Passage one
Schools in the Past
The following is an extract from Charlotte Bronte’s Jane
Eyre. To a certain extent it describes the author’s experience of
school. The extract describes life at LowoodSchool, a boarding
school that Jane was sent to in order to get her out of the way.
The next day commenced as before: getting up and dressing by rush-light;
but this morning we were obliged to dispense with the ceremony
of washing’ the water in thepitchers was frozen. A change had
taken place in the weather the preceding evening, and a keen
north-east wind, whistling through the crevices of our bedroom windows all
night long, had made us shiver in our beds, and turned the
contents of the ewers to ice.
Before the long hour and a half of prayers and Bible reading was
over, I felt ready toperish with cold. Breakfast-time came at last,
and this morning the porridge was not burnt; the quality was eatable, the
quantity small: how small my portion seemed! I wish it had been
doubled.
In the course of the day, I was enrolled a member
of the fourth and regular tasks and occupations were assigned to
me; hitherto I had only been a spectator of the proceedings at Lowood. I
was now to become an actor therein. At first, being littleaccustomed to
learn by heart, the lessons appeared to me both long and difficult: the frequent change
from task to task, too, bewildered me: and I was
glad, when about three o’clock in the afternoon Miss Smith put into my hands a
border of muslin two yards long, together with needle,
thimble, etc and sent me to sit in a quiet corner of the schoolroom with
directions to hem the same. At that hour most of the others were sewing
likewise; but one class still stood round Miss Scatcherd’s chair reading, and
as all was quiet, the subject of their lessons could be heard, together with
the manner in which each girl acquitted herself, and the
animadversions or commendations of Miss Scatcherd on the performance. It
was English history; among the readers I observed my acquaintance in
the verandah; at the commencement of the lesson her place had been at the top
of the class, but for some error of pronunciation, or some inattention to
stops, she was suddenly sent to the bottom. Even in that obscure position
Miss Scatcherd continued to make her an object of constant notice: she was
continually addressing to her such phrases as the following:
‘Burns’ (such it seems was her name; the girls here were all
called by their surnames, as boys are elsewhere) – ‘Burns, you are standing on
the side of your shoe; turn your toes out immediately.’ ‘Burns, you poke
your chin most unpleasantly; draw it in.’ ‘Burns, I insist on your
holding your head up; I will not have you before me in that attitude,’ etc,
etc.
A chapter having been read through twice, the books were closed
and the girls examined. The lesson had comprised part of the reign of
Charles I, and there weresundry questions about tonnage and poundage and
ship money, which most of them appeared unable to answer; still every little
difficulty was solved instantly when it reached Burns; her memory seemed to
have retained the substance of the whole lesson, and she was ready with answers
on every point. I kept expecting that Miss Scatcherd would praise her attention;
but, instead of that, she suddently cried out:
‘You dirty, disagreeable girl! You have never cleaned your nails
this morning!’
Burns made no answer: I wondered at her silence.
‘Why,’ I thought ‘does she not explain that she could neither
clean her nails nor wash her face, as the water was frozen?’
My attention was now called off by Miss Smith desiring me to hold
a skein of thread: while she was winding it, she talked to me
from time to time asking whether I had ever been at school before, whether I
could mark, stitch, knit etc; till she dismissed me I could
not pursue my observations on Miss Scatcherd’s
movements. When I returned to my seat that lady was just delivering an
order, of which I did not catch the import; but Burns immediately left
the class, and, going into the small inner room where the books were kept,
returned in half a minute, carrying in her hand a bundle of twigs
tied together at one end. This ominous tool she
presented to Miss Scatcherd with a respectfulcourtsey; then she quietly,
and without being told, unloosed her pinafore, and the teacher instantly and
sharply inflicted on her neck a dozen strokes with
the bunch of twigs. Not a tear rose to Burns’s eyes; and, while I paused
from my sewing, because my fingers quivered at this spectacle with
a sentiment of unavailing and impotent anger,
not a feature of her pensive face altered its ordinary
expression.
‘Hardened girl!’ exclaimed Miss Scatcherd; ‘nothing can correct
you of your slatternlyhabits: carry the rod away.’
Burns obeyed: I looked at her narrowly as she emerged from the
book-closet; she was just putting back her handkerchief into her pocket, and
the trace of a tear glistened on her thin cheek.
Questions:
1. In your own words explain the sentence in bold
type. (Extract the keywords of
the sentences and use other words to explain them).
2. Make a list of the hardships that students
at Lowood School had to endure.
3. What kind of person is Miss Scatcherd?
4. Do you get any impression that Miss Smith is
different? Explain your answer.
5. Why, do you think, does Miss Scatcherd dislike
Burns?
6. Does Burns deserve her punishment? Explain
why.
7. Why doesn’t Burns cry when she is beaten?
8. What do we learn about what kind of person Burns
is?
9. Read again the extract and try and explain the
underlined words as used in the context. Below is a list of meanings
which you should match with the underlined words.
Comprehention 2nd passage..
The Age of Exploration
started in the 1400's. Europeans were desperate to get spices from Asia. Spices
were used to preserve foods and keep them from spoiling. Spices, however, were
expensive and dangerous to get. European rulers began to pay for explorations
to find a sea route to Asia so they could get spices cheaper. Portugal was
the first country that sent explorers to search for the sea route to Asia.
After Bartholomew Dias and his crew made it to Africa's Cape of Good Hope,
Vasco da Gama and his crew became the first to sail around Africa and through
the Indian Ocean to India. Spain, however, would soon take over the lead in
exploration. When Portugal refused to finance Christopher Columbus' idea to
sail west to find the shortcut to the Indies, Columbus convinced Spain's King
Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to finance it. On October 12, 1492, Christopher
Columbus and his crew reached the island of Hispaniola. Although Columbus
believed he had reached Asia, he had actually discovered the entire continent of
North America and claimed it for Spain. Spain quickly colonized North
America. Ponce de Leon discovered Florida, and the first European settlement in
the New World was later established at St. Augustine. Hernando Cortes crushed
the Aztec empire in Mexico and claimed it for Spain. Francisco Pizarro did the
same to the Incan Empire in South America. Other explorers such as Francisco
Coronado and Hernando de Soto claimed other portions of North America for
Spain. Vasco Nunez de Balboa even claimed the entire Pacific Ocean for Spain.
As the Spanish empire grew, explorers forced native populations into slavery
and to convert to Christianity. Meanwhile, France began to explore North
America. Explorations by Giovanni Verrazano and Jacques Cartier resulted in French
claims of much of Canada and the north Atlantic coast. England would soon
attempt to make its presence known by financing pirates such as Francis Drake
to plunder Spanish settlements and steal gold from Spanish sea vessels. England
also established a settlement in North Carolina in 1587. Territorial disputes
and constant pirating resulted in a series of major wars between the competing
nations. In 1588, the British Army defeated the vaunted Spanish Armada. The
British victory proved a serious blow to Spanish influence in the New
World.Although Spain still controlled much of the New World after defeat,
England and France were able to accelerate their colonization. England soon
established successful colonies throughout the eastern portions of the United States,
and France had colonies in Canada and the middle portions of the United States.
By the mid 1700's, new territorial disputes between England and France
eventually resulted in England gaining control over much of North America after
the French and Indian War. English colonies flourished in North America until
1776 when the colonists declared their independence. The Revolutionary War
ensued and resulted in independence for the colonists. The United States of
America was formed.
1. What country was the
first to send explorers to search for a sea route to the Asia?
- Spain
- England
- Portugal
- France
2. Who was the first
explorer to sail through the Indian Ocean to India?
- Christopher
Columbus
- Vasco Nunez de
Balboa
- Vasco da Gama
- Hernando Cortes
3. Christopher Columbus
believed he had reached _____________.
4. Select all of the
following that were claimed by Spain.
- Florida
- Pacific Ocean
- Canada
- South America
5. What country
established the first permanent European settlement in the New World?
- Spain
- England
- France
- Portugal
6. What happened first?
- October 12, 1492
- Vasco da Gama sails
to India.
- Ponce de Leon
discovers Florida
- Vasco Nunez de
Balboa claims the Pacific Ocean for Spain
7. What happened last?
- 1588
- The English
establish a settlement in North Carolina.
- The Revolutionary
War
- Vasco Nunez de
Balboa discovers the Pacific Ocean
8. Which of the
following best describes why the Age of Exploration occurred?
England and
Spain wanted to expand their empires.
- Spain had claimed
North and South America
- European rules
wanted to find a cheaper way to obtain spices from Asia.
- The English
defeated the Spanish Armada.
9. Select all of the
following that are true.
- The English defeated the
Spanish Armada in 1587.
- Vasco da Gama claimed the
Pacific Ocean for Spain.
- Hernando Cortes conquered the
Incan empire in South America.
- Explorations by Giovanni
Verrazano and Jacques Cartier resulted in French claims of much of Canada
10. Select all of the
following that are not true.
- Sir Francis Drake was an
English pirate.
- Spain was the first country to
search for a sea route to the Asia.
- Spices were used to preserve
food.
- Vasco da Gama sailed for Spain.