READING THE TEXT

Changing World Lasting ValuesAndre Maurois(andrey morwa)

You hear many tales nowadays — that the world is absurd, that everything has changed, that old moral values have died. This is all non-sense, for if you look for reality beneath the clutter of words which hide it, you will rediscover the eternal man. True values were not invented for the pleasure of senile moralists. They exist because without them, neither society nor happiness could survive. Here, then, are a few rules as old as civilization itself which remain true despite the advances of science and technology.

The first is that man must live for something other than himself. The man who meditates ceaselessly about himself finds a thousand reasons to be unhappy. He has not accomplished everything he wanted to or should have done; he has not gotten everything he thought he deserved; he has not been loved as he dreamed of being loved- But if he lives for ideals outside of himself — for his faith or his country, for his friends, his wife and family, he miraculously forgets all his petty worries. In trying to make others happy, he also makes himself happy. "The veritable inner world is the veritable outer world."

The second rule is that man must act. "The joy of the soul is in action." Instead of lamenting the absurdity of the world, let us try to transform our own little corner. It is not impossible. We cannot change the whole universe, but who hopes to do that? Our objective is much more simple: to do our job and do it well, to become a master at it. Each one works in his own field. I write books, the carpenter assembles my bookshelves, the policeman directs traffic, the engineer, constructs, the minister governs. All of them, kept busy at work which they know how to do well, are happy. This is so true that when people have leisure time, they keep busy with apparently useless activities such as games and sports. As for useful action, we know from experience that it is effective: an active mayor makes a city prosperous; an active priest brings vitality to a parish. "Happy are those in whose eyes men look for order."

The third rule is that one must believe in the power of the will. It is not true that the future is predetermined- A great man can change the course of history. Any man who has the courage and the will can change his own future. Naturally, none of us is all-powerful. Each man's freedom has its limits. Freedom lies between the border of the possible and the will. It is beyond my power to prevent war, but I can perform an act which, multiplied by millions, will be effective. It is not possible for me to win a battle, but it is up to me to be a courageous soldier. Since this limitation of the will is dependent on what one dares, one must not worry about his limitation; but do the best he can.

Finally, the fourth, and most precious of all values, is faithfulness, Faithfulness to promises, contracts, to others, and to oneself. One must be among those who can be counted upon. Faithfulness is not an easy virtue. Thousand of temptations are thrown across our paths. "Faithfulness in marriage," said Bernard Shaw, is no more natural to man than the cage to the tiger." Undoubtedly, faithfulness is "natural." It is born of a voluntary decision, constantly renewed, which helps us to rise above our natures. But it gives us the lasting joy of being at peace with ourselves. I may forego an immediate pleasure to assure myself the great joy in the future of looking at my past without shame, but with pride.

Every society in which citizens live for naught but fleeting pleasures, where men no longer trust each other, and whose members let themselves go is doomed. When Rome let go and ceased to set store by the values which made her great, she perished. When France clung to eternal values she was saved.

Modern technology may change one's modes of action, but they change neither its values, the reasons for it, nor the duty of faithfulness. Thus it was in the beginning and so it will always be.

Comprehending the TextChoose the word or word-group that best completes each sentence. Write the answer on the blanks.

1. The essay tells us that in spite of the changes in our world brought about by science and technology ______.

a. our lifestyle does not change'b. fundamental values do not changec. our standard of living remains the samed. our economic status remains the same

2. To be truly happy, we must live for ______.a. ourselves b. our goalsc. fame d. others

3. Maurois says that nobody can change the whole world, but we can do our ______.

a. job b. writingc. thinking d. reading

4. Maurois believes that the most important value is ______.a. selflessness b. actionc. courage d. faithfulness

5. The essay is ______.a. humorous b. formalc. informal d. sarcastic

6. "Old moral values have died." The author ______.a. agrees to this ideab. does not believe itc. is doubtful about it d. thinks it is true

7. "Without them, neither society nor happiness could survive." Them refers to ______.

a. true valuesb. senile moralistsc. science and technologyd. many tales

8. "Without them, neither society nor happiness could survive." This statement means that without values ______.

a. happiness could surviveb. society could survive, not happinessc. both society and happiness could not survived, both society and happiness could survive

9. To impress upon the reader that some values are vital or essential, the author states them in the form of _______.

a. stories that give lessonsb. jokes that make people laughc. problems that must be solvedd. rules that must be followed

10. The main purpose of the writer is to _______.a. draw conclusionsb. give advice c. give informationd. pass judgments

Discuss the following:1. What is the main idea of the essay? How should the title be read?2. Do you agree that without true values society could not survive?3. What four values does Maurois consider important?4. Why does Maurois refer to the four values as rules?5. Which value do you consider most important? Why?

Grammar PointsThe present and past forms of the common modals are as follows:

Present Pastcan couldwill wouldshall shouldmay mightmust had to

The modals express a variety of meanings.

1. Can denotes a) ability, b) permission or request, or c) possibility.Examples:

a. Myra can design dresses. She could work for hours.b. Can I leave a message? Could you switch off the light?c. Life can be difficult. Traffic could be heavy on weekends.

2. Will indicates a) futurity, or b) willingness or choiceExamples:

The investigation will start tomorrow.I will serve the salad now.Will you help us, please?

Would expresses a) willingness in a potential way b) polite question requests c) future intention from the past point of view, or d) past habitual action.

a) I would build a house if I had money.b) Would you help me across the street?c) The lawyer said he would file the case.d) When they were young, they would go fishing every day.

3. Shall expresses suggestion in a yes-no question. Shall we leave early?

Shall we go?

Shad is used in the same way as will but is often used in ceremonies when protocol is an important factor.

The Prime Minister shall welcome the delegates.We shall begin with an invocation.

Should expresses obligation.Citizens should pay taxes.

4. May expresses a) permission, b) probability, or c) a wtehExamples:

a) You may go home now. May I walk with you?b) It may be cloudy tomorrow. The balloon may burst. They may win the game.c) May there be peace in this world. May God bless you.

Might is used to express less probability,He told us he might come.The balloons might burst.They might win the game.It might be cloudy tomorrow.

5. Must is used a) to express very strong obligation or necessity, or b) in making inferences or logical conclusionsExamples:

a) We must graduate with honors. We must serve our country.b) (It barks. It wags its tail.) It must be a dog.

c) (She wears a school uniform. She carries books.)She must be a student.

Activity 1: Complete each sentence with the right modal. The intended meaning is given in parentheses.

1. Mylene ______ train in computers next year. (futurity)

2. Lizzy ______ go see a doctor right away. (necessity)

3. The tank ______ overheat and explode. (less probability)

4. Some people ______ be allergic to sweet potato, (strong

probability)

5. Overwork ______ make people sick. (possibility)

6. Emil _______ make an excellent teacher if he tried harder,

(willingness in a potential way)

7. Michael ___________ fly a helicopter, (ability)

8. ______ we give them excellent service? (suggestion)

9. The Look is not in my bag. I ______ have left it in my room.

(inference)

10. When Lucy was living with us, she _______ exercise

regularly. (past habitual action)

11. ______ you always remain true to your ideals, (wish)

12. Classes are over. ______ we go to the library? (suggestion)

Activity 2: Choose the letter that corresponds to the appropriate expression of an inference or logical conclusion.

1. Nora is yawning.a. She is sleepy.b. She may be sleepy,c. She can be sleepy.d.- She must be sleepy.

2. Cindy is knocking on the door of the Ramos apartment. She has rung the doorbell several times. Nobody has answered the door.

a. Nobody is at home.b. Nobody must be at home.c. Nobody might be at home.d. Nobody could be at home.

3. Cesar looks very tired. He has been sneezing and coughing. He has a headache.

a. He must be sick.b. He could be sick-c. He may be sick.d. He is sick.

4. Joanna has walked in the hot sun for an hour. She has Just drunk one glass of water. Right now she is refilling her glass.

a. She is thirsty.b. She might be thirsty.c. She must be thirsty.d. She should be thirsty.

5. When the teacher asked Noel a question, he blushed and his ears became red. He looked down and did not answer.

a. He was embarrassed.b. He could be embarrassed.c. He must have been embarrassed.d. He would have been embarrassed.

ACTIVITY 3This exercise will enable you to indicate degrees of certainty through your choice of modals. Using the information about the given situation, complete the sentences.

1. Situation: Someone's knocking at the door. I wonder who it is.

Information:Rickk is out of town.Roxy promised to come and see me today.Ester, my neighbor, drops by every now and then.

a. It must be __________________.b. It couldn't be ______________.c. It might be _______________.

2. Situation: The meeting starts in half an hour. I wonder who is coming, Information:Helen called up. She's on her way.Edna seldom misses a meeting.Lina is out of town.Tess sometimes comes to the meetings; sometimes she doesn’t.a. ______ won't be at the meeting.b. ______ might come.c. ______ will attend the meeting.d. ______ should be at the meeting.

3. Situation: Someone ran into a tree in front of our house. I wonder who did it.Information:Susan has a car and was out driving last night.Andy has a car, but I'm pretty sure he was at home last night.Linda doesn't have a car, and she docsnt know how to drive.Carlo was out driving last night, and today his car has a big dent in front.

a. It couldn't have been ___________.b. It must not have been ___________c. It could have been ______________d. It must have been ________________

Activity 4Restate the following sentences using the appropriate modal.Example: Myra has the ability to write.Sentence: Myra can write.

1. It is necessary that we work hard.

2. Celine has the ability to build bridges.

3. There is a possibility of rain tomorrow.

4. As a child, Kevin habitually goes to the library every week.

5. Will you give me permission to go to the zoo?

Activity 5Choose the expression that best completes the sentence.1. Ivy is sitting at her desk. She's reading her botany book because she has a test tomorrow. She ______.

a. will study c. must be studyingb. might study d- should be studying

2. When Mr. Reyes was younger, he ______ work in the garden for hours. He loves gardening. Now he has to take frequent rests because he has asthma.

a. can c. mustb. would d. would be able to

3. Since we have to be there before the concert starts, we ______ take a taxi.

a. can c. mayb. might d. should

4. "It _______ rain tonight. Why dont you bring an umbrella.""That's a good idea. May I borrow yours?"

a. might c. canb. must d. should

5. "You haven’t eaten since last night. You ______ be really hungry."

“I am."a. might c. mustb. will d. can

6. "______ you hand me the can opener, please?"a. Might c. Mustb. Will d. Should

7. We need a secretary who is excellent at computers and ______ do correspondence.

a. might c. mustb. will d. can

8. "Is littering against the law?" "Yes, there's a law that says that you ______ throw trash on the streets."

a. don't have to c. must notb. couldn’t d. might not

9. "Have you finished answering?" "Yes. ______ I leave the room now?"

a. May c. Mightb. Should d. Will

10. "My teacher always looks over my shoulder whenever I write anything." "That ______ bother you." "But it does."

a. cant c. shouldn'tb. wont d. may not

Activity 6Complete the following paragraph with appropriate modals to show degrees of certainty,

I'm in a hotel lobby. I'm looking at a man who is

wearing a brown suit and carrying a briefcase. He is talking to

a man at the registration desk. He 1) ______be registering to

stay in the hotel. Or he 2)______ be simply asking a question,

but I doubt it. Judging from his clothes, he 3) ______ be a

businessman. He 4) ______ be a doctor or a professor. He has

salt-and-pepper hair and not too many wrinkles. He 5) ______

be abou' 50 or 53. He doesn't have any luggage with him.

The porter has taken his suitcases. The hotel clerk is handing

the man a key. Aha! I was right. He has registered to stay in the

hotel.