Museums and Art Galleries

Every country has museums and art galleries. Some of them are world famous. A museum is a place where various collections of works of art are displayed. There are different kinds of museums: history museums, museums of art, archaeological museums, science museums and others.   One of the biggest museums in Moscow is the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts which houses one of the world's largest collections of the ancient, oriental and classical art. You can see sculptures, paintings and other works of art by world-famous artists. The museum holds one of the biggest collections of Ancient Egyptian Art.

The Tretyakov Gallery is one of the biggest art galleries in the world. It was founded by a Russian merchant, Tretyakov, who gave his private collection of paintings to Moscow. The Gallery has a great collection of works by Russian famous painters. It consists of seven departments. You can see portraits, seascapes, landscapes and other genres of painting there.

St. Petersburg, which once was the capital of Russia, is famous for its museums, too. The Hermitage is one of the biggest museums in the world. A lot of permanent and temporary exhibitions are displayed there. The museum consists of six buildings. The most famous are: Winter Palace and the Hermitage. You can see portraits of Russian tsars, Roman statues, works of Western European Art, Egyptian Art and Oriental Art there.

If you go to Great Britain you should definitely visit the British Museum in London. The museum is very big and you can see works of art in glass, stone, gold and also a few collections on natural history there. The Tower of London is another big museum in London. It used to be a treasury, a prison, an observatory and even a zoo. The Tower of London hosts a big collection of arms and jewels. The United States of America is famous for its museums and galleries, too. There is the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. It consists of several museums and art galleries that are free and open to the public. The National Portrait Gallery has a big collection of those who played an important role in the history and culture of the USA. The National Museum of Natural History is popular with children. The museum contains one of the world’s largest scientific collection: exhibits on human culture, evolution, dinosaurs, birds, animals, sea life, meteorites, plants, rocks and minerals.

Another famous museum is the National Air and Space Museum. It houses the world’s most expensive collection of aircrafts and spacecrafts. Visitors can see exhibits on the history of air crafting and watch documentaries in the IMAX movie theatre that is situated inside the building. The National Museum of American History explores America’s scientific, cultural and political history. It also houses the first American flag. All museums are very interesting to visit. Museums and art galleries give us an opportunity to learn facts about art, history and culture of different peoples and countries.

Exercise 2 Answer the following questions

What are the most popular arts? 2. What musical genres can you name? 3. What music do you like to listen to? 4. What theatres are there in Moscow? 5. Are you a theatergoer? 6. Are theatres still popular? 7. Are you fond of painting? 8. What is the biggest gallery in the world? 9. What can you see in Great Britain? 10. What museums can you see in the USA?

Exercise 3 Translate and memorize the following expressions from the text

To fascinate, to touch, musical genres, classical music, rock music, pop music, club music, to depend on one’s mood, fast music , hard beat, to be translated into many languages, a theatre-goer, the decorations, history museums, museums of art, archaeological museums, science museums, big popularity, an amateur, to give smth up.

Exercise 4 Find synonyms for the following words.

To feel blue, to leave smth, a cinema, to contain, to propose, to be established, to show one’s feelings, big, to contain, many, to be shown, outstanding, up-to-date, to prefer, to be fond of.

Exercise 5 Write a summary of the text, presenting the content of each paragraph in 2-3 sentences. Use the expressions:

The main idea of the text is ... The text deals with one of the most important (urgent) issues ... Much attention (consideration) is given to (classification, description) ... It focuses on the matters of ... The text gives an overview of ... The text is mainly concerned with ... The aim of the survey is to show (demonstrate, find)... Particular emphasis is given to the analysis of… The text gives a detailed analysis of (reports on) ... To sum up ... In conclusion ...

Индивидуальное задание для студентов заочного отделения к курсу

«Английский язык»

Вариант № 16/1c

Exercise 1 Read the text and translate it in written form.