Competences for life: Exploring literature p. 87

You are going to read a story entitled The Selfish Giant. Choose the correct alternative.

A giant generally appears in ________.
Selfish means ________.

Read the story. Then match the words in bold in the text to their Italian translation.

1 blossoms ________
2 gruff ________
3 dusty ________
4 frost ________
5 hail ________
6 weak ________

Match the words and phrases to the correct synonym or definition.

1 for the whole year ________
2 coat ________
3 make a loud, angry sound ________
4 a dark grey rock that can be divided into small flat pieces and used to cover roofs ________
5 very small ________

Read the explanation and then choose the correct alternative.

The hero / heroine of the story is a ________ character.

Choose the correct alternative.

1 The little children played ________.
2 When the Giant came back to his castle and saw the children ________.
3 Without the children playing it was always ________ in the Giant's garden.
4 One morning the Giant saw a little boy ________ in the corner of the garden.
5 The boy was ________.
6 The Giant ________.
7 The Giant ________.
8 The Giant got angry when he saw the marks of ________ on the little boy's hands and feet.
9 At the end of the story the children found the Giant ________ under the tree.

Complete the summary of the text with the correct words.

While the Giant was away, the children loved to play in the Giant's garden. It was a large garden, with soft green ________, beautiful flowers and twelve peach-trees. The birds sang and the children were happy. One day the Giant came back to his castle, saw the children playing in his own garden and ________, as he was very selfish. So he built a high wall all around it and didn't let the children in. Then the Spring came, but in the garden of the Selfish Giant it was still Winter. The birds did not ________ in it because there were no children, and the trees didn't ________. The Snow covered up the grass, and the Frost painted all the trees ________. Neither Spring nor Summer came. The Giant wondered why. One morning the Giant ________ the birds singing and looked out of the window: in every tree there was a little child and the trees were covered in blossoms. It was a lovely ________, and the Giant realised how ________ he had been. He took a great axe and knocked down the ________.

Choose the correct alternative. Then answer questions 2-5 in one or two sentences.

1 Which of the following words is NOT a synonym for selfish? ________
2 Do you remember a situation when you have been selfish? Why did you behave so?
3 Have you ever done something nice for other people? How did you feel afterwards?
4 Here are some easy tips to be less selfish: be a better listener, show interest in other people, learn to compromise. Can you think of other tips?
5 In which cases do you think it's OK to be a little selfish?