A02 – Culture and the Arts
Vlastnosti
| predmet | Anglický jazyk |
| typ | maturitná téma |
| okruh | anglický jazyk |
| číslo | 2 |
| stav | vypracované |
Talk about the branches of art, the cultural events you attend, theatre, cinema and museums, and your own attitude to culture.
1. Osnova témy
- What culture means — the arts on one side, the shared beliefs and habits of a group on the other.
- Cultural life in a big city compared with a small town or a village.
- Cultural life in your own town — what facilities are available.
- Theatre — kinds of performance and how a theatre visit works, from booking to the final applause.
- Cinema, galleries and museums — what you can see there.
- Young people and culture — concerts, festivals, streaming.
- Your own attitude — your favourite book, film or band, and a cultural event you attended recently.
- Famous people in music, film and fine art.
2. Kľúčová slovná zásoba
- branches of art: literature, music, painting, sculpture (sochárstvo), architecture, photography, film, dance, drama; fine arts (výtvarné umenie), performing arts
- theatre: performance (predstavenie), play, drama, comedy, tragedy, opera, operetta, musical, ballet, stage (javisko), curtain (opona), cloakroom (šatňa), attendant (uvádzač), audience (obecenstvo), interval (prestávka), to applaud (tlieskať), a standing ovation, to book tickets in advance (objednať lístky vopred), box office (pokladňa)
- cinema: screen, cinema-goer, feature film, documentary, cartoon (kreslený film), thriller, horror, science fiction, comedy, romance, subtitles (titulky), dubbing (dabing), director (režisér), cast (obsadenie), plot (dej), to be set in (odohrávať sa v)
- galleries and museums: exhibition (výstava), painting (obraz), sculpture, portrait, landscape (krajinomaľba), still life (zátišie), collection, exhibit (exponát), guided tour (sprievodcovská prehliadka), admission fee (vstupné)
- music: classical music, pop, rock, jazz, folk music, hip-hop, band, orchestra, conductor (dirigent), composer (skladateľ), concert, music festival, open-air (pod holým nebom), live performance
- describing a work: moving (dojímavý), gripping (strhujúci), thought-provoking (podnetný), overrated (preceňovaný), boring, well-acted, brilliantly directed
- useful nouns: facility (zariadenie), choice (výber), attitude (postoj), belief (názor, viera), event (podujatie), masterpiece (majstrovské dielo)
3. Užitočné frázy a väzby
- The word „culture" can be understood in two different ways.
- Compared with a village, a big city offers a much wider choice of cultural facilities.
- If you want to see a performance, you should book the tickets in advance.
- When the performance ended, the audience applauded and the curtain fell.
- I am not much of a theatre-goer, but I do enjoy…
- The film that impressed me most recently was…
- What I like about it is the plot / the acting / the soundtrack.
- I would describe myself as someone who is quite interested in…
- Personally, I prefer the cinema to the theatre, because…
- It is a pity that young people go to the theatre less often than they used to.
- All things considered, culture is important because it…
4. Modelová odpoveď
The word „culture" can be understood in two ways. In the narrower sense it means the arts — literature, music, painting, sculpture, film and theatre. In the broader sense it means the beliefs, habits and values shared by a group of people, and that is why we can also talk about youth culture or political culture.
Cultural life depends a lot on where you live. In a big city there is a much wider choice of facilities. You can go to a cinema, a theatre, an art gallery or a museum, and there are concerts almost every week. In a small town or a village the opportunities are far more limited. Some villages only have a community centre where a disco or a ball is held on special occasions, and if people want to see a real theatre performance, they have to travel to the nearest city.
I am lucky, because I live in Bratislava, which is the capital, so the choice here is very good. We have the Slovak National Theatre with drama, opera and ballet, several multiplex cinemas, the Slovak National Gallery and a number of museums. Tickets for the theatre should be booked in advance, especially for popular performances, while for the cinema you can usually buy them online or half an hour before the film starts.
A visit to the theatre still has a special atmosphere. People dress nicely, leave their coats in the cloakroom, and an attendant shows them to their seats. During the performance the audience is quiet, and at the end everybody applauds while the curtain falls. If the performance was excellent, the actors get a standing ovation.
Young people usually prefer the cinema and concerts to the theatre. Pop and rock concerts are held in summer at stadiums or open-air venues, and music festivals attract thousands of visitors. Nowadays a lot of people also watch films on streaming services at home, which is cheaper and more comfortable, although I think the atmosphere of a cinema cannot be replaced.
As for my own attitude, I would not call myself a great expert, but I do enjoy good films and I read quite a lot. Recently I went to the theatre with my class and we saw a Slovak play. Our class teacher arranged the tickets, so we did not have to worry about anything. The actors were very good and I was glad we went.
Among the famous names in culture I should mention Louis Armstrong and the Beatles in music, Charlie Chaplin and Alfred Hitchcock in film, and Andy Warhol in fine art — and he is interesting for us because he was the son of Slovak immigrants.
5. Otázky na diskusiu
- How would you define the word „culture"?
- Do you prefer going to the cinema or to the theatre, and why?
- What kinds of films do you enjoy watching?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of watching a film at the cinema instead of at home?
- Why do people visit the cinema less often than they used to?
- What was the last cultural event you attended? Describe it.
- Who is your favourite actor, singer or writer? Describe them.
- Do you like folk music and folk dance performances? Why or why not?
- What is an Oscar, and do you think film awards really matter?
- Should the state support culture with public money?
6. Zhrnutie na ústnu odpoveď
- Dva významy slova culture: the arts vs. shared beliefs and habits of a group.
- Mesto vs. dedina: wider choice of facilities in a city; a community centre and travelling in a village.
- Moje mesto: name the actual theatres, cinemas, galleries and museums you can reach.
- Návšteva divadla: book in advance → cloakroom → attendant → performance → applause → curtain falls.
- Mladí a kultúra: concerts, summer festivals, streaming instead of the cinema.
- Môj postoj: favourite book or film, and one concrete event you attended recently.
- Slávne mená: Armstrong, the Beatles · Chaplin, Hitchcock, Disney · Andy Warhol (son of Slovak immigrants).
Zdrojový materiál je z čias videokaziet a spomína požičanie videa. Povedz radšej dnešnú verziu — streaming services like Netflix — a rovno z toho sprav argument, prečo ľudia chodia do kina menej. Komisia ocení, keď téma znie aktuálne.
Súvisiace poznámky
- A24 – Books and Reading — literatúra ako súčasť kultúry
- A16 – Mass Media — film a médiá
- A19 – Hobbies and Leisure — kultúra ako trávenie voľného času
- A21 – Towns and Places — čo ponúka veľké mesto oproti dedine
- Anglické ekvivalenty — slovná zásoba a termíny po anglicky
Kontrolné otázky
How would you define the word "culture"?
Culture is everything a society creates and shares – art, music, literature, traditions, language and the way people live.
Do you prefer going to the cinema or to the theatre, and why?
I prefer the cinema because it is more relaxed and the choice of films is wider, but a good theatre performance has a special live atmosphere.
What kinds of films do you enjoy watching?
Mostly science fiction and thrillers, sometimes comedies. I like films with a clever plot and good special effects.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of watching a film at the cinema instead of at home?
The cinema has a big screen, great sound and atmosphere. On the other hand, tickets are expensive, you cannot pause the film and other people can be noisy.
Why do people visit the cinema less often than they used to?
Streaming services are cheap and convenient, and new films appear online soon after the premiere.
What was the last cultural event you attended? Describe it.
I went to a concert in Bratislava with my friends. The band played for two hours, the light show was amazing and everybody sang along.
Who is your favourite actor, singer or writer? Describe them.
Choose one person, say what they are famous for, describe one work you like and explain why you admire them – their talent, hard work or message.
Do you like folk music and folk dance performances? Why or why not?
I do not listen to it every day, but I respect it. Folk ensembles keep our traditions alive and the costumes and dances are impressive.
What is an Oscar, and do you think film awards really matter?
The Oscar is the award of the American Film Academy for the best films and artists. Awards help good films get attention, but popularity does not always mean quality.
Should the state support culture with public money?
Yes, to some extent. Theatres, museums and libraries could not survive only from tickets, and culture is part of our national identity.