Interesting facts. Famous wit Oscar Wilde was born Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde in Dublin in 1854.
Fictional detective Sherlock Holmes lived at 221b Baker Street, London.
The building is today occupied by the head office of the Abbey Building Society.
I. True or False? Write True if you agree, or False if you don’t.
1. British theatre is among the most innovative in the world
2. An important feature of British theatre is the youthfulness of many productions
3. The Royal National Theatre stages only classical plays
4. In Shakespeare’s times there were no actresses, all female parts were played by boys
5. Covent Garden is originally the name of an area of London once popular by its fruit and vegetable market
II. Find the right answer. Write a, b or c.
1. The first proper theater as we know it appeared in London in 1576 and was called .
a) the Coliseum
b) the Theatre
c) the Globe
2. The first president of the Royal Academy of Arts was .
a) Joshua Reynolds
b) Thomas Gainsborough
c) William Turner
3. Cult thrillers filmed by this world-famous English film director earned him the nickname .
a) Steven Spielberg
b) Tobe Hooper
c) Alfred Hitchcock
4. The name of the foremost English novelist whose books describe life in Victorian England and show how hard it was especially for the poor and children is .
a) Henry James
b) Thomas Hardy
c) Charles Dickens
5. became the first actor to be made a peer of realm, allowing him to sit in the House of Lords.
a) Laurence Olivier
b) Oliver Twist
c) Lucien Olivier
6. The finest native English composer Henry Purcell was referred to as .
a) Orpheus Britannicus
b) Orpheus Anglicus
c) English Orpheus
7. The names of the main characters of a popular British puppet show are .
a) Punch and Judy
b) Kasparle and Grete
c) Peter and Mary
8. Morris dances mean .
a) folk dances
b) court dances
c) ballet dances
9. A rural area in North West England famous for its associations with the early 19th century poetry.
a) Peak District
b) Lake District
c) Dartmoor
10. The mid-1960s musical ‘British Invasion’ into the US was led by .
a) the Rolling Stones
b) the Beatles
c) The Who
