The Sistine Chapel Ceiling painted by Michelangelo is one of the most famous artworks of the High
Renaissance. Now the great master's original has been recreated by simple cross-stitching (十字绣).
     It took Michelangelo four years-from 1508 to 1512-to complete the Sistine Chapel Ceiling. Its
cross-stitch reproduction, however, took four more years to copy in all its amazing detail. Joanna
Lopianowski-Roberts, a Canadian needle worker, 44, spent at least one hour every day with the work
on her lap. By committing a total of 3,572 hours, which her husband Aaron Roberts accurately timed
on a stopwatch, her dream became a reality.
     The extraordinary project started in October 1995. During the years that followed, Joanna would
face several challenges that brought her close to giving up completely. As is the method with
cross-stitching, Joanna had to pre-design an outline for each painting of the Sistine Chapel Ceiling and
then fill in all of the 45 sections with color and detail by stitching.
     To get the detail right for each painting, Joanna had to get an individual close-up (特写照片) of each
piece which came from several different sources. She even bought books from Rome to make sure she
had an accurate depiction (描绘) of every part of Michelangelo' s work.
     "It was really hard and I had a lot of false starts," she said. "I even considered stopping. After many
starts and retries, I decided in late 2001 that if I didn't set a commitment to myself of stitching an average
of one hour every day, I'd never finish."
     Joanna's Sistine Chapel, which measures 40 inches by 80 inches, is now kept safely at her home. And despite holding the item close to her heart, she says she would sell it to the right buyer for the right price.
     Her accomplishment has now been documented in Joanna's book In the Footsteps of Michelangelo:  The Sistine Chapel Ceiling in Cross Stitch which acts as a guide for other would-be stitchers to try
themselves.

1. The cross-stitch work was completed in ________.

A. four years
B. six years
C. eight years
D. twelve years

2. How did Joanna' feel about the cross-stitch project?

A. It was easy and interesting.
B. It was very hard work.
C. It went on pretty smoothly.    
D. It was not very successful.

3. According to the passage, Joanna bought books from Rome to ________.

A. make the reproduction correct in every detail
B. improve her painting skill
C. learn cross-stitching from Italians
D. comfort and amuse herself

4. Which of the following is TRUE about Joanna?

A. She never thought of giving up the work.
B. She worked under her husband's instruction.
C. She was writing a book on Michelangelo.
D. She decided to sell her cross-stitch work.