CLASSROOM
JANUARY issue
intermediate
Your resource
for english
comprehension and
creative tasks
Editors’ Note
Welcome to RD Classroom
We love english at Reader’s Digest, but we’re the first to admit that
it can be a complicated language for native speakers, let alone learners.
So every month, RD Classroom will help you expand your English skills.
To use this special guide, you’ll need a copy of the January 2016 edition
of Asia Reader’s Digest. Don’t worry if you missed it at the newsagency,
you can go to rdasia.com and call the helpful customer service numbers
at the top left to order a copy, or see page 8 for how to subscribe.
This month, our RD Classroom stories include the story of a little boy
who was left to fend for himself while his parents completed the Hajj.
There’s ‘The Benefits of Taking
Breaks’, where you’ll learn why
it’s essential to daydream now
and then if you want to succeed.
Plus, an overview of the history
of nuclear weapons.
We’ve included a set of
questions and activities for
each story to help you test your
comprehension. Answer sheets
will be uploaded at the start of
February, along with the next
edition of RD Classroom.
Contact us on social media
and tell us what you would
like to learn about next!
Contents
What you’ll find
4 Questions For kindness of strangers
From pages 14-15 in Reader’s Digest January 2016. Seventeen-yearold Muhammad Ahsan Nisar tells of being a child at Mecca.
5 Questions For the benefits of taking breaks
From pages 81-83 in Reader’s Digest January 2016. How slacking off
can, in fact, make you more productive.
6 Questions For Instant answers: Nuclear Weapons
From pages 90-91 in Reader’s Digest January 2016. Your five-minute
guide to the most destructive weapons ever used.
7 Word Help
Explanations of difficult words from this month’s stories.
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The Editors
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Questions for ‘Kindness of Strangers’ (page 14)
1. Why were Muhammad Ahsan Nisar and his parents travelling to
the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca? Why are the rituals physically
demanding?
1. Why does the article compare running without eating to
working without resting? Is this a valid comparison?
2. When Muhammad Ahsan Nisar’s parents left, they told him they
would be home within three hours. What happened to them in
the period until they saw him again? How do you think they felt?
2. Research shows that inane or mindless distractions can have
very positive effects on your concentration. Why do you think
this is? Do you have a personal example of this effect?
3. The Hajj pilgrimage is a sacred ritual. How did the actions of
each of the adults in this story match with the obligations of a
pilgrim who is undertaking the Hajj?
4. The writer says he will never forget the generosity of the
woman. Why do you think it made such a lasting impact on him?
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Questions for ‘THe Benefits of taking Breaks’
(page 81)
3. How do scientists think napping might be able to help you
organise your thoughts?
4. Looking at cute animals, flicking through Facebook and
daydreaming are sometimes described as time-wasting activities.
From what you’ve read, is this true or false? Why?
Activity Kindness comes in many shapes and forms. Write
about a time you experienced an act of kindness or when you
were kind to another person. Share your story with someone.
Activity The article suggests four ways to take a break. What do
you do to take a break? Write your own suggestion for someone
who needs motivation to relax – or to be more productive.
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Reader’s DigesT
Questions for ‘Instant Answers: Nuclear
weapons’ (page 90)
1. What is a nuclear weapon? What are the types of nuclear
weapons and how are they different to each other?
2. What cities have had nuclear bombs dropped on them? Why
were they dropped and what were the consequences?
3. The US was the first and only country to use nuclear weapons
in war, during World War II. Why do you think no other countries
have used these weapons?
4. What reason do you think is behind the estimated number of
nuclear weapons falling from 62,725 in 1987 to 15,800 today? Do
you think the number will continue to go down?
Activity Nine countries own nuclear weapons. Can you list them
all and also draw their national flags?
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Word help
Kindness of Strangers
Pilgrimage A journey made to a sacred place. Usually this word
is used to describe a long journey made as part of a religious
commitment, such as the Hajj. But sometimes it is also used
jokingly, such as “I made my annual pilgrimage to the shoe sales.”
Circumambulation This uncommon word usually means to walk
around, often in a complete circle. It is sometimes also used to
mean wander aimlessly. The first half of the word, ‘circum’, is a
common prefix, occurring in words including circumnavigate
and circumference. It means ‘move around’ or ‘movement on all
sides’. Another word with this prefix is circumspect, which means
‘cautious’, or ‘watchful in all directions’.
Plodded Walked heavily or with difficulty OR worked hard and
for a long time at a task that may be difficult or dull.
The Benefits of Taking Breaks
Counterintuitive The opposite of what common sense or intuition
would suggest. For example, it may seem counterintuitive to
do some exercise when you are feeling tired, but unless you are
physically exhausted, exercise will make you feel more energetic
and awake afterwards.
Cognitive To do with the workings of the human mind.
Counterpart One of two parts.
Cyberloafing A slang word for relaxing while looking at silly
things on the internet.
Instant Answers
Subatomic Particles that are smaller than an atom. Electrons,
neutrons and protons are subatomic particles.
Conventional This word usually means ‘conforming to accepted
standards’, but when it comes to warfare, it has a more specific
meaning. Here, it means weapons that are not nuclear, chemical
or biological. The use of conventional weapons in wars comes
under the famous Geneva Conventions, and some are banned
because they are considered too destructive. Nuclear, chemical
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Reader’s DigesT
and biological weapons are also known as weapons of mass
destruction and there are many treaties restricting their use.
Radioactive This is a describing word (an adjective) used
for certain types of atoms. Each of these atoms has an
unstable nucleus that loses energy by emitting radiation. It
is a complicated scientific idea, but one that is behind many
technologies in wide use, from X-rays and smoke detectors
to nuclear power. While many radioactive materials can be
dangerous to humans, low levels of radiation occur naturally in
our soils and foods. The Sun is naturally radioactive, as is the
universe, but the Earth’s atmosphere protects us from harmful
solar and cosmic radiation.
Ultimate Most commonly used to mean the final aim or the
end, this word is also used to mean something that cannot be
bettered. When David Cameron says nuclear weapons are “the
ultimate insurance policy”, he is using the word in both senses.
A nuclear weapon would be the last thing you would choose to
use in a war, and it would be the most destructive option.
Deterrent Something that acts to stop an action or event.
A childproof fence is a deterrent to children falling in swimming
pools, for example. Many politicians have argued that if countries
have nuclear weapons, they will be too worried about how
dangerous they are to use them, so having nuclear weapons will
act as a deterrent to nuclear war. This idea was part of a theory
known as Mutually Assured Destruction, or MAD for short.
DID YOU KNOW?
n The first Hajj pilgrimage took place in 632CE, when Muhammad
showed the rites to a large number of followers. Pilgrims have
followed every year since then.
n John von Neumann was a mathematician and physicist who
came up with the term Mutually Assured Destruction. He also
invented a computer called the Mathematical Analyzer, Numerical
Integrator, and Computer – MANIAC for short. He was a very
talented inventor and skilled at fields from engineering to political
strategy, but was famous for his love of making up silly names.
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