Сборник послетекстовых упражнений к книге Роальда Даля "Матильда"
методическая разработка по английскому языку (8, 9 класс)

Roald Dahl

Matilda

After-reading exercises

Chapters 1-6

1. Answer the questions.

1. How did the parents treat Matilda and her brother?
2. What did the family usually have for suppers?
3. How did Mr. Wormwood cheat car buyers?
4. How did Matilda punish her father for telling a lie to his clients?
5. Why were the Wormwoods scared of a parrot?
6. Why did Mr. Wormwood call his own daughter a liar?
7. Why did Mr. Wormwood have to go to the hairdresser?

2. Combine the names of the characters and their characteristics.

3. Translate into Russian the following parts of the text:

• They had a son called Michael and a daughter called Matilda, and the parents looked upon Matilda in particular as nothing more than a scab. A scab is something you have to put up with until the time comes when you can pick it off and flick it away. Mr and Mrs Wormwood looked forward enormously to the time when they could pick their little daughter off and flick her away, preferably into the next county or even further than that.

• She seemed to know that neither crying nor sulking ever got anyone anywhere. The only sensible thing to do when you are attacked is, as Napoleon once said, to counter-attack. Matilda's wonderfully subtle mind was already at work devising yet another suitable punishment for the poisonous parent. The plan that was now beginning to hatch in her mind depended, however, upon whether or not Fred's parrot was really as good a talker as Fred made out.

• Matilda longed for her parents to be good and loving and understanding and honourable and intelligent. The fact that they were none of these things was something she had to put up with. It was not easy to do so. But the new game she had invented of punishing one or both of them each time they were beastly to her made her life more or less bearable.

4. Fill in the gaps.

When Matilda was ____ years old, she started to read newspapers and magazines. The first book she read was ______.  He father works as a _______, her brother’s name is ______, and he _____ years older than Matilda. When Matilda was alone, she went to a local library. She read a lot of books there, her favourite one was ______.

5. Decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F).

• The parents of Matilda told her that she was ignorant and stupid because she didn’t read books.
• Mrs Phelps was so proud that she encouraged Matilda to read books that she told everyone in the town about it.
• The Wormwoods usually ate supper in front of the TV-set.
• Mrs Wormwood had cut the hat off Mr Wormwood’s hair before they went to sleep.
• Mr Wormwood tore Matilda’s book because he felt jealous.
• The Wormwoods adored Fred’s parrot.
• The father of Matilda has become bald because he dyed his hair with mother’s hair dye.

Chapters 7-8

1. Fill in the table with the phrases from the text. You can also use your own words.

2. Answer the questions.

1. Автор всё время проводит параллели между двумя женщинами. Самое первое, что бросается в глаза – их имена (Honey, Trunchbull). Являются ли они важными для характеристики героинь? И если да, то как они их характеризуют?
2. Make a guess – what can happen next?

Chapters 9-10

1. Answer the questions.

1. What did Miss Honey do when Miss Trunchbull refused to move Matilda into a higher class?

2. What did Miss Honey think about Matilda’s parents before meeting them?

3. Why were Matilda’s parents angry with Miss Honey?

4. Who is Hortensia?

5. What was she punished for?

6. What did Miss Trunchball do in the past?

7. Why did she shout at Amanda Thripp?

2. Put the words in order to make a sentence and then decide which character said this. 

1. the middle; watching; in; programmes.; We; right; favourite; are; of; one; our; of

2.  you; Do; explain; me; wish; I; why; came?; to

3. books; I; You; chose; chose; and; looks.

4. a doctor; you; If; call; had; would; he; a university graduate; be; to.

5. for; Thank; so; you; books; much; me; for; those; getting.

3. Fill in the gaps with a suitable word.

Words: frisbee; grapefruits; hippopotamus; blancmange; grave.

 When she lowered herself into the chair, there was a loud squelching noise similar to that made by a ___________ when lowering its foot into the mud.

At that point something strange happened. The playground, which up to then had been filled with the shouting of children at play, all at once became silent as the_______.

Below the knees her calf muscles stood out like ________  inside her stockings.

Our classroom is one floor up and we saw Julius Rottwinkle go sailing out over the garden like a_________ and landing with a thump in the middle of the lettuces.

"My m-m-mummy thinks I look lovely, Miss T-T-Trunchbull," Amanda stuttered, shaking like a _________.

Chapter 11

1. Answer the questions.

1. Why do parents do nothing about Miss Trunchbull? What is Matilda’s opinion?

2. Why did Miss Trunchbull want to see Bruce Bigtrotter?

3. Did Bruce Bigtrotter actually eat the cake?

4. Why was Miss Trunchbull angry at the end of the chapter?

2. Put the adjectives with opposite meanings instead of “?”

Believe – believable - ?

Predict – predictable - ?

Approve – approving - ?

Polite - ?

Possible - ?

Please – pleasant - ?

Motion - ?

? – able - ?

3. There were a lot of verbs of speech in the chapter. Put the adjectives in order starting from the “loudest” to the “quietest”.

Shout, whisper, yell, murmur, scream, say, mumble, bark.

4. Translate into English.

1. Это звучит нелепо!

2. Мальчик хранил молчание.

3. Её выход был заранее устроен директрисой.

4. Единственное, в чём он был уверен, так это в том, что закон запрещал директрисе бить его хлыстом (riding-crop).

5. Ты оскорбляешь повара.

Chapters 12-15

1. Answer the questions.

1. What responsibilities did Lavender have during the lesson with Miss Trunchbull?
2. Why did the Trunchbull punish Nigel Hicks?
3. What method did Miss Honey use to teach pupils difficult words?
4. What was the mistake of Rupert?
5. What is an ideal school for the Trunchbull?
6. Why did Matilda get angry?
7. What are the two miracles described in the text?

2. Put the events in the right order.

• The Trunchbull lifted Eric and held him aloft for his spelling mistake
• Miss Honey made Lavender responsible for putting a jug with water on the desk before Miss Trunchbull
• Matilda said she had read Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
• Lavender put a newt inside the jug
• The Trunchbull ordered Nigel to go and stand in the corner on one leg
• Rupert was punished for his mistake in Maths
• Matilda got angry
• Matilda made the glass topple over for the second time
• The Trunchbull discovered there was a newt in her glass
• Matilda made the glass topple over
• Matilda told Miss Honey about what she had done
• The Trunchbull accused Matilda of putting the newt inside her jug

3. Put the words from the brackets into the correct form.

1. Never try to be funny. If you ……, you ……….. her angry. (to do; to make)
2. “If a person…………. to come out of this alive, he ………. very careful”, Lavender said to herself. (to want; to be)
3. She paused and snorted several times. It was a curious noise. You ………….. the same sort of thing if you ……… through a riding-stable when the horses are being fed. " (can hear; to walk)
4. "If you ………  at once and ………… I …………. my belt and let you have it with the end that has the buckle!"(to shut up; to sit down; to remove)
5. If they ………….. her story, they almost certainly ………….. to realise what an astounding event it was that had taken place in the classroom that afternoon. (to believe; to fail)

4. Choose the correct preposition.

1. I cannot for the life of me see why children have to take so long to grow (…). I think they do it (….) purpose."
2. I have often thought of inventing a spray for getting rid (….) small children.
3. "I am fed (….) with you useless bunch of midgets!" roared the Trunchbull.
4. How dare they expel her (…) something she hadn't done!
5. She was especially furious that someone had succeeded (…) making her jump and yell like that because she prided herself on her toughness.

Chapter 16

1. Answer the questions.

1. What word (adjective) did Miss Honey use to describe Matilda and what does it mean?
2. How did Matilda feel about her superpower?
3. Shortly describe Miss Honey’s cottage.
4. What things made Matilda think that Miss Honey was poor?

2. Miss Honey taught Matilda how to recognize different trees. Can you name them all? Match the English names with their pictures and equivalents in Russian.

Blackberry; hawthorn berries; oak; sycamore; ash; chestnut; hazel.

Платан; дуб; ежевика; каштан; боярышник; орешник; ясень.

1.

3. Transform the sentences into Reported Speech.

a) “The squirrels will collect these nuts very soon”, said Miss Honey.

b) "It went much quicker this time," Matilda said quietly.

с)  "I still don't quite understand you," Miss Honey said gently.

d) "I don't take a bath," Miss Honey said.

4. Put the verbs in the brackets into the right form.

a) "I can't help (wonder)", she said, "whether this sudden ability that has come to you, of being able (move) an object without touching it, whether it might not have something to do with your brainpower."

b) Matilda went after her and found herself in what seemed (be) a dark narrow tunnel.

c) She appeared (be) not in the least ill at ease sitting on an upturned box in a bare room and drinking tea out of a mug that she balanced on her knee.

d) "I'd love (try) something really huge," Matilda said.

e) "You want me (do) some more of it then, Miss Honey?"

f) "Calm yourself down, child, calm yourself down," Miss Honey said. "Let us not (get) ourselves too worked up so early in the proceedings."

Chapters 17-18

1. Answer the questions.

1. What were the two tragedies of Miss Honey?
2. What happened to Miss Honey’s father?
3. How did Miss Honey’s aunt treat Miss Honey?
4. How did Miss Honey manage to get away from her aunt?
5. What three things did Matilda want to know? Can you guess why?

1. Ask all the possible questions to the following sentences.

1. Miss Honey poured tea into both mugs and added milk.
2. Miss Honey’s mother died when the girl was two.
3. "After my father died, when I was five and a half, she used to make me bath myself all alone”

2. Write the questions to the answers.

1. Q:____________________________?
   A: It’s a mystery actually, the official version is that he killed himself, but I don’t believe it.
2. Q:____________________________?

A: None that I knew about. They were all either dead or they'd gone to Australia. And that's still the way it is now, I'm afraid.

3. Q:___________________________?

A: When I went into Teacher's Training I was eighteen.

4. Q:_______________________________?

A: Well not exactly. But they say it's very healthy to sleep on a hard surface.

5. Q:___________________________?

A: Miss Trunchbull.

3. Choose the right option and fill in the gaps.

“Although you look like a child, you are not really a child at all because your mind seems to be fully grown-up”.

Matilda still did not say (anything/nothing/something/everything). She was waiting for what was coming next.

"Up to now", Miss Honey went on, "I have found it impossible to talk to (someone/anyone/no one/ everyone) about my problems. I couldn't face the embarrassment. (Some/Any/No/Every) courage I had was knocked out of me when I was young. But now, all of a sudden I have a sort of desperate wish to tell (everything/something/anything/nothing) to(everybody/somebody/nobody/anybody). I know you are only a tiny little girl, but there is (some/any/no/very) kind of magic in you (anywhere/nowhere/somewhere/everywhere). I've seen it with my own eyes."

4. Fill in the gaps with articles.

And one day I came across (…) tiny cottage. It was empty. I found out who owned it. It was (….) farmer. I went to see him. (….) Farmers also get up very early. (…) Farmer  was milking his cows. I asked him if I could rent (…) cottage. 'You can't live there!' he cried. It's got no (….) conveniences, no (…) running water, no nothing!'

Chapters 19-21

1. Answer the questions.

2. How did Matilda practice her unusual skills?
3. Why did Miss Trunchbull faint?
4. Why did Matilda lose her power?
5. Why did the Wormwoods have to go to Spain?

2. Describe the characters of the story with 5 adjectives, 4 nouns and 3 verbs.

Matilda: smart, curious; kind; friendly; revengeful; a girl, a bookworm, pupil; superpower; read; study; practice skills.

Mr. Wormwood: uncaring, ratty man, bad, angry, dishonest; crook, liar, man, rat; cheat, lie, shout.

Miss Honey: young, kind, smart, caring, brave, poor; teacher, heiress, niece, poverty; teach, care; suffer.

Miss Trunchbull: old, cruel, terrible, strong, rude; headteacher, aunt, athlete, liar, criminal; punish, abuse, shout.

3. Translate the following sentences into Russian.

4. Her plan for helping Miss Honey was beginning to form beautifully in her mind. She had it now in almost every detail, but in the end it all depended upon her being able to do one very special thing with her eye-power. She knew she wouldn’t manage it right away, but she felt fairly confident that with a great deal of practice and effort, she would succeed in the end.
5.  “That is not true, Headmistress,” Miss Honey said. “They have all learnt their three-times table. But I see no point in teaching it to them backwards. There is little point in teaching anything backwards. The whole object of life, Headmistress, is to go forwards.
6. There was tremendous energy bottled up in there with nowhere to go, and somehow or other you were able to shoot that energy out through your eyes and make objects move. But now things are different. You are in the top form competing against children more than twice your age and all that mental energy is being used up in class.

4. . Choose the right option and fill in the gaps.

1. This child, Miss Honey told herself, seems to be (interested/interesting) in everything. When one is with her it is impossible to be (bored/boring).
2. In two strides the Trunchbull was beside him, and by some (amazed/amazing) gymnastic trick, it may have been judo or karate, she flipped the back of Wilfred’s legs with one of her feet so that the boy shot up off the ground.
3. Then suddenly she was so (exhausted/exhausting) she fell back on the bed and went to sleep.
4. By now Wilfred was far too (frightened/frightening) and (bewildered/bewildering) even to speak.
5. “I did not,” Miss Honey said smiling. “How absolutely (fascinated/fascinating). Where did you read that?”
6. The child was sitting very straight at her desk, the head held high, the mouth (compressed/compressing), the eyes glittering like two stars.
7. “I would look after her with (loved/loving) care, Mr. Wormwood, and I would pay for everything”.

5. Translate the sentences into English.

1. Я бы хотел, чтобы я был взрослым.
2. Никто из них не сказал ни слова.
3. Мы уходим через тридцать минут!
4. - Как быстро бьётся сердце ёжика? – Оно не такое быстрое, как сердце мыши.

Story review

1. Answer the questions.

6. Who is your favourite character of the story? Why?
7. What is the main idea of the story?
8. Which chapters did you like the most? Why?

2. Put the verbs in the brackets into the right form.

Six-year-old Matilda is intelligent and high-spirited but _______________ (neglect) by her parents. As a result, she plays pranks on them such as gluing her father’s hat to his head or hiding a parrot on the chimney to simulate a ghost. She _______ (read) many books already and is advanced for her age. At school, she meets Jennifer Honey, a teacher who ________ (impress) by Matilda’s ability. She wants Matilda _____ (move) to a higher class, but this request is denied by the headmistress, Agatha Trunchbull. Miss Honey also tries to talk to her parents about Matilda’s ability, but in typical fashion, they simply_____ (ignore) anything to do with Matilda.

Matilda and Miss Honey develop a bond that turns into a friendship. Matilda’s friend Lavender decides to play a practical joke on Miss Trunchbull. She places a newt in her jug of water. Much to her surprise, Matilda uses an unknown telekinetic power to tip the glass over onto Miss Trunchbull.

Matilda tells Miss Honey. She finds out that Miss Honey _______ (raise) by an abusive aunt and that the circumstances of her father’s death  are suspicious. That aunt is Miss Trunchbull, and among other things, she is withholding Miss Honey’s inheritance, so she has to live in poverty in an old farmhouse. Matilda decides to avenge Miss Honey. She practices her powers at home until she is really good. During class one day, she uses her powers of telekinesis to lift a piece of chalk and write on the board. She pretends to be the ghost of Miss Honey’s late father, telling Miss Trunchbull to hand over Miss Honey’s inheritance and house and to leave the town forever.

Miss Trunchbull _____ (replace) by a nicer head teacher, Mr. Trilby, and Matilda is moved up to a higher class. Once there, she is relieved to find that she no longer ___ (have) the gift of telekinesis. Miss Honey attributes the loss to her using more of her intelligence in the higher level classes.

Matilda continues with school and visiting Miss Honey, but one day she comes home to find her parents packing. They _____ (run) from the police because her father _____ (steal) some cars. Matilda asks if she ____ (can) live with Miss Honey, and without much thought, they say yes. Matilda is able to finally have the mother she always ______ (want).