Lesson 3- First Flight Two Stories About Flying 1. His First Flight - Liam O' Flaherly Glossary, Summary, Questions, and Answers. THAN...
Lesson 3- First Flight
Two Stories About Flying
1. His First Flight - Liam O' Flaherly
Glossary, Summary, Questions, and Answers.
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| THANKS, KATE ASPLIN |
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Glossary -
1. seagull - a sea bird.
2. ledge - rock at the edge of the sea.
3. muster - gather.
4. desperate - eager.
5. shrilly - highly pitched sound.
6. skim - to move lightly just above a surface.
7. devour - to eat greedily.
8. cackle - to laugh loudly.
9. preening - making an effort to maintain feathers.
10. hump - a high place.
11. scrapped - to rub.
12. to whet - to sharpen.
13. derisively - in a manner showing someone that she/he is stupid.
14. plaintively - sad.
15. dizzy - an uncomfortable feeling of spinning around and losing one's balance.
16. swooped - move downwards.
17. curveting - leaping like a horse.
18. banking - flying with one wing higher than the other.
19. cawed - to show amusement.
20. beckoning - gesture.
Summary -
The lesson is about the first flight of a young seagull and how his family members motivated him to take his first flight. It involves a seagull family living in a nest that was built above the sea at an edge. Soon other family members noticed that the young seagull is not at all trying to take the first flight, and they believed that if he did not try, he would die because of starvation, and on the other hand he believed that his wings were not strong enough to fly.
One sunny morning, that played a wonderful trick, that made him fly. On that day, except for him, all his family members including a father, a mother, and his brothers flew out of the nest and started hunting the fish in the sea, they were enjoying, eating fish, and flying fearlessly over the sea, the young seagull was watching them, he was feeling very hungry, then suddenly, his mother hunted a fish, and flew to the nest by holding a fish in her beak, he thought that his mother was coming to him to feed him a pray, she came very close to the nest, he moved a little forward, she came a little closer, he again moved forward to catch the fish, but unexpectedly she flew away from him, and by that, he lost his balance, started falling down to the sea and soon he realized that he would die, all his family members started flying beside him, encouraging him to fly, he gathered his courage, and gave stress to his wings, and before reaching to the hard rock of the sea, he found gladly that he was flying, and this way, he took his first flight, and experience of his first flight gave him a confidence to fly further fearlessly in the sky, over the sea, and he was not going to die due to starvation but he could do his own hunting and survive.
Thinking about the Text -
1. Why was the young seagull afraid to fly? Do you think all young birds are afraid to make their first flight, or are some birds more timid than others? Do you think a human baby also finds a challenge to take its first step?
Ans - The young seagull was afraid to fly because it was his first flight and he thought that if he attempted to fly, his wings would not support him, and he would fall down and die.
Yes, all the young birds are afraid to make their first flight and it is difficult to differentiate between them who are timid than others because we are not able to witness their first flight.
Yes, I do think that a human baby also finds it very difficult to raise his first step, rather a human baby takes more time to take his first step as compared to other creatures.
2. " The sight of the food maddened him" What does this suggest? What compelled the young seagull to finally fly?
Ans - The above sentence suggests that except for him, all his family members were flying and having their food by hunting, and he was left alone in the nest, because he did not dare to fly, and his family members desperately wanted to teach him to fly. When he saw, that his mother was approaching him with a fish in her beck, that sight maddened him, so due to hunger, he took his attempt and learned to fly.
3. "They were beckoning to him", calling shrilly".Why did the seagull's father and mother threaten him and cajole him to fly?
Ans - The young seagull was scared of his first flight, he had no courage to take his first flight, and his father and mother knew that if he did not fly, he would starve to death. They wanted him to try his first flight, so they were threatening him, actually, it was an act of encouragement to make him fly.
4. Have you ever had a similar experience, where your parents encouraged you to do something that you were too scared to try? Discuss this in pairs or groups.
Ans - When I was 10 years old, I was very fond of cycling because my friends who were older than me had a bicycle, and I used to watch them, so I asked my parents to buy a bicycle for me. I was very happy to have a new bicycle, but at the same time, I was scared to ride the bicycle. When my parents saw that I had no courage to ride, they assured me and asked me to sit on the seat and said that we were holding it, and in a practice of few days, I gained the confidence to ride the bicycle.
5. In the case of a bird flying, it seems a natural act, and a foregone conclusion that it should succeed. In the examples you gave in answer to the previous question, was your success guaranteed, or was it important for you to try, regardless of the possibility of failure?
Ans - When one decides to learn any new skills in life, it just depends on the commitment and dedication behind it. When I started to learn bicycle riding, I was also not sure of the success but I was committed to learning it and I succeeded, positive attitude and continuous efforts are required to learn any new skill.
2. Black Aeroplane - Fredrik Forsyth
Glossary, Summary, Questions, and Answers.
Glossary -
1. looking forward - waiting eagerly.
2. immediately - at once.
3. compass - instrument for guiding direction.
4. risk - danger.
5. twisted - shook.
6. follow - come after.
7. fuel - petrol.
8. frightened - terrified.
9. runway - the place where planes land.
10. strangely - in an awkward manner.
Summary - This lesson is about an exciting, horrible, and happy ending-like experience of a narrator on his old Dakoda airplane DS 088. On that particular day, the narrator was very eager and happy as he was going back to England, his home to spend his holidays and to have his favorite English breakfast.
When he left Paris about 150 Kilometres, he suddenly saw black clouds in front of him, and he did not have enough fuel in his airplane to bypass the black clouds to the north or south, the only option available to him that to go back to Paris, but he decided to take risk as he desperately wanted to have his breakfast. When he entered the black clouds, suddenly everything went black, he was not able to see anything outside the airplane, moreover, he realized that his Radio and compass had stopped working. He was absolutely in trouble.
With God's grace, suddenly another airplane came beside his, and the pilot of a strange plane understood that the narrator got lost in the black clouds, he waved his hand to the narrator like he was trying to assure the narrator that doesn't worry, I will help you, just follow me, and the narrator exactly did the same, and soon he was out of danger, and landed safely on the runway.
He wanted to thank the strange pilot, so he asked the receptionist, but with surprise, she said that she had not seen any other plane on the radar. He was amazed, surprised but happy with the help of the strange but helpful friend.
Thinking about the Text -
1. " I will take the risk" What is the risk? Why does the narrator take it?
Ans - The risk is to fly an old Dakoda airplane in black clouds, and storms. The narrator takes it because he wants to reach home and have a delicious breakfast with his family.
2. Describe the narrator's experience as he flew the airplane into the storm?
Ans - The narrator took the risk of flying into the storm and when he entered the black clouds he found himself surrounded by black clouds, he was not able to see anything, moreover, his radio and compass stopped working, but suddenly he saw a black airplane flying beside his plane, and pilot of the black airplane guided him to come out of the storm and he landed safely.
3. Why does the narrator say." I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakoda?
Ans - The narrator said it because it was a risky and dangerous experience for him to fly in storms but fortunately with the help of a strange and unknown pilot of the black airplane, he managed to land safely.
4. What made the woman in the control centre look at the narrator strangely?
Ans - When the narrator landed safely with the help of a strange airplane, so he asked the lady about the strange pilot, but the lady had not seen any other airplane on the radar. As for her, there was no other plane in the sky, so she gave him a puzzled look.
5. Who do you think helped the narrator to reach safely? Discuss this among yourselves and give reasons for your answer?
Ans - I think it may be any strange pilot who helped him to come out safely from the storm and did not expose himself. Actually, even in our daily life, many times when we are in trouble, we get unknown help and we are unable to find who helped us, or it may be any supernatural help from god.
Try to guess the meanings of the word, 'black' in the sentences given below.
1. Go and have a bath, your hands and face are absolutely black.
Ans - Dirty.
2. The taxi driver gave Ratan a black look as he crossed the road when the traffic light was green.
Ans - Angry look.
3. The bombardment of Hiroshima is one of the blackest crimes against humanity.
Ans - The most dangerous.
4. Very few people enjoy Harold Pinter's black comedy.
Ans - Dark or a tragic comedy.
5. Sometimes shopkeepers store essential goods to create false scarcity and then sell these in black.
Ans - Sell illegally or overpriced.
6. Villagers had beaten the criminal in black and blue.
Ans Brutal beating.
Match the phrases given under column A with their meanings given under column B.
A B
1. Fly a flag Move quickly, suddenly.
2. Fly into rage Be successful.
3. Fly along Display a flag on a long pole.
4. Fly high Escape from a place.
5. Fly the coop Become suddenly very angry.
Ans -
1. Fly a flag - Display a flag on a long pole.
2. Fly into a rage - Suddenly become very angry.
3. Fly along - Move quickly, suddenly.
4. Fly high - Be successful.
5. Fly the coop - Escape from a place.
Writing -
Have you ever been away from home during a thunderstorm? Narrate your experience in a paragraph.
Ans - In my childhood, I was very fond of going to my field with my father. It was a Sunday, and my father agreed to go to the field, I was very happy, but at that except for a bullock cart, there were no means available for transportation, but my father refused to go by cart, and asked me, would you walk to the field? I said, yes, and we went for the field. It was the month of July, and the monsoon had not started, that day, the weather was bright and sunny. We spent about two hours in the field, my father was looking after related activities in farming, and I was aimlessly wandering here and there, watching birds flying in the sky, pleasant breeze, and water going to the crops from the well. I was enjoying every activity happening around me.
Finally, in the evening, we took our path back home. I was very glad, and happy, and my father was narrating to me the different activities of nature, the reasons behind it, and farming jobs, I was listening very carefully. Suddenly a very cold wind started flowing with some drops of rain from the sky, Father realized that it was going to rain very soon. He asked me to walk a little faster to reach home safely. But we were wrong, and within no time, the rain started heavily with small hailstones, I was very scared. It was a thunderstorm with lightning, and there was no place to hide. Suddenly, my father spotted a nearby banyan tree, a huge tree, we ran to it and took shelter under it. I held hand my father tightly, and he was continuously assuring me not to worry, and that it would pass very soon. It was a terrifying moment for me because I never had such an experience.
After half an hour, everything became calm and quiet, and we walked home and reached safely. On my way back home, if a banyan tree had not been there, where would have we taken shelter? Who planted the tree? I thought it saved our lives and I decided to plant at least one tree on the roadside, it was a horrible, and dangerous moment in my life but it taught me so many things, what nature is all about? and how it could become terrible in a moment, and one should take care and moreover the importance of the trees.
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