BEHIND THE SCENES
Watching a successful theatre production is an amazing experience. The performance looks effortless and everything goes smoothly but this often belies the amount of work (26) _________ was actually involved. At the Palace Theatre, the average time from the first (27) _________ to opening night is just four weeks of intensive work. Everyone involved attends the first read-through by the cast, (28) _________ this is an ideal opportunity to get an insight into how a production germinates.
I took myself to the theatre on a chilly October morning to attend the read-through of the theatre's new production - the British première of Sive, by the acclaimed Irish playwright John B Keane. It is a poignant portrayal of rural family life, rich in comedy and filled with memorable characters played by an Irish cast for linguistic authenticity. "It's important for people to have a (29) _________ of common purpose and teamwork”, explains director Ben Barnes. “The play has been in pre-production since June but this is the first reading and it will be indicative of how the actors work together. And it's for the theatre staff as (30) _________ as the actors.”
(Adapted from Cambridge English Proficiency Practice Tests by Mark Harrison)

In general, pollution is the art of putting contaminants into the environment that will negatively affect it. In the area of noise pollution, it is the effect of excess noise on humans or animals that will hurt their lives.
Noise pollution refers to the various non-nature sounds that reverberate in the environment and are unpleasant to the ears. As against the peace and serenity that reigns in the areas that are uninhabited by humans, the human-occupied areas are almost always devoid of calm. However, it is more of the urban centers that have a very high instance of noise pollution.
The most significant contributor to the noise pollution is perhaps the increasing vehicular traffic with a need to rush through to the destination, ending up in blaring of horns and people shouting across the roads. The loud cacophony of the crowds, the sounds emanating from factories or construction sites and the loud music or announcements pouring out from loudspeakers and radios are some examples of what constitutes noise pollution.
One thing needed to control problems like noise pollution is a basic civic sense. Empathy towards others is the primary key to cutting noise beyond the necessary levels. An educated and aware person will not use horns unless needed. The use of loudspeakers will also be limited or eliminated. However, if that does not work, there has to be enforcement of some rules by the authorities towards controlling these acts. Noise pollution is a major issue in various places, but there are also avenues that are being introduced to reduce it minimally.
(Adapted from www.importantindia.com)

John Myatt is showing me some of his recent creations. "That's a Giacometti," he says, pointing to an abstract in swirling whites and greys entitled Apples on a Stool (1949). "I'm not sure it's quite finished yet." Next, Myatt walks me to another wall of The Air Gallery, in London's Mayfair, hung with a Modigliani, several Picassos and, in the centre, a large Ben Nicholson.
For a painter who is celebrating his first London opening, Myatt is disarmingly honest about both his working methods and his failings as an artist. But then, this is not the first time that Myatt's versions of works by Giacometti and Nicholson have found their way into the West End.
Between 1986 and 1994, Myatt churned out more than 200 new works by surrealists, cubists and impressionists, passing them off as originals with the help of an accomplice, John Drewe, an expert at generating false provenances. Despite the fact that many of Myatt's paintings were laughably amateurish (they were executed in emulsion, not oil), they fooled the experts and were auctioned for hundreds of thousands of pounds by Christie's and Sotheby's. It was, said Scotland Yard's art and antiques squad when they finally caught up with Myatt in 1995, "the biggest art fraud of the 20th century". Indeed, to this day, some 120 'Myatts' are still said to be in circulation.
Now, having served his time - Myatt was sentenced to 12 months in prison in 1999 but was released for good behaviour after four months - he feels he has nothing to apologise for.
Instead, he is seeking to forge a new career, so to speak, as a purveyor of what he calls 'genuine fakes'. These are works by the very same artists he used to imitate when he was a criminal - not only Giacomettis and Nicholsons, but Monets, Matisses and Renoirs. They even come with the artists' signatures. The only difference is that on the back of the canvas is a computer chip and the legend 'Genuine fake' written in indelible ink.

Myatt didn't set out to be a faker. As a young art student, he had high hopes of establishing his own artistic style. But whenever he turned his hand to landscapes or portraiture, he says the result was invariably "academic" and "dull". Instead, he taught evening classes and began selling the odd fake to friends and colleagues.
(Adapted from English Unlimited Advanced by Adrian Doff & Ben Goldstein)