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English - Lesson 27: "The parrot who wouldn't talk" written by Ruskin Bond (PUBLIC EXAMINATION)

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   First, let's read the lesson (Meanings of Vocabulary are given in brackets) The Parrot who wouldn't talk ‘You are no beauty! Can’t talk, can’t sing, can’t dance!’ With these words Aunt Ruby would taunt the  unfortunate   (unfortunate: unlucky or  unhappy )  parakeet, who glared  morosely   ( morosely: gloomily)   at everyone from his  ornamental   ( ornamental: decorative)  cage at one end of the long veranda of Granny’s bungalow  in north India. In those distant days, almost everyone – Indian or European – kept a pet parrot or parakeet,  or ‘lovebird’ as some of the smaller ones were called.  Sometimes these birds became  great talkers, or rather  mimics,  ( mimic: one who imitates )  and would learn to recite entire mantras (religious chants)  or  admonitions   ( admonition: advice,  warning)  to the children of the house, such as ‘Padho, beta, padho!’ (‘Study chi...
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English - Lesson 25: (TMA) "Once Upon a Time " - A poem by Gabriel Okara

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   Once Upon a Time Once upon a time, son, they used to laugh with their hearts and laugh with their eyes: but now they only laugh with their teeth, while their ice-block-cold eyes search behind my shadow. The poet tells his son about the behaviour of people in the past and in  the present, in the olden days and in the modern world.  He remembers  a time when people had true feelings for one another who laughed and spoke face to face looking at their eyes. They would laugh  from the heart and meet one another with genuine feeling. In present times, people laugh formally by showing their teeth and eyes without any warmth of feeling. P eople have inculcated a habit of accepting shadows rather than accepting real people. There was a time indeed they used to shake hands with their hearts: but that’s gone, son. Now they shake hands without hearts: while their left hands search my empty pockets.    But today in  the modern, busy world people often ...
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English - Lesson 26: "Ustad Bismillah Khan" (PUBLIC EXAMINATION)

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   USTAD BISMILLAH KHAN Ustad Bismillah Khan was  undoubtedly  ( undoubtedly: without doubt ) a gem that India is proud of.  This shehnai  maestro  of India ( maestro: a great musician, especially of classical music ) received the Bharat Ratna in 2001. He had earlier been awarded the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan.  He was thus the  recipient  ( recipient: one who receives/gets ) of all the top four  civilian  awards. ( civilian: relating to a person not belonging to the armed forces (army, navy, air force) or police ) Born on March 21, 1916 in Dumraon, Bihar, he was the second son of Paigambar Khan and Mitthan.  His family had a musical background; his  ancestors  ( whom one’s father or mother has descended (come) ) were musicians in the court of the princely state of Bhojpur (now in Bihar). Bismillah Khan was named Qamaruddin to sound like his elder brother's name – Shamsuddin. However, when his ...
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