READING PRACTICE: HOW TO BE A GOOD CITIZEN?

How to be a good citizen ?

Definition of citizenship

Citizenship is a sacred honor, a plaque we carry proudly on our chests and a burden pressing hard on our backs. A citizen is a member of a country. He has the right to ask for its protection, and the duty to protect it and obey its laws and rules. In other words, citizenship is the relationship between an individual and a state in which the individual belongs, and owes allegiance to the state and in turn is entitled to its protection.

Fortunately, being a good citizen doesn’t stop at the exchange of rights and duties, it requires a lot of civilized behavior, and responsible acts.

Simple acts to do in your daily life

All the members of our community, from the youngest to the eldest, have to cooperate. By cooperating, I don’t mean giving huge efforts. Simple acts and easy behavior can help us ameliorate our level of life. As citizens, and students in particular, all we have to do are the steps below :

• Start with your own home, clean it regularly, and take care of your front door area.
• Being a good neighbor by caring about others.
• Don’t overuse water and electricity.
• Respect your neighbors, help them if necessary, and act politely.
• Don’t litter, or throw trash in the street.
• Don’t spit in the street, it doesn’t only bother the other passeers-by, but it also affects your discipline, and it’s very far from being civilized.
• Try to cross the street in the crossing passage. The town will look organized, and it lowers the level of accidents.
• Let’s try to walk in the sidewalk, or the pavement, because it causes fewer difficulties to drivers in the city.
• Respect your school, especially its doors, walls and windows. They are not yours ; you only borrow them for a year or more.
• Being a citizen is a source of pride. Don’t try to ignore your origins in front of foreigners. Have you ever seen any of them deny being who s/he really is ?
• Act nicely with tourists. If we want our country to receive millions of tourists , try to be nice.
• If you can study about your country, it would be great. See the extreme diversity you have (the desert, the sea, the mountains, the different dialects, the traditions, the traditional clothes).
• If you don’t vote, who will ? A simple act can place the right person in the right place.
• In emergencies, don’t be afraid. Help the people in need. (Blood donations, call the police, the ambulance, and help a lady in the street...) Imagine you were in their place, wouldn’t you like to have other people standing by your side ?

  When you become a parent, teach this to your children. Citizenship starts from childhood, and only ends by the time you die. It’s only by practicing those really simple acts that our daily life can get better. I hope this will help us understand another meaning of good citizenship.

Comprehension:

1. The text talks about:
   a.  citizenship and the traits of bad citizens
   b.  traits of good citizens.
   c.  what citizenship is and how one can be a good citizen.
2. Citizens:
   a.  have rights
   b.  have rights and responsibilities towards Their community
   c.  have responsibilities towards Their community
3. Allegiance means:
   a.  protection
   b.  loyalty and support

allegiance   [@"li:dZ@ns] n no pl lealtad f
to pledge allegiance to sb/sth jurar lealtad a alguien/algo

SOURCE: http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/reading_citizenship.php