13.The Renaissance (文艺复兴)
For many people,the Renaissance means 14th to 16th century Italy,and the developments in art and architecture,music and literature which took place there all that time.But there is one work which,perhaps more than any other,(33)expresses (express) the spirit of the Renaissance:the Mona Lisa.It is believed to be (34)the best (good) example of a new lifelike style of painting that amazed people when it was first used.(35)Painted (paint) by Leonardo da Vinci in the years 1503-1506,the Mona Lisa is a mysterious masterpiece.People want to know who Mona Lisa is,and why she is smiling.(36)Evenif/though people do not know much about the Renaissance,they have heard of this painting.
The Renaissance was a time of scientific invention,too.Leonardo,as well as being one of the greatest painters the world has ever known,was also a skilled inventor.Wherever he went,he carried a notebook around with him,(37)in which he wrote down his ideas.They included detailed drawings of the human body,plans for engineers to build canals and bridges,and (38)astonishing(astonish) drawings of machines which were not to be built until hundreds of years later,such as aeroplanes,parachutes(降落伞),submarines(潜水艇) and tanks.Towards the end of his life he (39)was employed (employ) by the King of France to do scientific research,and he did not have a lot of time for painting.In short,he was an extraordinary genius,an example of what has been described as"Renaissance man":someone interested in (40)everything and with many different talents.