©Groninger Museum via AP; Public Domain/Creative Commons
Pre-reading questions:
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- Have you ever gone to a museum?
- Who are some of the famous artists in your country?
Vocabulary:
I will read the words, meanings, and sample sentences. Then, repeat after me.
- suspect /SUHS-pekt/
- breach /breech/
- show /shoh/
- heist /hahyst/
- buff /buhf/
[noun] – a person believed to have committed a crime or done something wrong
Suspects in the recent bank robbery have been captured by the police.
[noun] – an act of breaking a law, promise, agreement, or relationship
The agent sued his client for breach of contract.
[verb] – to prove something or make the truth or existence of something known
He showed that I can trust him.
[noun] – a crime in which valuable things are taken illegally and often violently from a place or person
The police are searching for the people behind the jewelry heist.
[noun] – a person who knows a lot about and is very interested in a particular subject
Michael is a huge sports buff.
Article reading:
Please read the whole article. Then, I will check your pronunciation and intonation.
Two suspects were arrested for stealing paintings by two brilliant artists Vincent van Gogh and Frans Hals last year in museums in the Netherlands. On Van Gogh’s 167th birthday on March 30, 2020, his “The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring” artwork was stolen from The Singer Laren museum in North Holland in an overnight breach. The museum was closed at that time to follow COVID-19 health procedures. Police said that thieves entered the museum by breaking a glass door around 3:15 in the morning, and they caught one of the men involved. The painting shows the garden of the church house Gogh lived in.
Police added that in August of the same year, the famous painting of Dutch Golden Age artist Frans Hals “Two Laughing Boys With a Mug of Beer” was also taken away from the Hofje van mevrouw Aerden in Leerdam. A 58-year-old man from Baarn was then arrested for the heist. The painting shows two boys laughing with a mug of beer. Anna Tummers, a Hals buff, described the 1626 painting as a great example of Hals’ as playful painting style. The police continue to search for both artworks that remain missing, and the other suspects involved.
Police added that in August of the same year, the famous painting of Dutch Golden Age artist Frans Hals “Two Laughing Boys With a Mug of Beer” was also taken away from the Hofje van mevrouw Aerden in Leerdam. A 58-year-old man from Baarn was then arrested for the heist. The painting shows two boys laughing with a mug of beer. Anna Tummers, a Hals buff, described the 1626 painting as a great example of Hals’ as playful painting style. The police continue to search for both artworks that remain missing, and the other suspects involved.
Comprehension questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them based on the article.
- What were the two paintings stolen from the museums in the Netherlands?
- From what museum was Van Gogh’s painting stolen?
- What is shown in Van Gogh’s painting?
- To which time period did Frans Hals belong?
- How did Anna Tummers describe the stolen Hals painting?
Discussion questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- What can you say about the two paintings mentioned in the article?
- How should a country protect its preserved works of art?
- What museum is popular in your country? Please tell me more about it.
- What do you think is the importance of preserving these types of art pieces?
- If you were to become an artist, what kind of pieces would you create? Why?