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Bài tập thực hành 5
HEARST CASTLE
A. William Randolph Hearst was a successful American newspaper publisher who received
over 1,000 km2 of land when his mother died in 1919. Initially, he had planned to build just a
small bungalow, so he hired Julia Morgan, the first female architect in California. Together,
however, they designed a magnificent castle which cost 10 million dollars and took 28 years to
build. The property, named La Cuesta Encantada (The Enchanted Mountain), has 56 bedrooms,
61 bathrooms, 19 sitting rooms and about 52,000 m2 of garden.
B. Hearst loved travelling to Europe when he was a child and we can see this in the overall
design of the house. He even included cathedral ceilings and Roman columns in his home.
Hearst was also a keen art collector and, during his lifetime, spent $3.5 million on his
collection, which is displayed in the rooms at Hearst Castle. Today, his collection is worth much
more, with one piece alone valued at $10 million.
C. One of the highlights of the estate is the Neptune Pool. It took 15 years to build and includes
the front of an ancient Roman temple. It is on top of a hill and has wonderful views of the
mountains, ocean and main house. The pool was rebuilt three times until he was satisfied.
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D. Although the inside of the house is very European, the outside is very Californian, with palm
trees and water. Hearst loved trees and 70,000 were planted on the property during his lifetime.
The castle was also home to the world's largest private zoo, holding animals from every
continent. Although the zoo is now closed, zebras can still be seen on the hillside.
E. As well as the Casa Grande (the main house), there are also three guest houses on the
property: Caso Del Monte, Caso Del Sol and Caso Del Mor Hearst entertained a great number
of Hollywood stars and political leaders at the castle and many used his private airfield. Guests
had to attend formal dinners every evening, but were free to do what they liked during the day.
They were invited to stay as long as they wanted, but the longer they stayed, the further away
they sat from Hearst at the dinner table.
F. When Hearst died in 1951, his family learnt how expensive maintenance would be, and the
mansion was donated to the State of California. Since then, it has been open for public tours
and the site attracts millions of tourists every year. However, the Hearst family is still allowed to
use it when they wish. The castle was never completed and remains unfinished.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each
answer
As a child, Hearst enjoyed his holidays in ___________.
Hearst inherited the land from his ___________.
Builders spent ___________ creating the magnificent Neptune Pool.
Hearst took animals from ___________ for his private zoo.
Although the zoo is now closed, ___________ still walk about the hillside.
The family donated the property because of ___________.
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