Studying English:Events

Book III

Geetha Premaratne BA tJJ".a"oiya), IVIA (Honolulu)

Senior Lecturer in EnglishUniversity of Sri Jayawardenepura

Published in the student Readers Project of the English Associationof Sri Lanka on behalf of the University of Sri Jayawardenepura

O 1992, University of Sri Jayawardenepura

Affiliated University CollegesEnglish Programme

Academic Coordinator: Geetha PremararneConsultant: Prof. (Miss) Chitra Wickramasuriya BA (Hons) (London),

PGCE (Ceylon), MA (Education) (London)

English Association of Sri LankaStudent Readers Project

Chief Editor: Nirmali Hettiarachchi BA (Hons) (Peradeniya)

Studying English SeriesEditor: RajivaWijesinha MA, D Phil (Oxon)

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any formwithout permission in writing from the University of Sri Jayawardenepura.

ISBN-9068 -L6-4Illustrated by Bandula PierisCover Design by Prasanna Liyanage

The Studying English Series is published by the English Associationof Sri Lanka with the assistance of a grant from the Canadian

International Development Agency.

INTRODUCTION

The reading material in this book is selected from a number of real life texts' You will read, write and

talk about all sorts of events. In the process you will use language for various purposes; for stating times

and dates; for putting things in ""qrr"rr"";

for referring to events - what happened and when and why and

*rr"""; and for .ef".iing to'people - who they "." ".td

what they do and how they react and respond to

events.

When working with these books remember that they gre designed to help s-ty{e1ts to learn English

through active use of the language. Particular funct-ions and slructures are highlighted in each Unit'

The exercises included are mainly to encourage further usage of these grammatical structures' The

vocabulary that is introduced will help studenti to develop "ottftd"tt."

in using these-constructions' The

following iist therefore only includes what is useful to students when going through each unit'

The course, however, is meant to be cyclic; that is, other constructions are used in this book while the

constructions highlighted in this book are also used in others. In dealing with any subject a variety of

constructions are bound to occur. Students should be made familiar with the variations possible, even

though in each book only a few ofthese are stressed'

FunctionsUnit 1

Unit 2

Unit 3

Unit 4

Structures

Unit 1

Unit 2 - a)

Unit 3 - a)

In this book students should focus on -

Describing and comprehending events in relation to

a) precise times andb) dates.a) Distinguishingimportant facts and main points

b) understanding main points in relation to descriptive detail

c) Describing eventsa) understanding and expressing physical background to events (time, weather" place)

b) Describing familY eventsHistorical narratives

a)

b)

a)b)

b)

b)

Using past continuous forms of verbsEg. Ii"" Iistening to the radio news when you woke up last morning.

Using simple present forms to state routinesEg. Iwake up at 5.00 a.m.

Sequence markers and time PhrasesEg. First,she dusted the table; then, stre swept the floor'

N-oun phrases: how theY exPandEg. Ship: a rescue shiP.

Dependent clausesEg. When it rainsNoun clauses and how they connect to main clauses

Eg.I didn't know: he kept going to that place

I didn't know why he kept going to that place'

Expansion of sentencesAdjectival and Adverbial clausesEg. The boy who won the race is my neighbour's son'

Unit 4

VocabuIary

Unit 1 - a) Cardinal and Ordinal numbersEg. One; First

b) Days and monthsc) Datesd) Eventse) Countries, cities and nationalitiesI).

l_gop]", objects, places, actions related to events- a) Words related to space-_ names of planets, etc.

b) Words/Phrases reiated to time _ ,"qrr"r"" markers, time phrasesc) Words that express feel ings

---- -- 'er 'rvrp' u

- Words and expressions that iefer to weather, time of day / year- Word groups related to people, objects, actions, events etc.

Unit 2

Unit 3Unit 4

Writing

Unit 1

Unit 2

Unit 3

Unit 4

Reading

Unit 1 -.

Unit 2

Unit 3

.a] lglstructing sentences using who, what, when, whereb) Writing announcements of eientsc) Writing short news itemsd) Writing a description of an eventa) Writing an account of one's personal lifeb) writing an account of a very special day, focussing on the sequence of events.a] lg1s.tructing sentences witir dlpendent clausesb) Writing about family eventsWriting about regional, national, international events

a) Locating important facts

Ill. times, days and duration of programmes(ii) names of programmes

' (iii) frpes of events(iv) p"oot" and places

b) Understanding the main ideaa) Reading for specific information

(i) events with dates(ii) names and tiiles of people

b) Reading for main ideac) Detailed Reading

!i) identifying main episodes(ii) details in main^episodes - sequences of events, places, actions, feelingsa) Locating important facts(i) time of day and kind of dav(ii) people and places(iii) 6s1;srr and incidents(iv) duration ofevents

b) Understanding the main ideac) Detailed reading

(i) sequence ofevents(ii) categories ofevents

, (ii i)

.examining different responses to events.rl tteadrng long sentences and examining the componentsb) Locating important facts

(i) important events and dates(ii) names of people and organizations(iii; 01u"""

c) Detailed reading

Iil. reading a second text on the same topic(ii) noting old and new iriformation

l t

Unit 4

UNIT 1DAY. TO.DAY EVENTS

SECTION 1

Introduction

Day - to - day events which make up most of the news in daily newspapers can be divided intotwo types of events.

(a) Planned events(b) Unexpected events

2. Reading about planned Events: programmes

2'L Look at the radio programme given below and answer the. questions that follow.

(a) Which items in the programme give news of events ?Ib] _How many times a day can yoo l-irt"., to news on the radio ?(c) What are fhese times ?

2.1.1 Answer also the following questions(a) At what time does the English radio service begin ?(b) At what time does it end ?(c) How long is the break between the morning and afternoon trahsmissions ?

I

ENGLISH SER\rICE

AM5.55 Stationldentification6.00 hogramme parade6.05 Thought for the day6.10 Sunrise melodie6,45 News and announcementa7.0O Mmical clock7.30 World news7.35 Muical clak (contd.)9.00 End of tmnsmisiionNOON

12.00 Chords and casual conversationPMl.0O Continentalmelodies1.15 News announcemcnts and policenews1.30 Your choice2.00 End of tmnsmission5.00 Focus on sportg.l9 Children's birthdaygrecrings5.45 Thamilli Deauvom6.00 Instrumcntalvarietv6.15 News and unnoun""mcnrs6.30 Listeners'r€quests7.I5 Spotlight7.30 Uni-Walkere sports newsreel7.35 Yeterday's chart ecene8.0O Buddhistforum8.30 Ballads8.,15 News and announcements9.0O News desk9.f5 Radio Playhouse-The adventures of Sherlak

Holmes by Sir Arthu Conan Doyle:2-TheCrcrek Intcrpreter

9.45 Mght music10.00 Close down

2'2 Read the following programmes very quickly to get the information asked for.

For what day of the week is the prograr.nme given ?

When does Transmission 1 begin on Rupavahini ?When does it end ?

When does Transmission 1 begin on ITN ?When does it end ?

Transworld Sports is a late night item on Rupavahini.At what time can you see this ?

What is the duration of the last news telecast on ITN ?

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

RUPAVAIIINI

Transmission'I

6.00 a.m. - Morning Transmission7.00 a.m. - Breakfast Show

10.00 a.m. - Mr. Belvedere10.30 a.m. - Secrets of the Sea11.30 a.m. - Garires of the Nations12.00 a.m. - 'Poorvika'12.30 p.m. - Fol low Me12.55 p.m. - The End

Transmission II

4.30 p.m. - Story Page5.00 p.m. - The Bear, The Tiger

and others5.30 p.m. - 'Thamtralina

6.00 p.m. - Hornage to the TripleGem

ITNTransmission 1

1.00 p.m. - Varanga1.30 p.m. - Hindi Gee2.00 p.m. - Musical Miscellany2.30 p.m. - Wonder Struck3.00 p.m. - The End

Transmission II

4.30 p.m. - Sesame Street5.30 p.m. - Suvanda Padma6.00 p.m. - Theruwan Namadimu6.15 p.m. - Madhu Rasansa6.45 p.m. - Lova Vata7.00 p.m. - Madhu Rasanga

(Contd.)7.30 p.m. - Inter School SAARC

SAF Qdiz8.00 p.m. - Home Sweet Home8.30 p.m. - Disco Rally9.00 p.m. - World Scene9.15 p.m. - Miyasi Visithura

10.00 p.m. - News10.21 p.m. - Miyasi Visithura

(Contd.)10.30 p.m. - The End

Thambalina on Ru-pavahini at 5.30 p.m.

6.15 p.m. -6.30 p.m. -7.00 p.m. -7.30 p.m. -8.00 p.m. -8.30 p.m. -9.00 p.m. -9.30 p.m. -

10.00 p.m. -10.50 p.m. -

Australian ImagesNews'Danuma Sevuma''Sathiye Puwath'News'Raigam Yaluwo'"Saturday Fortune'NewsTransworld SportThe End

2.3 A theatre programme is given in the righthand column. Read it quickly to get newsof entertainment events.Answer the given questions.

What day of the week is called'Today'inthe announcement ?

Name the musical programmes that areavailable ?On what days are they available ?

What plays are available more than onceduring the week ?At wha.t times can you see them ?

What theatres offerentertainment every day of the week ?

For the whole week, there is only one latenight programme available. Give thenarne, time and place of this programme.

Language Practice

When re-ading,-writing or talking about events you must be able to state the time of the day, thedays of the week, the months of the year etc. For this, you must know the numerals - both ordinalsand cardinals.

Numbers from 1- 60

Fill in the gaps in the chart below with appropriate words and numbers.

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

3.

3.1

12345

1011t213L4

::

20

:

srxseveneightnine

sixteenseventeeneighteennineteen

twenty onetwenty twotwenty threetwenty fourtwenty five

TODAYSarasavipaya

Torler Hall

LumbiniMONDAYTower HallTI]ESDAYTower HallWEDNESDAYTower HallLionel Wendt

1IIURSDAYSarasavipaya

'Tower Hall

-Lionel WendtFRIDAYSarasavipaya

Tower Hall

Gypsies Musical Show 3.f0 p.m.6.30 p.m.

Vadamarachchi 3.30 p.m.6.30 p.m.

Naki Lamissiyo 6.00.p.m.

Kaluwaray Jaramaray 6.30 p.rn.

Kaluwaray Jaramaray 6.30 p.m.

Kaluwaray Jaramaray 6.30 p.m.Piano and Violin rcritalby Ananda Dabare andRamya Dc Livcra Perera7.00 p.m.

Kalhari Gcc (Ilindi .Musical Show) 3.30 p.m.

6.30 p.m.lachaka Dcrana 3.30 p.m.'

6.30 p.m.Thc Sky's The Limit 7.0O p.m.

Susane Kiri Sududa? 3.30 p.m.6.30 p.m.

Duwithwa 3.30 p.m6.30 p.m.

SATT,'RDAYSarasavipaya Yamaha Musical Show 6.30 p.m.TowerHall HeComesFmmJaffna ?.0Op.m.Lurrbini Kabalen Lipata 2,30 p.m.

6.30 p.m.

Lionel Wendt The Sky's the Limit 9.00 p.m.

3.2 Reading the Time

Read the times given below in two different ways. Follow your teacher. practise witha partner.

Eg. 6.05 a.m. - Six five / five minutes past six.7.10 a.m.8.15 a.m.9.20 a.m.

10 30 a.m.11.40 a.m.

Note: a.m. - ante meridiem, means before mid-day, that is 12.00 noon.

12.00 noon -

L2.45 p.m.1.00 p.m.2.10 p.m. -3.25 p.m.4.50 p.m.5.00 p.m.

Note: p.m. - post meridiem, means after mid-day.

Stating the Time : Your Day's Routine.

Group work

Ask people in.your group at what time they did the following activities yesterday. Follow upthe conversation by saying what you were doing at this paiticular time. The firlt one is donefor you.

A At what time did you wake up ?B. At 6 o'clock ./ I wohe up at 6.00 o'clock.A. I was listening to the radio news when you woke up Iast morning.

NB : Look at the underlined verb constructions in the two sentences. Find out why they aredifferent. Use the correct verb constructions when you speak.

At what time did you

(a) wake up ?(b) make up your bed ?(c) get dressed ?(d) have breakfast ?(e) leave home ?(f) arrive at the university ?(g) start your first class ?(h) have lunch ?(i) finish your last class ?C) leave for home ?

Times of the Day : Routines

Make a list of the regular events'in your Iife that take place at different times of the dav.

Morning (From 5.00 am to 12.0-0 noon)

Eg. (a) I wake up/waking up.(b)(c)(d)(e)

3.3

3.4

Evening (from 3.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m.)

(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)

Night (From 7.00 p.m onwards)

4.

(a)G)(c)(d)(e)(0

Writing

Think of an eventful day in your life or a day on which a special eveqt took place. Write ashort account (10 - 15 sentences) of the things that happened on this day. Focus 9nthe most important incidents.

Remember to include such facts and details as who, where, when, why, and how.

Vocabulary

Group Work : Each group can work on a topic of their choice.

Think of all the events that can be put into the following categories - entertainrnent, sports,educati,on, religion. Make separate lists of the words you gather. Use the four categoriesas headings.

Look at the example below.

o.

5.1

Entertainment

musical showmovie

Sports Education

swimming contest seminarbicycle race

Religion

Wesakchurch festival

5.2

5.3

book exhibition

What words come to your mind when youlook at thelistsofeventsyouhavemade? Jotdown the different words that you can think of for each event.

Can you organize these words in some order ? One way is to arrange them under the followingheadings as in the example given below

Entertainment

Events

movie

People (who)

actors

Objects (what)

camera

Use the black board.

Places (where)

Studio

5.4 Share your word lists with the other groups.

t .2 In section Abelow, you see the initial paragraphs of some accounts about planned events taken

from daily papers. f" r..ii* g yoo r"" ih. nialparagraphs 9f the same accounts jumbled' Match

thetextsinsectionAwiththeircounterpartsinsecttnB. In thebox given above each text in

;;il;;;;the number of the corresponding text from Seciion B.

Section A

The State funeral ofMinister RanjanWijeratne will take Placeon Wednesdqy with fullmilitary honours.

The Government hasdeclared WednesdaY aDay of National Mourn-ing and a public holidaY.. PresidentRanasinghePremadasa has also Pro-moted Col. RanjanWiieratne to the rank ofGeLral in recognition ofhis services to the coun-try. r :

Here is the tert of apress release isguedyesterday bY the Presi'dential Secretariat:

The Government hasdecided that the Statefuneral of the late Hon'Ranjan Wijeratne be heldwith full militaryhonours. His ExcellencYthe President haspromoted the lateColonel Ranj anWijeratneposthumouslY to theRank of General, inrecognitiori of theyeoman serviceg ren-deredbyhimto Preservethe unitY, aovereigntYand territorial integritYofSri Lanka.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs for Maldivcsn

Fatirhulla Jameel who was in Sri Lanka on an offrcial

visit recently, attended a Buddhist ceremony at the

Sovsar.muvu, Marawila at the invitation of the

Foreisn Minister, Haroli Herat' He was accompa-

nied f,y the MaldMan Ambassador for Sri Lanka, It{r'

AhmedAbdullah..

The occasion was the elevation ofVen' Yakdessawe

Siritlhammatissa as Anunayake Thera ofthe Sri Lanla

Amarapura Moolawansika Maha Nikaya' The .chiefgu".t, irim" Minister Mr. D. B' Wijetunge handed

irr"".ihu act of appointment while Minister Herat

handed the Vijinaptha to the new Thera'

The Thera and the distinguished guests were con-

ducted in a perahera with blephants and a massive

crowct lined up the roads to receive them'

Miss Sri Lanka forI{iss Universe contestwith just daYs to go iscreatin g u nprcrcedentedcxcitcmcnt.

Thc organisers arebusy making al l ar-rangcments to make theshow amemorableonetogo down in the annals ofhistory as a unique ev-e4tassuring everyone thatthis will be a star-stud-ded event at the BMICHonFebruary 17.

It is sponsoredbYBlueDiamonds JewellerYWorldwide Limited andorganised'by the LionsClub of Wellawatte in qs-

sociat ion with UPali. GrcupofNewsPaPers'

It rvill indeed be amemorable event andBlue DiamondJewelleryWorldwide Limited hasdone everything Possibleto make this event a feastfor the eye for all thosewho will be Present.

A livelY oPening rqquence is in.atore, Per:haps for the first time ata Sri Lanhan beautYpageant,

Noeline Honter willopen the evening'e Pm'gramme withthebeauti-firl song Diamonds areforever'. She will teamup with Sohaa and tl{e X-periments to Present arepertoire of aonga whichare included in the latestcassette but not out inthe market YeL

The show will be gkil'

fully choreograPhed bYSenakd de Silvs. :

The National Sports According to the

St.i-t"a tl" Popular Sports Ministry' each

Sportsstar,forbothuren Natignal Slorts Asso-

;ff;;;;;;lt u" '"-

ciation will Pick its

f..t"a i; ift" U*istry of nominee fitm those who

io"lftdffr.i"".ndSports. have been active in the

lttt"e";"t" areleing fieldof sports durilgfhe

-"i.'t" present the twoyears1989and199o

awardetothewinnersat through their b-est

t ..""-ooy early next achievements in that

year. Particular sp9"t' . .Potentlal for achieve-

A specially appointed nents in the future'

-i-.itt .*iU""i"*ttt" possessing good moral

National Sports Star standards and being a

whilethePopularSporta disciplined person are

Starwillbeeelectedwith also other necessary

theassistaneofthemass qualifications for selec-

mediaandthmugbread- tion as the National

erg'votes. SPorts Star.

2

A press release fromthe Ministry adds thatthe frnal choice will benade by a Special Con-mittee of Selection ap-pointnd by the Miaistry.This will onsist of theNational Olympic Com-mitt€e, National SportsCouncil, the Ministry,mass media representa-tivea of the sponsoringinstitutions and two rep-resentatives nominatedby theMinister of Sports.

Withregariltothe se-lection of the PopularSports Stars men andwomen, it willbe donebythe sencling of couponsthrough the mass media.The person who gainsthe most numberofvoteswillbe picked as the Star.

The winner of eachcontest will be awardedprizes in cash, certificatesand medale.

The report of theCommittee, appointed toexamiae the mattere r€-lating to the organizationof this award program,was submitted to Mr. C.Nanda Mathew, Minis-ter of Youth AITairs &Sporte and accepted bythe Minister with theconcurrenoe of Mr, D.\{.Ariyadaea Minister ofState for Sports. TheMinistry officials havebeen iastructed toimplement it.

Section B

1

At the Soysaramaya, the PM addrcssed the gather-ing. IIe said, "This actofappointmenttotheAmarapuraNikaya is a clistinction to all the Buildhist clergr and inparticularto the Soysaramaya. He is the frrstto receivethis in the Puttalam Dietrict and YakdessaweSiidhgmr;atissa Thera desen'es this merit for hisdedication tb the philosophy of Buddhism.

Minister Herat welcoming the visitor from theMaldives saicl 'It is sn honour for the people ofNattandiya to have a distinguished guest who is noteven a Buddhisttobe withus today. It also displaysthespirit of the Maldivee which respects every religion.'

Minister of hrblic Administration, MPs and severalothers too spoke.

3The contestants in

keeping up with interna-tional pageants will bewearing dillerent shadcs,all designed byChrishanthi Fernandu-pulle.

As Blue DiamondsJewellery WorldwideLimited is the sponsor,the stage set is extraordi-nary and eensational.

Dillon Kerner, ArfDirector of Impact Houseof Advert ising (Pvt)Limited will design thestage set. .

- It will no doubt be achatty presentation withArun Dias Bandaranaikeand Ajitha Kadirgamarbilled'as comperes.

All this excitement isnot only for the contest-ants but for the audiencetqo.Ihe first 200 lailieswho come to their seatswill carry away surprisegrlts.

Behind all this pompand pageantry, the un-ilerlying objective of theLions Club of WellawatteWest is to fund the sightfirst programme which isdesigned to help those inneed. .

4

His Exellency thePneeident haa appointeda conmittee under thechairmanship of Hon.Festus Perera, Minieterof Public Administration,Provincial Councils andHome Alfairs to organisethe sfate funeral with fullmilitary honours. It con-sists of Beveral Hon. Min-isters and senioroffrcials,

The State funeral withfull military honours willbe held at IndependenceSquareonWednesdaythe6th of March 199I.Wednesday the 6th ofMarch has beendeclared a day of nationalmourning and a publicholiday. The national fl agwill be flown halfmast onthis day on all publicbuildings.

The body will lie inetste at the officialresidene of the latb Hon.Ranjan Wijeratne atHorton-Place from 8 amtbmorrow, March 3, 199 1.The funeral will take placeat 3 pm on WednesdaYMarch6, 1991. Afurthercommunique giving thedetails ofthe state funeralarrangerrente will beissued in due cour-se.

1.g Look at the texts you read in Sections 1 and 2 and answer the following question. What kind

"i """"t, """ p;;;;;;"t Ciuu u few examples'

2. Language Practice

2.1 Days of the Week

2.L.L The Days of the week are jumbled in the left,hand column of the chartbelow' Arrange them

in the correct order in the righthand column. Remember to start each word with a capital

letter. The first one is done for you'

TuesdaySundayWednesdaySaturdayMondayThursdayFriday

2.1.2 Answer the following ,aSestions.

Yol may use the righthand column below to write your

answers.

(a) What is the first daY of the wegk ](b) What is the last daY of the week-?

i.j What day falls in the middle of the week ?

ial What is ihe first working day of the week ?

i"i What is the last working day of the week ?(f) What daY comes after MondaY ?(g) What daY comes before FridaY ?

6 o" *rtufa.vs do You staY at home ?

iit On what days do yolr have English classes in the a{ternoon ?

if.l On what days do yoo go to bed late ?

2.2 Months of the Year

2.2.L ,write the names of the months in which these events andfestivals occur' wri-te in the right

hand column below.

1. Sunday2.3.4.D.

6.7.

(a) Your birthdaY

(b) Beginning and end of themonsoon rains

(c) Beginning and end of theSri Pada season

Wesak

Poson

Sinhala/Tamil New Year

Christmas

Easter

Ramazan

Deepavali

FromTo

FromTo

(d)

(e)

(f)

(rr)\E/

(h)

(i)

0)

. ) t ,

2.2.3

2.2,4'

2.3 The

Are there any months rvhich have not been rvritten dorvn in the right hand column of thechart ? I f so, wl i te the iames of these months belorv. Try to f i r rd out a special event(personal/general) that falls during these months.

(a)tD.l(c)(d)(e)

Read aloud the rhyme below and answer the given questions.

Thirty days hath September,April, June and November.All the rest have thirty - orre,Excepting February alone which has twenty - eight ci;'tys clear,And twenty-nine in each leap year.

(a)' What are the months which have 30 days ?

ft) What are the months which have 31 days ?

(c) Which month has less than 30 days ?

(d) What is a leap year ?

Birthday Months : Play a Game

Get into two equal groups. Arrange yourselves in a rolv within each group according to themonths in which you were born. See which group can do this faster.

Eg., People born in January should be at one end of the row and people born in Decembershould be at the other end of the row.

Year

Fjll in the blanks below.

(1) 1982 - nineteen eighty two

(2), 1991 -

(3) 1954

(q 1978

(5) 1960

(6)

(7)

(8)

(e)

(10)

nineteen forty three

- nineteen sixty five

- nineteen seventy six

- nineteen eighty seven

nineteen ninety

10

3. Writing

Think of 4 events that are going to take place in your university college/village/town in the nextfew weeks. Write short announcements for these events. Mention what the event is, where andwhen it is going to take place,'the peop.le who are involved with it etc.

4. Vocabulary

4.! Make a list of all the events that come to your mind when you think of planned events.

4.2 For each event in your list write as many verbs as possible. Look at the example below.

birthday party - serve, eat, cut, light, sing, dance, play, drink, give, receive, wish, greet,clap, chat.

4.3 Draw three columns. Name them A,B,C. In column B enter all the verbs you have written down.Write nouns in column A as subjects of these ve1bs. trf possible, write nouns in column C as objectsof the verbs. Note you are writing only words, not sentences.

Agrrl

BserYe

Cdrinks

4.4 Now use these groups to make sentences. Add other words to make the sentences interesting.

Eg: A young girl served the drinks.

1l

: UNIT IDAY. TO . DAY EVENTS

SECTION 3

l. Reading about Unexpected Events: News Items

1.1 Read the following- news items and answer the questions given below. Against each questionwrite the number of the correct news items.

(a) Which news item reports a road accident ?

(b) Which news item reports a natural disaster ?

(c) Which news item reports death by violence ?

(d) which news item reports something that happened to an animal ?

(e) Which news item reports an event that took place in Sri Lanka ?

(f) Which news items report events in Asia ?

G) Which news items report the deaths of victims ?

(h) Which news item reports the highest number of casualties ?

(i) Which news item mentions precautionary measures taken after the event ?

C) Which news item mentions relief offered to victims ?

(k) Which of these news items is true but strange ? State what the incident was, who/what wasinvolved, what happened, where and when.

37 killed inplane crash

MOSCOW, Tuesday(Reuter) - Thirty-sevenpeople were killed to-day in a plane crash inthe Soviet autonomousrepublic of Tatarstan,Tass news agency said.

The plane, anAntonov-24, crashedwhi le landing atBugulma airport

2

Worst-ever stormsbatter Maldives

At least a thousand houses have been tradlydamaged, and more than 35,000 trees, includinghundreds of coconut trees, have been uprootedin several islands in the Maldives. in worst-evermonsoonal storms that hit the Indian Oceanisland nation during the past two days, aMaldivian government news release said.

lUinds ranging 80-90 miles per hour, whieh isthe highest recorded in the country, have lashedmany islands in the southern-most Addu Atoll,which were the worst affected. Weather ex-perts at t r ibute these storms to unusualmonsoonal activities in the region, especiallythe area covering the.Maldives, the releasesaid.

12

,J

movie hall, 5 hurtJAMMU, India, Thursday(Atr'P) - Abomb suspected

to have been set by Moslem militants exploded insidea crowded movie hall inKashmir's winter capital hereWednesday, injuringt_frve people, police said.

The bomb was placed between special box seats inJewel cinema and went offduring the noon show. Thefive injured included two women.

The explosion triggered a stampede as peoplescrambled to rush out of the cinema, which was {illedwith smoke. witnesses said. Some fell and fainted, butno one was injured.

Kashmir authorities sounded a police alert andreinforced security at'exit points leading out ofthecity. They suspected the blast to be the handiwork ofMoslem militants frghting for Kashmir's secessionfrom India.

Elsewherb in the state, five people incllding threeMoslem mjlitants were killed, oflicials said.

nrl

12 de ad 25 nLurt inmotorway pile up

LONDON, Thursday (,AEP) - Twelve people werekilled and 25 injured Wednesday in a fiery motorwaypile-up in thick fog in Berkshire, west of london,police said.

Around 35 vehicles, including five lorries, wereinvolved in the acciderit, during the morning rrsh-hour on the M4 motorway between Membury andHungerford.

Twenty cars and three ofthe lorries caught fire inthe crash.

The motorway, which links the capital with south-ern Wales, was closed in both directions while rescueservices worked to cut trapped drivers out of theirvehicles.

Police believe the accident was caused by motoristsspeeding in spite of the fog. "It is the usual fogsyndrome. People going too fast and being unableto see," said Inspector Terry Sharpe, the polieeoperations coordinating o{ficer.

A motorist, George Greenwood, from Bristol, saidhe was'Just glad to.be out,of it alive.lr

Cat on a hard tin roofHONG KONG, Thursday (Reuter) - Barbara the tomcat u sed up one of his nine lives when he plunged. 30storeys from a Hong Kong building, the South ChinaMorning Pos! said on Thursday.

Barbara, whose gender was incorrectly identifredwhen he was a kitten, landed true to feline formon allfour paws on a tin roof, sufferingonly a dislocatedjawand gashed legs.

"He's naturally crazy," said Barbara's qwner,23-year-old American Steven .EIIison, cuddling thelong-hairgd frnger.and white cat.

.Barbara's 100-metre (yard) death-defying diveoutstrips aprevious record set, accordingto the Guin-ness Book of Records, by an .American cat inPortland, Oregon, which survived a 62.3 metre(69-yard) fall from a bridge into a river in 1981.

17 dead,16 'hurt in

Mexico Cityfire

MExIco cfTY, Friday(AFP) - A spmtacular lirq

which swept through a

downtown oflice tower here

killed 1? people and injured

at least 68, of f ic ia ls

confirmed Thursday.

Alfonso Rodroguez, a

homicide lawyer with the

attorney general's oflicesaid

the 17-storey building in the

downtown Colonia Roma

neighbourhood began to

burn about Ol45 GMT

on the fourth floor."presumably because of a

sh6rt circuit".

The fire spread quickly

above and below the fourth

floor, trapping many people

inside, while fire fighting

ellorts were delayed due to

dry hydrants in the.area,

authorities said.

Firefighters had to truck

id water from other parts

of the city, officials said.

11 feared deadin Soviet '

, train blastMOSCOW, Fr iday

(Reutcr) - An explosion

aboard a train from Mmcow

to Sovict Azerbaijan killed

l1 people and injucd eigh!,

the independent new6

agency Postfactum rcportcd

on Friday.

The agency describcd the

death toll as picliminary

and said the cause of

Thursday's blast at Dagestan

on the coast of the Caspian

Sca was bcing investigatcd

by a goveqnrnent commission

on the scene.

Trains bave been

attacked in reunent waves

of unrest in the reg:ion,

particularly those travelling

between Azerbai jan and

Amenia.

The offrcial Tass news

agency said earlier that

the explosion was in the

last carriage of the train

from Moscow to Baku,

capital ofAzerbaijan.

Coastline train jumps theraih at Bambalapitiyu

: Th" ."-i-u*prcss train from Galle to Maradana

was derai led about 300 yards south of theBambalapitiya railway statibn, at 7.LE yesterdaymorning..Thousands of commuters on the coast-lineservice were stranded.

Seven coaches jumpcd the rails; five of themtoppled towards the coast on the 'up' liire, and two werethrown inland, blocking thc 'down' line.

Five passengers were injured, but none ofthemcritically. The cause of the dcrailment has yet to beascertaincd, a rail.way spt-rkcsman said.

"We ar-e working fast to clear the 'down' line first.The 'up' line too, will certainly be clearcd by nightlall,"a scnior railway ollicial said.

2.

2.L

1.2 Look at the news items you read and answer the following question. What kind of events areunexpected events ? Give a few examples.

Language Practice

Dates

In previous lessons of this unit you learnt to write numbers from one to sixty, using words. The

no-b""s you learnt are called co rdinal numbers. But when you use dates in English you need toknow thb corresponding ordinal numbers as well.

Fitl in the blanks in the following chart, using the i:xamples given.2.L.7

Cardinals

onetwothreefourfivesixseven

Ordinals

first-second

third

eighthninthtentheleventh

twelvethirteenfourteenfifteen

sixteenthseventeentheighteenthnineteenth

twentytwenty onetwenty twotwenty threetwenty fourtwenty five

twenty sixthtwenty seventhtwenty eighthtwenty ninth

thirtythirty one

2.1.2 Read the following dates in English. Write them down on the right hand side of the page.

4.02.19484.10.195125.5.L96714.r2.L97730.09.198008.01.198511.04.1991

Fourth of February, nineteen forty eight

l4

::.1.3 Pair Work

Think of five or mot'e important events in your life. Jot them down. Against each event write

down the date in figures. Tell your partner whathappened and when. The first one is done

for you.

(a) Birth 10.04.Lg72. (I was born on the fourth of October nineteen seventy two)

(b)(c)(d)(e)

2. 1.4 sometimes, when you mention a date, it is necessary to give the day as well as the date, month and

year. Thisirp"rii."furtytrueofrecenteventsoreventsthataregoingtohappeninthenearfuture'

Eg. (a) The tree - planting campaign will be held on Saturd'ay the ttwentieth of JuIy, nineteen

ninetY one.

(b) On Frid.ay the twelfth of July nineteen ninety one, the term-end tests were held at the

University of Sri Jayawardenepura

2.1.b Tell your partner three things that you did last week and three things that you will do next week,

grloing the dates of the evenls. Remember to use Lhe day, date, month, and year'

2.1.6 Readagainthenewsitemsaboutunexpectedeventsthatyoureadinl . lof thissect ion. Incolumn

A write all the sentences that are in the Actiu e Voice. In column B write all the sentences that are

in the passiue Voice. lJnderline the verb construction in each sentence.

(a)(a)

A

Twenty cars and three of the lorries

cdught fire in the crash.

.B

Twelve people were killedand twenty fle were injuredon Wednesday in a fierymotorway pile-up.

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

1<LJ

I

3.

3.1

Writing

Read two of the shorter news items in 1.1 of this section. Jot down important information like who,

what,where,whe.n,etc. (Donotwri teincompletesentenceswhenyoutakedownthisinformation).

Read the news items several times, carefully payingattention to words and phrases which will be

handy when putting across tf,e iniormation you have jotted down. Put the news items away and

write a brief account of the events.

Think of an unexpected event that took place in your neighbourhood recently. Write a short

'account of this event.

Vocabulary

Look at the news sheet that gives you news about unexpected events in this lesson- Where did

these events take place ? Soiretimes the place given is a city. Sometimes it is a counry' Draw

2columnsinyourbook-oneforci t iesandoneforcountr ies. Eutertheplacenamesyouhavefound

in the appropriate column.

3.2

3.3

4.

4.r

4.2 Think of countries and cities that are not mentioned in the news items. Enter all of them in theappropriate column. Try to find corresponding countries and cities for the entries you have made.Look at the example below.

Countries

IndiaEngland

Cit ies

DelhiLondon

4.3 Find out what the people in the countries you have found are called.Eg. People ofSri Lanka are called Sri Lankans.

For each country in your list, write the names of the people.

16

UNIT 2EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF A PERSON

SECTION T

I. Reading about Personal Events : Scanning

1.1 Think of the main events in your life. Make a list of these events with the relevant dates. Use the

chart given below.

EVENT DATE

month yearday

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(e)

(10)

Birbh

L.2 The text below briefly rqlates the life story of Neil Armstrong'

1.2.1 Give one word for life storY.

1.2.2 who is a pioneer ? why is Neil Armstrong called a "space pioneer" ?.

1.A Read the following text about Neil Armstrong. Do not stop at difficult words. Do not repeat

. difficult sections, if any. Read quickly to find the following information.

(a) Look for all the dates in the text. Let your eye move through the page, stopping only at

figures. At every date you come across, place a cross (x) in the margin quickly.

(b) Read the text again quickly, this time lookingfor names/titles of people. Letyour eye move

through the page, stopping only at words and phrases that begin with capital letters- At every

,ru-"/titl" yor, "o*"

u""o"t, place a tick ({) in the margin quickly'

L.4 Write down the following in your book. Use capital letters where necessary.

(a) Follow the crosses you have made in the margin and make a list of the dates you have found.

Write the event that goes with each date. Look at the exainple that follows.

Eg. July 24, 'L969 - Neil Armstrong and his crew returned from the modn.

f i

(b) Follow the ticks you have made in the margin and make a list of the names/titles you have found.Wherever possible, grve a detail that helps to identify the person. Enter this information in thechart below.

People

Mr. Armstrong

Details

Neil Armstrong's father

* * * {. {c* {. * * * * * * rk* ** *:8 *:1. * * * *** * * *:*

What experiences prepared NeilArmstrong to become the firstperson to walk on the moon ? Whatwas his historic space flight like ?*{<t { . { .**{<**: l . t : f ***rkX.***********{ .*

NEIL ARMSTRONG : SPACE PIONEER

PAUL *dsrnnaN

Splashdown

July 24,1969. EVeryone has waited anxiously for this day to come. In the Pacifrc Ocean southwest ofHawaii, a rescue ship had been ready for hours. Soon a helicopter began hovering over the blue-greenocean. Swimmers in black rubber suits moved restlessly in the water, staring up into the clouds.

Suddenly someone saw a dark spot in the sky, far off. Then the Apollo II spacecraft came rushing towardthe rescue crew, with huge parachutes billowing out behind it. Minutes later the_spacecraft splashedsafely into the ocean. The waiting was finally over. People throughout the world heard "SplashdowntApollo has splashdown!" on their televisions and radios.

The President of the United States had come halfway around the world to congratulate the three menwho were now bobbing in the ocean. A{ter all, this day had made history. Commander Neil Armstrongand his crew had just returned from the moon!

Boyhood

Practically all his life Neil had been preparing for such a historic trip. €t he never would have guessedit as a boy. Neil was born on August 5, 1930, on his grandfather's farm in northwest Ohio. The closesttown, Wapakoneta, was surrounded by woods, rolling hills, and rich farm land.

When'Neil was only two years old, his father took him to see the air races in Cleveland, Ohio. Mr.Armstrong boosted Neil up onto his shoulders, high above the crowd. As the planes roared by overhead,little Neil clapped his hands and laughed in delight. He was thrilled at how fast the brightly paintedplanes could go. Many years later, Neil decided it must have been then when he fell in love with flying.

Neil first became interested in models after his first plane ride when he was six years old. His father tookhim to a nearby airpgrt, where they climbed into almall plane called a Tin Goose. They began to taxislowly down the runway. Then the plane picked up speed and lifted into the air.

By the time they landed, Neil was eager to learn more abo3t tilT"*11ffiilil1ffij:fr?::5t:T,i:so high above the earth. He went to a hobby store and bought atogether simple models powered by rubber bands. Soon he was building more complicated ones usingwood and wire. During the next few years, Neil rnade hundreds of model planes. He even built manysmall airplanes from scratch, using whatever materials he found around the house.

As he grew older, Neil never lost interest in the sky arrd flying. He collected and studied issues of AirTrails, amagazine about flying. He filled notebooks with scraps of information he foundon different

airplane makes and designs. Neil especially enjoyed reading about the Wright brothers. In 1903, Orviller.rd Wilb,ro Wright had made the first motorpowered plane flight in history. They had grown up in a town

not far from Wapakoneta.

18

Neil decided that he too wanted to be able to fly a plane someday' But first he had to take lessons and

they cost nine dollars an hour. so he began to do odd jobs around town whenever possible' He worked

in a bakery, a hardware store, a grocery store, and frnatty a drugstore' By the time he was fifteen' Neil

had saved enough money to take flying lessons. The day he first soloed, or flew alone, was one ofthe most

thrilling moments of his rife. Then, on his sixteenth Li"thduy, he received his student pilot's license -

even before he had his driver's license'

Ftight Training

Neilhadworkedhardtosaveenoughmoneyforflyinglessons.Butheknewhewouldhavetoworkevenharder to earn enough for college. After ali he could not expect his parents t: pay his way completely'

iil;i;;;; "l;"i-rr"*

trre unttea states illavy offer"d coliege scholarships to people who were willing

to join the service. ti ,""-"a hke a good way to pay for school, so Neil applied'

one day during his senior year in high school, Neil got a letter in mail from the navy' The letter said that

he had been awarded a scholarship. In return fo. ttis schooling, Neil had to agree.to serve whenelrer

the navy wanted him.

In the fall of 1947, Neil entered Purdue university in Indiana. He had "o*pl"ted

two years there when

the navy ordered hiJ #;;;;;;, Ftorida, for fllgtrt training. Neil became a naval air cadet'

The Korean war broke out in 1gb0 while Neil was still at Pensacola. The navy sent Neil and many other

pilots to fight in Korea. Neil was the youngest man in his unit. Neil won three air medals for his combat

missions.

After Neil left the navy in 19b2, he went back to Purdue to frnish his degree in flight engineering' -|lh.lt

spare time, he taught Maths courses- and delivered the campus newspape-r to-earn money' while

delivering papers one chilly morning, he bumped into a Pletty, dark-haired girl' Janet shearon' It

turned out that she knew a lot about flyirrg h"r""r. Neil and Jan"t di""or'""ed th'ey had many other things

in common and began to see each other often. They were married in January, 1956'

Afbercol legeNei lwenttoworkasaresearchpi lotat theLewisFl ig.htPropuls ionl ' !9* ' : 'v11Cleveland, orrio. wrrii" rr" *u" there, his interesi in space flight grew' T: Pld

one of the directors at

the laboratory, "I think space travel will someday be a reality' when it is, I'd like to take part in it.'' Few

;;;J" *o,tta t un" dared to make such a bold prediction in 1955'

soon Neil took another job asa test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base in california. Neil became one of

the best pilots in the worra while workfi;I Edwards Air Force Base' But he was an engineer and

experimenter as well. He flew planes ti tearn more about aircralt design and performance' He

"orrt"ibot"d much to the development of new methods of flying'

Astronaut

The united states was not the only country experimenting with different forms of air travel' Its biggest

rival, the Soviet Union, launched the first ".t"llit"

intoluter space in 1957' Every 96 minutes the

satellite circled around the earth. At times it was as far as 548 miles away from the centre of the earth'

Never before had human beings built a rocket that could fly above the earth's atmosphere. The Russians

named their satellite Sputnili, meaning "fellow traveller of the Earth"'

Because of the success of sputnik,.dmericans decided to step up thqir oll "P1":

program' In 1958 the

United States government set up the National Aeronauti." u"i Spage Administration (NASA)' All the

space research groups in the country, incl,rding the one at Edwards, became part of NASA' NASA'g

po.po""wastocatchopwiththeSovietUnioninbui ldingrockets.

Soon United States satellites were being sent into orbit, and people- were being trained as astronauts'

Neil was eagertoparticipate in the gruu;rr.* adventure of space.explolalion'^While working as aNASA

test pilot, he volunteered for the astronaut program' But competition for the few available openings was

tough. Applicants had to be jet pilots *ho h"J"o*pleted atieast 1,000 hours-of flying time' They had

to meet several other requirements as well, including height, weight, age, and health' Applicants also

had to have a college degree'

t9

Neil did not think his chances for becoming an astronaut were very good. The people who were alreadyin the training program had begun their careers in the military, but Neil was a civilian. So when hisapplic4tion was accepted in 1962, Neil was both surprised and pleased. He became the first civilian everadmitted to the astronaut program.

While Neil was busy with his training, NASA was making world headlines. Only three years after it was '

formed, NASA launched the first American, Alan B. Shepard; into space. Shortly after Shepard's flight,President John F.'Kennedy made a famous speech. "Space is open to us now," he said. He urgedAmericans to join together in an effort to put a person on the moon by 1970.

To carry out President Kennedy's plan, the government established three separate space projects:Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. Each project was more advanced than the one before it and came closerto the ultimate goal - landing on.the moon.

The Mercury Project lasted from May, 1961 to May, 1963. Six tiny Mercury capsules were launchedduring this two-year period. Each capsule carried one person. The purpose of these six flights was to'learn

how human beings would react to the new environment of outer space.

In the Gemini Project, ten flights were made between 1965 and fgOO. fne Gemini capsule was threetimes as large as the Mercury one, with room for two people. The Gemini Project was designed to testthe effects of long space flights on human beings and to teach astronauts how to fly their capsules withoutusing computer control from the ground.

In 1966, NASA was preparing to launch Gemini 8. The mission of this capsule was to perform the frrstspace docking in history. This meant that Gemini 8 would connect, or dock, with a second spacecraft.that was already in orbit. But NASA still had to choose a commander for Gemini 8. Neil had just finishedhis intensive training and was given charge of the historic flight.

The Apollo Project

Finally it was time for the last of the three great space projects. The Apolto Project, which began in 1968,sent out four exploratory flights. The last one brought human beings to within nine miles of the moori'ssurface.

The next craft, Apollo II, would make th-e historic moon landing. Two of the three people chosen for theApollo II crew would be the first to walk on the moon. On January 9, 1969, NASA announced the crew.The pilots would be Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., and Michael Collins. Neil Armstrong was named thecommander

In the months before the flight, the astronauts were kept very busy. They studied moon maps andphotographs, spent hours learning about rocks, photography, and weather, and practised working thecontrols of their spacecraft. fn special laboratories built to resemble the surface of the mooil, theastronauts learned to move about in their bulky space suits.

The last ten days before the launch, the astronauts seldom left their crew quarters. They saw few peoplebecause doctors feared they might pick up some disease. Even a sore throat would mean delaying theflight for a month.

As launch day approached, excitement grew. People from all over the world arrived at Cape Kennedy,including ieporters, mayors, tourists, students, and senators. Thousands of cars lined the highways.One million people gathered to witness this historic event!'

On the morning ofJuly 16, 1969, Commander Armstrong and his crewmates rose before dawn. They atea hearty breakfast of steak, scrambled eggs, toast. .range juice and coffee. Then tlrey put on their white -space suits, and a truck drove them to the launching pad. An elevator lifted them high into the air,'tothe very top of the huge Saturn rocket. This rocket was as tall as a thirty six floor building. From herethe men could see for miles. They saw sand dunes and palm trees, hundreds of boa{s floating in nearbyrivers, and the sparkling blue Atlantic Ocean in the distance.

When it was time, Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Bwzz" Aldrin and Mike Collins boarded the spacecraft, Theheavy outer door of ihe capsule was.then sealed shut. The countdown began. "Tgn.....nine......eight....

20

seven.....six....five....four....three......two.......one." Suddenly orange flames and clouds of smoke shot uparound the rocket. There was a mighty roar, and the ground trembled and shook for miles around.

"Lift-off ! We have lift-ofil" The Saturn rocket shuddered. Ever so slowly it rose into the air. Then itrapidly picked up speed. After ten years of preparation, the voyage to the moon had begun !

The Moon

The journey to the moon lasted four days. During that time the astronauts had many important choresto perform. They had calculations to make and instruments to watch. They also broadcast colour TVpictures to viewers on earth. These were the sharpest, clearest TV pictures ever sent from outer space.

Each crew member had a specific task. Mike Collins was navigator and pilot. His job was to fly the crewfrom the earth to the moon and back again. Buzz Aldrin was the expert on systems and machines. ButNeil Armstrong had the most exciting job of all. He would fly down to the surface of the moon and leadthe expedition outside the craft.

When Armstrong returned home, he was a hero. The street where his parents lived in Wapakoneta,Ohio, was renamed Neil Armstrong Drive. The people of his hometown proudly celebrated NeilArmstrong Days. And the little airport where he took his first flyin$ lessons was now called the NeilArmstrong Airport.

But even as a hero, Armstrong remained quiet and shy. People joked that he only showed enthusiasmwhen speaking of aeronautics or flying. It was true that fly,ng was still his first love.

In 1970, a year after the historic flight to the moon, Armstrong resigned from NASA. He wanted to makeroom for younger astronauts, and he wanted time to relax.

In 1971 Armstrong moved back to Ohio and taught aeronautical engineering at the University ofCincinnati until 1980. He also served as a director for several aeronautics firms. In 1979 he joined theChrysler Corporation as a company spokesman and a member of its research and development team.

In his spare time, Armqtrong pursues his favourite hobby, gliding. He spends many peaceful hourssoaring silently through the blue midwestern skies in his sailplane. Sometimes an early moon mightbe floating with him in the sky, a moon whose surface is now marked by human footprints. Above thosefootprints on that lonely moonscape is a bronze plaque left by the first moon explorers. The plaque wassigned by Neil Armstrong, the rest of the Apollo II crew, and the president of the United States. It reads:

HERE MEN FROM THE PLANET EARTHFIRST SET FOOT UPON THE MOON

JULY 1969, A.D.WE CAME IN PEACE FOR ALL MANKIND

After centuries of dreaming, human beings had at last reached the moon. And Neil Armstrong,space pioneer, had been part ofthat great adventure from the beginning.

2. Writing

Write a short account of your life story up to now. Use the information you gathered in 1.1 ofthis lesson.

Vocabulary

Write down th-e names of the planets in the solar system.

Find from the passage as many words as possible that are related to the word "space"

3.

5.1

5.2

21

1.

1.1

I'NIT 2EVENTS IN TIIE LIT'E OF A PERSON

SECTION 2

Rcading about Personal Events: Detailed Reading

To-understand a long text like the one about Neil Armstrong, you sometimes have to divide it intoepisodes. (An episode is an event which is part ofa long se.ies ofevents.)

(a) The main episodesin this text are given below in the wrong order. Arrange them in the orderthey are presented in in the text, by numbering the boxes correctly.

training to be a pilotsplashdown of Apollo IIthe Apollo Projectchildhoodtraining to be an astronautboyhoodlife after the moon voyage

(b) For each episode above, write the first and the last sentences given in the text. Look at theexample below.

Eg. training to be a pilot.

First sentence : Neil decided that he too wanted to be able to f7y aplane someday.

Last sentence : He eontributed much to the development of new methods of flying.

l'2 Answer the following questions using information from the text.

(a) Does the text give the life story of Neil Armstrong ? Or does it give.a description of the moonjourney ?

(b) List the routine activities that were performed by the astronauts in the months precedinglaunch dav.

What did the astronauts do on launch day ? Relate the incidents startingfrom the time theywoke up to the time they boarded the spacecra{t.

How many days did the moon trip take ?

What did the astronauts leave behind on the moon ?

Describe briefly in your own words the following episodes in Neil Armstrong,s life.(i) training to be a pilot.(ii) training to be an astronaut.(iii) life after the moon voyage.

Language Practice

Select any two of the episodes given in 1.1 and write down all references to time that you find inthem. Yru may find examples of the following such as:

(a) sequence markers (frrst, then, next, finally etc.)

(b) time phrases (when Neil was only 2 years old, many years later etc.).

(c)

(d)

(e)

(f)

2.

2,L

22

2.2 Copy the sentences carefully in your book. Underline the references to time' Note where exactly

in the sentences theY occur.

2.g Turn the following sentenceS into a properly constructed paragraph-by- using sequence markers

and time phrases. Here are some w-ordi and phrases that you will find useful.

a few minutes laterfirstthennextin the next few minutessoonat the same timebefore longimmediatelywithout delaY

(a) I left my bicycle in front of the book shop'(b) I walked int-o the book shoP.(c) A book with an attractive cover caught my eye,(d) I took the book down from the shelf'(e) The shop assistant informed me that someone was taking my bicycle away.(f) I rushed out of the shoP'

lf,] I ::f##Ll'"T::*:ffliJil::i on my bicycre with a dog chasing behind him.

2.4 Readthe Noun Phrases below, ANoun Phrase is a group ofwords which has ahead noun and a

word or words that modify the head noun'

2.4.1 Notice how the Noun Phrases expand to the left and to the right.

2.4.2 Notice how the meaning of the Noun Phrases becomes more specific as they expand.

2.4.3 Underline the main word in each expression'

2.4.4 Translate each expression into Sinhala./Tamil. Underline the main word. Discuss the differences

you see.

(a) Shipa rescue shiP

(b) SwimmersSwimmers in suitsSwimmers in black rubber suits

(c) Space craftthe Apollo II space craftthe Apollo II space craft with huge parachutesbillowing out behind it.

(d) Presidentthe Presidentthe President of the United States

Neil ArmstrongCommander Neil Armstrong

Farmhis grandfather's farmhis grandfather's farm in N-W Ohio

Wapakonetathe closest town, WaPakoneta

(e)

(f)

G)

23

Racesair races in Clevelandair races in Cleveland, Ohio

(i) Planesbrightly painted Planes

0) Modelssimple modelssimple models powered bY bandssimple models powered by rubber bands.

2.4.5 Find.fiue more Noun Phrases from the text. Write them down to show how they expand to the left

and right.

2.4.6 Expand these nouns.

(h)

pilot

'daysky

lessonsjetastronaut

3. Writing

Launch day was an important day in the life of Neil Armstrong. Think of sueh an important day

in your life. It should be a special day which made a change in your life. Write a short account of

this episode from your life, relating the incidents that took place on this day. Use sequencemarkers correctly.

4. Vocabulary

What in your opinion did the astronauts feel on launch day ?Make a list of the words that express their feelings.

l .

UNIT 3FAMILY EVENTS

SECTION 1

Introduction

Incidents that happen among the members of a family are called family events, particularly

when they become'importanf enough to remember in later years. The incident may be a sad,

happy or a frightening one. The impact that it makes on one's life turns the incident into an

eveni distinguishing it from the trivialities of day-to-day living'

Read the following poem quicklY.

As you read, try to understand the event that is presented by the poet. Does the title of thepoem help you to figure out the event ? Give reasons for your answer.

BREAI{FAST

He poured coffeeinto his cuphe put milkin his cup of coffeehe put sugarin his cup of coffee and milkWith his teaspoonhe stirred ithe drank the coffee and milkand he put down the cupwithout speaking to me

He lita cigarettehe made ringswith the smokehe put the ashesin the ash-traywithout speaking to mewithout looking at me

He got uphe puthis hat on his headhe put onhis raincoatbecause it was rainingand he went outin the rainwithout a wordwithout a look

And I, I putmy head in my handsand I wept.

by Jacques Preverttranslated by Reggie Siriwardena

2.

2.L

X :* * )k )t< *,k * * *,k * * r& X X * X :k r< >k * * :t * * * * {< {< * * * t( * tc

JACQUES PREVERT is a twentiethcentury French poet who also wroteseveral scripts for films. Some of hispoems were so popular that they havebeen set to music and sunginthenight-clubs of Paris.*;F*+::**r<t<;F;rt **:x**:&*tF***t<ttt<*rc:{<:F:F{.*<****

25

2.2 Answer the following questions.

(a) On what kind of day did this event take place ?What time of day was it ? What words/phrases help you to find the answer ?

(b) Is. the speaker (the person who is called I) in the poem male or female ?What do you think is the relationship between the speaker and the other person mentionedin the poem ?

(c) Mention /ftree things that "he" did in the poem. Mention /hree things that "I" did in the poem.

(d) Are the people in the poem happy ? How do you know ?

(e) What happened inside the room ? What happened outside ? Do you see a parallel ?

(f) Give another title for the poem.

26

l .

1.1

UNIT 3FAMILY DVEIYTS

SECTION 2

Read the following text quickly.

Try to figure out the event that is focussed on in the passage. What does the title indicate ? Howwould you label the event - happy, sad, horrible, funny, frightening ?

DON'T WAIT TO GTYE DADDY A HUGFrances Schletty

The night was soft and warm as I lay gazingat the ceiling. The whole house was quiet. I lay onthe sofa thinking of the hospital. We had gone there that afternoon to visit my father forValentine's Day. We had had to go the day before the actual holiday because Mama said wecouldn't get out of school to go on Monday. The hospital was a huge place. It seemed Daddy wasin a high bed that wasfoldedinhalfsomeway. Helookedalrighttome. Ididn'tknowwhyhekeptgoing t-o that place anyway. He couldn't like it better than home because he didn't even have atelevision there.

Isatasquietlyaspossible. MytroublewasthatlwantedtohughimandlwasafraidofwhatMamawould say if i climbed up on his bed to do it. I didn't know why she would mind - I only knew shewould. Sometimes she said I was too rough, but I was such a little girl and Daddy was so big...how could I hurt him ? I thought there must be some other reason why he couldn't wrestle withme like he used to. May be he was too tired.

My parents talked for a long time while I looked out of the window and played with my brother andsister. I didn't like that place and I wanted to go home. There didn't seem to be anything to do there.Then, all at once, we were leaving. Daddy called me to his bedside and told me to be sure to saymy prayers. I said I would and kissed him quickly on the cheek. I remembered how smooth hisface wai that day and I was surprised by it. Usually his cheeks were covered with a frne stubblewhich always tickled me like the first grass of spring tickled my toes. That day his face had beenlike a shinystone. The absence of the red growth had changed him somehow - he wasn'tthe same

any more. It was probably because of the hospital. They probably made him shavein that place.

That's another reason why he should have come home; if h'e were at home he could do anythinghe wanted to - no one would make him shave. In any case, we were going then and I didn't havetime to ask him about it. I was glad to leave that building. The people in there were sick .... except,ofcourse, my daddy, He wasn't sick at all. I was startled by the shrill sound ofthe telephone. Th3tmade me angry - now Mama would get up and frnd that I wasn't sleeping yet. Why did somebody

have to call then anyway ?

Just as I had suspected, the light went on in the bedroom. Mama came into the shadows of the

living room, bringing with her the rays ofyellow light. My eyes; now accustomed to the darkness,turned instinctively away from tihe light. Besides, I had to pretend I was sleeping, and it was easierif I turned my face in the opposite direction from my mother.

Mama spoke for only a few minutes, asking questions like when ? and how ? She shook me then

and told me to go into my own room. I knew it - the telephone call would ruin everything. Then

she woke my oldest sister. In a few seconds the whole house was buzzing with some sort of news."At eleven o'clock" ".....it had to happen sometime.... we were expecting it...." "...'too young to be

dead." "Illl have to go to the hospital." "Call grandma to stay with the..." I heard these phrases,

but I couldn't put together their meaning.

Mama came then and told me he was dead. My Daddy was dead. No ! No ! No ! It wasn't true.

He couldn'tbe dead. He was alive - he had kissed me only that afternoon.'People didn't die jut

like that ! It wasn't like stepping on a fly... people took years to die .... they o4ly died when they

wereold.....veryoldwithgrayhairandwrinklesandstooped-overbodies. Youngpeopledon'tdie.Not people I knew, Not anyorre I loved. Not my father! He was mine and no one could take my

father. He would live forever

I hated that person who called. It wasn't true and that was a horrible thing to say. It wasn't funny'

It scared rn". M"*" believed it, though. She shouldn't. If she'd only listen to'me I'd tell her the

truth.. , . IT ISN'T TRUE... . . IT ISN'T ! !

n

L.2

Just wait - next time-Daddy came home I'd tell him about the person who called. He'd laugh andsay Mama shouldn't have taken it seriously. After all, that couldn't happen. He wasn't even sick.

And do you know what elserrrould happen when Daddy came home the next time ? .... I would jumpon his lap and hug him until he couldn't even breathe ! And he wouldn't mind - because that's whatdaddies were for.

Answer the following questions on the text.

(a) Who is the speaker in the story ? Is the speaker male or female ? How old do you think thespeaker is ?

(b) Who are the other people involved in the narrative ?

(c) Where do the events in the narrative take place ?

(d) How long do these events take ?

time of the day ? What was specialabout the following day ?

(f) The writer presents the events in the story in the order given below. Re-arrange the sameevents in chronological order (in the order of actual happening).

(i) The speaker tries to go to sleep at night.(ii) The speaker visits the father in hospital.(iii) The telephone rings.(iv) The speaker's mother answers the phone.(v) The speaker hears the bad news.

G) Which of the events above can be called the main event ?Which event(s) above create suspense ?

(h) Did the speaker like the hospital ?How do you know ?

(i) what did the speaker want most to do during the visit to the hospital ?

0) The speaker and the speaker's mother reacted differently to the bad news. How did theyreact ? What was the reason for this difference ? .

Language Practice

Sometimes you have to refer to the weather and the time of day when describing events. The textyou read in this section begins with such a reference.ie. The night was soft and warm.

Read also the examples given below. Underline the words that refer to the weather and/or to thetime of day I year.

It was a windy morning.One rainy night in October......The day was bright and sunny.

Write expressions of your own that refer to the weather and / or to the time of day / year.

For each of these expressions, write down a suitable sentence to follow up what was said before.

Eg' It was a windy morning. Scraps of paper and old brown leaves were flying in all directions.

Listen to the weather forecast on radio/TV for several days. Take down the expressions that referto the weather and to the time of day and make a list of your own. Bring them to class when youare ready, t<j, share with the others,

2.

2.L

2.2

2.3

2.4

2.5

28

2.6 The sentences below are taken from the text you read. Look at the word groups in italics in each

sentence. Pick out the subject and the verb in each word group. Wiite 's' for subject and 'v' for verb

above the correct words.

(a) The night was soft and warm as I lay gazing at the ceiling.(b) We had to go the day before the actual holiday because Mama said we couldn't get out of

school to go on Monday.(c) I didn't know uhy he hept going to that place'(d) Sometimes she said (that) I was too rough.(e) My parents talked for a long time tahile I looked out of the window.(f) I remembered how smooth his face wa*

2.6.1 The word groups in italics in the above sentences are called dependent clauses. A depend,entclause is a group of words with a subjecl and auer;b in it. A dependent clause is joined to the main

clause by a connecting word or phrase.

2.6.2 Pick out the main clause in each sentence above. Draw double lines under the main clause.

2.6.3 Circle the connecting word/phrase in each sentence.

2.7 Read the word groups below and pick out the dependent clauses.

(a) as quick as lightning(b) as the rain came down on us(c) that man and his wife(d) that the story was true(e) while walking to the college today(f) while we were referring to the encyclopaedia in thelibrary(g) because I knew the truthttrl because of his foolishness(i) how beautiful the rain is

0) how many times a day(k) who and who0) who saw the beggar walking into the house(m) where my father lay in bed(n) where in the world(o) which cost me Rs. 500/-(p) which of the two

2.7.1 Use the dependent clauses above in sentences and do the following.(a) Draw a line under the dependent clauses.(b) Draw double lines under the main clauses.(c) Circle the connecting words / phrases.

3. Speech

Work with a partner telling each other about a family event that is hard to forget. Jot down

important points as you listen. Now relate your partner's story to the class.

4. Vocabulary

4.L Pick out from the text the expressions that express the speaker's feelings:

(a) as she lay awake in bed.(b) afber she got news of her father's death.

4.2 Thinkofthefamilyevent that you related to your partner in the previous exercise. What

expressions did you use -to express your feelings ? Write at least frve of these expressions.

29

-=-u

1.

1.1

UNIT 4NATIONAL EVENTS

SECTION T

Sentence Comprehension for Fluent Reading

Learn to read and understand long sentences. See how the sentence expands and meanings flow

fromwordgrouptowordgroupinthefollowingexample, asextrainformationisadded. Theinitial

word gtoup is given in Column A along with questions to bring out the additional information. The

information that is added after each question is given in column B. Note that each new expansionis in italics in column B.

A

...... A religious festival is ceiebrated.

(i) When ?

(iil What kind of festival ?

In the rnonth of Esala a religious festival is cel-ebrated.

B

In the month of Esala aattracts both Bud.dhistscelebrated.

religious festival whichand non Buddhists is

(iiil Buddhists from where ?In the month of Esala, a religious festival whichattracts both Buddhists and non Buddhists alike,

frorn all ouer Sri Lanka and abroad, is celebrated.

In the month of Esala, a religious festival whichattracts both Buddhists and non Buddhists alike,from all over Sri Lanka and abroad, is celebratedin the ancient hill capital of Senkadagala.

In the month of Esala, a religious festival whichattracts both Buddhists and non Buddhist alike,from all over Sri Lanka and abroad, is celebrated inthe ancient hill capital.of Senkadagala, knowntoday as Kandy.

(iv) Celebrated where ?

(v) What more about this place ?

L.2 Here are more examples. As before, the initial word group and the questions are given in columnA The additional information is given in column B. Study the given examples and do the following.

(i) Underline each new expansion in column B.(ii) Read the sentences aloud.(iii) Translate the expanded sentences into Sinhala/Tamil'

31

(a)

(i)

A

This religious festival is a form ofworship'.'..

What kind ?

(ii) Whose ?

(iii) What more about this festival ?

(iv) What else about the festival ?

The chronicle gives a detaileddescription.........

What kind of descriPtion ?

(ii) What did he decree ?

(iii) What for ?

(i) What ?

(ii) What pageant ?

This religious festival is a form of worship of the

Sacred Tooth Relic.

This religious. festival is a form of worship of theSacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha.

This religious festival is a form of worship of the

Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha and has now

become the grandest festival in the island.

This religious festival is a form of worship of the

Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha and has nowbecome the grandest festival in the island and the

most spectacular event of the year.

(b)

(i)The chronicle givesb detailed description ofhow

the reigning king received it with reverence and

how he decreed.

The chronicle gives a detailed description ofhowthe reigning king received it with reverence andhow he decreed that it should be brought everyyear to the Abhayagri Vihara

The chronicle gives a detailed description of how

the reigning king received it with reverence and

how he decreed that it should be brought everyyear to the Abhayagiri Vihara to observe the same

sacrifi cial ceremonial.

It could be surmised that the origin of the pageant

could be traced back to the time of the promulga'

tion ofthis decree.

It could be surmised that the origin of the pageant

of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Sri Lanka could be

traced back to the time of the promulgation of this

decree.

It could be surmised that the origin of the pageant

of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Sri Lanka could be

traced back to the time of the promulgation of this

decree by King Kirti Sri Meghavarna.(iii) Who promulgated this decree ?

32

(d)

(i)

The Chingse pilgrim Fa-Hien has recorded

a grand festival'..'

When ?

(ii) Where ?

(iii) For what PurPose ?

(iv) By whom ?

About a century after the arrival of the Tooth Relic,

the Chinese piigrim Fa-Hien has recorded a grand

festival.

About a century after the arrival ofthe Tooth Relic,

lhe Chinese piigrim Fa-Hien has recorded a grand

festival that was held at the Abhayagiri Vihara'

About a century after the arrival of the Tooth Relic,

the Chinese piigrim Fa-Hien has recorded a grand

festival that was held at the Abhayagiri Vihara in

its honour.

About a century afber the arrival of the Tooth Relic,

the Chinese piigrim Fa-Hien has recorded a grand

festival that-was held at the Abhayagiri Vihara in

its honour by the king and the people'

2.

2.1,

Reading about a National Event

There are two texts in this unit about a famous event in sri Lanka.

Read Text A frrst with the following questions in mind' Read quickly to get the facts' Do not stop

to write down the answers.

What is the event mentioned in the text ?

What is the ancient name for KandY ?

Which kings are mentioned in the text ?

Where did theY rule ?When ?Why are ttreY mentioned ?

who are the other people mentioned in the text ? why are they mentioned ?

Which historical documents are mentioned ?

Whichofthefol lowingisacorrectstatementaboutthetext?

The text is about(i) the grand festival that is held in Kandy once a year'

(ii) the history of the Esala festival'

33

!t

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

(f)

Text A

In the month of Esala, a religious festival which attracts both Buddhists and non Buddhists alike, from

all over Sri Lanka and abroad, is celebrated in the ancient hill capital ofSenkadagala, known today as

Kandy.

This religious festival is a form of worship of the sacred Tooth Relic oilhe Buddha and has now become

;;;;A"t f"stival in the island and the most spectacular event of the year'

The history of the pageant of the tgot! Relic dates back to the time of the ancient kings of sri Lanka'

A well-known r"g*i"iiJrr" "t

ro.ri"t" c"h;;; states that the Tooth Relic was brought to the island

fromlndiainthereignofKingKirtiSriMeghavarna(303-331 AD). AccordingtothePaliDathavamsa,the Tooth Relic was sent to his father, King Mahasena (276-303 AD). But by the time it arrived in SriLanka he was dead and the reigning king was Kirti Sri Meghavama.

The Culavamsa does not describe in detail how the Tooth Relic was brought to the island, but merelystates that tlre relic was brought to Sri Lanka by a Brahmin woman. However, the chronicle gives adetailed description ofhowthe reigningkingreceiveditwith reverence andhowhe decreed thatit shouldbe brought every year to the Abhayagiri Vihara to observe the same sacrificial ceremonial.

It could be surmised that the origin of the pageant of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Sri Lanka could be tracedback to the time of the promulgation of this decree by King Kirti Sri Meghavarna.

About a century after the arrival of the Tooth Relic, the Chinese pilgrim Fa-Hien has recorded a grandfestival that was held at the Abhayagiri Vihara in its honour by the king and the people. Fa-Hiendescribes the pomp and pageantry of the festival of the Tooth Relic and mentions that certain religiousrites were obsirved in the monastery of the Tooth Relic.

The Dalada - Sirita written during the reign of Parakramabahu IV (1302 - L326 AD) contains the rulesand the religious rites that had to be observed in the worship of the Tooth Relic.

From this it follows that simple ceremonies such as the veneration ofrelics had taken the shape ofritualsand had played an important part in the life of the people.

The Tooth Relic also came to be considered as a symbol of power and authority. In the Polonnaruwaperiod it was definitely necessary for the king to be in possession of the Tooth Relic. Princes alwaysfouglrt against each other to capture the relic, for the popular concept was "he who possesses the ToothRelic shall possess the Crown"

When Queen Sugala started a revolt against Parakramabahu I (1153 - 1186 A.D), she managed to fleeto Rohana after taking the Tooth Relic and the Bowl Relic. Then the king sent word to his dignitariesthat if the relics were taken across the sea the island would be desolate.

Adapted fromA Ritual Transformed into a PageantDaily News: Monday, July 22, 1991

2.2 Write the answers to the questions in 2.1.

3. ' Iilriting

Expand the following word groups given in Column A using appropriate information of your own.Write the expansions in Column B. Underline each new expansion.

(a)

(i)

(ii)

A

A Shramadana Campaign will beheld... . . . . . . . .

Where ?

When ?

(iii) For what pur?ose

(iv) By whom ?

(b) I visited my friend

(i) When ?

(ii) Where

(iiil What more about this friend ?

A(c) A pedestrian was ...'...

(i) What haPPened ?

(ii) What was he/she doing ?

(iii) Where ?

(iv) On what daY ?

(v) At what time ?

(d) Money and gold jewellery

(i) What haPPened ?

(ii) Whose ?

(iii) What more about this Person ?

(iv) Where did this haPPen ?

(v) When ?

(e) Ourneighbour. . ' . . . . . . . .

(i) What haPPened ?

(ii) What more about him/her ?

(iii) Why ?

APara 1

attractsancient

Para 2

grandestspectacular

Para 3

pageantlegendchronicle

B

a record ofhistorical events

having many facts

beginning

a period ofhundred Years

take by force; seize

people with high ranks or positions

a person who travels to a holY Place

arouses interest, attention etc'

own

empty and lonelY

steps follobed in a religious ceremony

ordered

4. VocabularY

(a)InColumnAbelowyouseesomedif frcul twordstakenfromTextA.Matchthesewordswiththedefinitions given iniolumn B. Look at the context of each given word before you do this exercise'

f t )Wri tethenumberofthematchingdef in i t ionagainsteachwordinColumnA

1.

2.

3.

4.

D.

6.

7.at.

9.

10.

11.

12.

35

APara 4

detailedreverencedecreed

Para 5

originpromulgation

Para 6

century

Para 7

reignpilgrimrites

Para 8

venerationrelics

Para 9

capturepossess

Para 10

dignitariesdesolate

B

13. parts ofthe body, clothes, belongings ofa holy person

L4. belonging to the past

15. most impressive; most splendid

16. a feeling ofdeep respect

L7. announcingofficially

18. regarding as sacred

19. a story handed down from the past

2A. a petiod of a king's or a queen's rule

2I. very impressive; eye - catching

22. a procession ofpeople

36

1.

. UNIT 4NATIONAL EVENTS

SECTION 2

Sentence Comprehension for Fluent Reading

See how the following word groups expand when other word groups are added to them'

(i) underline'the word groups that give bhe ftew infijrmation.

(ii) Read the sentences aloud'

iiiil Translate the sentences into Sinhala or Tamil'

A

During the Anuradhapura period """"'

What happened ?

B

(a)

(i)

ft)

(ii) And what else ?

(iii) What more about the Bowl Relic ?

Thus when there was a prolonged drought

and famine . . . . . .

When ?

What was done ?

During the Anuradhapura period kings of Sri

Lanka continued to venerate the Tooth Relic'

During the Anuradhapura period kings of Sri

Lankicontinued to venerate the Tooth Relic along

with the Bowl Relic.

During the Anuradhapura period kings of Sri

Lankicontinued tQ venerate the Tooth Relic along '

with the Bowl Relic which had been received by

King Devanampiyatissa as a gift from Emperor

Dharmasoka.

Thus when there was a prolonged drought and

famine during the reign of King Upatissa""'

Thus when there was a prolonged drought and

famine during the reign of King Upatissa a great

puja was held.

Thus when there was a prolonged drought and

famine during the reign of King Upatissa a great

puja was held in honour of the relics'

Thus when there was a prolonged drought and

famine during the reign of King Upatissa a great

puja was held in honour of the relics on the advice

of the Bhikkhus.

following questions. When you read Text B, it is

you got from Text A. This will help you to spot new

(i)

(ii)

I

(ii i) whv ?

(iv) Who advised on this ?

Read Text B quickly to find answers to the

important to keep in mind the information

information, if any, that Text B gives you'

(a)Whoarethepeoplemer-r t ionedinthetext lWhyaretheyment ioned?

(b) What dates are mentioned in the text ?

Many place names are mentioned in the text' What are they ?

71

(c)

What is the main idea that is discussed in both texts ?

In addition to this, textA deals with another important idea. Can you remember whati t is. ?

Text B

On the 24th of April 1815, fifty three days after the signing of the Kandyan Convention, ceding theSinhalese Kingdom, the Danta Dhatu which had been removed to Pusulpitiya during the Britishinvasion of Kandy was once again ceremonially installed at the Dalada Maligawa. John D' Oyly, whohad negotiated.the cession, and who understood Sinhalese sentiments more than any"other Britisher,wrote thus to the Governor in Colombo: I'We have this day obtained the surest proof of the confidenceof the Kandyan nation and their acquiescence in.the dominion of the British Government".

The willingness of the Bhikkhus, the chieftains and the common people to bringback the Danta Dhatusignified that they were prepared to be under the new dispensation. Otherwise this sacred palladiumof Sinhalakings would neverhave been broughtback to Kandy which had become the centre of Britishadministration ofthe former Sinhalese Kingdom. 1

From time immemorial the Danta Dhatu had been one of the most protected tleasures of the Sinhalesekings and the belief had been established that he who possessed the Danta Dhatu had the legitimateright to the sovereignty of the land. History records that this most venerated of the relics of the Buddhain Sri Lanka was brought to the island by a royal Prince and Princess of Kalinga during the reign of KingSri Meghavarna (303-31 A.C). This incident is recorded in the Mahafamsa. History records thathenceforth the annual festival of the Tooth Relic continued to be one of the most important andspectaciilar of all religious festivals.

During the Anuradhapura period kings of Sri Lanka continued to venerate the Tooth Relic along withthe Bowl Relic which had been received by King Devanampiyatissa as a gift from Emperor Dharmasoka.These relics were housed together iri a building close to the royal palace. The Mahavamsa records thaton several occisions the magical power of the two relics came to the assistance of the kings and theirpeople. Thus when there was a prolonged drought and famine during the reign of King Upatissa a greatpuja was held in honour of the relics on the advice of the Bhikkhirs. The Bowl Relic was filled with water,the king and the people observed ata sil and the water from the Bowl Relic was sprinkled all over the cityand its environs. Before the end of the night a great rain fell and the drought ended. The king madean injunition to the effect that whenever a similar situation arose the sahe ritual was to be observed.

The Mahavampa tells how time and again the indispensability of these relics came to be emphasized incrisis situations. For"example, Parakramabahu the Great (1153 - 1186 A.D.) was faced with thepredicament of being deprived of the two hallowed relics when they fell into the hands of rebelliouskinsmen in Ruhuna. The king s armies were closing in upon the rebels and he was informed that thelatter were contemplating the removal of the relics overseas. His instructions to the army to safeguardthe relics are recorded in the Mahavamsa.'

Parakramabahu's injunction underlines the preciousness of the two relics an i also reveals the fact thata king could not be consecrated unless he had the two relics in his posses' ron.

During the destructive reign of Kalinga Magha in the 13th century, the i wo relics were concealed byBhikkhus in Kotmale in the inaccessible hilly terrain of Malaya Rata. Wher Vijayabahu lll (1220 -24)liberated the southern regions from Magha the relics were brought to Dambadeniya. But since the alienswere still holding sway over the Rajarata the king feared for their safety.

We note that the safety ofthe two relics receivedhigh priority in the affairs of state. Vijayabahu's deeisionto keep the relics at Beligala was prompted by the political situation that prevailed at the time. But hisson and successor, Parakramabahu II (L225 - 1235) who had succeeded in freeing Rajarata from thealiens, decided to bring the relics to Dambadeniya.

DuringthereignofParakramabahulV(14L0-L4&?)averysignificanteventtookplace. Theking,beingan erudite scholar himself, accredited with organizing the compilation of the Sinhala Pansiya PanasJataka Pota, decided to place on record the saga of the Tooth Relic, along with injunctions how-theceremonies connected with it should be conducted.

(d)

(e)

38

The work compiled under the orders of King Paraklamabahu IV, named Dalada sirita' in elegant

Sinhala prose of the ialf, ."nt,,r', contains a f;istory of the Danta Dhatu along with a set of regulations

about the ceremony connected with it'

wenotethatthere were three chambersin theTemple -theinn-er shrine where the Danta Dhatureposed'

the second outer ct amle. arrd the third outei chamber. The first three injunctions are about tlie entry

into these chambers. The minist"", of .tui. .o"ia enhr the third chamber, and those who could enter

the second chamber were the Bhikkhus, trt" ti"g u"d his crosest attendants,_the offrcials of the Temple

and those erudite in the Dhamma. O"ly f;;;ie issistantjrvho p^repar".g !ht Mal Asana could enter the

inner-shrine. The ordinaryfolkhadto worsiiip ift" pu"taDhatuirom a distance, perhaps through a door

beyond the third ante-cha-mber. It is *g"tf, ,,ltittg that the present Dalada Maligawa also has similar

architectural features.

Another interesting injunction, which perhaps iad continued from very. early days' is the immunity

granted to anyone who- seekq the protectio. olf tft" Danta Dhatu' The thirty seventh injunction of the

Dalada sirita states: ,,No haLm shourd u" ao"" tu those who enter the Dalada Temple because of some

fear."

Incidentally, it is on record that Madugalla who was convicted to be eiecuted after the rebellion of 1818

sought aqsylum within the shring ,.oo* ityi.,g to invoke this ancient custom of immunity' However'

Europ.ean rulers of Sinhala provinces ftJ"""i"iu"cepted these customs and Madugalla's was a vain

attempt.

Thus the Danta Dhatu has bahind it a long history a: -ong

of the most valued treasures of the sinhala

people. During the Eorop"ut irrrra.iorr*, bJgirr"i"g *itrt the advent of the Portuguese in the early 16th

cent'ry, Sinhala gl,i[k]rt. and lay a""ot""]ftud p?otected it with great c11e' When the Kotte Kingdom

was on the brink of falling into the rtu"a" of the king of Port-ugal, Kira Alle Divana Rala had a

premonition, ur,afr""u' u*iywithth-eDu"iuOftut"to DllgamuVihara in Sabaragamuwa' where itwas

hidden till the "pp..r"r,""

ofvimaladhui-u.oriyu (1591 - 1604) who fo-unded the Kandyan Kingdom in

the security of the central hills, and who erected a two storey superb Relic Temple in the neighbourhood

of the Royal Palace. This Temple, ""to',rutua

te'tn""ut times by otirer Kandyan kings' remains to this day'

Adapted fromThe'Tooth Relic: the Sacred Palladium of Sri Lanka

' DailY News: MondaY, JulY 22,1991'

Write the answers to the questions given in 2 above'

Language Practice

Look at the different sets of sense units given below' Th"y are taken from sentences in Text B'

The sense units fo" each ..rrturr.e are luirbled. Arrange them in the correct order and write out

trr" r""t"".e again. observe how the sentence expands. Follow these steps'

Look for the unit which forms the subject'

Ne*t see whether any other unit could come before it'

Look for the unit which has the main verb'

Now place the other units.Are the units ad.iectival erpressions ie. do they expand a noun to form a nominal

expression (noun Phrase) ?Or are they ad.uerbiitiipi"uions ie. do they expand a verb to form an adverbial phrase/

clause ?

2.1

3.

(i)(ii) .(iii)(iv)(v)

(vi)

* at.the Dalada Maligawa* on the 24th of APril 1815* the Danta Dhatu was once again ceremonially installed- I -* fifty thr." auv j Jt"itrr" rig"i"g of the Kandyan Convention ceding the Sinhalese Kingdom

* which had been removed to Pusulpitiya* during the British invasion of Kandy

(a)

39

(b) * wrote thus to the governor in Colombowho had negotiated the cession

* John D'Oyly* and who understood Sinhalese sentiments* rnore than any other Britisher

lVriting

Choose one of the events given below and'write a short account of the event. These guidelineswill help you to gather information.

(i) When is the event held or celebrated now ?(ii) Where ?iiiii Who

""" the people involved ? (organizers, participants, observers etc.)

(iv) When was it first held or celebrated ?(v) Where ?(vi) Who was involved at that time ?(vii) What was done on that occasion ?(viii) What changes have taken place through the years ?(ix) Reasons for the changes, if any.

Events '

(a) The Olympic Games(b) The Independence Day Celebrations in Sri Lanka(c) A Religious Festival(d) An Annual Event in your neighbourhood(e)' An Annual Event in your School or University College

Vocabular5r

Group work

Look for key words in Text B. The key words in a text are words that are essential or importantin.conveying the relevant information. Each group can work on one of the following themes.

(i) Key words related to people, organizations, institutions etc.(ii) Key words related to objects(iii) Key words related to places(iv) Key words related to action

4.

5.

40

,l

1.

UNIT 4NATIONAL I]VBNTS

SECTION 3

Answerthefol lowingquest ionsusinginfornrat iorr f ronrthetrvotextsyoureSdinsect ionlandsection 2.

( i )Drawtwoco. lumnsforthetwotexts.NamethemAandB.IrrcolumnAnameal l thehistorical events mentioned i. T;; A.

-il ;i;;tt B name all the historical events

mentioned in Text B'

(ii) (a) Make a list of the people-who are common to both passages'

(b)Maketwoseparatel istsforthepeoplewhoarenotcommontothetwopassages.

(iii) Draw two separate columns {or lhe two texts again. For each text, namethree sources of

information, togetherwith the i"i";;;li;-oTer"d uv'tolii toott"' Followtheexample

given below

Source Information Source Information

(b)

(c)

(a)(b)(c)

iv) The information below is taken from one or both passages. Against each statement' state

whether i t isfromText A,Text B *[" i f t t l . ts A andb' (Wii te AforTextA; B forText

B: and A & B if it is common to both texts)'

(a)TheToothRel icwasbroughttoSriLankadur ingthereignofKingKir t iSr iMeghavarna. . . . . . . ' . . . '

Fa - Hien has recorded a great festival that was held to honour the relic' ".'""

Dalad.a siritagives the rules and religious rites that had to be observed in the worship of

the Tooth Rel ic . . . . """

(d) In ancient sri Lanka, it wasbelieved that the legitimate right to the sovereignty of the land

was tied with possession of the Tooth Relic """""""""'

(e) People seeking refuge at the Temple of the Tooth Relic had full immunity during the time

of the, Sinhala Kings""""

Language Practice

Look at the noun phrases belolv taken from Text B' can you remember what a noun phrase is ?

You saw how noun phrases expand-in Unit II ' Section 2'2'4'

Look back at this "*"".ir.l".ef.esh

your minds, before you read the following'

(a) Lhe Danta Dhatu which had been removed to Pusulpitiya during the BriLish invasion of

KandY.

ft) John D' Oyly, whohad negotiated the cession and who understood sinhalese sentiments

more than anY other Britisher'

(c) one of the most protected treasures of the Sinhalese kings'

(d) a royal Prince and Princess of Kalinga

(e) The annual festiual of the Tooth Relic

Note that the italicized words in the noun phrasg:.ale head ,nouns (main words)' The words to

il"J#ir""Jil;Jtfr;iil; il;;;"", ei"" additional information about these nouns'

4l

2.

2.2

2.3 The following noun phrases taken from Text B have post-modifiers ie., they expand the head nounby gving additional information after the head noun. Underline the word that introduces thepost-modifier. The first one is done for you.

(a) the Danta Dhatu which had been removed to Pusulpitiya during the British invasion ofKandy

(b) John D 'Oyly, who had negotiated the cession, and who understood Sinhalese sentimentsmore than any other Britisher

(c) Kandy which had become the centre of British administration of the former SinhaleseKingdom

(d) the Bowl Relic which had been received by King Devanampiyatissa as a gift from EmperorDharmasoka

(e) the inner shrine where the Danta Dhatu reposed

(f) Madugalla who was convicted to be executed after the rebelJion of 1818

(g) Delgamuwe Vihara in Sabaragamuwa where it (the Danta Dhatu) was kept hidden

Find out why different words are used to introduce the post-modifier. Try to make an intelligentguess by looking carefully at the noun that is expanded

Write your observations by filling in the blanks in the following sentences.

(a) The word who is used when the head noun is #anft) The word which is used when the head noun is ay'an(c) The word where is used when the head noun is a./an

The post-modifiers that you looked at in the prdvious exercises are dependent clauses. Adependent clause, as you know, is a group of words with a subject and a predicate in it. When adependentclausemodifiesthe headnoun, wecallitanadjectiualclause. Lookatthenounphrasesin 2.3 above. Circle the head nouns that are modified by the adjectival clauses.

The adjectival clauses in 2.3 above, as you have already obsgrved, begin with who/which/where.These words are kno*n as relatiue pronouns. Adjectival clauses that begin with relativepronouns are also called relatiue clauses.

Vocabulary

Look for words / phrases from both Text A and Text B that are necessary to describe the DaladaFestival. Arrange these words under themes. Eg. people, plices, datei, events etc.

Writing

Using the information given in Text A and Text B write a brief account of the Dalada Festival. Thekey words thatyou found in the previous exercise will be very helpful when you write this account.Do not copy entire sentences from the texts.

2.4

2.6

2.7

42

(1)pageantfestivalpoojaritesritualbirthday

tripjourneyvoyageadventureflightmoon-landing

droughtfaminemonsoon rainsdisaster

invasionrevoltcessionconvention

accidentdeath

Io,

violencedeathvictimcasualtyrelief "successexperience,

(2)plannddunexpectedfamilypoliticalnationalreligious

importantsignificantmainfamoushistoric

grandceremonialfunnythrilling

(6)

windyrainy'brightsunnywarmsoftquietforecast

Vocabulary

(3)morningafternoonnightante meridiempostmeridiem

secondsminutesdaysdatesmonthsyear

. century

breakfastlunchdinner

periodtimefutureimmeinorial'

(7)

eagerexcitemententhusiasnhatedhorriblescaredsqspensestartledfeelings

(4)radiotelevisionnewspapers

newsprogrammeheadingsannouncementstransmissiontelecastinformation

reportersannouncers

(8)

observedescriberecordworshipvenerateeelebratehappenreactconduct

Use the above words in paragraphs to bring out their me-aning. Give titles to your Faragraphs'

Work in groups, .ra ir' l" -"f."

VJ", Utl", and your paragraphs as interesting as possible'

43

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