NEB Grade XII Compulsory English Note | Language Development | Unit- 8 Land of Plenty | James Fallows

Unit: 9

Land of Plenty

Working with words

A. Complete the given sentences with the suitable words.

a. The annual report has caused acute embarrassment to the government.

b. Ellen has worn high-heels. She is teetering.

c. Look! The poor horse is dragging a heavy load.

d. As they approached the outskirts of the city, Ella's mood visibly lightened.

e. The parcel was wrapped in plain brown paper. It still looks attractive.

f. Fruits and vegetables grow in abundance in the Terai region.

g. They can abstract precious medicines from ordinary substances.

C. Add suitable suffix to the root words given and write the parts of speech of each newly formed word.

neighbour- hood- neighbourhood - noun

comfort-able- comfortable -adjective

shop-er-shopper - noun

husk- y- husky – adjective

squeamish- ness – squeamishness-noun

change- able- changeable- adjective

shine- y – shiny -adjective

colloquial- y- colloquially -adverb

collect- able- collectable -adjective

embarrass- ment- embarrassment – noun

persuade- ive - persuasive - adjective

type- ical- typical – adjective

differ- ent – different -adjective

ship- ment- shipment - noun

tropic- ical- tropical -adjective

drive- er- driver -noun

reside- ent- resident -noun

brother- hood- brotherhood-noun

fresh- ness- freshness -noun

Comprehension

Answer the following questions.

a. How does the author describe the Japanese waste management system?

Three nights a week, the residents of the author’s neighborhood in Yokohama deposit their household trash at specified areas on the street corners. It's wrapped in neat bundles, it looks like gifts, and it disappears at dawn. For two or three nights near the end of each month, they bring out the sodaigomi.

b. What are the two reasons behind the existence of sodaigomi in Japanese culture?

The two reasons behind the existence of sodaigomi in Japanese culture are the small size of the typical Japanese house, with its lack of attic, cellar, garage, or spare room, and the Japanese desire for freshness and purity.

c. What, according to the author, do the Japanese feel at the thought of buying second hand items?

The Japanese feel embarrassed at the thought of buying second hand items.

d. How is Malaysian culture different from Japanese culture concerning the used items?

Malaysian culture is different from Japanese culture concerning the used items as the people in Malaysia do not throw anything away.

e. Why did the author feel awkward at the sodaigomi pile?

The author felt awkward at the sodaigomi pile because he was in the crowd.

f. How many articles did the author bring to his house one after another?

The author brought 9 articles to his house one after another.

g. Why do most people try to find things in trash pile ‘in the dead of the night’?

Most people try to find things in trash pile ‘in the dead of the night’ because this is the time when they can pretend not to notice and they bring no shame upon their kind.

h. How did the author’s family assimilate Japanese culture in using consumer goods?

The author’s family assimilated Japanese culture in using consumer goods by giving as well as receiving second hand articles.

Critical thinking

a. If you happen to be in Japan someday, will you collect articles from sodaigomi? Why or why not?

The people in Japan deposit their household trash at fixed areas on the street corners. They are wrapped in neat bundles. The trash is called Sodaigomi. These are articles no longer wanted around the house and too big for normal trash. This is how the Japanese manage their wastes. This is advantageous to the people who are from the countries like Nepal, and try to settle in Japan.

It is said that settlement in Japan is quite expensive. One can hardly afford the apartment and other things for a living. Buying the branded items in Japan could be costly for those who live in Japan for a long time, and Sodaigomi could be the best option to furnish the house. Since it is a matter of shame to collect second hand items in a foreign land, those who visit Japan for the time being don’t collect the articles and so do I.

b. There are some second hand shops in Nepal, too. But, people are not much interested in them. What practice would be suitable in managing second hand items in Nepal?

It has been just a few years since youngsters have been adopting the idea of thrifting in Nepal. Though selling and buying second hand goods is done only online, specially through facebook groups, the growth of thrifting seems promising. The concept of thrifting is basically making people reuse clothes purchasing them. It is also a chance for those who are not economically strong to sustain themselves.

The promoters are not satisfied with the thrifting culture as majority of Nepalese people are not interested in it. Online thrift stores are mushrooming but most of them are not very appealing and inaccessible. Though they are affordable, thrifting hasn’t matured enough in Nepal.

If celebrities start thrifting their clothes as well as buying from others, it will influence common people and boost the scene together. The promoters of selling and buying second hand items should make people aware of economic as well as environmental benefits. Thrifts shops should be set up in the various parts of the country to make people have a direct access to selling and buying second hand articles.

Writing

A. Write a paragraph elaborating the idea of 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) in garbage management.

The Idea of 3Rs in Garbage Management

The idea of 3Rs helps to cut down on the amount of waste we throw. Basically, the 3Rs concept is a sequence of steps on how to manage waste properly. Reducing is simply creating less waste. By reducing the waste one can stop the problem at the source. Reusing is taking old and unwanted items a person might otherwise throw away and finding a new use for them. There are all sorts of ways to reuse items to help reduce the trash. Recycling is the last and most commonly used of the 3Rs. It is changing discarded material into new products to avoid using more new resources. Along with the basics of paper, plastic, glass, etc. there are tons of items which can be recycled. When waste is reduced at the source, reused and recycled them, it helps in reducing different forms of pollution.

B. Garbage management is a big problem in most of the cities in Nepal. Write a letter to the editor to be published in the daily newspaper suggesting the ways of ‘Solving Garbage Problems.’

To

The Editor

The Kathmandu Post

Dear Sir,

I would like to draw attention of the concerned authorities and the public, to the garbage mismanagement issue in most of the cities in Nepal. There is no appropriate system for collection and disposal of wastes from the street, shops and private households. This issue has been brought to the concerned authorities several times. However, no permanent solution has been adapted yet.

Now, everyone can understand the problems and opportunities of wastes management, but never wants to convert their perception into behaviors and actions. Many people think that waste materials have to be thrown anywhere but not in my backyard. Similarly, the metropolis has received less attention from the federal government.

If we follow the concept of 3R, the significant amount of waste can be diverted from landfilling and used as resources. We can improve several technologies, a bio methanation plant for generating electricity we have already piloted over many years. Source segregated biodegradable municipal waste from poultry farms, biomass and solid part of fecal sludge can be added to run anaerobic biogas plants. Participation of private sector and investment in trading of particular recycling campaigns can be encouraged in the waste management.

I hope the concerned authorities will take the precise steps to address the issue of waste management.

Yours sincerely,

Lucky Thapa

Grammar

Modifying comparisons / Modifiers of Comparisons

Showing big differences

'Much', 'a lot' or 'far' can be used with comparative adjectives.

Showing small differences

We can use 'slightly', 'a little', or 'a bit' with comparative adjectives.

B. Use the words from the brackets to complete the sentences.

a. This house is very small. I want to buy a much bigger one. (much/big)

b. I liked the magic show. It was far more exciting than I’d expected. (far/exciting)

c. It was very cold yesterday. It’s a bit warmer today. (a bit/warm)

d. The warmer the weather the better I feel. (good)

e. An average American earns considerably higher than an average Nepali. (considerably/high)

f. Health care in Nepal is not as expensive as it is in the US. (expensive)

g. I think the problem is far more complicated than it seems. (far/complicated)

h. You are driving very fast. Would you please drive a bit slower? (a bit/slowly)

i. Your handwriting is not legible. Can you write a bit neater? (a bit/neat)

C. Rewrite the following sentences with the sentence beginnings.

a. Kabir is less intelligent than he pretends. He is not as intelligent as he pretends.

b. I am busy today but I was busier yesterday. I’m not as busy as yesterday.

c. Hari has lived in Kathmandu for 10 years but Bikram for 20 years. Bikram has lived more years than Hari.

d. I used to study 12 hours a day but nowadays I study only 5 hours a day. I don’t study as many hours as I used to do.

e. It’s a very good room in our hotel. In fact, it’s the best room.

f. He earns 30 thousand rupees a month but spends 40 thousand. He spends more than he earns.

g. There is no other mountain higher than Mt. Everest in the world. Mt. Everest is the highest mountain in the world.

h. The place was nearer than I thought. It was not as near as I thought.

i. Bharat can play better than Mohan. Mohan can’t play as good as Bharat.