7. Spending a weekend. (Любимцева с.Н. P. 179-180.)

I usually work hard all the week. When my office hours are over I'm very tired and I hurry home. As a rule I have a lot of work to do about the house too.

But when the weekend comes I try to enjoy it as much as I can. I'm fond of music, I like ballets and operas. So when I have an opportunity I go to the Bolshoy Opera House.

I am lucky because I've got a ticket for the Saturday performance at the Bolshoy. Verdi's "Aida" will be on. I'm sure I'll enjoy the music and the singing. I am looking forward to the performance on Saturday.

On Sunday I am going to the Pushkin Art Museum. There is an exhibition of famous French paintings there.

to have an opportunity иметь возможность; singing пение; to look forward to с нетерпением ждать (чего-л.): famous ['feiməs] знаменитый; painting зд. Картина

II семестр

1. An interview with a film director. Н.И.Либерман (p.134)

Reporter: May I ask you a traditional question?

Director: Certainly.

R.: What are your plans for the future?

D.: I can’t plan very far ahead. Now we are shooting the last scene on location.

R.: Can you tell our readers a little about the work of your production unit?

D.: You see, in some days we’re returning to Moscow. There we must shoot one scene on the set.

R.: What other work are you going to do in Moscow?

D.: We must cut the film. It may take us some 2 weeks and then we must synchronize the film.

R.: And how long may this take you?

D.: Well, it may take us a month or so.

R.: Thank you very much. Your film must be a success.

D.: Thank you. I hope so.

2. My favourite director. Н.И.Либерман (p.70)

There are many Russian film directors that I am fond of. But Nikita Mikhalkov is my favourite at the moment. I am always glad to see his new productions, because I am sure that every picture of his is great. Most of his films are a success. But I am not surprised when I see a person who is not fond of his art, because I am afraid that some of his films are rather complicated. I am sorry that few of his films are on at our cinemas now. But I am proud that the students of our institute have a chance to see all his films in colour on the wide screen.

3. We study at VGIK. Н.И.Либерман (p.86)

My friends and I study at the cameramen’s department of the Cinema Institute. We learn to make films. We study many subjects. Our professors teach the students how to make documentary and feature films. We study many theoretical subjects and we learn to do practical work. We learn to shoot and cut our films. Our students usually do all the creative and technical work during the production of their short films. The teachers criticize our work when we make mistakes and they are glad when we make progress. We know that the film studios of our country need good film-makers. We understand it very well and try hard to master our profession.

4. The Perm State Institute for Arts and Culture.

I am a student. I study at the Perm State Institute for arts and culture. The institute for arts and culture was founded in 1975. The institute has 30 specialized studies and classrooms, all necessary musical instruments. The library with 2 reading rooms amounts 160 000 volumes in its book stock and 1500 items in the record collection. The students are provided with 2 large hostels giving accommodation to 100% of the demand. There are dining rooms in both buildings of the institute.

More than 1500 students study in the day and extra mural departments of our institute. Many of them live in the hostel and get state scholarships.

Nowadays the institute has four faculties: the faculty of mass and cultural education, the arts-and-pedagogical faculty, the faculty of arts, the faculty of documentary informational communications.

The faculty of mass and cultural education trains managers for the sphere of culture, managers in tourism, directors of mass events and culturologists.

The arts-and-pedagogical faculty trains choreographers, folk instruments orchestra conductors, directors for amateur theatre companies and choir conductors.

The faculty of arts trains solo singers, folk instruments performers, artists, actors.

The faculty of documentary informational communications trains documentation managers, managers of information resources, specialists of informatics in social and cultural activity.

175 instructors work at the institute, among them there are many professors and doctors of sciences and many lecturers.

There are many chairs at the institute, which carry out scientific work. They are the following: the chair of management, the chair of mass and cultural education, the chair of social Sciences, the chair of foreign languages, the chair of chorus conducting, the chair of orchestra conducting, the chair of choreography, the chair of stagecraft, the chair of informatics, the chair of librarian affair and bibliography, etc.

There are scientific circles nearly at every chair. Students may take part in the work of the students’ scientific Society. The results of research work are reported every spring at scientific conferences.

Every year the Perm State Institute for arts and culture gives our country many highly qualified specialists for the sphere of culture and recreation.

5. Theatres in Shakespeare’s time. Н.И.Либерман (p.145)

At the time when Shakespeare (1564-1616) was creating his masterpieces the theatres in which they were staged had little in common with the theatres of today. They were usually round in shape, had high walls and no roof. The stage was part of the pit so that the actors could speak in a natural voice. During the performance poor spectators watched it from the pit while the aristocrats sat on the stage just where the action of the play was taking place. An iron fence surrounded the pit. It protected the spectators in the boxes when wild beasts sometimes took part in the performances. The scenery was unusual too. They used simple boards with such inscriptions as “This is the moon”, “Here is the castle of Elsinore”, etc.

The trumpeter announced the beginning and the end of a play. The stage had no curtain and when a character died, the other actors carried him off the stage.