Breaking News English

Michelangelo's masterpiece statue "David" is in [greatly / great] danger of collapsing [due / because] to its weak ankles and the structure's 5.5-ton weight. Scientists have [confirmed / conformed] that cracks in the heels of the giant 5.17-metre-tall [ironic / iconic] statue make it susceptible [by / to] crumbling under its own [weight / weighs] . The cracks have become the statue's Achilles heel. Tests carried [out / in] by Italy's National Research Council and Florence University confirmed the [existence / exists] of a whole series of "micro-fractures" that have weakened David's ankles. A number of factors have led to this [weakening / weaken] . These include the poor quality of marble and the fact that the statue has been leaning [at / by] an angle for centuries, and vibrations from traffic and museum visitors.

The [sculptor / sculpture] Michelangelo spent three years creating David between 1501 and 1504. He was just 26 when he [embarked / earmarked] on the project. The statue [aspects / depicts] the biblical hero who killed the giant Goliath. It was commissioned by the [rulers / ruling] of Florence as a symbol of the city's commercial and military strength. It was [unraveled / unveiled] to the public on the 8th of September, 1504 and [remained / remains] on display outside in the Piazza della Signoria for 350 years. It was moved indoors in 1873 to protect it from the [elements / element] . Art [lovers / romantics] have been calling for years for the statue to be relocated to the safety of a [porpoise-built / purpose-built] , earthquake proof museum to [insulate / incubate] it from the vibrations from traffic and road construction.