English Reading Practice

Human Right Number 30,
the Final Human Right:
No One Can Take Away Your Human Rights

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

2. Read the story "No One Can Take Away Your Human Rights" just below it.

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

Here is the No One Can Take Away Your Human Rights 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 30 (the simplified version):

"30. No One Can Take Away Your Human Rights."

Now read the short story about this important human right.

No One Can Take Away Your Human Rights 

Dave is a sailor. He works on ships.

For years, he hears about Captain Carlos. Everyone tells him to avoid Captain Carlos's ship.

Captain Carlos is the worst ship captain in the fleet. He is cruel to the people on his ship.

One day, Dave has to go to Captain Carlos's ship. He is a little worried. What if all the things he hears are true?

As soon as he gets on the ship, he finds out that everything he hears is true. Captain Carlos is very cruel.

Captain Carlos has many rules. He does not allow his workers to rest and relax. He limits how much they can eat. He does not allow them to talk to one another. He does not let them play cards. Sometimes he locks people in their rooms.

Dave is shocked. He gathers the workers in a room, which is also against the captain's rules. He says, "The captain does not have the right to treat us like this. He cannot take away our rights just because we live and work on his ship. No one can take away our basic human rights."

The workers go to Captain Carlos together. They tell him that if he does not change, they all quit their jobs. Captain Carlos knows that this will get him into trouble with the company, so he changes his ways. He starts to honor the basic rights of his workers.

And now, practice:

Exercise 01

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