Worksheets

Beautiful landscapes - more than  just a painting

1.     Read the text.

When most people look at a painting of a sunset, they see a beautiful work of art. When Professor Christos Zerefos looks at a painting of a sunset, he sees valuable scientific evidence. He believes that these paintings contain important information about the effect of volcanoes on the climate.

Scientists know that after a volcanic eruption, sunsets are very red. This is caused by the dust and ash that are sent into the sky. Volcanoes also lower the temperature of the Earth.

Professor Zerefos and his team decided to study paintings of sunsets before and after volcanic eruptions. Red sunsets are a sign of polluted skies, so the scientists believed that landscapes that were painted after major volcanic eruptions would have bright red sunsets. They wanted to use the paintings to measure how the volcanoes had affected the climate in the past.

More than 500 watercolours and oils of sunsets that were painted between the years 1500 and 1900 have been studied by a team of experts. Professor Zerefos had the results analysed by a computer. The computer calculated the amount of red in each picture. They found that the sunsets that were painted after a volcanic eruption were bright red.

Many scientists are not convinced by this theory. According to them, it is impossible to make scientific conclusions based on art that was painted so long ago, because it is possible that the colours have changed since they were originally painted. What is more, artists often try to make something look very impressive when they paint. As a result, they may not always paint an accurate picture of nature.

Professor Zerefos disagrees. He is certain that artists accurately copy the actual colours of the sunsets they see. Paintings that were painted in the 20^th century are now being studied by Professor Zerefos and his team.

So the next time you look at a painting of a beautiful sunset, examine the colours more carefully.

2.     Answer the questions. Write complete sentences.

       1.  Why did Professor Zerefos study paintings of sunsets?

       2.  Why are sunsets very red after a volcanic eruption?

       3.  Explain the meaning of the title.

3.  Complete the first part of the sentences with the correct passive form of the verb in brackets.

       Then complete the second part of the sentences according to the information found in the text.

 

1.   The Earth’s temperature ___________________________ (lower) by ___________________________________

2.   In the past, bright red sunsets ____________________________ (paint) ________________________________

3.   More than 500 paintings of sunsets _______________________________ (examine) _____________________

4.   In the study, a computer ____________________________ (use) to ____________________________________

5.   According to some scientists, nature _________________________ (not copy) _________________________