7 Vermeer grows up in Delft. (a) known fact
8 Somebody sends the earrings to Griet after Vermeer’s death. (c) in the film version of the novel 9 Griet becomes Vermeer’s assistant. (b) in the novel by Tracy Chevalier
10 Griet is embarrassed when Vermeer sees her hair. (b) in the novel by Tracy Chevalier
Dealing with unfamiliar words
5 Match the words in the box with their definitions.
1 someone who looks at a picture, photograph, or piece of art (viewer)
2 a painting, drawing or photograph of someone, especially of their face only (portrait)
3 relating to people’s homes and family life (domestic)
4 the inside part of something, especially a building or vehicle (interior) 5 as a result (consequently)
6 to start to employ someone or use their services (engage)
7 to officially ask for a piece of work to be done for you (commission)
6 Complete the paragraph with the correct form of the words in Activity 5.
In the beginning it was only the rich and famous who had their (1) portraits painted. But from the Renaissance onwards things changed. Firstly, the growing importance of the middle classes led many ordinary people to (2) commission paintings, often of members of their family. Secondly, artists became interested in showing scenes of (3) domestic life, set in the (4) interiors of ordinary houses, and (5) consequently they began to (6) engage ordinary people, such as servant girls, as models. Part of the mystery for (7) viewers today concerns the identity of these models, in masterpieces such as Leonardo’s Mona Lisa and Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring.
7 Replace the underlined words with the correct form of the words and expressions in the box.
1 He changed his religion from Protestantism and became a Catholic. (converted) 2 One of the assistant’s jobs was to break into a powder the paints. (grind)
3 The newspaper started to change the fact so that it was no longer true ever since it existed, and the local government was definitely one of the victims. (distort) 4 You don’t have to make a hole in your ears to be able to wear these earrings. (pierce)
5 The lives of artists have often been linked to shocking events and situations. (scandals)
6 One of the most striking aspects of the painting is the turban she is wearing on her head. (features)
7 I’ll finish the painting this evening, so from now until then you can have a break. (in the meantime)
8 Answer the questions about the words and expressions. 1 Are exotic clothes likely to be (a) ordinary, or (b) unusual?
2 Is a sitter someone who (a) is being painted, or (b) spends a lot of time sitting down?
3 Is a conventional sense of beauty one which is (a) shared and understood by most people, or (b) different from what is shared and understood by most people? 4 Is an enigmatic expression one which is full of (a) good humour, or (b) mystery? 5 If you have a volatile personality, do you get angry (a) quickly, or (b) only when you can’t tolerate?
6 If you are wary of something, are you (a) excited about it, or (b) careful and nervous about it?
7 If you show something explicitly, do you (a) make its meaning very clear so there is no doubt about it, or (b) leave its meaning unclear?
8 If a woman tries to keep her modesty, does she (a) cover her hair and body to avoid any sexual feeling in men, or (b) talk and act with good grace?
9 Is jealousy the feeling you get when you think someone you love (a) is attracted to somebody else, or (b) doesn’t love you any more?
Language in use
word formation: compound nouns 1 Form compound nouns to indicate: 1 a writer of songs (songwriter) 2 a director of films (film director)
3 a scarf you wear around your head (headscarf) 4 a pack you carry on your back (backpack) 5 a stick you use to make your lips red (lipstick) 6 a lace you use to tie up your shoe (shoelace) 7 polish that you put on your nails (nail polish)
might have been / done
2 Rewrite the sentences using might have been / done .
1 It’s possible that the artist and the model became lovers. The artist and the model might have been lovers.
2 It’s possible that Catharina was never jealous of the model. Catharina might never have been jealous of the model. 3 It’s possible that the model became Vermeer’s assistant. The model might have become Vermeer’s assistant.
4 It’s possible that Vermeer painted other masterpieces which have since been lost. Vermeer might have painted other masterpieces which have since been lost. 5 It’s possible that Vermeer died in poverty. Vermeer might have died in poverty.
may be due to the fact that …
3 Complete the sentences with your own ideas using may be due to the fact that …
1 The young pianist’s musical genius may be due to the fact that his mother played the piano a lot while she was pregnant, so he has always heard music from day one. 2 The late arrival of the train may be due to the fact that there were severe storms last night.
3 The misunderstanding may be due to the fact that she speaks very little Chinese and I don’t speak much Spanish.
4 The book’s enormous popularity may be due to the fact that it has been aggressively marketed on TV and it was discussed in several prime time TV shows.
5 His dislike of music may be due to the fact that he was exposed to loud rock music for many hours a day when he was quite small.
insist that …
4 Rewrite the sentences using insist that …
1 I met an old friend who refused to let me go before I had a drink with him. I met an old friend, who insisted that I have a drink with him before he let me go. 2 The customs people refused to let me through unless I signed a document they gave me.
The customs people insisted that I sign a document they gave me before they let me through.
3 We refused to let him start the concert before having an hour’s rest. We insisted that he have an hour’s rest before he started the concert.
4 They refused to publish the book until he changed some of the things he had written.
They insisted that he change some of the things he’d written before they published the book.
5 She refused to let me see the painting until I apologized for what I had done. She insisted that I apologize for what I had done before she let me see the painting.
6 Translate the paragraphs into Chinese.
1 Listen, if you can, to the 48 fugue themes of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavichord. Listen to each theme, one after another. You will soon realize that each theme mirrors a different world of feeling. You will also soon realize that the more beautiful a theme seems to you the harder it is to find any word that will describe it to your complete satisfaction. Yes, you will certainly know whether it is a gay theme or a sad one. You will be able, in other words, in your own mind, to draw a frame of emotional feeling around your theme. Now study the sad one a little closer. Try to pin down the exact quality of its sadness. Is it pessimistically sad or resignedly sad; is it fatefully sad or smilingly sad?
可能的话，你不妨听听巴赫的《平均律钢琴曲集》中的48个赋格主题。依次地、一个个地听听其中的每一个主题，你很快就会意识到每个主题都反映了一个不同的情感世界，你很快也会意识到你越觉得某个主题美妙，就越难找到令你完全满意的字眼来描述它。是的，你当然知道那个主题是欢快的还是悲伤的。换句话说，你能够在脑海中勾勒出那个主题的情感框架。那么就更仔细地听一下这个悲伤的主题吧，要明确悲伤的性质。是悲观厌世的悲伤，还是无可奈何的悲伤？是时运不济的悲伤，还是强颜欢笑的悲伤？
2 We know less about the Girl with the Pearl Earring than any of Vermeer’s works. Indeed, the unexplainable lack of background information may even contribute to the worldwide popularity the painting enjoys. With so much mystery, the painting has been the theme of first, a novel and later, a film, both of which attempt to answer some of the questions about the painting, as well as one, which is immediately more appropriate to the medium of the novel or the film: Are her wide eyes and enigmatic half-smile innocent or seductive?
我们对《戴珍珠耳环的少女》的了解比对维梅尔的其他作品都少。实际上，这种无法解释的背景资料的缺失甚至会使得该画更受欢迎。正因为如此神秘，这幅画先是成了一部小说的主题，而后又被一部电影所采纳。它们都试图揭开有关这幅画的一些谜题，其中一个是：女孩那双睁得大大的眼睛，以及那一丝神秘的微笑，
