2. Дайте письменные ответы на следующие вопросы:

1. Why do the paintings of Van Gogh look strange to many people?

2. When did the most artists begin to break away from realistic ways of paining?

3. What did the XXIst centures’ artists concentrate on?

4. What is abstract art?

5. Where can the examples of abstract art be found?

6. What kind of art do the great numbers of people still prefer?

7. What has influenced modern art?

8. Can you name the abstract art’s painters?

3. Найдите в тексте английские эквиваленты следующих слов:

1) беспорядочная смесь линий и цвета

2) воображаемый пейзаж

3) особый стиль

4) отходить от реалистичного написания

5) сосредотачиваться на форме, цвете

6) эксперементировать с различными способами передачи объектов

4. Укажите номера синонимичных пар слов

1) to puzzle a) scenery

2) personality b) to include

3) to contain c) exposition

4) exhibition d) to confuse

5) landscape e) individuality

5. Переведите предложения на русский язык и определите видовременную форму сказуемого.

1. Before the XX centure even when imaginary scenes were painted, the elements of the picture could usually be identified.

2. The kind of art is often called abstract art.

3. A painting by Van Gogh, for example, can easily be recognised — it has his personal stamp.

4. The exhibition of abstract art will be held in the Museum of Modern Art next week.

6. Переведите на русский язык, определите типы придаточных предложений.

1. Have you ever seen a painting that puzzled you?

2. Because of his particular style, his paintings look strange to many people.

3. No tree ever looked quite like a Van Gogh tree, but his trees are still clearly trees.

Раздел 5. Устные темы

My Family

I am Alex Sidorov. I am eighteen years old. There are five of us in my family.

My mother is a teacher of biology. She works at a college. She likes her profession. She is forty-four. My father is a computer programmer. He works in a big firm. He likes his profession too. He is forty-six. My parents have been married for twenty-six years. They have much in common. They are hard-working people.

My sister Helen is twenty-five. She has a family of her own. She has got a son. He is my nephew. He is very little. He is only two. Helen doesn’t work, she is a housewife.

I also have got a younger brother. His name is Pete. He is ten. He is a schoolboy.

As for me, I am a first-year student of Samara State Academy of Culture and Arts. I want to become a public relations manager.

We have a lot of relatives. We like each other and we get on very well.

My Working Day

I am a first-year student of Samara State Academy of Culture and Arts. I’m an extra-mural student. So I have examination sessions twice a year. I combine work with study, so my working day is very busy.

Usually I get up at about 7 o’clock. Then I take a shower and brush my teeth. After that I get dressed and comb my hair. Then I have breakfast.

I usually leave for my work at about 10 minutes past eight. I live far from my work, so I go to the office by bus. It takes me 30 minutes to get there. I am a (название профессии). My working day starts at 9 o’clock. Usually I have a break at 2 o’clock. This time I have lunch. My working day is over at 5 o’clock and I go home.

I come back home at about 6 in the evening. I have supper and have a rest for a while. Sometimes I watch TV or read books. At about eleven o’clock I go to bed.

The Samara State Academy of Culture and Arts

The Samara State Academy of Culture and Arts was founded in 1971. The academy has two buildings and two hostels. There is also a big library, computer laboratories, multimedia classes, computer musical complex, editing and publishing centre, audiovisual studio, several museums. The Museum of the Academy, the Museum of Ethnography and the Book Museum are the most interesting.

The Academy includes 5 Institutes, post graduate courses and the Information Centre.

The high status of the Academy is supported by intensive concert, theatre and show performance activities. Talented students are given opportunities to participate in Russian and International contests and festivals.

Students’ life is full of events. There are long-standing and well-working student clubs and societies. There are a lot of sporting contests and events, which help the healthy way of life of the students and teachers.

Samara

Samara is one of the largest industrial cities of Russia. It is situated on the bank of the Volga River. Samara was founded in 1586 as a fortress on the eastern border of Russia. Soon Samara became an ordinary town, which grew rapidly and became a province center.

In 1941 many governmental institutions, the Bolshoi theater, all foreign embassies were transferred from Moscow to Kuibyshev and it became the second capital of the country.

The population of the city is more than one million people. The historical part of the city is well preserved. There are many monuments of history, culture and architecture there.

Today Samara is a big cultural center of Russia. The city has two nationally acclaimed theatres – the Drama Theatre and the Opera-and-Ballet House. Samara has one of the best art galleries in the Volga region. Samara was the first Russian city to open a gallery of children’s art. Samara maintains economic relations with over 70 countries of the world, the USA, Germany, France, Italy etc.

The Russian Federation

The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. Its total area is about 17 million square kilometers. There is hardly a country in the world with such a variety of scenery and vegetation.

There are two Great Plains in Russia: The Great Russian Plain and the West Siberian Lowland. There are several mountain chains on the territory of the country: the Urals and the Caucasus, the Altai and others.

There are over two million rivers in Russia. Europe’s biggest river is the Volga.

Russia is rich in beautiful lakes. The world’s deepest lake is Lake Baikal. The water in the Lake is so clear that if you look down you can count the stones on the bottom.

Russia has one-sixth of the world’s forests. They are concentrated in the European north of the country, in Siberia and in the Far East.

On the vast territory of the country there are various types of climate, from arctic in the north to subtropical in the south. In the middle of the country the climate is temperate and continental.

Russia is very rich in oil, coal, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel and other mineral resources.

Russia is a constitutional republic. The head of the state is the President.

The capital of Russia is Moscow. It is the largest political, scientific, cultural and industrial city. It is one of the oldest Russian cities.

The United Kingdom

The official name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The country is located on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands and many smaller ones. The two large islands are Great Britain and Ireland.

The country is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the English Channel and the North Sea. The Irish Sea separates Great Britain from Ireland. The English Channel separated the UK from the Continent. Recently the English Channel Tunnel, which links France and England, has been built.

The geographical position has made the UK a commercial and maritime power. The United Kingdom is made up of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The capital of Great Britain is London, which is more than twenty centuries old. The British Isles have many rivers, but they are not very long. The Severn in England is the longest river. However, the most important river is the Thames.

There are many beautiful lakes, but no great forests on the British Isles today. There are many mountains in the north of England and in Scotland, but they are not very high.

The population of the United Kingdom is above 57 million. The main nationalities are the English and the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish. Each of these four nationalities has their own language and culture.

The UK is a constitutional monarchy. In law, the Head of State is the Queen. In practice, the Queen reigns, but does not rule. The country is ruled by the elected government with the Prime Minister at the head. The British Parliament consists of two chambers the House of Lords and The House of Commons.

Polenov

Polenov Victor Dmitriyevich (1844 – 1927)

V.D. Polenov, a fine landscape painter, a scene painter and a teacher was closely connected with the Society of Travelling Art Exhibitions. He desplayed his works at the travelling exhibitions for many years.

He studied at Petersburg University and at the same time attended academic classes and graduated from the Academy of Arts in 1872. A many-sided artist he was interested in historical and commonplace subjects, but landscapes were particularly important in his work, playing a major role in all his compositions. Polenov's services in the sphere of landscape-painting were considerable, he helped to develope a national landscape that was both rich in content and lyrical. His lyrical landscapes attract by their delicate play of light, feeling of air, their well-thought-out compositions.

He attached special significance to the depiction of light, colour and air.

My Future Profession

“What should I choose as my future profession?” – this is a question that every young person asks himself entering the adult world. Of course, it’s not an easy thing to choose a profession out of more than 2,000 existing in the world. It’s especially difficult if you like doing different things, if you have different hobbies and interests.

Almost half of a person’s life passes at work. So it’s extremely important to make the right choice of a profession. Psychologists believe that the choice of a future profession must be in accordance with the individual’s talents and abilities. In order to make the right choice you have to analyze your interests and abilities and try to understand what you’d like to achieve in your life.

For example, I like biology. I adore animals, plants, insects, and all forms of life. I spend many hours reading books about wild nature, characters and habits of animals, underwater life etc. I believe that nature is so mysterious and powerful, that it’s natural to admire it and to devote all your life to its exploration.

But it’s not my only hobby. Most of all I like painting and I want to be an artist. As a child, I began to draw everything I saw around myself. I drew my parents, my friends, my kitten, flowers and other things. Then I entered art school and began to study painting.

My parents doubt this is the right decision. They say this profession demands on you to give it all your energy and passion and one must be fully dedicated to it in order to achieve perfection. At the same time nowadays it’s difficult to earn your living with painting. But I don’t agree with them.

I think that modern life open new horizons for artists and they can work in many fields today. Many artists work as designers for advertising agencies or for web design studios. Yes, there are many designers who draw with computer programs like Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator, but the skill of drawing by hand is highly appreciated in many design studios. Besides, such job demands not only computer knowledge, but also creative thinking of an artist.

So I look in my future with optimism and hope to become an artist.