At the Local Ethnography Museum in Gorodets
учебно-методический материал по английскому языку (7 класс) на тему

                                            At the Local Ethnography Museum in Gorodets

PRE-READING TASK

1. You are going to hear the museum guides’ descriptions of very remarkable places in our country. They are:

The Armoury in the Moscow Kremlin,

 The Rukavishnikov Museum in Nizhny Novgorod,

 The local ethnography museum in Gorodets,

Nizhny Novgorod region and

 The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow.

Try to guess what museums they speak about.

2. For questions 1 - 4, fill in the missing information about visiting the local ethnography museum in Gorodets.

1. Days:________
2. Time:________
3. Price (discounts):________
4. Address:______

READING TASK

1. Scan the text and supply answers to the following questions.

        1. When was the Local ethnography museum formed?

        2. What was used to be in this building in the past?

        3. What are the main displays of the collection of the museum?

                     I. Read the text and match the words in bold with their explanations below.

1. An arrangement of things to look at,
2. Something given  in a short way,
3. A very rich house,
4. A person that buys and sells goods (a businessman),
5. Scientist,
6. To have a positive feeling about something,
7. Thing,
8. Things you use for cooking or eating,
9. Archaeological finds,
10.  The  most important thing,
11. Making a thing decorating by cutting ,
12. A thing for making wool or cotton thread,
13. A type of heavy wet soil that becomes hard when it is burnt, used for making cups, bowls…

2. Use your dictionary to explain the highlighted words.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Read the text and supply answers to the following questions.

        1. When was the Local ethnography museum formed?

        2. What was used to be in this building in the past?

        3. What are the main displays of the collection of the museum?

 If you’d like to understand the history of Gorodets better you’d go to the Local Ethnography Museum which       has on display a fine array of beautiful things, a summary Gorodets artistic heritage.

The museum was founded in February 1920 in a two-storeyed mansion which belonged to the merchant Oblaev. The first director was Konstantin Smirnov, a highly-educated man, who graduated from The History Department of St Petersburg University. G.P. Georgievsky, a famous scholar approved “the first steps made by the museum there”.

Since that time the museum collection has grown considerably. It can boast rich displays of artifacts dating back to the XII-XIII centuries regularly filled by excavation teams of the Nizhny Novgorod Archaeological Service.

The museum’s centerpiece is a showcase with the hand-written lavishly illustrated books and other works by Ivan Blinov, a well-known calligrapher and miniature painter. Its collection of wood carving on elements of house décor, utensils and gingerbread boards is rich and variable. The collection of Gorodets painting is widely presented from old spinning wheels to fairly recent works of art. One of the displays shows the interior of a merchant house.

A visitor can also find there a superb display of Russian national costume and embroidered articles. There is a most representative collection of toys (Gorodets clay whistles, carved toys).

There you can see the exhibits devoted to the defenders of our Motherland, a newly opened museum room to present the best sportsmen of Gorodets District who have brought a world glory to our country.

Visitors can get a lot of information about flora and fauna of this neiboughhood due to the finest sounded display of stuffed birds and animals.

You can buy some unique remembrances of your visit in the museum shop.

The museum staff do a lot of serious ethnographic research; thus in 1991 they held “Gorodets Readings”, a conference on a variety of archaeological, historical and cultural issues of old Russian towns. The conference was attended by scholars from different parts of our country. Since that time it has been taking place almost every year. The residents of Gorodets will remember forever Tur Heirdal’s visiting the museum. This famous Norwegian traveler and scientist was deeply enchanted by the beauty of the town. He was also admired by the museum’s artifacts, particularly an ancient genuine helmet.

The museum staff also makes great efforts to revive the crafts and arts in and around Gorodets. They look for talented craftsmen and give publicity to their art. They help schoolchildren to learn to hold excursions in English to receive foreign guests.

2. Complete the following sentences.

1. The museum was founded in…
2. It can boast rich displays of…
3. The museum’s centerpiece is a showcase with…
4. Its collection of woodcarving on…
5. The collection of Gorodets painting is widely…
6. A visitor can also find there a superb display…
7. There you can see the exhibits devoted to…
8. The conference was attended by…
9. This famous Norwegian traveler…

3. Read the text and arrange the following headings that summarize each paragraph in logical order. Say whether the plan conveys the complete idea of the text.

1. The earliest time of the town.
2. Motherland Defenders. The best sportsmen.
3. The foundation.
4. The museum staff’s research.
5. National costumes and toys.
6. Hand-written books. Carving. Gorodets painting.

4. Retell the text using the plan and the following word combinations.

1. To understand the history of the town better,
2. Was founded, belonged to,
3. A highly-educated man,
4. Dating back to,
5. A showcase with hand-written wonderfully decorated,
6. Wood carving on elements,
7. Is widely presented from…to,
8. A superb display of Russian,
9. Unique remembrances of your visit,
10. A conference on variety of,
11. Was deeply enchanted by.

SPEAKING

Invite your foreign guest; give him the information about museum’s work and its main rooms.