Read the conversation and answer the questions.
What do we learn about ...
1 the year 1812?
2 Dickens’ first job?
3 his books?
4 Dickens’ wife?
5 Dickens’ early life?
6 the year 1870?
7 Dickens’ last book?
Vicky: I know that Charles Dickens is considered to be a great English writer, but that is all I know about him. Can you tell me something more about him?
Dave: Yes, he’s very famous not only in Britain, but also in many other countries in the world. He was born in 1812 and he lived in London. He wrote a lot of books, and he also like acting.
Vicky: He was an actor! That’s interesting. Maybe that’s why his books were so good.
Dave: Maybe it is. He gave public readings of his popular stories.
Vicky: Did he? So did he become famous very quickly?
Dave: Yes, he did. His stories first appeared in a magazine, in parts. People always wanted the next part.
Vicky: What is his most famous book?
Dave: Well, he wrote a lot, and most of them are popular. There are films and plays of them as well: Oliver Twist became a famous musical play, and Great Expectations was a wonderful film.
Vicky: Have you read his book?
Dave: Yes, I have read some of them. May favorite was Bleak House.
Vicky: And what about Dickens’ life? Did he marry? Did he have children?
Dave: Dickens’ early life was very hard. His family was poor, and his mother sent him out of work in a factory when he was 12. he hated it, but he used his experiences in his writing. He married Catherine Hogarth and they had a big family.
Vicky: Did he continue to write until he died?
Dave: Yes, he did. When he died in 1870, he was writing a story.
Vicky: That’s sad. We will never know how it ended, will we?
Dave: No, we will not.