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  3. Mount Rushmore Mount Rushmore is a monument to the ideals of the United States. The faces of four presidents who contributed

Mount Rushmore Mount Rushmore is a monument to the ideals of the United States. The faces of four presidents who contributed

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问题                 Mount Rushmore
    Mount Rushmore is a monument to the ideals of the United States. The faces of four presidents who contributed to the formation of the nation are carved on Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. These four presidents are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. Each had a vision of what the United States of America should be and shaped the development of the country.
    Doane Robinson, the superintendent of the South Dakota State Historical Society, first envisaged the idea of a monument consisting of colossal stone carvings situated in South Dakota in 1923. He proposed the carving of giant statues of historical figures of the Old West, such as General George Custer and Kit Carson into a mountainside. Robinson lobbied for support of the idea, as he believed it would promote tourism in the area. Although many thought the idea was ludicrous, Robinson managed to enlist the support of U.S. Senator Peter Norbeck. Norbeck suggested that Robinson find a sculptor skilled enough to undertake the project, so Robinson contacted Gutzon Borglum, an American artist, who accepted the commission.
    Borglum was not interested in creating a sculpture using regional historical figures as subjects because he thought that such a sculpture would not be of great interest or historical importance. So Borglum, together with Norbeck and Robinson, decided upon a sculpture of great presidents who had contributed to the birth and development of the United States and to the achievement of its aspirations. Borglum selected Mount Rushmore in the Harney National Forest for his carving because it faced southeast and would be in direct sunlight for the better part of the day. The site was also ideal because the granite that made up the mountain was suitable for the work.
    Although Robinson, Norbeck, and Borglum managed to obtain permission for the project from the federal legislature, the project stalled due to opposition and lack of funding. Finally, in 1927, President Calvin Coolidge took an extended holiday in the area and was convinced that the project should proceed. As an indication of his commitment, he provided federal funding for the project. Coolidge insisted that the four presidents selected should include two Republicans and a Democrat, along with George Washington. Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt were chosen as they best represented the first 150 years of the United States of America, and were admired by the trio that had conceived and brought the project to fruition.
    Each president immortalized on Mount Rushmore made a significant contribution to the country. George Washington was the country’s first president, serving from 1789 to 1797. Washington was instrumental in the nation’s attainment of its independence from England and was responsible for the democracy now existing in the United States. Thomas Jefferson served as president from 1801 to 1809. He was responsible for the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and the Louisiana Purchase, which expanded the country westward. Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860 but assassinated while still in office in 1865. Lincoln guided the country through the Civil War and was often referred to as "The Great Emancipator" for his part in the abolition of slavery. Theodore Roosevelt served as president from 1901 to 1909. He was responsible for the construction of the Panama Canal. However, Roosevelt’s inclusion was controversial because he had only been out of office for less than twenty-five years when the project started, so his contribution to the United States had not yet been judged by history. But despite the controversy, the project continued. In 1934, the team of artists and sculptors completed the face of George Washington, followed by Thomas Jefferson in 1936, Abraham Lincoln in 1937, and Theodore Roosevelt in 1939.
    It took 14 years to complete the sculpture on Mount Rushmore but only about six and half years were actually spent on carving.
(A) Much of the work was accomplished with the use of dynamite and the rest with air hammers.
(B) There were no fatalities and very few injuries among the workers during the construction of the sculpture. Unfortunately, Borglum died before the work was done.
(C) His son Lincoln, named after President Lincoln, took over and finished the carvings on Mount Rushmore.
(D) On 31 October 1941, the project was completed.
Why are there four presidents on the monument instead of historical figures from the Old West?
选项 A、The artist thought the original subject was not important enough.
B、The committee could not agree on which western figures to include.
C、The rock found in the area was not suitable for such a carving.
D、The artist thought carving historical figures would be controversial.
答案A
解析 细节题 鲁宾逊最初的想法是雕刻西部拓荒时期的历史人物，而雕刻家博格勒姆则认为应该雕刻影响力遍及全国而不仅限于某些地区的人物，因此计划有所改变。因此，A项是正确的。
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