ENGLISH I

Short Paragraphs to be used for dictation and reading aloud activities

1. Moon

The Moon is a barren, rocky world without air and water. It has dark lava plain on its
surface. The Moon is filled with craters. It has no light of its own. It gets its light from the
Sun. The Moon keeps changing its shape as it moves round the Earth. It spins on its axis in
27.3 days.

2. Sun

The sun is a huge ball of gases. It has a diameter of 1,392,000 km. It is so huge that it can hold
millions of planets inside it. The Sun is mainly made up of hydrogen and helium gas. The surface of
the Sun is known as the photosphere. The photosphere is surrounded by a thin layer of gas known
as the chromospheres. Without the Sun, there would be no life on Earth. There would be no
plants, no animals and no human beings. As, all the living things on Earth get their energy from the
Sun for their survival.

3. Solar System

The Solar System consists of the Sun Moon and Planets. It also consists of comets, meteoroids and
asteroids. The Sun is the largest member of the Solar System. In order of distance from the Sun,
the planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto; the
dwarf planet. The Sun is at the centre of the Solar System and the planets, asteroids, comets and
meteoroids revolve around it.

4. Mahabharata

The Mahabharata is a story about a great battle between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. The
battle was fought in Kurukshetra near Delhi. Many kings and princes took part in the battle. The
Pandavas defeated the Kauravas. The Bhagvad Gita is a holy book of the Hindus. It is a part of the
Mahabharata. Then, Lord Rama, with the help of It is a book of collection of teachings of Lord
Krishna to Arjuna in the battlefield. It is the longest epic in the world.
5. Ramayana

The Ramayana is a story of Lord Rama written by the SageValmiki. Lord Rama, the prince of
Ayodhya, in order to help his father Dasharatha went to exile for fourteen years. His wife, Sita and
his younger brother Lakshmana also went with him. He went through many difficulties in the
forest. One day Ravana, the king of Lanka carried away Sita with him. Then, Lord Rama, with the
help of Hanumana, defeated and killed Ravana; Sita, Rama and Lakshmana returned to Ayod hya
after their exile.

6. The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is a beautiful monument built in 1631 by an Emperor named Shah Jahan in memory
of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. It is situated on the banks of river Yamuna at Agra. It looks beautiful in
the moonlight. The Taj Mahal is made up of white marble. In front of the monument, there is a
beautiful garden known as the Charbagh. Inside the monument, there are two tombs. These
tombs are of Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is considered as one of the
Seven Wonders of the World. Many tourists come to see this beautiful structure from different
parts of the world.

7. Food is the necessity of life. It provides nutrition, sustenance and growth to human body.
Food can be classified into cereals, pulses, nuts and oilseeds, vegetable, fruits, milk and milk
products and flesh food. Food comprises protein, facts, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals salts
and water. Most of the food items contain all these in varying properties. Oil and ghee are
exclusively fats while sugarcane and starch contain high amount of carbohydrates. Accordingly,
food items are termed as protein rich, vitamin rich, fat rich food etc. Proteins, fats and
carbohydrates are usually termed as proximate principles. Along with water, which is an
important food element, proximate principles from the main bulk food? These are burnt or
oxidized in the body to provide energy for the different activities of life. Consequently, different
age groups need different food mix. Vitamins and minerals salts do not supply energy but they
play a very crucial role in regularization of various body functions. Some of the minerals are
important components of the body structure like bones and teeth.