Skills
10C
186
Unit 10
In my life
Reading
1
Read the article and match the people with the activities.
1
Spider-Man
a
saved the lives of lots of people.
2
David Beckham
b
helps poor children in Colombia.
3
Florence Nightingale
c
fights crime.
4
Leon’s neighbour
d
started a charity that gives wheelchairs to children.
5
Shakira
e
does small jobs for people.
What is a hero?
What is a hero?
What do you think of when you see the word ‘hero’? Do you think of
superheroes such as Spider-Man or Superman? Or perhaps you think of famous
people from the past like Florence Nightingale or Princess Diana. A hero
usually helps people. Or he or she does something good for a community. For
example, Spider-Man fights crime. And Florence Nightingale saved the lives of
lots of people in hospitals in the nineteenth century.
Unfortunately, for lots of people today, their heroes are celebrities. These
celebrities are famous because they are film stars or pop stars, or just because
they are beautiful and appear on TV! In my opinion, they aren’t real heroes.
But some celebrities can be heroes and good role models. For example, David
Beckham is a famous footballer and Shakira is a singer. But they both do work
for UNICEF, an international charity that helps children. Beckham also started
a charity that gives wheelchairs to children. Shakira started a charity that
provides special schools for poor children in Colombia. Their work improves the
lives of many children all over the world.
Heroes can be young or old. And they can come from any country. They can do
important things to improve the lives of thousands of people. Or they can do
small things that help only a few people.
My hero is my neighbour. He’s a postman. I know that doesn’t sound very
exciting. But my neighbour knows all the old people in the neighbourhood.
He checks they are OK. Sometimes he does their shopping for them. He isn’t
famous but he makes a big difference to their lives.
So who is your hero? Let me know!
by Leon Jackson
2
Read the article again and find the best answers.
1
In Leon’s opinion, a hero is a person
who ...
a
is famous.
b
does something good for people.
2
For many people today, their heroes
are ...
a
celebrities.
b
people from history.
3
David Beckham and Shakira are real
heroes because ...
a
they improve the lives of many
people.
b
they are famous all over the world.
4
Leon believes that ...
a
all famous people are heroes.
b
heroes can be normal people like
you or me.