Cultural Life in New York

New York is often called the cultural capital of the USA. There are more than 800 museums in New York. One of the best-known is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is the largest art museum in the United Stale. Its magnificent collection of European and American paintings contains works of the greatest masters of art world. The second best-known is the Museum of Modern Art. The museum contains wonderful collections of modern art and photography. The Guggenheim Museum of Modem Art contains an impressive collection of 51 modern artists ranging from impressionists to abstractionists. The unusual circular building of the museum was designed by F. L. Wright.

No other city in the world offers as many theaters as New York does where there is a daily choice of almost two hundred productions. You can see the newest plays and shows on Broadway. But away from the bright lights of Broadway there are many smaller theaters. Their plays are called " off-Broadway", and they are often more unusual than the Broadway shows. Some Broadway musicals like " Cats", " Miss Saigon" live for decades, some off-Broadway shows live for a week.

The Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center is known through the music world. International stars sing here from September until April. The Carnegie Hall is the city's most popular concert hall. It was opened in 1891 with a concert conducted by P. I. Tchaikovsky. Music masters such as Arthur Toskanini, Leonard Bernstein, Jsaac Stern, Frank Sinatra, the Beatles have made up the Carnegie bill.

New York is famous for its festivals and special events: summer jazz, one-act play marathons, international film series and musical celebrations from the classical to the avant-garde.

There are a lot of colleges and universities in New York, among them such giants as Columbia University, the State University of New York, the City University of New York, New York University and others.

The New York Public Library is the largest library of the city. You can see a lot of interesting things here: Gilbert Stuart's portrait of George Washington, Charles Dickens's desk and Thomas Jefferson's own handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence.

1. What city is often called the cultural capital of the USA? 2. What famous museums and art galleries are there in New York? 3. What do you know about them? 4. Where can one see the most popular plays in New York? 5. How long can they last? 6. What plays do people call " off-Broadway"? 7. What do you know about the Metropolitan Opera? 8. Who conducted the first concert there? 9. What famous universities are there in New York? 10. What can people see in the New York Public Library?