The story of Madame Tussaud is as fascinating as that of the exhibition itself. From a housekeeper's daughter to a successful business woman, her life has all the marks of a Hollywood blockbuster.
Madam Tussaud was born in 1761 and named Marie Grosholtz. Her father was killed in battle only two months before Mane's birth. For the first five years of her life, Marie lived in Berne with her mother, who worked as housekeeper for Dr Philippe Curtius. A doctor, with a talent for wax modeling, Curtius became her teacher.
It was Curtius who opened the original wax exhibition in Paris in 1770 and introduced Marie to some famous people. At only 17, she modeled the famous writer Francois Voltaire, followed by a portrait of American statesman Benjamin Franklin when he was in Paris as US ambassador. Both figures are still on display at Madame Tussaud's, London today.
Her work at Curtius successful wax exhibition led to an invitation to the court of Louis XVI and his queen. For nine years she lived at the palace of Versailles guiding the artistic education of the king's sister. Meanwhile the French Revolution was about to erupt. Aware of the political nrest,Philippe Curtius called Marie back to Paris. Marie7 s connection with the royal family made her guilty. Both she and her mother were arrested. After she was set free, Marie was forced to make death masks (a death mask is a model of a dead person's face, made by coving their face with a soft substance and letting it become hard) of executed (被处决的) nobles. Many were former friends at court, including her former employers, the king and queen.
By 1800 Marie was married with two young children and a poor business inherited from Curtius. Madame Tussaud made the decision to take her exhibition on tour. In 1802, she left France. For the next 33 years, Madame Tussaud traveled the British Isles, exhibiting her growing collection of portraits. In those pre-television days, this was the only way most people had direct contact with the famous people of the time. The exhibition became permanently based in London in 1835, moving to its present site in Marylebone Road in 1884. Her last work, a remarkable self – portrait that is still on show, was completed only eight years before her death aged 89.
1.The underlined part in Para. 1 implies that Madame Tussaud’s life was .
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A．complicated |
B．successful |
C．peaceful |
D．lonely |
2.Marie got a job at that court of Louis XVI because of .
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A．Curtius’ recommendation |
B．her gift for wax modeling |
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C．her mother’s help |
D．her friendship with the king’s sister |
3.Marie was arrested during the French Revolution because .
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A．she had worked for Dr Philippe Curtius |
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B．she had modeled the French royal family |
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C．she had worked at the place of Versailles |
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D．she had refused to make death masks |
4.The last paragraph is mainly about .
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A．how Marie’s was modeling business became successful |
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B．how Marie balanced her family and work |
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C．the establishment of Madame Tussaud’s, London |
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D．the popularity of Madame Tussaud’s wax exhibition |
5.According toe the passage, how many of the following statements about Marie are TREU?
a. She hadn’t seen his father since she was born.
b. She modeled the portrait of Francois Voltaire.
c. She modeled the portrait of Francois Voltaire.
d. She guided the artistic education of the king’s daughter.
e. In 1842, she completed her last work.
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A．2 |
B．3 |
C．4 |
D．5 |
Complete the following passage by filling in each blank with one word that best fits the context.
If you plan to remain in the United States for any length of time, you will soon find 1.too expensive to stay in a hotel and will want to find another place to live. 2. is true in cities very where in the world, the 3.you live outside the city, generally the lower the rents will be. However, travelling to and 4.the city by bus, car or train may make it as expensive as living in the city. Naturally, it is easier to join in the life of a city 5.one is close to the center. 6.this reason, you may prefer to live as close to the center of the city as possible. Or, may prefer to rent a place for only a month or two until you become more familiar with 7.area.
Growing old is something that nobody can understand until they experience it for themselves．I may not be "old" but I am certainly beginning to 36 it? turned 18 just over a week ago．I am now an adult．
As a child you 37 adults—or "grown-ups" as I used to call them—to always be in control．to know what is right and wrong． 38 as a teenager, I thought that when I reached 18 I would be far more 39 in many aspects of life．But now that I am 18, 1 know that is not true．
It is clear to me now that you do not 40 learning when you are 18．Every day you learn
something 41 , no matter what your age．However, I do understand when you become an adultyou have to 42 more responsibility．
Whereas before I seldom had to clean the dishes, set the table or help out around the house, now I do all of those．I have already 43 myself the nickname "housekeeper"．
I can even drive now, which is pretty 44 , because of the frequency of accidents．But that's not to say that 18 is not 45 to be．Not only can I drink alcohol, but I can also 46 ．In fact, being 18 has made me really interested in politics because it now means that I can change things on 47 Day．More and more of my friends want to become politicians, and it is great to
think that they can change things for the better．
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Always remember it is none of your business _____ other people think about you．Just believe in yourself．
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A．how |
B．what |
C．which |
D．when |
The members of the board are discussing the problem right now; it will _____ have been solved by the end of next week．
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A．luckily |
B．immediately |
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C．hopefully |
D．undoubtedly |
All the citizens strongly insist those found _____ "harmful" advertisements in the street should be punished strictly．
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A．putting up |
B．being put up |
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C．put up |
D．to be putting up |
