NEB Grade XII Compulsory English Note | Language Development | Unit 13 After the World Trade Centre

Unit 13

After the World Trade Centre

Working with words

A. Match the words with their definitions/meanings.

a. passion - iv. any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate

b. surveillance- viii. continuous observation of a place, person, group, or ongoing activity in order to gather information

c. integrity- x. the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished

d. avuncular- i. like an uncle

e. livelihood- ix. a means of supporting one’s existence

f. fascination- ii. powerful attraction

g. innovation- vi. an idea, practice, or object that is perceived as new

h. panorama - v. an unobstructed and wide view of an extensive area in all directions

i. resilience - iii. the power or ability of a material to return to its original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched

j. evacuation- vii. the removal of people or things from an endangered area

Comprehension

Answer the following questions.

a. Where were Frank and Nicole employed?

Frank and Nicole were employed in the World Trade Center.

b. How does the author describe Frank’s attachment to the twin towers?

According to Nicole, for Frank, the twin towers were both a livelihood and a passion.

c. How did the two families become intimate with each other?

The two families became intimate through their children that they first met.

d. What, according to Nicole, did Frank think of the towers?

According to Nicole, he fell in love with the buildings, and for him they represented an incredible human feat.

e. Why did Frank want to help the people in the tower after the attack?

Frank wanted to help the people in the tower after the attack because he knew the structure of the building very well.

f. Why did Frank not follow Nicole’s request even after knowing that the building was on fire?

Frank did not follow Nicole’s request even after knowing that the building was on fire because there were people on their floor who’d been hurt by the blast.

g. Who did Frank call from the building after the attack?

Frank called his sister Nina from the building after the attack.

h. How did Nicole feel after the collapse of the first tower?

After the collapse of the first tower, Nicole felt it was like the onset of a nuclear winter, and she was in the middle of a fog that was as blindingly bright as a snowstorm on a sunny day.

i. Were Frank’s children serious as soon as they heard the news of their missing father? Why?

No, they weren't. They listened with wide-eyed interest, but soon afterwards they went back to their interrupted games. This happened because of their tender age.

Critical thinking

a. Many innocent people lose their lives in ruthless attacks every year. What do you think the governments should do to protect their people from such attacks and make the world a safer place to live?

According to a report, over the past decade, terrorists killed an average of 24000 people worldwide each year. People living all over the world fear terrorism. Because of terrorist attacks, thousands of innocent people lost their lives and properties. Attack on world trade center on September 11, 2001, is considered the largest terrorist attack in the world.

There are several causes of terrorism. Some of them are rapid population growth, politics, dissatisfaction of people with the country’s system, lack of education, corruption, racism, economic inequality, linguistic differences. People use terrorism as a weapon to justify their thoughts.

Terrorism has become a global threat which has to be controlled from the initial level. Governments across the world are making a lot of efforts to combat against terrorism. Many police, intelligence and military organizations have been formed to fight terrorism.

The law enforcing agencies alone cannot control terrorism. The people in the world will also have to unite to face this increasing threat of terrorism, and make the world better place for living.

b. Revenge and violence are the integral parts of the history and civilization. They can’t be ignored, only managed. Do you agree or not with this statement? Present your logic.

Revenge is a motive for crime and violence. People are encouraged to seek revenge to harm someone who has harmed them when they feel attacked, mistreated or socially rejected. Revenge caused many wars in the past and several civilizations collapsed. Attack on world trade center on September 11, 2001, and two World Wars are the fine examples of violence caused by revenge.

Some people associate revenge with seeking justice, but the two are not the same. People who seek revenge are driven by anger and violence. They don’t think how they could use their negative experience. We should understand that revenge is not a constructive conflict resolution. We have to seek other ways to find the solution of the problem. Self -realization could be one of them.

Writing

A. Write a description of an event that you have recently witnessed.

Last Sunday I was returning home from the cinema hall. I was walking on the footpath along with two of the friends. We were talking about the movie we had watched. Suddenly, we heard a loud, unpleasant sound behind us. We turned back and saw two buses, coming from the opposite direction, had collided. The front portions of the buses were completely damaged. Both the drivers died on the spot. Many passengers were severely injured. I called the ambulance. Soon the ambulance and the police arrived and took the injured to the hospital nearby. It was really a horrible sight.

B. Write an essay on 'An Unforgettable Event in my Life'.

The Unforgettable Event in My Life

I used to have a bad habit of doing things thoughtlessly, without considering the consequences. I would never have thought that my habit would lead to me to an unforgettable event in my life.

It was about 3 years ago, on an evening, I along with my brother and mother was watching a movie on TV downstairs while my dad was reading a book upstairs. I was feeling quite bored so I decided to come to the balcony which was my favorite place for spending the evening time. After about ten minutes I came downstairs. Unfortunately, I forgot to close the balcony, and even my father didn’t notice that the balcony was opened.

A while later, I heard a loud scream coming from the upstairs. My father repeatedly calling my mother, told her to bring him a knife quickly. We were frightened, and soon came to conclusion that someone broke into our house. My brother rushed into the kitchen to get the knife, while my mother called for help in a panic. She sent me to a neighbor’s house. I came back with some men in my neighborhood. I couldn’t imagine that everything seemed to be happened so quickly. Chills were running through my spine, and my hopelessness increased when I looked at my house which was full of screaming at that moment.

I was intensely hoping that nothing will happen to my family. Suddenly, there was a loud crashing noise upstairs. I was trembling. Fortunately, the police arrived, and captured the man. He was drunk, and had no bad intention to enter the house. My father had a minor injury in his hand while confronting with the man. I ran to my father, I almost cried. Sense of relief running through my mind, I was thankful to God.

Whenever I recall the event, I always have goosebumps. The event taught me a good lesson. From then I am trying to break all my bad habits, and to always consider about all my actions.

Grammar

Prepositions

B. Complete these sentences with the correct prepositions.

a. The relationship ………..the two boys has changed significantly over the past few years.

between

b. In Nepal, many girls get married ………..an early age.

at

c. I’m not ………..the mood for such silly games.

in

d. There were no security personnel………..duty at that time.

on

e. The new smartphone is similar ………..the one I bought a few years ago.

to

f. My dad insisted ……….. taking the later train.

on

g. People ……….. ambition always try to achieve their goals, no matter what happens.

with

h. Mr Jenkins has been disabled all his life as a result …….. a childhood illness.

of

i. We bought the TV because it was ……….. sale.

on

j. She has no understanding ……….. how computers really work.

of

k. I gave him my new T-shirt in exchange ……….. a few cigarettes.

for

l. The company is run ……….. two people who hardly ever meet.

by

m. All the celebrations and parties were called ………… because of the tragic accident.

off

n. There was a great need ……….. volunteers at the site of the crash.

of/for

C. Complete the following text with correct prepositions.

What are we seeing here? One very real possibility is that these are the educational consequences of the differences……1….. parenting styles that we talked about ……2….. the Chris Langan chapter. Think back to Alex Williams, the nine year-old whom Annette Lareau studied. His parents believe……3…..concerted cultivation. He gets taken……4…..museums and gets enrolled ……5…..special programs and goes ………6..summer camp, where he takes classes. When he’s bored………7..home, there are plenty of books to read, and his parents see it as their responsibility to keep him actively engaged ……8..the world …9…..him. It’s hard to see how Alex would get better……10..reading and math ……11.. the summer.

1. in

2. in

3. in

4. to

5. in

6. to

7. at

8. in

9. around

10. at

11. over

Simple future, future continuous, future perfect and future perfect continuous

B. Make sentences from the given clues as stated in brackets.

a. Who/pass the exam? (future simple)

Who will pass the exam?

b. How/you/get home? (future continuous)

How will you be getting home?

c. I/come later. (future simple)

I will come later.

d. She/catch the train by 3 pm. (future perfect)

She will have caught the train by 3 pm.

e. It/rain tomorrow. (future simple)

It will rain tomorrow.

f. John/sleep at 4 am. (future continuous)

John will be sleeping at 4 am.

g. How long/you/see your boyfriend when you get married? (future perfect continuous)

How long will you have been see your boyfriend when you get married?

h. It/rain in Kathmandu next week. (future continuous)

It will be raining in Kathmandu next week.

i. How long/you/work here when you retire? (future perfect continuous)

How long will you have been working here when you retire?

j. He / not / finish the cleaning by the time she gets home. (future perfect)

He will not have finished the cleaning by the time she gets home.

C. Complete the following sentences with the correct future tense form of the verbs in the brackets.

a. It ………… (snow) in Brighton tomorrow evening.

will snow / is going to snow

b. On Friday at 8 o’clock, I ………… (to meet) my friend.

am meeting / am going to meet

c. Wait! I ………… (to drive) you to the station.

will drive

d. When they get married in March, they …… (to be) together for six years.

will have been

e. You’re carrying too much. I ………… (to open) the door for you.

will open

f. Do you think the teacher ………… (to mark) our homework by Monday morning?

will have marked

g. When I see you tomorrow, I ………… (show) you my new book.

will show

h. After you take a nap, you ………… (to feel) a lot better.

will feel

i. I ………… (to let) you know the second the builders finish decorating.

will let

j. We ………… (to wait) in the shelter until the bus comes.

will wait

k. I’m very sorry, Dr. Jones ………… (not be) back in the clinic until 2pm.

will not be

l. This summer, I ………… (to live) in Birgunj for four years.

will have been living

m. I don’t think you ………… (to have) any problems when you land in Pokhara.

will have / are going to have

n. The baby should be due soon, next week she ………… (to be) pregnant for nine months.

will have been

o. By the time we get home, they ………… (to play) football for 30 minutes.

will have been playing

p. When you get off the train, I ………… (to wait) for you by the ticket machine.

will wait

q. This time next week, I ………… (ski) in Switzerland!

will be skiing

r. Now, I ………… (to check) my answers.

will check / am going to