Главная страница «Первого сентября»Главная страница журнала «Английский язык»Содержание №9/2007

BRITISH STUDIES
continued from No. 24/2006; 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8

Дополнительные задания к книге “Britain in Brief” В.В. Ощепковой и И.И. Шустиловой

CULTURE

Text 4. St. Paul’s Cathedral and The Chapel of King’s College

History of Wren’s Creation What It Looks Like The Interior The Whispering Gallery The Chapel of King’s College in Cambridge

St. Paul’s Cathedral

St. Paul’s Cathedral

Duke of Wellington

Duke of Wellington

St. Paul’s Cathedral is the work of the famous architect Sir Christopher Wren. It is said to be one of the finest pieces of architecture in Europe. Work on Wren’s masterpiece began in 1675 after a Norman church, old St. Paul’s, was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. For 35 years the building of St. Paul’s Cathedral went on, and Wren was an old man before it was finished.

Joshua Reynolds

Joshua Reynolds

From far away you can see the huge dome with a golden ball and cross on the top. The interior of the Cathedral is very beautiful. It is full of monuments. The most important, perhaps, is the one dedicated to the Duke of Wellington. After looking round you can climb 263 steps to the Whispering Gallery, which runs round the dome. It is so-called, because if someone whispers close to the wall on one side, a person with his ear close to the wall on the other side can hear what is said 32 metres away. But if you want to reach the top of the ball, you have to climb 637 steps.

As for Sir Christopher Wren, who is now known as “the architect of London”, he found his fame only after his death. He was buried in the Cathedral. Buried here are Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Sir Joshua Reynolds.

Chapel of King’s College

Chapel of King’s College

Those who are interested in English architecture can study all the architectural styles of the past 500 or 600 years in Cambridge. The Chapel of King’s College is the most beautiful building in Cambridge and one of the greatest Gothic buildings in Europe. It is built in the Perpendicular style. Its foundation stone was laid in 1446, but it was completed sixty-nine years later. The interior of the Chapel is a single lofty aisle and the stonework of the walls is like lace. The Chapel has a wonderful fan-vaulting which is typical of the churches of that time. We admire the skill of the architects and craftsmen who created all these wonderful buildings.

REFERENCES

Whispering Gallery “Галерея шёпота” (у основания внутреннего купола собора св. Павла; знаменита своим акустическим эффектом; диаметр купола – 32 м)

Duke of Wellington герцог Веллингтон (1769–1852), английский фельдмаршал; командовал англо-голландской армией в битве при Ватерлоо (в 1815 г.); впоследствии крупный политик, лидер партии Тори, премьер-министр Англии в 1828–1830 гг.

Joshua Reynolds Джошуа Рейнолдс (1723–1792), английский живописец и теоретик искусства, первый президент Лондонской академии художеств; наиболее известное произведение – “Портрет адмирала Хитфилда”; в виртуозных парадных портретах выявлял характер личности

Perpendicular style перпендикулярный архитектурный стиль (поздняя английская готика; отличается ажурной каменной работой по вертикальным сторонам окон, ребристыми сводами)

I. COMPREHENSION

Are you good at dates and figures?

1. What do the following dates and figures mentioned in the text indicate?

1675       1446         263            32 1666
637         35            69

2. Which of them are related to…

a) …the history of St Paul’s Cathedral?

b) …the interior of the Cathedral and the Whispering Gallery?

c) …the Chapel of King’s College in Cambridge?

II. WORD STUDY

1. Which of the words and phrases below are related to architecture:

1. gallery
2. the interior
3. famous
4. dome
5. Gothic
6. chapel
7. cathedral
8. climb
9. the Perpendicular Style
10. a golden ball and cross on the top
11. stonework
12. fan-vaulting

2. Complete the sentences using one of the items in ex. 1.

A. The Whispering __________ is a raised platform along the inner wall of a building that goes all the way round the inside of the dome of St. Paul’s _____________ in London.

B. From far away, on the top of the huge ___________ you can see a golden ________________and a _______________.

C. The Perpendicular style is a style of ____________ architecture used in England in the 14th and 15th centuries.

D. This style was marked by large windows, vertical lines, and ceiling patterns in stone called _________ __________.

E. The ____________ of King’s College is considered to be the most beautiful _______________ building in Cambridge and one of the masterpieces of _________ architecture in Europe.

F. The ____________ of the walls inside the Chapel of King’s College is like lace.

III. GRAMMAR PRACTICE

1. Read the text again and find the sentences with the word ONE in pattern A: one of the…; pattern B: the one…

Note: in pattern A one means oneness;

In pattern B one is used to avoid repetition of a countable noun or pronoun.

2. Complete the following sentences using one of the or the one/the ones.

A. Sir Christopher Wren is known as ____________ most prominent architects.

B. – Which Gothic chapel are you talking about?

– About ____________ in Cambridge.

C. ___________ monuments in St Paul’s Cathedral is dedicated to the Duke of Wellington.

D. The Chapel of King’s College in London is _______________ greatest Gothic buildings in Europe.

E. – Let’s go and see the monuments, shall we?

– Do you mean _____________ inside St Paul’s Cathedral?

F. There was a church in this place, _____________ that was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666.

IV. COMMUNICATION PRACTICE

Using this text and other sources of information: the Internet, books and encyclopaedias, pictures or photos, prepare for a talk about:

1. Sir Christopher Wren, his life and creations;

2. St Paul’s Cathedral, its location, the interior, the whispering Gallery;

3. The Perpendicular style in architecture;

4. The Chapel of King’s College.

Key:

I. 2. a) 1675, 1666, 35 years; b) 263 steps, 32 metres, 637 steps; c) 1446, 69 years

II. 1. All except 3, 8;

2. A. Gallery, Cathedral; B. dome, ball, cross; C. Gothic; D. The Perpendicular style; E. Chapel, Gothic, Perpendicular; F. stonework

III. 2. A. one of the; B. the one; C. One of the; D. one of the; E. the ones; F. the one

By Viktoria Oschepkova, Irina Shustilova

to be continued