Foreign Languages Specialized School

Class 10I

READING PORTFOLIO
(Group 3)

A. Pre-reading: Do you know about some different ways people use to calculate their ages? B. While-reading:

Centuries ago, man learnt that it took the earth 24 hours to turn around once on its axis and 365 days to travel once around the sun. The first he called a day and the second a year. Other divisions came to be called a month and a week. Then for some reason he began to count the number of years he spent on earth. He called it aging. So came birthday to celebrate that he had been alive for so many years. Does measurement of time exist in every society? As far as can be seen, time is measured by every "civilized' society. From western to eastern civilization to civilizations that are no more, like the Mayan and the Aztec civilizations, time measurement has been a dominating influence all their lives. Man came to measure his own age by the passing of the seasons. By observation, he realized that as the season's changed, he aged until he grew feeble and then died. His body seemed to get weaker with time and so did his faculties and senses. But in so called 'uncivilized' societies, there does not seem to be any time measurement. Ask any aborigine about how old he is and he will be puzzled. He does not know and probably does not care either. There is respect for elders and so on, but they do not sit around and celebrate birthdays or worry about the passing years, They just are. They carry on living until it is time to go and then go. They have no days of week, months or years. They just live with nature as part of the whole.
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Foreign Languages Specialized School

Class 10I

Scientists have always suspected that time is an illusion. Many theories have been propounded for arguments sake but none can tell us exactly what is meant by time. Einstein's theory of relativity gives us some way of understanding that time is entirely a creation of the human mind, unlike the law of gravity. In fact, time does not exist. It is just like any unit of measure, like celebrating that you have walked a certain distance nothing really to be excited about. The question now arises about the breaking down of the body with age. Here is another mystery. It is commonly known that not all humans age at the same rate. It is usual to see people younger than they really are and older than they really are. A fit 50 year old person may actually be younger than an unfit 45 year old. In other words, age cannot be controlled if you measure it by the years you exist in the world, but aging can be controlled. Now if ever there is a contradiction here is one. In fact it is clear that what we call aging is the rate of replacement of the cells in the body. If the cells are replaced fast, a person remains young. If the replacement rate slows down, the person ages fast. Again, we confirm that aging has nothing to do with the passing of the years. Another measurement of aging is when mental age is considered. It is believed that some of us mature faster than others. Using this argument it is possible that a person who is 10 years old when considering the years but having a mental age of 12. Now clearly, he is older than a 12 year old whose mental age may be only 11. If we go into the region of religion, another measurement of age comes in. Some religions believe in reincarnation. If this is to be considered then there are older souls and younger souls. In that sense, a son can be older than his father or even his grandfather. Before you scoff at it, please realize that reincarnation is a serious belief among some of the world's top intellectuals.

Foreign Languages Specialized School

Class 10I

So coming back to the original argument, does time exist ? If we accept the argument that it is an illusion, does it make sense to let it dominate our lives so tyrannically ? I. Multiple choices: 1) Centuries ago, man learnt that it took the earth 365 days to travel once around the sun. What did he call it? A. A day B. A week C. A month D. A year 2) Time is measured by all of these following societies EXCEPT: A. Western civilization B. Eastern civilization C. Uncivilized societies D. Aztec civilization 3) What does the writer compare time with? A. Illusion B. Human mind C. Law of gravity D. Distance 4) What is the contradiction mentioned in paragraph 5? A. Age cannot be controlled but you can control aging. B. If the cells are replaced fast, a person remains young. C. If the replacement rate slows down, the person ages fast. D. It is usual to see people younger than they really are. 5) What 2 ways of measuring age does the writer suggest in paragraph 6? A. Physical age and mental age B. Mental age and soul age C. Physical age and soul age D. Birthdays and celebrations. II. Find words or phrases in the text which have the same meaning as: 1) Paragraph 2: Important Without energy or strength Natural ability 2) Paragraph 4: Fancy Put forward . . .

Foreign Languages Specialized School

Class 10I

3) Paragraph 5: Having physical or mental collapse Opposite 4) Paragraph 6 + 7 + 8: Grow up Rebirth Laugh at Cruelly

. . . .

III. Complete the following phrases or idioms with the words in the text. 1. Where on could you have learned such behavior? (1st paragraph) 2. Driving under the is a very serious offence. (2nd paragraph) 3. I wish you would come to your and look for a better job. nd (2 paragraph) 4. I over those words, tried to understand their hidden message. (3rd paragraph) 5. Whenever you have some to kill, call me up and we'll chat. (4th paragraph) 6. I dont understand what these pictographic words mean. It is a to me (5th paragraph) 7. The professor, a woman of years, is planning to retire at the end of the school term. (6th paragraph) IV. Fill in the blanks a suitable word to complete the paragraphs. Using the words given in the box: creation illusion existence reincarnation mental unit civilization calendar

Time was begun arbitrarily as a (1) of measurement, much like the measurement of distance. Measurement of time has existed in every (2) and has been a great influence in all of them, but in some primitive tribes, there seems to be no such thing and the people are perfectly happy without it. Scientists throughout the ages have suspected that time is an (3) and many theories exist to explain time. Einstein's theory of relativity leads us to believe that time is entirely a (4) of the human mind and, unlike the law of gravity, has no actual (5).

Foreign Languages Specialized School

Class 10I

Other than measurement of (6) time there are other ways. A younger person, depending on how he looks after his health, can age faster than an older person. If we consider (7) age, a younger person can be more mature than an older person. For people who believe in (8), there is the age of the soul to consider. C. Post-reading: Games: Funny riddles

Glossary
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Time measurement is the essence of a civilized society. People have always learnt about time, from the ancient to modern periods. There are many different ways to measure times, depended on different countries, cultures and religions. Time now is still a mystery to human. Dont let aging and time dominate your own life too much.