Mount rushmore

Mount Rushmore is a 6,200-foot mountain in the state of South Dakota. The faces of four American presidents – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt – are carved into the mountain. These faces, known as the Mount Rush-more National Memorial, are the largest carved fig­ures in the world.

The memorial is the work of the sculptor Gutzon Borglum. The state of South Dakota chose Borglum for the job because he was famous for his huge statues. But, even for Borglum, this memorial was a challenge.

Borglum began work in 1927, The only way to get up the mountain was on foot or on horseback. And Bor­glum and his helpers had to make the trip hundreds of times just to bring up the equipment they needed.

Borglum had prepared a smaller model of the faces. Points were measured on the model, and then transferred to the mountain to show where to remove rock and how much rock to remove. Workers then used drills and dynamite to remove rock and create the faces. This work was, of course, difficult and dangerous, especially in the . cold weather.

The Mount Rushmore Memorial took fourteen years to complete. Borglum died shortly before it was done. His son finished the work. Finally, in 1941, the memorial was opened to the public. People were amazed. The faces of the presidents looked so real, and they were about sixty feet high – as high as a five-story building.

Vocabulary

Complete the sentences with one of the following words: amazed, carved, challenge, equipment, memorial, prepare, sculpture, statue.

1. When wood or stone is cut by an artist, it is ________.

2. A keeps the memory of ________ a person or thing alive.

3. A person or animal carved out of wood or stone is a ________.

4. A person who carves wood or stone is a ________.

5. Something difficult to do is a ________.

6. Tools and machines you use to work with are ________.

7. To make ready is to ________.

8. If you are very surprised, you are ________.

Comprehension

A. Looking for Main Ideas

Write complete answers to these ques­tions.

1. What is the Mount Rushmore Nation­al Memorial?

2. Who was the sculptor?

3. How long did it take to complete the Mount Rushmore Memorial?

B. Looking for Details

Circle the letter of the best answer.

1. Mount Rushmore is ________.

1. a memorial to a sculptor from South Dakota

2. a 6,200-foot mountain in South Dakota

2. Only the of ________ the presidents are carved into the mountain.

1. faces

2. bodies

3. Gutzon Borglum ________.

1. was a huge sculptor

2. sculpted huge figures

4. The faces of the presidents were about ________.

1. fourteen feet high

2. sixty feet high

5. Borglum and his men used ________.

1. horses, drills, and dynamite

2. rock models and cold weather

6. The models Borglum made ________.

1. were sixty feet high

2. showed the helpers what to do

7. Borglum's son ________.

1. died before the work was done

2. finished his father's work

8. The Mount Rushmore National Memo­rial ________.

1. is dangerous in cold weather

2. is as tall as a five-story building