Question

懂你英语Level 3 Unit 3 Part 4 Listening

Answer 1

Leonardo da Vinci is one of the greatest geniuses (天才) of all time. He was a painter, an architect (建筑师), an engineer and a scientist.

He was born in Vinci, Italy in 1452. Vinci is a town just outside of the great Italian city, Florence. His name Da Vinci means "of Vinci”.

Leonardo’s father was a lawyer and landowner, and his mother was a peasant.

Leonardo’s parents were never married to each other.

Leonardo lived with his mother until he was around 5 years old. When he was 5, he moved into the home of his father. By then his father had married a 16-year-old girl.

Leonardo’s mother married another man, and moved to another town. She had many more children after that, with several different men.

In the end, Leonardo had more than 15 half-sisters (同父异母或同母异父的姐妹) and brothers.

As a young man, Da Vinci didn’t go to school. He was educated at home in reading, writing and mathematics.

In other subjects, he was mostly self-educated (自学的).

He had access to books at his father’s home.

Leonardo spent a lot of time outdoors and developed a strong interest in nature.

He loved to observe things, especially birds.

He was also interested in the properties (特性) of water.

Leonardo’s early drawings and paintings demonstrated a rare talent.

His father and his father’s friends recognized his talent and encouraged him.

When he was 15, he was sent to Florence.

In Florence, he became an apprentice (学徒，徒弟) to a famous master painter (绘画大师).

For the next few years, Leonardo worked at his master’s workshop (创作室，工作室).

It wasn't long before his ability surpassed (超过，胜过，优于) that of his master.

Some people say that his master became jealous of (嫉妒) Leonardo’s great talent.

They say that the master vowed (发誓) to never paint again.

In 1478, with his father's help, Leonardo set up his own workshop.

In 1482, he entered the service of a powerful man in the city of Milan. This man was the Duke of Milan.

For the next few years, Leonardo designed buildings, machinery and weapons of war.

Weapons were important because Italy was constantly at war during this period.

From 1485 to 1490, Leonardo produced designs for a variety of weapons.

In his notes, he predicted the development of advanced weapons such as submarines and flying machines.

In 1499, the French invaded Italy and Leonardo left Milan.

All together, Leonardo spent 17 years in Milan.

During this period he spent much of his time studying nature.

He dissected bodies, both human and animal, to study and illustrate anatomy.

His detailed illustrations are masterpieces.

Leonardo filled many notebooks with drawings and ideas.

He wrote backwards, so you need a mirror to read them.

After 1500, Leonardo spent time in a number of Italian cities.

He worked very slowly, and the range of his interests was very wide.

As a result, Leonardo left many paintings and projects unfinished.

One painting that he did finish was the Mona Lisa, one of the world’s most famous paintings.

People are still interested in this painting, 500 years after he painted it.

Thought there are many theories, nobody knows who the woman in the painting really was.

In 1516 Leonardo left Italy for good when the French King, Francis I, offered him a position.

There he had the freedom to paint or draw whatever he wanted.

Leonardo died in 1519 at the age of 67.

Some say that the French King, who had became a close friend, was with him when he died.

He was buried in a church which was destroyed during the French Revolution.

The exact location of his remains is unknown.