EnglishClub

Pre-listening vocabulary

• engineer: someone who designs or builds machines
• iconic: very famous and recognizable, especially as a symbol of an era or culture
• talent: something that a person is very good at
• polymath: a person who has a lot of knowledge about many different subjects
• century: 100 years
• fascinate: to capture someone’s interest

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:40 — 2.3MB)

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Gapfill exercise

Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian artist and engineer. He was born in Anchiano, Tuscany in 1452. Da Vinci is one of the most famous figures from the Renaissance period. He is especially well known for his , including the iconic Mona Lisa. However, da Vinci was also an accomplished inventor. He even designed a machine, called an ornithopter, hundreds of years before the Wright brothers flew the first . Because of his many talents, da Vinci is often called a polymath. For many years, most people only knew about his paintings. His were discovered more than a century after his death. They contained a complicated mix of , theories, and calculations. Although da Vinci died more than 500 years ago, his genius still fascinates artists and scientists today.

Comprehension questions

See answers below

1. Da Vinci was born in
   a. Florence
   b. Venice
   c. Anchiano
   
2. One of da Vinci’s famous inventions was
   a. a communication device
   b. a flying machine
   c. a printing press
   
3. More than a century after his death, da Vinci’s __________ were discovered.
   a. talents
   b. sketches
   c. notebooks

Discussion/essay questions

1. Da Vinci’s notebooks are famously difficult to read. He did not organize them by subject, and he often wrote backwards. Some people say that disorganization is connected to creativity. Do you think this is true? Why or why not?

Transcript

Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian artist and engineer. He was born in Anchiano, Tuscany in 1452. Da Vinci is one of the most famous figures from the Renaissance period. He is especially well known for his paintings, including the iconic Mona Lisa. However, da Vinci was also an accomplished inventor. He even designed a flying machine, called an ornithopter, hundreds of years before the Wright brothers flew the first airplane. Because of his many talents, da Vinci is often called a polymath. For many years, most people only knew about his paintings. His notebooks were discovered more than a century after his death. They contained a complicated mix of designs, theories, and calculations. Although da Vinci died more than 500 years ago, his genius still fascinates artists and scientists today.

Answers to comprehension questions

1c 2b 3c

Pre-listening vocabulary

• employee: a person who is paid to work for a person or company
• display: to show something in public
• vandal: a person who destroys property
• replicate: to make a copy of something

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:35 — 1.5MB)

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Gapfill exercise

The Mona Lisa is considered the most famous painting in the world. The piece was painted by Italian Leonardo da Vinci. It is currently displayed in the Louvre, a famous art museum in Paris, France. The painting gained international attention when it was from the museum in 1911. It was missing for two years before a former Louvre employee named Vincenzo Peruggia was caught trying to sell the painting. Peruggia had stolen the painting because he believed that it should belong in an Italian museum, rather than a French one. After Peruggia’s arrest, the Mona Lisa was returned to the Louvre. However, the Mona Lisa’s fame many vandals. In 1956, a vandal threw acid at the painting, causing damage. It is now kept behind bulletproof glass to it from any acts of vandalism. The Mona Lisa is also one of the most commonly replicated paintings. Since 1911, many artists have tried to recreate the Mona Lisa, and a few older exist that may have been painted by da Vinci’s students.

Comprehension questions

[wp_quiz id=”19328″]

Discussion/essay questions

1. The Mona Lisa’s fame came from the 1911 theft. If Vincenzo Peruggia had stolen a different painting, do you think that painting would have the same popularity that the Mona Lisa has today?

Transcript

The Mona Lisa is considered the most famous painting in the world. The piece was painted by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is currently displayed in the Louvre, a famous art museum in Paris, France. The painting gained international attention when it was stolen from the museum in 1911. It was missing for two years before a former Louvre employee named Vincenzo Peruggia was caught trying to sell the painting. Peruggia had stolen the painting because he believed that it should belong in an Italian museum, rather than a French one. After Peruggia’s arrest, the Mona Lisa was returned to the Louvre. However, the Mona Lisa’s fame attracted many vandals. In 1956, a vandal threw acid at the painting, causing damage. It is now kept behind bulletproof glass to protect it from any acts of vandalism. The Mona Lisa is also one of the most commonly replicated paintings. Since 1911, many artists have tried to recreate the Mona Lisa, and a few older copies exist that may have been painted by da Vinci’s students.