According to the author, tea without sugar gives the real taste. Sugar destroys the taste of tea. It is as good as adding pepper and salt. If we add sugar, we taste only the sugar, and not the tea.

Nicola and Jacopo were brothers. Nicola was 13 and Jacopo seemed to be 12. They looked shabby with a worn jersey and a shortened army tunic. They had brown skin, tangled hair and earnest eyes, The author was strangely attracted towards them.

Tenzing gifted to God a bar of chocolate, a packet of biscuits and a handful of lollies. Edmund Hillary gifted to God the crucifix given by Colonel Hunt.

Title	In Celebration of Being Alive
Author	Dr.Christiaan Barnard
Theme	The businessof living isthe celebration of being alive

Dr. Christiaan Barnard, a South African surgeon, designed artificial heart valves, and wrote extensively on the subject. In this essay Dr. Barnard ruminates on why people suffer. One morning a nurse had left a breakfast trolley unattended. And very soon this trolley was seized by two fearless boys - a driver and a mechanic. The mechanic provided motor power by galloping along behind the trolley with his head down, while the driver, seated on the mower deck, held on with one hand and steered by rubbing his foot on the floor. The choice of roles was easy because the mechanic was totally blind and the driver had only one arm. They put on quite a show that day. Judging by the laughter and shouts of encouragement from the rest of the patients, it was a much better entertainment than anything anyone puts on at the Indianapolis 500 car race. There was a grand finale of scattered plates and silverware before the nurse and the ward sister caught up with them, scolded them and put them back to bed.

It opened my eyes to the fact that I was missing something in all my thinking about Suffering something basic that was full of solace for me.

Title	Two Gentlemen of Verona
Author	A.J. Cronin
Theme	Supreme sacrifice of two boys for their suffering sister

Their selfess action brought a new nobility to human life, gave promise of a greater hope for human sociely.

A. J. Cronin wrote this memoir after visiting Verona. The title of the short story is inspired by a popular Shakespeare's play. Nevertheless, the main idea of the author is to underline the virtues that make a man a real man. The story captures the sentiment that true humanity is not about letting go, .and it is about courage and determination. The two young gentlemen of Verona face their difficulties head on without a single complaint. When the author tried to tell them they were working too much, they simply said they had no complaint. Their love and emotional strength are truly commendable. The boys' maturity and sense of responsibility are also praiseworthy. The author says that in both the boyish faces there was a seriousness which was far beyond their age. These boys display exemplary courage amidst extreme poverty and devastation. The author manages to find real inspiration from their lives.

Make your life a masterpiece; imagine no limitations on what you can be, have or do.

help someone who is in difficulty, to be ready
My friends stood by me all the time.
A boat was standing by in case of emergency.

i. The soldier is ready to quarrel. 'Quarrel' here means argument.
ii. A bubble means empty and it stays only for a short time. Reputation also is as short-lived as a bubble.
iii. In this stage the soldier is full of promises. He has a beard like a leopard. He tries to gain honour and he is quick to take up any argument. Even at the risk of his life he tries to achieve reputation which is as short lived as bubble.

i) The poet means that the tree should not be forgotten.
ii) 'Fain' means eager. The poet is eager to make the tree holy.
iii) The poet hopes that the memory of this tree will live on in her poem as the memory of trees celebrated by Wordsworth has lived on in that poet's work.

i) casuarina is referred to in the above lines,
ii) The tree is so strong that it bears the tight hold of the creeper.
iii) Toru Dutt uses the expression because really a creeper climbs on the casuarina tree.

i) As they were sold out for gold they could not do anything
ii) They felt helpless because they had to surrender without fighting.

i) 'We' refers to the soldiers
ii) The soldiers spent the summer days watching the mowers and the enemies
iii) They could watch from the turret wall mowers in the hay and the enemies who were half a mile away.

(a) Ulysses meets people and talks to them about the laws
(b) He did not enjoy what he was doing. His main goal was to travel for adventure. He called his people a savage race

dare / can

From
V. Andrews,
7 - West Street,
Arasar Colony,
Erode - 2.
To
The editor,
The Hindu,
Coimbatore - 1.
Sir,
  I request you to publish the following letter in your daily to address an important issue which needs immediate redressal.
Many roadside vendors occupy the road side for their business. It is accepted that they too need a place to sell their goods and earn their living. But it should not be at the risk of others' life. In our area most of the vendors occupy the parking zone for their business. So the two wheeler riders have a tough time to park their vehicles. They park their vehicles in such a way that it gives trouble to the pedestrians and other cars and autos. So the municipal authorities should take necessary action to solve this problem.
Thank you.
Yours faithfully,
Andrews.

Poem	Ulysses
Poet	Alfred Tennyson
Theme	Hungry heart for travel and experience

That loved me, and alone, on shore, and when Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades Vext the dim sea:

The central theme of 'Ulysses' is that there is a search for adventure, experience and meaning which makes life worth living. Tennyson used Ulysses as the old adventurer. He was unwilling to accept the setting of old age and longing for one more quest. In the second section, Ulysses implies that Telemachus is better fitted to be a king, which requires more governance, discipline and patience. And he (Ulysses) is better fitted to be an adventurer. Ulysses thinks life is meaningful only if there is some quest. It must be understood as a day dream Ulysses is having or he is contemplating despite his old age. Their will to seek adventure will overcome the weakness the age has brought upon them. Ulysses is not satisfied to sit and contemplate on his past adventures. He is proud of his reputation, but resting on those laurels is meaningless. This refers to that line where he compares himself to a tool, presumably a sword that only shines if it is in use.

My mariners, Souls that have toil'd, and wrought, and thought with me

Poem	Our Casuarina Tree
Poet	Toru Dutt
Theme	Fond memories about the tree

And to their pastures wend our sleepy cOWs; 78 And in the shadow, on the broad tank cast by that hoar tree, so beautiful and vast

Toru Dutt begins the poem, 'Our Casuarina Tree' with the description of the tree. The poet says that the creeper has wound itself around the rugged trunk of the casuarina tree, like a huge Python. The creeper has left deep marks on the trunk of the tree. The tree is so strong that it bears the tight hold of the creeper. The tree is described as being gallant, and possibly brave, as very few trees could survive in the strangle-hold of this creeper. Toru Dutt says that it is not because of the majestic appearance of the casuarina tree that it is dear to her heart and soul, but also that she along with her siblings spent happy moments under it. Toru Dutt has brought out the theme of nature as something that shares feeling with humans that lightens the burden on the heart. The poet continues with a description of how strong the image of the tree is, even when in lands far away.

"In nature, everything is perfect in its own way. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they're still beautiful."

Title	The Hour of Truth
Author	Percival Wilde
Theme	Honesty will be ultimately rewarded

Percival Wilde's play "The Hour of Truth" is an intense psychological study. It studies the corrupting influence of money on people. The plot of the play explores greed from different angles. Almost all individuals in this play are tempted by money. This one act play particularly shows how easily people forget their moral values and principles. But at the end of the play the reader realizes that money only brings isolation, punishment, deception, frustration and endless shame. The play brings a positive note when the bad people get punished and the good people get rewarded. We can see the battle between self and society in the character of Mr. Robert Baldwin, the secretary of a bank and the bank president, Mr. John Gresham. Mr. Gresham is totally changed with his greed for money. After the arrest, Mr. Gresham begs Mr. Baldwin to say three words at the time of his trial: "I don't remember". As a reward he will offer him one hundred thousand dollars. It is really a large amount of money. At this offer, we see how his virtuous family members change their opinions. When they hear about the bribe, they persuade Robert to tell those three words. Thus we can see how money changes people's outlook.

When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth

Title	Life of Pi
Author	Yann Martel
Theme	Orders and Adventures on a lifeboat

'Life of Pi' is an abridged version of the famous novel titled 'Life of Pi' written by Yann Martel. Pi was on his way to Canada with his father, mother and animals of his zoo. But unfortunately the ship was wrecked and Pi escaped in a lifeboat. In the same lifeboat he had a tiger named Richard. Parker, an orangutan, a zebra and a hyena. At the end he was left with the tiger. Parker's presence was a protection for him from other animals. It behaved as if it was sedated and it suffered from sea sickness. Other animals were silent because of the fear of the bigger animal. Pi accepted that Parker calmed him down. He said that one who scared him brought him peace. He wanted to tame him. His attitude was that the tiger should die first. But suddenly he realised that part of him loved the tiger. He did not want to be left alone. So he wanted to live with the tiger.

agonizing experience

Their leader was expected by the crowd to arrive, early in the morning

You should add a little salt to the buttermilk, shouldn't you ?

A Clever Plan
Once there lived a cotton merchant. He was a very rich man having a big factory. Many employees were working there. Most of them were very loyal to the owner. They were paid well. But a few of them were not very happy with their financial condition. Anyway the work was moving smoothly.
One day it was found that a heap of cotton was stolen. It was difficult to say who the culprit was. The owner did not know what to do. He almost came to conclusion that it was not possible to get the culprit. But it was clear that some of the workers must have stolen the cotton.
The merchant's secretary was a clever man. He was thinking of many plans to find out the culprit. Suddenly a plan struck him. He asked the merchant to host a dinner for all the workers. The merchant agreed and all the workers were invited to the dinner. At the scheduled time all the workers came and they started eating the rich food arranged by the merchant.
In the middle of the feast the secretary shouted that the cotton was sticking to the hair of the thieves. All the workers were looking around except a few of them. Few of the workers slowly tried to dust their head. They thought they could clear their heads before anyone noticed them. But the clever secretary was careful to see all of them. So they were caught and punished.

stand

Sindhu would not have won the world championship, if she had not had single-minded devotion

Madhu told me that he was happy I had completed my project.