BRITISH STUDIES

Дополнительные задания к книге “Britain in Brief” В.В. Ощепковой и И.И. Шустиловой

continued from No. 24, 2006;  1, 3, 4/2007

CULTURE

Text 1. Artistic and Cultural Life in Britain

The Main Stages • Traces of Past Greatness • What the British Are Proud of • The British Council

Artistic and cultural life in Britain is rather rich. It passed several main stages in its development.
The Saxon King Alfred encouraged the arts and culture. The chief debt owed to him by English literature is for his translations of and commentaries on Latin works.
Art, culture and literature flowered during the Elizabethan age, during the reign of Elizabeth I; it was the period of English domination of the oceans.
It was at this time that William Shakespeare lived.
The empire, which was very powerful under Queen Victoria, saw another cultural and artistic heyday as a result of industrialization and the expansion of international trade.
But German air raids caused much damage in the First World War and then during the Second World War. The madness of the wars briefly interrupted the development of culture.
Immigrants who have arrived from all parts of the Commonwealth since 1945 have not only created a mixture of nations, but have also brought their cultures and habits with them.
Monuments and traces of past greatness are everywhere. There are buildings of all styles and periods. A great number of museums and galleries display precious and interesting finds from all parts of the world and from all stages in the development of nature, man and art.
London is one of the leading world centres for music, drama, opera and dance. Festivals held in towns and cities throughout the country attract much interest. Many British playwrights, composers, sculptors, painters, writers, actors, singers and dancers are known all over the world.
The British Council promotes knowledge of British culture and literature overseas. It organizes British participation in international exhibitions and encourages professional interchange in all cultural fields between Britain and other countries.

REFERENCES

Alfred саксонский король Альфред (849–901)
Elizabethan елизаветинский (обыкн. об архитектурном стиле, литературе, музыке)
Elizabeth I королева Елизавета I (правившая Англией с 1558 по 1603 г.)
Queen Victoria королева Виктория (правившая с 1837 по 1901 г.)
The British Council Британский совет (независимая организация по развитию культурных связей с зарубежными странами. Создана в 1934 г.)

I. COMPREHENSION

1. Put in the chronological order the names of the kings and queens. If necessary, consult The Historical Chart at the end of the book.

a) Victoria, b) Elizabeth II, c) Alfred the Great, d) Henry VIII, e) Elizabeth I, f) Richard III, g) Charles I, h) George VI

Key: c; f; d; e; g; a; h; b

2. Are the statements that follow true or false?

1. The Saxon King Alfred neglected the arts and culture.
2. Arts, culture and literature flourished during the Elizabethan age.
3. William Shakespeare was a contemporary of Queen Victoria.
4. Important scientific discoveries, industrialisation and the expansion of international trade during the rule of Queen Victoria encouraged the arts and culture.
5. German air raids during World War Two did not cause any damage.
6. Immigrants who have arrived from all parts of the Commonwealth since 1945 have considerably changed the face of British culture.

Key: 2, 4, 6 – True; 1, 3, 5 – False

II. WORD STUDY

1. Read and try to explain to your partner what the following words mean:

Now match each of the words above with its definition:

1. connected with culture;
2. the expression of ideas and feelings through paintings, literature, music, etc., the expression of human creative talent, especially in a visual form;
3. someone who produces art, especially someone who produces paintings or drawings, or someone who does something with great skill;
4. art, literature, music and other intellectual expressions of a particular society or time;
5. art, music, theatre, film, literature, etc., all considered together;
6. the customs, arts, social institutions, etc., of a particular group or nation;
7. connected with art; having or showing natural skill in the arts (painting, music, dance, etc.), showing appreciation and enjoyment of the arts;
8. subjects of study, such as languages, literature and history.

Key: a 2; b 5; c 8; d 7; e 3; f 4; g 6; h 1

2. Think of the best Russian equivalents for the word combinations below:

III. COMMUNICATION PRACTICE

1. Make up your own sentences with the phrases above and ask your partner to respond to each of them. Do it taking turns so that you could have short dialogues.

Model: – My mother comes from a very artistic family.

– Can she play the piano?

– No, she can’t, but she loves music and theatre.

By Viktoria Oschepkova, Irina Shustilova

to be continued