Reading: The world of Roald Dahl

 

1  Answer the questions. Speak for no longer than one minute. Do you like reading stories? What type? Who is your favourite author? Why? What stories did you enjoy reading or watching when you were a child?

1.  Select Record Audio to record yourself.
2. 2If you want to add a note to your teacher, write it in the Comments box.
3.  Select Submit to dropbox to send the recording to your teacher.

2Match paragraph headings A–F to paragraphs 1−4. There are two headings you do not need. 

• AWas chocolate his favourite food?

  BDahl's life in his stories.

  CDahl's stories on the screen and stage.

  DA world-famous writer.

  EDahl becomes a millionaire!

  FWhat is it that readers like?

¹

Is there a child who doesn't know the stories of Roald Dahl? His work delights millions of us in our childhood. He wrote his first children's stories, James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in the 1960s, but the characters are just as popular today as they were in the past. As well as reading the books, children today often discover Dahl's characters through plays and films.

²

Recent films of Dahl's books include Fantastic Mr Fox (2009) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). The scripts weren't written by Dahl – he died in 1990 – but that didn't stop the fans from watching! Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was very popular – the film made almost 500 million dollars worldwide! Other film adaptations include Matilda (1996) and The Witches (1990). Now there are also popular musical versions of these two stories. Lists of things to do in London usually suggest a trip to the theatre to see these shows.

³

Millions of people love Dahl's work years after he wrote the stories. Why? Perhaps it's because the characters make us laugh and they can make us scared. Dahl knew what children liked, but how? He began to write books for children after his own children were born. He couldn't do it before then, he said.

⁴

Dahl sometimes used people and events from his childhood in his stories. He went to boarding school, which he hated. Some of the teachers were unkind. The cruel teacher in Matilda – Mrs Trunchball – was like some of Dahl's teachers. But Dahl had good memories, too. Sometimes, Cadbury − a British chocolate maker – sent a small box to every boy at Dahl's school. Inside the box were new chocolate bars! The boys ate them and sent comments to Cadbury. A dream job! Can you guess which story this memory found its way into?!

3Read the text. Are the sentences True or False? Correct the false ones. 

You need to use normal letters and capital letters correctly in this task. You also need to use correct punctuation.

¹........................................................................

Is there a child who doesn't know the stories of Roald Dahl? His work delights millions of us in our childhood. He wrote his first children's stories, James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in the 1960s, but the characters are just as popular today as they were in the past. As well as reading the books, children today often discover Dahl's characters through plays and films.

²........................................................................

Recent films of Dahl's books include Fantastic Mr Fox (2009) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). The scripts weren't written by Dahl – he died in 1990 – but that didn't stop the fans from watching! Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was very popular – the film made almost 500 million dollars worldwide! Other film adaptations include Matilda (1996) and The Witches (1990). Now there are also popular musical versions of these two stories. Lists of things to do in London usually suggest a trip to the theatre to see these shows.

³........................................................................

Millions of people love Dahl's work years after he wrote the stories. Why? Perhaps it's because the characters make us laugh and they can make us scared. Dahl knew what children liked, but how? He began to write books for children after his own children were born. He couldn't do it before then, he said.

⁴........................................................................

Dahl sometimes used people and events from his childhood in his stories. He went to boarding school, which he hated. Some of the teachers were unkind. The cruel teacher in Matilda – Mrs Trunchball – was like some of Dahl's teachers. But Dahl had good memories, too. Sometimes, Cadbury − a British chocolate maker – sent a small box to every boy at Dahl's school. Inside the box were new chocolate bars! The boys ate them and sent comments to Cadbury. A dream job! Can you guess which story this memory found its way into?!

• 
  

• 
  

• 1Dahl wrote his first novels before 1970.

  TrueFalse 

• 2Matilda and The Witches are plays, not films.

  TrueFalse 

• 3Dahl's novels are quite serious.

  TrueFalse 

• 4Dahl didn't start writing children's stories before he had his own children.

  TrueFalse 

• 5Dahl had a teacher called Mrs Trunchball.

  TrueFalse 

• 6Dahl tested chocolate bars when he was a boy.

  TrueFalse 

4  Answer the questions. Speak for no longer than one minute.

1.  What were the titles of the first children's novels Dahl wrote?
2.  What Dahl films could people see for the first time in the noughties?
3.  When did Roald Dahl die?
4.  What can visitors to London go to see if they are Dahl fans?
5.  Did Dahl enjoy his life at boarding school? Why/why not?

Select Record Audio to record yourself.  If you want to add a note to your teacher, write it in the Comments box.  Select Submit to dropbox to send the recording to your teacher.

5Match the highlighted words in the text to definitions 1–12. 

¹........................................................................

Is there a child who doesn't know the stories of Roald Dahl? His work delights millions of us in our childhood. He wrote his first children's stories, James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in the 1960s, but the characters are just as popular today as they were in the past. As well as reading the books, children today often discover Dahl's characters through plays and films.

²........................................................................

Recent films of Dahl's books include Fantastic Mr Fox (2009) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). The scripts weren't written by Dahl – he died in 1990 – but that didn't stop the fans from watching! Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was very popular – the film made almost 500 million dollars worldwide! Other film adaptations include Matilda (1996) and The Witches (1990). Now there are also popular musical versions of these two stories. Lists of things to do in London usually suggest a trip to the theatre to see these shows.

³........................................................................

Millions of people love Dahl's work years after he wrote the stories. Why? Perhaps it's because the characters make us laugh and they can make us scared. Dahl knew what children liked, but how? He began to write books for children after his own children were born. He couldn't do it before then, he said.

⁴........................................................................

Dahl sometimes used people and events from his childhood in his stories. He went to boarding school, which he hated. Some of the teachers were unkind. The cruel teacher in Matilda – Mrs Trunchball – was like some of Dahl's teachers. But Dahl had good memories, too. Sometimes, Cadbury − a British chocolate maker – sent a small box to every boy at Dahl's school. Inside the box were new chocolate bars! The boys ate them and sent comments to Cadbury. A dream job! Can you guess which story this memory found its way into?!

• 
  

• 
  

• 1(verb) pleases, makes someone or something happy 

• 2(noun) versions, different forms 

• 3(adjective) around the world 

• 4(adjective) frightened 

• 5(noun) the years when people are children 

• 6(noun) things you watch at a theatre 

• 7(adjective) unkind, evil 

• 8(adjective) liked by a lot of people 

• 9(verb) find out about 

• 10(noun) opinions and thoughts 

• 11(noun) something you remember from the past 

• 12(noun) people in a story 

• 
  

6Complete the sentences with the correct form of the highlighted words in the text. 

¹........................................................................

Is there a child who doesn't know the stories of Roald Dahl? His work delights millions of us in our childhood. He wrote his first children's stories, James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in the 1960s, but the characters are just as popular today as they were in the past. As well as reading the books, children today often discover Dahl's characters through plays and films.

²........................................................................

Recent films of Dahl's books include Fantastic Mr Fox (2009) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). The scripts weren't written by Dahl – he died in 1990 – but that didn't stop the fans from watching! Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was very popular – the film made almost 500 million dollars worldwide! Other film adaptations include Matilda (1996) and The Witches (1990). Now there are also popular musical versions of these two stories. Lists of things to do in London usually suggest a trip to the theatre to see these shows.

³........................................................................

Millions of people love Dahl's work years after he wrote the stories. Why? Perhaps it's because the characters make us laugh and they can make us scared. Dahl knew what children liked, but how? He began to write books for children after his own children were born. He couldn't do it before then, he said.

⁴........................................................................

Dahl sometimes used people and events from his childhood in his stories. He went to boarding school, which he hated. Some of the teachers were unkind. The cruel teacher in Matilda – Mrs Trunchball – was like some of Dahl's teachers. But Dahl had good memories, too. Sometimes, Cadbury − a British chocolate maker – sent a small box to every boy at Dahl's school. Inside the box were new chocolate bars! The boys ate them and sent comments to Cadbury. A dream job! Can you guess which story this memory found its way into?!

• 
  

• 
  

• 1For most of my  I lived in the USA. We came to the UK when I was eleven.

• 2Are there any good  on at the theatre at the moment?

• 3My sister hates spiders. She always feels  when she sees one.

• 4Some people hurt animals. It's very  to do this.

• 5Nelson Mandela is famous . Everybody knows who he is.

• 6My favourite novel is Alice in Wonderland and I like the film  with Johnny Depp.

• 7My baby cousin  everyone in the family because he's always happy and smiling.

• 8What's your favourite  from last summer?

• 9My teacher wrote a lot of  on my short story. They were very helpful.

• 10I don't like the  in this film. They're all unkind.

• 11We  a lot about Dahl's life on the internet.

• 12Going to the theatre is very  in my country.

7Write the infinitive form of the underlined irregular verbs in the text. 

¹........................................................................

Is there a child who doesn't know the stories of Roald Dahl? His work delights millions of us in our childhood. He wrote his first children's stories, James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in the 1960s, but the characters are just as popular today as they were in the past. As well as reading the books, children today often discover Dahl's characters through plays and films.

²........................................................................

Recent films of Dahl's books include Fantastic Mr Fox (2009) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). The scripts weren't written by Dahl – he died in 1990 – but that didn't stop the fans from watching! Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was very popular – the film made almost 500 million dollars worldwide! Other film adaptations include Matilda (1996) and The Witches (1990). Now there are also popular musical versions of these two stories. Lists of things to do in London usually suggest a trip to the theatre to see these shows.

³........................................................................

Millions of people love Dahl's work years after he wrote the stories. Why? Perhaps it's because the characters make us laugh and they can make us scared. Dahl knew what children liked, but how? He began to write books for children after his own children were born. He couldn't do it before then, he said.

⁴........................................................................

Dahl sometimes used people and events from his childhood in his stories. He went to boarding school, which he hated. Some of the teachers were unkind. The cruel teacher in Matilda – Mrs Trunchball – was like some of Dahl's teachers. But Dahl had good memories, too. Sometimes, Cadbury − a British chocolate maker – sent a small box to every boy at Dahl's school. Inside the box were new chocolate bars! The boys ate them and sent comments to Cadbury. A dream job! Can you guess which story this memory found its way into?!

• 1wrote

• 2made

• 3knew

• 4began

• 5ate

• 6sent

• 7found

8  Write a paragraph about your favourite Roald Dahl story, or a story by another writer. Describe the most important characters and write what happens in the story.  Write your task in another program (e.g. Word).  Save the file to your computer.  Upload your file.  If you want to add a note to your teacher, write it in the Comments box.  Select Submit to Dropbox to send your work to your teacher.