Find the following information in the text. In some cases you have to write more than one number.

Which of the museums:

A spans the widest historical period?	F has 350 exhibition rooms?
B is an outstanding monument of Russian architecture?	G is known as a “temple of spirit”?
C excites and provokes by its architecture?	H concentrates the radical new forms of art?
D exhibits coins and medals, ceremonial arms and armor?	I was named in 18^th century?
E keeps dynastic collections?	J received Voltaire’s library?

1. The Hermitage is a world-famous museum of art and cultural history. Within in its walls are close to three million objects. Among them are quite a few true masterpieces of art and unique artifacts from many countries and peoples of the world, ranging from deepest antiquity to the present day. The Hermitage is also a unique architectural complex, an outstanding monument of Russian architecture of the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

The museum’s activity is in direct contradiction to the literal meaning of its name. “Hermitage” comes from the French eremite, which means “empty lot,” “hidden corner”. This was the name given in eighteenth-century France to small pavilions on palace grounds.

Along with paintings, the Hermitage received collections of engravings and drawings, antique artifacts, Western European sculptures, works of applied art, arms, coins, medals, and books (including Voltaire’s library). The museum’s exhibits (there are more than 350 exhibition rooms) are at present located in five buildings, connected by passages: the Winter Palace, the three hermitages (Small, Old, and New), and the Hermitage Theatre, in the foyer of which there are now regular exhibitions.

2. The Kunsthistorisches Museum traces its origins to the art collections assembled over centuries by the Habsburg dynasty. Holdings inherited from the Medieval rulers were augmented in the 16^th century by emperors Maximilian I, Ferdinand I, Maximilian II and, in particular, Rudolf II, who was the most prominent collector of the early Modern period. These monarchs enriched the imperial collections with objects of outstanding artistic importance. The individual dynastic collections of the 16^th century were kept in imperial residences in Vienna, Prague, Graz, and Ambras near Innsbruck. The diverse collections of paintings were combined to form the Kunsthistorisches Museum Picture Gallery, which comprises works from the 15^th through the 18^th centuries. Coins and medals from antiquity to the most recent times can be found in the Coin Cabinet. Ceremonial arms and armor from the 15^th through the 17^th centuries were amassed in the Collection of Arms and Armor. The development of modern conceptions of academic disciplines and research led to the “Universal Kunstkammer” splitting into the Collection of Greek and Roman Antiquities and the Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection, leaving the Kunstkammer with a core of works of decorative arts and sculpture. The Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments was assembled from the holdings of the Kunstkammer and the Este Collection.

After Connecting Museums, 2002

12. Work in pairs. Discuss these questions: These words and phrases are sure to help you to express your idea.

- What are the important museums or galleries in your city (or a city you know well)?

- What makes them attractive to tourists? Which would you recommend, and why?

Manuscripts that were written centuries ago; collections of portraits painted by world known artists; Belarusian decorations of the time of –; mosaic works; objects in ivory bone; objects in glass and pottery; national embroidery of the Belarusian peasantry; clay pots decorated with ornaments; stone images of ancient gods; fur, felt and cloth garments, headwear and footwear of the 16 century.

13. Match the following genres of painting with their definitions:

1 a landscape	a) a painting of such unanimated subjects as fruit, flowers and other decorative things;
2 a portrait	b) a picture on a wall or ceiling where a plaster is still wet or damp;
3 a still life	c) a picture or representation of the person, especially of a face generally drawn from life;
4 a fresco	d) a painting of the sea
5 a seascape	e) a picture representing a tract of country with the various objects it contains.

14. Have you ever seen the world-famous paintings given below? Will you describe them?

“The Last Day of Pompeii” (Bryullov); “The Bogatyrs” (Vasnetsov); “Tenth Wave” (Aivasovski)

; “Demon” (Vrubel); “Golden Autumn” (Levitan)

For ideas:

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