VPortion IX (chapters 33- 38)

Pre-reading activities

1. Browse the Internet or look up the dictionaries and make sure you know the following things and names.

Barbara Hepworth - was an English artist and sculptor. Her work exemplifies Modernism and in particular modern sculpture. Along with artists such as Ben Nicholson and Naum Gabo, Hepworth was a leading figure in the colony of artists who resided in St Ives during the Second World War.

Mary Cassatt - was an American impressionist painter who lived most of her life in France. She focussed on capturing women at their daily tasks in oils, pastels, and prints, and produced many innovative representations of mothers and children. Cassatt was hugely influential in encouraging the exhibition and collection of impressionist art in the United States.

the Royal College of Art - is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom.: 118 It offers postgraduate degrees in art and design to students from over 60 countries.

the Slade School of Fine Art - is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution.

Hercule Poirot - is a fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. Along with Miss Marple, Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-lived characters: he appeared in 33 novels and 54 short stories.

Peter O’Toole - was an English stage and film actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began working in the theatre, gaining recognition as a Shakespearean actor at the Bristol Old Vic and with the English Stage Company.

the cabinet secretary - is the most senior civil servant in the United Kingdom and is based in the Cabinet Office. The person in this role acts as the senior policy adviser to the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and as the Secretary to the Cabinet is responsible to all ministers for the efficient running of government. 

the Treasury - refers to the financial department or division within a government or organization responsible for managing and controlling financial resources, including funds, assets, and investments. Treasury plays a critical role in budgeting, cash management, and ensuring the financial stability and liquidity of the entity it serves.

the Guards Polo Club in Windsor Great Park - is an English polo club in Windsor, Berkshire. It was most closely associated with the British Royal Family. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was President of the club from its formation on 25 January 1955 until his death in April 2021. Queen Elizabeth II was its patron. The Club is based at Smiths Lawn, in Windsor Great Park, which is thought to have been named after a game keeper at the time of the Stuart Restoration. The Club has ten polo pitches on 53 hectares (130 acres) and stables, paddocks and training facilities four miles away at Flemish Farm. The Queen and Prince Philip opened a new, purpose-built clubhouse and Royal box in front of a selection of club members at Smiths Lawn on Sunday 26 April 2009.

Ascot - is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, about 25 miles west of London.

pampas in Argentina - is the most typical landscape of the countryside areas in the northern parts of the Pampas. The highest elevations of the Pampas region are found in the Sierra de la Ventana mountains, in the southern part of Buenos Aires Province, with 1,239 m (4,065 ft) at the summit of Cerro Tres Picos.

Heinrich Himmler - German Nazi politician, police administrator, and military commander who became the second most powerful man in the Third Reich. He was the head of the SS (Schutzstaffel; ‘Protective Echelon’), the ‘political soldiers’ of the Nazi Party.

half a crown - a former British coin and monetary unit equal to two shillings and sixpence.

the Lord’s Test match - Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the European Cricket Council (ECC) and, until August 2005, the International Cricket Council (ICC). 

Nuremberg - is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 541,000 inhabitants make it the 14th-largest city in Germany.

Savile Row - is a street in Mayfair, central London. Known principally for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men, the street has had a varied history that has included accommodating the headquarters of the Royal Geographical Society at 1 Savile Row, where significant British explorations to Africa and the South Pole were planned; and more recently, the Apple office of the Beatles at 3 Savile Row, where the band's impromptu final live performance was held on the roof of the building.

Union Jack – the national flag of the United Kingdom.

HRH Princess Margaret - was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. She was the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II.

Reading and Comprehension