III. Speaking

Prove that travelling broadens the mind. Include this information:

· why people travel;

· things they learn while travelling;

· people they meet;

· impressions they get

EXAMINATION CARD 18

I. Reading

Read the text. For questions (1-4) choose the correct answers (A-D).

Claude Monet, a 19^th century French painter, was the most famous artist associated

with the movement known as Impressionism. Monet was born on November 14, 1840,

and even as a young man he was known for producing small portraits in charcoal. In

1858 Monet met the artist Eugene Boudin, who became his mentor and introduced

Monet to painting outdoors, or “en plein air” as it came to be known. In 1859, at the

age of 19. Monet moved to Paris to become a professional artist. Most artists of his

time tried to imitate nature realistically, but in his landscape painting Monet instead

sought to portray nature as it appeared to him. In particular, he was interested in how

light affects the ways that we perceive colour. In one of his most famous series of

works, Monet painted the cathedral in Rouen, France at several different times of the

day, showing how changes in natural light make the cathedral appear to change colour.

In 1883, Monet moved to a small French town called Giverny, where he built an

elaborate garden. This garden, in particular its water lily ponds, became the chief sub­-

ject of Monet’s later paintings. Monet’s paintings of water lilies were extremely influ­ential to 20^th-century modern artists, by these paintings, Monet used the landscape

merely as a starting point, creating abstract fields of vibrant colour. These paintings

relied on broad, thick brushstrokes. The texture of these brushstrokes gave the canvases

a tactile quality that contrasted sharply with the smooth canvases produced by more

traditional artists. Though he struggled financially throughout his life, when Monet

died in 1926, he was one of the most famous and influential painters in the world.

This passage would most likely be found in

A. a newspaper B. an encyclopedia C. a magazine D. a blog

2. The phrase “a tactile quality”most likely suggests that Monet’s canvases were

A. colourful B. beautiful C. smooth D. rough

According to the passage, Monet moved to Paris in 1859 to

A. join the Impressionism movement C. become a professional artist

B. paint cathedrals D. build an elaborate garden

The tone of the passage can best be described as

A. factual B. passionate C. clever D. adoring