diff --git a/repl/repl.go b/repl/repl.go
index 94f8947e..0bb43ad6 100644
--- a/repl/repl.go
+++ b/repl/repl.go
@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@ var interrupted = make(chan os.Signal, 1)
 // variable named "context" to a context.Context that is cancelled by a
 // SIGINT (Control-C). Client-supplied global functions may use this
 // context to make long-running operations interruptable.
-//
 func REPL(thread *starlark.Thread, globals starlark.StringDict) {
 	signal.Notify(interrupted, os.Interrupt)
 	defer signal.Stop(interrupted)
@@ -152,7 +151,7 @@ func PrintError(err error) {
 // MakeLoad returns a simple sequential implementation of module loading
 // suitable for use in the REPL.
 // Each function returned by MakeLoad accesses a distinct private cache.
-func MakeLoad() func(thread *starlark.Thread, module string) (starlark.StringDict, error) {
+func MakeLoad() func(thread *starlark.Thread, module string) (starlark.StringDictLike, error) {
 	type entry struct {
 		globals starlark.StringDict
 		err     error
@@ -160,7 +159,7 @@ func MakeLoad() func(thread *starlark.Thread, module string) (starlark.StringDic
 
 	var cache = make(map[string]*entry)
 
-	return func(thread *starlark.Thread, module string) (starlark.StringDict, error) {
+	return func(thread *starlark.Thread, module string) (starlark.StringDictLike, error) {
 		e, ok := cache[module]
 		if e == nil {
 			if ok {
diff --git a/starlark/eval.go b/starlark/eval.go
index 949cb934..b515948a 100644
--- a/starlark/eval.go
+++ b/starlark/eval.go
@@ -24,6 +24,13 @@ import (
 	"go.starlark.net/syntax"
 )
 
+// StringDictLike is an interface for a dictionary of Starlark values.
+type StringDictLike interface {
+	Get(string) Value
+	Has(string) bool
+	Keys() []string
+}
+
 // A Thread contains the state of a Starlark thread,
 // such as its call stack and thread-local storage.
 // The Thread is threaded throughout the evaluator.
@@ -45,7 +52,7 @@ type Thread struct {
 	// The error message need not include the module name.
 	//
 	// See example_test.go for some example implementations of Load.
-	Load func(thread *Thread, module string) (StringDict, error)
+	Load func(thread *Thread, module string) (StringDictLike, error)
 
 	// OnMaxSteps is called when the thread reaches the limit set by SetMaxExecutionSteps.
 	// The default behavior is to call thread.Cancel("too many steps").
@@ -184,6 +191,9 @@ func (d StringDict) Freeze() {
 // Has reports whether the dictionary contains the specified key.
 func (d StringDict) Has(key string) bool { _, ok := d[key]; return ok }
 
+// Get returns the value associated with the specified key.
+func (d StringDict) Get(key string) Value { return d[key] }
+
 // A frame records a call to a Starlark function (including module toplevel)
 // or a built-in function or method.
 type frame struct {
@@ -342,9 +352,16 @@ func (prog *Program) Write(out io.Writer) error {
 //
 // If ExecFile fails during evaluation, it returns an *EvalError
 // containing a backtrace.
-func ExecFile(thread *Thread, filename string, src interface{}, predeclared StringDict) (StringDict, error) {
+func ExecFile(thread *Thread, filename string, src interface{}, predeclared StringDictLike) (StringDict, error) {
+	var has func(string) bool
+	if predeclared != nil {
+		has = predeclared.Has
+	} else {
+		has = func(string) bool { return false }
+	}
+
 	// Parse, resolve, and compile a Starlark source file.
-	_, mod, err := SourceProgram(filename, src, predeclared.Has)
+	_, mod, err := SourceProgram(filename, src, has)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -418,7 +435,7 @@ func CompiledProgram(in io.Reader) (*Program, error) {
 // Init creates a set of global variables for the program,
 // executes the toplevel code of the specified program,
 // and returns a new, unfrozen dictionary of the globals.
-func (prog *Program) Init(thread *Thread, predeclared StringDict) (StringDict, error) {
+func (prog *Program) Init(thread *Thread, predeclared StringDictLike) (StringDict, error) {
 	toplevel := makeToplevelFunction(prog.compiled, predeclared)
 
 	_, err := Call(thread, toplevel, nil, nil)
@@ -479,7 +496,7 @@ func ExecREPLChunk(f *syntax.File, thread *Thread, globals StringDict) error {
 	return err
 }
 
-func makeToplevelFunction(prog *compile.Program, predeclared StringDict) *Function {
+func makeToplevelFunction(prog *compile.Program, predeclared StringDictLike) *Function {
 	// Create the Starlark value denoted by each program constant c.
 	constants := make([]Value, len(prog.Constants))
 	for i, c := range prog.Constants {
@@ -556,7 +573,7 @@ func EvalExpr(thread *Thread, expr syntax.Expr, env StringDict) (Value, error) {
 
 // ExprFunc returns a no-argument function
 // that evaluates the expression whose source is src.
-func ExprFunc(filename string, src interface{}, env StringDict) (*Function, error) {
+func ExprFunc(filename string, src interface{}, env StringDictLike) (*Function, error) {
 	expr, err := syntax.ParseExpr(filename, src, 0)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -565,7 +582,7 @@ func ExprFunc(filename string, src interface{}, env StringDict) (*Function, erro
 }
 
 // makeExprFunc returns a no-argument function whose body is expr.
-func makeExprFunc(expr syntax.Expr, env StringDict) (*Function, error) {
+func makeExprFunc(expr syntax.Expr, env StringDictLike) (*Function, error) {
 	locals, err := resolve.Expr(expr, env.Has, Universe.Has)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
diff --git a/starlark/eval_test.go b/starlark/eval_test.go
index 9ffd1794..8f7af9c3 100644
--- a/starlark/eval_test.go
+++ b/starlark/eval_test.go
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ func (it *fibIterator) Next(p *starlark.Value) bool {
 func (it *fibIterator) Done() {}
 
 // load implements the 'load' operation as used in the evaluator tests.
-func load(thread *starlark.Thread, module string) (starlark.StringDict, error) {
+func load(thread *starlark.Thread, module string) (starlark.StringDictLike, error) {
 	if module == "assert.star" {
 		return starlarktest.LoadAssertModule()
 	}
@@ -588,7 +588,7 @@ def f(x):
 f(0)
 `
 	thread := new(starlark.Thread)
-	thread.Load = func(t *starlark.Thread, module string) (starlark.StringDict, error) {
+	thread.Load = func(t *starlark.Thread, module string) (starlark.StringDictLike, error) {
 		return starlark.ExecFile(new(starlark.Thread), module, loadedSrc, nil)
 	}
 	_, err := starlark.ExecFile(thread, "root.star", src, nil)
diff --git a/starlark/example_test.go b/starlark/example_test.go
index 5feca385..1625c58d 100644
--- a/starlark/example_test.go
+++ b/starlark/example_test.go
@@ -92,8 +92,8 @@ func ExampleThread_Load_sequential() {
 
 	cache := make(map[string]*entry)
 
-	var load func(_ *starlark.Thread, module string) (starlark.StringDict, error)
-	load = func(_ *starlark.Thread, module string) (starlark.StringDict, error) {
+	var load func(_ *starlark.Thread, module string) (starlark.StringDictLike, error)
+	load = func(_ *starlark.Thread, module string) (starlark.StringDictLike, error) {
 		e, ok := cache[module]
 		if e == nil {
 			if ok {
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ func ExampleThread_Load_sequential() {
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	fmt.Println(globals["c"])
+	fmt.Println(globals.Get("c"))
 
 	// Output:
 	// "Hello, world!"
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ func (c *cache) doLoad(cc *cycleChecker, module string) (starlark.StringDict, er
 	thread := &starlark.Thread{
 		Name:  "exec " + module,
 		Print: func(_ *starlark.Thread, msg string) { fmt.Println(msg) },
-		Load: func(_ *starlark.Thread, module string) (starlark.StringDict, error) {
+		Load: func(_ *starlark.Thread, module string) (starlark.StringDictLike, error) {
 			// Tunnel the cycle-checker state for this "thread of loading".
 			return c.get(cc, module)
 		},
diff --git a/starlark/interp.go b/starlark/interp.go
index b41905a0..57a6a308 100644
--- a/starlark/interp.go
+++ b/starlark/interp.go
@@ -575,15 +575,14 @@ loop:
 
 			for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
 				from := string(stack[sp-1-i].(String))
-				v, ok := dict[from]
-				if !ok {
+				if ok := dict.Has(from); !ok {
 					err = fmt.Errorf("load: name %s not found in module %s", from, module)
 					if n := spell.Nearest(from, dict.Keys()); n != "" {
 						err = fmt.Errorf("%s (did you mean %s?)", err, n)
 					}
 					break loop
 				}
-				stack[sp-1-i] = v
+				stack[sp-1-i] = dict.Get(from)
 			}
 
 		case compile.SETLOCAL:
@@ -640,7 +639,7 @@ loop:
 
 		case compile.PREDECLARED:
 			name := f.Prog.Names[arg]
-			x := fn.module.predeclared[name]
+			x := fn.module.predeclared.Get(name)
 			if x == nil {
 				err = fmt.Errorf("internal error: predeclared variable %s is uninitialized", name)
 				break loop
diff --git a/starlark/value.go b/starlark/value.go
index da217951..7aee0535 100644
--- a/starlark/value.go
+++ b/starlark/value.go
@@ -691,7 +691,7 @@ type Function struct {
 // All functions in the same program share a module.
 type module struct {
 	program     *compile.Program
-	predeclared StringDict
+	predeclared StringDictLike
 	globals     []Value
 	constants   []Value
 }
diff --git a/starlarkstruct/struct_test.go b/starlarkstruct/struct_test.go
index 4f103bdf..52dd9929 100644
--- a/starlarkstruct/struct_test.go
+++ b/starlarkstruct/struct_test.go
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ func Test(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 // load implements the 'load' operation as used in the evaluator tests.
-func load(thread *starlark.Thread, module string) (starlark.StringDict, error) {
+func load(thread *starlark.Thread, module string) (starlark.StringDictLike, error) {
 	if module == "assert.star" {
 		return starlarktest.LoadAssertModule()
 	}