Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

Interview with an art critic

Your teacher has given you the following interview to help you learn about art. Read the
interview and answer the questions. Write your answers in the spaces provided. For multiple
choice questions, choose the best answer and blacken the circle next to the corresponding
letter.

Interview with an art critic

For art critic, historian and professor Eric
Huang, visiting a museum or art gallery
isn’t just about seeing good art. It is also
5 about studying it — figuring out what it
means, where it came from and why it is
important to the world. Eric recently sat
down with HeArt Magazine to talk about
ock
terst
his career and love of art. Shut
os.
Phot
10 Why did you decide to become an art ntina

critic?
Vale

When I was fourteen, my parents and I

went to Paris, France. They took me to
the Louvre Museum. I didn’t want to
15 spend the day looking at boring art.
Then I actually saw the paintings and
sculptures — the Mona Lisa, the Venus
de Milo and all the other breathtaking
masterpieces in the museum — and I
20 knew what I wanted to be when I grew
up. Not an artist, but an art expert.

How did you become an art critic?

First, I earned a master’s degree in Art History at The University of Hong Kong.
Next, I completed a PhD at Columbia University in New York. After that, I got a
25 job at the Museum of Modern Art — also in New York. Finally, I came back to
Hong Kong to teach Art History at HKU, and started writing art reviews for
newspapers and magazines around the world.

Do you have a favourite artist?

I’ve studied the Spanish painter Salvador Dali more than any other artist. His
30 most renowned work — The Persistence of Memory — is on display at the
Museum of Modern Art. When I first saw it, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Then I
walked towards the painting to get a closer look, and as I moved across the
room, I felt my heart speed up. The painting is simple and confusing at the same
time. I couldn’t figure out what I was looking at. It was the most powerful
35 moment I’d ever experienced with a work of art.

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 1

Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

Please turn over.

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 2

 Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

What is it about Dali’s work that you find so inspiring?

Looking at Dali’s paintings is like seeing a person’s dreams. Dali said that all his
best ideas came from dreams, while in real life he was always doing strange
things like referring to himself as ‘Dali’ instead of ‘I’. His life was part of his art.
40 He told an interviewer that he thought of himself as both a marvellous painter
and a marvellous clown. Everything he did or created made people ask questions
about the world — it’s the goal of every good artist.

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 3

Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

1 What publication did the interview appear in?

2 Use ONE word to complete each blank.

The magazine’s name includes the words and so

is probably for art lovers.

3 Who does ‘you’ (line 10) refer to?

4 According to lines 10–21, Eric _____ art before visiting the Louvre Museum.
 A enjoyed looking at
 B had no interest in
 C knew a lot about
 D was keen to study

5 What two famous works of art are mentioned in lines 10–21?

a)
b)

6 Number the following events in the correct order. Write 1–5 on the lines provided. One
has been done for you.
Eric studied at The University of Hong Kong.
Eric attended a university in New York.
Eric visited Paris with his parents. 1

Eric started working at the Museum of Modern Art.

Eric got a job at the University of Hong Kong.

7 According to lines 22–27, Eric _____.

 A has one university qualification
 B lives and works in New York
 C worked at a museum in Hong Kong
 D writes art reviews for foreign publications

8 Who is Eric’s favourite artist?

9 Find a word in lines 29–35 that means ‘famous’.

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 4

Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

10 In line 31, what does ‘it’ refer to?

11 Which of the choices best describes the changing feelings of the writer in lines 29–35?
 A amazed  excited  confused  impressed
 B confused  impressed  amazed  excited
 C excited  amazed  impressed  confused
 D impressed  confused  excited  amazed

12 According to lines 37–42, Dali _____.

 A didn’t like to be called ‘Dali’
 B once called an interviewer a clown
 C put little importance in his dreams
 D thought life and art were closely linked

13 According to Eric, what do good artists try to do?

Good artists try to

14 The interview is about a _____.

 A valuable painting
 B famous painter
 C popular museum
 D successful art expert

15 What type of art or work of art do you find inspiring? Why?

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 5

Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

Glossary

Word / Phrase Pronunciation Meaning*

art critic n phr (line 1) /ˈɑːt ˌkrɪtɪk/ someone whose job is to make judgments about
the good and bad qualities of art
figuring out ger phr /ˈfɪɡəɪŋ aʊt/ thinking about something until you understand it;
(line 5) the base form of ‘figuring’ is ‘figure’
sculptures n (line 17) /ˈskʌlptʃəz/ objects made out of stone, wood, clay, etc. by an
artist; ‘sculptures’ is the plural form of ‘sculpture’
masterpieces n /ˈmɑːstəpiːsɪz/ works of art that are of very high quality;
(line 19) ‘masterpieces’ is the plural form of ‘masterpiece’
master’s degree n phr /ˈmɑːstəz dɪ a university degree that you can get by studying
(line 23) ˌɡriː/ for one or two years after your first degree
PhD n (line 24) /ˌpiː eɪtʃ ˈdiː/ a university degree of a very high level, which
involves doing advanced research; ‘PhD’ stands
for ‘Doctor of Philosophy’
on display prep phr /ɒn dɪˈspleɪ/ something that is on display is in a public place
(line 30) where people can look at it
speed up phr v /spiːd ʌp/ to move or happen faster, or to make something
(line 33) move or happen faster
marvellous adj /ˈmɑːvələs/ extremely good, enjoyable, impressive, etc.
(line 40)
clown n (line 41) /klaʊn/ someone who often makes jokes or behaves in a
funny way
*A word or phrase can have various meanings. Each meaning listed here is for the use of the word or phrase in
the specified text.

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 6

 Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

AK Interview with an art critic

Your teacher has given you the following interview to help you learn about art. Read the
interview and answer the questions. Write your answers in the spaces provided. For multiple
choice questions, choose the best answer and blacken the circle next to the corresponding
letter.

Interview with an art critic

For art critic, historian and professor Eric
Huang, visiting a museum or art gallery
isn’t just about seeing good art. It is also
5 about studying it — figuring out what it
means, where it came from and why it is
important to the world. Eric recently sat
down with HeArt Magazine to talk about
ock
terst
his career and love of art. Shut
os.
Phot
10 Why did you decide to become an art ntina

critic?
Vale

When I was fourteen, my parents and I

went to Paris, France. They took me to
the Louvre Museum. I didn’t want to
15 spend the day looking at boring art.
Then I actually saw the paintings and
sculptures — the Mona Lisa, the Venus
de Milo and all the other breathtaking
masterpieces in the museum — and I
20 knew what I wanted to be when I grew
up. Not an artist, but an art expert.

How did you become an art critic?

First, I earned a master’s degree in Art History at The University of Hong Kong.
Next, I completed a PhD at Columbia University in New York. After that, I got a
25 job at the Museum of Modern Art — also in New York. Finally, I came back to
Hong Kong to teach Art History at HKU, and started writing art reviews for
newspapers and magazines around the world.

Do you have a favourite artist?

I’ve studied the Spanish painter Salvador Dali more than any other artist. His
30 most renowned work — The Persistence of Memory — is on display at the
Museum of Modern Art. When I first saw it, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Then I
walked towards the painting to get a closer look, and as I moved across the
room, I felt my heart speed up. The painting is simple and confusing at the same
time. I couldn’t figure out what I was looking at. It was the most powerful
35 moment I’d ever experienced with a work of art.

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 1

Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

Please turn over.

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 2

 Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

What is it about Dali’s work that you find so inspiring?

Looking at Dali’s paintings is like seeing a person’s dreams. Dali said that all his
best ideas came from dreams, while in real life he was always doing strange
things like referring to himself as ‘Dali’ instead of ‘I’. His life was part of his art.
40 He told an interviewer that he thought of himself as both a marvellous painter
and a marvellous clown. Everything he did or created made people ask questions
about the world — it’s the goal of every good artist.

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 3

Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

1 What publication did the interview appear in?

HeArt Magazine

2 Use ONE word to complete each blank.

The magazine’s name includes the words heart and art so

is probably for art lovers.

3 Who does ‘you’ (line 10) refer to?

Eric Huang

4 According to lines 10–21, Eric _____ art before visiting the Louvre Museum.
 A enjoyed looking at
 B had no interest in
 C knew a lot about
 D was keen to study

5 What two famous works of art are mentioned in lines 10–21?

a) (the) Mona Lisa
b) (the) Venus de Milo

6 Number the following events in the correct order. Write 1–5 on the lines provided. One
has been done for you.
Eric studied at The University of Hong Kong. 2

Eric attended a university in New York. 3

Eric visited Paris with his parents. 1

Eric started working at the Museum of Modern Art. 4

Eric got a job at the University of Hong Kong. 5

7 According to lines 22–27, Eric _____.

 A has one university qualification
 B lives and works in New York
 C worked at a museum in Hong Kong
 D writes art reviews for foreign publications

8 Who is Eric’s favourite artist?

Salvador Dali

9 Find a word in lines 29–35 that means ‘famous’.

renowned

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 4

Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

10 In line 31, what does ‘it’ refer to?

Dali’s most renowned work / Persistence of Memory

11 Which of the choices best describes the changing feelings of the writer in lines 29–35?
 A amazed  excited  confused  impressed
 B confused  impressed  amazed  excited
 C excited  amazed  impressed  confused
 D impressed  confused  excited  amazed

12 According to lines 37–42, Dali _____.

 A didn’t like to be called ‘Dali’
 B once called an interviewer a clown
 C put little importance in his dreams
 D thought life and art were closely linked

13 According to Eric, what do good artists try to do?

Good artists try to make people ask questions about the world

14 The interview is about a _____.

 A valuable painting
 B famous painter
 C popular museum
 D successful art expert

15 What type of art or work of art do you find inspiring? Why?

(Student’s own answers)

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 5

Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

Glossary

Word / Phrase Pronunciation Meaning*

art critic n phr (line 1) /ˈɑːt ˌkrɪtɪk/ someone whose job is to make judgments about
the good and bad qualities of art
figuring out ger phr /ˈfɪɡəɪŋ aʊt/ thinking about something until you understand it;
(line 5) the base form of ‘figuring’ is ‘figure’
sculptures n (line 17) /ˈskʌlptʃəz/ objects made out of stone, wood, clay, etc. by an
artist; ‘sculptures’ is the plural form of ‘sculpture’
masterpieces n /ˈmɑːstəpiːsɪz/ works of art that are of very high quality;
(line 19) ‘masterpieces’ is the plural form of ‘masterpiece’
master’s degree n phr /ˈmɑːstəz dɪ a university degree that you can get by studying
(line 23) ˌɡriː/ for one or two years after your first degree
PhD n (line 24) /ˌpiː eɪtʃ ˈdiː/ a university degree of a very high level, which
involves doing advanced research; ‘PhD’ stands
for ‘Doctor of Philosophy’
on display prep phr /ɒn dɪˈspleɪ/ something that is on display is in a public place
(line 30) where people can look at it
speed up phr v /spiːd ʌp/ to move or happen faster, or to make something
(line 33) move or happen faster
marvellous adj /ˈmɑːvələs/ extremely good, enjoyable, impressive, etc.
(line 40)
clown n (line 41) /klaʊn/ someone who often makes jokes or behaves in a
funny way
*A word or phrase can have various meanings. Each meaning listed here is for the use of the word or phrase in
the specified text.

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 6