YILDIZ TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY 2021 – 2022 FALL

SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES B1 READING ASSIGNMENT 01

BASIC ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

Read the text and answer the following questions.

ABOUT HEROES
1 The word hero can be confusing because it has several different meanings. Thus, it can
be said that there are also several types of heroes. The first one is ordinary people who
perform an act of great courage. For example, a fireman who risks his life to save someone
from a burning house is considered a hero. In addition, there are other heroes who are
extraordinary people. They are the men and women who serve as examples for our own life.
In other words, they are the people who we want to be like.

2 People have always had such heroes. Some have been the saviours or the builders of their
country, like Atatürk. Others have been religious leaders, like the Pope. Some others have
been conquerors and revolutionaries like Fatih Sultan Mehmet and Che Guevera, or pioneers
such as Christopher Columbus. Characters in novels like Harry Potter, or movie stars like
Marilyn Monroe have also been considered heroes. Whatever they did, they were all shining
stars that showed the way to their followers. The desire to be like them can bring out the best
in their admirers or fans.

3 Many articles that have been published in recent years claim that there are no more
heroes in the Western world. The authors say that, especially in Europe and North America,
young people now refuse to admire anyone. They believe that we are living in a world too well
informed and too critical to trust in heroes. The media, books, and television show us the
defects of today’s stars, so in time we stop believing in them. Then, we start looking for
weaknesses in all successful people. We even try to discover failures in our neighbours and
statesmen.

4 Is it true that we know too much? Were our ancestors lucky to know less about their
heroes? People who read the biographies of Joan of Arc and Sinan the Architect, or other great
men and women of the past did not learn that their heroes had bad behaviours or disliked
their mother. __________________________. Because of this, their admiration for their
heroes was strengthened.

5 Modern biographers respect facts, and they think they should show “the whole person”.
However, they tell us more than we really need to know about people’s private lives, family
secrets, and human weaknesses. The true greatness of a man is often forgotten when his
weaknesses are shown. As a result, people lose their admiration for him. They also stop
trusting any other “star” completely.

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YILDIZ TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY 2021 – 2022 FALL
SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES B1 READING ASSIGNMENT 01
BASIC ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

6 We can see this clearly in the answers of a group of high-school students near Los Angeles,
who were asked who their heroes were. “Nobody”, said a young man, “because our heroes
were destroyed. They were described to us with all their faults. That makes it hard to trust the
‘historical’ heroes.” Another student, a girl, added that “The people we try to be like are the
unknown adults, the non-celebrities in our lives. Instead of dreaming of being like some
famous woman somewhere, I want to be like my mom’s best friend. Of course, no one in this
room would know her but I know and admire her, and that’s enough for me.”

7 Television and films offer many shallow heroes to their young audiences. Many parents
are unhappy to see their children’s admiration for Superman, Spiderman, or for a rock singer
without ideas or talent. However, such heroes do not last very long. In fact, after a few years
the growing teenagers begin laughing at these heroes. They start looking for better guides. No
matter what they say, they do find them. The student who chose her mother’s friend as a hero
has a perfectly good hero of her own. Moreover, her hero is much easier to imitate than
Gandhi or Robin Hood.

8 It may be difficult to be a hero in the critical Western world these days. However, surely
excellence has not disappeared completely. There are still individuals who are better than
others in terms of their wisdom, their courage, or their character. They can be heroes if people
do not see their faults and continue to respect them. Heroes are needed everywhere, at all
times. Without heroes, it’s a sad sky without any shining stars.

QUESTIONS

1. According to paragraph 1, what are the types of heroes?

a. _Ordinary people______________________________________.
b. _Out-of-the-ordinary figures/extraordinary people__________.

2. According to paragraph 2, what is the common quality that all heroes share?
a. They guide their fans in some ways.
b. They are famous people that their fans love.
c. They have saved their country from bad situations.
3. In paragraph 2, line 7, “admirers” is closest in meaning to _______________________.
a. friends
b. enemies
c. supporters

4. According to paragraph 3, why aren’t there any heroes in the Western world?
Young people refuse to admire anyone /
We are living in a world too well informed, too critical to trust in heroes. /
The media shows us the faults of today’s heroes so we stop believing in them.

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YILDIZ TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY 2021 – 2022 FALL
SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES B1 READING ASSIGNMENT 01
BASIC ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

5. In paragraph 3, line 5, “defects” is closest in meaning to _______________________.

a. achievements
b. mistakes
c. experiences
6. In paragraph 4, line 4, which of the following sentences could best fit into the blank?
a. However, in time people learned that those heroes had some really bad qualities.
b. Although these were bad qualities, people thought it was okay to have them.
c. Instead, they only found a description of their heroes’ great achievements.
7. In paragraph 5, line 1, what does “the whole person” mean?
____Both good and bad qualities of a person______________________.

8. According to paragraphs 4 and 5, what is the difference between modern biographers and
biographers in the past?
In the past, biographers focused on the great achievements of great people. However,
now biographers show the whole picture – both good and bad sides of heroes ___.

9. Which of the following CANNOT be understood from paragraph 7?

a. Heroes that are shown on TV do not have enough intellectual depth for some people.
b. Taking her mother’s friend as her hero is actually advantageous for the student.
c. Growing teenagers admire heroes like Superman or Spiderman more in time.
10. In paragraph 7, line 5, “them” refers to _____better guides________.

11. In paragraph 7, line 6, “her” refers to ______(the) student’s________.

12. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 8?

a. If people do not have any heroes, there will be no one to follow.
b. It is impossible to find a real hero in the Western world.
c. People should learn from their heroes’ mistakes.

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YILDIZ TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY 2021 – 2022 FALL
SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES B1 READING ASSIGNMENT 01
BASIC ENGLISH DEPARTMENT