blaring inside.
3. The door was opened by a small ratty-looking man, Matilda's father. "Please forgive me for butting in on you like this. I
am Matilda's teacher at school and it is important I have a word with you and your wife. I expect you know that your daughter
has a brilliant mind." "We are not in favour of blue-stocking girls. A girl should think about making herself look attractive. A
girl doesn't get a man by being brainy," the father said. Miss Honey could hardly believe what she was hearing. In vain did she
try to explain that with the proper coaching Matilda could be brought up to university status in two or three years. "Who wants
to go to university for heaven's sake! All they learn there is bad habits!" "But if you got sued for selling someone a rotten
second-hand car, you'd have to get a lawyer and he'd be a university graduate. Do not despise clever people, Mr. Wormwood,
said Miss Honey and away she went."
4. Lavender was in the row behind Matilda, feeling a bit guilty. She hadn't intended to get her friend into trouble.
"You are not fit to be in this school!" The Headmistress was now shouting. "You ought to be behind bars, that's where you
ought to be! I shall have you drummed out of this establishment in utter disgrace! I shall have the prefects chase you down the
corridor and out of the front-door with hockey-sticks! I shall have the staff escort you home after armed guard! And then I shall
make absolutely sure you are sent to a reformatory for delinquent girls for the minimum of forty years!"
But Matilda was also losing her school. She didn't in the least mind being accused of having done something she had
actually done. She could see the justice of that. It was, however, a totally new experience for her to be accused of a crime that
she definitely had not committed. She had had absolutely nothing to do with that beastly creature in the glass!
Matilda, sitting in the second row, cupped her face in her hands, and this time she concentrated the whole of her mind and her
brain and her will up into her eyes. Without making any sound at all she kept on shouting inside her head for the glass to go
over. She saw it wobble, then, it tilted and fell on the table. Miss Honey's mouth dropped open but she didn't say a word. She
couldn't. The shock of seeing the miracle performed had struck her dumb. She had gaped at the glass, leaning well away from
it. Never, never in the life had she seen anything of the kind happen! She looked at Matilda. She saw the child white in the face,
trembling all over, the eyes glazed, staring straight ahead and seeing nothing.
(From "Matilda" by R.Dahl)
83. Choose the alternative that fits the sentence.
1. I shall not waste time (to reply, reply, replying) to his letter.
2. It's high time (we go, we went, to go).
3. I'd rather (stay, staying, to stay) in tonight.
4. There is no point (to argue, in arguing, you argue) with him.
5. We had to stand up (to get, getting, to getting) a better view of the game.
6. I think we had better (go, going, to go).
7. I will agree (help, helping, to help) you as long as you behave yourself.
8. Would you care (to have, have, having) a look at my latest effort?
9. It's nearly lunch time. Why don't we stop (to have, to having, having) a snack?
10. Isn't it about time (you started, you start, starting) taking life seriously?
11. It's no use (you complain, to complain, complaining), nobody will take any notice of you.
12. I'm longing (see, to see, to seeing) you again.
13. He seems (feel, feeling, to be feeling) better today.
14. The car needs (to service, being serviced, servicing).
15. I daren't (go, to go, going) out after dark.
16. What's the use (to worry, you worry, of worrying)?
17. If you need anything, please do not hesitate (to ask, asking, ask).
18. Hadn't we better (leave, leaving, to leave) soon?
84.Combine the two sentences into one using the necessary pronoun.
1.The air surrounds us. It consists of various elements.
2.I had a stick. I defended myself with it.
3.Your brother surprised me with his learning. I was introduced to him yesterday.
4.Silk is much worn in Europe. The Chinese had the merit if discovering it.
5.The palace is magnificent. The Queen lives in it.
6.You have told me something. I shall not forget it.
7.Bill came home on a certain day. I do not remember it.
8.The bridge is very high. I passed over it yesterday.
9.The water is very refreshing. I tasted it.
10. The picture was very fine. The artist took along time to paint it.
11.The climate is warm. It prevails in India.
12.Rats do much damage. They multiply very fast.
13.I had money on me. I gave it to a beggar.
14He did not like the bread. I was'in the habit of eating it.
15.Show me the book. You have read it.
16.The sun is far away. Our light comes from it.
17.Steel pens last a long time. They were invented long ago.
18.The ship was very small. Columbus crossed the Atlantic in it.
19.The microscope is very useful. We can see invisible objects with it.
20.The nineteenth century was called the age of machinery. Machinery came into use in it.
21.The swallows were assembling for their flight. I saw them yesterday.
22.The cup was very old. The servant broke it.
85. Insert the right article.
I. In 1665 ... great plague raged in London. ... insanitary conditions of ... houses, ... narrowness of ... streets, ... dirty habits
of ... people, all helped to spread ... disease. ... people died in ... thousands, and every day ... carts used to go round from ...
house to ... house to collect... dead, accompanied by ... man crying: "Bring out your dead!" ... rich who could afford to do so
left ... town and fled to ... country, while ... poor remained and died in great numbers.
... next year ... second misfortune came upon ... unfortunate city, namely, great fire. Out of... blue it started in ... baker's shop,
and aided by ... east wind, rapidly consumed ... wooden houses of which ... large portion of ... town was built, raging for ...
few days. Even ... great cathedral of St. Paul's was destroyed by. . fire, which, leaping across ... narrow streets reached right to
... banks of ... Thames. But ... disaster did much ... good. It destroyed many of ... dirty, unhealthy streets, and swept away ...
homes of disease, enabling ... better houses to be erected in their place.
II. ... Sir Ralph the Rover was ... wicked pirate who sailed about from ... sea to ... sea attacking ... innocent merchant ships
and robbing them of... cargo. One day he came to ... coast of Scotland and saw ... dangerous rock on which ... bell had been
placed to warn ... sailors of... presence of ... danger. Sir Ralph thought that if he removed ... bell,... merchant ships would be
wrecked upon it, and then he could easily rob them.... great pirate rowed to ... rock in ... small boat with ... party of... sailors
and cut off... bell, which sank down into ... deep water. He then sailed away across ... sea and enriched himself in ... various
parts of... world.
After about... year he returned and reached ... neighbourhood of ... famous rock.... thick fog came on, and he could not tell
where he was, though he feared he must be somewhere near ... dangerous place. How strongly he wished now that he had not
cut off ... bell from ... rock! Blindly ... ship drifted along ... shore at... mercy of... tide. All o f . . . sudden, there was ... crash;...
ship had struck ... rock! In ... few minutes ... ship filled with ... water and sank to ... bottom of ... sea with all on ... board.
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