Before you read

In this lesson we look at what we are like and how each of us is different. We are all interesting people in different ways and we are all good at different things. As you read this, think about what you are like and what you enjoy doing.

RADHA

My favourite activity is climbing trees. Just outside our house, there is a mango tree which I love to go up. Its branches spread out, so it is simple to climb up the tree, and I can sit comfortably in the fork of two branches. My mother tells me it is not sensible for girls to climb trees, but one afternoon she climbed up too, and both of us sat there talking and eating raw mangoes. When I am high up in the tree, I feel like I can rule the whole world.

NASIR

When I grow up, I want to become a seed collector. We have cotton fields in our village and every year, my father spends a lot of money on buying new seeds to grow our cotton plants. My grandfather told me that many years ago, he could collect the seeds from his own plants which could be sown to grow new plants during the next year. But today that doesn’t work so we have to spend money to buy new seeds every single year. I want to find out why that is so. I want to learn how to preserve seeds so that we can use them again and not spend money every year.

RОНІТ

If I had a huge amount of money I would travel and travel. I want to see the mountains of New Zealand because they looked beautiful in a magazine picture. I wish I could sail down the Amazon river in South America on a

raft. I want to live on the beaches of Lakshadweep and dive down to see coral. I suppose I should go to the Konark temple in Orissa or the old city in Beijing in China and the Pyramids in Egypt too, but what I actually enjoy is seeing nature more than old buildings.

SERBJIT

What makes me very angry is when people don’t believe me when I am telling the truth. For example, if I tell my teacher that I couldn’t do my homework because Ravi borrowed my book and forgot to return it. Or I tell my parents that it wasn’t me but my little brother who started the fight. Or if I tell my teacher that I really did study for the test even if I have got bad marks. They all look at me as if they think I am telling lies. The look on their faces really angers me. Sometimes I have to look down at my shoes and count to ten so that I do not show that I am angry.

DOLMA

When I grow up, I am going to be the Prime Minister of India. People always laugh when I say that, but I am sure that I will do it. Everyone in my class asks me what to do when they have a problem, and my teacher always trusts me when something needs to be done in school. I want to make things better for everyone. I want us to have good hospitals and roads and schools. I want to make sure that there are many good scientists in India who will invent cures for diseases and send a spaceship to Mars.

PETER

My favourite day is the second Sunday of every month. On this day our whole family always goes to the cinema hall to see a film. My father gets the tickets in advance and all of us - my grandmother, my parents, my two brothers and I - take the bus there. In the interval my father

buys us peanuts and I love to sit in the darkness of the hall eating and watching the film. Afterwards we always stop to eat ice cream. Everyone is in a good mood and we all feel very lucky that we are such a happy family.

WORKING WITH THE TEXT

A. Answer the following questions.

1. Peter’s favourite day of the week is Sunday
because ______________________________________
______________________________________________ .
2. Nasir wants to learn _________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________ .
3. Dolma believes that she can make a good Prime
Minister because ______________________________
______________________________________________
_______________________________________________ .

B. Write True or False against each of the following statements.

1. Peter is an only child. ________________________________________ .
2. When Serbjit gets angry he shouts at people. __________________ .
3. Nasir lives in the city. ________________________________________ .
4. Radha’s mother enjoys doing things with her. __________________ .

WORKING WITH THE TEXT

Fill in the blanks to name the different kinds of intelligence. One has been done for you.

When I enjoy listening to people and solving their problems I use my $\underline{\text{interpersonal}}$ intelligence.

(i) When I enjoy dancing or physical activity, I use my __________________ intelligence.
(ii) When I enjoy looking at maps and examining pictures I use my __________________ intelligence.
(iii) When I enjoy working with numbers and solving maths problems I use my __________________ intelligence.
(iv) When I enjoy telling a story or arguing, I use my __________________ intelligence.

WORKING WITH LANGUAGE

Match the job on the left with its description on the right.

(i) Navigator ____________________ (a) Advises people what to do about jobs, personal problems, etc.
(ii) Architect ____________________ (b) Works in politics, usually by standing for election.
(iii) Politician ____________________ (c) Finds and monitors the route to get to a place, or the direction of travel.
(iv) Engineer_____________________ (d) Reports on recent news for newspaper, radio, or TV.
(v) Computer programmer ________ (e) Plans the design of a building, town, or city.
(vi) Athlete ______________________ (f) Controls and puts together a programme of music.
(vii) Disc jockey __________________ (g) Works in sports or activities such as running, jumping,etc.
(viii) Composer ___________________(h) Designs and builds things like roads, bridges, or engines.
(ix) Counsellor ___________________ (i) Makes up notes to create music.
(x) Journalist ____________________ (j) Designs the system by which a computer runs or gives information.

WRITING

Write a paragraph about yourself so that people who read it will get to know you better. You could write about yourself from any point of view, or choose one of the following topics.

• What I enjoy doing most
• What makes me angry
• What I hate to do
• What I want to become

(Remember to give a reason or details of what you write about, so that anyone reading it will understand you better.)

After you have finished your paragraph affix your photo on the sheet and display it on the wall. Read each other’s paragraphs. Did you understand someone else better after you had read what he/she wrote?