CASTLE OF DREAMS
On the coast of California, on top of a mountain,
stands an enormous castle which looks as if it has been lifted out of the
Middle Ages. In fact the castle, called San Simeon, was built for the American
newspaper proprietor, William Randolph Hearst, but it is furnished with objects
dating from different historical periods, which were transported from Europe.
It took thirty years to build the castle and even then
it was never completed. Throughout this time, over a hundred workmen were permanently
employed on the building and the architect, Julia Morgan, was continually
obliged to change the design, as often as Hearst changed his mind.
Agents were sent all over Europe to find works of art
to decorate the castle. Old ceilings and fireplaces, furniture paintings and
statues were brought and shipped to America. An enormous number of objects
could not be used and were stored, some of them not even unpacked.
Hearst´s life was used as the model for Orson Welles´s
film “Citizen Kane”, but in the film the castle was called Xanadu, the name
being taken from the name of the dream palace in a famous poem by Coleridge.
Since Hearst´s death San Simeon has been turned into a
tourist attraction and the possessions have gradually been being sold.
Questions
I.
Reading comprehension: which of the
following statements is correct in the context of the passage?
1. The castle of San Simeon:
a) Was transported from Europe.
b) Was furnished with works of art from Europe.
c) Was built by William Randolph Hearst
2. It took a long time to build the castle because:
a) Only a hundred of workmen were employed on it.
b)
It was badly designed.
c)
The owner did not know what he wanted.
3. A large number of works of art bought for the castle were not used
because:
a) Hearst
did not like them.
b) There
was not enough room for them.
c) They
were stored.
4. The castle in “Citizen Kane” was called Xanadu because:
a) Orson
Welles thought it was a poetic name.
b) He didn´t want people to know he was referring to San Simeon.
c) Hearst ´s idea of building such a fantastic castle reminded him of a
poem.
II. Expressing the main ideas: According to the text
and using your own words answer the following questions:
1. Why could Hearst not decide how the castle should be built?
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b) Who and why were sent to buy the possessions of the
castle?
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c) How is the castle furnished?
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