business but just enjoy myself. That's my favourite dream. What is yours, Meg?”
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Meg thought a little before saying, “I should like a lovely house, full of
beautiful things, nice food, pretty clothes, pleasant people. It would be my
house. I should have plenty of money and servants and I should never need
to do any work. How I would enjoy it! I would do good, though, and make
everybody love me.”
“Wouldn't you share your house with a husband?” asked Laurie, with a smile.
“I said, “pleasant people”, ’ Meg bent to fasten her shoe as she spoke, and
her face could not be seen.
“Why don’t you say you’d have a nice, wise husband and some children? You
know your dream house wouldn’t be quite right without them,” said Jo.
“You would have nothing but horses, pens and ink, and books in yours,”
answered Meg.
“Yes, that’s quite true. I’d have lots of Arabian horses and rooms full of books.
I'd write with a magic pen so that my works would be as famous as Laurie’s
music. I want to do something wonderful that won’t be forgotten after I’m
dead. I don’t know what it will be but I mean to surprise you all one day. I
think I shall write books and become rich and famous. That is my favourite
dream.”
“Mine is to stay at home, safe with father and mother, and help take care of
the family,” said Beth. “Don’t you wish for anything else?” asked Laurie.
“Since I have my piano, I have everything I want. I only wish we may all keep
well and be together. Nothing else.”
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“I have so many wishes,” said Amy,“but my favourite dream is to paint good
pictures. I want to go to Rome to paint wonderful pictures and be the best artist in
the whole world.”
“We do want a lot, don’t we?” said Laurie. “Except Beth, we all want to be rich or
famous. I would be interested to know if any of us will get our wishes.”
“Well, if we are alive ten years from now, let’s meet. Then we can see how much
nearer we are to our wishes than now,” said Jo. She was always ready with a
plan.
“We shall all be very old then,” said Meg. “I shall be twenty-seven.”
“You and I will be twenty-six, Laurie. Beth will be twenty-three and Amy twenty
two. What an old party!” said Jo.
Word Meaning
woods : an area of trees, smaller than a forest
Pilgrim’s Progress : a book written by John Bunyan
fasten : (here) tie her shoelaces
Arabian horses : a breed of horse with a reputation for intelligence,
pretty high spirit, and outstanding stamina
pleasant : attractive in a delicate way
: giving a sense of happy satisfaction or enjoyment
EXERC I S E
Read and Write
1. Rapid re.
a. Beth had a ................................ in her hand.
(i) book (ii) basket
b. Laurie had not been invited by the girls because
(i) they did not like him
(ii) they thought he would not be interested in their game
2. Read the lines and answer the questions that follow.
Laurie decided to follow them and see what it all meant. By the time he
was ready to go, he could not see the girls. But, at last, he found them
sitting on the ground under some trees. They did not see Laurie, and
he stood behind a tree watching them. It was a pretty picture.
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a. Laurie decided to follow them. Who does ‘them’ refer to?
b. Who were sitting on the ground under some trees?
3. Answer the following questions.
a. Do you think Laurie knew the four sisters well? Give reasons for
your answer.
b. “The boy felt that he should not have come and ought to go away.”
But Laurie did not go away. Why? What happened soon after?
c. Who was the oldest among the children and who was the youngest?
How can you tell?
Vocabulary
4. Complete the table by writing the noun forms of the adjectives. Use
these suffixes and change spellings as required: ity; ism; ship; ment;
ence; sion; hood; tion; ance
Adjectives Nouns Adjectives Nouns
admirable ........................ insecure ........................
amazing ........................ negative ........................
condent ........................ opposing ........................
important ........................ lively ........................
friendly ........................
Grammar Zone
5. Put these nouns into the correct columns. Add three more
examples to each category.
determination, athlete, history, cowardice, swarm, regiment, elegance,
telephone, harry potter, crowd, wheel, staff, Russia, blanket, strength,
Antarctica, juicer, Japan, galaxy, stubbornness
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Common Proper Collective Abstract
........................ ........................ ........................ ........................
........................ ........................ ........................ ........................
........................ ........................ ........................ ........................
........................ ........................ ........................ ........................
........................ ........................ ........................ ........................
A verb ending in ‘ing’ can be used as a noun when it is:
the subject of a verb : Jogging is a good exercise.
the object of a verb : I enjoy drawing and painting.
the object of a preposition : He is fond of bungee jumping.
Such nouns are called gerunds, verbal nouns of ‘ing’ nouns.
6. Underline the gerunds in these sentences and say how they are
used.
a. Swimming is an excellent exercise.
b. The thief was convicted for shoplifting.
c. My brother likes mountaineering and white-water rafting.
d. Dad came home after the meeting.
e. Tourists enjoy sightseeing.
f. I don’t like window-shopping.
g. I got the strangest feeling that someone was looking at me.
h. At the beginning of the show I knew it would be wonderful and it
Speaking
Have a classroom discussion about a visit to a fair and all you did there.
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Writing
All the children in the story have dreams. What does each of them dream of?
Can you ll in the second column of the table given below? Do their wishes
reveal something about their characters? Here are some words to help you ll
in the third column.
adventurous responsible artistic practical loving
popular caring simple ambitious homely
thoughtful creative fun-loving carefree
Name dreams / wishes character traits
Meg
Jo
Beth
Amy
Laurie
Listening and Writing
Listen to the audio and answer the following questions.
1. Name the characters of this conversation.
2. Hem and Krishal went to watch a ........................ movie
a. Nepali b. Hindi Scan Here
3. Which Hindi lm did Krishal watched?
a. Hindi medium b. 3 Idiots
4. “ And I prefer Nepali lms”, said ........................ .
a. Hem b. Ritu Audio Script
5. Ritu loves watching ........................lms.
a. English b. Hindi
6. Krishal prefer ........................ lms
a. English b. Hindi
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Lesson Stopping by Woods on
a Snowy Evening
12
Scan Here
What do you get from forests?
........................................................................................................................
Audio Script
Read to Understand
There are times when our eyes refuse to move away from a scene which
is in front of us. Has this ever happened to you?
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods ll up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy ake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
– Robert Frost
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Word Meaning
woods : a small forest
queer : (here) strange, odd
harness : a set of straps with which you tie a horse to a cart
downy ake : snowakes which are like the soft feathers of a bird
EXERC I S E
Read and Write
1. Rapid re.
a. The poet was riding on a ...................... .
(i) horse (ii) cycle
b. The woods were lled up with ...................... .
(i) snow (ii) owers
c. It was the ...................... evening of the year.
(i) darkest (ii) coldest
2. Read the lines and answer the questions that follow.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
a. How do these lines reect the truth about our reality?
b. What does the phrase ‘promises to keep’ tell us about the speaker?
c. What do the expressions ‘miles to go’ and ‘sleep’ stand for?
3. Answer the following questions.
a. What is this poem about?
b. How has the speaker reached the place where he has stopped?
c. The speaker mentions a person in the rst stanza of the poem. How
much do you learn about that person from the rst stanza?
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d. Describe the place where the speaker has stopped.
e. Do the words the darkest evening of the year tell you which month
of the year it could be?
f. How does the horse communicate with its master?
g. What realisation causes the speaker to move on from his dreamy
appreciation of the scene?
Vocabulary
4. Fill in the blanks with suitable adjectives, choosing your answer
from the box.
opulent heart-rending palatial terrifying
steady
exorbitant ornate heart-breaking
a. ........................................ climb
b. ........................................monsters
c. ........................................mansion
d. ........................................sum
e. ........................................ panelling
f. ........................................ living
g. ........................................news
h. ........................................ cry
Grammar Zone
Conditional Sentences Without IF
Conditional sentences can sometimes begin without if. They can begin with
had, provided/provided that, unless, as long as, so long as, only if, should.
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Had the ofcer behaved politely, he would not have been suspended.
Provided you exercise daily, you will lose weight.
Unless you have sportsman spirit, you cannot regard yourself a good
sportsperson.
As long as we perform well, our coach will be happy.
Should you need help, do not hesitate to call us.
5. Complete these sentences using had, provided, only if, as long as,
so long as, hardly ... when, scarcely ... when.
a. ................the students complete their work on time, the teacher is
happy.
b. .................. I known her address, I would have visited her.
c. .................. had she nished her studies ..................she left home to go
abroad.
e. .................. the workers are paid well, they are content.
f. ................ had the guests arrived ................ there was a loud explosion
in the neighbourhood.
g. ................. had the match ended .................. the spectators ran into the
eld.
h. ................ the patient takes the medicines prescribed, he will not have
relapse of the illness.
Speaking
What is your response to the poem? Share with your classmates.
Writing
Look at the table and make a timetable. First, list the tasks which you have to
achieve before a month, before a week or at once. Once you make the list,
include the amount of time you will need to complete each task you have set for
yourself.
Then, write a paragraph comparing a real day in your life against this time-based
list.
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Read about Queen Victoria. (you can also listen to the audio)
Scan Here
PART 1 : HER FAMILY ORIGINS
Her date of birth (M/d/y) : ______________________
Her place of birth : _____________________Au_d_io_S_cr_ipt
The origin of her family : _______________________
The name of her family : _______________________
PART 2 HER CHILDHOOD AND EDUCATION
School : yes/no?__________________________
Place? __________________________________
Languages: ______________________________
Other subjects : ___________________________
Her hobbies : _____________________________
PART 3 HER REIGN
One title in the British Isles: ______________________
____________________________________________
Place of her coronation : ________________________
Dates and duration of her reign : __________________
Three titles in the world and dates : ________________
_________________________________________________________
Conclusion : ______________________________________________
PART 4 HER MARRIAGE AD FAMILY LIFE
Marriage date : ___________ Her age : ____________
Husband name: ________________________________
Number of children : _____________________________
Residences (4) : ________________________________
PART 5 : THE CHANGES IN BRITAIN DURING HER REIGN
Britain was the most ________________ and the __________
country in the world. Its population__________, cities and new towns
_____________, factories and machines_______________, the trains
didn’t only transport goods (=products)
but also__________: it was a time of social economical and
technological changes. The British Empire was the ______________
in the world.
PART 6 : HER WIDOWHOOD
Death of her husband and age: _______________________________
Her own death and her age : _________________________________
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WORKSHEET-6
1. Tick (ü) the correct words.
a. The poet was riding on a ........................... .
(i) horse (ii) cycle
b. Beth had a .................... her hand.
(i) book (ii) basket
c. It was the .......................... evening of the year.
(i) darkest (ii) coldest
2. Read the lines and answer the following question.
“I brought you back another exactly like it. And it has taken us ten years
to pay for it. You can understand that it was not easy for us, for us who
had nothing. At last it is ended, and I am very glad.”
a. What had Madame Loisel and her husband been paying for?
.............................................................................................................
b. How had Madame Loisel and her husband managed to raise the
money?
..............................................................................................................
c. How had Madame Loisel changed in the last ten years?
..............................................................................................................
d. Was Madame Loisel happy while talking to her friend? What is she
told then?
..............................................................................................................
e. What do you think would have been the effect of Madame
Forestier’s words on Mathilde?
..............................................................................................................
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4. Match the foreign words and phrases in English in column A with
their meanings in column B.
AB
a. versus pretended identity
b. temporarily temporarily
c. bonhomie an embarrassing action or remark
d. genteel good-natured friendliness
e. verbatim against
f. en masse repeating the exact words someone said
g. faux pas goodbye
h. ad interim elegant, rened
i. incognito all together
5. Use the correct simple present/present continuous forms of the
verbs given in the brackets.
a. I .......................................... (do) my homework. I’m sorry I can’t
............................(talk) to you right now.
b. Opposite sides of a rectangle .......................................... (be) always
equal in length.
c. They .......................................... (not go) to see the football game,
are they?
d. The waters of the seas ............................. (rise) and the island
.............................slowly ....................................... (sink)
e. We ............................. (live) in rented accommodation these days.
The roof of our house ............................. (be) repaired. The man
who ............................. (repair) the roof ............................. (take)
very long to do any work he is given. He .......................... (be),
however, a good mason, so we decided to hire him.
6. Fill in the blanks with words which mean the same as these
descriptions. Use the hints given in the brackets.
a. to look closely or examine (start with s) ............................
b. a rounded swelling on a at surface (start with b) ............................
c. sad or displeased because someone has failed to full your hope
(start with d) ............................
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d. a person who buys goods or services from a shop
(start with c) ............................
e. happy with the situation one nds oneself in (start with p)
............................
7. Read these sentences and identify which of the highlighted
clauses are restrictive and which are non-restrictive.
a. Teachers who have young children are permitted to use the
university creche.
b. I left my son at the university creche, which is free to all teachers.
c. John Wayne, who appeared in over 170 feature films, was one of the
biggest box office attractions of his time.
d. This is the house that my uncle built.
e. Ayesha, who spent her childhood in Dhading, grows nostalgic every
time she hears about the city
8. Fill in the blanks with non-nite verb.
a. We found the watchman ..................................................soundly.
b. They love .................................................. .
c. Their neighbours, too, are fond of .................................................. .
d. How can you mend a .................................................. heart!
e. .................................................. in Dubai, I know all the roads by
heart.
f. .................................................. of the oods, we moved to a higher
place.
g. Don’t you dare ..................................................to me?
h. We would love .................................................. in this competition
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Lesson The Umbrella Man
13
Scan Here
How do you think tricksters fool the unwary public?
........................................................................................................................
Audio Script
Read to Understand
Read this story about a cunning man who deceives a mother and a daughter
into buying an expensive umbrella at a throwaway price and how they
realise his true intentions much later. The story is narrated from the
daughter's perspective, a girl of twelve years, which makes the narrative
both interesting and humorous.
I'm going to tell you about a funny thing that happened to my mother and me
yesterday evening. I am twelve years old and I'm a girl. My mother is thirty-four
but I am nearly as tall as her already.
Yesterday afternoon, my mother took me up to London to see the dentist. He
found one hole. It was in a back tooth, and he lled it without hurting me too much.
After that, we went to a café. I had a banana split, and my mother had a cup of
coffee. By the time we got up to leave, it was about six o'clock.
When we came out of the
café, it had started to rain. We
stood on the pavement,
looking for a taxi. Just then a
man came up to us. He was a
small man and pretty old,
probably seventy or more. He
had a ne white moustache
and bushy white eyebrows
and a wrinkly pink face. He
was sheltering under an
umbrella which he held high
over his head.
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“I wonder if I could ask a small favour of you,” he said. “It is only a very small
favour.” I saw my mother looked at him suspiciously. She is a suspicious person,
my mother. She is especially suspicious of two things—strange men and boiled
eggs. When she cuts off the top of a boiled egg, she pokes around inside it with
her spoon as though expecting to nd a mouse or something. With strange men,
she has a golden rule which says, “The nicer the man seems to be, the more
suspicious you must become.” This little old man was particularly nice. He was
polite. He was well-spoken. He was well-dressed. He was a real gentleman. The
reason I knew he was a gentleman was because of his shoes. “You can always
spot a gentleman by the shoes he wears,” was another of my mother's favourite
sayings. This man had beautiful brown shoes. "The truth of the matter is,” the
little man was saying, “I’ve got myself into a bit of a scrape. I need some help. You
see, madam, old people like me often become terribly forgetful ...” “My mother's
chin was up, and she was staring down at him along the full length of her nose. It
was a fearsome thing, this frosty-nosed stare of my mother's. But the little man
with the umbrella over his head didn't bat an eyelid. He gave a gentle smile and
shifted his umbrella from one hand to the other. “I've never forgotten it before,” he
said. “You've never forgotten what?” my mother asked sternly.
“My wallet,” he said. “I must have left it in my other jacket. I see you're getting
soaked in the rain. And that is why I'm offering you this umbrella of mine to protect
you, and to keep forever, if ... if only ... you would give me in return a pound for my
taxi-fare just to get me home.” My mother was still suspicious. “If you had no
money in the rst place,” she said, “then how did you get here?” “I walked,” he
answered. “Every day I go for a lovely long walk and then I summon a taxi to get
me home. I do it every day of the year. I wish I could walk back, but I can't manage
it on these silly old legs of mine. This umbrella cost me over twenty pounds, but
now it's of no importance so long as I can get home and rest these old legs of
mine.”
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My mother saw me watching her, and she knew exactly what I was telling her.
Now listen, mummy, I was telling her, you simply mustn't take advantage of a
tired old man in this way. She offered to pay the man his taxi fare, but he wouldn't
hear of it. Triumphantly, my mother took out a pound note and held it out to the
little man. He pocketed the pound, handed her the umbrella, raised his hat, gave
a quick bow from the waist, and said, “Thank you, madam, thank you.” Then he
was gone.
Mother was pleased with her silk umbrella and thought the man must be wealthy
to have one and even said that she shouldn't be surprised if he wasn't a titled
person. Sir Harry Goldsworthy or something like that.
Suddenly I saw the man crossing the street, and mother and I were surprised to
see how fast he was walking. He didn't look tired at all, and he was not trying to
look for a taxi. He was bustling along the pavement, sidestepping the other
pedestrians and swinging his arms like a soldier on the march.
“He's up to something,” my mother said, stony-faced. “I'm going to nd out. Come
with me.” She took my arm, and we crossed the street together. We kept
following the little man who was scuttling along like a rabbit, and we had to walk
very fast to keep up with him. Mother called him a barefaced liar, a crook who was
running us off our feet. Soon we saw him getting into a pub. In big letters right
across the front it said THE RED LION. There was a big plate-glass window
along the front of the pub, and we could see through it very well if we went close.
The room we were looking into was full of people, and we saw the little man
making his way through the crowd towards the bar. He gave his order to the
barman who gave him a smallish tumbler lled to the brim. The little man placed a
pound note on the counter, took his glass, and very soon all the drink had
disappeared down his throat in one long pour. “It's ridiculous!” my mummy said.
“Fancy paying a pound for something to swallow in one go!” “It cost him more
than a pound,” I said. “It cost him a twenty-pound silk umbrella.” The little man
was standing by the bar with the empty glass in his hand.
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He was smiling now, and a sort of golden
glow of pleasure was spreading
over his round pink face. Slowly, he
turned away from the bar and edged his
way back through the crowd to where his
hat and coat were hanging. He put on his
hat. He put on his coat. Then, in a
manner so superbly cool and casual that
you hardly noticed anything at all, he
lifted from the coat-rack one of the many
wet umbrellas hanging there, and off he
went.
“Did you see that!” my mother shrieked.
“Did you see what he did!”
“Sssh!” I whispered. “He's coming out!”
We lowered our umbrella to hide our faces, and peered out from
under it.
Out he came. He opened his new umbrella over his
head and scurried off down the road the way
he had come. “So that's his little game!” my
mother said. “Neat,” I said. “Superduper.”
We followed him back to the main street
where we had rst met him, and we
watched him as he proceeded, with no
trouble at all, to exchange his new
umbrella for another pound note. This
time it was a tall thin fellow who didn't
even have a coat or hat. And as soon
as the transaction was completed,
our little man trotted off down the
street and was lost in the crowd.
But this time he went in the
opposite direction.
“You see how clever he is!” my
mother said. “He never goes
to the same pub twice!”
“He could go on doing this
all night,” I said.
“Yes,” my mother said. “Of
course. But I'll bet he
prays like mad for rainy
days.”
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Word Meaning
scrape : a difficult situation that someone causes by being careless
summon : to ask or order someone to come to you
scuttling : running somewhere with short quick steps
pub : a place where you can get drinks and food
EXERC I S E
Read and Write
1. Rapid fire.
a. Mother did not take kindly to the little old man at rst as .................. .
(i) she was suspicious of his intentions
(ii) she was always wary of strangers
b. Mother gave the little old man a pound note as the thought ............. .
(i) he needed help
(ii) he was a genuine person
c. Mother was angry that ............................ .
(i) the little old man had tricked her
(ii) the man had used the pound to buy himself a drink
2. Read the lines and answer the questions that follow.
After that, we went to a cafe. I had a banana split, and my mother had
a cup of coffee. By the time we got up to leave, it was about six o’clock.
When we came out of the cafe, it had started to rain. We stood on the
pavement, looking for a taxi.
a. Who came up to the narrator and her mother when they were
standing on the pavement? Describe this person.
b. What did the narrator feel about this person?
c. How did the narrator’s mother treat the person at first?
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3. Answer the following questions.
a. Why did the narrator say her mother was very suspicious by nature?
b. What was the twelve-year-old girl’s reaction towards the little old
man?
c. What problem did the little old man have? What help did he ask for
from the narrator’s mother?
d. What opinion did the mother have of the little old man after he went
away with the pound note? Did the opinion undergo a change later?
e. With whom did the umbrella man have his second transaction?
What are we told about this person?
Vocabulary
4. Fill in the blanks with words from the box.
regretfully plagued vocabulary reproving renement
a. The people .........................the leader until he gave in to their demands.
b. You have to make a conscious effort to improve your ......................... .
c. The girls were sent to a nishing school to bring in ......................... .
d. Anil accepted .........................that he was to be blamed for his poor
performance.
e. The dignied lady gave a ......................... look at the boisterous
teenagers at the party.
Grammar Zone
Direct speech
Direct speech is the reporting of the exact words a person says: He said, ‘I
am leaving now.’
Direct Speech consists of the introductory or reporting clause: ‘He said’ in
which ‘said’ is the reporting verb.
121 New Spark English Reader Class 7
The second clause in this example is within quotes as it is the exact words
spoken by the person: ‘I am leaving now. It has its own verb: ‘am leaving’.
Read the following example. Notice how the quotation marks and capital
letters and punctuation marks have been placed.
The reporting verbs are in bold letters: ‘It is quite late,’ I said to Mary. ‘We
should go home now.’ (two sentences)
‘Let’s nish our work before we go home,’ said Mary, ‘or Ms. Das will not be
happy with us.’ (split sentence)
I smiled and asked John, ‘Do you know who that man is?’
‘Don’t you know who he is?’ asked John. ‘He is Mary’s brother.’
(two sentences)
‘That school,’ said Rashid, ‘is called “St. Marks High School”.’ (The sentences
has been split in this example, so the next part of the quote starts with a small
letter.) ‘Do you know,’ asked Hari. ‘how to get there?’ (Split sentence)
5. Punctuate the following. Capitalize letters as required. Underline the
reporting verbs and encircle the verbs used within the quotation
marks.
a. the angry giant said to the children go away you cannot play in my
garden
................................................................................................................
b. come here said the teacher let me see how you have written your
composition
................................................................................................................
c. why asked the teacher did you not nish your composition before
leaving the classroom.
................................................................................................................
d. stop that noise said the monitor angrily you are disturbing the class
................................................................................................................
e. it is rather late said malti we should go home now
................................................................................................................
122 New Spark English Reader Class 7
f. i have baked those cookies said my sister I hope you like them
................................................................................................................
g. lets go to the mall said mom we need to buy a gift for grandma its her
birthday tomorrow
...............................................................................................................
Speaking
What will you do if you are ever tricked by a person such as the Umbrella
Man? Talk about your response to the situation, in class.
Writing
You are very eager to see a one-day international cricket match between
Australia and Nepal that is going to be held in your city. Your parents have
promised to get four tickets for you and your friends as all of you have done well
in your exams. All the four of you are looking forward to seeing your favourite
cricketers in action. Your father manages to get the tickets from an agent at
almost double the price. Armed with binoculars, caps and sandwiches, the four
of you reach the gates of the stadium in a state of great excitement. Imagine your
shock when the man at the gate refuses to let you in as the tickets are fake and
you realise that your father has been swindled.
Write a description of your initial feelings of excitement and anticipation, the
preparations you make for watching the match, and your state of mind when the
guard at the gate hands the tickets back to you.
Listening and Writing Scan Here
Listen to the audio and answer the following questions.
1. Who won the award fo the best male singer of the year.
2. “ You have to give us a treat. “Who said this line?
a. sumit b. suraj Audio Script
3. I am holding a party at my home this ........................ .
a. Friday b. Saturday
4. Party starts at ........................ . b. 7 pm
a. 5 pm
5. But you may come a little earlier and help my mother. What figure of
speech is used here?
123 New Spark English Reader Class 7
Lesson The Scarecrow
14
Scan Here
Where do you nd scarecrow?
........................................................................................................................
Audio Script
Read to Understand
Even a mannequin in rags can be a useful object. Let's use the brains God
has given us.
All winter through I bow my head
beneath the driving rain;
the North Wind powders me with snow
and blows me black again;
at midnight ‘neath a maze of stars
I ame with glittering rime,
and stand above the stubble, stiff
as mail at morning-prime.
But when that child called Spring, and all
his host of children come,
scattering their buds and dew upon
these acres of my home,
some rapture in my rags awakes;
I lift void eyes and scan
the sky for crows, those ravening foes,
of my strange master, Man.
I watch him striding lank behind
124 New Spark English Reader Class 7
his clashing team, and know
soon will the wheat swish body high
where once lay a sterile snow;
soon I shall gaze across a sea
of sun-begotten grain,
which my uninching watch
hath sealed for harvest once again.
Word Meaning
scarecrow : a gure of a person dressed in old clothes, set up in a eld to
prevent and other harming a crop
driving
powders : the rain beating down forcefully
maze : sprinkles with powdery white snow
ame : web; so many stars all over the sky (here)
rime : glow
stubble : a coating of particles of ice
: hard stumps and stalks of plants left when the crop has
rapture
void been cut
scan : great happiness; delight
ravening : empty; here, expressionless
foes : look over the great expanse of the sky (here)
striding : describing the crows that come to eat the grain
lank : enemies
sterile : proudly walking with long steps (here)
gaze : thin
: free from bacteria
: look steadily and intently
EXERC I S E
Read and Write
1. Rapid fire.
a. All through the .............................. the scarecrow has nothing to do.
(i) winter (ii) summer
b. The wind is coming from the ........................................... .
(i) north pole (ii) south pole
125 New Spark English Reader Class 7
c. The scarecrow lifts its dull eyes and searches the vast sky
for .................................. .
(i) a palace (ii) nest silks
2. Fill in the blanks to complete the summary of the poem.
All ........................ the cold ...................., the scarecrow had to keep its
...................... bowed as the ................ beat down on it forcefully. The
.................................. powdered the scarecrow with ...................... . The
snow turned into ................... and at.................when the stars shone on the
body of the scarecrow, it seemed to be ........................ and glowing. The
scarecrow was seen in the morning standing up straight in the middle of the
...................... of the previous crop of wheat. Spring arrived and the
scarecrow compared it to a ................ as everything is born again in the
spring. Spring brought with it the young owers, the ....................... . The
.................. that the scarecrow considered its home were covered with dew
and young plants. A kind of .............................. lled the scarecrow. His work
began. He .................... up at the skies and his ................ eyes searched for
the ....................... , the .......................... of humans. The ..........................
came to eat the crops and it was the work of the scarecrow to scare them
away.
3. Answer the following questions.
a. Why is Spring called a child?
b. Who are the children of Spring and why are they called ‘children’?
c. Why is the adjective ‘void’ used to describe the eyes of the
scarecrow?
d. Why is the eld of ripened wheat compared to a sea?
e. Is there a hint of sadness at times in the poem?
126 New Spark English Reader Class 7
Vocabulary
4. Use the following words and phrases in sentences of your own.
speak about someone behind his/her back; try your hand; in a long-
suffering manner; task at hand; get away from it all; this most chaotic
juncture; like a colonel commanding a unit; an eagle eye
Grammar Zone
Present Tense .
Use the simple present tense for actions, thoughts and feelings and habits as
they exist in the present and also for universal truths. He is at work. This shirt
looks new. I feel sleepy. I see the tide coming in. Dad works in a hotel. He
doesn't travel to work by metro. The earth revolves around the Sun.
Use the simple present tense to refer to the future: Mom's plane arrives at six
tomorrow morning. .
Use the present continuous tense to refer to temporary situations, things
happening in the present, regular habitual actions and also future actions: He
is staying at a hotel. She is always crying. (I can hear her.) Mom is arriving
tomorrow morning.
5. Underline the correct simple present or present continuous forms
in the sentences given below.
a. Rita has/is having a cold.
b. Are you enjoying/enjoy this lm?
c. These roses have/are having a nice scent.
d. We don't know/are not knowing where Sheila has gone.
e. He weighs/is weighing a hundred kilograms.
f. Those jeans look/are looking nice on you.
g. Axel doesn't understand / is not understanding English. He comes/is
coming from Germany.
h. Oh no! I am thinking/think the milk has boiled over.
127 New Spark English Reader Class 7
Past Tense .
Use the simple past tense for actions that happened one after the other in
the past, for actions that happened at a denite time in the past; for past
habits or states: I wrapped the gift, put a tag on it and wrote my sister's
name on the tag. I bought the gift at the mall yesterday evening. We
used to meet in the park at six every evening last summer.
Use these time expressions with the simple past tense: this morning,
yesterday, last week/month/year; in 2012/13, just now, etc. .
Use the past continuous tense for an action that was happening at a stated
time in the past; a past action that was happening when it was interrupted by
another action; two or more actions that were happening at the same time in
the past: They were sitting in the classroom at 8:30 this morning. While they
were sitting in the classroom, the Principal suddenly walked in. While Mom
was reading the newspaper, Dad was getting ready to leave for work and
Grandma was sitting in the garden. Use these time words and phrases with
the past continuous tense: while, when, as, yesterday, last night, week,
month, year, two minutes/hours/days/months/ years ago etc.
6. Complete the given sentence with the simple past or the past
continuous forms of the base verbs given in the brackets.
It .................... (be) a cold winter night. We ......................(decide) we'd be
more comfortable in bed. So we ........................(go) to bed early for a change.
I ...................(read) a story book while my brother ......................... (change)
into his night-suit when we rst ...................... (hear) a strange scratching
noise on the window pane. We .................. (peer) out of the window and
................... (see) a tiny bird. It ........................... (sit) on the ledge outside the
window. It .................. (shiver). My brother ..................... (open) the window,
but the bird .................. (not y) away. One of its legs ................... (seem) to
be injured. I ................ (pick) it up and ................ (put) it gently onto my
writing desk. While I .................. (look) for an old shoe box, my brother
.................. (fold) a soft towel. Soon the bird ..................(be) warm and
comfortable in the shoe box. We ..................(switch) off the light and
.....................(go) to bed.
128 New Spark English Reader Class 7
Speaking
Which is your favourite time of the day? Discuss in the class.
Writing
Describe the scarecrow in your own words. List any three activities of the
scarecrow. Scan Here
A Rare Kind of Squirrel
By Jacquic Durrell
Read the passage and answer the questions. Audio Script
(you can also listen to the audio)
It was during our stay in Mamfe that we found a creature who became my
particular favourite, a very rare kind of squirrel, who because of her minute size, I
called small. Small soon ruled my life. She was a dear little thing, still blind and
helpless, so she needed all the warmth and attention which I could give her. The
most important thing was to construct a suitable nest which was also big enough
to take a hot water bottle.
Eventually I found a small square biscuit tin in which I placed a hot-water bottle,
covered with a cotton blanket, and then lined the whole thing with cotton-wool,
Into this I put Small. It was rather like a carry-cot and I took it everywhere I went,
for like all babies, Small had to be fed regularly and often, and also she fretted if I
left her alone. To begin with her food consisted of a milk mixture which was
administered to her with an eye-dropper. .
She was never a problem child and soon learned to cling to the dropper with her
front paws while I controlled the ow and the rest between dropper-fuls in case
she got wind. She soon grew into a very lovely squirrel with an orange head and
neat black-rimmed ears, and her gingery body had a rich moss-green tinge with
a line of white spots running down each side; but it was her tail that was her true
glory-long and thick, green on top and vivid orange underneath which she kept
curved over her back, the tip hanging over her nose. She was absolutely tame
from the moment she opened her eyes, and I could do literally anything with her
she loved to be tickled, which would send her into a trance.
Answer these questions.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?
2. How do you know?
3. Underline the most important information in each paragraph.
4. Write a summary. Tell what is the most important.
129 New Spark English Reader Class 7
WORKSHEET-7
1. Tick (ü) the correct words.
a. Mother gave the little old man a pound note as the thought.............. .
(i) he needed help
(ii) he was a genuine person
b. The scarecrow lifts its dull eyes and searches the vast sky for
............................. .
(i) a palace (ii) nest silks
c. The wind is coming from the ....................... .
(i) north pole (ii) south pole
2. Read the lines and answer the questions that follow.
After that, we went to a cafe. I had a banana split, and my mother had
a cup of coffee. By the time we got up to leave, it was about six o’clock.
When we came out of the cafe, it had started to rain. We stood on the
pavement, looking for a taxi.
a. Who came up to the narrator and her mother when they were
standing on the pavement? Describe this person.
..........................................................................................................
b. What did the narrator feel about this person?
..........................................................................................................
c. How did the narrator’s mother treat the person at first?
...........................................................................................................
3. Answer the following questions.
a. What opinion did the mother have of the little old man after he went
away with the pound note? Did the opinion undergo a change later?
b. With whom did the umbrella man have his second transaction? What
are we told about this person?
130 New Spark English Reader Class 7
c. Why is the eld of ripened wheat compared to a sea?
d. Who are the children of Spring and why are they called ‘children’?
e. Why is the adjective ‘void’ used to describe the eyes of the
scarecrow?
4. Fill in the blanks to complete the summary of the poem.
All ........................ the cold ...................., the scarecrow had to keep
its ...................... bowed as the ................ beat down on it forcefully.
The .................. ................ powdered the scarecrow with .................... .
The snow turned into ................... and at.................when the stars
shone on the body of the scarecrow, it seemed to be ........................
and glowing. The scarecrow was seen in the morning standing up
straight in the middle of the...................... of the previous crop of wheat.
Spring arrived and the scarecrow compared it to a ................ as
everything is born again in the spring. Spring brought with it the young
owers, the ...................... . The .................. that the scarecrow
considered its home were covered with dew and young plants. A kind of
..............................lled the scarecrow. His work began. He .................
up at the skies and his ................ eyes searched for the .......................
, the ......................... of humans. The .......................... came to eat the
crops and it was the work of the scarecrow to scare them away.
5. Fill in the blanks with words from the box.
regretfully plagued vocabulary reproving refinement
a. The people .........................the leader until he gave in to their
demands.
b. You have to make a conscious effort to improve your ...................... .
c . The girls were sent to a nishing school to bring in ........................ .
d. Anil accepted .........................that he was to be blamed for his poor
performance.
e. The dignied lady gave a ......................... look at the boisterous
teenagers at the party.
131 New Spark English Reader Class 7
6. Complete these simple sentences suitably.
a. The students ................................................................................... .
b. The crowd ........................................................................................ .
c. The train .......................................................................................... .
d. One of the horses ........................................................................... .
e. The chopped tree ..............................................................................
7. Add a comma wherever necessary.
a. When it stops raining we can go out.
b. The teacher was dictating and the students were writing.
c. I didn't go to work for I was sick.
d. Because of the storm the ship couldn't reach the shore on time.
e. While my sister was cleaning her room I was giving my bicycle a
wash.
8. Punctuate the following. Capitalise letters as required. Underline
the reporting verbs and encircle the verbs used within the
quotation marks.
a. the angry giant said to the children go away you cannot play in my
garden
................................................................................................................
b. come here said the teacher let me see how you have written your
composition
................................................................................................................
c. why asked the teacher did you not nish your composition before
leaving the classroom.
...............................................................................................................
d. stop that noise said the monitor angrily you are disturbing the class
...............................................................................................................
e. it is rather late said malti we should go home now
...............................................................................................................
f. i have baked those cookies said my sister I hope you like them
..............................................................................................................
g. lets go to the mall said mom we need to buy a gift for grandma its
her birthday tomorrow
.............................................................................................................
132 New Spark English Reader Class 7
Lesson The Three Questions
15
Scan Here
Do you complete your work in time?
........................................................................................................................
Audio Script
Read to Understand
In this fast-paced world, everyone tries to do more than they can complete in
a day. If we learn to manage time effectively, we can complete all our work in
time.
Once there was a king. He wanted
to know the answers to three
important question which were
puzzling him. He thought that he
would never fail in anything he
might undertake if he knew the
answers to those questions.
His three questions were —
How can I learn to do the right
thing at the right time?
Who are the people I need the
most to help me with the work?
How do I know which is the most
important thing to do?
The King said, “I announce a great reward to anyone who can give the right
answers to my questions.”
The most learned men came to the kingdom. Each one had a different
answer to the King's rst question.
One of them said, “For every action, we should draw up a plan in advance, a
table of days, months and years, and must live strictly according to the plan.
Only with this timetable, everything can be done at a proper time.”
133 New Spark English Reader Class 7
Another scholar declared, “It is impossible to decide the right time for every
action. If you avoid getting absorbed in idle pastimes and attend to all that is
going on around you, you can manage the most important tasks.” The third
scholar said, “However attentive the King might be to what is going on, it is
impossible for one man to decide correctly the right time for every action. I think
that the King should set up a Council of wise men, who would help him to x the
proper time for everything.”
Some scholars contradicted this and said, 'Some things might demand
immediate action. Of course, for this, we need to know what is going to happen in
the future. Only magicians can tell the King what is going to happen in the future.
Therefore, one must consult them.”
Equally various were the answers to the second question. Some said, “The King
needs his councillors the most.” Some said doctors, some said priests while the
others said soldiers.
The answers to the third question were even more confusing. They ranged from
focusing on science to warfare to religious worship.
The resulting confusion led the King to meet a hermit, who was widely known for
his wisdom. The hermit lived in the woods and never met anyone but common
people.
The King disguised himself as a common man and went to meet the hermit.
When the King reached the woods, the hermit was digging the ground for
planting herbs. Seeing the King, he greeted him and went on digging.
The hermit was frail and weak, and each time he stuck his spade into the ground
and turned a little soil, he breathed heavily.
The King waited, but the hermit continued to work. The King decided that he
would ask the questions anyway. “I have come to you, wise hermit, to ask you to
answer three questions. My questions are—
How can I learn to do the right thing at the right time?
Who are the people I need the most to help me with the work?
How do I know which is the most important thing to do?
134 New Spark English Reader Class 7
The hermit continued digging without giving answers to the King’s questions. He
looked terribly tired. The King said, “You look tired. Can I help you?” and took the
spade from him and started digging. After he had dug two beds, the King
repeated his questions. The hermit gave no answer. The King went on digging.
The sun was sinking behind the trees. They suddenly heard footsteps. Someone
was running towards the hermit’s hut. He was bleeding from a large wound in his
stomach. He fell fainting on the ground when he reached the hermit and the King.
They took him inside the hut. The King cleaned the wound repeatedly and
covered it with his handkerchief and with a towel the hermit had. The blood
stopped owing after a few hours, but the King and the hermit continued to take
care of the wounded man all night. In the morning, when the man awoke, he
stared at the King for a few seconds. He was overcome with shame when he
realised it was the King who had saved his life.
135 New Spark English Reader Class 7
“Forgive me,” cried the man when the King looked at him.
“I have nothing to forgive you for. Who are you?” said the King. “I am your enemy
from the neighbouring kingdom, who had sworn to kill you because you had
killed my brother in a battle. When I heard that you were coming to meet hermit in
disguise, I followed you so that I could kill you. Your men, however, caught and
wounded me. How can I thank you for saving my life? If you hadn’t dressed my
wound and looked after me, I would have bled to death. From this day onwards, I
will serve you as your most faithful slave and will ask my sons to support you.
Forgive me!”
A little later, the King went out to see the hermit
again. “I am asking you for the last time. Can
you give me the answers to my questions?”
“Do you still need an answer from me in
words? When you came to see me, you saw
me working and when you saw that I was
getting tired, you decided to help me. If you
hadn't decided to stay and help, you would
have been killed by your enemy on your way
back. I would say that the most important
action was helping me. The most important
person was someone whom you were
helping, me rst and the wounded man later. If
that man had died, he wouldn't have made
peace with you. Therefore, the most important time is always NOW. The most
important PERSON is the one who needs your help. The most important
ACTION is to comfort the person who needs help.”
136 New Spark English Reader Class 7
Word Meaning
in advance : well before the time of action
getting absorbed : paying deep attention to
attend to : to deal with something or someone
council : a team of advisers
contradicted : argued against
hermit : a person who chooses to live alone and far away
disguised from society
: (the King) made changes in his appearance so that
the others couldn’t recognise him
EXERC I S E
Read and Write
1. Rapid fire.
a. This story is about how .............................. .
(i) an enemy changes a king’s mind
(ii) a hermit imparts wisdom to a king
b. The sun was sinking behind the .............................. .
(i) trees (ii) hills
c. In the morning, when the man awoke, he stared at the king for
a .............................. .
(i) few minutes (ii) few seconds
d. The King went to meet the hermit because .............................. .
(i) the hermit was known for his wisdom
(ii) the King was a friend of the hermit
2. Read the lines and answer the questions that follow.
The King waited, but the hermit continued to work. The King decided
that he would ask the questions anyway. “I have come to you, wise
hermit, to ask you to answer three questions.”
137 New Spark English Reader Class 7
a. Who continued to work?
b. What did the King decide?
3. Answer the following questions.
a. Do you think that the King was foolish? Why did he go to meet the
hermit?
b. Do you think that the King was humble? Give reasons for your
answer.
c. The hermit didn’t pay any attention to the King while he was digging.
Why do you
think he did so?
d. How did the hermit succeed in teaching the King what he needed to
learn?
e. Describe briey the message that the hermit was trying to make the
King understand?
4. Circle the word in each group that is spelt correctly.
announce anounce announe
emmediate immediate imediate
desguised thisguised disguised
repeatedly reapatedly ripeatedly
foollowed folowed followed
Grammar Zone
Indefinite Pronouns
Read these sentences and note the words in green.
No one understood the problem Mehak faced.
Each of the girls was very hungry.
The coloured words are called indenite pronouns.
Indenite pronouns are called so because they do not refer to the exact
person or thing being spoken about.
138 New Spark English Reader Class 7
Some other indenite pronouns are none, nobody, everyone, everything,
someone, anyone, any, you, and others.
5. Fill in the blanks with indefinite pronouns.
a. The stranger knocked at the door, but ............................. opened it.
b. ............................. must have switched off all the lights. The room is
quite dark.
c. ............................. participated in the quiz competition on Saturday.
d. This sum is too difcult for .............................to solve.
e. ............................. must take care of the environment.
f. ............................ has walked all over my carpet with muddy shoes
and made it dirty.
g. ............................. must follow the trafc regulations to avoid
accidents while driving on the road.
h. What do ............................. have to say on the matter?
Speaking
Do you agree with the hermit that the most important time is NOW? Have a
short discussion on this topic.
Writing
‘Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing
himself’. Write your views about this statement.
139 New Spark English Reader Class 7
Discussion topic- pets and animals
Read the questions below and discuss them with your partner.
(you can also listen to the audio) Scan Here
Student 1
1. How old is your pet?
2. Where did you get your pet from? Audio Script
3. Who takes care of your pet?
4. What does your pet look like (colour, breed, etc)?
5. What do you feed your pet?
6. Do you play with your pet?
7. What is your pets name?
8. How did you choose your pet’s name?
9. Does your pet know any tricks or understand any words?
10. What is your favourite animal? Why?
Student 2
1. Would you like to have a pet?
2. Do you know someone who owns an unusual pet?
3. What are some animals that live in your country?
4. What can people learn from animals?
5. Can you name some endangered species?
6. Have you ever been to a farm? What animals did you see there?
7. Have you ever been to zoo? What animals did you see there?
8. Do you think animals should be kept in zoo?
9. What is the difference between a pet and a wild animal?
10. Do you think that animals dream?
140 New Spark English Reader Class 7
Lesson ‘Hope’ is the Thing
16 with Feathers
Scan Here
Have you ever felt hopeless in a difcult situation?
........................................................................................................................
Audio Script
Read to Understand
Some children who have to leave their home and live in a refugee camp and
experience several difculties. Do such children give up hope?
‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers—
That perches in the soul—
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops—at all—
And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—
And sore must be the storm—
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm—
I’ve heard it in the chillest land—
And on the strangest Sea—
Yet—never—in Extremity,
It asked a crumb—of me.
141 New Spark English Reader Class 7
Word Meaning
gale : a strong wind, (here) a difcult situation
abash : to shame by destroying the self-condence of
extremity : (here) a very bad situation
EXERC I S E
Read and Write
1. Rapid fire.
a. What is gale?
(i) Windy or strong storm
(ii) A gentle wind
b. In this poem, the poet compares hope to ................................ .
(i) storm (ii) wind
2. Read the lines and answer the questions that follow.
And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—
And sore must be the storm—
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm.
a. Does Hope leave us when we are in great trouble?
b. What keeps the troubled person warm?
3. Answer the following questions.
a. What is the poem about? What makes you think so?
b. Why does Hope perch in the soul?
c. What keeps the troubled person warm?
d. Have you heard people say that ‘dreams take wings’? What do the
words mean?
142 New Spark English Reader Class 7
4. Match the words in column A with their meanings in column B.
AB
a. superstition money that you pay regularly into a special
plan made into a fund by an employee to
wards a future pension
b. superimpose not needed or wanted
c. superscript place one over another so that both can be
seen
d. supersede manage or oversee
e. superuous written or printed above a letter, number,
or symbol
f. superintend one thing replacing another
g. superable blind belief
h. superannuation able to be overcome
Grammar Zone
Gerunds
A gerund is a noun formed by adding -ing to a verb. It describes an action.
Read these sentences to learn how gerunds can be used in different ways.
Fighting will not help either of you. (gerund used as the subject of the
sentence)
Fighting for a cause is good. (gerund clause as the subject of the
sentence)
Rose loves cooking. (gerund as direct object)
Emily never gives cooking much of her energy and time. (gerund as
indirect object)
Prometheus was good at making things ready for the future. (gerund
clause as complement of a preposition)
5. Fill in the blanks with gerund construnctions of your choice.
a. .............................................................. is a healthy activity.
b. .............................................................. is bad for your teeth.
c. .............................................................. is an enjoyable hobby.
d. Rashi likes .................................................... on the seashore.
143 New Spark English Reader Class 7
e. Karan does not believe in .............................................................. .
f. Mother dislikes .............................................................. .
6. Rewrite these sentences using a gerund in place of the infinitive.
a. Gaurav likes to play cricket with his friends.
.............................................................................................................
b. To drink too many cups of coffee is not good.
............................................................................................................
c. I like to walk on wet grass during summer.
............................................................................................................
d. To play with crackers can be dangerous.
............................................................................................................
e. It is easy to nd fault with others.
............................................................................................................
f. To choose a good career is not easy.
............................................................................................................
Speaking
Do you think children in refugee camps will relate to this poem better than
the others? Why/why not? Discuss in the class.
Writing
You bought an alarm clock from a supermarket near your hostel to help you
wake up in time for school. The clock worked for a day and then stopped
working. You noticed that there was no gurantee card in the box the clock
was packed in. Write a letter to the manager of the supermarket and ask for
a refund or replacement.
144 New Spark English Reader Class 7
The Three Brothers
Read the passage and answer the questions. (you can also listen to the
audio)
Once upon a time there were three brothers living all alone in a faraway land.
Their names were: Strong-Arm, Wise-Head and Good-Heart. Strong-Arm spent
all his time very happily running, Jumping, throwing spears and swimming in the
river. Wise-Head too was very happy. He spent all his time reading, writing,
learning, and making things with his hands. Good-Heart was the happiest of all.
He spent all his time helping his brothers and cooking their food.
But as they grew older, the three brothers began to wonder whether they were
really completely happy. So one day the Queen of the Good Spirits decided to
teach them something. She changed herself into a little girl. and sat on the top
branch of a great silk-cotton tree that no-one could ever climb calling “calling”
“Help Help!”
Good-Heart was always ready to help anyone in trouble and he looked up and
saw the little girl. But how could he get her down? He didn’t know. So he asked
his brothers for help. Wise-Head thought about the problem. He worked out the
height of the tree, made a long piece of thin string and tied a stone to one end of
it. Then he told Strong-Arm to throw the stone over the highest branch. When the
stone fell to the ground again the string was right over the branch. Then Wise-
Head tied a long thick rope to the string and pulled the other string until the rope
to go right over the branch and down again. But Wise-Head couldn’t climb the
rope himself He had to get Strong-Arm’s help again. So Strong-Arm climbed up
the rope and brought the little girl safely to the ground. The three brothers all felt
wonderfully happy because they had saved the little girl. They laughed, and
danced and sang. And just at that moment the little girl became the Queen of the
Good Spirits once again, and this is what she said: Now you have learnt that
being only strong or only wise or only good is not the best thing. The best thing is
to be strong and wise and good.
So the three brothers lived happily all their life, doing things together, and joining
goodness with wisdom and strength. And their names became mixed up and
they became known by everyone as Wise-Arm, Good-Head and Strong Heart.
. Scan Here
Answer the following questions.
1. What is the theme that the writer wants you to
understand from this story? Audio Script
2. What is the main idea of the passage?
3. Underline the facts from the passage that support the main idea.
145 New Spark English Reader Class 7
WORKSHEET-8
1. Tick (ü) the correct words.
a. In the morning, when the man awoke, he stared at the king for a
.............................. . (ii) few seconds
(i) few minutes
b. In this poem the poet compares hope to.............. .
(i) storm (ii) wind
c. This story is about how....................... .
(i) an enemy changes a king’s mind
(ii) a hermit imparts wisdom to a king
2. Read the lines and answer the questions that follow.
The King waited, but the hermit continued to work. The King decided
that he would ask the qestions anyway. “I have come to you, wise
hermit, to ask you to
answer three questions.”
a. Who continued to work?
b. What did the King decide?
3. Answer the following questions.
a. What is the poem about? What makes you think so?
b. Do you think that the king was humble?
c. Give reason for your answer.
d. What keeps the troubled person warm.
e. Why does hope perch in the soul?
4. Fill in the blanks with indefinite pronouns.
a. The stranger knocked at the door, but ............................. opened it.
b. ............................. must have switched off all the lights. The room is
quite dark.
c. ............................. participated in the quiz competition on Saturday.
d. This sum is too difficult for .............................to solve.
146 New Spark English Reader Class 7
e. ............................. must take care of the environment.
f. ............................ has walked all over my carpet with muddy shoes
and made it dirty.
g. ............................. must follow the trafc regulations to avoid
accidents while driving on the road.
h. What do ............................. have to say on the matter?
5. Complete the table by writing the noun forms of the adjectives.
Use these suffixes and change spellings as required: ity; ism;
ship; ment; ence; sion; hood; tion; ance
Adjectives Nouns Adjectives Nouns
admirable ........................ insecure ........................
amazing ........................ negative ........................
condent ........................ opposing ........................
important ........................ lively ........................
friendly ........................
6. Place these words in the correct columns.
session, confusion, expression, revision, comprehension, decision,
mission, confession, diversion, version, discussion, division, pension,
occasion
When ‘sion’ sounds as in television When ‘sion’ sounds as in permission
..................................... .....................................
..................................... .....................................
..................................... .....................................
..................................... .....................................
..................................... .....................................
..................................... .....................................
..................................... .....................................
.....................................
147 New Spark English Reader Class 7
7. Underline the gerunds in these sentences and.
a. Swimming is an excellent exercise.
b. The thief was convicted for shoplifting.
c. My brother likes mountaineering and white-water rafting.
d. Dad came home after the meeting.
e. Tourists enjoy sightseeing.
f. I don’t like window-shopping.
g. I got the strangest feeling that someone was looking at me.
h. At the beginning of the show I knew it would be wonderful and it was.
8. Put these noun into the correct columns. Add three more
examples to each category.
determination, athlete, history, cowardice, swarm, regiment,
elegance, telephone, Harry Potter, crowd, wheel, staff, Russia,
blanket, strength, Antarctica, juicer, Japan, galaxy,
Common Proper Collective Abstract
.................... ..................... .................. ................
..................... .................... .................. ................
..................... .................... .................. ................
..................... .................... .................. ................
9. Read these sentences and identify whether they are simple,
complex, or compound sentences.
a. The burnt victim was rushed to the hospital without delay. ................
b. The match ended when the referee blew the whistle. ........................
c. Seema was delighted to know that her uncle was coming the
next day. ...........................
d. Winter has set in, and most of the birds have migrated to warmer
regions. ...........................
e. The girls liked the programme very much. ...........................
f. It is not good to go bed late. ...........................
148 New Spark English Reader Class 7
Lesson The Washwoman
17
Do you think old people who are weak and senile should continue working
as long as they are able to? Scan Here
........................................................................................................................
Read to Understand Audio Script
Read this story about an old woman who believed in working hard till her
death. Find out why it was so.
She was a small woman, old and wrinkled. When she started washing for us, she
was already past seventy. Most Jewish women of her age were sickly, weak,
broken in body. All the old women in our street had bent backs and leaned on
sticks when they walked. But this washwoman, small and thin as she was,
possessed a strength that came from generations of peasant forebears. Mother
would count out to her a bundle of laundry that had accumulated over several
weeks. She would lift the
unwieldy pack, load it on her
narrow shoulders, and carry it
the long way home. It must
have been a walk of an hour
and a half. She would bring the
laundry back about two weeks
later. My mother had never
been so pleased with any
washwoman. Every piece of
linen sparkled like polished
silver. Every piece was neatly
ironed. Yet she charged no
more than the others. She was
a real nd.
149 New Spark English Reader Class 7
Mother always had her money ready, because it was too far for the old woman to
come a second time.
Laundering was not easy in those days. The old woman had no faucet where she
lived but had to bring in the water from a pump. For the linens to come out so
clean, they had to be scrubbed thoroughly in a washtub, rinsed with washing
soda, soaked, boiled in an enormous pot, starched, and then ironed. Every piece
was handled ten times or more. And the drying! It could not be done outside
because thieves would steal the laundry. The wrung-out wash had to be carried
up to the attic and hung on clotheslines. In the winter it would become as brittle as
glass and almost break when touched. And there was always a to-do with other
housewives and washwomen who wanted the attic clotheslines for their own use.
Only God knows all that the old woman had to endure each time she did a wash!
She could have begged at the church door or entered a home for the penniless
and aged. But the old woman did not want to become a burden, and so she bore
her burden. My mother spoke a little Polish, and the old woman would talk with
her about many things. She was especially fond of me. The woman had a son
who was rich. He was ashamed of his mother, the washwoman, and never came
to see her. The old woman told this without rancour. One day, the son was
married. It seemed that he had made a good match. The wedding took place in a
church. The son had not invited the old mother to his wedding, but she went to the
church and waited at the steps to see her son lead the 'young lady' to the altar.
That winter was a harsh one. The streets were in the grip of a bitter cold. No
matter how much we heated our stove, the windows were covered with frost work
and decorated with icicles. The newspapers reported that people were dying of
the cold. Coal became dear.
On one such day, the washwoman, now nearly eighty years old, came to our
house. A good deal of laundry had accumulated during the past weeks. Mother
gave her a pot of tea to warm herself, as well as some bread. The old woman sat
on a kitchen chair, trembling and shaking, and warmed her hands against the
teapot.
150 New Spark English Reader Class 7
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