DON’T FAKE HAPPINESS

When I see people smiling warmly in pictures, when I see them grinning cheekily through filters, when I see them partying as if there is no tomorrow, and when I see them laughing as if their heart isn’t choked up with sorrow, a question popsin simple words, the answer is “No, they are not really happy. Theyjustpretendto be.”

How do I know that or who am I to assume things? The first thing we need to wrap our heads around is the reality of happiness. What is happiness? Wikipedia refers to it as a feeling of satisfaction and joy. A positive and pleasant emotion. But everyone has their own way of thinking, so there must be multiple different definitions of happiness. Nonetheless, we all experience happiness in one way or another.

Happiness is a raw emotion. A genuine one. When it appears in its truest form, you just “feel” it. You don’t fake it. You don’t put fake smiles, or let out laughs. You just feel it surging through your whole body, in your heart, in your veins. And this emotion is sometimes too raw that you even cry as well.

We are living in the age of social media. You share something on it, and magically, it flies till the other end of the world. You start doing it just for fun. Sharing little things about you. You love boasting: hanging out with pals, late movie nights, sun-kissed pictures, shopping, funny vlogs, and what not! An escape from the tiresome studies and work. But then, you don’t even realise and it plants its roots in you. On the contrary, people know how you look, your family, your house, how you present yourself. They see your videos and see how you are in person. People criticise you and those people surrounding you, and you don’t want them to know that your life is not all rainbows and sunshine.I can see right through the faces that are morphed into fake happiness. we don’t want others to suspect anything is wrong with us.

The people, who you admire on social media, also go through the exact same issues. They get anxious and depressed as well. They also have this fear of people judging them. Happiness, before anything else, is an emotion. And so is sadness, and anger. You are not obliged to be happy all the time. Be happy, for yourself. Not for the world to see.  Happiness can be found anywhere and everywhere. You can feel it while working, suddenly realising how much you love your job. You can feel it when you see your pet running around your house. Nothing else should matter. This is genuine. This is raw.

Today, I want you to make a promise to yourself, that you’ll at least try to not fake your happiness; that you’ll try to not let social media and other people around, affect you; that you’ll try to be really happy. Just promise that you’ll try. And once you’ll try it, you will know how pure and ecstatic that feels.

Published in Dawn, Young World, January 15th, 2022

 Question 1: [2 POINTS] Indicate whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE and write down the sentences or part of the text that justifies your answer. No points will be given if the evidence is not correct.

a)     For Wikipedia happiness hasn’t got a positive meaning.

b)    People begin to use social media to deal with essential matters

c)     Even celebrities are scared of critics

d)    You can find happiness in your daily life.

 

Question 2: [2 POINTS] Choose and answer only TWO of the following questions in your own words according to the text.

a)     According to the author, why do people need to post so much information in social media?

b)    What are the drawbacks of posting so much information?

c)     What does the author recommend?

Question 3: [1,5 POINTS] Find words or phrases in the text that correspond to the words and definitions given. You only need to have five correct answers to get 1,5 points.

a)     Fulfilment (par.2)

b)    Exhausting (par.4)

c)     Guess (par.4)

d)    Misery (par.5)

e)     Authentic (par.5)

f)     Guarantee (par.6)

Question 4: [1,5 ] Choose the correct option – a, b, c or d – for each question and COPY both the letter and the sentence that follows onto your answer sheet.

                   1. When the author sees someone smiling in a picture, he thinks…

 

a)     …that person shows real happiness.

b)    …that person wants other people to think he is happy

c)     …that person doesn’t care about others.

d)    …that person loves parties.

2. People who you admire on social media

 

a)     are worried about posting bad quality pictures

b)    …are worried about being criticized as well.

c)     …are worried about judging other people

d)    …are worried about getting depressed

 

      3. The author asks the reader…

 

a)     …not to fake pictures in social media.

b)    …not to show family pictures in social media.

c)     …not to make an influence on others through social media.

d)    …not to get influenced by social media

QUESTION 5: [3 POINTS] Write a short essay (about 120-150 words)  on the following topic. Essays up to 200 words won’t be penalized.

Advantages and disadvantages of social networking.

 

 KEY

 Question 1

a)     FALSE “Wikipedia refers to it as a feeling of satisfaction and joy”

b)    FALSE “You start doing it just for fun.”

c)     TRUE “They also have this fear of people judging them”

d)    TRUE “Happiness can be found anywhere and everywhere. You can feel it while working, suddenly realising how much you love your job. You can feel it when you see your pet running around your house”.

 Question 2

 a)     People disconnect from daily routine, they want to transmit an image of happiness with friends, trips, love, free time activities…

 b)    They know everything about you. There is a lack of privacy. They can criticize you

 c)     He recommends being happy for yourself not for the rest of the people, avoid faking pictures, do not try to be happy 24 hours a day…

Question 3

a)     Satisfaction

b)    Tiresome

c)     Suspect

d)    Sadness

e)     Genuine

f)     Promise

Question 4

b) that person wants other people to think he is happy

b)…are worried about being criticized as well.

d)    …not to get influenced by social media.

 

 

 

ACTIVE, PASSIVE OR CAUSATIVE?

 

Complete the passages with the correct form of the verbs in brackets. Use the active, passive and causative forms.

      A. Katie ^1. …………………… (know) how to get people to do things. She ^2. …………………… (elect) head of the annual party committee last month. She ^3. …………………… the entertainment …………………… (arrange) by Tom because he ^4. …………………… (manage) several bands in the past. She ^5. ………………… (convince) an expensive restaurant to give us a discount.
Later on today, her assistant ^6. …………………… (call) everyone to remind them of the party.
Her assistant ^7. …………………… (do) this during her lunch break. No one ^8. …………………… (refuse) Katie’s requests.

      B. Mr Jones ^9. …………………… (collect) records since he ^10. …………………… (hear) the Beatles as a teenager. His favourite records ^11. …………………… (find) at second-hand shops or car boot sales. More recently, he ^12. …………………… (ask) his children to search for bargains on Internet sites. They ^13. …………………… (not mind) doing this because they ^14. …………………… (pay) by their father for each record. Mrs Jones ^15. …………………… (often complain) about this hobby in the past before they ^16. …………………… (move) to a bigger house two years ago. Mr Jones ^17. …………………… shelves …………………… (build) in the attic and his enormous record collection ^18. …………………… (keep) there now.

 

KEY

     1. knows

    2. was elected

    3. had / got … arranged

    4. had managed

    5. convinced

    6. is going to call / is calling

    7. is going to do / is doing

    8. refuses

    9. has collected / has been collecting

10.  heard

11.  are found / can be found

12.  has asked

13.  don’t mind

14.  are paid

15.  had often complained

16.  moved

17.  had … built

18.  is kept

Hundreds of crimes reported at royal palaces in London since 2019

Hundreds of crimes have been reported at royal palaces in London over the past three years, a freedom of information (FOI) request found. In total, the Met said 470 offences - including theft, arson and violence - were recorded at Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, St James’s Palace and Clarence House between 2019 and 2021. As many as 380 of the offences were for theft, 25 for possession of weapons and 17 for drug offences, according to the data.

Less than one per cent of the crimes led to someone being charged, cautioned or fined, according to the data. Only nine out of the 470 crimes led to someone being charged or summonised, the FOI request obtained by Sky News revealed. In addition, the data said police did not manage to identify any suspects in 404 cases.

Meanwhile, the FOI found arson and criminal damage comprised 15 reports, another 15 for violence against a person, 8 public order offences and 7 robberies.

Dai Davies, a former Head of Royal Protection and a former Divisional Commander in the Metropolitan Police Service, told Sky News that the number of crimes reported is “frightening”. He said: “If you can steal or cause incidents at or near the royals, what does that say about the current security? If these offences have an impact on the personal safety of the royals, that would give me great concern." However, the number of offences plummeted following the coronavirus pandemic as only 64 were reported in 2020 and 23 in 2021.

A Met Police spokesman said: "The Met has responsibility for security in and around the Royal Palaces, but we will not comment on matters relating to security. In common with other crowded locations, the majority of offences committed at or within the vicinity of the Palaces were thefts. Officers will always endeavour to pursue all viable and proportionate lines of enquiry.”

QUESTION 1:  Indicate whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a) Only a small number of offenders were ordered to appear in court.

b) All those who committed crimes at royal palaces have been found.

c) All the offences reported were against property.

d) The fact worries an ex-policeman who was in charge of the security at royal places.

e) Because of a more intense action from the Met Police, there have been fewer crimes in the last two and a half years.

f) People usually take advantage of being in a crowd to steal.

QUESTION 2: Find words or phrases in the text that correspond to the definitions given.

a) criminal setting of fire (par.1)

b) warn (par.2)

c) today's (par.4)

d) big effect (par.4)

e) decrease (par.4)

f) nearness (par.5)

g) make an effort (par.5)

KEY

Question 1

a) True." Only nine out of the 470 crimes led to someone being charged or summonised,"

b) False." ...the data said police did not manage any suspects in 404 cases."

c) False. " Meanwhile, the FOI found arson and criminal damage comprised 15 reports, another 15 for violence against a person, 8 public order offences and 7 robberies."

d) True." Dai Davies, a former Head of Royal Protection and a former Divisional Commander in the Metropolitan Police Service, told Sky News that the number of crimes reported is “frightening”.

e) False." However, the number of offences plummeted following the coronavirus pandemic as only 64 were reported in 2020 and 23 in 2021."

f) True." In common with other crowded locations, the majority of offences committed at or within the vicinity of the Palaces were thefts."

Question 2

a) arson

b) cautioned / to caution

c) current

d) impact

e) plummeted / to plummet

f) vicinity

g) endeavour

A celebrity groundhog dies shortly before his big day

 

Milltown's popular Groundhog Day festivities are cancelled this year, following the death of the local celebrity, who for the last several years has been given the task of predicting whether there will be an early spring or six more weeks of winter.

Milltown Mel, a groundhog who has for years offered his weather predictions on Groundhog Day, has died, his handlers say. They say Mel "recently crossed over the rainbow bridge" — and their scramble for a replacement rodent before Feb. 2 was fruitless.

Mel rose to celebrity status in Milltown, N.J., giving residents of the Garden State an idea of when to plant their springtime seeds. But he died at "a tough time of year, when most of his fellow groundhogs are hibernating," according to his handlers, who are known as the Milltown Wranglers.

"We will work hard on getting us a new weather prognosticator for next year," the Wranglers said, adding that New Jersey residents should "check out what all of Mel's cousins have to say" about the end of winter.

If it seems like you've heard this story of a New Jersey groundhog dying before, that's not just a Groundhog Day effect: in 2016, Sussex County's prognosticator, Stonewall Jackson, died on Groundhog Eve, according to NJ.com.

Mel spent last year's Groundhog Day in quarantine, due to the pandemic. But that didn't stop him from predicting an early spring for his community, which sits roughly halfway between Trenton and Newark.

"Yay!!! Mel - you are my favorite Groundhog!!! a fan wrote to the rodent on Facebook.

The longest-running Groundhog Day tradition in the U.S. centers around Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania. Other season-predicting animals include Dunkirk Dave and Staten Island Chuck — Mel's neighbors in New York — and Buckeye Chuck in Marion, Ohio.

The tradition of consulting a rodent for a sign of an early spring or a late winter stems from the Christian tradition of Candlemas — which itself has roots in pagan observances.

"Candlemas was originally a Celtic festival marking the 'cross-quarter day,' or midpoint of the season," according to the Almanac website. "The Sun is halfway on its advance from the winter solstice to the spring equinox."

February 1, 2022

Rewrite these sentences without changing their meaning

Mel has offered his weather predictions for years. Mel has died.

Mel, whose…

They say Mel recently crossed over the rainbow bridge.

Mel…

"We will work hard on getting us a new weather prognosticator for next year," the Wranglers said

The Wranglers said that…

Mel spent last year's Groundhog Day in quarantine, due to the pandemic.

Since…

Mel spent last year's Groundhog Day in quarantine, due to the pandemic.

If there…

 

KEY

Mel,, whose predictions have been offered for years, has died.

Mel is said to have recently crossed the rainbow bridge.

The Wranglers said taht they would work hard on getting a new prognosticator for the following year

Since there was a pandemic, Mel spent last year’s Groundhog Day in quarantine..

If there had not been a pandemic last year, Mel would not have spent Groundhog Day in quarantine.

CAUSATIVE

Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs in brackets. Use the causative form.

      1. I want to sell my car. I …………………… an advertisement …………………… (put) in the weekend paper.

      2. Please take off your shoes. We …………………… the carpet …………………… (just clean).

      3. I didn’t bake this cake. I …………………… my mum …………………… (bake) it for me.

      4. The boys lost the key to the sports locker. They …………………… the key …………………… (replace) yesterday.

KEY

 

    1. will have / get … put

    2. have just had / got … cleaned

    3. had … bake

    4. had / got … replaced

PASSIVE VOICE

 Rewrite the sentences with both passive forms.

      1. The manager has offered the salespeople a bonus.            

      2. Greg is showing his friends the new computer game.

      3. You must give the plants some water.

   

KEY

1. A bonus has been offered to the salespeople by the manager.

The salespeople have been offered a bonus by the manager.

2. The new computer game is being shown to Greg’s friends.

Greg’s friends are being shown the new computer game.

3. The plants must be given some water.

Some water must be given to the plants.