Here is a news story about how crops are saved by climate-proofing them Complete it by choosing the right words from those given in the brackets.
(A) Among the most worrying aspects of climate change today (a) __________ (is/has been) the effect it (b) __________ (has had/have had) on the food supply of the world. Sctentists (c) __________ (have focussed /focus) their attention and efforts on increasing crop yield and improving crop resilience. Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa (d) __________ (have been I are) the most affected today. Their population (e) __________ (is/has been) the world’s fastest growing rice consumer. The most vulnerable agricultural systems (f) __________ (are/have been) the rain-fed uplands and lowlands that form 80% of total rice land. Until recently, scientists (g) __________ (have focussed / focussed) on improving crop yields, and in a relatively short period of time, (h) __________ (give / have given) us, higher yields. Reports warning of increased droughts and floods, (i) __________ (shift/have shifted) scientists’ attention to making crops “climate- proof”
(B). Answer the questions based on your reading of the passage above.
(a) What have been the most worrying aspects of agricultural growth?
(b) What do scientists today focus on?
(c) Where is the negative impact of climate most felt?
(d) What have the scientists focussed on so far?
(e) How has their attention shifted?
(C) Did you know
You would have used the simple present and present perfect tense in your
answer. Why?
The main use of the simple present tense is to refer to
(i) an action that takes place now.
(ii) routine action/ s.
The present perfect tense is used to refer to an action which has happened
in the past but whose effect still remains.
(e.g.) Among the most worrying aspect of climate change is the effect it has on
the world's food supply.
Climate scientists have predicted that the cultivation of rice in Asia and SubSahara
Africa has been affected severely, since 1970. But, today lack of funds
hinders research.
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emotion |
possession |
perception (often used with can) |
measurement |
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Some verbs, like the ones mentioned above, are not normally used in the continuous (- ing) form. However, we do sometimes use such verbs in the continuous form. Look at the following examples.
1. “I can’t concentrate on my work because I’m thinking about that beautiful scene.”
2. “I think it is beautiful.”
- Which sentence expresses an activity in progress at the moment?
- Which sentence expresses a decided opinion?
(a) Answer the following questions:
- Where were the characters at the time of narration?
- Who was travelling with the aunt?
- How did the children pass their time?
- How long would they take to reach Templecombe?
- How does the aunt respond to the children’s antics? Why do you say so?
(b) You must have used a variety of articles in your answer. Why did you use them? Discuss the reasons with your teacher.
Study the following pair of sentences from the description. Notice the use of
articles-a, an or the or no article (X).
e.g. The next stop was at X Templecombe.
An aunt belonging to the children sat in one corner.
In the corner sat a stranger.
Hence we conclude
1. No article is used before a proper noun.
2. 'The' is used to refer to a specific place/person/ object.
3. 'A' is used when the person/place is referred to for the first time.
4. 'An' is used before a vowel sound.
Make five promises to your friend expressing your willingness to do something.
Use shall/will
e.g. I shall never be late to school.
Promises to Keep!
Did you Know?
One of the puzzling things in English is to know when to use shall and when to use will.
Whenever we desire to express some command, promise, threat or determination shall is used in the second and third person and will is used in the first person.
You shall receive your prize tomorrow, (promise)
He shall not enter the lab again, (determination)
I will reward her for her diligence, (promise)
I will report to the Principal if you don’t submit your homework, (threat)
I will never use abusive language, (determination)
WRITING A MYSTERY STORY
Mysteries can be divided into several categories. There are puzzling stories, detective I crime stories, and suspense stories. They all give the reader a chance to become involved in the solution of the story through clues and character descriptions.
Characters
Before you start to write, think about the characters you might put in your story.
• What will each character do?
• Why is he or she important to the story?
• In what ways are your characters alike?
• How are they different?
• What can your characters learn from each other?
• One last thing to remember: your characters don't always have to be human. If an animal plays a part in the story, that animal is a character, too
Setting
A story has to happen in a place.
• The setting might be a place you are familiar with.
• It might even be another planet!
• A setting doesn't even have to be a real place.
Details
• Use your Imagination.
• Details help readers understand how something looks, how it feels, how it sounds - even how something smells or tastes!
Plot
• Your characters have to DO something!
• What they do is the Plot of your story.
• To make the plot exciting add Situations.
Ending
• The Ending of a story is the solution to the conflict.
• Solve the problem, dilemma or conflict faced by the main character.
• Show that your main character has changed or grown in some way.
• Tie up all the loose ends. Readers shouldn't have to choose between several hinted endings.
Ravi has a problem, so he asks his friends for advice. Read the conversation below and underline the expressions that are used for giving advice. (This could be done as role-play)
Ravi : My neighbours play very loud music, which disturbs me when I'm studying.
Mohan: Why don't you try persuading them to turn down the volume?
Shiela: If that doesn't work you could think of changing your study time.
Rahim: Why should Ravi have to do that? He really ought to report such antisocial behaviour to the police.
Shiela: Before taking drastic action like that, I would advise you to sort it out amicably with your neighbours.
Rahim: If l were you, I would play my music even louder!
Mohan: That won't solve his problem. Ravi, I think you should ask your father to take it up with your neighours.
Read the following dialogue
Raghu : I think one of my snakes has escaped.
Sheela : Isn’t it dangerous? You really must stop collecting snakes, Raghu.
Raghu : But I like snakes – they are unusual pets.
Sheela : But I think it’s a dangerous thing to keep such pets.
Raghu : No, they’re not dangerous; they are really… .er… .quite friendly.
Sheela : Huh, snakes require a great deal of careful handling and are still a risk.
Raghu : i don’t mind. What matters is that I like them.
Sheela : Well, quite frankly, I hate them. They are awfully frightening to look at.
Raghu : Look, I am very careful and I handle them very gently. In fact, I don’t have many.
Sheela : Have you ever been bitten?
Raghu : Well, it’s true I’ve been bitten once or twice, but…
You are a friend who has overheard this conversation between Raghu and Sheela. Write to your sister reporting it. Give the conversation an interesting, unexpected or humorous ending. (The first part has been done for you.)
Janpath
5 January 2016
Dear Varsha
As you’re very interested in Raghu and his snakes, I thought I’d tell you about a conversation I heard between him and Sheela.
He told her he thought one of his snakes had escaped and, as usual, she told him to stop collecting them because they were dangerous. (Typical of Sheela, don’t you think?)
Pronouns
Direct speech indirect speech