English Learning

READ FOR FUN    AN OFFICER AND A LADY  - PRAVEEN SWAMI  It was perhaps typical of Kiran Bedi's career that on the day of the announcement of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service for her, she was also ticked off by the Supreme Court. This was during contempt of court proceedings with regard to the Tihar Jail authorities' failure to ensure adequate medical attention for a detainee under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), Richard Semre.  Bedi's career, from its outset, has been characterised by controversy and by her ability to compel attention. Born in prominent Amritsar family, Bedi first attracted attention as a tennis player, winning the Asian women's title in 1972, "Tennis was very important to me," she says, "because to become a champion, I had to learn to fight and to fight fair. I've had to fight hard many times since, but I've always fought fair." That year she met her husband-to-be, Brij Bedi, ...

  THE MAGIC POT (Adapted from Twinklestar Reading ---Jmi Eikaiwa) One day, Maya, a poor girl, met an old woman. The woman gave her a magic pot and said, "Cook, little pot, cook. " The little pot cooked some kholay.  "Stop, little pot, stop", said the woman.  The little pot stopped cooking.  Maya took the magic pot home and gave the pot to her father.  " Cook, little pot, cook" said Maya's father.  He went out for work.  The pot was cooking kholay. Maya's father forgot about the pot and kholay.  The kholay spilled all over - in the kitchen, in the house and in other people's houses.  Everybody started enjoying the yummy kholay.  Suddenly Maya saw the kholay coming to her friend's house.  She came home running. She said to the pot, "Stop, little pot, stop. " The pot stopped cooking.  People in the village had a kholay party for the next two-three days.  Maya and her father were very happy. 

THE RED RAIN COAT  (Adapted from 'The Red Raincoat' by Kiran Kasturia)  On Sunday, Ongyal's Ama got him a red raincoat. "Ama can I wear it now?" asked Ongyal. "No, my dear, the rains are near, but just now the sky is clear," said Ama. Monday was sunny. "Will it rain today, Ama?" asked Ongyal. "No Ongyal, not today. If you wear your raincoat, you will look funny." "Ama,  when will my wish come true?" asked Ongyal. "Not today, my dear, there is just one white cloud in the sky!" said Ama. Wednesday was hot. "Ama, why doesn't it rain?" asked Ongyal. "Ongyal I think it will rain very soon. Maybe even before it is noon," said Ama. On Thursday, Ongyal went to play. "Ama, what if it rains? Shall I take the raincoat with me?" asked Ongyal. "No my dear, it will not rain today", said Ama. "The little white clouds are too high in the sky," said Ongyal. Friday was cloudy. ...

  THE LITTLE HOUSE Adapted from 'The Little Log House', (A Russian folk tale) Once there was a little log house in a forest.  It was made of mud, grass and sticks. On Monday, a Mouse saw the little house. "What a nice little house!" she said. "Yoo-hoo! Any one there?" There was nobody. So, the Mouse started living in that house. On Tuesday, a Frog came near the house. "What a nice house!" she said. "Yoo-hoo! Any one there?" The Mouse said, "Who are you?" "I am a Frog." "Well, why don't you move in with me?" asked the Mouse. The Frog hopped in. The mouse and the Frog lived together. On Wednesday, a Rabbit came near the house. "What a nice house!" she said. "Yoo-hoo!" Anyone there?" The Mouse said, "Who are you?" "I am a Rabbit." "Well,why don't you move in with us?" asked the Mouse. The Rabbit jumped in. Three of them lived together. On Thursday, a...

  THAT IS NOT THABI! THAT IS A HIPPO! ( Adapted from 'That's not Thabi! That's a Hippopotamus!'by Jon Keevy) Lucy woke up. Her sister Thabi was not in her bed. "Where is Thabi?" Lucy asked Ma. "Thabi is in the kitchen eating breakfast." "That is not Thabi!" "That is a hippo!" Lucy looked all over the house. "Where is Thabi?" Lucy asked Pa. "Thabi is swimming in the pool." "That is not Thabi! That is a hippo!  Lucy kept looking around the garden. "Where is Thabi?" Lucy asked the neighbour. "Thabi is playing in the park." "That is not Thabi! That's a hippo!" Then Lucy heard a funny noise. She gave the hippo a big tickle. "There is Thabi!" "Thanks," said Thabi."It's boring inside a hippo."

  LITTLE PAINTERS Adopted from 'Little Painters' by Cheryl Rao One day Veena and Vinay were in the garden. There were many tins of paint. There was white paint and red paint, green paint, blue paint and yellow paint. A group of painters were busy. "Can we help?" asked Veena and Vinay. The painters smiled. He gave them brushes. "Paint the inside of the gate", he said to Veena. "Paint the outside of the gate", he said to Vinay. Veena painted the inside of the gate. Vinay painted the other side of the gate. By afternoon they finished their work. But, the paint fell on the ground. The paint fell on the wall. The paint fell on them. The paint fell everywhere. So, they cleaned the wall. They cleaned their clothes. "I love my red gate!" said Veena. "I love my green gate!" said Vinay. When Amma, Baba, Boju and Bajay came out to look at the gate, Veena and Vinay were worried. They looked at Amma. Amma was smiling. Bajay was smiling. Boju...

 A CHRISTMAS CAROL - CHARLES DICKENS  Introduction  Charles Dickens was the most popular British novelist of his day. At the age of 24 he was famous both in Britan and America. When he died at the age of 58, he was known and loved everywhere in the world. "A Christmas Carol" is one of Dickens' best known novels. This extract has been dramatized by Walter Hackett as a radio play.  Characters  EBENEZER SCROOGE TWO BOYS NARRATOR FRED Scrooge's nephew BOB CRATCHIT, Scrooge's clerk  GENTLEMAN GHOST OF JACOB MARLEY  FIRST GHOST  FAN BELLE SECOND GHOST TIM CRATCHIT  MRS. CRATCHIT MARTHA CRATCHIT THREE OTHER CRATCHIT CHILDREN THIRS GHOST  TWO MEN  SOUND: Church Clock strikes three times. A group of young people sing "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen."  At its climax a door opens . SCROOGE : (barking) Stop it! Stop it, I say! (Singing stops) Get away from here. We'll have no singing around here. Understand me! No singing! Boy : A Merry Ch...

  VIRTUALLY TRUE                                     BY PAUL STEWART  1. Sebastian Shultz. It isn't a name you come across every day. But there it was, large and clear, at the top of the newspaper article in front of me. 2. The reader of the newspaper was a big woman. l couldn't see her face, but l could hear her wheezy breath. 3. MIRACLE RECOVERY, the headline said. Sebastian Shultz, a 14 year-old schoolboy from South London, awoke yesterday from a coma that doctors feared might last forever. 4.It couldn't be the Sebastian Shultz l' d met. l leant forward to read the rest of the article. 5. Six weeks ago, Sebastian Shultz was badly injured in a motorway accident. His condition, on arrival at the General Hospital, was described as critical but stable. Despite doctor's hopes, the boy did not regain consciousness. His parents were informed that their son was in a com...

APPOINTMENT WITH LOVE  S. I. Kishor  John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't, the girl with the rose. His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind. In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner's name, Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he located her address. She now lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. Soon after he was shipped overseas for service in World War II. During the next year and one month the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile h...