GRADE 11
Listening Comprehension
A Review of the New Museum in My Neighborhood
One of the best things about living in New York City is all the museums. Just last night I stumbled upon one I'd never been to before. I know a lot about art, so I am confident in my assertion that I had a lot of fun there, and it is probably better than any museum I have ever been to.
The museum was mainly focused on furniture. It was kind of like those colonial rooms at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, except it was more than one room, and it didn't have such low ceilings for short, malnourished colonists. Also, the furniture wasn't from the 17th century. It was more modern, like in the Museum of Modern Art. Except it wasn't fancy or artsy—the attempt was to convey a sense of everyday life, like Colonial Williamsburg, except again, not colonial.
You were allowed to sit on the furniture, which brings me to my first favorite part of the museum—their lax policy about sitting on the furniture. I also enjoyed being able to listen to “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler while eating the ham from the Make-Your-Own-Sandwich Room, which was structured much like an ordinary kitchen. That reminds me: my second and third favorite parts were the CD collection and the ham collection.
I believe the curators wanted you to touch the art and eat the art so as to feel as one with the art and allow it to become a part of you. The everyday style of construction—the furniture being in the vernacular, as we say—was an attempt to force the observer to question the very nature of art. It reminded me of a painting I saw at the Met once. It looked like a canvas smeared with moldy Fruit Loops by a drunk baby. I didn't think that could be real art, but actually it was, since Hello, I found it in a museum. Remembering this past experience helped me while in the museum last night, since there were a lot of things that looked like that painting—particularly a bowl of old Fruit Loops on a simple coffee table. Or was it so simple?
Museums can be exhausting when they are crowded. It's like, Hey, Lady from Wherever They Let You Wear Light Colored Jeans in Public, can you move away so I can see the picture, too? I loved how empty this place was. I believe they keep most people out so as to allow you to immerse yourself in the museum's spatiality. Also, I was there at night, when tourists are jetlagged and regular people are kind of tired.
The art was linked thematically, with many variations on the central motif of family life in the modern era. There were photos of the same subjects, and many of the drawings were by the same artist. They were of a unique style, one harkening back to a primitive age. My favorites were “My Family,” “How I Help Cook Chicken Soup,” and an untitled scribble in the medium of magic marker.
Security at museums can be a nightmare, am I right? You can't bring in certain stuff, like cameras or drinks. But I brought my drink in (how I left The Gin Mill still holding my rum and Diet Coke, I haven't a clue) and the one security guard downstairs didn't care. He even knew my name already!
Museums are full of surprises, and this museum certainly did not disappoint. For instance, the final room had— surprise!—two people wearing pajamas. Not sure why they were yelling at me, though. This brings me to another thing museums are full of: mystery.
My final favorite thing about the museum was how close it was to my apartment. It was actually just down the hall. That's the beauty of New York—those hidden gems that only real New Yorkers know how to find. Well, New Yorkers and the doorman who kindly escorted me out and back to my own apartment. I'm pretty sure he was from Poland.
GRADE 11
Listening comprehension test
2. Choose the correct letter (a, b or c) – (2 points each)
GRADE 11
Reading Comprehension, test 1
Street Art Around the World
You see it in most large cities, on the side of buildings or on the sidewalk. It could be a colorful cartoon, or it might be a dramatic black and white drawing of a person or a face. Sometimes it’s a word or phrase written and decorated artistically. It’s street art, which is defined as any art created in public places. It can take many different forms, from graffiti artwork to street posters to video projections. Although it’s still illegal in most places, street art has become a worldwide movement in recent years.
You’ll come across street art in almost any city these days, but the trend is significant in São Paulo, Berlin, London, and New York. In some of these cities, there has almost been an explosion of art on the street. What motivates each artist is different, but the art often has a strong message. It may make comments on social or political issues. Sometimes it’s just funny or entertaining. The art will usually disappear fairly quickly, which makes it even more interesting to many people. The art is unique. If you don’t see it soon after it appears, you miss the boat because there may not be another chance.
The artists must accept the risks of making art where it is often illegal. Sometimes they are arrested. Some of the artists have formal art training, while others don’t. They have different influences, from traditional art and folk culture to cartoons and video games.
Although not celebrities in the traditional sense, some of the street artists have become well known internationally. Some have done their work on canvas and shown it in galleries and museums around the world. And some have been able to sell their work for high prices. Celebrities such as Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have paid very high prices for work by famous street artists.
Os Gemeos are identical twin brothers from São Paulo, Brazil, who are very famous street artists. Born in 1972, they are known for drawing characters with yellow skin. Hip-hop is one of the main influences for their style. Their work includes family portraits, Brazilian folklore, and commentary on Brazilian society and politics. Another street artist from São Paulo is Alex Horner, known as Onesto. He is inspired by famous traditional artists and uses seventy-two different signatures to sign his work, depending on the style and characters that he is working on. All of these artists have shown their work in major art shows.
One of the most well-known artists from England calls himself Banksy. He is a legend in the street art world, mostly because his real identity is unknown. People speculate that he was born in 1974 near Bristol, England, and there are guesses about his name, but no one knows exactly who he is. He has done work around the world, and his work is known for being controversial. He made a copy of the Mona Lisa painting, added a yellow smiley face to it, and put it up on the wall at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Some of his work has sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and he has written books and recently made a movie.
People have very different opinions of Banksy and his work. Some see him as a kind of hero, while others see him as a criminal. There is a similar range of opinions about street art in general. Some see it as an exciting variation on contemporary art. Others point out that, interesting or not, it is still illegal in many cases. Either way, it is clear that the art form has undeniable appeal for many people.
Put down + if the statement is true, - if it is false (1 point each).
1. Street art can be found in many big cities these days.
2. The art is only graffiti or painting.
3. It is against the law to create street art in a lot of cities.
4. Street art is a big movement in São Paolo.
5. The art is usually only made to make people laugh.
6. Street art doesn’t usually last a long time.
7. Street artists never study art formally.
8. Some street artists have made a lot of money from their work.
9. Onesto always uses the same style for his work.
10. Only a few people know who Banksy really is.
11. Banksy has been successful.
Reading Comprehension, test 2
The Best Student
According to most professors, mature students are ideal students because they are hard-working and become actively (1)_______ in all aspects of the learning process.
The majority of mature students have a poor educational background but they (2) ________ to do exceptionally well at tertiary level. (3) ________ many of them have a mortgage, a job and children to (4) _________ , they are always present at seminars and lectures and always hand (5) __________essays on time. They like studying and writing essays and they enjoy the class discussions that take place. Consequently, they (6) _________ excellent results. In fact, as they have (7) ________ many of life's pleasures, they are content with their lives and this has a positive (8) ___________ on their attitude, making them (9) __________ to learn.
On the other hand, despite their enthusiasm and commitment, mature students (10)__________ from anxiety. The fact that they have made many sacrifices to get into university puts extra pressure on them to succeed. (11) ________ , completing a degree gives mature students a sense of achievement, boosts their confidence and (12)_________ their job prospects.
1) | A included | B related | C involved | D combined |
2) | A able | B succeed | C manage | D capable |
3) | A Although | B Despite | C However | D In spite of |
4) | A grow | B develop | C rise | D raise |
5) | A in | B over | C out | D up |
6) | A fulfill | B achieve | С reach | D earn |
7) | A known | B experienced | C found out | D recognised |
8) | A effect | B affect | C conclusion | D consequence |
9) | A eager | B anxious | C interested | D impatient |
10) | A tolerate | B resist | С suffer | D complain |
11) | A Likewise | A Furthermore | C Nevertheless | D Otherwise |
12) | A creates | B improves | C progresses | D advances |
Reading Comprehension, test 3
The Deepest Parts of the Ocean
The ocean has always been a mystery that fascinates people. But it is difficult and often dangerous to explore. In fact, deep-sea exploration is a fairly new science. Only in the last century have scientists been able to investigate the deepest parts of the ocean.
Exploring the ocean is difficult because of the extreme pressure of the water as you go deeper. Divers cannot go down more than a few hundred feet without special equipment. There have been many inventions over time to help people go deep and explore.
In 1934, an American scientist named William Beebe invented the bathysphere. This was a round chamber made of tough steel. The bathysphere could endure the pressure of the water. It was attached to a ship by a long line. Beebe went down in the bathysphere 1,000 meters. He looked through the window and called his colleagues on board the ship to describe what he saw. This was an important improvement, but it was dangerous. If the line broke the chamber would sink to the bottom of the sea.
In the years after Beebe’s invention, scientists improved on his model. They invented similar vehicles, called submersibles that can move by themselves. The submersibles are launched from a ship. They can take scientists down to 3,657 meters and more to observe the deepest parts of the ocean.
The best known submersible is Alvin. It is operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Alvin was launched in 1964. It can hold three people and move around more easily than previous models. It has two robotic arms and has other special equipment. In Alvin, scientists can dive for up to nine hours at 4,500 meters.
In October 1968, there was an accident, and the Alvin flooded. The crew was able to escape, but the Alvin sank in 1,500 m of water. Scientists were determined to recover it, but it would be very difficult. No one had brought back something as large as the Alvin from so deep before. Bad weather made the task more difficult, but they finally brought it up the following year. Surprisingly, there was not a lot of damage to the Alvin. In fact, a cheese sandwich that was on board when it sank was still edible!
After the rescue, the Alvin was repaired and it is still used today. Alvin has now completed 3,000 dives. It was used in the exploration of the wreck of the Titanic in 1986. Thanks to Alvin and similar submersibles, scientists now have more accurate information about the deep ocean.
1. Scientists have only been able to explore the deep parts of the ocean in the past ___ years. a. 25 b. 100 c. 200 2. William Beebe told colleagues about what he saw in the ocean ___. a. while he was in the ocean b. when he was back on board the ship c. when he called them later 3. A problem with the bathysphere was that it ___. a. could break because of water pressure b. could break from the ship and sink c. was too small | 4. Newer models of submersibles ___. a. move around more easily b. stay attached to ships c. don’t need ships 5. The Alvin ___. a. has robots on board b. has been used for more than forty years c. lets scientists dive for fifteen hours 6. Problems with recovering the Alvin were ___. a. bad weather and very cold temperatures b. its size and weight c. its size, how deep it was, and bad weather 7. After the Alvin was recovered, ___. a. no one used it anymore b. they fixed it and started using it again c. they stopped using it after 3,000 dives |
GRADE 11
Writing Comprehension
(In this test you will select from three writing tasks. Choose the one that you feel you are most capable to write about.)