Variant 28

1 Read the text and mark () the following statements «True» or «False».

The little girl lived in a small simple house. Across the valley there

was a wonderful house high on the hill — and this house had golden

windows, so the little girl wished to grow up and live in a house with

golden windows instead of an ordinary house like hers.

And although she loved her parents and her family, she wished to

live in such a golden house.

When she got to an age when she gained enough skill and sensibility

to go outside her garden fence, she asked her mother if she could go for

a bike ride outside the gate. The little girl knew exactly where she was

heading! Down the lane and across the valley, she rode her bike until

she got to the gate of the golden house across on the other hill. The girl

focused on the path that lead to the house and then on the house itself…

and was so disappointed as she realized all the windows were plain and

rather dirty, reflecting nothing other than the sad neglect of the house

that stood empty.

So sad she didn’t go any further. As she glanced up she saw a sight

to amaze her: there across the way on her side of the valley was a little

house and its windows glistened golden as the sun shone on her little

home.

She realized that she had been living in her golden house and all

the love and care she found there was what made her home the ≪golden

house≫. Everything she dreamed was right there in front of her nose!

True False

1 The house the little girl lived in seemed small

and ordinary.

2 The house the girl liked was situated next to

her house.

3 The house of the girl’s dream had a golden roof.

4 The girl had a loving family.

5 The girl was allowed to go outside the garden

fence when she left school.

6 The girl rode her bike across the valley to meet

her friend.

7 When the girl saw the house, she was disappointed.

8 Nobody lived in that house.

9 The girl came inside the house.

10 The girl was surprised by how her own house

looked.

60 Variant 28

2 Complete the text with the words from the box.

however experts art public valueless

scenery impressionist fakes paintings artists

Some of the great (1) which disappeared during World

War II had been concealed in the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.

There are literally hundreds of paintings, 74 of which are masterpieces.

Among the (2) represented are Degas, Van Gogh,

Cezanne and Picasso.

The value of these works of (3) is enormous. Although

no official amount has been given, (4) believe they are

worth about £200 million. (5) , valuing paintings such as

these is extremely difficult because the market changes so much from

year to year.

It is the (6) works which are of greatest value, the most

outstanding being Degas’ ≪Place de la Concorde≫. This work is particularly

special because of the balance between the (7) in the

background and the figures in the foreground. There are also excellent

examples of the work of Gauguin, one of which had never been seen in

(8) before.

However, not all the paintings are the masterpieces the Russians

first thought they were. Several of the works have been discovered to

be (9) . One Toulouse-Lautrec was almost put into an exhibition

at the Hermitage before an expert worked out that it was an excellent,

but (10) , copy.

3 Comment on the following issues.