Name:

Art and Technology

The Dutch artist, Vincent Van Gogh, painted The Starry Night in 1889. It’s a view of the night sky with a crescent
moon in one corner shining down on a small village, and a large cypress tree on the left. The sky is a sea of
shades of blue with yellow and white painted in spirals and circles around the stars. At the time, Van Gogh was in a
psychiatric hospital in the south of France after he had cut off his left ear during a breakdown.
The painting hangs in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It’s a picture that invites the viewer to look closer, to
study Van Gogh’s brushstrokes in order to understand how he created the unique effect in the painting. However, it’s
a long way for most art lovers to travel to see it and, more crucially, most museums don’t allow you to stand close
enough to a painting to be able to appreciate the technique of the artist.
Recently, technology has allowed visitors to appreciate the painter’s art in an innovative multi-sensory exhibition
called Van Gogh Alive. It’s been touring worldwide since 2017 and has amazed over 8.5 million people in more
than 80 cities so far. Projectors are used to create a 360º immersive show, with images of the paintings projected
onto all the walls and the ceiling, so that rather than looking at a painting, it’s like walking into it. Specially chosen
music accompanies you as you experience an extraordinary light show of some of Van Gogh’s most famous works,
including The Starry Night.

QUESTION 1 READ THE TEXT AND ANSWER THE THREE QUESTIONS BELOW:
1.1 Write a summary of the text in English, including the most important points, using your own words.
(Approximately 50 words).

1.2 Indicate whether the following statements are true or false (T/F) according to the text.
A Van Gogh painted The Starry Night during a happy period of his life.

B The Starry Night makes you want to examine it in detail to find out how it was painted.

C The Van Gogh Alive exhibition was first shown over five years ago.

D People at the Van Gogh Alive exhibition choose what music to listen to during the show.

1.3 Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given here.
A removed

B usual and special

C using new methods or ideas

PHOTOCOPIABLE © Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2023 1

QUESTION 2 ANSWER THE TWO BLOCKS OF QUESTIONS:
2.1 Block 1. Pronunciation:
A In which two words are the underlined letters pronounced as in “fashion”?
television education measure illusion occasion musician usually vision

B Which word has the same vowel sound as the letter underlined in the word “lose”?
book pull choose should

C In which word is the underlined vowel pronounced differently?

hat Africa champion what

D Find in the text a homophone (a word that sounds the same as another) of the word “won”.

2.2 Block 2. Complete the second sentence of each pair so that it has the same meaning as the first one. You
must use the word or expression in italics.
A I’m sure Jack forgot about going to the exhibition.
... must ...

B When did you begin to study art?

How long ...

C We hired someone to paint our house last month.

We ...our house ...

D My friend said to me: ‘Bring some food and a drink to the show.’
... told ...

QUESTION 3 WRITE A COMPOSITION ANSWERING THIS QUESTION:

Do you agree that art and music are just as important as any other school subjects such as maths, science or
history? Why/Why not? (Approximately 120 words)

QUESTION 4 WRITE A COMPOSITION ANSWERING THIS QUESTION:

Do you think technology is essential these days to interest people in art? Why/Why not? (Approximately 120 words)

PHOTOCOPIABLE © Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2023 2