Remarks of Bill Gates, Harvard Commencement 2007
Text type: SPEECH
Thursday, June 7, 2007, http://www.cnbc.com
Bill Gates
Part One: Vocabulary matching
(Text as prepared for delivery)
President Bok, former President Rudenstine, incoming President Faust, members of the Harvard Corporation and the Board of Overseers, members of the faculty, parents, and especially, the graduates:
I’ve been waiting more than 30 years to say this: “Dad, I always told you I’d come back and get my degree.”
I want to thank Harvard for this timely honor. I’ll be changing my job next year … and it will be nice to finally have a college degree on my resume.
I applaud the graduates today for taking a much more direct route to your degrees. For my part, I’m just happy that the Crimson has called me “Harvard’s most successful dropout.” I guess that makes me valedictorian of my own special class … I did the best of everyone who failed.
But I also want to be recognized as the guy who got Steve Ballmer to drop out of business school. I’m a bad influence. That’s why I was invited to speak at your graduation. If I had spoken at your orientation, fewer of you might be here today.
Harvard was just a phenomenal experience for me. Academic life was fascinating. I used to sit in on lots of classes I hadn’t even signed up for. And dorm life was terrific. I lived up at Radcliffe, in Currier House. There were always lots of people in my dorm room late at night discussing things, because everyone knew I didn’t worry about getting up in the morning. That’s how I came to be the leader of the anti-social group. We clung to each other as a way of validating our rejection of all those social people.
Radcliffe was a great place to live. There were more women up there, and most of the guys were science-math types. That combination offered me the best odds, if you know what I mean. This is where I learned the sad lesson that improving your odds doesn’t guarantee success.
One of my biggest memories of Harvard came in January 1975, when I made a call from Currier House to a company in Albuquerque that had begun making the world’s first personal computers. I offered to sell them software.
I worried that they would realize I was just a student in a dorm and hang up on me. Instead they said: “We’re not quite ready, come see us in a month,” which was a good thing, because we hadn’t written the software yet. From that moment, I worked day and night on this little extra credit project that marked the end of my college education and the beginning of a remarkable journey with Microsoft.
What I remember above all about Harvard was being in the midst of so much energy and intelligence. It could be exhilarating, intimidating, sometimes even discouraging, but always challenging. It was an amazing privilege – and though I left early, I was transformed by my years at Harvard, the friendships I made, and the ideas I worked on.
But taking a serious look back … I do have one big regret.
I left Harvard with no real awareness of the awful inequities in the world – the appalling disparities of health, and wealth, and opportunity that condemn millions of people to lives of despair.
I learned a lot here at Harvard about new ideas in economics and politics. I got great exposure to the advances being made in the sciences.
But humanity’s greatest advances are not in its discoveries – but in how those discoveries are applied to reduce inequity. Whether through democracy, strong public education, quality health care, or broad economic opportunity – reducing inequity is the highest human achievement.
I left campus knowing little about the millions of young people cheated out of educational opportunities here in this country. And I knew nothing about the millions of people living in unspeakable poverty and disease in developing countries.
It took me decades to find out.
Match the sentences below with the correct word in bold in the passage.
Write your answer on the lines provided.
1. Something that gives pride or pleasure . ___________
2. To be in or continue after a pause or intermission. ___________
3. A short account of your education and work experience, often used when you are applying for a new job. ______________
4. Deserving to be praised or accepted. ____________
5. To clap your hands in order to show that you line something. _________
6.To find out where you are, to be familiar with a place. _________
7. Unusual because it is so good or so great. ___________
8. To overcome difficulties or obstacles. _____________
9. To make us feel very happy or excited. ____________
10. To frighten somebody in order to make a person do something. ________
11. To change completely. _________
12. Shocking or terrible. _________________
13. Feeling desperate. _________
14. Reveal, made known to all ______________
15. Terrible and very poor condition. ____________
16. The student usually with the highest rank in class who delivers the address in commencing exercises . _______________
Part Two: Grammar
For Melinda and for me, the challenge is the same: how can we do the most good for the greatest number with the resources we 1. ________(be).
During our discussions on this question, Melinda and I read an article about the millions of children who 2. _________(be) dying every year in poor countries from diseases that we had long ago made harmless in this country. Measles, malaria, pneumonia, hepatitis B, yellow fever. One disease I 3. __________(be+never+see)or even 4. ________(hear) of, rotavirus, 5. _______(be+kill) half a million kids each year – none of them in the United States.
We were shocked. We 6. ________(be+just+assume) that if millions of children 7. _________(die) and they could be saved, the world would make it a priority to discover and deliver the medicines to save them. But it did not. For under a dollar, there were interventions that could save lives that just weren’t being delivered.
If you believe that every life 8. _______(be) equal value, it’s revolting to learn that some lives are seen as worth saving and others are not. We said to ourselves: “This can’t be true. But if it is true, it 9. _______(deserve) to be the priority of our giving.”
So we 10. ______(begin) our work in the same way anyone here would begin it. We asked: “How 11. _________(be) the world let these children die?”
The answer is simple, and harsh. The market did not reward saving the lives of these children, and governments did not subsidize it. So the children died because their mothers and their fathers had no power in the market and no voice in the system.
But you and I have both.
We can make market forces work better for the poor if we can develop a more creative capitalism – if we can stretch the reach of market forces so that more people can make a profit, or at least make a living, 12. _______(serve) people who are suffering from the worst inequities. We also can press governments around the world to spend taxpayer money in ways that better reflect the values of the people who pay the taxes.
If we can find approaches that meet the needs of the poor in ways that generate profits for business and votes for politicians, we will have found a sustainable way to reduce inequity in the world.
This task is open-ended. It can never be 13. _______(finish). But a conscious effort to answer this challenge will change the world.
I 14. _________(be) optimistic that we can do this, but I talk to skeptics who claim there is no hope. They say: “Inequity 15. ________(be+ been) with us since the beginning, and will be with us till the end – because people just … don’t … care.”
I completely disagree.
I believe we have more caring than we know what to do with.
Part Three: Further Vocabulary related to Helping The Poor
Circle the correct word.
All of us here in this Yard, at one time or another, have seen human 1. ( suffering/tragedies/evils) that broke our hearts, and yet we did nothing – not because we didn’t care, but because we didn’t know what to do. If we had known how to help, we would have 2. ( danced/ fled/acted).
The 3. ( journey/problems/barrier) to change is not too little caring; it is too much complexity.
To turn caring into 4. ( presentations/action/words), we need to see a problem, see a solution, and see the impact. But complexity blocks all three steps.
Even with the 5. (advent/invention/instruction) of the Internet and 24-hour news, it is still a complex enterprise to get people to truly see the problems. When an airplane crashes, officials immediately call a press conference. They promise to investigate, determine the cause, and prevent similar crashes in the future.
But if the officials were 6. ( crudely/ bluntly/brutally) honest, they would say: “Of all the people in the world who died today from preventable causes, one half of one percent of them were on this plane. We’re determined to do everything possible to solve the problem that took the 7. (ideas/ lives/ fate) of the one half of one percent.”
The bigger problem is not the plane crash, but the millions of 8. (stoppable/ laudable/preventable) deaths.
We don’t read much about these deaths. The media covers what’s new – and millions of people dying is nothing new. So it stays in the background, where it’s easier to ignore. But even when we do see it or read about it, it’s difficult to keep our eyes on the problem. It’s hard to look at suffering if the situation is so 9. ( simple/ worldly/complex) that we don’t know how to help. And so we look away.
If we can really see a problem, which is the first step, we come to the second step: cutting through the complexity to find a solution.
Finding solutions is 10. (simple/ conclusive/essential) if we want to make the most of our caring. If we have clear and proven answers anytime an organization or individual asks “How can I help?,” then we can get action – and we can make sure that none of the caring in the world is wasted. But complexity makes it hard to mark a path of action for everyone who cares — and that makes it hard for their caring to matter.
ANSWERS
Part One: 1. timely honour 2. resume 3. applaud 4. orientation 5. graduation 6. phenomenal 7. odds 8. credit 9. exhilarating 10. intimidating 11. transformed 12. appalling 13. despair 14. exposure 15. unspeakable 16. valedictorian.
Part Two: 1. have 2. were 3. had never seen 4. heard 5. was killing 6. had just assumed 7. were dying 8. has 9. deserves 10. began 11. could 12. serving 13. finished 14. am 15. has been
Part Three: 1. tragedies 2. acted 3. barrier 4. action 5. advent 6. brutally 7. lives 8. preventable 9. complex 10. essential
Monday, July 5, 2010
Useful Phrases for Sensational Writing: Feelings- Fear
Useful Phrases for Sensational Writing
Theme: Feelings- Fear
adapted from the book in Popular Bookstore" Phrases for Sensational Writing", Casco Publications.
Part One: Underline the phrases related to FEAR.
CONFRONTED BY BULLIES
The bullies closed in on the pair of siblings. When cornered by the bullies, Tom felt nauseous and gagged frenziedly. Confronted with impending danger, Tom behaved cowardly as he hid behind his younger sister, Jane. Jane turned pale with terror but she stood up to the bullies who were extorting money from them. Cold perspiration broke out across her forehead when she saw she was intimidated by the bullies. Yet she refused to give in. her fearful heart was pounding very fast as she racked her brain for an escape for her brother and herself. Just as the bullies reached for her collar, Jane screamed, “Police!”
The bullies’ attention was diverted for a moment. Jane grabbed her brother’s hand and ran to the nearest police post. They reported the case and heaved a sigh of relief. It was a nerve- wrecking experience that left her trembling in fear all over.
Part Two: Underline the phrases related to fear.
• Appalled at the deplorable conditions, she stood aghast totally flabbergasted.
• A foreboding premonition came to mind when the grandfather clock sounded ominously at the stroke of twelve midnight.
• Confronted with impending danger, the boy behaved cowardly as he hid behind his younger sister.
• Mother was petrified and her face froze momentously.
• Father was startled by our nasty prank and his smile faded the instant he saw us.
• Mother felt her throat go dry when she saw the grim expression on the doctor’s face.
• When confronted by his phobia for heights, brother’s lips would turn into a deathly grey and he would gasp and pant involuntarily.
• It was a nerve wrecking experience that left her trembling in fear all over.
• The darkness swamped out any spot of light, sending an icy chill down his spine.
• The frightened boy bit his fingers fretfully.
• The hysterical crowd screamed and went amok during the escape from the fire.
• She freaked out and screamed hysterically when red gigantic ants crawled all over her schoolbag.
Part Three: Underline the phrases related to fear
FEAR OF BEING CAUGHT
The darkness swamped out any spot of light sending an icy chill down his spine. His breath was caught in his throat as he tried to steady is breathing. It was his first time. He held the heavy metal lock in his hand shakily. He glanced around nervously, his lips turned into a deathly grey as he gasped and panted involuntarily. His palms were drenched with sweat as he fumbled nervously as he picked the lock. The scraping sound was sending anxiety down his back. His face was stretched thin with fear. Suddenly the door slammed shut behind him making him jump out of his skin.
Part Four: Fill in the blanks with a suitable answer.
manically breath freaked nerve-wrecking terrified trembling
phobia deathly pasty nauseous
It was a 1. __________ experience that left her 2. ___________ in fear. When the lights finally came back on, her 3. ___________ was caught in her windpipe as she tried to steady her breathing. She thought she was already dead in the lift. Jane was 4. __________ of the dark.
It happened very suddenly. One moment Jane was alone in the lift humming a cheery tune; the next moment the lift just stopped moving and all the lights went out. Jane 5. __________ out and screamed 6. ___________. In the face of her fear of darkness, the timid girl felt 7. ___________ and gagged frenziedly. Her lips turned into a 8. ____________ grey and she started to gasp and pant involuntarily when she came face to face with her 9. _____________. In her terror, she rained her fists against the metal door and begged for help.
Jane was quivering all over when the rescue workers got to her. She looked 10. ___________ and her eyes were devoid of life. Fear was written all over her face. Her mother pulled her into a tight hug and reassured her that everything was fine.
Part Five: Fill in the appropriate sense( Sight, Sound, Touch, Smell or Taste) that best describes each underlined phrase.
The weird sounds from the backyard were inducing fear (1. _______) in the two boys. “There could be a burglar!” the elder of the two boys gushed. The younger sibling was so frightened that he bit his fingers fretfully (2. _________). Their suspicion sent an icy chill down their spines. (3. _________). Taking matters into their own hands, the elder one ventured into the backyard to investigate. His fearful heart was beating deafeningly against his ribcage (4. __________) as he went closer and closer to the source of the weird sounds.
ANSWERS
Part Four
1. nerve-wrecking 2. trembling 3. breath 4. terrified 5. freaked
6. manically 7. nauseous 8. deathly 9. phobia 10. pasty
Part Five
1. sound 2. taste 3. touch 4. sound 5. sight 6. touch 7. touch
8. touch 9. sight 10. taste
Theme: Feelings- Fear
adapted from the book in Popular Bookstore" Phrases for Sensational Writing", Casco Publications.
Part One: Underline the phrases related to FEAR.
CONFRONTED BY BULLIES
The bullies closed in on the pair of siblings. When cornered by the bullies, Tom felt nauseous and gagged frenziedly. Confronted with impending danger, Tom behaved cowardly as he hid behind his younger sister, Jane. Jane turned pale with terror but she stood up to the bullies who were extorting money from them. Cold perspiration broke out across her forehead when she saw she was intimidated by the bullies. Yet she refused to give in. her fearful heart was pounding very fast as she racked her brain for an escape for her brother and herself. Just as the bullies reached for her collar, Jane screamed, “Police!”
The bullies’ attention was diverted for a moment. Jane grabbed her brother’s hand and ran to the nearest police post. They reported the case and heaved a sigh of relief. It was a nerve- wrecking experience that left her trembling in fear all over.
Part Two: Underline the phrases related to fear.
• Appalled at the deplorable conditions, she stood aghast totally flabbergasted.
• A foreboding premonition came to mind when the grandfather clock sounded ominously at the stroke of twelve midnight.
• Confronted with impending danger, the boy behaved cowardly as he hid behind his younger sister.
• Mother was petrified and her face froze momentously.
• Father was startled by our nasty prank and his smile faded the instant he saw us.
• Mother felt her throat go dry when she saw the grim expression on the doctor’s face.
• When confronted by his phobia for heights, brother’s lips would turn into a deathly grey and he would gasp and pant involuntarily.
• It was a nerve wrecking experience that left her trembling in fear all over.
• The darkness swamped out any spot of light, sending an icy chill down his spine.
• The frightened boy bit his fingers fretfully.
• The hysterical crowd screamed and went amok during the escape from the fire.
• She freaked out and screamed hysterically when red gigantic ants crawled all over her schoolbag.
Part Three: Underline the phrases related to fear
FEAR OF BEING CAUGHT
The darkness swamped out any spot of light sending an icy chill down his spine. His breath was caught in his throat as he tried to steady is breathing. It was his first time. He held the heavy metal lock in his hand shakily. He glanced around nervously, his lips turned into a deathly grey as he gasped and panted involuntarily. His palms were drenched with sweat as he fumbled nervously as he picked the lock. The scraping sound was sending anxiety down his back. His face was stretched thin with fear. Suddenly the door slammed shut behind him making him jump out of his skin.
Part Four: Fill in the blanks with a suitable answer.
manically breath freaked nerve-wrecking terrified trembling
phobia deathly pasty nauseous
It was a 1. __________ experience that left her 2. ___________ in fear. When the lights finally came back on, her 3. ___________ was caught in her windpipe as she tried to steady her breathing. She thought she was already dead in the lift. Jane was 4. __________ of the dark.
It happened very suddenly. One moment Jane was alone in the lift humming a cheery tune; the next moment the lift just stopped moving and all the lights went out. Jane 5. __________ out and screamed 6. ___________. In the face of her fear of darkness, the timid girl felt 7. ___________ and gagged frenziedly. Her lips turned into a 8. ____________ grey and she started to gasp and pant involuntarily when she came face to face with her 9. _____________. In her terror, she rained her fists against the metal door and begged for help.
Jane was quivering all over when the rescue workers got to her. She looked 10. ___________ and her eyes were devoid of life. Fear was written all over her face. Her mother pulled her into a tight hug and reassured her that everything was fine.
Part Five: Fill in the appropriate sense( Sight, Sound, Touch, Smell or Taste) that best describes each underlined phrase.
The weird sounds from the backyard were inducing fear (1. _______) in the two boys. “There could be a burglar!” the elder of the two boys gushed. The younger sibling was so frightened that he bit his fingers fretfully (2. _________). Their suspicion sent an icy chill down their spines. (3. _________). Taking matters into their own hands, the elder one ventured into the backyard to investigate. His fearful heart was beating deafeningly against his ribcage (4. __________) as he went closer and closer to the source of the weird sounds.
ANSWERS
Part Four
1. nerve-wrecking 2. trembling 3. breath 4. terrified 5. freaked
6. manically 7. nauseous 8. deathly 9. phobia 10. pasty
Part Five
1. sound 2. taste 3. touch 4. sound 5. sight 6. touch 7. touch
8. touch 9. sight 10. taste
Remembering Reeves- Superman
Remembering the Reeves
Vocabulary, Grammar, Comprehension
A family friend's intimate portrait of a remarkable love
By Ken Regan as told to Alanna Nash
Part 1: Vocabulary Cloze
Fill in the blanks with a suitable word.
I met Christopher Reeve when he was about to become 1. _________ than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to 2. ____________ tall buildings in a single bound. It was 1977. He was 25 and filming Superman, a role that would make him an American 3. _________; I was a photographer shooting celebrities for magazines and stills on movies. Working on Superman, I came to like this tall, strapping actor. He and I got together for dinner one night, but I had no inkling then that he'd have such an impact on my 4. _________.
The following year, when Superman was released, I was assigned to shoot a magazine 5. __________ on him, and we hung out for five days. He was great to work with – unassuming and fun. When he showed up later at a July 4th barbecue at my home, none of my friends could 6. __________ it was Christopher Reeve, Superman.
We had lots of common 7. __________ – sports, literature, film, plays and TV. He was always curious about my work because, in addition to shooting movies, I covered wars and world events. But what really brought us 8. ___________ was the fact that Chris trusted me. He knew that I would never release a photograph of him unless I asked first.
In 1980 Superman II came out, and I shot another story on Chris. By then, he had a son, Matthew, with modelling executive Gae Exton, and two years later, daughter Alexandra arrived. I came to know Chris's family well, often sharing holidays or downtime with them.
Warner bros. sent me to western Canada to shoot for Superman III. While scouting 9. ___________, I had a chance to go sailing and white-water 10. __________ with Chris. I got an idea for a spectacular shot and asked Chris if he'd ever been up in a 11. ____________. ''I've always wanted to, but my contract says that while I'm making Superman, I can't fly my plane,'' he said. He paused, then flashed an impish grin. ''But it doesn't say anything about a balloon!''
The next day, the balloon pilot picked us up late. It was pitch-black when we landed – on a tree stump in a field. Chris and I flew out of the basket. Dazed, I stood up and yelled, ''Chris, Chris.'' There was no 12. __________. I thought, I've killed Superman! I heard moaning. ''Oh, God, I think I broke everything in my body,'' Chris said, sounding terrible. I ran as fast as I could, and, in a tiny shaft of moonlight, spotted him 13. _________ on the ground. As I knelt down to help him, Chris looked up and began laughing hysterically. I could have slugged him – he was absolutely fine.
It was sad when Chris and Gae broke 14. _________in 1987; they'd been together for about ten years. He was 15. _________ and worried about the kids; he and Gae shared joint custody. Then, that summer, Chris met Dana Morosini.
She was singing in a cabaret. After their first meeting, Chris told me he knew she was the person he'd been looking for all his life. When I met her the next day, I asked Chris, ''Does she have a sister?'' She was so lovely and fun – and she gave the best hugs.
Part Two: Vocabulary. Underline the correct word.
They married in 1992, and after their son Will was born, moved to Pound Ridge, New York. I'd stop by to visit on the way to my summer home. Their life seemed 1. (tranquil/ traumatic/ perfect). Then in May 1995, their world collapsed. In one dizzying moment, Chris injured his spinal 2. ( column/ bone/ cord) in a horse-riding accident and was paralysed from the neck 3. (up/ down/bone).
A couple of months later, after Chris was transferred to a rehab centre, Dana called me. ''Chris wants you to come,'' she said. ''Bring your cameras.''
When I saw my friend, 4. ( upright/ happy/ paralysed), it took everything not to break 5. ( up/down/off) in front of him. It was difficult for Chris to talk then, but he made it clear that he wanted me to photograph him for a book he was 6. ( deciding/planning/selling). So I returned to his bedside many times.
Chris worried about the toll his condition would take on Dana. He told her, ''It's not fair for me to put this 7. ( idea/ fortune/ burden) on you.'' And she said, ''You have love for me, I have the same feelings and love for you, and you're still you.''
I think the only reason Chris didn't pull the plug 8. ( under/ off/ on) himself was because of Dana's love and her belief that they could make a 9. ( living/ life/ career) for themselves. When Chris got home, Dana became more than his wife and lover and the mother of his child. She was his nurse, his driver, his exercise therapist, his 10. (all/ hope/everything). She took care of him 24 hours a day, feeding him, helping him blow his nose, anything – gladly, with such joy. And she maintained her sense of humour. One night, when we were having a barbecue at their house, Dana, grasping an 11. ( stalk/ bag/ ear) of corn, announced, ''Watch ‘Jaws' in action!'' She held the ear in front of Chris, and he went across it in two seconds! Once, while doing a shoot for a women's magazine, Dana threw her leg over him. ''Let's get a little racy,'' she said.
Part Three: Grammar
I was an only child; my dad 1. ______(die) when I 2. ________(be) two. Watching Chris and Dana show Will how much they loved him often made me think, I wish I could have had parents like that. Chris would go to Will's hockey games, and that was an ordeal. They 3. ________(hook) him up to all these machines, transport him in a specially equipped van, and Dana 4. _________(bundle) him up, because his body temperature 5. _________(can+not+go) below a certain point. It was all worth it to Chris. When Will scored, Chris's face would look like one of those yellow smiley faces, 6. ________(magnify) ten times.
Chris started the Christopher Reeve Foundation to find a cure for spinal cord injury, and it 7. ________(raise) more than $65 million. He 8. ________(begin) his political fight to hasten stem-cell research in hopes of 9. _________(reverse) paralysis, and 10. ________(travel) the world to learn about scientific advances.
Part Four: Fill in the blanks using the helping words given below
Doubling setback photojournalist memorial adversity enthusiasm
Foundation devastated compromised quadriplegic
He never gave up hope that he would walk again, even though he kept having 1 _________. In the summer of 2004, while in New Orleans directing a TV film about a 2. _________ teen, Chris landed in the hospital. One of the pressure sores that he was so prone to had become infected and 3. _______ his immune system. When he got out, he invited me to go to dinner. ''It's such a beautiful night, let's just walk,'' he said.
Dana pushed Chris through the streets, and traffic stopped for him. People got out of their cars, shouted, ''Welcome to New Orleans!'' I never imagined it was the last time I'd see him and Dana together.
On September 25, 2004, Chris celebrated his 52nd birthday. Fifteen days later, an infection stemming from another pressure wound raged through his body and stopped his heart. 4. _________, I met with Dana, and we just embraced for a long time and cried.
Dana became chairwoman for the 5. _______ and carried on Chris's fight for stem-cell research. She also picked up her acting and singing career.
Often I would stop by the house to see if she was okay. In June 2005 she called, excited to tell me she'd gotten a cabaret gig in New York City and needed photos for the promotional posters. She came down to my studio, and, my God, she looked gorgeous. We shot all day. Her 6. _________ was infectious, even though she didn't feel well. She kept coughing, and said, ''I've got this cold and can't shake it.''
A couple of weeks later, however, she was still coughing. I said, ''Gee, Dana, you ought to go see a doctor,'' and she said she had an appointment scheduled.
It was the next month that she told me she had lung cancer. I was speechless. ''Don't worry,'' she said. ''I've never smoked a day in my life, and we caught it early. I'll have treatment. Probably in six or seven months, I'll be clear of the whole thing.''
Dana had had so much more than her share of 7. ________. To me, it was as if she were caught up in a ferocious avalanche of bad luck. In February 2005, four months after she lost Chris, her mother died after ovarian cancer surgery. That November, while her
father was visiting for Thanksgiving, he suffered a stroke. It seemed unfair each time something terrible happened to this giving, beautiful person.
Dana called me early in January to say she was going to sing at Madison Square Garden for Mark Messier, who was retiring from the Rangers. I watched on television and thought, She's really beating it!
Three weeks later she took a nosedive. Over the phone, Chris's eldest son, Matthew, levelled with me. ''She's in the hospital, Ken,'' he said. ''I don't think she's going to make it.'' A week later, Dana died, on March 6, 2006, at the age of 44.
I asked myself, Can there be someone up there who let this happen to two people who did not deserve it? But I also had this feeling that Dana was called to be with Chris. Maybe she did too. At her husband's 8. ________, Dana had looked up and said, ''I'll be there with you one day, Chris.''
A few months before she died, Dana taped an introduction to a PBS documentary called The New Medicine. She told viewers, ''For years, my husband and I lived on – and because of – hope. Hope continues to give me the mental strength to carry on.''
It has given me strength as well. As a 9. _________, I have had an extraordinary life, travelling the globe and meeting the newsmakers of our time. But one of the greatest experiences of my life was becoming close friends with Chris, then 10. ________ that by meeting Dana too.
Part Five: Comprehension
Basic Comprehension
1. What is Reeves famous for?
2. What was his injury?
3. How was he injured?
4. Who took care of him?
The Vocabulary Question
5. “Hope continues to give me the mental strength to carry on.” Explain this in your own words
ANSWERS
Part One: 1. faster 2. leap 3. icon 4. life 5. story 6. believe 6. story 7. interests 8. together 9. locations 10. rafting 11. balloon 12. answer 13. sprawled 14. up
15. upset Part Two: 1. perfect 2. cord 3. down 4. paralysed 5. down 6. planning 7. burden 8. on 9. life 10. everything Part Three: 1. died 2. leap 3. icon 4. life 5. story 6. believe 7. interests 8. together 9. location 10. rafting 11. balloon 12. answer 13. sprawled 14. up 15. upset Part Four: 1. setbacks 2. quadriplegic 3. would hook 4. would bundle 5. couldn’t go 6. magnified 7. raised 8. began 9. reversing 10. traveled.
Vocabulary, Grammar, Comprehension
A family friend's intimate portrait of a remarkable love
By Ken Regan as told to Alanna Nash
Part 1: Vocabulary Cloze
Fill in the blanks with a suitable word.
I met Christopher Reeve when he was about to become 1. _________ than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to 2. ____________ tall buildings in a single bound. It was 1977. He was 25 and filming Superman, a role that would make him an American 3. _________; I was a photographer shooting celebrities for magazines and stills on movies. Working on Superman, I came to like this tall, strapping actor. He and I got together for dinner one night, but I had no inkling then that he'd have such an impact on my 4. _________.
The following year, when Superman was released, I was assigned to shoot a magazine 5. __________ on him, and we hung out for five days. He was great to work with – unassuming and fun. When he showed up later at a July 4th barbecue at my home, none of my friends could 6. __________ it was Christopher Reeve, Superman.
We had lots of common 7. __________ – sports, literature, film, plays and TV. He was always curious about my work because, in addition to shooting movies, I covered wars and world events. But what really brought us 8. ___________ was the fact that Chris trusted me. He knew that I would never release a photograph of him unless I asked first.
In 1980 Superman II came out, and I shot another story on Chris. By then, he had a son, Matthew, with modelling executive Gae Exton, and two years later, daughter Alexandra arrived. I came to know Chris's family well, often sharing holidays or downtime with them.
Warner bros. sent me to western Canada to shoot for Superman III. While scouting 9. ___________, I had a chance to go sailing and white-water 10. __________ with Chris. I got an idea for a spectacular shot and asked Chris if he'd ever been up in a 11. ____________. ''I've always wanted to, but my contract says that while I'm making Superman, I can't fly my plane,'' he said. He paused, then flashed an impish grin. ''But it doesn't say anything about a balloon!''
The next day, the balloon pilot picked us up late. It was pitch-black when we landed – on a tree stump in a field. Chris and I flew out of the basket. Dazed, I stood up and yelled, ''Chris, Chris.'' There was no 12. __________. I thought, I've killed Superman! I heard moaning. ''Oh, God, I think I broke everything in my body,'' Chris said, sounding terrible. I ran as fast as I could, and, in a tiny shaft of moonlight, spotted him 13. _________ on the ground. As I knelt down to help him, Chris looked up and began laughing hysterically. I could have slugged him – he was absolutely fine.
It was sad when Chris and Gae broke 14. _________in 1987; they'd been together for about ten years. He was 15. _________ and worried about the kids; he and Gae shared joint custody. Then, that summer, Chris met Dana Morosini.
She was singing in a cabaret. After their first meeting, Chris told me he knew she was the person he'd been looking for all his life. When I met her the next day, I asked Chris, ''Does she have a sister?'' She was so lovely and fun – and she gave the best hugs.
Part Two: Vocabulary. Underline the correct word.
They married in 1992, and after their son Will was born, moved to Pound Ridge, New York. I'd stop by to visit on the way to my summer home. Their life seemed 1. (tranquil/ traumatic/ perfect). Then in May 1995, their world collapsed. In one dizzying moment, Chris injured his spinal 2. ( column/ bone/ cord) in a horse-riding accident and was paralysed from the neck 3. (up/ down/bone).
A couple of months later, after Chris was transferred to a rehab centre, Dana called me. ''Chris wants you to come,'' she said. ''Bring your cameras.''
When I saw my friend, 4. ( upright/ happy/ paralysed), it took everything not to break 5. ( up/down/off) in front of him. It was difficult for Chris to talk then, but he made it clear that he wanted me to photograph him for a book he was 6. ( deciding/planning/selling). So I returned to his bedside many times.
Chris worried about the toll his condition would take on Dana. He told her, ''It's not fair for me to put this 7. ( idea/ fortune/ burden) on you.'' And she said, ''You have love for me, I have the same feelings and love for you, and you're still you.''
I think the only reason Chris didn't pull the plug 8. ( under/ off/ on) himself was because of Dana's love and her belief that they could make a 9. ( living/ life/ career) for themselves. When Chris got home, Dana became more than his wife and lover and the mother of his child. She was his nurse, his driver, his exercise therapist, his 10. (all/ hope/everything). She took care of him 24 hours a day, feeding him, helping him blow his nose, anything – gladly, with such joy. And she maintained her sense of humour. One night, when we were having a barbecue at their house, Dana, grasping an 11. ( stalk/ bag/ ear) of corn, announced, ''Watch ‘Jaws' in action!'' She held the ear in front of Chris, and he went across it in two seconds! Once, while doing a shoot for a women's magazine, Dana threw her leg over him. ''Let's get a little racy,'' she said.
Part Three: Grammar
I was an only child; my dad 1. ______(die) when I 2. ________(be) two. Watching Chris and Dana show Will how much they loved him often made me think, I wish I could have had parents like that. Chris would go to Will's hockey games, and that was an ordeal. They 3. ________(hook) him up to all these machines, transport him in a specially equipped van, and Dana 4. _________(bundle) him up, because his body temperature 5. _________(can+not+go) below a certain point. It was all worth it to Chris. When Will scored, Chris's face would look like one of those yellow smiley faces, 6. ________(magnify) ten times.
Chris started the Christopher Reeve Foundation to find a cure for spinal cord injury, and it 7. ________(raise) more than $65 million. He 8. ________(begin) his political fight to hasten stem-cell research in hopes of 9. _________(reverse) paralysis, and 10. ________(travel) the world to learn about scientific advances.
Part Four: Fill in the blanks using the helping words given below
Doubling setback photojournalist memorial adversity enthusiasm
Foundation devastated compromised quadriplegic
He never gave up hope that he would walk again, even though he kept having 1 _________. In the summer of 2004, while in New Orleans directing a TV film about a 2. _________ teen, Chris landed in the hospital. One of the pressure sores that he was so prone to had become infected and 3. _______ his immune system. When he got out, he invited me to go to dinner. ''It's such a beautiful night, let's just walk,'' he said.
Dana pushed Chris through the streets, and traffic stopped for him. People got out of their cars, shouted, ''Welcome to New Orleans!'' I never imagined it was the last time I'd see him and Dana together.
On September 25, 2004, Chris celebrated his 52nd birthday. Fifteen days later, an infection stemming from another pressure wound raged through his body and stopped his heart. 4. _________, I met with Dana, and we just embraced for a long time and cried.
Dana became chairwoman for the 5. _______ and carried on Chris's fight for stem-cell research. She also picked up her acting and singing career.
Often I would stop by the house to see if she was okay. In June 2005 she called, excited to tell me she'd gotten a cabaret gig in New York City and needed photos for the promotional posters. She came down to my studio, and, my God, she looked gorgeous. We shot all day. Her 6. _________ was infectious, even though she didn't feel well. She kept coughing, and said, ''I've got this cold and can't shake it.''
A couple of weeks later, however, she was still coughing. I said, ''Gee, Dana, you ought to go see a doctor,'' and she said she had an appointment scheduled.
It was the next month that she told me she had lung cancer. I was speechless. ''Don't worry,'' she said. ''I've never smoked a day in my life, and we caught it early. I'll have treatment. Probably in six or seven months, I'll be clear of the whole thing.''
Dana had had so much more than her share of 7. ________. To me, it was as if she were caught up in a ferocious avalanche of bad luck. In February 2005, four months after she lost Chris, her mother died after ovarian cancer surgery. That November, while her
father was visiting for Thanksgiving, he suffered a stroke. It seemed unfair each time something terrible happened to this giving, beautiful person.
Dana called me early in January to say she was going to sing at Madison Square Garden for Mark Messier, who was retiring from the Rangers. I watched on television and thought, She's really beating it!
Three weeks later she took a nosedive. Over the phone, Chris's eldest son, Matthew, levelled with me. ''She's in the hospital, Ken,'' he said. ''I don't think she's going to make it.'' A week later, Dana died, on March 6, 2006, at the age of 44.
I asked myself, Can there be someone up there who let this happen to two people who did not deserve it? But I also had this feeling that Dana was called to be with Chris. Maybe she did too. At her husband's 8. ________, Dana had looked up and said, ''I'll be there with you one day, Chris.''
A few months before she died, Dana taped an introduction to a PBS documentary called The New Medicine. She told viewers, ''For years, my husband and I lived on – and because of – hope. Hope continues to give me the mental strength to carry on.''
It has given me strength as well. As a 9. _________, I have had an extraordinary life, travelling the globe and meeting the newsmakers of our time. But one of the greatest experiences of my life was becoming close friends with Chris, then 10. ________ that by meeting Dana too.
Part Five: Comprehension
Basic Comprehension
1. What is Reeves famous for?
2. What was his injury?
3. How was he injured?
4. Who took care of him?
The Vocabulary Question
5. “Hope continues to give me the mental strength to carry on.” Explain this in your own words
ANSWERS
Part One: 1. faster 2. leap 3. icon 4. life 5. story 6. believe 6. story 7. interests 8. together 9. locations 10. rafting 11. balloon 12. answer 13. sprawled 14. up
15. upset Part Two: 1. perfect 2. cord 3. down 4. paralysed 5. down 6. planning 7. burden 8. on 9. life 10. everything Part Three: 1. died 2. leap 3. icon 4. life 5. story 6. believe 7. interests 8. together 9. location 10. rafting 11. balloon 12. answer 13. sprawled 14. up 15. upset Part Four: 1. setbacks 2. quadriplegic 3. would hook 4. would bundle 5. couldn’t go 6. magnified 7. raised 8. began 9. reversing 10. traveled.
A LOVE STORY by Lee Wei Ling
STRAITS TIMES, 19 Iune 2010.
A love story
Love at first sight is romantic but may not hold a candle to love that lasts a lifetime & is for better or for worse
By Lee Wei Ling
n advertisement for the 'Sassy Miss 2010 Workshop Series' in The Straits Times caught my eye recently. The headline was: 'The Power of First Impressions.'
The text claimed: 'It takes just 30 seconds for your first date or prospective employer to form an everlasting impression of you. So flash your X-factor, from the way you look to the style in which you carry yourself. Come uncover all the trade secrets of image-making at this power workshop!'
I was amused. If I want to make an impression, it would be to show my competence, sincerity, pragmatism and willingness to fight for what is right. My appearance and how I carry myself are highly unlikely to make an impression in a 30-minute encounter, let alone a 30-second 'flash'.
As for assessing someone on the first encounter, it would take me at least five to 10 minutes to appraise a person. I do not base my judgment on whether the person is good-looking or how he carries himself. Instead I would focus on his facial expression and body language.
If these contradict what he says, I would be wary of him. Body language and facial expressions are rarely under voluntary control and hence are better indicators of the true intent of a person than speech.
I am fairly good at sizing up people. There have been quite a few instances when I have accurately assessed someone at the first brief encounter. But even then, I seldom depend solely on first impressions. I will reassess the person on subsequent occasions. Only if I observe certain traits repeatedly would I be confident in my assessment.
Some people do indeed judge others on the basis of first impressions. Their judgment may well be strongly influenced by the person's appearance, how well he carries himself and how eloquently he speaks. I think such people are shallow. In life, we have to interact with people; and the more accurately we judge people, the fewer mistakes we are likely to make about them.
Research on interpersonal relationships between strangers shows that physical appearance does influence first impressions. But this does not explain why people stick together in long-term relationships. Commitment is a key variable in sustaining such relationships.
The one remarkable relationship I have personally observed is the one between my father and mother. Theirs was certainly not love at first sight. Nor were looks the main factor in their mutual attraction. Rather, it was personality and intellectual compatibility.
They are not only lovers, they are also best friends. There has never been any calculation about how much each had invested in the relationship. Theirs is an unconditional love.
Before my mother suffered her first stroke in 2003, she lived her life around my father, taking care of his every need. The stroke and the resultant disability made my mother quite frail.
From that point on, my father lived his life around her. He was still in the Cabinet, first as Senior Minister and then as Minister Mentor, but he tried his best to arrange his working schedule around my mother's needs.
He also took care of her health, strongly urging her to swim daily for exercise, and supervised her complicated regime of medication. He would also measure her blood pressure several times a day, till I got in touch with Dr Ting Choon Ming who had invented a blood pressure measuring equipment that is worn like a watch. Next day, when Dr Ting came to take the watch back to analyse the recorded blood pressure, my mother said to him: 'I prefer to have my husband measure my blood pressure.'
After my mother's second stroke in 2008, she became bed-bound and could no longer accompany my father on his travels overseas or to social functions here. Every night after returning home from work, my father now spends about two hours telling my mother about his day and reading aloud her favourite poems to her.
The poetry books are rather thick and heavy, so he uses a heavy-duty music stand to place the books. One night, he was so sleepy, he fell asleep while reading to my mother, slumped forward and hit his face against the music stand. Since the music stand was made of metal, he suffered abrasions on his face. He cursed himself for his carelessness but still carries on reading aloud to my mother every night.
I have always known my father was fearless, willing to fight to the bitter end for Singapore. When Vietnam fell in 1975, it looked for a while as though the domino hypothesis - which held that other South-east Asian states would also fall to the communists like dominoes - might turn out to be true. My father knew how ruthless the communists were, but he was determined to stay on in Singapore, and my mother was just as determined to stay on by his side.
I began this article because I was reading an article in a psychological journal on 'love at first sight versus love for a lifetime, for better or for worse'.
Love at first sight is rare and often does not endure. The affection my parents have for each other is also rare. They are each other's soul mates; their happy marriage has lasted beyond their diamond anniversary.
But they have never made a show of being a loving couple in public. Even in private, they have rarely demonstrated their love for each other with hugs or kisses. It was only after my mother's second stroke that I saw my father kiss my mother on her forehead to comfort her. They don't seem to feel the need for a dramatic physical show of love.
I have great admiration for what my father has done for Singapore - and at age 87, he is still promoting Singapore's interests. But he being the first-born son in a Peranakan family, I would not have suspected him to have been capable of such devotion as he has shown for my mother, taking care of her so painstakingly. My admiration for him has increased manifold because I have watched him look after my mother so devotedly over the last two painful years.
The writer is director of the National Neuroscience Institute
A love story
Love at first sight is romantic but may not hold a candle to love that lasts a lifetime & is for better or for worse
By Lee Wei Ling
n advertisement for the 'Sassy Miss 2010 Workshop Series' in The Straits Times caught my eye recently. The headline was: 'The Power of First Impressions.'
The text claimed: 'It takes just 30 seconds for your first date or prospective employer to form an everlasting impression of you. So flash your X-factor, from the way you look to the style in which you carry yourself. Come uncover all the trade secrets of image-making at this power workshop!'
I was amused. If I want to make an impression, it would be to show my competence, sincerity, pragmatism and willingness to fight for what is right. My appearance and how I carry myself are highly unlikely to make an impression in a 30-minute encounter, let alone a 30-second 'flash'.
As for assessing someone on the first encounter, it would take me at least five to 10 minutes to appraise a person. I do not base my judgment on whether the person is good-looking or how he carries himself. Instead I would focus on his facial expression and body language.
If these contradict what he says, I would be wary of him. Body language and facial expressions are rarely under voluntary control and hence are better indicators of the true intent of a person than speech.
I am fairly good at sizing up people. There have been quite a few instances when I have accurately assessed someone at the first brief encounter. But even then, I seldom depend solely on first impressions. I will reassess the person on subsequent occasions. Only if I observe certain traits repeatedly would I be confident in my assessment.
Some people do indeed judge others on the basis of first impressions. Their judgment may well be strongly influenced by the person's appearance, how well he carries himself and how eloquently he speaks. I think such people are shallow. In life, we have to interact with people; and the more accurately we judge people, the fewer mistakes we are likely to make about them.
Research on interpersonal relationships between strangers shows that physical appearance does influence first impressions. But this does not explain why people stick together in long-term relationships. Commitment is a key variable in sustaining such relationships.
The one remarkable relationship I have personally observed is the one between my father and mother. Theirs was certainly not love at first sight. Nor were looks the main factor in their mutual attraction. Rather, it was personality and intellectual compatibility.
They are not only lovers, they are also best friends. There has never been any calculation about how much each had invested in the relationship. Theirs is an unconditional love.
Before my mother suffered her first stroke in 2003, she lived her life around my father, taking care of his every need. The stroke and the resultant disability made my mother quite frail.
From that point on, my father lived his life around her. He was still in the Cabinet, first as Senior Minister and then as Minister Mentor, but he tried his best to arrange his working schedule around my mother's needs.
He also took care of her health, strongly urging her to swim daily for exercise, and supervised her complicated regime of medication. He would also measure her blood pressure several times a day, till I got in touch with Dr Ting Choon Ming who had invented a blood pressure measuring equipment that is worn like a watch. Next day, when Dr Ting came to take the watch back to analyse the recorded blood pressure, my mother said to him: 'I prefer to have my husband measure my blood pressure.'
After my mother's second stroke in 2008, she became bed-bound and could no longer accompany my father on his travels overseas or to social functions here. Every night after returning home from work, my father now spends about two hours telling my mother about his day and reading aloud her favourite poems to her.
The poetry books are rather thick and heavy, so he uses a heavy-duty music stand to place the books. One night, he was so sleepy, he fell asleep while reading to my mother, slumped forward and hit his face against the music stand. Since the music stand was made of metal, he suffered abrasions on his face. He cursed himself for his carelessness but still carries on reading aloud to my mother every night.
I have always known my father was fearless, willing to fight to the bitter end for Singapore. When Vietnam fell in 1975, it looked for a while as though the domino hypothesis - which held that other South-east Asian states would also fall to the communists like dominoes - might turn out to be true. My father knew how ruthless the communists were, but he was determined to stay on in Singapore, and my mother was just as determined to stay on by his side.
I began this article because I was reading an article in a psychological journal on 'love at first sight versus love for a lifetime, for better or for worse'.
Love at first sight is rare and often does not endure. The affection my parents have for each other is also rare. They are each other's soul mates; their happy marriage has lasted beyond their diamond anniversary.
But they have never made a show of being a loving couple in public. Even in private, they have rarely demonstrated their love for each other with hugs or kisses. It was only after my mother's second stroke that I saw my father kiss my mother on her forehead to comfort her. They don't seem to feel the need for a dramatic physical show of love.
I have great admiration for what my father has done for Singapore - and at age 87, he is still promoting Singapore's interests. But he being the first-born son in a Peranakan family, I would not have suspected him to have been capable of such devotion as he has shown for my mother, taking care of her so painstakingly. My admiration for him has increased manifold because I have watched him look after my mother so devotedly over the last two painful years.
The writer is director of the National Neuroscience Institute
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