Read the text "The Man Who Worked Miracles" and choose the appropriate item to complete the statements after it. The Man Who Worked Miracles The many facets of Leonardo's genius earned him the title "Universal Man". His head was bursting with ideas for startling new devices and inventions. Some, such as tanks, gas-masks and helicopters, were not built until the 20th century. "I choose to work miracles," said Leonardo, known as da Vinci from the tiny Tuscan town where he was born in 1452. But none of the fantastic concepts he evolved was put into practice in his lifetime. His reputation as an inventor and scientist has been overshadowed by his outstanding skill as a portrait and religious painter. Leonardo has been called "ten men in one". He was a painter, inventor, lute-player, sculptor, military engineer, scientific observer, anatomist, architect, town planner and designer. The 7000 pages of his "Notebooks" contain stu- dies of anatomy, drainage systems, flying machines, observations on nature etc. As though to keep some of his ideas to himself, Leonardo who was left-handed used secret signs and abbreviations in his "Notebooks". The central significance of Leonardo's contribution to mankind is that he rejected the medieval tendency to rely upon what books said and decided to study what happened in real life. Perhaps the most striking aspect of his mind was his intense curiosity and interest in everything he saw. This "universal man" was the illegitimate son of a well-to-do lawyer. Little is known of his mother, Caterina, except that she married a builder and sent Leonardo to his father's household. In 1469 the household moved to Florence where Leonardo remained for many years until the age of 30 studying and working but earning little. In 1482 he wrote to the Duke of Milan, offering his professional services. He offered to work out various war machines. The duke engaged him as a military engineer, but because all his projects were very costly, none of his plans was ever put into effect. At the same time, architecture absorbed him: he de- signed streets, canals, churches, staircases, stables and central-heating systems. In 1503 Leonardo completed work on the "Mona Lisa", his world-wide famous masterpiece. In 1513 he went to Rome, and the final stage of his life was spent in France as the guest of Francis I, who granted him a pension. Leonardo died in 1519. Over the centuries a lot of notebooks, drawings, plans and diaries which Leonardo left, have been lost. Leonardo has long remained a shadowy figure, much of his work spoiled or destroyed, and is only in recent years that his full stature as an inventor and as an artist has been revealed. 1. The author of the article calls Leonardo a "universal man" because the latter a) had a lot of facets in his appearance b) was suitable for all possible situations c) was a many-sided person d) had a lot of influence upon everybody 2. Leonardo's unique projects in the field of science, invention and en- gineering a) have never been carried out b) were not launched during his life c) were realised in 1452 d) have no practical value