Вариант 6

You are going to read a text on the life of a famous person. For questions 1-15, read the text below and decide which answer (А, В, or С) best fits each gap.

Bacon was an English philosopher and statesman, and a pioneer of modern scientific thought.

Francis Bacon was born on 22 January 1561 in London. He was the son of Sir Nicholas Bacon, keeper of (1) great seal for Elizabeth I. Bacon studied at Cambridge University and at Gray’s Inn and became a member of parliament in 1584. However, he was unpopular with Elizabeth, and it was only on the accession of James I in 1603 (2) Bacon’s career began to prosper. (3) that year, he was appointed to a succession of posts and eventually became, (4) his father, the Lord Keeper.

However, Bacon’s real interests (5) in science. Much of the science of the period was (6) on the work of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. (7) many Aristotelian ideas, such as the position of the earth at the centre of the universe, had been overturned, his methodology (8) . This held that scientific truth could be reached by (9) way of authoritative argument: if sufficiently clever men discussed a subject (10) , the truth would eventually be discovered. Bacon (11) this, arguing that truth required evidence from the real world. He published his ideas, (12) in ‘Novum Organum’ (1620), an account of the correct method of acquiring natural knowledge.

Bacon’s political ascent also continued. In 1618 he was (13) Lord Chancellor, the most powerful position in England, and in 1621 he was created viscount St Albans. (14) afterwards, he was charged by parliament (15) accepting bribes, which he admitted. He was fined and imprisoned and then banished from court. Although the king later pardoned him, this was the end of Bacon’s public life. He retired to his home at Gorhambury in Hertfordshire, where he continued to write. He died in London on 9 April 1626.