Reach for the Top - Maria Sharapova

 

Meanings to words and phrases:

disarming: likable

at odds with: in conflict with

poised: calm, elegant

pinnacle: the most successful point, the highest point of

rapid: fast, quick

ascent: growth, climb

endure: suffer patiently, withstand,

heart-wrenching: extremely sad

depress: sadden, feeling low

quitting: leaving, stopping, not going further

pursue: follow

bagging: winning

meteoric: very rapid

ambition: goal, aim

amply: plentifully

parades: displays, shows

sophisticated: fashionable

at odds with: in disagreement with

fizzy: aerated, bubbly

pigeon-holed: classified, categorized

unwavering: steady, firm

grudge: oppose, mind

Summary:

The success story of Maria Sharapova inspires us to remain determined and be ready to make sacrifices in order to fulfill our dreams. On 22 August 2005, Maria became the top-seeded player in the world women’s tennis player rankings. This lesson tells us about

At the tender age of nine, she left her home in Siberia, Russia to get training in tennis. She went to Florida in USA with her father. Maria suffered a painful separation from her mother for a period of two years. She could not see her father too as he remained busy working, arranging funds for all her needs. She was bullied by her seniors and being a foreigner, she had to suffer all that patiently. Maria did not feel depressed, rather she was prepared for greater insults too in order to achieve her aim.

Her mantra for success is to work hard and face the toughest competition. Although she was trained in the US, she considers herself to be a Russian and is willing to represent Russia at the Olympics too.

Her favourite hobbies are fashion, singing, and dancing. She loves reading novels written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Her love for fashionable evening gowns is in contrast to her liking for pancakes with chocolate spread and orange flavoured aerated drinks. The monetary gains and the fame incurred by Maria are well deserved.

Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph.1. How is Maria’s personality a mix of contrasts?
The maturity, balanced mind and inner strength of Maria do not appear to be in accordance with her glamorous dress or her charming manner and ready smile. There seems to be some mismatch between her

2. What does Maria declare to be her ‘mantra for success’?
Maria works really hard to fulfill her dreams. She does not shy away from making any sacrifice. She does not allow herself to be emotional and sentimental. She is very competitive and works hard to be the best in whatever she does. She is driven by her hunger to succeed and the dream of becoming the world number one in women’s tennis. This is her mantra for success.

3. Why was Maria brought to Florida in the USA by her father? Why didn’t her mother go with her? How did Maria respond to this separation?
Maria was brought to Florida, USA, by her father, Yuri, to get trained as a professional tennis player and reach great heights of success and stardom in this sport. Her mother, Yelena, did not go with her because of visa restrictions. This two-year separation was very painful for the young girl. But Maria endured this

4. Describe Maria’s struggle to reach at the top of the world in the field of the women tennis.
Maria started working to achieve her goal at a very young age, making any sacrifices required. She had to face separation from her mother and stay in completely unfamiliar and hostile surroundings for years. She also faced humiliation but never let it affect negatively. She took it as a challenge and with her mental toughness and competitive nature; she succeeded in achieving her goal.

5. In addition to tennis, what else is Maria fond of?
Maria’s first love is tennis. Apart from this sport, she is fond of fashion, singing and dancing like any other young girl of her age. She also likes to read Arthur Canon Doyle’s novels, is fond of sophisticated evening gowns and enjoys pancakes with chocolate-spread and fizzy orange drinks.

 6. The lives of Santosh Yadav and Maria Sharapova have much in common to prove that determined and consistent hard work paves the way to success. Identify the points of comparison and contrast in the lives of these two great players. (Long Answer Question)

Santosh Yadav, the legendary mountaineer from India, and Maria Sharapova, Russia’s tennis sensation who trained in the USA, are living examples that single-minded determination and dedication and consistent hard work are the way to success. Both young women had to struggle against odds to reach the top. Santosh belonged to a small village in the Rewari district of Haryana while Maria came from the frozen plains of Siberia where she did not have adequate training facilities.

 

Although both girls were supported by their respective parents, Santosh, at times, had to struggle to make her conservative family agree to her decisions, while Maria’s parents were willing to make any sacrifice to help Maria succeed. However, both the young girls had to sacrifice the loving and protective environment of their homes in order to train for their passion.

Both the women had unwavering determination, physical and mental strength, and undivided focus on their goals. They both rose to the number one position in their respective areas within a short span of four years. While Sharapova moved from the frozen Siberia to the plains of Florida, Yadav moved from the plains of Rewari to the frozen Mount Everest. But both of them are devout patriots and their love for their country remains constant.

Grammar Exercises:

Working in small groups of 4–5 students, go back over the two passages on Santosh Yadav and Maria Sharapova and complete the table given below with relevant phrases or sentences.

Points of Comparison/Contrast	Santosh Yadav	Maria Sharapova
1. Their humble beginning	She was born in the small village of Joniyawas of Rewari District in Haryana.	She was born in the frozen plains of Siberia.
2. Their parents’ approach	Her parents disapproved of her wish to study at a school in Delhi, however, later they accepted it.	Her father worked hard to arrange funds for her training.
3. Their will power and strong desire to succeed	Then there was no looking back for this determined young girl.	When you come from nothing and you have nothing, then it makes you very hungry and determined.
4. Evidence of their mental toughness	Equipped with an iron will, physical endurance, and an amazing mental toughness, she proved herself repeatedly.	Instead of letting that depress me, I became more quietly determined and mentally tough. I learned how to take care of myself.
5. Their patriotism	I felt proud as an Indian.	Though Maria Sharapova speaks with a pronounced American accent, she proudly parades her Russian nationality.

 

Reach for the Top - Santosh Yadav

Meanings to words and phrases:

contentment: satisfaction

affluent: wealthy, rich, well-to-do

inline with: following or in accordance with, according to, agreeing to

custom: tradition

politely: gently

urge: a strong desire

check it out: find out the truth, to know what is truth

answered in the affirmative: gave a positive reply, saying yes

no looking back: to progress without interruption or impediment, the progress continued

enrolled: took admission into, joined into

headed straight for: went towards, proceeded to

matured: developed, grown-up

resistance: the ability not to be affected by something, the capacity to endure

equipped: supplied with, having

physical endurance: strength

culmination: end, the final stage

scaled: climbed

annals: historic records

bestowed upon her: honored her with, awarded with

top honors: the highest award

Summary:

Santosh Yadav was born to wealthy landowners in Joniyawas, a village in Rewari district of Haryana. She was the youngest child, a sister to five elder brothers. She had to study in the village school as per the village traditions. Since childhood, she was opposed to the customs, preferred wearing shorts to the traditional dress.

At the age of sixteen, like other girls in the village, she was forced to get married but she resisted. She insisted on getting educated before getting married. She took admission in a school in Delhi but her parents refused to support her. She threatened them that she would work part-time to pay the school fee. Her parents accepted her desire to get higher education.

After high school, Santosh joined the Maharani college at Jaipur and lived at the Kasturba hostel. There she saw the villagers climb the Aravalli hills. She was curious and went to the hills. She found a group of mountaineers and wanted to join them in climbing the hills. They agreed and it was her first step in mountaineering.

Within four years, in 1992, she climbed Mount Everest. Her qualities of determination, physical and mental strength impressed her seniors. Her fellow climbers appreciated her concern for others and her willingness to work in a team. She saved the life of a fellow climber named Mohan Singh by sharing her oxygen cylinder with him. She joined an Indo-Nepalese woman expedition and climbed Everest twice, thus becoming the first woman in the world to climb the peak twice.

Santosh cannot describe the immense feeling of happiness and pride when she was on top of the world. As she hoisted the Indian flag, she felt proud to be an Indian. Being an environmentalist, she brought down five hundred kilograms of garbage from the Himalayas.

Textual Questions and Answers:

I. Answer these questions in one or two sentences each. (The paragraph numbers within brackets provide clues to the answers.)

Q1. Why was the ‘holy man’ who gave Santosh’s mother his blessings surprised? (1)

The holy man who blessed Santosh’s mother was surprised because Santosh’s grandmother said that they did not want a son. As her mother already had five sons, they only wanted to be blessed with a gifted girl child. The holy man was surprised because every mother wanted to give birth to a son, contrary to Santosh’s mother.

Q2. Give an example to show that even as a young girl Santosh was not ready to accept anything unreasonable. (2)

Santosh was not always content with her place in a traditional way of life. She began living life on her own terms from the start. Where other girls wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh preferred shorts.

Q3. Why was Santosh sent to the local school? (3)

Although her parents were wealthy and could send her to a good school in the city of Delhi, they sent her to the village school because they followed the traditions.

Q4. When did she leave home for Delhi, and why? (4)

A. At the age of sixteen, Santosh left for Delhi and got admission in a school there. She wanted to get good education before getting married. Although her parents did not support her initially, they were forced by her determination and accepted her decision.

Q5. Why did Santosh’s parents agree to pay for her schooling in Delhi? What mental qualities of Santosh are brought into light by this incident? (4)

Initially, Santosh’s parents refused to support her financially. She accepted this and decided to work part-time to pay her school fee. Then, her parents softened and consented to support her. This shows she was determined and she was ready for anything to get what was right for her.

Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words).

Q1. How did Santosh begin to climb mountains?

When Santosh joined the Maharani college at Jaipur, she resided at the Kasturba hostel. It was located near the Aravalli hills. Every day she saw the villagers climb the hills and disappear behind them. She was curious. One day she joined a group of mountaineers. This way she started climbing mountains.

Q2. What incidents during the Everest expedition show Santosh’s concern for her team-mates?

Santosh tried to save a fellow climber but was unsuccessful at it. Later, she successfully saved the life of a fellow climber named Mohan Singh by sharing her oxygen cylinder with him.

Q3. What shows her concern for the environment?

Santosh Yadav is an environmentalist. She wanted to keep Himalayas garbage free. She brought down five hundred kilograms of garbage from the Himalayas. This shows her concern for the environment.

Q4. How does she describe her feelings at the summit of the Everest?

A. Santosh was full of happiness and pride when she was literally on top of the world. As she unfurled the Indian flag on the summit, she felt proud of being an Indian. She said that it was a spiritual moment for her.

Q5. Santosh Yadav got into the record books both times she scaled Mt Everest. What were the reasons for this?

The first time when Santosh climbed the Everest, she became the youngest woman to scale the Everest. When she climbed it the second time, she became the first woman in the world to have climbed the Everest twice.

Complete the following statements.

1. From her room in Kasturba Hostel, Santosh used to _________

2. When she finished college, Santosh had to write a letter of apology to her father because _________

3. During the Everest expedition, her seniors in the team admired her _____________ while ___________ endeared her to fellow climbers.

 Answers.

1. From her room in Kasturba Hostel, Santosh used to watch the villagers climb the Aravalli hills.

2. When she finished college, Santosh had to write a letter of apology to her father because she had enrolled for a mountaineering course at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi.

3. During the Everest expedition, her seniors in the team admired her determination while her concern for others endeared her to fellow climbers.

Pick out words from the text that mean the same as the following words or expressions. (Look in the paragraphs indicated.)

1. took to be true without proof (1): _________

2. based on reason; sensible; reasonable (2): ____________

3. the usual way of doing things (3): _______________

4. a strong desire arising from within (5): ____________

5. the power to endure, without falling ill (7): __________________

 Answers.

1. assumed

2. rational

3. custom

4. urge

5. resistance