4. Complete the following sentences:

1. The Egyptians first planted gardens within .............................................................................................................

2. The hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of ........................................................................................................

3. The Assyrians and Persians developed great tree-filled parks for ...........................................................................

4. In ancient Greece, sacred groves were preserved as ................................................................................................

5. Roman houses included a .........................................................................................................................................

6. The Roman populace enjoyed gardens attached to ..................................................................................................

Speech exercises

1. Read the text again and answer the following questions:

1. When did the Egyptians begin planting their gardens? What kind of gardens were they?

2. How did the gardens change in time?

3. Why were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon one of the Seven Wonders of the World?

4. What gardens symbolized paradise and inspired Persian carpet designs?

5. What was the main feature of ancient Greek gardens?

6. In what way were Roman houses similar to Greek houses?

7. What kind of gardens did rich Romans lay out?

NON-WESTERN WORLD

The Muslims, living where the climate is generally hot and dry, were inspired by the desert oasis and the ancient Persian paradise garden centered on water. Muslim gardens were usually one or more enclosed courts surrounded by cool arcades and planted with trees and shrubs. They were enlivened with colored tilework, fountains and pools, and the interplay of light and shade. Similar gardens, in which flowers, fruit trees, water, and shade were arranged in a unified composition, were built in 17th- and 18th-century India. The most notable examples are the Taj Mahal gardens in Āgra and the Shalimar Gardens in Lahore.

In China, palaces, temples, and houses were built around a series of courtyards, which might include trees and plants often in pots that could be changed with the seasons, and pools. The Imperial City in Beijing contained elaborate pleasure gardens with trees, artificial lakes and hillocks, bridges, and pavilions.

Japan has a long tradition of gardens inspired by Chinese and Korean models. In former times, palaces, temples, teahouses, and private houses all had garden settings that were closely integrated with the buildings. Kyōto was especially famous for its gardens. The gardens included pools and waterfalls; rocks, stone, and sand; and evergreens. They might also contain stone lanterns and sculptures and wooden bridges, gates, and pavilions. Every element of a garden was carefully planned, sometimes by Zen monks and painters, to create an effect of restraint, harmony, and peace, which is exemplified by the extant Katsura Detached Palace gardens in Kyōto. Such traditions continue to some extent(1) in modern Japan and have influenced Western landscape architects.

Notes

1. to some extent – певною мІрою

Vocabulary

arcade – аркада

enliven – оживити

temple – храм

courtyard – внутрішній двір

elaborate – детально розроблений

hillock – горбок

evergreen – вічнозелений

restraint – самовладання, строгість

extant – збережений

Vocabulary exercises

1. Practise the pronunciation of the following words:

Muslims, inspire, oasis, ancient, Percian, paradise, arcade, enlivened, tilework, interplay, courtyards, elaborate, artificial, hillocks, pavilions, lanterns, exemplified

2. Find the stem in the following words; point out prefixes and suffixes. Translate the words into Ukrainian.

enlivened, interplay, composition, notable, closely, famous, wooden, carefully

3. Give English equivalents to the following words from the text:

мусульмани, Китай, Пекін, Японія, ченці

4. Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following words and word combinations:

desert oasis, ancient Persian paradise garden, Muslim gardens, enclosed courts, cool arcades, coloured tilework, the interplay of light and shade, a unified composition, the most notable examples, a series of courtyards, elaborate pleasure gardens, artificial lakes, stone lanterns and sculptures, an effect of restraint, harmony and peace

Speech exercises

1. Read the text again and answer the following questions:

1. What were the Muslims inspired by? What were their gardens like?

2. How were palaces, temples and houses built in China?

3. What did a traditional Japanese garden look like?

4. What effect does every element of a Japanese garden create?

MEDIEVAL, RENAISSANCE, AND BAROQUE PERIODS

In medieval Europe, ravaged by invasions and wars, gardens were generally small and enclosed for protection within the fortified walls of monasteries and castles. The gardens of most monasteries were surrounded by cloistered walks and had a well or fountain at the center, possibly inspired by Persian gardens, which was intended to enhance meditation. Castles might have a kitchen or herb garden, a private ornamental garden for the lord and lady, and a larger grassy area for the pleasure of the court.

During the Renaissance in Italy, castles gave way to palaces and villas landscaped in the Roman tradition. The architect of the house usually designed its setting as well, thus ensuring a harmonious relationship between the two. The symmetrical, classically inspired plan of the house was repeated in the grounds. Laid out along a central axis, avenues, walks, and steps led from terrace to terrace, which, wherever possible, afforded fine views of the countryside. Borders of tall, dark cypresses and clipped hedges, geometric flower beds, stone balustrades, fountains, and sculptures conformed strictly to the overall plan.

Italian gardens of the 17^th century became even more complex in the dramatic baroque style. They were distinguished by lavish use of serpentine lines, groups of sculptured allegorical figures in violent movement, and a multiplicity of spouting fountains and waterfalls. Modified versions of Italian Renaissance and baroque gardens appeared throughout Europe. In Spain, Moorish and Renaissance elements were combined in the gardens of the Alcázar in Seville. Dutch gardens of geometric flower beds were enclosed by brick walls.

In the 17^th century, France replaced Italy as the primary inspiration of architectural and landscape design. The vast building programs of Louis XIV included miles of symmetrically arranged gardens, which, like royal architecture of the period, were designed to give an impression of limitless grandeur. The director of the royal gardens, André Le Nôtre, created at Versailles a series of great, open parterres that formed geometric patterns when seen from above. Beyond them stretched lawns and shrubbery merging into woodland. The grounds were regularly intersected by radiating alleys lined with trees or hedges and embellished with fountains, pavilions, and statuary placed axially in the main lines of view. Versailles and its immense gardens became the norm for ambitious rulers and spawned splendid imitations in dozens of kingdoms and principalities throughout Europe.