Экзаменационный (типовой) материал ОГЭ / Английский / 13-19 задание (24) / 85

         Wilson Alwyn Bentley, better known as “Snowflake” Bentley, was born in Jericho, Vermont, USA, on February 10, 1865. He was one of the first known photographers of snowflakes.
         He became interested in snow crystals while he was still a teenager working on a farm. At first, he tried to draw snowflakes using an old microscope given to him by his mother, but he found it practically impossible since the patterns of snowflakes turned out to be quite complex and he never had enough time to sketch them before they melted. So, he decided to photograph them instead. This was not easy either, but after much experimentation, he managed to do it.
         On January 15, 1885, when he was almost 20 years old, Bentley took the world’s first photograph of a snowflake by attaching a large folding camera to a microscope. From then on, he never let go of his camera.
         In 1925, Bentley wrote:
         “Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes were miracles of beauty; and it seemed a shame that this beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others. Every crystal was a masterpiece of design and no one design was ever repeated. When a snowflake melted, that design was forever lost. Just that much beauty was gone, without leaving any record behind.”
         Over the next 46 years, Bentley kept taking photos of snowflakes which resulted in an impressive collection of over 5,000 photographs. Bentley was not a conventional photographer, he never photographed people, animals or nature. Besides snowflakes, he also photographed other forms of water, such as clouds, fog and droplets, but his lifelong passion was photographing snowflakes, and his groundbreaking work earned him recognition in the field of photomicrography which is the photography of objects under a microscope.
         In his 60 research papers Bentley proved that no two snowflakes are alike and that they all have six rays. In 1931, he published his famous book “Snow Crystals”, which included 2,500 of his best photographs. His photographs are now showcased in prestigious institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York or the Harvard Mineralogical Museum. Some private collectors are willing to pay $5,000 for a single photograph.

         In the late 19th century, Bentley’s work gained recognition from academic institutions worldwide, as his microphotographs were requested for scientific study. Bentley’s research on snowflakes captured the public’s imagination, leading to publications in such journals as National Geographic and Scientific America.
         Wilson Alwyn Bentley died from pneumonia on December 23, 1931, having walked 6 miles in a snowstorm to photograph more snowflakes. He left behind a remarkable legacy of scientific discovery and artistic brilliance.

13. As a teenager, Wilson Alwyn Bentley was good at drawing.

1) True
2) False
3) Not stated