Facoltà di Lingue e Letterature Straniere
3rd Year Lettorato Listening Exam September 8th 2011
Surname _____________________ Name________________ Mat. No. ____________
You are going to see part of a BBC World News documentary called “Stealing the Past” about the
theft and illegal trade of art and antiquities.
You will see the video twice. First you will have 5 minutes to study the questions, then after the first
viewing you will have further 5 minutes and at the end you will have 1 hour 15 minutes to complete
your answers and write the summary.
Glossary :
loot / pillage : steal things from a place, often using violence
tomb / grave : place in the ground where a dead person is buried
After “…Baghdad’s and Cairo’s great museums.”
1.
Around the world theft of art and antiquities has reached ……………………. proportions. Some
………………… dollars worth of stolen heritage is trafficked every year, maybe the …………. biggest
illegal trade after drugs and …………….. .
2.
a) What is the purpose of the UN convention?
i)
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
ii)
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
b) Is it successful?
……………………………………………………………………………….
3. a) In the Egyptian uprising how were the contents of the museum protected?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
b) How many artefacts were stolen?
………………………………..
4. a) How many objects are still missing from the Baghdad Museum?
…………………………………….
b) What proportion of the cultural heritage of most African countries has been lost?
…………………………………….
c) How many of the Italian antiquities on display around the world were stolen?
……………………………………
5. According to Karl-Heinz Kind, how has the trade in stolen art changed?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
6. Give 2 of the objectives of the 40th anniversary UN Convention meeting in Paris.
a) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
b) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
7. How does the Interpol database help the fight?
a) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
b)………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
8. TRUE or FALSE?
a) Most paintings are stolen on commission for millionaires.
…………….
b) Paintings now have a good chance of being recovered.
…………….
9. Why is there so much antiquity theft in Italy?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
10. Why are the Etruscan tombs near Cerveteri so vulnerable?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
11. Why do the Carabinieri use (a) helicopters and (b) horses?
a) …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
b) …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
12. TRUE or FALSE?
a) Grave robberies are a recent phenomenon.
…………….
b) They have increased recently.
…………….
c) Global greed has influenced the number of thefts.
…………….
13. Is the fight against art theft in Italy proving successful or not, and why is this?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
14. Are Irina Bokova’s final words optimistic or pessimistic?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
15. Write a correctly laid out summary of 200 - 250 words about art theft in the world and the attempts to
fight the illegal trade.
KEY
After “…Baghdad’s and Cairo’s great museums.”
1. Around the world theft of art and antiquities has reached …epidemic…. proportions. Some
……6bn…… dollars worth of stolen heritage is trafficked every year, maybe the …third.. biggest
illegal trade after drugs and …arms.. .
2. a) What is the purpose of the UN convention?
iii)
…to stop the trade…………………………..
iv)
…to return stolen treasures…………………
b) Is it successful?
…no (the authorities are struggling)………
3. a) In the Egyptian uprising how were the contents of the museum protected?
…The citizens (and the military) rallied to protect their heritage – they went to the museum to prevent
looting…………………………
b) How many artefacts were stolen?
……18……………………..
4. a) How many objects are still missing from the Baghdad Museum?
…up to 7000…………………….
b) What proportion of the cultural heritage of most African countries has been lost?
……up to 95%………………….
c) How many of the Italian antiquities on display around the world were stolen?
……8 out of 10…………………
8. According to Karl-Heinz Kind, how has the trade in stolen art changed?
…It has increased, because of sales through internet……………………………………
9. Give 2 of the objectives of the 40th anniversary UN Convention meeting in Paris.
c) …to toughen implementation of the convention…………………………………
d) …to raise public awareness…………………………………………………………
(to strengthen respect for the convention + to involve stakeholders + international cooperation)
10. How does the Interpol database help the fight?
a) …it increases the chance of recognition once the items are offered for sale…………
b)……it increases the risk for the possessor…………………………………
8. TRUE or FALSE?
a) Most paintings are stolen on commission for millionaires.
……F……….
b) Paintings now have a good chance of being recovered.
……T……….
9. Why is there so much antiquity theft in Italy?
……it is home to 60% of the world’s art treasures………………………
10. Why are the Etruscan tombs near Cerveteri so vulnerable?
……they are in such a large area (400 hectares), much of which is farmland…………
11. Why do the Carabinieri use (a) helicopters and (b) horses?
a) …to survey the area for illegal excavations……………………………..
b) …to chase the thieves over rough terrain / where there are no roads…………..
12. TRUE or FALSE?
a) Grave robberies are a recent phenomenon.
…F………….
b) They have increased recently.
…T………….
c) Global greed has influenced the number of thefts.
…T………….
13. Is the fight against art theft in Italy proving successful or not, and why is this?
…yes – because of substantial investment and political will………………………………
14. Are Irina Bokova’s final words optimistic or pessimistic?
…optimistic……………………………………………………………………