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Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is our country. It is a beautiful island in the
Indian Ocean. Sometimes it is called “The Pearl of
the Indian Ocean”. The capital of Sri Lanka is Sri
Jayawardenapura Kotte. Colombo is its business
centre. Sri Lanka has a population of more than
eighteen million people.
In ancient times Sri Lanka was known by many
different names. The Greek travellers called it
Taprobana and the Arabs called it Serendib.
Are these statements true or false?
1. Sri Lanka is in the Indian Ocean.
2. Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is the capital of Sri Lanka.
3. More than twenty million people live in Sri Lanka.
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1. Give another name for Sri Lanka.
2. What was the name given to Sri Lanka by ancient Greek travellers?
3. Who gave the name Serendib to Sri Lanka?
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Ancient
people of
Sri Lanka
The ancient inhabitants of Sri Lanka were called
Veddhas. They lived in caves in the forest. They did not
farm but lived by hunting animals and collecting fruit
and honey from the forest.
They lived in small groups. They had their own customs
and traditions. They selected the oldest member of the
community as their chief. All the others respected and
obeyed him.
Uruwarige Tissahamy was a famous Veddha chief.
1. Where did the Veddhas live?
2. Did they grow crops for their food?
3. Where did they get their food from?
4. What did they eat?
5. Who was selected as the chief of the community?
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Sri Lanka is home for a rich
mixture of people. They are the
Sinhalese, the Tamils, the Muslims,
the Burghers and a number of
other small groups of people. They
practise different religions like
Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity
and Islam. They have their
different customs and festivals.
Look at the pictures and say what
these festivals are. Who celebrate
these festivals?
The Sri Lankans also speak a
variety of languages. Can you say
what these languages are? Find a
language which is not spoken by
people in Sri Lanka.
AYUBOWAN
1. What are the four main communities in Sri Lanka?
2. What are the four main religions practised in Sri Lanka?
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D Look at the following pictures of plants, trees and flowers. All these grow well
in Sri Lanka. Do you know their names? Read and find their names.
hanging roots
(1) The jak tree has a tall,
strong trunk. Its leaves
small leaves are small and green. Its
fruit is big and it is used
for food.
trunk
red fruit
(2) Nil Manel is a water plant
with big, round leaves. The
stem of the flower is dark
red. Its petals are blue. It
is the national flower of
Sri Lanka.
(3) The Na tree is not very
tall. It has a lot of long,
thin leaves. Its young
leaves are red. Its flowers
have white petals. It is the
fruit
national tree of Sri Lanka.
(4) The Banyan is a big tree
that gives shade. It has
small red fruit. The
hanging roots of the tree
support its branches.
young leaves
blue petals
white petals
stem
big, round leaves
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Look at the pictures in the boxes marked A – D. Which animal or bird do they
belong to? Which is the largest of these? Which is the most beautiful?
A
B
1
elephant
C
2
deer
L
ook at the pictures of birds and
animals. All these animals and birds
are found in the jungles and forests of Sri
Lanka. Animals like the elephant,
leopard, buffalo and the spotted deer can
be seen in the national parks at Yala and
Bundala.
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6
kingfisher
7
mynah
peacock
9
woodpecker
Do you know the name of bird number 6?
Yes, I do. It’s …
No, I don’t.
What’s the national bird of Sri Lanka?
It’s the …
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flamingo
There are more than four hundred kinds
of birds in Sri Lanka. Most of these birds
can be seen at bird sanctuaries and
national parks. Some of these birds can
be seen in your garden also. Which of
the following birds can you see in your
garden?
8
sparrow
3
D
owl
10
11
jungle fowl
parrot
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18th Thursday
Dear Mom,
I’m having a fantastic time here. Sri Lanka is a very beautiful country.
Yesterday I climbed the _____ rock. The day before that I was at
_____ and I saw a lot of _____ of Lord Buddha. On Monday I
visited _____. which was the capital of Sri Lanka in the time of kings.
Tomorrow I will travel to Colombo to see some interesting places like the
_____ and the _____ _____ _____. The day after
that I will travel down south along the coast to visit _____. There is an
interesting old Dutch _____ there. It’s all very exciting.
Maria Cecilia
728 B
Via Cassia Milazzo
95041 Caltagirone
ITALY
Bye for now.
Bianca
Coral Reef Hotel - Hikkaduwa
Anuradhapura
Polonnaruwa
Sigiriya
Hill Crest Hotel - Kandy
1. Which places has Bianca visited?
Colombo - Museum
Old Parliament
2. When did she visit Polonnaruwa?
Galle - Old Dutch fort
3. When will she visit Galle?
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Yala National Park
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I’d like to build a Sri Lanka full of peace and love,
I’d like to see Sri Lanka like a peaceful dove.
I’d like to teach my friends to sing in perfect harmony,
I’d like to hold them in my arms and keep them company.
I’d like to see all Sri Lankans standing hand in hand,
And hear them sing for peace up and down the land.
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Hello! I’m Manjula.
I’m from Colombo.
It’s in the Western
Province. It has a
large population.
Hello! I’m Madu.
I’m from Matara.
It’s in the Southern
Province.
Hello! I’m Priya. I’m from
Polonnaruwa. It’s in the
North Central Province.
It’s a fairly large province.
Hello! I’m Abdul.
I’m from Kandy.
It’s in the
Central Provice.
It’s in the middle
of the country.
Hello! I’m Namaratna. I’m from Badulla. It’s in the Uva Province. It’s a
fairly large province. Some provinces are big but they do not have a
large population. The Western Province is small but it has a large
population. This is because there are a lot of big towns in that province.
1. Badulla is in ............... province.
2. Matara is in ............... province.
3. ............... province has a large population.
4. Manjula is from ............... . It is in ............... province.
5. ............... is in the middle of the country.
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T
he coconut tree is found in many parts of Sri Lanka.
It grows especially well in the North Western part of
the country. This part is sometimes called the “Coconut
Triangle”. The coconut tree is useful to people in many
different ways. Every part of the tree – fruit, leaves,
trunk, shell - is used for making something useful. Can
you think of other uses of the coconut tree not mentioned in the passage?
3RLQWDVNDQGDQVZHU
What is the ............... made from?
What are the ............... made from?
It’s made from the .............. of the coconut.
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Our Country
doormat, rafters, cadjans, curios, spoons, broom
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Salesman: Good afternoon, madam. Can I help you?
Customer: I’m looking for a souvenir to take home.
Salesman: Please take a look around madam. Is there anything you like especially?
Customer: What about that flower vase? What is it made from?
Salesman: It’s made from coconut shell. All these items you see here are made using
different parts of the coconut tree.
Customer: M….m.. very beautiful. How about that little monkey? Can I have a look? What
part of the coconut tree is it made from?
Salesman: Oh, the monkey? It’s made from the dry coconut husk.
Customer: Very clever. I like this. How much is it?
Salesman: It’s two hundred rupees.
Customer: Here’s the money.
Salesman: Thank you very much. Come again.
/RRNDQGILQG
Which of these can you see in the picture?
bags spoons table mats rugs flower vases tortoises toys
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monkeys
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How sheet rubber is made
A
B
C
F
E
D
G
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
In the morning the tappers collect latex from the rubber trees.
After that latex is collected in buckets and taken to the factory.
The latex mixture is then poured into trays and water and acid are added.
Next, latex is left to settle in the trays for a few hours.
After sometime latex sheets are removed from the trays and hung out to dry.
Then the latex sheets are rolled in a machine to remove water.
The rolled rubber sheets are then smoked or dried and stored.
Are these statements true/ false?
1. The tappers collect latex from rubber trees.
2. Latex is collected in bottles and taken to the factory.
3. The latex mixture is poured into trays and water and sugar are added.
4. Latex is left to settle in the trays for a few minutes.
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SCHOOL NOTICE BOARD
Annual Educational Tour
On the first day we’ll visit Anuradhapura.
There we’ll be able to see Ruwanmeliseya
and the moonstone.
On the second day we’ll go to Polonnaruwa.
There we’ll be able to see Galvihara and
............... .
On the third day ............... .
On the last day ............... .
1. Where will they be on the third day?
2. What will they be able to see there?
3. When will they go to see the Temple of the Tooth?
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D Have you visited Sigiriya?
D Read the story of Sigiriya.
The Story of Sigiriya
A long time ago a king called Dhatusena
ruled in Anuradhapura. He had two sons
named Moggalana and Kasyapa. Kasyapa
was younger than Moggalana but he
wanted to become king first. So he killed his
father and became king. Moggalana was
very angry. He wanted to kill Kasyapa and
become king. So Kasyapa ran away from
Anuradhapura and built a beautiful palace
on top of a rock so that nobody could catch
him and kill him. This rock was called
Sigiriya. He built many beautiful buildings
on Sigiriya and painted beautiful pictures
on the sides of the rock. Even now we can
see some of these pictures and some ruins
of the buildings.
5HDGDQGDQVZHU
Which sentence in the following pairs of sentences is correct?
a. Kasyapa was Moggalana’s younger brother.
a. Moggalana was Kasyapa’s younger brother.
b. Kasyapa killed his brother and became king.
b. Kasyapa killed his father and became king.
c. Moggalana was angry with Dhatusena.
c. Moggalana was angry with Kasyapa.
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City
Tour
The Parliament building is
situated in Sri Jayawardenapura
Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka.
The beautiful stream, Diyawanna
Oya, flowing round the Parliament
building adds to its beauty.
The letters BMICH stand for
Bandaranayake Memorial
International Conference Hall.
Many international conferences
are held in this building. The
building is shaped like an octagon.
That means it has eight sides. This
important building was a gift from
the people of China.
The World Trade
Centre is the tallest
building in Sri Lanka.
It has two towers
which are thirty-nine
storeys high. There
are many shops and
offices inside the
building. It is in the
heart of the
commercial capital,
Colombo.
The National Museum is an old
fashioned white building. Many
important things from the past are kept
in the museum. A very important thing
from the past history of Sri Lanka is
kept in a special room in the museum.
It is the crown and the throne of the
last king of Sri Lanka, Sri Wickrema
Rajasinghe.
1. What makes the Parliament building very beautiful?
2. What is kept in a special room?
3. Who helped to build BMICH?
4. How high is the tallest building in Sri Lanka?
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