Part 1: Text & Translation

English: You read history in books. But in old times when men did not exist surely no books could have been written. How then can we find out what happened then? We cannot merely sit down and imagine everything. This would be very interesting for we could imagine anything we wanted to and would thus make up the most beautiful fairy tales. But this need not be true as it would not be based on any facts that we had seen. But although we have no books written in those far-off days, fortunately we have some things which tell us a great deal as well almost as a book would. We have rocks and mountains and seas and stars and rivers and deserts and fossils of old animals. These and other like things are our books for the earth’s early story. And the real way to understand this story is not merely to read about it in other people’s books but to go to the great Book of Nature itself. You will I hope soon begin to learn how to read this story from the rocks and mountains. Imagine how fascinating it is!

Bengali: তুমি বইয়ে ইতিহাস পড়ো। কিন্তু পুরোনো দিনে যখন মানুষের অস্তিত্ব ছিল না, তখন নিশ্চয়ই কোনো বই লেখা হতে পারত না। তাহলে তখন কী ঘটেছিল তা আমরা কীভাবে জানব? আমরা কেবল বসে বসে সবকিছু কল্পনা করতে পারি না। এটা খুব মজাদার হতো কারণ আমরা যা চাইতাম তাই কল্পনা করতে পারতাম এবং এভাবেই সবচেয়ে সুন্দর রূপকথার গল্পগুলো বানিয়ে ফেলতাম। কিন্তু তা সত্যি নাও হতে পারে কারণ তা আমাদের দেখা কোনো বাস্তব তথ্যের ওপর ভিত্তি করে হতো না। কিন্তু যদিও সেই সুদূর দিনগুলোতে লেখা কোনো বই আমাদের কাছে নেই, সৌভাগ্যবশত আমাদের এমন কিছু জিনিস আছে যা আমাদের প্রায় একটি বইয়ের মতোই অনেক কিছু বলে দেয়। আমাদের আছে পাথর, পাহাড়, সমুদ্র, তারা, নদী, মরুভূমি এবং পুরোনো প্রাণীদের জীবাশ্ম। এগুলো এবং এই ধরনের অন্যান্য জিনিসগুলোই হলো পৃথিবীর আদিম কাহিনি জানার জন্য আমাদের বই। আর এই কাহিনি বোঝার আসল উপায় হলো কেবল অন্য মানুষের লেখা বই পড়া নয়, বরং প্রকৃতির সেই মহান বইটির কাছে যাওয়া। আমি আশা করি, তুমি খুব শিগগিরই পাথর এবং পাহাড় থেকে এই গল্প পড়তে শিখবে। ভেবে দেখো, এটা কতটা মজাদার!

Part 2: Text & Translation

English: Every little stone that you see lying in the road or on the mountain side may be a little page in nature’s book and may be able to tell you something if you only knew how to read it. To be able to read any language, Hindi or Urdu or English, you have to learn its alphabet. So also you must learn the alphabet of nature before you can read her story in her books of stone and rock. Even now perhaps you know a little how to read this. If you see a little round shiny pebble, does it not tell you something? How did it get round and smooth and shiny without any corners or rough edges? If you break a big rock into small bits, each bit is rough and has corners and rough edges. It is not at all like a round smooth pebble. How then did the pebble become so round and smooth and shiny? It will tell you its story if you have good eyes to see and ears to hear it.

Bengali: রাস্তায় বা পাহাড়ের পাশে পড়ে থাকা প্রতিটি ছোটো পাথর প্রকৃতির বইয়ের একটি ছোটো পাতা হতে পারে এবং তুমি যদি তা পড়তে জানো তবে তা তোমাকে কিছু বলতে পারে। হিন্দি, উর্দু বা ইংরেজি- যে কোনো ভাষা পড়তে পারার জন্য তোমাকে তার বর্ণমালা শিখতে হবে। একইভাবে, প্রকৃতির পাথর এবং শিলার বই থেকে তার গল্প পড়ার আগে তোমাকে প্রকৃতির বর্ণমালা শিখতে হবে। এমনকি এখনও হয়তো তুমি এটা কীভাবে পড়তে হয় তা কিছুটা জানো। তুমি যদি একটি ছোটো, গোল, চকচকে নুড়ি পাথর দেখতে পাও, তবে এটি কি তোমাকে কিছু বলে না? কোনো খাঁজ বা এবড়োখেবড়ো প্রান্ত ছাড়া এটি কীভাবে এত গোল, মসৃণ এবং চকচকে হলো? তুমি যদি একটি বড়ো পাথরকে ছোটো ছোটো টুকরো করে ভাঙো, তবে প্রতিটি টুকরোই অমসৃণ হয় এবং তার খাঁজ ও এবড়োখেবড়ো প্রান্ত থাকে। এটি মোটেই একটি গোল, মসৃণ নুড়ির মতো নয়। তাহলে কীভাবে নুড়িটি এত গোল, মসৃণ এবং চকচকে হলো? তোমার যদি দেখার মতো ভালো চোখ এবং শোনার মতো কান থাকে, তবে এটি তোমাকে তার গল্প বলবে।

Part 3: Text & Translation

English: It tells you that once upon a time, it may be long ago, it was a bit of a rock, just like the bit you may break from a big rock or stone with plenty of edges and corners. Probably it rested on some mountain side. Then came the rain and washed it down to the little valley where it found a mountain stream which pushed it on and on till it reached a little river. And the little river took it to the big river. And all the while it rolled at the bottom of the river and its edges were worn away and its rough surface made smooth and shiny. So it became the pebble that you see. Somehow the river left it behind and you found it. If the river had carried it on, it would have become smaller and smaller till at last it became a grain of sand and joined its brothers at the seaside to make a beautiful beach where little children can play and make castles out of the sand. If a little pebble can tell you so much, how much more could we learn from all the rocks and mountains and the many other things we see around us?

Bengali: এটি তোমাকে বলবে যে একসময়, হয়তো অনেক দিন আগে, এটি একটি পাথরের টুকরো ছিল, ঠিক যেমন তুমি একটি বড়ো পাথর বা শিলা থেকে ভাঙলে যেমন খাঁজ এবং প্রান্তযুক্ত টুকরো হয়। সম্ভবত এটি কোনো পাহাড়ের ধারে পড়ে ছিল। তারপর বৃষ্টি এল এবং এটিকে ধুয়ে ছোটো উপত্যকায় নিয়ে গেল, যেখানে এটি একটি পাহাড়ি স্রোতের দেখা পেল যা এটিকে ঠেলতে ঠেলতে একটি ছোটো নদীতে নিয়ে গেল। আর সেই ছোটো নদীটি এটিকে বড়ো নদীতে নিয়ে গেল। আর এই পুরো সময়টা এটি নদীর তলদেশে গড়িয়ে চলল এবং এর প্রান্তগুলো ক্ষয়ে গেল এবং এর অমসৃণ উপরিভাগ মসৃণ ও চকচকে হয়ে উঠল। এভাবেই এটি সেই নুড়িতে পরিণত হলো যা তুমি দেখতে পাচ্ছ। কোনোভাবে নদীটি এটিকে পেছনে ফেলে এসেছিল এবং তুমি এটি খুঁজে পেয়েছিলে। নদীটি যদি এটিকে আরও বয়ে নিয়ে যেত, তবে এটি ছোটো হতে হতে অবশেষে বালির কণায় পরিণত হতো এবং সমুদ্রতীরে তার ভাইদের সাথে যোগ দিয়ে একটি সুন্দর সৈকত তৈরি করত যেখানে ছোটো বাচ্চারা খেলতে পারে এবং বালি দিয়ে দুর্গ বানাতে পারে। যদি একটি ছোটো নুড়ি তোমাকে এত কিছু বলতে পারে, তবে আমাদের চারপাশের পাথর, পাহাড় এবং অন্যান্য অনেক কিছু থেকে আমরা আরও কত কী শিখতে পারি?

Word Nest (শব্দার্থ)

• fascinating: very interesting (খুবই মজাদার বা আকর্ষণীয়)
• pebble: small piece of stone (নুড়ি পাথর)
• castles: forts (দুর্গ)
• merely: only or just (কেবলমাত্র)
• fortunately: luckily (সৌভাগ্যবশত)
• worn away: became damaged by use (ক্ষয়ে যাওয়া)

Let’s do:

Identify which of the following statements are True and which are False. Give a supporting statement for each of your answers.

• (a) Fairy tales are rich in imagination. (True)
  Supporting Statement: “…we could imagine anything we wanted to and would thus make up the most beautiful fairy tales.”
• (b) We have no means to know about the far-off days. (False)
  Supporting Statement: “…fortunately we have some things which tell us a great deal as well almost as a book would.”
• (c) The alphabet of nature is like the Hindi or the English alphabet. (False)
  Supporting Statement: “So also you must learn the alphabet of nature before you can read her story in her books of stone and rock.”
• (d) We can learn a lot about our world from the rivers and mountains. (True)
  Supporting Statement: “We have rocks and mountains and seas and stars and rivers and deserts… are our books for the earth’s early story.”

Complete the following sentences with information from the text:

• (a) No book could have been written in old times because men did not exist then.
• (b) To be able to read any language one has to learn its alphabet.
• (c) A small pebble was definitely a part of a big rock or stone with plenty of edges and corners.
• (d) On the beaches at the seaside, little children can play and make castles out of the sand.

Fill in the following chart with information from the text:

Answer the following questions:

• (a) Which are the things around us that tell us about the earth’s early tale?
  Ans: Rocks, mountains, seas, stars, rivers, deserts, and fossils of old animals tell us about the earth’s early tale.
• (b) Why does a pebble have a smooth surface?
  Ans: A pebble rolls at the bottom of the river, causing its edges to wear away and its rough surface to become smooth and shiny.
• (c) How does a pebble become grains of sand?
  Ans: If a pebble is carried on and on by the river, it becomes smaller and smaller until at last it turns into grains of sand.
• (d) What does the author mean by “The Great Book of Nature?”
  Ans: By “The Great Book of Nature,” the author means the natural world around us—like rocks, mountains, and rivers—which holds the history of our earth, just like a book.

Rearrange the sentences in the correct order by writing the numbers in the brackets. One is done for you:

• (a) The rock is taken to a big river by the little river. (2)
• (b) At last it is turned into grains of sand. (6)
• (c) It becomes a pebble. (4)
• (d) A bit of rock is pushed by a mountain stream into a little river. (1)
• (e) The pebble becomes smaller because it is carried on and on by the river. (5)
• (f) The edges of the rock are worn away and its rough surface is made smooth. (3)

Match the words in Column A with their meanings in Column B:

• 1. fascinating — (f) very interesting or charming
• 2. merely — (d) only or just
• 3. fortunately — (e) luckily
• 4. alphabet — (a) the set of letters in a language
• 5. surface — (b) top visible side
• 6. worn — (c) became damaged by use

Replace the underlined words with suitable opposite words from the box. (hopeful, lost, add, left, ugly, late, sad, rough)

• (a) The man became famous in the early (late) years of his life.
• (b) She is looking very happy (sad).
• (c) The trunk of this huge tree has a smooth (rough) bark.
• (d) Jatin found (lost) his pencil box on his way to school.
• (e) Smita learnt to subtract (add).

Let’s do: Grammar & Vocabulary

Read the paragraph below and put the apostrophe (‘) mark in the proper places:

Rahims father is a well-known person. The honourable M.L.A. of the area is his relative. He has donated a good sum of money to the local library for buying new books. The library is located near the girls high school. Sabinas brother and Akrams sister often visit the library. They like to read childrens story books and Tagores poems. Their parents also go there to read newspapers after the days work.

Answer:
Rahim’s father is a well-known person. The honourable M.L.A. of the area is his relative. He has donated a good sum of money to the local library for buying new books. The library is located near the girls’ high school. Sabina’s brother and Akram’s sister often visit the library. They like to read children’s story books and Tagore’s poems. Their parents also go there to read newspapers after the day’s work.

Rewrite the following passage using contracted forms of words wherever applicable:

The teacher said, “We all know you are a good student. I cannot understand why you have done such a thing. You should not behave rudely with your classmates. Promise me, you will always remember what I have said.” The student realised his mistake. He said, “Sir, I am sorry. I shall never behave like this.”

Answer:
The teacher said, “We all know you’re a good student. I can’t understand why you’ve done such a thing. You shouldn’t behave rudely with your classmates. Promise me, you’ll always remember what I’ve said.” The student realised his mistake. He said, “Sir, I’m sorry. I’ll never behave like this.”

Fill in the chart correctly (Pronouns, Possessive Adjectives, Possessive Pronouns):

Fill in the blanks with appropriate possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives:

• Yesterday I forgot to take back my pen from Sunil. I gave him mine in the class because he didn’t bring his.
• The little girl has torn her clothes. “But why are your clothes dirty?” asked the mother to the girl’s elder brothers. “We have soiled ours while playing outside”, they said.

Let’s do: Writing Skill

Nirmal hasn’t replied in the correct format. Rewrite the letter correctly for him.

22/1, Hill Road,
Siliguri,
West Bengal.
5 July, 2012


Dear Kanan,

I got your letter yesterday. Thank you for your invitation to go on a tour of Rajasthan together. But my mother is very ill. She is going to have a heart surgery early next month. So we can’t join you for the tour. Please don’t mind. Wish you a happy and memorable visit to Rajasthan.

Your loving friend,
Nirmal

Write a letter to your friend in about seventy words telling him/her about a short tour you had recently gone to.

Village + P.O – Memari
Dist – Purba Bardhaman
12th April, 2024


Dear Rahul,

Hope you are well. Today I am writing to tell you about a short tour I recently had. Last week, I went to Digha with my parents. We travelled there by the Tamralipta Express. We stayed in a hotel near the sea beach. I enjoyed bathing in the sea and building sandcastles. The sunset over the sea was breathtaking. We also visited the Science Centre and Amarabati Park. I really missed you a lot.

No more today. Please write to me soon.

Yours lovingly,
Sumit