English For Today chapter 15: An Old Peoples Home

Lesson 15: An Old People's Home

After completing the lesson students will be able to

• read and understand texts
• ask and answer questions
• write short paragraphs

A. Read the text below:

Mariam is a student of class six in a government school in Rajshahi. Her mother works in an office and her father is a businessman. Mariam is very fond of her aunt, her father's sister, Suraiya Begum who lives in another part of the same town. On Fridays, she often goes to her aunt's place and spends time with her.

Suraiya Begum is a retired school teacher. She is a widow and lives alone. Her husband died three years ago. Her two daughters are married and live with their families abroad. They talk to her over telephone and come to visit her whenever they get time.

Suraiya Begum has a lot of free time. She spends her time in reading books, watching TV, visiting friends and relatives. Sometimes she writes letters to her old colleagues. But now a days she often gets bored of doing all these things. She wants to do something more meaningful, something that would do good to others. She is planning to establish an old people's home in her locality. She knows some elderly people live all alone. They have no one to take care of them. They often feel helpless and miserable. They need care and support.

As part of her plan, Suraiya Begum starts to visit families. She talks to a number of people. She tries to find out the problems of elderly people in their families. She understands that old people are lonely and often they become sick. They have nobody to look after them.

On Fridays, she often takes Mariam with her on these visits. Mariam has already become very friendly with some of the old men and women. They

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all love her very much. She tells them about her school and friends, her studies, her family. And they often tell her funny stories, fairy tales and ghost stories.

A1. Read the text carefully again and match the words on the left with the words on the right that have similar meanings.

A2. Read the following sentences and say if they are true or false. If false, then give the right answers.

a. Suraiya Begum spends most of her time taking care of her family. b. She wants to set up a school for adults who cannot read or write. c. There is already an old people's home in the town. d. Mariam enjoys spending time with her aunt. e. The old people Mariam visits do not like children's presence.

B. Read the following letter:

Suraiya Begum needs many people's help to make her dream come true. She sits down to write a letter to a friend who was her colleague and who now lives in the next town.

Figure

Description: A woman with her hair in a bun and wearing glasses sits in an armchair in a room, holding a sheet of paper. A small book lies on a round table in front of her, and a television set stands on a table behind her.

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170, Gulshan Dhaka-1212

17 April, 2025

Dear Sharmila,

How are you? I'm writing to share with you a plan that I have. I know some old, physically weak and lonely people in our town. Some of them are quite well-off and some are not. But they all share one common thing that is they live alone and have no one to take care of them in sickness. Sometimes they don't have anybody to talk to.

I have a plan. I want to set up a home for the old people where they would live like a family and we can be a part of that family, too. I need your help because I know that together we can do a lot.

Write to me soon. I'll wait eagerly for your reply.

Your friend, Suraiya

B1. Answer the following questions:

a. Who is the writer of the letter? b. Who is she writing to? What is the relationship between the two? c. Does the writer have any particular reason for writing this letter? d. Do you think what Suraiya Begum wants to do is her profession, or is it a community work? Why do you think so?

B2. Work in groups. Think of some good work that you can do for someone around you. What are they? Now write two or three sentences about what you can do for them.

Cues: teach, help in doing something, clean, etc.