YET economic insecurity, poverty, disease, wars, and blighted childhood are as old as human existence. The world is a better, richer, more vibrant, and thrilling abode since coal came than it was before. The indictment of our coal age can be justly based, not upon what it has destroyed, but rather upon what it has missed — upon its spiritually-blind, its bungling and inadequate use of a gift more magnificent than any allotted to man since grain was first sown to the harvest and ground at a mill.
An indictment that involves all mankind is hardly an indictment at all. It is rather a confession of our common human limitations, a recognition of the tragic circumstances of our spiritual growth.* It will be answered when we as individuals and nations and groups of nations, set ourselves to turn the wisdom of experience to account in building a civilisation worthy of a world that moves through infinite space with the sun and the marching stars.
* Although Bruère recognised coal would eventually run out he viewed petroleum, gas, hydroelectric and even solar power with misgiving because in his opinion mankind had not learnt the lessons of the Coal Age. “Unless we have the spiritual capacity to make the technique of science obedient to the commandment to love our neighbour as ourselves, superpower systems, high-voltage transmission, the internal-combustion engine, may again intensify the exploitation of man by man, the clash of groups for power, the brutality of international wars for possession.”
Précis
Bruère went on to say that the negatives of the industrial revolution were the consequence of human weaknesses all of us share, and which only individual reform can put right. Only when mankind has managed to rise above those frailties will we be able to use responsibly such sources of energy as we may be blessed with in the future. (60 / 60 words)
Bruère went on to say that the negatives of the industrial revolution were the consequence of human weaknesses all of us share, and which only individual reform can put right. Only when mankind has managed to rise above those frailties will we be able to use responsibly such sources of energy as we may be blessed with in the future.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, because, despite, if, just, not, ought, whereas.
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Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Every. Hard. Harvest.
2 Build. Coal. Good.
3 Answer. Found. Western.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Homophones Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that sound the same, but differ in spelling and also in meaning. Compose your own sentences to bring out the differences between them.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Confusables Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that are similar to one another, but not exactly the same. Compose your own sentences to bring out the similarities and differences between them, whether in meaning, grammar or use.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
wrng (5)
wearing. wiring. wring. wrong. wrung.
