AV6-Reading 1-unit 8

​CHOOSE THE MAIN IDEA

​read the paragraph and choose a suitable main idea

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Multiple Choice

B. The architect Antoni Gaudí was born in 1852 near the town of Reus, in the Catalonian region of Spain. As a child, he was interested in the natural wonders of the Catalonian countryside. When he grew up, he went to Barcelona to study architecture. Gaudí designed many structures in Barcelona during his career, but he was most committed to La Sagrada Família. In fact, after 1910, he stopped working on nearly all other projects to focus on it. 

• to explain Gaudí's ideas about architecture 

• to show a link between Gaudí's work and biomimetics 

• to provide some biographical information about Gaudí 

•  to describe what inspired the design of La Sagrada Família 

• to explain how other architects have continued Gaudí's work

Multiple Choice

C. Gaudí experimented with many styles early in his career, but eventually developed his own ideas about architecture. The natural world was the main inspiration for Gaudí's designs. "Nothing is art if it does not come from nature," he believed. Gaudí understood that the natural world is full of curved forms, not straight lines. With this idea in mind, he based his structures on a simple idea: If nature is the work of God, then the best way to honor God is to design buildings based on nature.

• to explain how other architects have continued Gaudí's work

• to show a link between Gaudí's work and biomimetics 

• to provide some biographical information about Gaudí 

• to describe what inspired the design of La Sagrada Família 

• to explain Gaudí's ideas about architecture 

Multiple Choice

D. The architect's love of nature combined with his religious beliefs guided the design of La Sagrada Família. Gaudí designed the inside of La Sagrada Família to feel like a forest. Inside the church, pillars rise up like trees. This theme continues outside. The outside of the church is decorated with sculptures of wildlife. For example, a turtle—a symbol of the sea—and a tortoise—a symbol of the land—are carved into the base of two columns. Carvings of other animals, such as reptiles and birds, appear throughout the structure.

• to explain Gaudí's ideas about architecture 

• to describe what inspired the design of La Sagrada Família 

• to provide some biographical information about Gaudí 

• to show a link between Gaudí's work and biomimetics 

• to explain how other architects have continued Gaudí's work

Multiple Choice

E. Gaudí died in 1926. Before his death, he made three-dimensional models of his plans for the building, hoping that others could complete his masterpiece. Many of these models were lost during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), but some survived. These models have helped Gaudí's successors. For example, Mark Burry, an architect from New Zealand, has worked on La Sagrada Família for almost 40 years. He uses computer technology and the surviving models to bring Gaudí's plans to life. 

• to explain Gaudí's ideas about architecture 

• to describe what inspired the design of La Sagrada Família

• to provide some biographical information about Gaudí 

• to show a link between Gaudí's work and biomimetics 

• to explain how other architects have continued Gaudí's work

Multiple Choice

F. Gaudí's work illustrates a timeless truth. As the architectural historian Joan Bassegoda wrote: "The lesson of Gaudí is … to look at nature for inspiration … [N]ature does not go out of fashion." In fact, you might say Gaudí's architectural style was ahead of its time. The architect's nature-inspired designs can be seen as an early example of the modern science of biomimetics—a science that uses designs in nature to solve modern problems. 

• to explain Gaudí's ideas about architecture 

• to show a link between Gaudí's work and biomimetics 

• to provide some biographical information about Gaudí 

• to describe what inspired the design of La Sagrada Família

• to explain how other architects have continued Gaudí's work