The reputation of this museum lies in the variety if its art collection. This covers more than 5,000 years of civilization from many parts if the world, including America, Europe, China, Egypt, other African countries and South America.The museun diaplays more than just the visual delights of art.It introduces you to ancient ways of living. You can visit an Egyptian temple, a fragrant Ming garden, a typical room in an 18th century French house and other special exhibitions.
Museum of Modern Art(53rd Street, btween 5th and 6th Avenues)
It is amazing that so many great works of from the late 19th century to the 21st century are housed in the same museum. The collection of Western art includes paintings by such famous artists as Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso and Matisse. Afew words of warning:the admission price is not cheap an the meseum is often very crowded.
Whitney Museum of American Art(945 Madison Avenue, near 75th Street)
The Whitney holds an excellent colection of comtemporary painting and sclpture. There are no permanent displays in this museum and exhibitions change all the time. Every two years, the Whitney holds a special exhibition of new art by living artists. The museum also shows videos and films by comtemporary video artists.
Unit2A FEW SIMPLE FORMS OF ENGLISH POEMS
There are various reasons why people write poetry. Some poems tell a story or describe something in a way that will give the reader a strong impression. Others try to convey certain emotions. Poets use many different forms of poetry to express themselves. In this text, however, we will look at a few of the simpler forms.
Some of the first poetry a young child learns in English is nursery rhymes. These rhymes like the one on the right (A) are still a common type of children's poetry. The language is concrete but imaginative, and they delight small children because they rhyme, have strong rhythm and a lot of repetition. The poems may not make sense and even seem contradictory, but they are easy to learn and recite. By playing with the words in nursery rhymes, children learn about language.
A Hush, little baby, don't say a word,
Papa's going to buy you a mockingbird.
If that mockingbird won't sing,
Papa's going to buy you a diamond ring.
If that diamond ring turns to brass,
Papa's going to buy you a looking-glass.
If that looking-glass gets broke,
Papa's going to buy you a billy-goat.
If that billy-goat runs away,
Papa's going to buy you another today.
One of the simplest kinds of poems are those like B and C that list things. List poems have a flexible line length and repeated phrases which give both a pattern and a rhythm to the poem. Some rhyme (like B) while others do not (like C).
I saw a fish-portal all on fire
I saw a fish-pond all on fire,
I saw a house bow to a squire,
I saw a person twelve-feet high,
I saw a cottage in the sky,
I saw a balloon made of lead,
I saw a coffin drop down dead,
I saw two sparrows run a race,
I saw two horses making lace,
I saw g girl just like a cat,
I saw a kitten wear a hat,
I saw a man who saw these too,
And said though strange they all were true.
Our first football match
We would have won ...
if Jack had scored that goal,
if we'd had just a few more minutes,
if we had trained harder,
if Ben had passed the ball to Joe,
if we'd had thousands of fans screaming,
if I hadn't taken my eye off the ball,
if we hadn't stayed up so late the night before,
if we hadn't taken it easy,
if we hadn't run out of energy.
We would have won ...
if we'd been better!
Another simple form of poem that students can easily write is the cinquain, a poem made up of five lines. With these, students can convey a strong picture in just a few words. Look at the examples (D and E) on the top of the next page.
Brother
Beautiful, athletic
Teasing, shouting, laughing
Friend and enemy too
Mine
Summer
Sleepy, salty
Drying, drooping, dreading
Week in, week out
Endless
A fallen blossom
Is coming back to the branch.
Look, a butterfly!
( by Moritake)
Snow having melted,
The whole village is brimful
Of happy children.
(by Issa)
Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry that is made up of 17 syllables. It is not a traditional form of English poetry, but is very popular with English writers. It is easy to write and, like the cinquain , can give a clear picture and create a special feeling using the minimum of words. The two haiku poems (F and G) above are translations from the Japanese.
Where she awaits her husband
On and on the river flows.
Never looking back,
Transformed into stone.
Day by day upon the mountain top,
wind and rain revolve.
Should the traveller return,
this stone would utter speech.,