Museums

THEME: Museums

Active Vocabulary

a long queue – довга черга

crowds of people – натовпи людей

worthless – нічого не вартий

to attract – приваблювати

to decline – відхилити (пропозицію)

to refuse – відмовити

Read the text and do the task.

MADAME TUSSAUD’S MUSEUM

Madame Tussaud’s is the most popular and talked about wax museum in the world. Here are wax models of the famous and infamous, both living and dead, from every walk of life. There is no other place where you can see all the celebrities at once, even if they are only wax figures. So, if you want to rub shoulders with kings and queens or the latest pop stars, or probably with notorious criminals, this is the place to go. The museum is situated in Marylebone Road, not far from the street which is famous as the home of the first great detective in fiction, Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. There is usually a long queue in front of the museum. No wonder! Many tourists would consider their trip to London worthless if they didn’t visit the famous Madame Tussaud’s.

There are several halls at Madame Tussaud’s. Highlights include the Grand Hall, the Chamber of Horrors and «The Spirit of London» exhibition. The wax figures are standing and sitting, and sometimes even moving and talking. They are extremely realistic and when they look at you, their eyes sparkling, you often feel uncomfortable in their company. Computer-controlled figures (they are called audioanimatronics) are especially popular with the visitors.

New models are being produced all the time while the old ones are quietly removed from display. Over the years hundreds of celebrities have made their way to Madame Tussaud’s studio. Most people agree to be portrayed, but some refuse. Mother Teresa was one of the few who declined, saying her work was important, not her person.

Decide if the following statements are true or false.

1. The text describes some of London’s museums.

2. Not everybody agrees to be created in wax.

3. The exhibits are on display in several rooms.

4. Only figures of dead persons are displayed in that museum.

5. Many visitors are eager to look at the figures of outstanding personalities, that’s why there are always crowds of people near the entrance.

6. There’s a wax statue of Mother Teresa in the museum.

7. Madame Tussaud’s Museum attracts attention of all tourists.

Read the text. For questions (1—5) choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D).

Housed in the former Orsay railway station, the Orsay Museum is the impressionist museum of Paris. The beautiful Gare d’Orsay was one of the main stations which was built in 1900. Located across the Louvre Museum on the Seine river left bank, the station was spectacularly renovated from 1977 to 1986 to host the Orsay Museum collections. The Orsay Museum, a must for art lovers, is known worldwide for its fabulous impressionist paintings. Impressionism was a French painting school in the second half of the 19th century. The impressionists included Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, Edgar Manet and Theo Van Gogh. They painted ordinary life and people in the open air. They totally rejected the tradition of historical and mythological subjects and used light colours. Above all, they are famous for having departed from the tradition of reproducing the real world. Instead they used colour spots and strokes to suggest their impression of the real world. This impression is only perceivable at a distance from their paintings. Their paintings are now widely acclaimed as some of the best in art history.

1) Before it hosted the Orsay Museum collections, the building used to be ...

A an impressionist’s studio

B a station

C a railway carriage

D a museum.

2) From the text we can learn ...

A who founded the Orsay Museum.

B where it is situated.

C how long it takes to get there from the Louvre Museum.

D when the working hours of the museum are.

3) Impressionism is a term that denotes ...

A an art school

B all the French painters

C the 19th-century France

D a style of painting

4) The impressionists did not ...

A paint ordinary life and people

B work in the open air

C follow the tradition to depict historical and mythological subjects

D use light colours

5) The impressionists used colour spots and strokes ...

A because they lacked traditional technique

B as they wanted to depict objects as accurate as possible

C in order to reflect their emotions and feelings

D because they didn’t use pencils