Fakes Found in Major Museums

Oscar White Muscarella, a 0) _________ respected archeologist at New York’s Metropolitan Museum, claims that more than 1,250 forgeries are on display in the world’s leading museums and art galleries. In his latest book Muscarella specifically names 37 forgeries in the Louvre, 16 in the British Museum and 45 in his own museum in New York. Muscarella’s earlier claims have been heavily 1) _________ by some museum officials who are

2) _________ opposed to his arguments. But Muscarella has 3) _________ good scientific evidence for his claims, showing that over 40 per cent of the objects examined by the Oxford Thermoluminescence laboratory are fakes. The reason for the quantity of forgeries is 4) _________ simple. Because many of the objects in our museums were found by amateurs and illegally exported from their countries of origin they have no official provenance or documented history. Museums are painfully 5) _________ of this embarrassing problem and as a result they have been known to overlook the lack of written records before accepting or buying antiquities. This makes it 6) _________ impossible to detect forgeries, especially if they are accurate copies. But in fact many forgeries are

7) _________ obvious as they are often copied from a photograph which only shows the front of an object. When examining the back of the forgery they can look 8) _________ different from the original. But museum officials tend to be 9) _________ conservative and hate to question objects which have been sitting in their collections for many years.

Muscarella specializes in the ancient Middle East, and this is the area of archeology in which he has found so many forgeries. But his research has had the effect of undermining the reputation of some of our most 10) ___________ regarded institutions, and this should be of concern to anyone who values our cultural heritage.

0 A absolutely (B)highly C very

1 A discussed B rejected C criticized

2 A bitterly B highly C rather

3 A perfectly B absolutely C somewhat

4 A virtually B quite C really

5 A conscious B understanding C aware

6 A very B virtually C pretty

7 A a bit B entirely C deeply

8 A completely B absolutely C almost

9 A heavily B dead C deeply

10 A very B highly C absolutely

Over to you

Write a letter to your local Consumers’ Association complaining that in your local market there are numerous watches on sale that seem to be a famous brand but turn out to be fakes.

Unit 23 Torts

Before you read

Discuss this quotation.

In his book, An Introduction to the Legal System of the United States, Professor Allan Famsworth described the field of torts distinguished from criminal law and contract law. He wrote:

“The field of torts embraces a group of civil wrongs, other than breach of contract, that interfere with person, property reputation, or commercial or social advantage. While such an act, such as an assault, may sometimes be both a crime punishable by the state in a criminal prosecution and also a tort actionable by the victim in a suit for damages, the criminal prosecution and the damage action are quite separate and unrelated proccedings. The essential purpose of the law of torts is compensatory and, though punitive damages may occasionally be awarded, its function is distinct from that of criminal law. Criminal law is essentially punitive and an injured party is not awarded compensation in the criminal proceeding.”

· What is the difference between law of torts and criminal law?

Text A

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 2756