Read the passages carefully and answer the questions that follow :
I. Pets, especially dogs, are fun to keep. I wanted a dog for my tenth birthday. And I got a black Spaniel with a white patch. A pet is not just a toy. It needs constant attention. A dog in the early stages needs training. It should be taught to obey its master. Its food has to be cooked specially. Then its coat has to be checked regularly for ticks. We have to take it regularly to a vet. When I come back from school, my furry friends barks at me lovingly. It sometimes runs off with my socks. It is naughty, but not a nuisance.
II. Now-a-days every newspaper contains at least one report of an act of violence. We read of violence at home, at school, on the way to work and in places of worship. We read about the horrors of war, of destruction caused by riots. There is another kind of violence that is equally bad and painful-critical attitude, abusive words, exploitation and injustice. Perhaps it is due to our changing values. The poor and the jobless turn to crime. The greed for power and wealth also causes violence. It is high time to begin our search for peace, for love and friendship.
III. Television is canging people's lives rapidly. They are sleeping less, reading less, talking less with their families. In a survey, a tenth of television viewers have admitted that the care of children and the elderly is getting neglected. While television has added to the popularity of games and sports, children say that they play less. Television has increased the general knowledge of children, especially that of the products being advertised. Hardly any children are watching educational programmes. The parents interviewed said that the their children's studies were getting affected. Many parents had cut off cable TV to reduce the ill effects on children.
IV. Now that the examinations are here, many students must be under great stress. It is not just the students, but teachers and parents too face the same situation. Students are anxious to live up to the expectations of their parents and teachers. Anxiety and fear affect one's memory. Watching TV for a long time lowers your perormance in the exams. It 'steals' away the reading time. Time management is about self -discipline. Time must be managed between filled and unfilled. Filled time is the time spent in sleeping, bathing, eating and attending school. A student has ten years of unfilled or spare time. Utilize this time profitably.
V. Long, long ago there were no schools or colleges in the way they are now. Every sage would admit a few students, who stayed with him for at least 12 years and received instructions from him. Such places were called ashramas. Usually, students used to join the ashramas at the age of eight and complete their education by twenty. There were no fees. The ashramas would receive grants and aid from the kings. In fact, the kings were proud of the ashramas in their kingdom. They often looked to the sages for advice and guidance. The ashramas were located in places away from the town.
VI. Another form of pollution which many of us are not aware of is oil pollution at sea. This came to light as a result of the Gulf War. The world witnessed the horrors of pollution at sea. The world's first major disaster came in 1967 when the giant tanker Torry ran aground and broke up. A hundred thousand tonnes of thick, black, evil smelling crude oil spread over the beaches of Southern Britain. It is estimated that one lakh sea birds and fish were killed. Over a million pounds were spent in the opeartion to clean the water. The detergents used for this purpose further killed birds and shell fish. The tourist trade was seriously affected. All this from the wreck of one ship! Since oil tankers are now much larger, the oil pollution disaster can be more serious. Super tankers are being built and used to keep the cost of oil transport lower. But their disadvantage is that such large ships are difficult to control.
VII. In developing countries, girls lag behind the boys in education. A large number of them do not go to school. Even when they are enrolled, the burden of domestic work stands in the way of their education. The one most important cause of their poor performance is the work - load on a girl-child. Then there is the traditional belief that sons should be educated because they will be the bread winners of their future families and supporters of their aged parents. A girl's work, though longer and harder, is considered less likely to bring income. Since the girl after marriage becomes the part of her husband's family, her parents become indifferent to her education.
VIII. Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh, was originally a small village surrounded by dense forests. It was developed by the Britishers because of its cool climate suited them. First of all, they set up a sanatorium here for European sick people. As its popularity increased, it became the resort of the rich. In 1831, Sir John Lawrence made it the summer capital of British India. It was only in 1856 that a cart and tonga road to Shimla was built. In those days, Indians were not allowed to use the Mall. India's longest mountain train, covering 60 miles and passing through 103 tunnels, began to run between Kalka and Shimla in 1904. Scandal Point at the Ridge is Shimla's centre for gossip and informal discussions.
IX. English is important not because millions of people know it in India. It is not important because it has been the language of Milton and Shakespeare. Its importance lies in the fact that it is the major window for us to the modern world. And we dare not close that window. If we close it, we will endanger our future. We think of our Five Year Plans, industrial growth and scientific development. But every door of modern knowledge will be closed if we do not know one or more foreign languages. We can have French, German, Russian or Spanish but it is very much simpler for us to deal with a language which we already know. We cannot progress with all the Indian languages put together.
X. Success in life depends largely on good health. Keep your body fit and strong by being clean, breathing in fresh air, following regular habits and having proper entertainment. Avoid anything that will weaken your body and mind. Smoking harms the body and mind. Smoking harms the body and clouds the brain.Avoid drinking, which is the deadly enemy of health and efficiency. Above all, remember that your character is your greatest wealth. Be truthful, polite and kind to everybody. Be fair even to your opponents and helpful to the weak. Have the courage to stand up for what is good, pure and noble.