Reading. Elephant Art

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ELEPHANT ART

Works of art made by elephants are now being sold in art galleries around the world. It's no joke. Elephants are natural artists and elephant art is becoming big business.

In November 1998 , the world's first elephant art academy was opened in Campang, Thailand. Today, there are lots of elephant painting schools in Thailand, Bali, India and many more are being opened. At these schools elephants are taught to channel their natural abilities onto canvas. It appears that elephants have enormous artistic talent and enjoy expressing themselves through painting.

Nom Chok is an elephant from Thailand who has been a painter since the age of two. He first began by dipping his trunk into a jar of watery paint and blowing it onto a canvas. He was then given his own brushes and paint and he soon created pictures which were sold for up to $250. Amazingly, his paintings have been compared to those of famous artists such as Jackson Pollock. Nom Chok loves to paint and doesn't like stopping until he has covered the last piece of white on his canvas.

Sadly, there is bad news for these recently discovered artists. Elephants are an endangered species. Two years ago , there were 3,600 elephants in Thailand. Now there are just 3,100. The work of Nom Chok and other elephants is being used to help save the world's elephants as a part of the World Wildlife Fund and to benefit local conservation projects.

Some people might laugh and say that these paintings are not art, but, as elephant painting teacher Alex Melanid has said, "no one really knows what art is." To tell the truth, there has been a great deal of commercial interest in elephant art. Some people are prepared to pay a lot of money for paintings done by elephants. These people not only receive a beautiful piece of art, but also help save one of the world's most intelligent species. Is there a better way to spend money?

Choose the correct variant.

You can buy a piece of elephant art only in Asia.

Read the text.

ELEPHANT ART

Works of art made by elephants are now being sold in art galleries around the world. It's no joke. Elephants are natural artists and elephant art is becoming big business.

In November 1998 , the world's first elephant art academy was opened in Campang, Thailand. Today, there are lots of elephant painting schools in Thailand, Bali, India and many more are being opened. At these schools elephants are taught to channel their natural abilities onto canvas. It appears that elephants have enormous artistic talent and enjoy expressing themselves through painting.

Nom Chok is an elephant from Thailand who has been a painter since the age of two. He first began by dipping his trunk into a jar of watery paint and blowing it onto a canvas. He was then given his own brushes and paint and he soon created pictures which were sold for up to $250. Amazingly, his paintings have been compared to those of famous artists such as Jackson Pollock. Nom Chok loves to paint and doesn't like stopping until he has covered the last piece of white on his canvas.

Sadly, there is bad news for these recently discovered artists. Elephants are an endangered species. Two years ago , there were 3,600 elephants in Thailand. Now there are just 3,100. The work of Nom Chok and other elephants is being used to help save the world's elephants as a part of the World Wildlife Fund and to benefit local conservation projects.

Some people might laugh and say that these paintings are not art, but, as elephant painting teacher Alex Melanid has said, "no one really knows what art is." To tell the truth, there has been a great deal of commercial interest in elephant art. Some people are prepared to pay a lot of money for paintings done by elephants. These people not only receive a beautiful piece of art, but also help save one of the world's most intelligent species. Is there a better way to spend money?

Choose the correct variant.

According to the text you can buy pieces of elephant art in the shops.

Read the text.

ELEPHANT ART

Works of art made by elephants are now being sold in art galleries around the world. It's no joke. Elephants are natural artists and elephant art is becoming big business.

In November 1998 , the world's first elephant art academy was opened in Campang, Thailand. Today, there are lots of elephant painting schools in Thailand, Bali, India and many more are being opened. At these schools elephants are taught to channel their natural abilities onto canvas. It appears that elephants have enormous artistic talent and enjoy expressing themselves through painting.

Nom Chok is an elephant from Thailand who has been a painter since the age of two. He first began by dipping his trunk into a jar of watery paint and blowing it onto a canvas. He was then given his own brushes and paint and he soon created pictures which were sold for up to $250. Amazingly, his paintings have been compared to those of famous artists such as Jackson Pollock. Nom Chok loves to paint and doesn't like stopping until he has covered the last piece of white on his canvas.

Sadly, there is bad news for these recently discovered artists. Elephants are an endangered species. Two years ago , there were 3,600 elephants in Thailand. Now there are just 3,100. The work of Nom Chok and other elephants is being used to help save the world's elephants as a part of the World Wildlife Fund and to benefit local conservation projects.

Some people might laugh and say that these paintings are not art, but, as elephant painting teacher Alex Melanid has said, "no one really knows what art is." To tell the truth, there has been a great deal of commercial interest in elephant art. Some people are prepared to pay a lot of money for paintings done by elephants. These people not only receive a beautiful piece of art, but also help save one of the world's most intelligent species. Is there a better way to spend money?

Choose the correct variant.

Elephants have a natural talent for painting.