Материал: bardinskaia_tr_angliiskii_iazyk_v_sfere_kulturologii

I lie bird emerging from behind the head with its great wings outspread represents I he ancestor’s vital spirit of life force.

Sure, at first glance the primitive art might seem puzzling and repulsive.

Guardians. Ancestor worship is the most persistent feature of the primitive religions, but since the primitive world consists of countless isolated tribal groups H s artistic expression varies greatly. On Easter Island, for instance, we find huge ancestral figures carved from volcanic rock. Lined up on raised platforms like giant guardians they must have cast a powerful protective spell. Here the carver’s effort has again centered on the elongated craggy features of the face. The back of the heads is suppressed entirely. These figures resemble megalithic monuments in Europe.

RULERS. A king based his authority on the claim that it had been given to him by supernatural forces. He ruled “by the grace of G od”, embodying the divine will in his own person or he might even assume the status of a deity himself. The most impressive remains of the kings are the portrait heads excavated at Ife, Nigeria, near the Niger River. Some are of terracotta, some of bronze. The realism of the Ife heads is astonishing. Now we have a long series of portraits of dead rulers. The use of real hair - probably hair taken from the person represented - strongly suggested that these heads were prepared as “traps”. But since the ruler s had individual importance, and to be an effective trap - every head had to be unique. It is possible that the heads were made while the rulers were alive and turned into the effective traps after their death by adding their hair. Clearly, each of these heads is unique and irreplaceable.

EXERCISES

I. Enlarge your vocabulary.

Try to remember correct pronunciation of the new words.

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II.Form the adjectives opposite in meaning by adding prefixes un-, ir-, and

im-. Translate them.

Replaceable …………………..

Mobile ……………………..

Realistic ……………………

Possible ……………………

Interesting …………………

Perfect …………………….

III.Form as many words as you can, use the given roots.

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Real …………………………………………………….

Believe …………………………………………………

Savage …………………………………………………

IV. Match the words to their synonyms.

V.Fill in the correct word from the list given below. Use each word only once.

carver’s ■ ancestor ■ realistic ■ cultural ■ painted spirit ■ ancestral ■ portrait ■ sculptured ■ vital

1.…………….heritage

2.…………….skulls

3.……………..tribal patterns

4.…………….. figures

5.…………….. effort

6.…………….. spirit

7.…………….. modeling

8.…………….. resemblance

9.……………. worship

10.…………….. traps

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VI. Enrich your vocabulary by useful expressions and idioms. a)

Translate into Russian and remember.

1.cultural heritage;

2.to be admired throughout the world;

3.to have painted tribal patterns;

4. to be realistic in modeling;

5.a work of art;

6.at first glance;

7.to have an actual portrait resemblance;

8.to be unique and irreplaceable.

b) Complete the sentences with the expressions given above (in point a ) .

I. Each head of the rulers from Nigeria .... 2. The sculptured skulls from the Sepic

River .... 3. It’s hard to call the craggy giant guardians from Easter Island ... . 4.... of

our ancestors has enriched our own. 5. Sorry to say, but... the primitive art might seem to be repulsive.

VII. Fill in the correct preposition; then choose any three and make sentences.

carved ... volcanic rock; to emerge from ... the head; to line up ... raised platforms; it’s hard ... us to think; the seashells were used ... eyes; carvings produced ... that area; painted tribal patterns ... the faces; to be admired ... the world; the portrait heads excavated... Ife.

VIII. Match the words to their definitions.

worship ■ custom ■ ethnology ■ folklore ■ spirit belief ■ archaeology ■ religion

1) the science of the origin, history, customs etc. of peoples; 2) the study of past cultures through their surviving relics; 3) a system of faith in and worship of a deity; 4) the old traditions, beliefs, legends and superstitions of people; 5) pay divine

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honours to God, a sacred personage or a sacred object; 6) the immaterial, intellectual or moral part of a man; 7) something thought as a part of religion; 8) usual and generally accepted behaviour among members of a social group.

IX. Choose the correct item.

1. Ancestor ... (art, worship, life) is the most persistent feature of primitive religions. 2. The back of the heads from Easter Island is suppressed ... (tightly, whole, entirely). 3. The masters from the Sepic River used ... (seashells, stones, hair) for eyes. 4. The wood carvings of ... (patriarchal, ancestress, ancestral) figures from New Guinea are of great interest for us. 5. The use of real hair ... (strongly, simply, strong) suggested that these heads were prepared as “traps”. 6. Each of th e “spirit trap” head is ...

(antique, unite, unique) and irreplaceable.

X. Learn some useful techniques for making up a dialogue.

a) Read the following information about starting a conversation.

A conversation often depends on questions to keep it going in the direction you want it to go. The one who asks the questions in a conversation usually controls it. Various techniques may be necessary to get different sorts of information from different people. Most people are very polite in the way they ask a stranger about something - you are more direct, you may appear to be very rude! Anyway, personal questions have to be expressed tactfully. Here are some useful opening expressions you can use IQ lead up to questions.

1. I was wondering if you could help me. I’d like to know ... 2. I wonder if you could tell me... 3. This may sound a stupid question, but I’d like to know... 4. Excuse me, do you happen to know ... 5. Would you mind telling me ... 6.1 hope you don’t mind my asking, but I’d like to know ... 7. Something else I’d like to know is...

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