Vocabulary:

to switch on - включати

tape-recorder - магнітофон

to reflect - відображати

mood - настрій

to attend - відвідувати

to cover - покривати

poster - плакат

to compose – творити, писати (музику)

ungifted – необдарований, звичайний

stage - сцена

Questions:

1. Do you like music?

2. What kind of music do you like?

3. Are there many people fond of music?

4. Does music help you?

5. What are your favourite singers?

6. Did you go to the musical school?

Спеціальність: Образотворче мистецтво

My Favourite English Painter

From early times Englishmen have been great collectors and travellers. The general level of art in Great Britain has always been high. But it has never reached that of France and Italy. Many greatest foreign masters were attracted to Britain by lavish rewards and honours. Among them were the Flemish Anthony Van Dyck, Harts Holbein of German extraction. They were the originators of the brilliant school of English painting.

As for me, William Hogarth is the most colourful figure, whose paintings attract by their singular originality. Hogarth wrote series of paintings which, like acts of a drama, were bound together by a plot. His famous series are "A Harlot's Progress", "A Rake's Progress" and "Marriage a la Mande". In a few years came another series "Elections". In them Hogarth displays the English state system, her statesmen and the evil practices going on during election campaigns.

Hogarth didn't want to follow the vogue and copy the old masters: the truth life, the every day reality seemed to be of greater importance. He breaks off with the old style. Hogarth is the creator of his own method. His contemporaries called Hogarth's style the "modern moral subject". Hogarth's realism paved new ways for English art. William Thackeray in his book "The English Humourists of the 18th century" describes William Hogarth in the following way: "...he's a jovial honest London citizen, stout and sturdy man, who has a proper bourgeas scorn for everything pretentious and false.

Vocabulary:

level – рівень

lavish – щедрий, марнотратний

reward – нагорода

vogue – мода

contemporary – сучасник

jovial – веселий

stout – відважний

sturdy - здоровий

Questions:

1. Is the level of art in Great Britain high?

2. William Hogarth is the most colourful artist of 18th century, doesn't he?

3. What Hogarth’s series of painting do you know?

4. Did Hogarth create his own method of painting?

5. How does William Thackeray describe Hogarth in his book?

Спеціальність: Культурологія

Theatre

Theatre is a place where you can see a play staged. It is also one of entertainments. A theatre consists of two parts: the stage and the hall. They are separated by a curtain and the orchestra. Actors and actresses perform on the stage and public occupes the hall, the pit, the dress-circles, the boxes and the gallery. If we made up our mind to go to the theatre we should go to the box-office to buy tickets. Seats can be reserved beforehand. The last performance I saw was the "Nut Cracker" by Tchaikovsky. How great it was! The main parts were perfomed by Vadim Pisarev and Inna Dorofeeva. Everyone knows that they are very talented dancers. But I also was impressed by a very young ballet-ancer who was performing the part of Masha girl. I think she deserves respect of the audience because she did her best and looked great for her young age. I had a great time that night.

But we are to admit that theatre is not popular now as it used to be. There are many people who prefer to seat comfortably before the TV and enjoy themselves without leaving their homes.