The Golden Girl
Ever since she burst into the scene by making it to the 1980 Moscow Olympics as a 16 – year old, P. T.
Usha’s tall deeds have exemplified Indian sporting excellence. The spirit queen was so consistent for
over a decade that she was truly the flag bearer who helped countrymen live the dream of a rare
sporting excellence in the international arena.
Hailing from a remote village called Payyoli, Usha became an icon for sport lovers.
She made the nation swell with pride, every time she stepped on to the track. She gave unalloyed joy to
her fAnswer: when she became the first Indian woman to make it to Olympic final.
Usha’s greatest moment was also the most shattering in her life as she was pushed to the fourth place in
the 400 meters hurdles final at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. The Romanian Christina Cojocaru won
the bronze medal. Usha lost by an agonising l/100th of a second. But every Indian household
acknowledge the sense of achievement, though it fell short of India’s first Olympic medal from the track.
Several girls born during the 1980s were named after the golden girl. It served as an eloquent testimony
to the love and affection many people had for Usha.
Usha’s reign as the Asian sprint queen was highlighted by her snapping up five gold medals and a bronze
at the 1985 Jakarta Asian track and field meet followed by a sensational four gold medals and one silver
haul at the Seoul Asian Games the following year.
1. Answer the following questions.
a. When did Usha capture the imagination of the entire nation?
b. How did she hefp her countrymen five the dream of a rare sporting excellence?
c. Why were many girls in the mid 80s named after Usha?
d. What was the most shattering moment in the life of Usha?
2. Write the main events that happened in Usha’s life in the following years.
1980 ____________________________________________
1984 ____________________________________________
1985 ____________________________________________
1986 ____________________________________________
Cloze passage
It was midnight when the last guest left. I sighed heavily as I looked around. The living room was
___1___ of cigarette smell and stale perfume. As I looked around, I ___2___ wet patches of spilt beer on
my best Persian carpet. My antique vases were totally smashed. They had even ___3___ my antique oak
tables as ashtrays. These guests of ___4___ had done their best to destroy my expensively decorated
living room ! What a night this had turned ___5___ to be.
I shook my head. The mess would ___6___ hours to clear. Getting ___7___ of the smell would require
days. My housekeeper would had resigned ___8___ the spot if she saw the mess. I had to do ___9___
fast. I could not afford to lose her ___10___ she is the best cook I ___11___ ever had
I had no choice. I went to the bookshelf, took ___12___ the book ‘The Evolution of Man’ by Charles
Darwin and pressed on the wall behind ___13___ . A small hole in the wall appeared ___14___ my right.
I reached ___15___ and took out a long object. Then I waved it in the ___16___. The room started to
clean itself ___17___ . Even the antique vases started fitting themselves ___18___ so well that one
could not tell they had been ___19___. As you might have guessed by ___20___, the long object is a
wand, and I am what they call a witch
Fill in the blanks with suitable abstract nouns. The adjectives, verbs or nouns given in the brackets
should offer clues.
1. He is a man of ……………………… (strong)
2. The people in this part of the country live in ………………………. (poor).
3. ……………………….. to animals is a punishable offence. (cruel)
4. He is on a ………………………. To Mecca. (pilgrim)
5. I have great …………………………. To welcome you. (please).
6. …………………………. Is the best period of one’s life. (child)
7. ……………………….. should always be avoided. (waste).
8. As a parent my children’s ……………………. Is of utmost importance to me. (safe).
9. As the sun went below the horizon ………………………. Enveloped the planet. (dark).
10. There is no end to his ……………………….. (wicked)
put the correct form of the verb
1. A bath. (You can’t see Tom now. He a bath. (have)
2. He usually coffee, but today he tea. (drink, drink)
3. I won’t go out now because it and I an umbrella. (rain, not have)
4. In Spain women usually hats. (not wear)
5. Who that terrible noise? It is John. He his nose. (make, blow)
6. My dentist always keeps me to clean my teeth. I hate that. (tell)
7. He never to the theatre. (go)
8. I this weekend in Eastbourne. I there nearly every week. (spend, go)
9. My wife always keeps for more money at the end of the week. (ask)
10.
Who to on the phone? (you speak)
11.
Anne all her clothes. At the moment she a dress for herself.
(make, make)
12.
What’s that smell? Something in the kitchen. (burn)
Choose the right preposition of place:
1. ____ the picture, I can see a family _____ a kitchen.
2.
3.
4.
5.
There is a dish full of fruits ________ the worktop.
The mother is standing __&___ her son and daughter.
She is holding a vase ___ in her hand.
The son and the daughter are sitting _____ the worktop
smiling ____ each other.
6. There are beautiful cupbords ______ the wall.
7. There is a window _____ of the mother.
8. The woman is looking ____ her daughter.
9.