The Story Of The Rainbow Serpent

The story of the rainbow serpent is a legend from Oceania.

A long time back, only people existed on earth: there were no animals or birds, no hills and meadows.
Goorialla, the Great Rainbow Serpent, felt lonely in the wilderness so he set off across Australia in search of
his people. All over the land he roamed about, in search of fellow-creatures.

In the southeast it was cold in the winter. Snow fell and melted on Goorialla’s bright scales. It dripped to the
ground and became the great rivers. He travelled northwest where it was hot and dry. There Goorialla shed his
skin. It made great cliffs. Then he turned and slithered inland, making waves in the sand. These made the great
sandy deserts. Goorialla rested in holes he dug. The rains filled up these holes, meaning that there is always
water in the desert even if it lies deep below the ground.

One day at the meeting place of two rivers, Goorialla came upon a tribe singing and dancing. ‘Come and join
us!’ they cried. Goorialla very happily showed the people new dances and fine ways to dress.

That night a big storm came, and people ran here and there looking for shelter. Two boys asked to share
Goorialla’s shelter. But there was no room for them. So Goorialla opened his mouth and sheltered the boys in
his big body.

Then he became worried – what would the tribe say when they found the boys missing? They would be angry.
They might even put his life in danger. So Goorialla ran away.

In the morning the tribe found out that the boys were missing. They followed his twisting tracks in the wet
ground. Finally, they found Goorialla on a mountain top and cut open his stomach. However, the people were
stunned when the boys came out. The boys were no in human form any more. They had turned into rainbow –
colored birds, called lorikeets.

Goorialla fled, fearing the retribution of the people. As he fled, he shed his whole skin on the mountain top.
Then he dived into the east sea and his body became the great reef. It exists even today.

And after rain you can see his rainbow skin, curving over the mountain. That is why he is called Goorialla the
Rainbow Serpent.

Name________________________________________________________
Grade 10 Reading Comprehension © 15Worksheets.com
 Democratic Revolution in France
Prior to the French Revolution, France was ruled by a monarchy. A monarchy is a
centralized form of government that places all the power in the hands of a single king
or queen. Society was divided into three social classes. The First Estate, the highest
class, was composed of church leaders. The Second Estate was the aristocracy.
Everyone else belonged to the Third Estate. This was by far the majority of citizens,
who did the work and paid almost all of the taxes. There was no such thing as upward
mobility. People lived and died in the classes into which they were born. In the years
leading up to the French Revolution, France was experiencing a financial crisis due to
its inability to pay its debts incurred during the Seven Years’ War and the American
Revolution. The King Louis XVI had also accumulated debts in order to pay for his
extravagant lifestyle. He raised taxes as a way to collect enough money to satisfy these
debts. This placed an even greater burden on the already struggling Third Estate.
There was also a food shortage in the country. Prices went up and up, even though
people were starving. King Louis did not realize the gravity of the situation that
gripped his country. Neither did he realize the power of the new ideas about liberty
and equality that were beginning to spread in the 1700s. Motivated also by the
success of the American Revolution, members of the Third Estate formed the National
Assembly and demanded that the king help them. He didn't answer them. Meanwhile,
he disagreed with the Second Estate about what kinds of changes should be made. On
July 14th, 1789, approximately a thousand members of the Third Estate advanced
upon a prison called the Bastille. There, they planned to seize the gunpowder stored
there, believing they needed to prepare to defend themselves against the king's
military force. At the gates of the Bastille, the mob demanded that its military
commander, De Launay, hand over the prison and the gunpowder to the crowd. When
they were unable to negotiate with him, the crowd grew increasingly restless and
finally broke through the gates, spilling into the courtyard. When they tried to enter
the main fortress, some soldiers stationed there fired into the crowd. Others joined the
revolutionaries and began to fight with them. Finally, De Launay surrendered the
Bastille. Around 100 people were killed, and the French Revolution, which would last
for ten years, had begun.

QUESTIONS: Democratic Revolution in France

1. Before the French Revolution, the French government was a______:
 A. anarchy B. democracy C. monarchy
2. Before the French Revolution, there were ___ main social classes.
A. one B. two C. three
3. The larges social class in France was called the:
A. First Estate B. Aristocracy C. Third Estate D. church leaders
4. True or False: In the years leading up to the French Revolution, France was
financially stable.
5. What foreign event influenced the onset of the French Revolution?
_______________________________________
6. What kinds of problems were the French lower classes experiencing leading up to
the French Revolution?
_____________________________________________________________________________
7. What did they do about it?
_____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
8. Did it work? ____________________________________________________
9. With which social class did the King disagree about what should be done to solve
France's problems?
_____________________________________________________________________________
10. What happened on July 14th in 1789? Why?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
11. What is the significance of this event?
_____________________________________________________________________________
12. How long did the French Revolution last? ______________________

Jay Tee, 30, has been a drug addict since he was a teenager. He has tried to kick the
habit many times; going in and out of rehabilitation centers. He managed to stay clean
for a month before suffering a
relapse. There are many drug addicts like Jay Tee. Why are they into it in the first
place? It doesn't matter if you are white or black or Asian or Latin, every race has
their share of drug abuse problems.

Some people say that it is due to the perception of drugs being "bad and illegal" and
therefore something so irresistible that you just have to try it. Somehow, teenagers are
more curious to discover the "forbidden fruit". Some manage to kick the habit early
but there are many others who are trapped.

For many teenagers, drug abuse is a mere escape. They use drugs to get out of their
misery, pain, confusion and loneliness. Some teenage drug addicts grow up without
guidance from their parents, and so they resort to drugs. Some are physically or
mentally abused and drugs become the only thing that they are able to count on. Many
succumb to drug addiction because of the need to feel like they belong. They try drugs
to please their friends or to be part of a group. Many teenage drug abusers are also low
achievers in schools and have low self-esteem.

There are also teenagers who claim that they were first exposed to different kinds of
drugs at parties and discos. These drugs were distributed freely the first few times and
they kept coming back for more. As a result, many of them became addicted even
before they knew it. In certain cases, these teenagers might resort to committing
crimes to support their expensive habit.

One effective tool in the fight against teen drug abuse is communication. Troubled
teens need some form of outlet from the problems or depression they are facing.
Parents should take time out from their busy schedules to spend time with their
children and listen to their problems. Communication, however, should go beyond
words. Parents should show their children that they really care. Adequate parental
supervision has also been found to be a deterrent to drug use in youth. Parents should
know who their children's friends are and what is going on in their social lives. School
counselors should also play an active role in providing information on drug abuse and
also provide emotional support.

One common belief is that drug abusers should be able to stop taking drugs if only
they are willing to change their behavior. However, drug addiction is a disease that
affects the brain and because of that,
stopping drug abuse is not simply a matter of willpower. Drug abuse can affect a
person's self-control and ability to make sound decisions, and at the same time send
intense impulses to take drugs. Through scientific advances, we now know that the
abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain and at the
same time, we also know that drug addiction can be successfully treated to help
people get over their addiction and resume productive lives.

At the end of the day, the best way to prevent drug addiction is by educating teenagers
about it. The more they learn about the bad effects, the less their excuses to take it.
This may even dissuade them from using it.

1. From paragraph 1, who does 'they' refer to ?

2. From paragraph 2, what is the reason cited for teenage drug addiction ?

3. From paragraph 3,
(a) what are teenage drug abusers escaping from ?
(b) give two other reasons for drug abuse among teenagers.
(c) give two characteristics of teenage drug abusers.

4. From paragraph 5, name one way in which parents could help their
troubled children.

5. In your own words, explain why stopping drug abuse is not simply a
matter of willpower.

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Answers
1. 'They' refers to teenage drug abusers.

2. The perception that drugs are 'bad and illegal', and since they are
forbidden, it becomes irresistible.
 3. (a) They are using drugs to escape from misery, pain confusion and
loneliness.
(b) * No guidance from parents * Peer pressure * Mental or physical
abuse ( Any two answers )
(c) Low achievers in schools and have low self-esteem

4. Parents should take time to listen to their children's problems.

5. It is because drugs can affect a person's self control and he or she will
not be able to think wisely.