Английский язык. Бабушкин А.П - 11 стр.

                                          11

                                    Working Children
        Almost since time began children have helped their parents at home. In the
1700s, a great change was taking place in England. Cloth and other things which had
been made by hand in homes were now made by machines in factories. New inven-
tions caused this change, which was called the Industrial Revolution. Children then
began to work outside their homes.
        Factory owners liked children to work for them. They had small hands and
could work the cloth-making machines quicker than an adult. They worked for little
money and did as they were told.
        But the factory owners were often cruel to the children. Five- and six-year-old
children were chained to their machines. They often worked as long as 16 hours a
day. They did not have nice places to live and were not fed enough. They did not go
to school. Sometimes they were taken away from their parents and did not see them
again.
        At last, the government in England began to make laws that helped the chil-
dren. One of these laws was passed in 1819. It said that children under nine years old
could not work in factories. In time, the laws of most countries protected their chil-
dren.
Are these statements true or false?
1. Children were traditionally taught skills necessary to produce handmade goods.
2. The Industrial Revolution brought about great changes. One of them was employ-
   ing large numbers of children.
3. It was extremely difficult for employers to treat children cruelly because they eas-
   ily organised industrial action.
4. Children working in factories were deprived of their most basic rights.
5. In Britain special laws were passed by Parliament to protect children
2. Do the following test. Choose the correct answer (A, B or C). Only one
answer is correct.
1. Sharks __________ sharp teeth.
a) there are b) have got c) has got
2. She usually __________ tennis at the weekend.
a) plays b) is playing c) play
3. “__________ have you lived in England?” “Five years.”
a) How long b) How often c) How much
4. He __________ an interesting book last week.
a) read b) has read c) reads
5. Have you posted the letter __________?
a) still b) yet c) already
6. This building is now a furniture shop. It __________ be a cinema.
a) used b) use c) used to
7. The people __________ out of the cinema when the bomb exploded.
a) were coming b) came c) has come
8. The great defensive wall in the north of England __________ by the Romans.
a) built b) had built c) was built