English IV,Unit 6

2. “It was one of those March days when the sun shines
hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the
light, and winter in the shade.”
Charles Dickens

4. sail gentleman shillings journalist clerk stroke
abroad moved factory crash
a)__________ b)___________ c)_________
_ __
d)___________ e)_________
__

5. f)__________ g)_________ h)_________
_ __ _
i)__________ j)__________
_ _

6. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) is one of the greatest novelists in the English language. He wrote
about a real world of Victorian England and many of these characters were not rich. Middle class
ladies and gentlemen, but poor and hungry people.
Dickens the child
His familiy lived in London. His father was a clerk in an office. It was a good job, but he always spent
more time than he earned and he was often in debt. There were eight children in the family , so life
was hard.
Charles went to school and his teachers thought he was very clever. But suddenly he was only
eleven, his father went to prison for his debts and the family went, too. Only Charles didn’t go to
prison. He went to work in a factory, where he washed bottles.
He worked ten hours a day and earned six shillings (30 p) a week. Every night after work, he walked
four miles back to his room Charles hated it and never forgot the experience. He used it in many
novels, especially David Copperfield and Oliver Twist.
Dickens the writer
When he was sixteen, he started work for a newspaper. He visited law courts and the Houses of
Parliament. Soon he was one of the Morning Chronicle’s best journalists. He also wrote short stories
for magazines. These were funny descriptions of people that he met. Dicken’s characters were full of
color and life – good people were very , very good and bad people were horrible. His books became
popular in many countries and he spent a lot time abroad, in America, Italy,
And Switzerland.

7. After Reading the text, choose the best option.
1.- How many brothers and sisters did he have?
A) 2
B) 7
C) 4
D) 5
2.- Was Dickens good at school?
A) yes, he was
B) no, he wasn t
C) yes, he is
D) no, he isn t
3.- Why did he leave school when he was eleven?
A) Because he wanted to be with his friends.
B) Because he didn t like to study.
C) Because his father went to prison.
D) Because his father didn t have time
4.- Who was in prison?
A) His nephew
B) His cousin
C) His wife
D) His family
5.- What did Charles do in his first job?
A) He washed cars
B) He sold newspapers
C) He took out the trash
D) He washed bottles

8. 6.- What was his next job?
A) Musician
B) Journalist
C) Lawyer
D) Salesman
7.- Was he happy at home?
A) The text does not mention it
B) Yes, he was
C) May be yes
D) No, he wasn t
8.- When did he stop writing?
A) When he visited America
B) When he got married
C) When he was sixteen
D) When he died
9.- Dickens nationality was
A) American
B) Italian
B) British
D) German
10.-How old was Dickens when he
died?
A) 65
B) 47
C) 58
D) 82

9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unKuZ2wlNdw

10. •1812 Charles Dickens __________.
•1822 Family __________ to London.
•1827 He __________ to work as a clerk.
•1831 __________ as a journalist.
•1835 He __________ his first piece of fiction.
•1835 He _____________.
•1842 Charles and Katherine __________ to America landing in
Boston.
•1844 He __________ his whole family to Italy.
•1845 He __________ a radical newspaper.
•1865 Charles was returning from Paris, when the train __________.
•1870 He suffered for a stroke and he __________.