Подготовка к ОГЭ по английскому языку. Раздел Чтение.
материал для подготовки к егэ (гиа) по английскому языку (9 класс)

Hermitage cats

Hermitage cats have been officially kept in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, since its foundation. The cats prevented intensive breeding of rats and mice in the State Hermitage Museum. The director of the Hermitage, Mikhail Piotrovsky, said, “cats have become a very important part of our Hermitage lives and a significant part of Hermitage Legends.”

It is believed that the history of the Hermitage cats started with a cat that was brought from Holland by Peter the Great. In the XVIII century there were lots of rats in the Old Winter Palace. The history of cats continued due to Empress Elizaveta Petrovna. Visiting Kazan she noticed that there were no rats and mice in the city because of the large number of cats. The Empress ordered to bring some Kazan cats to St Petersburg, to the old Winter Palace. The cats had done their job, and almost all the rats disappeared from the palace. After the construction of the Winter Palace, the cats settled down in the new building too. The founder of the Hermitage, Empress Catherine II gave the cats the status of ‘gallery guards’.

Cats in the Hermitage existed for a long time, during the war with Napoleon, and after the revolution, under the Soviet regime. In 1941, when the Great Patriotic War began, the works of art were evacuated to the Urals, in Sverdlovsk.

After the war, two cars brought new cats to the Hermitage. The rats, that had invaded the building during the war, stepped back. However, in the 1960s it was decided that the cats were not needed any more. Employees of the museum caught the cats and took them away. But, soon after, rats invaded the building. Since then, the museum has never got rid of its cats.

Today, about seventy cats live in the Hermitage to protect it from mice and rats. Each cat has its own passport and a veterinary card. They live comfortably in the basement. The place where they live is always warm and dry, and all the rooms of the basement are equipped with small holes, to let the cats move freely.

The Hermitage employees regularly buy food for cats. They try to make their meals healthy and diverse. Each cat has its own bowl, tray and basket to sleep. In summer, cats are more often outside on the lawns and courtyards than in their basement.

To control the number of cats in the Hermitage, employees sometimes give away their cats to residents of the city. The new owner has to present their passport and leave their contact details. The adopted animals are accompanied by a certificate from the Hermitage.

Kazan cats met the expectations of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna.

During the reign of Empress Catherine II the cats received official status.

During the Great Patriotic War the Hermitage cats were taken to Sverdlovsk to guard the works of art.

Nowadays all the cats are settled in the attic of the Hermitage.

The Hermitage cats live on a strict diet of rats and mice.

The cats are allowed to leave the building of the museum.

The new owner of a Hermitage cat can visit the museum free of charge.

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 David Beckham

David Beckham – is there a more famous and lovable celebrity? The footballer who played for such famous teams as Manchester United and Real Madrid is also a fashion model and a successful businessman.

David Beckham was born on May 2, 1975, in London, England. His father Ted Beckham was a kitchen fitter and his mother Sandra, a hair stylist. David Beckham was the family's only son. A middle child between two sisters, David grew up with parents and relatives who were great fans of Manchester United, England's legendary football club. From childhood, David was a promising footballer. At 11 he won the prestigious Bobby Charlton Soccer Schools National Skills Competition. David was noticed by Manchester United team officials, who asked him to try out for the club's youth league. By the age of 16, Beckham had to drop out of school. He left home to play for his favourite team. Two years later he became a full-time player for Manchester United and one of its leading figures.

From 1992 to 2003, playing for Manchester United, David Beckham scored 85 goals. Every time he had a game, he wore different football boots – it was a sort of ritual for good luck. In 2003, David unexpectedly left his beloved team for Real Madrid. The reason was the growing conflict between David Beckham and Manchester's manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. Once Sir Alex Ferguson fined David for babysitting with his sick child, while his wife Victoria, a designer, was at a London Fashion Week Event. The fine was really large. The incident caused a serious personal tension between the two men and ended in Beckham moving to the other club.

In Real Madrid, David Beckham was not allowed to wear his favourite number seven, because the right to wear it was written into the contract of another player. Instead, David decided to wear a shirt with number 23, which was the number of his favourite basketball player Michael Jordan. Though David Beckham immediately became very popular with the Real Madrid fans and his shirt sales made a lot of money for the football club, the team didn’t win any serious tournaments. Perhaps, it was one of the reasons why in 2007 Beckham signed a five-year contract to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy and moved to America. However, his career in America was a rocky one – numerous injuries affected him. In May 2013, David Beckham announced his plans to retire.

It’s important to say that David Beckham has always been a devoted husband and a loving father. David and his wife Victoria have three sons and a daughter. They say the boys are being trained as ‘bodyguards’ for their little sister Harper. The youngest, Cruz, has been practicing Taekwondo, Brooklyn is interested in boxing, and the oldest, Romeo, does karate. They are preparing early so that when Harper is older, “they will all be ready to protect her from noisy fans,” David says.

David Beckham’s school teachers supported his interest in football.

When he was with Manchester United, David Beckham played all the games in the same lucky boots.

David Beckham left Manchester United because he had problems with the team manager.

David Beckham wore the same number in Manchester United and Real Madrid.

David Beckham left Real Madrid for an American football club.

The Beckhams’ sons want to become professional sportsmen.

Harrow School

Harrow School, commonly known simply as Harrow, is an English boarding school for boys. It is situated in Harrow, in North West London, England. Harrow School was officially founded by John Lyon, under a Royal Charter from Queen Elizabeth I, in 1572.

Harrow School has always been famous for its exclusive education. Many famous British people, including Sir Winston Churchill, studied there. Among other notable graduates are poets and writers such as Byron, Sheridan and Richard Curtis.

The school currently has approximately 850 pupils spread across 12 houses, all of them are full-time boarders. The houses each have their own gardens and necessary facilities. Each house holds around 70 boys who live and study at Harrow.

Every new boy who enters the school is given a two week period of time called ‘grace’ to get acquainted with the school rules and traditions. A student in a year above called a ‘Shepherd’ helps him. When this period of time ends the boy takes the ‘new boys' test’ which checks general knowledge of the school’s traditions. Some time later all new boys sing a solo in front of their house. This ritual officially ends their time as a new boy.

Harrow has many traditions, which include wearing school uniform. Everyday uniform includes the Harrow hat which is made of varnished straw with a dark blue strip. All boys are required to wear their hats when going to or from lessons and to ‘cap’ all teachers who pass them. The student has to raise his forefinger to the edge of his hat. Those who do not follow these rules are punished.

Sport is important at Harrow. Through sports games the students learn how to work in team situations. Harrow has two major sporting traditions, the first is Harrow Football. It is played with a large leather ball and is something of a cross between rugby and football. The game can be violent, as there are no restrictions as in rugby. As a result, injuries often occur, despite the game being played on the muddiest and softest pitches. No other British schools play this unique game. The competitions are held between Harrow school teams. Additionally, teams of Old Harrovians often return to play a game of unique football.

The second famous sport tradition is the annual Eton versus Harrow cricket match. The first match between the two famous English schools for boys was played in 1805. It should be mentioned that more often the cricket match has been won by Eton. Though some years were fortunate for Harrow players too.

Harrow School is also known for its custom of singing School Songs. Some of the songs were written by school teachers about Harrow life in the 19th century. New songs are occasionally written, but most students, teachers and graduates think that ‘the old ones are the best’! The School celebrates Songs once or twice a term, and Songs are sung with a similar frequency at a house level.

All Harrow School students live in a large impressive building of Victorian style.

‘Shepherd’ is the nick-name of a Harrow teacher.

A School song, sung at the house, marks the end of ‘grace’.

Wearing Harrow hats is obligatory.

Harrow Football is played in several English private schools.

Since 1805 Harrow cricket players have won more games than the students of Eton.

The students should know the texts of all School Songs by heart.

The University of St Andrews

The University of St Andrews is located in the small town of St Andrews on the east coast of Scotland. It is the oldest university in Scotland, and the third oldest university in the United Kingdom after Oxford and Cambridge.

In the middle ages, there were no universities in Scotland and young Scottish people had to go abroad to study. Many of them went to study in France, to Paris University. In May 1410 a group of academics, mainly graduates of Paris University and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, started a school of higher learning in St Andrews, which offered courses of lectures in logic, philosophy, and law. Later the school turned into a university.

The town of St Andrews had not been chosen as the place for the first university of Scotland by chance. It was located not far from Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.  In the 15th century, the town of St Andrews was already an important religious centre of the country. It had a monastery, a cathedral and several churches. The town was well-known in Europe.

By the middle of the 16th century, St Andrews was quite a big university and had three colleges. Even today some of the university buildings date back to this period and they are still in use. In the 17th to 19th centuries, St Andrews University went through a period of decline. It had serious financial problems, and the number of students got very low. It was recorded that in 1773, the university had only 100 students.

However, in the 19th century the town of St Andrews became a trendy holiday destination. The railway arrived in the town, the population increased, and a lot of new streets and houses were built.  The University of St Andrews got back its fame as one of the best universities: the number of students and professors increased.

Today St Andrews University has a world-class reputation in teaching and research. It is considered to be one of the best in the United Kingdom. The University population (staff and students) numbers nearly 9,000. They come from more than 100 countries. St Andrews’ graduates include statesmen, inventors, authors, political leaders and journalists.

No wonder the university has many traditions. One of them is the red academic gown which is usually worn at formal university occasions (several times a year). First-year-students wear their gowns on the shoulders, then, in the second year, off the shoulders. Third-year-students wear the gown off the left shoulder or on the right shoulder. A fourth-year-student will wear the gown off both shoulders, across the elbow.

Another famous tradition that many students choose to take part in is the May Dip. They get into a freezing North Sea at sunrise on the first of May. The students believe that this ritual will bring them good luck in exams. If you do not like a cold swim, you can just look after your friends’ clothes on the beach. It will also help you to have good luck!

In the 15th century, lectures were given in French at the university in St Andrews.

The town of St Andrews was the capital of Scotland in the 15th century.

From the 15th to the 19th century the number of students at the University constantly increased.

In the 19th century, due to the changes in the town, the university started to develop.

Some representatives of the Royal family studied at St Andrews University.

Students wear the red gown in different ways depending on which year they are in.

Taking part in the May Dip swimming is obligatory for all the students.

Esperanto

Esperanto is an artificial language which was invented at the end of the 19th century. Esperanto Day is celebrated on 15th December. The date for the birthday of the language was not chosen by chance. It is the birthday of its creator – the Polish doctor and linguist L. L. Zamenhof.

L. L. Zamenhof wanted to create a politically neutral language that would promote peace and international understanding between people who speak different languages. He hoped that his new language would be an international language, that is, many people's second language. L. L. Zamenhof didn’t want to replace any national tongue.

Thinking up a new language L. L. Zamenhof tried to make it simple, so that any person can learn it. Esperanto is based on Latin and modern European languages like French, English and Polish. However, Zamenhof’s language has none of the complicated grammar rules of many existing languages. As for the vocabulary of the language, L.L. Zamenhof chose word roots which a lot of people could recognize. In this way, anyone who speaks a European language already knows a large number of words in Esperanto. All words are spelled as pronounced. The language is easy to read and speak.

Nowadays, Esperanto is the most widely spoken artificial language in the world. Up to 2 million people worldwide speak Esperanto. It is particularly popular in Europe, East Asia, and South America. The World Esperanto Association has members in 120 countries.

Most people learn Esperanto on their own. They use teach-yourself books or email courses. Most learners gain impressive skills in this language and can use it in real life.

Through Esperanto they make contacts with people from around the world. They read books and magazines from other countries and listen to international radio broadcasts. There are over 25,000 original and translated books in Esperanto and over a hundred Esperanto magazines.

There are also many websites, blogs, podcasts, videos and television and radio stations in Esperanto. You can find lots of online discussions in Esperanto about different topics on the Internet. People can use Esperanto versions of the social network Facebook and other websites. Several computer programmes have an Esperanto version.

Learning a logical language can be a great way to exercise the brain and prepare for learning other languages. Several studies were carried out in Europe, United States, and Australia. In one study, a group of European secondary school students studied Esperanto for one year, then French for three years. The test showed that they had a better command of French than the students who studied only French for all four years. Similar results have been found in other studies.

L.L.Zamenhof wanted people all over the world to use Esperanto instead of their own languages.

Esperanto was designed to be easy to learn.

Most people who speak Esperanto live in Poland.

It is impossible to learn Esperanto without a teacher.

People use Esperanto for different purposes.

You can find an Esperanto Wikipedia on the Internet.

According to the research, Esperanto helps to learn other foreign languages.

Tove Jansson

The Moominland series of books and cartoons are very popular with children. They have been translated into several languages, filmed and staged. Moomins, the funny fictional animal characters, were invented by the Finnish fairy tale writer, Tove Jansson. These characters lived in the imaginary country of Moominland. The author not only wrote the story but also made professional illustrations for every book in the series.

When she was a child, Tove Jansson never planned to be a writer. Born into the family of a sculptor and an artist, Tove enjoyed a relaxed and creative atmosphere in her home, open to many people. She spent a lot of time painting and staging fairy tales with her brothers. Since her early years, Tove was impressed by Christian Andersen’s fairy tales. In her imagination she lived the characters’ lives and imagined their adventures in her colourful dreams.

The family often went on sea trips, the memories of which Tove kept for years. She admired the Finnish landscapes with beautiful sunsets and sunrises, she watched the sea constantly changing its colour and the cosy bays. All the magic appeared later in the pictures of the Moomin valley with the blue house standing in the middle of it.

At about fourteen, Tove realized she wanted to go into painting professionally. At first, she worked for a local children’s magazine together with her mother. When Tove completed her school course, she studied fine arts in colleges in Finland and abroad. Tove’s excellent education, talent, and magnificent artistic skills allowed her to illustrate the books of the famous English writers J.R.R. Tolkien and Lewis Carroll. She made some successful wall paintings in Helsinki as well.   

At the age of thirty, Tove still had the character of a child who suffered from the injustice and cruelty of life. At that time, she thought of creating an alternative honest and fair world for people like herself. She created it in her imagination. Once Tove recalled a small white hippo she had drawn on the wall to tease her little brother. This is how a new character of Finnish literature, the Moomin, appeared.

Her first book was published in 1946. The fantasy characters were something new for a children’s book of that time. That is why they made Tove Jansson famous overnight. Images of Moomins made in wood, china, soap and plastic spread all over the world. The first book was followed by eleven more tales of Moominland. Each new story reflected an important event in Tove’s life.

In the 1970s, Janssen started to write stories and novels for adult readers. Apart from the illustrations of children's books Tove Jansson returned to serious painting. The critics praised her pictures a lot for their colours and harmony. Tove Jansson’s most well-known works are a self-portrait and a portrait of her friend. However, she used to say that people would remember her only as the author of the Moomins, not as a painter. This made Tove Jansson feel sad.

All the Moomins tales had a happy ending. Just like her characters, Tove Jansson made her dream come true. At the end of her life she bought a small island in Finland to settle there with her mother. She arranged children’s festivals on the island and read her tales for the young audience. Her house, like the one in the Moominland, was always open to her numerous friends and readers, who often came to her island.

When Tove Jansson was a child, she was keen on literature and arts.

Tove Jansson’s mother was a well-known Finnish artist.

Tove Jansson had never been on a sea voyage.

Tove Jansson’s college teachers were impressed with her academic results.

Tove Jansson’s first book was a success.

Writing children’s books was Tove Jansson’s only occupation.

When Tove Jansson settled on the island, she received a lot of guests.

Fyodor Konyukhov

Fyodor Konyukhov is a Russian traveller, a yacht captain, a balloon pilot, an artist and a writer. He has completed over 40 unique expeditions. He is the first and only person in the world, so far, to have reached the five extreme points on the earth: the North Pole (three times), the South Pole, the Pole of Inaccessibility in the Arctic Ocean, the top of Mount Everest (twice), and sailing around the world via Cape Horn (four times).

Fyodor Konyukhov was born in 1951 into an ordinary family. There were 5 children in the family: three boys and two girls. From his childhood, Fyodor was dreaming about travels to different parts of the world. Fyodor’s father, a fisherman, often took his sons to the Azov Sea for the fishing season. Since that time, the sea has always attracted Fyodor. When he was just 15 he went on his first expedition. Fyodor crossed the Azov Sea in a fisherman’s boat. Later he studied and graduated from the Odessa Naval College and the Leningrad Polar College, becoming a professional navigator and marine engineer.

It is difficult to mention all of Konyukhov’s achievements in a brief text. Here are some of them. In 1977, Fyodor Konyukhov organized a research sailing expedition on yachts in the Northern part of the Pacific Ocean. He followed the routes of Vitus Bering and other Russian explorers of the 18th and 19th centuries. Fyodor was curious to know how those people, sailing in small light boats, managed to discover new islands, gulfs and bays. The expedition lasted for 4 months. Then there were numerous other sailing expeditions.

Fyodor Konyukhov also travelled by bike, dog sled and horse and on foot, skis and camel back. He crossed the ocean on boats and yachts, and flew in a hot air balloon. Though Konyukhov gladly participated in collective travel, he undertook most of his expeditions alone.

In 1990, Fyodor Konyukhov set out on a unique solo trip to the North Pole. In spite of all the difficulties, in 72 days he reached the North Pole. Five years later he set out to conquer the Antarctic, again alone. For navigation in the extreme conditions he used a special system. It helped him to reach the South Pole on the 59th day of his trip. For research reasons, he kept a diary. There, he observed his own physical and psychological condition under the effect of height, low temperature and strong winds. He also did some research for the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institutions.

In 2016, at the age of 65, Fyodor Konyukhov set a new record – for a solo nonstop round the world flight in a hot air balloon. He never stepped on the ground during the whole flight.  It was the fastest flight – in 11 days the traveller covered 35 168 kilometres.  

Fyodor Konyukhov’s expeditions are very important for Russian science and sport. They show what a person, who is well prepared physically and morally, can accomplish. Besides travelling, Fyodor Konyukhov writes poetry and fiction, paints pictures and composes music. His first three books were published in 1999. Though they are mainly travel journals, they are read like exciting adventure novels.

Fyodor’s brothers became professional sailors.

Fyodor Konyukhov undertook his first expedition after graduating from a naval college.

During the expedition of 1977, Fyodor Konyukhov found the papers of Vitus Bering.

Fyodor Konyukhov always travelled in the company of other researchers.

During his expedition to the South Pole in 1995, Fyodor Konyukhov recorded information about the state of his health.

During his flight in a hot air balloon, in 2016, Fyodor Konyukhov landed at night to have a sleep.

Fyodor Konyukhov has no time for other activities apart from travelling.

The Moscow metro

The Moscow metro is very important as a means of transport in the Russian capital, in particular during rush hours. It has more metro visitors than the New York subway and London underground put together! The Moscow metro works efficiently and the trains run very frequently and very fast. The Moscow metro is one of the most beautiful subways in the world. 44 of the stations are listed as cultural heritage sites.

The first plans for a metro system in Moscow date back to the times of the Russian Empire. One such project was actively discussed in 1902, but at that time the local government declined it in favor of trams. Indeed trams in those days were very popular and brought lots of money into the city’s budget.

Then the plans for the construction of a metro system in Moscow were postponed by World War I and the October Revolution. As a result, the construction of the metro was only started in 1931 after the Soviet Union was established. The first 13 stations opened on May 15th, 1935. They were wonders of engineering and design.  

Now, the Moscow Metro has 13 lines and more than 200 stations. Each line has a name, a number and a colour that identifies it. The Moscow metro has a circular line that links all metro lines. There is a legend concerning the appearance of the circle line, which had not been planned in the original project. The legend says that at a meeting devoted to metro construction Joseph Stalin put his cup of coffee on the metro map. It left a brown circle around the city centre. Joseph Stalin showed the circle to the builders and ordered the construction of such a line. It was how the circle line appeared and it explains why it has a brown colour on the metro map.

While travelling on the radial lines of the Moscow Metro to the centre, the stations are announced by men’s voices and while going from the centre, women announce them. On the circle line men’s voices announce the stations when going in the clockwise direction, while women’s voices are used when going counterclockwise. This is done to make navigation simpler for blind people in the metro.

The Moscow metro carries almost seven million people daily. The people who work there use every effort to ensure the comfort of the passengers. All trains have free wireless internet access, so that the passengers can read their emails or chat with their friends on their way to work.

Recently the ‘Music in the Metro’ project has started. 30 talented and well-trained musicians give different concerts to the metro passengers. All concerts are held from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (apart from rush hours) absolutely free. There is no special stage –the musicians perform in different stations of the metro.  Muscovites really like the concerts, and ‘Music in the Metro’ has become a regular event in the Moscow metro. Sometimes, walking through the metro, you can listen to a top-quality concert.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Moscow government preferred trams to underground transport.

The first metro stations were designed by Russian, English and American architects.

The colours of the lines on the metro map are connected with the technical characteristics of the line.

According to legend, the original plan of the Moscow metro included the circle line.

There is a special rule when male and female voices are used to announce the metro stations.

It was the initiative of Moscow students to make the Internet accessible in the metro.

 ‘Music in the Metro’ is the name of a new popular musical.

The Winter Olympic Games

Originated by the ancient Greeks, the Olympic Games are the leading international sporting event. The games were revived by Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin, and the first modern Olympics were held in 1896.

The Winter Olympic Games were not a part of the modern Olympics when they started. They were played separately as the Nordic Games. The Nordic Games were the first international sporting event that focused primarily on sports played in winter. A person called Victor Balck, a close friend of Pierre de Coubertin, organised the first Nordic Games. It was Victor’s idea to include winter games in the Olympics.

However, only in 1924, the first Winter Olympic Games were held as a separate event in Chamonix, France. Athletes competed in 16 events in six different sports. The Games were held from 1924 until 1936, after which they were interrupted by World War II. The Olympics resumed in 1948 and were arranged every four years.

In 1994, it was decided to hold the Summer and Winter Olympic Games in different years. So in fact, we can watch the Olympic Games once every two years. First, the Summer Games, then, in two years, the Winter Games, and two years after the Summer Games again. So one set of Olympic Games, summer or winter, is held every two years.

As time went on more sports were introduced to the Winter Olympiad. Nowadays there are fifteen sport disciplines, four of them are indoor sports: curling, figure skating, speed skating and ice hockey.

The Winter Olympics have been hosted in 19 cities in different countries. Some cities have arranged the main international winter sporting event several times: Lake Placid (the USA), Innsbruck (Austria), St Moritz (Switzerland).  But the Winter Olympic Games have never been held in Africa, Australia, South America or Antarctica.

In 2014, Sochi, Russia was the host of the XXII Winter Olympic Games. A total of 98 events in 15 winter sport disciplines were held during the Games. Lots of sporting records and unique results were recorded at the Olympic Games. However, there were several records which were set during the preparation and Olympiad organization. Sochi was the first sub-tropical city that has ever organized the Winter Olympic Games.   Before the start of the XXII Games in Sochi, the Olympic torch travelled the longest distance in history to some amazing places, including the North Pole, the bottom of Lake Baikal (the world’s deepest lake), the top of Mount Elbrus (Europe's highest mountain), and even into outer space. For the first time in Olympic history, a public vote was held to decide the mascots, symbols that bring good luck to the event, for the Olympics. It was decided that the mascots of the Olympic Games, would be a Leopard, a Polar Bear, and a Hare. They looked very cute and contributed to the success of the Games.

Victor Balck proposed to add winter sports to the list of Olympic sports.

There was more than a ten-year break in the history of the Winter Olympic Games.

The Winter Olympic Games are held every two years.

Several new sports were added to the list of the Winter Olympiad after 1924.

According to the plans, the next Winter Olympic Games will be held in Australia.

The Olympic torch visited several extreme places before the 2014 Games in Sochi.

The mascots of the XXII Olympic Games were chosen by the Olympic Committee.

Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci was the most famous personality of the 15th and 16th centuries. He is widely known as a brilliant artist and scientist. Fewer people know that he was also an engineer, an inventor, a toymaker, a machine designer, an architect, a singer, a theatre costume designer and an animal lover!

Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in Italy. The name Leonardo da Vinci can be interpreted as Leonard from the Italian town of Vinci. His father was from a rich family.

From his childhood, Leonardo was a brilliant painter. He took painting very seriously and studied it regularly. He even created his own paints to be used for his pictures. Seeing this, Leonardo’s father took him to a famous painter, Andrea del Verrocchio, who helped Leonardo to develop his extraordinary painting abilities. Leonardo spent several years learning art in his studio. Once Leonardo was asked to draw a painting of an angel. His drawing was so good that his teacher decided to never paint again.

By the age of 25, Leonardo had started his own workshop and had become a famous painter. He was one of the first Italians to use oil paints.  According to art experts, his Mona Lisa is considered to be the best known, the most visited, and the most written about work of art in the world. Nowadays this portrait of a woman hangs in the Louvre Museum in Paris. People don’t know for sure who the Mona Lisa was. But there have been lots of ideas like it was the real-life wife of a merchant, or even a self-portrait of Leonardo as a woman.

Even though he was a great artist, Leonardo had trouble finishing his work. There were so many interesting things to learn and to do. His remarks and inventions were recorded in 13,000 pages of notes and drawings. There were designs for the first parachute, the first helicopter, the first aeroplane, the first tank, the first bicycle, the first swing bridge, and the first motorcar in his diaries. Since Leonardo’s inventions were way ahead of their time, they were never realized during his lifetime. Leonardo also never published any of his notes and drawings. He simply kept personal diaries in which he recorded them.

Leonardo da Vinci wrote most of his notes from right to left. The result of this writing was a mirror script, which was not easy to read. Maybe it was due to the fact that he wanted to keep his writing secret.  According to his pupils, Leonardo da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time.

Another interesting fact about Leonardo da Vinci was that he was a strict vegetarian! This was an unusual thing for a person who lived in the Middle Ages. Leonardo did this not for any health reasons but because he loved animals and was against killing animals for food. He was also against keeping animals in cages. He used to buy caged animals and birds and set them free.

Leonardo Da Vinci died in France, in 1519 at the age of 67. His diaries were discovered much later after his death. He is known as, without a doubt, one of the greatest painters of all time and, quite possibly, the most talented person that has ever lived. 

Leonardo’s father had a great art collection.

One day, Leonardo da Vinci became a more brilliant artist than his teacher.

Nowadays there are several versions about who Mona Lisa was.

Leonardo da Vinci saw most of his inventions in practical use.

Leonardo da Vinci invented a special ink to write his notes.

Leonardo da Vinci became a vegetarian because of an illness.

After Leonardo’s death, his diaries were found in his Italian workshop.