Bosnian businessman transforms Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ into nature park

admin 2024年8月17日

Beginner

Culture & Travel, Culture & Travel - Beginner

©REUTERS/Amel Emric

Pre-reading questions:

I will read each question. Then, please answer them.

講師がそれぞれの質問を読むので答えましょう。

Do you know about Vincent van Gogh?
Do you enjoy visiting parks?

Vocabulary:

I will read the words, meanings, and sample sentences. Then, repeat after me.

単語、意味、例文を読みます。講師に続いて音読しましょう。

village /VIL-ij/

[noun] – a group of houses and other buildings that is smaller than a town, usually in the countryside
The village was surrounded by lush green hills and a river.

hometown /HOHM-toun/

[noun] – the town or city that a person is from, especially the one in which they were born and lived while they were young
After many years abroad, she returned to her hometown to start a business.

notice /NOH-tis/

[verb] – to see or become conscious of something or someone
She noticed a small crack in the window and decided to get it fixed.

tractor /TRAK-ter/

[noun] – large, powerful vehicles used for pulling farm machinery or heavy loads
The tractors were lined up in the field, ready for the harvest.

artwork /AHRT-wurk/

[noun] – a piece of creative work, such as a painting, sculpture, or other visual art
The museum displayed several pieces of artwork from the Renaissance period.

Article reading:

Please read the whole article. Then, I will check your pronunciation and intonation.

記事を音読しましょう。講師はあなたの発音とイントネーションを確認します。

A businessman in central Bosnia named Halim Zukic turned Vincent van Gogh’s famous painting, The Starry Night, into a nature park. About 20 years ago, Zukic bought some land and a small house in a village near his hometown, Visoko. At first, he did not have any specific plans for the land. Then, six years ago, he noticed that the patterns made by tractors in a nearby field looked like the swirls in Van Gogh’s painting. This gave him the idea to create a park inspired by the artwork. Zukic spent many years carefully planning and building the park, which covers 10 hectares of land. He planted 130,000 lavender bushes in six different colors and arranged them in circles to match the swirls in the painting. The park also includes 13 small lakes formed by natural streams, making it a peaceful and artistic place. Zukic’s hard work and creativity led to the park becoming a cultural site that now focuses on art programs and celebrates the rich cultural heritage of central Bosnia.

True or False:

Read the sentences and identify if they are true or false based on the article.

文章を読んで、記事に基づいて正誤を答えましょう。

The park covers 15 hectares of land.
The park includes 20 small lakes formed by natural streams.
Zukic planted 130,000 lavender bushes in five different colors.
The park now serves as a cultural site that focuses on art programs and the cultural heritage of central Bosnia.
Zukic was inspired to create the park after noticing patterns in a field that looked like the swirls in Van Gogh’s painting.

Fill in the blanks:

Choose the correct word from the table, then fill in the blanks.

適切な言葉を選んで空欄を埋めましょう。

village

hometown

noticed

tractors

artwork

She spent weeks working on her __________ for the school exhibition.
Farmers rely on __________ to plow their fields efficiently.
Every summer, tourists visit the __________ to enjoy the local culture.
His __________ is known for its beautiful beaches and friendly people.
The teacher __________ that several students were not paying attention.