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 (被處決的) 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.
小題1:The underlined part in Para. 1 implies that Madame Tussaud’s life was .
| A．complicated | B．successful | C．peaceful | D．lonely |
小題2:Marie got a job at that court of Louis XVI because of .
| A．Curtius’ recommendation | B．her gift for wax modeling |
| C．her mother’s help | D．her friendship with the king’s sister |
小題3:Marie was arrested during the French Revolution because .
| A．she had worked for Dr Philippe Curtius |
| B．she had modeled the French royal family |
| C．she had worked at the place of Versailles |
| D．she had refused to make death masks |
小題4:The last paragraph is mainly about .
| A．how Marie’s was modeling business became successful |
| B．how Marie balanced her family and work |
| C．the establishment of Madame Tussaud’s, London |
| D．the popularity of Madame Tussaud’s wax exhibition |
小題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.
