Підручник Англійська мова 7 клас (8-й рік навчання) - Алла Несвіт - Генеза 2016 рік

READER

Unit 2. School Life

Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl (1916-1990), the British writer, who is famous for his short stories and children’s books. He is one of the world’s most beloved children’s authors. He created such memorable characters as Willy Wonka, Danny the Champion of the World and The BFG. He also had a very successful career writing short stories for adults.

Roald Dahl, born in Wales, was the child of Norwegian parents. During World War II, he served as a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force. His aircraft crashed in the Libyan Desert in 1942 and he suffered serious injuries.

After the war, Dahl began to write short stories for magazines and in 1948 published his first novel, «Sometime Never’, about global nuclear war and its aftermath. This was unsuccessful, but two collections of short stories, «Someone Like You» (1953) and «Kiss, Kiss» (1960), established him as a talented writer of bizarre and grotesque fiction.

Rohald Dahl achieved his greatest fame as a writer of children’s books. He wrote 19 of these, including «James and the Giant Peach» (1961), «Charlie and the Chocolate Factory» (1964), «Fantastic Mr Fox» (1970) and «Danny the Champion of the World» (1975). Almost as successful were «The Twits» (1980), «George’s Marvellous Medicine» (1980) and «The BFG» (1982).

R. Dahl wrote the screenplay to his most famous work, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, known as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Other screenplays included «You Only Live Twice» (1967) and «Chitty Chitty Bang Bang» (1968), both adapted from Ian Fleming novels. Films were also made of «Danny the Champion of the World» (1975), «The Witches» (1983) and «Matilda» (1988), his last full-length work.

Before You Read

1. Answer these questions.

1. Do you remember your first day at school?

2. What were your first impressions of the school building?

3. What was your classroom like?

4. Did you like your first teacher?

Reading File

Vocabulary Notes

Miss Honey

(By Roald Dahl)

Matilda was a little late in starting school. Most children begin Primary School at five or even just before, but Matilda’s parents didn’t care much about their daughter’s education. So they had forgotten to make the proper arrangements in advance. She was five and a half when she entered school for the first time.

The village school for younger children was a brick building called Crunchem Hall Primary School. There were about two hundred and fifty pupils aged from five to just under twelve years old…

Naturally Matilda was put in the bottom class, where there were eighteen other small boys and girls about the same age as her. Their teacher was called Miss Honey, and she was twenty-three or twenty-four. She had a lovely pale oval face with blue eyes and her hair was light-brown. Her body was slim and fragile.

Miss Jennifer Honey was a mild and quiet person who never raised her voice. She rarely smiled but every child in the class adored her.

She seemed to understand all the fears of small children who for the first time in their lives had to come into the classroom and to obey orders. After the usual business of going through all the names of the children, Miss Honey handed out a new exercise book to each pupil. «You have all brought your own pencils, I hope», she said. «Yes, Miss Honey,» they chanted.

«Good. Now this is the very first day of school for each one of you. It is the beginning of at least eleven long years of schooling that all of you are going to go through. And six of those years you will spend here at Crunchem Hall. Your Headmistress is Miss Trunchbull. Let me for your own good tell you something about Miss Trunchbull.

She insists upon strict discipline throughout the school, and if you take my advice you will do your very best to behave yourselves in her presence. Never argue with her. Never answer her back. Always do as she says. If you get on the wrong side of Miss Trunchbull she can liquidize you like a carrot in a kitchen blender. All of you will be wise to remember that Miss Trunch-bull deals very very severely with anyone who gets out of line in this school. I myself,» Miss Honey went on, «want to help you to learn as much as possible while you are in this class. That is because I know it will make things easier for you later on. For example, by the end of this week I shall expect every one of you to know the two-times table by heart. And in a year’s time

1. hope you will know all the multiplication tables up to twelve. It will help you enormously if you do.»

Building up Vocabulary

2. Find the words and phrases in the story that have the meanings given below.

1. A process of learning and getting knowledge at school, college, university.

2. Long before the time that something is expected, or happens.

3. To speak louder when you are angry.

4. A plan or preparation you make for some event.

5. Very seldom.

6. To feel that something is important and worth worrying about.

7. To begin studying at school.

8. To like somebody or something very much.

9. A feeling when you are afraid of something or somebody.

3. Explain the meaning of the words and phrases.

To start school, to care much, education, arrangement, in advance, to raise voice, rarely, fear, to adore.

4. Choose the correct phrase(s) from the text to complete the sentences.

1. Matilda was a little late in ….. .

2. Matilda’s parents didn’t ….. about their daughter’s ….. .

3. So they had forgotten ….. .

4. Miss Jennifer Honey was a mild and quiet person who never ….. .

5. She ….. smiled but every child in the class ….. her.

6. Miss Honey seemed to understand ….. .

7. All of children will be wise to remember that ….. .

5. Find the sentences in the story to talk about:

a) Matilda’s parents’ arrangements for her studying at school;

b) Crunchem Hall Primary School;

c) Miss Honey.

Comprehension Check

6. Answer the questions.

1. When do most children begin studying at Primary School?

2. Did Matilda’s parents care much about their daughter’s education?

3. How many children were there in Matilda’s class?

4. What kind of a person was Miss Honey?

7. Choose the correct item to complete the sentences.

1. Most children begin Primary School.. or even just before.

a) at five

b) at seven

c) at nine

2. Matilda’s parents ….. in advance.

a) had made all arrangements

b) had forgotten to make the proper arrangements

c) had asked Miss Honey to make the arrangements for school

3. The village school for younger children was …..

a) a modern skyscraper

b) a small wooden house

c) a brick building

4. Miss Honey had …..

a) a lovely round face with green eyes

b) a lovely pale oval face with blue eyes

c) a pale face with brown eyes

5. She seemed to understand.. who for the first time in their lives had to come into the classroom.

a) all the problems of the school

b) all the ideas of her pupils

c) all the fears of small children

6. Miss Honey said, ….. .

a) «It is the beginning of at least eleven long years of schooling that all of you are going to go through»

b) «It is the beginning of at least ten years of schooling that all of you are going to go through»

c) «It is the beginning of new life for all of you»

Reading and Thinking

8. Number the events in order they happen in the story.

______ A. Miss Honey is telling pupils about their studying at school.

______ B. Matilda has come to the bottom class of Crunchem Hall Primary School.

______ C. The author describes Miss Honey’s appearance.

______ D. Matilda’s parents had forgotten to make the proper arrangements for school in advance.

______ E. Miss Honey tells the children about Miss Trunchbull.

9. Complete the statement.

The text is about ….. .

a) Matilda’s parents

b) Miss Honey’s appearance

c) Matilda’s first day at Crunchem Hall Primary School

10. Say and tick the statements T (True) or F (False).

______1. Matilda’s parents didn’t care much about their daughter’s education.

______ 2. There were about two hundred pupils aged from five to just under twelve years old at Crunchem Hall Primary School.

______ 3. Naturally Matilda was put in the bottom class, where there were eighteen other small boys and girls about the same age as her.

______ 4. Their teacher was called Miss Honey, and she was thirty-three or thirty-four.

______ 5. She often smiled and every child in the class adored her.

______ 6. She seemed to understand all the fears of small children who for the first time in their lives had to come into the classroom.

11. Complete the sentences given below.

1. Most children begin Primary School ….. .

2. The village school for younger children was ….. .

3. Miss Jennifer Honey was ….. .

Discussing the Story

12. Say what interesting information you have found in the text.

13. Say if you think Miss Honey is a good teacher. Why yes or why not?

Speaking File

14. You are at Crunchem Hall Primary School. Describe Matilda’s classroom as you imagine it. Share your descriptions.

15. The first day at school is very important for children. Imagine that you are discussing your first school day with Matilda. Read, complete and act out the dialogue given below.

You: Hello!

Matilda: …..

You: A wonderful day, isn’t it?

Matilda: Yes, I’ve got so many impressions today.

You: You are right. It is really a day of impressions. What is your school like?

Matilda: Well, it is ….. And what about your school? Do you like it?

You: Yes, it’s a ….. building with many ….. classrooms, ….. and …… .

Matilda: And our teacher, Miss Honey, is really great! She is ….. . She seems to understand ….. .

You: My teacher, ….., is very good, too. She is a ….. , …… and ….. person.

Writing File

16. Write about your impressions of your first day at school. Use the plan to help you.

1. Arrangements before starting school.

2. The first school day morning.

3. The first impressions of a school building.

4. Meeting with the classmates and the first teacher.