Control of Reading (7th form)

Control of Reading (7^th form)

The Great Romantic

Lord Byron (1788-1824) didn’t live a long life. He was an aristocrat and a fashionable man. But he loved freedom and a simple country life. His personality attracted Britain and all Europe. He brought to his poetry romanticism of his times. He was talented and handsome, noble and brave. London admired him.

 George Gordon Byron was born on January 22^nd, 1788. He was the son of John Byron and his wife, Catherine, whose ancestors (предки) were of the royal house of Stuart. He spent his early years outside the capital. He lived in the north. Later his mother took him to Aberdeen. There they lived for several years. George went to Aberdeen Grammar School and there is a monument to him outside the school. Now it is a museum and art gallery. Later he studied at   Harrow School and the University of Cambridge.

When Byron was 19, he came to London. One day the poet wrote, “I woke up and found myself famous.”  It happened after the publication of his autobiographic poem “Childe Harold” in 1812.

 The fact is that from 1809 to 1811 he had traveled in different parts of Europe and in the poem he described everything that had happened to him.

In the summer of 1816 Byron left Britain forever. He traveled around Europe and soon he became a member of the Greek liberation movement, for which he died. But he did not lead the Greeks in battle as he wished. He died of fever (лихорадка).

Control of Reading (7^th form)

I variant

1. Mark True or False.

1. Lord Byron was born in 1788.

2. He wasn’t an aristocrat.

3. He was the son of John Byron and his wife, Catherine.

4. When Byron was 18, he came to London.

5. From 1809 to 1812 he had traveled in different parts of Europe and in the poem.

1. Complete the sentences.

1. Byron was talented and_______.

2. Aberdeen Grammar School is a_______now.

3. One day the poet wrote, “I woke up and found myself_______.”  

1. Give the antonyms to the words:

simple, handsome, wife, different.

II variant

1. Mark True or False.

1. Lord Byron lived a long life.

2. He loved freedom and a simple country life.

3. He spent his early years in the capital.

4. His autobiographic poem “Childe Harold” was published in 1811.

5. In the summer of 1816 Byron left the USA forever.

1. Complete the sentences.

1. Byron brought to his poetry_______ of his times.

2. He traveled around Europe and soon he became a member of the ______.

3. He died of ______.

1. Give the antonyms to the words:

outside, son, brave, take.

4.Match the headlines to the beginnings of the news stories. One headline is extra.

1. THE ANCIENT ICEMAN SHOULD HAVE VISITED A DENTIST (OR EATEN LESS JUNK FOOD)!

2. IT'S RAINING SPIDERS IN BRAZIL

3. WELCOMING THE NEWYEAR BY SPRING CELEBRATIONS

4. EARTH DAY 2013-REMEMBERING EARLY - ENVIRONMENTALISTS

5. THE MOBILE TURNS 40!

   1. On April 22nd, people all over the world will celebrate the 43rd anniversary of Earth Day. Besides conducting environmentally friendly projects within their communities, over one billion peo­ple are also expected to participate in demonstrations to voice their concern about the horrible effects of global warming on our planet.

   2. Over 20 years ago the body of Otzi the Iceman was found, this Neanderthal who inhabited the earth some 5,300 years ago. One would think that scientists had discovered all they could about him since that time. It turns out the one thing they had not examined was his teeth, and what they discovered, would make any dentist cringe (ёжиться)! The results were re­cently revealed by Roger Seller, a dentist from the Center of Evolutionary medicine at the University of Zurich who used computer tomography to analyse Otzi's mouth.

   3. In our time, when we depend on our cell phones for everything - from communicating to taking photos to even playing games - it is hard to imagine life without one. Yet, it was only forty years ago on April 3rd, 1973, that Motorola Vice President Martin Cooper, stepped onto a New York City sidewalk and placed the first known cell phone call in history.

   4. Today, over 1.3 billion people in China and millions of ethnic Chinese all over the world will celebrate the first day of the Chi­nese or Lunar New Year - the longest and most significant of all Chinese Festivals. Also known as the Spring Festival, it is a four thousand, year-old tradition that began as a way to mark the end of the dreary winter season and beginning of spring.