English Reading Practice

Human Right Number 4:
No Slavery

1. Watch the video at the top of the page.

2. Read the story "No Slavery" just below it.

3. Do the exercise at the bottom of the page.

Here is the No Slavery video. You can watch it in your own language at www.youthforhumanrights.org. (Simply click the word "language" at the top of their homepage.)



The Universal Declaration of Human Rights describes 30 basic rights that each person has, simply because he or she is human.

This is human right number 4 (the simplified version):

"4. No Slavery. Nobody has any right to make us a slave. We cannot make anyone our slave. "

Now read the short story about this important human right.

No Slavery 

Liam is ten years old. He studies at Avalon Elementary School. He is quite popular and has good friends. Even the girls are nice to him, and the teachers are not too bad.

There is one thing though that really makes his life miserable. The school bully. His name is Grant and he is big and strong. He learns at the same class as Liam does, but he is two years older than everyone else.

Grant the bully always makes Liam and other kids do his homework. He takes their lunch. He even forces them to do stupid things in front of teachers. They all feel like his slaves because they must do what he tells them. They do not have any freedom.

Everyone is afraid of Grant. No one has the courage to do something about it, not even the teachers. They pretend that they do not notice!

One day, after losing his lunch and all of his pocket money, Liam decides he cannot go on like this. He takes some martial arts classes. This makes him a little braver. A month of classes is not much, but it is better than nothing, right?

The next time Grant the bully shows up and grabs Liam's bag, Liam stays steady. He takes his own bag back. The minute Grant sends his fist forward, Liam jumps to the left and kicks Grant in the legs.

Grant is stunned. The kids around begin cheering. Liam smiles for a single second when a hard elbow hits him in the shoulder. He falls down on the ground and Grant jumps on top of him. They continue to hit each other and fight.

At the end, Grant wins. Liam is left lying on the ground, bruised and bleeding. He is not seriously hurt, but he is disappointed. He wanted to be free from Grant, and it seems that he failed.

The next day Liam enters the school with many bruises and much swelling. He has his bag, but he knows that not for long. Soon Grant the bully will come and take it away.

Suddenly he notices Grant. His body is pretty bruised too. Grant has one look at Liam and then looks away. Liam is surprised. He did not expect this.

The next day the same thing happens. Grant continues to bully other kids, but he does not mess with Liam. Oddly enough, he does not mess with kids talking to Liam, too.

Liam is happy now. He is no longer Grant's slave. He has his freedom. Moreover, he has more friends than ever. That is because every kid who does not want Grant to bully him stays close to Liam!

And now, practice:

Exercise 01

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