Leonardo da Vinci
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When they hear the name Leonardo da Vinci, most people think of his famous
painting, Mona Lisa. This picture is in an art gallery in Paris, and it is visited by millions
of tourists every year. But Leonardo wasn't just a painter. He was also a talented
inventor, engineer, architect and sculptor. Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452 near the
town of Vinci in Italy. He spent his childhood surrounded by the wonders of nature,
watching animals and insects.
He studied the world around him and drew the things he saw. He read everything he
could find, listened to other people's ideas and made notes of the things he learned.
Some of his notebooks were as large as wall posters, and others were small enough to
carry in his pocket.
Although he was full of new ideas, Leonardo didn't build many of his inventions'".
One of his notebooks includes a drawing of a person with a parachute". Only 300 years
later, in 1783, a Frenchman became the first person who made a parachute.
Leonardo did lots of drawings of arms and legs and other parts of the body and he
designed a mechanical man — a robot! This robot could stand up, wave its arms, move
its head and open and close its mouth.
Leonardo da Vinci died in 1519. He was truly a man ahead of his time.
I True or false? Write the correct answer
1. Leonardo was just a painter.
a) true
b) false
2. He spent his childhood surrounded by nature.
a) true
b) false
3. He wrote about the things he saw.
a) true b) false
4. Some of his notebooks were small enough to carry in his pocket.
a) true b) false
5. Leonardo built many of his inventions.
a) true b) false
6. A Frenchman became the first person who made a robot.
a) true b) false
7. Leonardo da Vinci was a man of his time.
a) true b) false​