普通高中课程标准实验教科书 英语选修8 Unit 3 Reading Task

　　WARS LEONARDO DA VINCI JUST R PAINTER?

　　In 1452 one of the greatest painters and inventors, Leonardo da Vinci, was born. His family was very poor and he grew up in the Italian countryside. But his drawing ability allowed him to study under the famous painter from Florence, called Verrochio. Leonardo gradually learned the skills needed to be a great artist and by the 1480s he had begun to produce paintings of his own. Unfortunately at this time painting did not always provide a steady income, so the young Leonardo developed his drawing skills to earn money in other ways. He learned to design whatever his employer wanted: cities, canals, bridges or weapons.

　　Leonardo probably became interested in machines when he was a boy. Some of his early drawings showed clearly how various machine parts worked. While he was studying under Verrochio, Leonardo observed and used a variety of machines. By studying and drawing them, Leonardo gained knowledge about their design and structure. Artists in Leonardo's time knew how to build and repair many familiar kinds of machines, but nobody seemed to have thought about inventing new ones.