Listen to News with Tara Benwell - Instructions:
1. Preview the vocabulary and read the gapfill text.
2. Play the news report and try to fill in the blanks.
3. Answer the comprehension questions by writing full sentences.
4. Use the discussion question to write an essay or discuss the story with other students.
5. Click "show Answers" to see the full text.
6. Pretend to be a news anchor by reading each story out loud.
dateline: 07 June 2011
NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN π
Four-Year-Old’s Paintings Worth $10,000
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- heritage: that which is passed on from previous generations
- exhibit: to show one’s art in a gallery or art show
- impressed: very pleased with the quality or success of something
- texture: the feel or consistency of something
- canvas: the stretched out material that painters create their art on
- innocent: young or inexperienced
Comprehension Questions
- Who is Aelita Andre?
- How much is the young child’s art worth?
- Why does the report mention Jackson Pollock?
Discussion Question: Look up Aelita’s paintings online. Are you impressed, or do you think any young child could create similar artwork with the same supplies?
show Answershide Answers
Four-Year-Old’s Paintings Worth $10,000
A four-year-old of Russian heritage is exhibiting her paintings at a gallery in New York. Nine of her paintings are on exhibit, and are selling for close to $10,000 each. The gallery director is impressed by Aelita’s work, saying that the young artist understands texture and colour and has already developed a unique style. Aelita first exhibited in a Melbourne Gallery at the age of two. Her parents are both artists, and they are also impressed by their daughter’s talent. Art critics are interested in how Aelita comes to the canvas with an innocent eye. When she was only two years old, she painted live for an audience in Hong Kong. Her art has been compared to Jackson Pollock’s. Others have called her Pee Wee Picasso.
- Aelita Andre is a four-year-old professional painter who is exhibiting in New York.
- Aelita’s art is worth about $10,000 per painting.
- The report mentions Jackson Pollock because Aelita’s talent has been compared to his.
Written and recorded by Tara Benwell for EnglishClub
Tara Benwell is a Canadian freelance writer and editor who specializes in materials and articles for the ELT industry.
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