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English for Today
Unit One: Father of the Nation Bangabandhu's Family in 1971 The Tale of Homecoming Bangabandhu at the UN Bangabandhu's Relationship with other countries Unit Two: Pastimes Have You Any Favourite Pastime? Reading Really Helps Change in Pastime Change in Pastimes in Bangladesh Pastimes Vary Unit Three: Events and Festivals Mother's Day May Day International Mother Language Day - 1 International Mother Language Day - 2 Independence Day Pahela Baishakh Unit Four: Are We Aware? The Ferry Boat Are We Too Many? Our Food and Shelter The Story of Lipi Let's become skilled workforce Unit Five: Nature and Environment The Greed of the Mighty Rivers Environmental Pollution Man and Climate Putting Our Fish In Hot Water A Friend of The Earth Unit Six: Our Neighbors Nepal, The Land of Everest Sri Lanka: The Pearl of the Indian Ocean The Maldives India: Unity In Diversity Bhutan: The Land of Happiness Unit Seven: People Who Stand Out Zainul Abedin, The Great Artist The Art Of Silence The Beginning Love For Humanity Love For Humanity The wizard of Apple Job's Childhood Unit Eight: World Heritage The Shat Gambuj Mosque The Somapura Mahavihara The Statue of Liberty Lake Baikal Unit Nine: Unconventional Jobs Jobs That People Do Weired jobs Around Floral Career Unit Ten: Dreams Have a Dream What I Dream to be They Had Dreams (Part- 1) They Had Dreams (Part- 2) Unit Eleven: Renewable Energy Renewable Energy Sources (Part 1) Renewable Energy Sources (Part 2) Unit Twelve: Roots My Roots My Roots 2 The Return Of the Native In Search Of Identity Unit Thirteen: Media and Modes of E-communication Media and Modes Of E-Communication Social Network Sevices E- Learning Unit Fourteen: Pleasure and Purpose Books Two Mothers Remembered The Sands Of Dee Time, You Old Gipsy Man Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening The Purple Jar (Part -1) The Purple Jar (Part -2) The Purple Jar (Part -3) A Pond of Flesh The Three Caskets The Trial

The Greed of the Mighty Rivers

নবম-দশম শ্রেণি (দাখিল) - English for Today - Unit Five: Nature and Environment | | NCTB BOOK
3

A. Read the following text and answer the questions.

Meherjan lives in a slum on the Sirajgonj Town Protection Embankment. The whispering wind from the river Jamuna makes the fire unsteady. The dancing flames remind Meherjan of the turmoil in her life. Not long ago Meherjan had everything- a family, arable land and cattle. The erosion of the Jamuna gradually consumed all her land property. It finally claimed her only shelter during the last monsoon. It took the river only a day to devour Meher's house, trees, vegetable garden and the bamboo bush. She had a happy family once. Over the years, she lost her husband and her family to diseases that cruel hunger and poverty brought to the family. Now, she is the only one left to live on with the loss and the pain. The greedy Jamuna has shattered her dreams and happiness.

There are thousand others waiting to share the same fate like Meherjan. Bangladesh is a land of rivers, some of whose banks overflow or erode during monsoon. Erosion is a harsh reality for the people living along the river banks. During each monsoon many more villages are threatened by the mighty rivers like the Jamuna, the Padma and the Meghna. It is estimated that river erosion makes at least 100,000 people homeless every year in Bangladesh. In fact, river erosion is one of the main dangers caused by climate change. If we can't take prompt actions to adapt to climate change, there will be thousands of more Meherjans in our towns and villages every year.

 


For each phrase below choose the meaning that is closest to the meaning used in the text above.
1. In paragraph 3 'mighty rivers' mean -

a. rivers that have huge volumes of water and very strong currents
b. rivers having many rowing boats in them
c. rivers that make people cry out
d. rivers that have strong banks

 

2. landed property -

a. a rented piece of land
b. a piece of land on the bank of a river
c. property in the form of a source of income to its owner
d. property used only as an agricultural farm

 

3. whispering wind -
a. wind that blows from across the river

b. wind that blows with a hissing sound
c. wind that helps someone make a fire
d. wind that blows in summer

 

4. dancing flames -
a. a traditional form of folk dance
b. flames that make people dance around them
c. flames that are made unstable by the blast of air
d. flames made by people to remember their past

 

C. Ask and answer the following questions in pairs.
a. What does Meherjan use to make fire for cooking her meals?
b.  What property did Meherjan lose due to river erosion?
c. What do you know about Meherjan's family?
d. In which season is river erosion most likely to occur?
e. Why is the phrase 'greedy Jamuna' used to describe the river?  What greed do you notice in the description?

 

E. Debate: Form two groups of 3/4. Decide which group will speak for/against the motion given below. In your group, first, discuss and note down five/six points to support/oppose the motion. Then select the speakers from each group to start the debate.

Motion: Humans can't do anything to control the course of nature.

Content added By
Md Arafat ali

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