Reading comprehension.
In 1826, a Frenchman named Niepce needed pictures for his business. But he was not a good artist, so
he invented a very simple camera. He put it in a window of his house and took a picture of his garden. That
was the first photo.
The next important date in the history of photography (摄影) was in 1837. That year, Daguerre, another
Frenchman, took a picture of his reading room. He used a new kind of camera in a different way. In his picture
you could see everything very clearly, even the smallest thing. This kind of photo was called Daguerreotype.
Soon, other people began to use Daguerre's way. Travelers brought back wonderful photos from all around
the world. People took pictures of famous buildings, cities and mountains.
In about 1840, photography was developed. Then photographers could take pictures of people and moving
things. That was not simple. The photographers had to carry a lot of film and other machines. But this did not
stop them, for example, some in the United States worked so hard. Mathew Brady was a famous American
photographer. He took many pictures of great people. The pictures were unusual because they were very lifelike
(栩栩如生的).
Photography also became a kind of art by the end of the 19th century. Some photos were not just copies
of the real world. They showed ideas and feelings, like other art forms.
Answer the following questions according to what you read.
1. Who took the first photo?
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2. The Daguerreotype was a kind of photo, wasn't it?
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3. If a photographer wanted to take pictures of moving things in 1840, what did he have to do?
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4. Why was Mathew Brady famous?
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5. When did photography become a kind of art?
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