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Reading Comprehension

Form 8

William Shakespeare

     William Shakespeare is probably the most famous playwright in history. He was born on 23 April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon in England. He was one of eight brothers and sisters. His father, John Shakespeare, was a successful businessman. William went to school in Stratford and learnt Latin and Greek, but he didn’t go to university. At the age of fifteen he went straight to work in his father’s business.

     When he was eighteen, he met and fell in love with Anne Hathaway. She was eight years older than him. They got married in November 1582, and six months later their daughter Susanna was born. In 1585 they had twins, Hamlet and Judith. Little is known about the following seven years of his life. We only know that he moved to London, leaving Anne and his children in Stratford and that he was writing plays and working as an actor.

     His plays were very popular and he made a lot of money. In 1597 he bought a big house in Stratford for his family, but he stayed in London for a further thirteen years. He continued to write and cat and also bought a theatre. In 1611 he finally retired and moved back to Stratford to live in the house he had bought. In total, Shakespeare wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets (fourteen-line poems). Some of his love poems are addressed to a married woman, and some of them are addressed to a young man. Nobody knows the identity of these two people. Shakespeare died in Stratford on his birthday, on 23 April 1616, and was buried in the church where he had been christened 52 years earlier.

Task 1. Read the text. What do these numbers refer to?

1. Eight  2. Fifteen  3. Eighteen   4. Thirty-seven  5. A hundred and fifty-four      6. Fifty-two

Task 2. Complete the sentences about Shakespeare using one word.

1. Shakespeare was ____ in Stratford-upon-Avon in the sixteenth  century.
2. He had ____ brothers and sisters.
3. He studied at ____ but not at university.
4. Susanna was Shakespeare’s first _____.
5. Hamlet and Judith are the names of Shakespeare’s _______.
6. In London, Shakespeare made a lot of ______.
7. Shakespeare wrote love poems for a man and woman but their ____ is still a secret.
8. Shakespeare returned to Stratford five years before he _____.

Form 8

Modern Writers

    When a number of literary experts were asked to describe Ukrainian literature in three adjectives, they used words like energetic, promising, witty and imaginative. The worlds created by contemporary writers are often mystical and mysterious. They show how writers use Ukraine’s tradition of rich folk stories in their writing. However, many writers also set their novels in the modern day. Let’s look at some popular authors.

     Maria Matios is one of the stars of Ukrainian literature. Some of the novels have historical  settings, others are set the present day. The backgrounds to the stories are often national crises or difficulties, such as the Second Workd War, or the struggle for Ukrainian independence. They are psychological novels, for example, her story Hardly Ever Otherwise (Maizhe nikoly ne navpaky). The story takes place in a village at the beginning of the 20^th century. It explores a murder from different points of view and is a story of love, hate and envy.

     Matios has won many award for her work. She received the “Book of the Year” prize in 2004 and the “Taras Shevchenko National Award” in 2005 for her novel  Sweet Darusia (Solodka Darusia). This book and others have been turned into successful plays.

     Vasyl Shkliar is concernes with the psychology of his characters. His first novel The Key (Kluch) tells the story of a journalist who receives the key to a flat. The owner of the flat has disappeared and the journalist decides to find out what has happened. As in his other novels, the characters and their worlds are as important as solving the mystery or crime. His other books are also very popular and several have been translated into other languages.

     Liubko Deresh is one of a number of successful young writers. He had three books published by the time he was nineteen and all of them became best-sellers. He is a Ukrainian Stephen King and writes books in the crime and horror genres. They are also mystical, for example in The Cult (Kult) the main character enters his own fantasy worlds. Deresh has won the “Good Book of the Year” prize for the most original novel twice.

     The list is incomplete without Liuko Dashvar – the pen name of Iryna Chernova. her books are read by millions of people of different ages. She has the title of “Golden writer”, as her books have all sold over 200,000 copies. Each book is different and the plots are gripping. Among the most popular novels are:  Milk with Honey (Krov z Molokom), Paradise Centre (Rai Tsentr) and To Have Everything (Maty Vse). Be warned, when you start reading one of her books you won’t be able to put it down.

Task 1. Complete the sentences with the names of the authors Maria Matios, Vasyl Shkliar, Liubko Deresh, Liuko Dashvar

1. ____ has won the same prize more than once.
2. ____ has a huge number of readers.
3. ____ writes stories around historical events,
4. ____ isn’t the author’s real name.
5. ____ writes frightening books.
6. ____ ‘s first book are read abroad.
7. _____ ‘s first book was about an empty flat.
8. _____’s stories can be seen in theatres.

Task 2. Write T(true), F(false), or DS(doesn’t say) according to the text.

1. Modern Ukrainian writers often mix reality and fantasy.
2. Maria Matios won an award for one of her plays.
3. Vasyl Shkliar is interested in the way characters think.
4. Liubko Deresh writes for young people.
5. It’s extremely difficult for young authors to publish books.
6. Liuko Dashva’s stories keep the reader interested.

Task 3. Match the words  contemporary, setting, crises, envy, plots, gripping with the definitions below.

1 wanting something someone else has

2 holds your attention

3 the events in a story

4 a time of trouble

5 the place and time of the story

6 working nowadays