She is widely seen as proof that good looks can last for ever. But, at nearly 500 years of age, time is catching up with the Mona Lisa.
The health of the famous picture, painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1505, is getting worse by the year, according to the Louver Museum(卢浮宫) where it is housed.
“The thin, wooden panel on which the Mona Lisa is painted in oil has changed shape since experts checked it two years ago,” the museum said. Visitors have noticed changes but repairing the world’s most famous painting is not easy. Experts are not sure about the materials the Italian artist used and their current chemical state.
Nearly 6 million people go to see the Mona Lisa every year, many attracted by the mystery of her smile. “It is very interesting that when you’re not looking at her, she seems to be smiling, and then you look at her and she stops,” said Professor Margaret Livingstone of Harvard University. “It’s because direct vision(视觉) is excellent at picking up details, but less suited to looking at shadows. Da Vinci painted the smile in shadows.”
However, the actual history of the Mona Lisa is just as mysterious as the smile. Da Vinci himself loved it so much that he always carried it with him, until it was eventually sold to France’s King Francis I in 1519.
In 1911, the painting was stolen from the Louver by a former employee, who took it out of the museum, hidden under his coat. He said he planned to return it to Italy. The painting was sent back to France two years later. During World War Ⅱ, French hid the painting in small towns to keep it out of the hands of German forces.We can infer from the text that_______
| A．the Mona Lisa is proved to be able to last another 500 years |
| B．Mona Lisa’s beauty is fading gradually with 500 years passing by |
| C．the Mona Lisa has been catching people’s wide attention in the past 500 years |
| D．Mona Lisa does not look out of date though painted 500 years ago |
Which of the following is true about the Mona Lisa?
| A．It was once taken away and hidden up by German forces. |
| B．Its painter himself loved it greatly and always kept it in a shade. |
| C．Mona Lisa stops smiling when you look at her wanting to see her smiles. |
| D．King Francis I bought it and then returned it to Italy. |
Choose the right order about the happenings onto Mona Lisa.
a. It was stolen from the Louver.
b. Its painter sold it to King Francis I
c. Its state of health was checked.
d. It was returned to France and housed in the Louver Museum.
e. It was hidden and protected against Germans.
| A．b-a-d-e-c | B．d-e-c-b-a | C．d-a-e-c-b | D．b-c-a-d-e |
It may add to the difficulty in repairing the painting that_____.
| A．experts haven’t noticed changes in its shape as visitors do |
| B．it is likely to be stolen again when it’s under repair |
| C．it is uncertain which country, Italy of France, should take charge |
| D．experts aren’t sure about the materials and the chemical state of its oil paint |
We are all called upon to make a speech at some point in life, but most of us don't do a very good job. This article gives some suggestions on how to give an effective speech.
So, you have to give a speech and you're terrified. You get nervous, you forget what you want to say, you stumble over words, you talk too long and you bore your audience. Later you think, “Thank goodness, it's over. I'm just no good at public speaking. I hope I never have to do that again.”
Cheer up! It doesn't have to be that bad. Here are some simple steps to take the pain out of speech making. Ask yourself the purpose of your speech. What is the occasion? Why are you speaking? Then, gather as many facts as you can on your subject. Spend plenty of time doing your research. Then spend plenty of time organizing your material so that your speech is clear and easy to follow. Use as many examples as possible and use pictures, charts and graphs if they will help you make your points more clearly. Never forget your audience. Don't talk over their heads and don't talk down to them. Treat your audience with respect. They will appreciate your thoughtfulness.
Just remember: Be prepared. Know your subject, your audience and the occasion. Be brief. Say what you have to say and then stop. And be yourself. Let your personality come through so that you make person-to-person contact with your audience.
If you follow these simple steps, you'll see that you don't have to be afraid of public speaking. In fact, you may find the experience so enjoyable that you volunteer to make more speeches! You're not convinced yet. Give it a try and see what happens. We can conclude from Paragraph 2 that many people .
| A．talk too long in a speech |
| B．are happy to give a speech |
| C．are afraid of giving a speech |
| D．do not prepare for a speech |
All of the following statements are true except that .
| A．a lecturer does not need to organize his speech |
| B．few people know how to make good speeches |
| C．research is important in preparing a speech |
| D．there are simple steps to improve your speaking |
The underlined expression “talk over their heads” means “ ”.
| A．speak too loudly | B．look at the ceiling |
| C．look down upon them | D．use difficult words and ideas |
The main idea of the passage is that
| A．you can improve your speaking ability |
| B．a poor speaker can never change |
| C．it's easy to make a short speech |
| D．it is hard to make a speech |
The London Marathon is an annual event and of the thousands of runners who take part, many of them have a story to tell as to why they are running the 26.2 mile (42.2 km) course around London.
The men's race was won by Kenyan, Martin Lel, who finished the race in just two hours and five minutes, a personal best time for him. Irina Mikitenko was the winner of the women's race and this was astonishingly only her second race at marathon distance!
There was also a group of 24 runners who have competed in every single one of the 28 London marathons. Jeff Aston is one of them and at 60 years old, he finished in just over three and a half hours.
A lot of the 
non-competitive runners take part in the marathon to raise mon
ey for charity. Jeff estimates he has raised about ￡25,000 (350,000 RMB) over the 28 years he has been running.
Jane Tomlinson is a well-known name in the UK. She raised millions for charity doing long cycle rides, marathons and triathlons while struggling against terminal cancer, a battle she sadly lost last year. In honor of Jane, her husband and daughter took part in the marathon. They managed to raise ￡20,000 (280,000 RMB) for a charity set up in Jane's name.
Another astonishing one was blind runner Dave Heeley completing the marathon. As if that wasn't enough, this was his seventh marathon in seven days, as he took part in a special challenge which took him to seven countries.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．A Variety of Athletic Runners | B．London Marathon |
| C．Inspirational Event | D．Astonishing Marathon Stories |
What do we know from the passage?
| A．The London Marathon is held every year to raise money for charity. |
B．Jane Tomlinson together with her husband too k part in the marathon. |
| C．Dave Heeley is an inspiring marathon runner. |
| D．Kenyan, Martin Lel won the men's race just over three and a half hours. |
The underlined word “triathlons” in the fifth paragraph probably refers to .
| A．a formal meeting | B．a special challenge |
| C．a kind of disease | D．an athletic competition |
Two thieves came to a house to steal something. They dug a hole in the wall of the house. One of them crawled into the house while the other waited outside.
There lived many mice in the house. The woman in the moonlight saw a mouse crawl into the house. “look! In comes one.” She said to the man in the house. Te thief was so frightened that he hurriedly crawled out of the house and said to the one waiting outside, “She found me when I was just in.” But the thief outside didn’t belie
ve him, so he said, “Let us two try to crawl into the house together.” At that time, two mice happened to crawl into the house too. The woman saw the mice and shouted, “In come two. Catch them!” the two thieves were terribly frightened. The man in he house said, “You saw them come in but where are they?” I will catch them tonight.” The two thieves started to run aw
ay at once.
The two thieves wanted to make it clear whether they had been found or not the night before. The next day they acted as men sellin
g sweet potatoes and came before the house. The man and the woman were ploughing in their fields. The rope broke and the woman came home for one. She saw two men selling sweet potatoes and wanted to buy some. She picked out two which looked like mice. At the time the man couldn’t wait of her any longer and he ran back from the fields to hurry her up. The woman showed the sweet potatoes to the man and said, “How they look like the two of last night.” The man said, “ I asked you to fetch a rope. Why don’t you hurry for it?” the two thieves ran away very qui
ckly without their sweet potatoesThe two thieves failed to steal anything from the house because ________.
| A．they were found out |
| B．they were frightened by what they had heard in the house |
| C．they didn’t work together well with each other |
| D．mice stopped them from doing so |
From the last paragraph we know that __________.
| A．the two thieves were farmer selling potatoes. |
| B．The woman recognized the two thieves |
| C．The woman pretended to know nothing about the two thieves and mad fun of them |
| D．The two thieves didn’t know that they were not found at all |
When the woman said “How thy look like the two of last night”___________.
| A．she referred to the two thieves | B．she meant nothing |
| C．she said it on purpose | D．she referred to the two mice |
“__________” is the title for this passage.
| A．Two Clever Thieves | B．Terrible Mice |
C． Hit the Mark by a Fluke |
D．A Clever Couple |
Which of the following statements is false?
| A．The two thieves not only failed to steal things but also lost their sweet potatoes. |
| B．Whenever thy found mice, the people in the house would try to catch them. |
| C．The two thieves ran away at once because they thought the woman had seen them. |
| D．The man let the woman go home for a rope, which would be used for catching the thieves. |
Modern zoos are different from those built fifty years ago. Those zoos were places where people could go to see animals from many parts of the world. The animals lived in cages with iron bars. Although the zoo keepers took good care of them, many of the animals did not feel comfortable, and they often felt ill.
In modern zoos, people can see animals in more natural conditions. The animals are given more freedom 
in nature. Even the appearance of zoos has changed. Trees and grass grow in cages, and water flows through the places the animal live in. there are few bars; instead, there is often a deep ditch, filled with water, which surrounds a space where several sorts of animals live toge
ther as they world naturally. In an American zoo, the visitor can walk through a huge special cage that is filled with trees, some small animals and many birds, and large enough for birds
to live naturally. In a 
zoo in New York, with the us of special night, people can observe certain animals that are active only at night, when most zoos are closed. Some zoos have special places for visitors to watch animals that live in the desert or under water.
Modern zoos not only show animals to visitors, but also keep and save rare animals. For this reason, fifty years from now, the grandchildren of today’s visitors will still be able to enjoy watching these animalsIt seems that ______ is something most important for animals.
A eating good food B. living in cages
C. living with other animals D. living in natural co
nditionsIn modern zoos __________.
A．different kinds of animals are kept separately. |
| B．Animals are no longer taken good care of. |
| C．Animals have more freedom |
| D．visitors can walk where they live |
In modern zoos ___________ feel comfortable.
| A．the animals, the zoos keepers | B．the visitors, not the animals |
| C．neither visitors nor animals | D．both visitors and the animals |
In some zoos people can ____________.
| A．walk through huge special cages to watch all sots of animals |
| B．see animals which live in special conditions |
| C．during the day observe animals that are active at night. |
| D．Watch all rare animals that may ot be seen in the future |
The main idea of the passage is that __________.
| A．zoos are now places where animals can live naturally |
| B．zoos are places where people can see animals from all over the world |
| C．there should be old and modern zoos alike |
| D．rare animals may soon die out |
A kind of little cars may some day take the place of today’s ones. If everyone drives such cars in the future, there will be less pollution in the air. There will al
so be more space for parking cars in cities, and the streets will be less crowded. Three such cars can fit in the space now needed for one car of the usual size.
The little cars will cost much less to own and to drive. Driving will be safer, too, as these little cars can go only 65 kilometers an hour.
The cars of the future will be fine for getting around the city, but they will not be useful for long trips. Little cars will go 450 kilometers before needing to stop for more gasoline.
If big cars are still used along with the small ones, two sets of roads will be needed in the future. Some roads will be used for the gig, fast cars and other roads will be needed for the slower small ones.There is much pollution in the air today because ___________.
| A．people drive big cars |
| B．people drive little cars |
| C．the cars go 65 kilometers an hour |
| D．the cars can go 450 kilometers an hour |
The usual size of cars today is _______ that of the future cars.
A．much smaller than |
B．much the same as |
| C．three times as large as | D．a little larger than |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Big cars cost more to own and to drive |
| B．Big cars are not useful for long trips |
| C．The cars of the future will be smaller than today’s cars. |
| D．Small cars are slower than big cars. |
The street will be less crowded because ______________.
A there will be fewer cars in the future
B. driving future cars will be safer
C. there will be fewer passengers in the street
D. future cars will be much smaller Two sets of roads may be needed in the future because_________.
| A．there will be too many cars in the future |
B．more and more people will get around a c ity |
| C．bit cars and little cars may be used along with each other |
| D．it looks more beautiful to have two sets of roads |
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