English For Today chapter 13: Quality Time Together
- English For Today
- Textbook pages 69-73
- 1 source
- 5,603 characters of context
Textbook (verbatim transcription): Quality Time Together
Verbatim transcription of the printed NCTB textbook pages.
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Printed page 69
Quality Time Together
1.1 Read the following story.
Naima and Masuk were twins. They were in Class Five. Naima loved to play badminton and Masuk loved to play football. They were also very good students at school. Their parents, Naeem Hasan and Mina Begum, loved them very much. Naima and Masuk often played with their parents when they had free time. Their home was always full of happiness!
One day, a special box arrived. It was from their close relative, Mr. Rakib, who lived in Italy. There was a black tablet inside the box. When they turned it on, the screen showed many bright colours. 'Wow!' They were both surprised.
At first, the tablet was so much fun. They played video games after finishing their study. And soon, the tablet became more exciting than playing outside. 'Naima! Masuk!' their friend Rana called from the gate. 'Let's play!'
Printed page 70
'Not now!' Naima replied. Her eyes were stuck to a YouTube video. Masuk was also watching the video with his sister.
The twins slowly started to change. Often they became grumpy and got angry. 'Time for dinner!' their mom called one evening. 'Just five more minutes, Ma!' Masuk shouted. His voice was sharp and annoying. Mother noticed it and took the tablet away. Then, Masuk started to cry. 'You're so unfair!' he screamed.
The situation became worse. At night, they couldn't sleep properly. Naima rubbed her eyes all the time, and Masuk felt sleepy all day long. Their parents, Naeem Hasan and Mina Begum were very worried and unhappy. They understood that their children were spending too much time on screens. So, they decided to talk to Naima and Masuk.
'This tablet is wasting your precious time,' their dad said softly. 'It's taking away your sleep, affecting your school work and keeping you away from your friends.' The twins saw the sadness in their parents' eyes. They felt ashamed. They realised that they were using the tablet too much and became tired and grumpy.
Then, they promised not to use the tablet without their parents' permission. Every weekend, the family members used to sit together and shared funny stories. Naima and Masuk also started playing outside with their friends again.Their home became full of joy!
Printed page 71
2.1 Match the words from Column A with their meanings in Column B.
| Words | Meanings |
|---|---|
| i) twins | a) to feel bad or embarrassed about something |
| ii) tablet | b) to tell someone that you will definitely do something |
| iii) grumpy | c) two children born at the same time to the same mother |
| iv) ashamed | d) a device with a screen used for connecting to the internet, watching videos, reading books etc. |
| v) promise | e) easily annoyed or unhappy |
2.2 Read the story carefully and fill in the blanks with the correct words.
grumpy, YouTube, screen, stories, ashamed
a) When their friend Rana called, Naima's eyes were stuck to a __________ video.
b) The twins became __________ and angry very easily because of their addiction to the tablet.
c) Their parents realised that their children were spending too much time on the __________ .
d) Naima and Masuk felt __________ when their dad talked to them.
e) The family members sat together, shared funny __________.
Printed page 72
2.3 Ask and answer the following questions. Then write the answers in the exercise book.
a) Where did Mr. Rakib live?
b) Why were Naima and Masuk surprised when they turned on the tablet?
c) How did the twin's behaviour change after they started using the tablet?
d) What were the main problems faced by Naima and Masuk using the tablet too much?
e) Imagine, you are Naima or Masuk. Write two sentences about what you would like to do in your free time now.
3.1 Language Focus: Prefix and Suffix
To make new words, prefixes or suffixes are added with the root words. For example:
| Prefix | Root word with meaning | Suffix | Newly formed word with meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| un | happy (joyful) | ___ | unhappy (sad) |
| ___ | sing (to sing) | er | singer (the person who sings) |
| dis | agree (accept) | ment | disagreement (difference of opinion) |
More examples: Using prefix: dislike, upload, rewrite, incomplete
Using suffix: sadness, sleepy, helpful, quickly
Printed page 73
3.1.1 Choose prefixes and suffixes from the box. And make new words from the words below. The first one is done for you.
| Prefixes | Suffixes |
|---|---|
| un, re, ir, dis | al, cal, ly, ment, tion, ed, er, ier, est, ness |
a) happy : unhappy, happily, happiness
b) magic : ______________________________________
c) agree : ______________________________________
d) create : ______________________________________
e) appear : ______________________________________
f) act : ______________________________________
4.1 Work in groups. Search for the words with prefixes and suffixes in your English for Today textbook. Now, make a list and discuss their meanings.
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