20 min
Reading, Listening and Vocabulary
1 topic
1 task
SPYMASTER
Mission 27
SNOW-WHITE
Yes, Snow-White (and the seven dwarves). Let's get distracted and focus on a fairy tale we know all too well.

Or do we?

Here's Roald Dahl's account of the events. First, read and try to guess the missing words. Then, listen and fill in the gaps with ONE word each and check yourself with the test below.

If the word doesn't sound familiar, use a good dictionary to figure it out.
Googling the text will be deemed a criminal offence!

When little Snow-White's mother died,
The King, her father, up and cried,
"Oh, what a (1)________! What a life!
Now I must find another wife."
(It's never easy for a King
To find himself that sort of thing.)

He wrote to every magazine
And said, "I'm looking for a Queen."
At least ten thousand girls replied
And (2)_______ to be the royal bride.
The king said with a (3)_______ smile,
"I'd like to give each one a trial."
However, in the end he chose
A lady called Miss Maclahose,
Who brought along a curious toy
That seemed to give her endless joy.
This was a mirror framed in (4)_______ –
A MAGIC TALKING LOOKING GLASS
Ask it something day or night,
It always got the answer right.
For instance, if you (5)______ to say,
"Oh Mirror, what's for lunch today?"

The thing would answer in a (6)__________
"Today it's (7)________ eggs and rice."
Now every day, week in week out
The spoiled and stupid Queen would shout
"Oh Mirror Mirror on the wall
Who is the (8)_______ of them all?"
The Mirror answered every time,
"Oh Madam, you're the Queen sublime
You are the only one to charm us,
Queen, you are the cat's (9)_______."

For ten whole years the silly Queen
Repeated this absurd routine
Then suddenly, one awful day
She heard the Magic Mirror say
"From now (10)___ Queen, you're number two
Snow-White is prettier than you."
The Queen went absolutely wild
She yelled, "I'm going to (11)______ that child."
"I'll cook her flaming goose, I'll skin her
I'll have her rotten (12)______ for dinner."
She called the Huntsman to her study
She shouted at him, "Listen, buddy,
You drag that (13)______ girl outside
And see you take her for a ride
(14)_________ slit her ribs apart
And bring me back her bleeding heart."
The Huntsman dragged the lovely child
Deep deep into the forest wild
Fearing the worst, poor Snow-White (15)_____
She cried, "Oh please give me a break."
The knife was (16)_______, the arm was strong
She cried again, "I've done no wrong."
The Huntsman's heart began to (17)_______
It melted like a pound of butter.
He (18)________, "Okay, beat it, kid."
And you can bet your life she did!
Later, the Huntsman made a stop
Within the local butcher's shop
And there he bought, for safety's sake
A (19)________ heart and one nice steak
"Oh Majesty! Oh Queen," he cried
"That rotten little girl has died.
And just to prove I didn't cheat
I've brought along these bits of meat."
The Queen cried out, "Bravissimo
I trust you killed her nice and slow."
Then (this is the (20)_______ part)
The Queen sat down and ate the heart.
(I only hope she cooked it well
Boiled heart can be as tough as hell!)

While all this was going on
Oh where, oh where had Snow-White gone?
She'd found it easy, being pretty
To (21)______ a ride into the city
And there she'd got a job, unpaid
As general cook and (22)_______ maid
With seven funny little men
Each one not more than three foot ten
Ex horse-race (23)_______, all of them
These seven dwarfs, though awfully nice,
Were guilty of one shocking (24)_____:
They (25)________ all of their resources
At the race-track backing horses.
(When they hadn't backed a winner
None of them got any dinner.)
One evening, Snow-White said, "Look here,
I think I've got a great idea.
Just leave it all to me, okay,
And no more gambling till I say."
That very night, at (26)________
Young Snow-White hitched another ride
And then, when it was very late
She (27)_______ in through the Palace gate
The King was in his counting house
Counting out his money
The Queen was in the (28)_______
Eating bread and honey
The (29)_______ and the servants slept
So no one saw her as she crept
On tip-toe through the (30)________ hall
And grabbed THE MIRROR off the wall

As soon as she had got it home
She told the Senior Dwarf (or (31)_______)
To ask it what he wished to know
"Go on," she shouted, "Have a go."
He said, "Oh Mirror, please don't joke
Each one of us is (32)______ broke
Which horse will win tomorrow's race,
The Ascot Gold Cup Steeple-chase?"
The Mirror whispered sweet and low
"The horse's name is Mistletoe."
The Dwarfs went absolutely (33)______
They kissed young Snow-White fore and aft
Then rushed away to raise some (34)_______
With which to back old Mistletoe
They (35)______ their watches, sold the car
They borrowed money near and far.
(For much of it they had to thank
The Manager of Barclays Bank.)

They went to Ascot and of course
For (36)______ they backed the winning horse.
Thereafter, every single day
The Mirror made the (37)________ pay.
Each Dwarf and Snow-White got a share
And each was soon a millionaire,
Which shows that gambling's not a sin
(38)_________ that you always win.
END OF GUIDE
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Field Practice
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