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The teenage years are full of contradictory emotions. Hormonal overrides and the
change from child to adult may bring both real and imagined conflicts to the
fore. Much of this is really hyped and gives teenagers a bad name. There is
ample evidence to show that the journey from child to adult has its positive and
appreciable side. Some of these stories stand as real inspiration to the fact
that when faced with a crisis teenagers are comfortably capable of making adult
decisions without supervision.
Wearing dapper three-piece suits and lovely gowns, 20 seniors in Florida were
heading to their prom. Prom night is a very important day for graduating
students and they invariable turn up dressed as beautifully as the movies stars
at the Oscars. Travelling in a hired limousine, the students were horrified to
see a van travel haphazardly and then overturn right before their eyes. Without
hesitation, the 20 dressed-up youth scrambled to the overturned van and started
to help the victims out. One child, stuck beneath the car seat, was pulled out
by the limousine driver. Missing the prom is unheard of and unimaginable. That
year's prom saw a bunch of students with bloodied dresses and suits, the horror
of which was nicely countered by their satisfied and proud countenances that
shone with triumph.At Sacramento High School, the school baseball team was
finishing their last practice for the season. Nearby, a mother picking up her
daughter from school knocked into the car in front and in panic quickly
reversed, running over her daughter who got pinned under a tyre. Hearing her
screams, the baseball team jumped over their fences to get there and together
they physically lifted the car off the girl as their coach dragged the girl out.
She later made a complete recovery because of the prompt action by the baseball
team.
The boys never stopped to think that it could be impossible to lift a car. They
didn't have the luxury of time to think. They acted promptly and instinctively
and that was really the best thing that happened.
In Oregon 14 year old Marcos Ugarte was doing homework with his dad. The two of
them saw an orange-red hue down their street. When they ran to their neighbour's
home they found that four if the five inhabitants of the house were safe. Then
the neighbour said that his 8 year-old son was trapped in a room on the second
floor of the now completely blazing house. Marcos' father tried to enter the
house but was driven back by the smoke and heat.
Without waiting to think, Marcos hurriedly placed a ladder under the
second-storey window. With his father holding the ladder steady, he quickly
scampered up, broke the window and called out to the child, directing him
through the thick smoke by constantly speaking to him. The little body Cody was
totally unhurt. In Marcos' own words, "I can't really consider myself a hero. I
think anyone would have done what I did."
When rivers freeze over in winter they draw many who think of skating on the
surface. There is inherent danger in this because the ice is never of the same
thickness everywhere. Falling through thin ice is a big hazard because the
freezing waters below can be fatally cold.
16 year old Kole Devisscher was driving by a stretch of the Red River in
Winnipeg when he noticed a blue jacket floating in the freezing waters. Curious,
he backed his truck to take another look. He found a young boy struggling to get
out of a crack in the ice. He immediately used his truck's tow strap to pull the
boy out, but the boy could not hold on to the strap because his hands were
frozen. Kole immediately made a loop of the strap and threw it to the boy,
telling him to wrap it around his shoulders. It worked and the boy was saved.
Kole was honoured with an award for bravery.
18 year old Peter Hanne was at home late one night when there was a hurried
knock on the door. A passerby told him that a truck was on the brink of falling
into a river a few hundred yards from the house. Without waiting to put on his
shoes, Peter shouted to his parents to call the cops and rushed to the scene.
What he saw shocked him. The truck had gone over the side and was teetering on
the edge, with the driver's cabin dangling on the side of the cliff. The driver
was still in it. There loud creaking sound and the slight alternate swing of the
cabin told him that there was no time to wait for the police to arrive. He
quickly climbed down the side of the cliff, placing himself directly under the
cabin. Using a wheel brace, he smashed the rear window and helped the injured
driver to climb out. Even the police were in awe at Peter's act. In the police's
own words, "We're always complaining about young people. Here is one young man
who really laid his life on the line for another. He is a real hero!"
These stories are enough to tell us that our youngsters, despite all their
peeves and harangue, have what it takes to take on responsibility when it is
most called for. |
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Answer the following questions using complete
sentences |
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1. |
From paragraph 1, when do
teenagers show that they are capable of adult decisions ? |
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2. |
(a) From paragraph 2, how
many graduates were on their way to the prom ?
(b) How were they dressed for
the prom ? |
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3. |
(a) From paragraph 3, where was the
victim at the Sacramento High School incident ?
(b) From paragraph 4, mention the two factors that saved the girl's life. |
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4. |
(a) From paragraph 8, what
quality in Kole saved the life of the boy in the freezing waters ?
(b) From paragraph 9, why is
Peter considered a hero ? |
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5. |
What is the common
characteristic that stands out in all the stories of heroism mentioned ?
Characteristic :
_______________
Reason : ______________ |
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6. |
Based on the passage given,
write a summary
* The circumstances that
inspired heroic responses from the youngsters
* The good that their actions
proved
Begin your summary as follows
:
Teenagers may be
boisterous, loud and seemingly selfish to others |
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| Answers |
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1. |
When they face a crisis. |
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2. |
(a) Twenty.
(b) The guys wore dapper
three-piece suits whereas the girls wore lovely gowns. |
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3. |
(a) She was pinned under the
tyre of her mother's car.
(b)
(i) The boys
didn't think it was impossible to lift a car.
(ii) They worked
instinctively, without thinking. |
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4. |
(a) Kole's curiosity at
seeing a floating jacket made him stop. The quality that stands forth is
his awareness of the potential of danger in an iced-over river.
(b) He evaluated the
situation correctly and immediately acted, putting his own life in
danger. |
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5. |
Characteristic : The
characteristic that stands out is the instinctive response when others
are facing danger.
Reason : In all the stories,
the youngsters responded immediately without considering their own
appearance and convenience. This is in direct contrast to the general
feeling that youngsters are too preoccupied with their appearance and
convenience.
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6. |
Teenagers may be boisterous,
loud and seemingly selfish to others. Yet, the stories go on to prove
how false this negative presumption is. True heroism stands celebrated
in the way the teenagers acted instinctively by taking the right course
of action. All the victims in the mishaps were beyond helping
themselves. Immediately sensing their helplessness the teenagers
responded well with the kindness and courage that comes only with good
upbringing and good education. The instinct to take responsible action
proved that all these teenagers had the right humane values well
ingrained in their hearts. |
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