Exercise 11A, page 2 - English File Studetn's book, pre-intermediate, Oxford

2 READING

a Look at the three photos. What do you know about the people? When they were at school, who do you think was probably...?

• the most popular student

• the most unpopular student

• the quietest student

b Read the article and check your answers.

c Read the article again. Answer with the name of the famous person (e.g. J.K. Rowling) or their teacher (e.g. J.K. Rowling's teacher).

Who...?

1. can explain why some people didn't like his pupil

2. had family problems while he/she was at school

3. sometimes sees his old pupil perform

4. thinks he is similar to a character in his pupil's books

5. thought he/she was better than other students

6. was not very interested in what he/she became famous for

d When you were at school, what do you think your teachers thought of you?

Fame Academy

They grew up to become famous. But what were they like when they were at school? Did they already have that 'spark' that made them different? We asked their teachers.

Alex Turner lead singer and songwriter of Arctic Monkeys

Mark Coleman, his PE teacher

Everyone liked Alex. He was very good at English. Mr Baker, his English teacher, really liked poetry, and I'm sure Alex was inspired by him because his song lyrics are incredible. But he didn't use to be very interested in music, he was much more interested in sports – he was possibly the best in the school at basketball. When he was 14 he broke his arm in my PE lesson. He was in hospital for a week, and we collected money and bought him a CD, so he was probably beginning to get interested in music. Everyone at the school is very proud of the band, and I'm sometimes invited to their concerts.

J.K. Rowling author

John Nettleship, her science teacher

Joanne was about 12 when I taught her. Her school days weren't very happy. The school was a bit like a prison, and then her mum, Anne, got seriously ill. Anne worked as my technician, and Joanne used to come and wait outside the science building for her mum, so that they could walk home together. She was obviously very worried about her mum. She was a very quiet child. I don't remember her ever answering a question. I think she was keeping all her experiences in her head to use later in her stories. Joanne has said that no characters in Harry Potter are based more than 10% on a real person. So perhaps it's just a coincidence that I used to have long, black hair. But to be honest, I think Professor Snape, especially in the later books, is very like me.

Jude Law actor

Mike Jones, his housemaster

Jude was bullied at his first secondary school so he changed schools when he was 14 and came to us. He didn't know anybody, but that wasn't a problem for him. He adapted very quickly, which shows his confidence. He quickly started acting in school plays, and he used to get fantastic reviews in the school magazine. He was clever, but some teachers thought he was arrogant. Some of his classmates thought the same and he wasn't very popular with them. Other boys were jealous of him because the girls usually liked him.

Glossary

Professor Snape the potions teacher in the Harry Potter books

housemaster teacher in charge of a house in a boarding school

be bullied be badly treated physically or mentally by other people, e.g. by other children at school

Прочитайте статью еще раз. Ответьте, указав имя известного человека (например, Дж. К. Роулинг) или его учителя (например, учителя Дж. К. Роулинг). Кто...?

Ответ:

1. может объяснить, почему некоторым людям не нравился его ученик
Mike Jones (Jude Law's teacher) / Майк Джонс (учитель Джуда Лоу)

2. имел(а) семейные проблемы во время учебы в школе
J.K. Rowling / Дж. К. Роулинг

3. иногда видит выступления своего бывшего ученика
Mark Coleman (Alex Turner's teacher) / Марк Коулман (учитель Алекса Тернера)

4. считает, что похож на персонажа из книг своего ученика
John Nettleship (J.K. Rowling's teacher) / Джон Неттлшип (учитель Дж. К. Роулинг)

5. думал(а), что он/она лучше других учеников
Jude Law / Джуд Лоу

6. не очень интересовался(-ась) тем, благодаря чему он/она стал(а) знаменит(а)
Alex Turner / Алекс Тернер

Когда вы учились в школе, что, по-вашему, думали о вас учителя?

Ответ:

I think most of my teachers thought I was a good student. I always tried to do my homework and was usually quiet in class. Maybe some of them thought I was a bit shy, but I hope they saw that I was trying hard. / Я думаю, большинство учителей считали меня хорошим учеником. Я всегда старался делать домашнее задание и обычно был тихим на уроках. Возможно, некоторые из них думали, что я немного застенчивый, но я надеюсь, они видели, что я усердно стараюсь.