Home Reading. ''Miss Honey''( by Roald Dahl)

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.

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. Who was the author of the two collections of short stories''Someone Like You '' and ''Kiss,Kiss''.

Rohald Dahl achieved his great fame as a writer of...

This text is about ....

Matilda went to school ... and was put in the ...class.

Matilda's teacher was adored by the children and has a lovely appearance.

The teacher seemed to understand...

Miss Jennifer Honey was...

Translate the sentence into Ukrainian:

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.

Find the word that has the same meaning as the definition given below:

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

Find the appropriate word for the meaning given below: Long before the time that something is expected or happens.

Find the word to show the right meaning of the following: A plan or preparation you make for some event.

Translate the word-combination : to obey the orders.

Translate the word ''argue''.

The meaning of the word ''aftermath''

Matilda`s parents had forgotten to make the proper arrangements in advance because they...

Is the following sentence true or false?

Miss Trunchbull do not like children and liquidize them like carrots in a kitchen blender.

Is the following sentence true or false?

The first day was the beginning of at least twelve long years of schooling.

Is the following sentence true or false?

Miss Honey gave a new exercise book and a pencil to each pupil.

Is the following sentence true or false?

Miss Honey always smiled and all the pupils loved her

Is the following sentence true or false?

Miss Honey seemed to understand all the fears of small children who had to come into the classroom for the first time