Дополнительные упражнения по английскому языке на тему" Музеи Лондона" (10 класс)

British museums Module 7     X

There are a great number of museums in Great Britain, most of which have free admission.

One of the most famous is the British Museum in London, which was established in 1753. It’s a museum of human history and culture. Its collections are amongst the largest in the world and originate from all continents.  First of all, it’s a huge library with 6 or 7 million books, which is considered to be one of the largest in the world. According to the British law a copy of every book, pamphlet or periodical published in Britain must be kept in this museum. Secondly, the British Museum is a scientific institution, known as Natural History Museum, where internationally important collections are shown. This place inspires people to think about the natural environment differently and to take better care of the planet. Finally, there is a wonderful art gallery in the British Museum housing unique collections of sculpture, ceramics, drawings and paintings. It also has a great collection of Italian drawings.

The Tate Gallery, which was founded in 1897, presents modern masters of England and France. There is a marvelous collection of French impressionists. There are also some examples of modern sculpture in the museum.

The National Gallery in London, which was founded in 1824, possesses a rich collection of over 2 300 paintings dating from the mid-13^th century to 1900. It is situated in Trafalgar Square. There you can find masterpieces of such painters as Gainsborough, Turner, Constable and also pictures of French, Spanish, Dutch and Flemish masters.

The Victoria and Albert Museum, founded in 1852 and named after Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, is the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design housing a collection of more than 4,5 million objects.

On the whole, there are numerous interesting things one can see in British museums.

The British Museum is one of the largest museums in the world. It was founded in the XVIII century and in the XIX century it was already divided into different departments.

The museum houses large collections of artefacts representing different cultures of the world, both ancient and modern.

So, there is the Department of coins and medals, the Department of prints and drawings, the Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan and many others.

Westminster is a historical area of central London with several famous landmarks.

Westminster Abbey, a Gothic church, is located there. The church is a traditional place of coronation and burial site for all British kings and queens.

Not far from the church there is the Palace of Westminster which is the meeting place of the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

The Tower of London is one of the main London's places of interest. It is located on the north bank of the River Thames and is one of the oldest buildings.

At different times the Tower was used as a royal residence, fortress, prison, mint and, even, zoo. Today the Tower of London is the place where the Crown Jewels are kept.

Every day its doors are open for tourists. A few black ravens live on its territory. The walls of the Tower are still guarded by palace guard in historical outfits.

Vincent Van Gogh was one of the greatest painters of the XIX century.

 Van Gogh was born in 1853 in Holland; however, he spent most of his life in France.

Van Gogh’s life could hardly be considered the happy one. He was mentally ill and was aggressive from time to time. During one of his fits of nerves he cut a part of his ear off. Although Van Gogh went into a mental hospital several times, his state didn’t become any better. Furthermore, the great artist lived a rather short life.

In 1890 he shot himself after pronouncing his last words: “The sadness will continue”.

 It is difficult to believe that the one who painted such bright pictures was so desperate and unhappy at the same time. All his masterpieces depicted beautiful fields, splendid flowers, and sunny regions of France in vibrant colours and interesting shapes.

His painting was far from classical art but was still fascinating. Van Gogh preferred working fast that’s why a specific movement is seen in his works. Even the moon and stars move in his magnificent pictures.

Today it is possible to see Van Gogh’s masterpieces in many galleries and museums all over the world. However, the most famous museum dedicated to his art is situated in Amsterdam. The exhibition tells about the life of the great painter and introduces the World’s biggest collection of his works.