DOAN THI DIEM HIGH SCHOOL SPECIALISED CLASS: …

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Full Name: …………………………

IELTS VOCABULARY
Topic: the ARTS
Exe 1. Look at the extracts from newspaper reviews, and decide what is being talked about in each
one. Choose your answers from the box.
Fine / Visual arts
abstract art a landscape photography a portrait a sculpture
a still life
Literature
an autobiography a biography a collection of short stories drama
a novel poetry
Performing arts
a ballet a concert a film a modern dance piece a musical
an opera a play
1. Mimi Latouche is getting a little too old for this kind of thing, and as I watched her pirouette
across the stage in a tutu two sizes too small, she reminded me not so much of a swan as a rather
a ballet
ungainly crow. ..............................
2. The scenery was wonderful. The costumes were marvellous. The cast were incredible. I wish I
a play
could say the same about the script. The playwright should be shot. ..............................
3. In his new book on Ernest Hemingway, acclaimed writer Michael Norris has brought the great
a biography
man to life in a way nobody else could. ..............................
4. Move over Michelangelo! You have a rival. Vittorio Manelleto’s marble pieces embody the
a sculpture
human form in a way that has not been achieved in over 500 years. ..............................
5. I had to study the picture for almost two minutes before I realised who it was. It was none other
a portrait
than our Queen. I doubt she would have been amused. ..............................
6. There are no great tenors in Britain. That is until now. Brian Clack’s performance in La Traviatta
an opera
sent shudders down my spine. What a man! What a voice! What a size! ..............................
7. Herbert von Erding has been conducting now for almost 40 years, and his final appearance
yesterday was greeted with a standing ovation from both musicians and members of the audience.
a concert
..............................
8. Stone Angel is an hilarious tale about the fall and rise of an opera singer. I picked it up and didn’t
a novel
put it down until I had finished. A fantastic book. ..............................
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9. Dylan Thomas showed remarkable eloquence, and this latest compilation of some of his finest
a poetry
prose will surely be a bestseller. ..............................
10. Bruschetta’s studies of dead animals might not be to everyone’s taste, but it is impossible to
a still life
deny his skill in representing inanimate objects like these on canvas. ..............................
11. He usually works in black and white, and in my opinion that’s the medium he should stick to.
His colour shots are too static and are heavily over-filtered, the strong lighting washes out any
photography
subtlety, and much of it is out of focus. ..............................
12. Shot entirely on location in Iran, this is perhaps the director’s finest hour. A stunning setting,
fine performances from the leads, and a cast of thousands of extras make this a truly visual feast.
a film
..............................
13. The painting shows a lot of red circles and triangles inside squares floating in the sky above a
abstract art
yellow sea, and is titled ‘Contractual Obligation Metamorphosis’. ..............................
14. ‘Dawn View of London’ takes in the whole of the city as seen from the top of Parliament Hill,
although the artist has removed some of the less attractive buildings from the foreground.
a landscape
..............................
Exe 2. The words in bold in these sentences are either wrong, or the wrong word form has been used.
Change them so that they are correct.
1. Tonight’s perform of Romeo and Juliet begins at 7.30. performance

2. Camford University Press have just released a collection of Shakespeare’s workings.

work
..............................
3. A new limited editor of the CD ‘Here we go!’ by rock group Glass Weasel contains a DVD of their
edition
latest tour. ..............................
4. His last book received some excellent revues in the papers. ..............................
reviews
exhibition
5. Tate Modern is currently running an exhibit of Tracey Emin’s early work. ..............................
6. The British National Opera says that it is delighted with the government’s promise of a £500,000
grant
granting. ..............................
7. Tickets have already sold out for the first day’s showing of Tom Cartmill’s paintings at the
Gallery
National Art Galley. ..............................
novelists
8. Ernest Hemingway was one of the twentieth century’s most famous novels. ..............................
9. French impressionism, which included Money, Manet and Degas, had a profound influence on
Impressionists
nineteenth-century art. ..............................
10. Apparently, Oldhaven Press are going to publication a collection of short stories written by
publish
schoolchildren. ..............................
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atmospheric
11. I loved the film’s atmosphere music and use of visual metaphor. ..............................
12. I’ve always had an arty eye, and think I would make a good fashion photographer.
artistic
..............................
13. I hate reality shows, talent shows and similar television programmes that form the bulk of
popular
today’s popularity culture. ..............................
14. Orson Welles’ film Citizen Kane was made over 70 years ago, but remains a cinema
masterpiece.
cinematic
..............................
Surrealist
15. André Breton is widely regarded as the founder of the surreal art movement. ..............................
16. The college runs a varied programme of cultured activities which are open to ordinary members
of the public. cultural
..............................
Exe 3. Complete this extract from a radio programme with the words or phrases from Exercises 1
and 2. In some cases, more than one answer is possible, and you will need to change some of the
word forms.
Hello, and welcome to today’s edition of ‘But is it Art?’ Now, I don’t usually enjoy
ballet
1.................................................... – all those pirouettes and pas de deux’s and dying swans usually send
performance
me to sleep, but last night’s 2.................................................... of Sleeping Beauty at Nureyev Hall had
reviews
me on the edge of my seat. And I’m not the only one: rave 3.................................................... in the
national press praised the excellent choreography and the incredible stage set. It’s on again tonight,
exhibition
but you’ll have to move fast if you want a ticket! The current 4.................................................... of
Gallery
Monetto’s paintings at the Wheatley Art 5.................................................... has been a disappointment.
portrait
The pictures themselves are excellent, especially the great artist’s 6.................................................... of
still life
film stars, and of course his stunning 7.................................................... of a vase of daffodils, but the
lighting inside the room was terrible. I would have thought that, having received a government
grant
8.................................................... of almost £100,000, the Wheatley Arts Council could have invested it
novelist
in some good lights. Fans of the great twentieth-century 9.................................................... George
Orwell will be delighted to hear that Swansong Press are going to release a collection of his greatest
works
10.................................................. , which will of course include Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty Four.
published
Also included are some rare short stories which were not 11.................................................... until after
his death. Look out for the book, which will be in the shops from the end of the month. On the subject
biography
of books, a new 12.................................................... of the life of conductor Charles Worsenmost is due
concert
to be released in January. Worsenmost conducted his last 13.................................................... in 1998
after a long and eventful career. This is highly recommended for anyone who is remotely interested
opera
in classical music. Have you ever wanted to be an 14.................................................... singer? Well,
now’s your chance! The National Music Company are looking for tenors and sopranos to audition
for a new production of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro. If you’re interested, we’ll give you the number
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to call at the end of the programme. Potential Michelangelos and Henry Moores can try their hand at
sculpture
15.................................................... this weekend. The Gleneagles Museum is holding a series of
workshops which will give you the chance to chip away at a lump of stone to produce a piece of
three-dimensional art. There’s no need to book – just turn up at the door on Saturday at nine o’clock.
And now here’s that number I promised you... .

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