The Peales were a famous family of American artists. Charles Willson Peale is best remembered for his portraits of leading figures of the American Revolution. He painted portraits of Franklin and Jefferson and over a dozen of George Washington. His life-size portrait of his sons Raphaelle and Titian was so realistic that George Washington reportedly once tipped his hat to the figures in the picture.
Charles Willson Peale gave up painting in his middle age and devoted his life to the Peale museum, which he founded in Philadelphia. The world’s first popular museum of art and natural science mainly covered paintings by Peale and his family as well as displays of animals in their natural settings. Peale found the animals himself and found a method to make the exhibits more lifelike. The museum’s most popular display was the skeleton (骷髅) of a huge, extinct（灭绝的）elephant, which Peale unearthed on a New York farm in 1801.
Three of Peale’s seventeen children were also famous artists. Paphaelle Peale often painted still lives of flowers, fruit, and cheese. His brother Rembrandt studied under his father and painted portraits of many noted people, including one of George Washington. Another brother, Rubens Peale, painted mostly landscapes and portraits.
James Peale, the brother of Charles Willson Peale, specialized in miniatures (小画像). His daughter Sarah Miriam Peale was probably the first professional female portrait painter in America.
1. What is the main topic of the passage?
A. The life of Charles Willson Peale. B. Portraits in the 18th century.
C. The Peale Museum. D. A family of artists.
2. The author mentions in Paragraph 1 that Washington tipped his hat to the figures in the painting to show that ________.
A. Charles Willson Peale’s painting was very lifelike
B. Washington respected Charles Willson Peale’s work
C. Washington was friendly with Raphaelle and Titian Peale
D. the painting of the two brothers was very large
3. The underlined word “unearthed” is closest in meaning to“ ______”.
A. showed B. dug up C. invented D. looked over
4. Which of the following is NOT the child of Charles Willson Peale?
A. Titian Peale. B. Rubens Peale. C. Raphaelle Peale. D. Sarah Miriam Peale.
5. The author’s attitude toward the Peales is in general _______.
A. puzzled B. excited C. admiring D. disappointed
