Mothers Voice (Supplementary)

Supplementary Reader

Mother's Voice

Author: Vasil Berezhnoy

Warm-up

If you are given an opportunity to go on a one-way trip to Mars, will you accept it? Discuss.

Read the story about the spirit of discovery that prompts a young astronaut to go looking for another world.

Story

When she came to the Moon there was something unusual in her voice – perhaps she was excited because it was her first visit to the Moon! As he listened to her familiar voice that was so dear to him, he wondered why it had this ringing sound.

“I never realized it was such a beautiful place.”

He took her along the endless tunnels of Selenopolis, showing her the tall structures which propped up the star-studded sky.

“It’s so easy to walk here, son!”

His mother still had a young, ringing voice: perhaps because she had been such a great singer! So long as he could remember her, she had always liked singing. On holidays, when they had guests, she sang cheerily and enthusiastically, but on weekdays, as she went about the chores, her singing was muted and a little sad.

“Back home the orchards are in bloom. There will be a lot of fruit this year, if only the frosts don’t strike. Will you come for a holiday in the summer?”

He almost told her about the expedition. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he checked himself. Why make her worry? Worry. That was it. There was worry in her voice. The words were cheerful but the voice was worried. Had she guessed that this was their parting?

“It’s easy to walk here, but the distances are long. Selenopolis occupies more than a hundred square kilometres. Let’s ride for a bit.”

A moving pavement covered with green plastic strips rushed them through echoing tunnels and spacious caves with walls sparkling in the light of the quartz lamps. The elevator delivered them to the surface. She looked in silence at the enormous lily-shaped tent over a crater that was at least a kilometre in diameter.

“The Community of Nations Square. People of different nationalities who work in Selenopolis come here after work. And there are some tourists. They’re walking towards the lake. It’s quite an exotic experience to have a swim on the Moon.”

“I’m sure it’s better in the river Dnieper when you come to the Earth for your holiday.”

When they looked at the astrodrome, where two spaceships the size of the Ostankino TV tower were pointed into the black void of the universe, she sighed again.

“What are these?”

“Long-range spaceships, Mother. They’re planning an expedition to a neighbouring galaxy.”

She screwed up her eyes to look at the rockets where assembly men were busy. They looked quite small from a distance.

“Why should people go off into the unknown? Why ask for trouble?”

“These are very reliable spaceships, Mother!”

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to settle properly on the Moon first, and then on the planets in the solar system, before going further?”

It was now his turn to sigh.

“You may be right, but…”

“But what?”

“How do I know?”

He longed to tell her about the flight he was longing for and about how nervous he had been when confronted by the selection commission. But he checked himself. It was their last meeting before his departure, so why spoil it?

Mothers were all the same, and she was sure to get upset.

He felt good listening to her. It didn’t matter what she was talking about, he just wanted to hear the voice that was so dear to him.

“Do you know why people settle down on the Moon so easily? It’s because they are in the gravitation field of their native Earth, under their native Sun. It’s the space allotted to us by nature. But if you leave your Sun… anything might happen…”

He listened and listened as if drinking water from a spring on the Earth, in the shade of trees. His mother, looking in the direction of the vast blue globe, lowered her voice and continued:

“Look, son, isn’t it a miracle? The Earth floats through space, all by itself. See the snow-cap on the pole, and the glittering ocean! The cradle of life. And you want to leave this fabulous beauty!”

He suddenly saw everything with different eyes. He saw how beautiful his native planet was, a real wonder of nature. He had never felt that way before. His heart ached.

“When will you take your holidays?”

“I don’t know, Mother… That’s why I asked you to come. I don’t know when we’ll see each other again.”

But he knew very well that there would be no holidays and that his mother was seeing him for the last time. The thought of such a tremendous journey was already sending a chill through his heart.

“At least try to come in the Autumn, in time for the apples and pears… and the water-melons.”

She shrank from the thought that her son might go off into space and be lost to his relatives forever.

“They’ve deepened our pond; it’s full of fish now. You like fishing…”

“Operator on duty, … report to office,” a voice bellowed from the loud-speaker.

He pushed a button and the screen went dark. His mother fell silent.

“Coming.”

He often plays back this recording and he feels as if he is walking again with his mother on the Moon, looking down at his native planet. Their group had gone off to another galaxy after all: they had left their native Sun, which was now just a 12th-magnitude star, visible through the telescope. And they couldn’t see the Earth at all.

Why had they gone? Because they were young. And humanity is young.

Glossary

Word	Meaning
chore (n)	a routine task, especially a household one
orchard (n)	a piece of enclosed land planted with fruit trees
expedition (n)	a journey undertaken by a group of people with a particular purpose, especially that of exploration, research, or war
quartz (n)	a hard, transparent mineral substance, used in making electronic equipment
exotic (adj.)	unusual and exciting
void (n)	a completely empty space
confronted (v)	to face, meet, or deal with a difficult situation or person
departure (n)	the action of leaving, especially to start a journey
pears (n)	a sweet, juicy, yellow or green fruit with a round base and slightly pointed top
galaxy (n)	one of the large, independent groups of stars in the universe

Section A: Choose the Correct Answer

1. Mother was excited because _______.
   a. her son would be home in the spring
   b. her son was coming back to earth
   c. it was her first visit to the moon
   d. her son was going to another galaxy

2. On weekdays, as Mother went about the chores ______.
   a. she constantly thought of her son
   b. she was always tired
   c. her singing would be soft and almost inaudible
   d. her singing was muted and a little sad

3. _____ occupies more than a hundred square kilometres on the moon.
   a. Selenopolis
   b. Metropolis
   c. Astrodrome
   d. Orchards

4. The Community of Nations Square is where people ______.
   a. live on the moon
   b. work on the moon
   c. walk on the moon
   d. of different nationalities come after work

5. They are planning an expedition to a neighbouring ___.
   a. galaxy
   b. country
   c. planet
   d. star

6. The mother was not able to understand why people wanted to leave the moon because __.
   a. it was better to remain as a part of solar-system
   b. it was better to remain on the earth
   c. it was not possible to come back
   d. it was a place to enjoy life

Section B: Identify the Character or Speaker

1. “It’s so easy to walk here, son!” – Mother
2. “They’re planning an expedition to a neighbouring galaxy.” – Son (the astronaut)
3. “Why should people go off into the unknown?” – Mother
4. “I don’t know when we’ll see each other again.” – Son
5. “Operator on duty, … report to office.” – Loud-speaker announcement

Section C: Answer in 100–120 Words

Write a paragraph listing all the sentimental and the scientific reasons given by the mother against the expedition to neighbouring galaxy.

The mother sentimentally reminds her son of the beauty of Earth—its orchards, rivers, ponds, fruits, and fishing spots—urging him to return for holidays. She fears losing him forever and pleads for him to stay. Scientifically, she argues that humans should first settle the Moon and the planets of our solar system before venturing beyond, as Earth’s gravitational field and Sun provide safety; leaving this “allotted space” risks unknown dangers in the cosmic void.

Section D: Think and Answer

“The explorer in this story is travelling to another galaxy. The final destination is an unknown planet in another galaxy. The travel will take many years.”

What qualities and life-skills do you think an explorer like him must possess? Why? Do you have any of these skills and qualities? Explain.

An explorer needs courage, adaptability, scientific knowledge, teamwork, emotional resilience, and problem-solving skills to survive decades of isolation, unforeseen challenges, and the psychological strain of leaving Earth forever. I possess curiosity and basic scientific temperament, but I must still develop emotional resilience and advanced technical skills to qualify for such a mission.

Section E: Group Discussion Notes

Setting	Characters	Conclusion
Moon – Selenopolis, Community of Nations Square, astrodrome	Mother (loving, nostalgic, worried), Son (young astronaut, torn between duty and love)	The son leaves for an inter-galactic voyage, recording his mother’s voice to forever remember Earth and her love; humanity’s youth demands exploration despite personal loss.

Did You Know?

• On October 2008, ISRO launched its first unmanned lunar space probe Chandrayaan-1.
• India became the fourth nation to place its flag on the Moon and collected soil samples, detecting water-ice for the first time using a Mineralogy Mapper.
• On August 28, 2009 the mission ended as the probe stopped sending radio signals.

ICT Corner: Passive Forms

URL: British Council – Passive Forms

Steps:
1. Visit the link or scan the QR code.
2. Read the instructions above the video, then watch.
3. Study the explanations and examples.
4. Click “Check Your Grammar” for interactive exercises (True/False, Ordering, Gap Fill).
5. Download worksheets under “Worksheets and Downloads” for offline practice.

Practice Practice Exercises

1. Mother was excited because

a. her son would be home in the spring

b. her son was coming back to earth

c. it was her first visit to the moon

d. her son was going to another galaxy

2. On weekdays, as Mother went about the chores

a. she constantly thought of her son

b. she was always tired

c. her singing would be soft and almost inaudible

d. her singing was muted and a little sad

3. occupies more than a hundred square kilometres on the moon.

a. Selenopolis.

b. Metropolis.

c. Astrodrome.

d. Orchards

4. The Community of Nations Square is where people

a. live on the moon

b. work on the moon

c. walk on the moon

d. of different nationalities come after work

5. They are planning an expedition to a neighbouring .

a. Galaxy.

b. country.

c. planet.

d. star

6. The mother was not able to understand why people wanted to leave the moon because .

a. it was better to remain as a part of solar-system

b. it was better to remain on the earth

c. it was not possible to come back

d. it was a place to enjoy life

1. It’s so easy to walk here, son!

2. They’re planning an expedition to a neighbouring galaxy.

3. Why should people go off into the unknown?

4. I don’t know when we’ll see each other again.

5. Operator on duty, …report to office.