She is widely seen as proof that good looks can last forever. 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 Louvre museum(卢浮宫博物馆)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 the 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 detail, 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 Louvre 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.
Like many old ladies, the Mona Lisa has some interesting stories to tell.The underlined sentence in the first paragraph means the Mona Lisa ________.
| A．is losing its value |
| B．is being damaged after so many years |
| C．is getting more valuable with years passing |
| D．will rot away |
Experts haven’t any repairs on the Mona Lisa because______.
| A．it is now in a poor chemical state |
| B．they don’t know how to replace the wooden panel |
| C．they don’t have the materials Da Vinci used |
| D．they are afraid it will be done further damage. |
The smile of the Mona Lisa can only be seen_______.
| A．by indirect vision |
| B．at a distance |
| C．by direct vision |
| D．in shadows |
From the last paragraph, we can infer that______.
| A．many interesting stories have been written about the Mona Lisa |
| B．people are interested in the stories about the Mona Lisa. |
| C．some mysteries still remain to be solved about the Mona Lisa. |
| D．Many more stories will be told about the Mona Lisa. |
One day in my class，Maria shared her feelings about money，“Money worries me.I think I want to live without money because I hate it.I HATE MONEY.”We were all touched by Maria's words as they reminded us of the spiritual burdens that money managing can bring to us.After class I offered to help Maria deal with her financial problems.She hesitated to accept my offer，and I could see from the expression on her face that she was afraid of what it might involve.I quickly promised her that I wouldn't make her do more than she was able to.I told her frankly that I didn't enjoy managing my money any more than she did hers and wouldn't burden her with guilt，judgments，or impossible tasks.All I would ask her to do was to let me help her look at her fears and try to make some sense of them.
Maria still resisted my offer，and I can remember the excuses she gave me as they were the repeated complaints I had heard from so many people.“I'll never understand money，”she said.“My facts are meaningless.”“I don't deserve to have money.”“I never have enough.”“I have too little to manage.”“My financial position isn't worth looking at.”and the most devastating one of all，“I just can't do it.”
Going home that day，I couldn't get Maria out of my mind：her attitude conveyed the same negativity and fear that I believed annoyed many people.I was sure it was this attitude that prevented people from managing their money effectively.My counseling(咨询)has taught me that these anxieties are inseparably connected to our selfdoubts and fear for survival.Many of us are terrified of handling our money because we don't believe we can do it well，and to do it wrong would put our very existence at risk.
On a deeper level we know that money is not the source of life，but sense of worth drives us to act as if it were.It locks us up in selfdoubts and prevents us from tapping into the true source of our management power，our spirit.The underlined word“devastating”in Paragraph 2 probably means ________.
| A．convincing | B．interesting | C．shocking | D．valuable |
Maria's words moved the author and others because they were ________.
| A．in the same financial trouble | B．in the same financial condition |
| C．of the same family background | D．of the same feeling over the issue |
As for money managing，the author intended to tell Maria how to ________.
| A．overcome her fears | B．make wise decisions |
| C．avoid making mistakes | D．learn the necessary skills |
Maria wouldn't take the author's offer of help for fear of________.
| A．being forced to share her money with others |
| B．having to do something beyond her reach |
| C．being found guilty of making impossible errors |
| D．showing her judgment about money |
According to the author，people's anxieties about managing money result from their understanding of money as the only source of ________.
| A．life | B．values | C．spirit | D．power |
Alex London Research Laboratory (ALRL) is part of Alex Co., Ltd., a major Australian medicine-making company. Opened in 1992, ALRL specialises in the development of new medicines for the treatment of heart diseases．
A position is now open for a Research Operations Manager(ROM) to support our growing research team at the new laboratories in Hatfield，due to open in the autumn of 2010．
Reporting to the Director，you will help set up and run the technical and scientific support services of our new laboratories now under construction．You will be expected to provide expert knowledge about and be in charge of all areas of ALRL’S Health and Safety，and to communicate (沟通)with support employees at ALRL’s laboratories based at University College London．Working closely with scientists and other operations and technical employees，you will manage a small number of research support employees providing services to help with the research activities to be carried out at the new laboratories．
Candidates(申请人) will have experience of both management and research support／technical services．Knowledge of research operations and excellent communication skills are necessary. Education to degree level is also desirable．
If you are interested in this position，please send your CV(简历) to Alex London Research
Laboratory，University College London，Hatfield，London，W1E 6B7 or by email to ALRL@alex.co.uk．For more Information，please visit www.alex.co.uk．What can be learnt about the new laboratories from the text?
| A．They have not yet been set up． |
| B．They are in Hatfield，Australia． |
| C．They belong to University College London． |
| D．They are new workplaces for Australian researchers only． |
What does the fourth paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．The technical skills of a would-be ROM． |
| B．The practical experience of a would-be ROM． |
| C．The personal information of a would-be ROM． |
D．The necessary requirements for a would-be ROM． |
What is the purpose of the text?
| A．To describe the job of a ROM． |
| B．To provide information about ALRL． |
| C．To announce an open position at ALRL． |
| D．To make known the opening of the new laboratories． |
“A very disruptive(扰乱型的) six-year old child kicked my legs and clawed at my hand，”said one teacher. “I broke up a fight and was kicked between my legs，”said another. Many people have heard stories like this. But the situation is more worrying still and it involves parents.
Every child , regardless of the circumstances into which they are born，has the right to achieve their potential，regardless of their parents’ wealth and class. And we recognize that, as a nation，it is a long way to achieve this goal.But rights come with responsibilities and what worries people is that we are in danger of neglecting the latter.
Far too many children are behaving badly at school，even to the point of b
eing violent to staff. This is terrible enough，but it is hard to be surprised since many children are just mirroring the behavior of their parents. Too many are starting school unable to hold a knife and fork, unused to eating at a table，and unable to use the lavatory properly.
We are in danger of becoming a nation of families living separate lives under one roof. The bedroom, once a place to sleep，has become the living space for the young. Spending hours in front of computer screens, on social networking sites or being immersed in computer games, children and young people spend little time with their par
ents. Parents are unable to monitor just what their children are watching.
Schools cannot right the wrongs of society and teachers cannot become substitute parents. Both parties need to work together. Parents must be helped and given confidence to take back control. They are responsible for setting boundaries for their children’s behavior and sticking to those boundaries when the going gets tough. They are responsible for setting a go
od example to their children and for devoting that most precious of resources—time—so that children come to school ready and are willing to learn. In the opinion of the writer, what problem do people ignore?
| A．The school violence. |
| B．The pressure of students’ learning. |
| C．The right to achieve students potential. |
| D．the responsibilities of the students. |
The writer’s attitude to the behaviors of parents may be that of ________.
| A．dissatisfied | B．unconcern | C．understanding | D．tolerance |
The underlined part in Para. 4 may means__________.
| A．parents and children live in their separate rooms |
| B．parents care little about children’s life at home |
| C．children don’t live with their parents in the same room |
| D．at home children live a different life from that of parents |
What might be most suitable title for the passage?
| A．Children’s behavior at school is worrying people |
| B．Parents expect schools to correct their children’s bad habits |
| C．There is no point in parents’ teaching children at home |
| D．Don’t blame teachers when it’s parents who are failing |
Why should I teach my children history? That sounds like a stupid question to even ask. But, as I hear different home schooling teachers discuss history, I get the idea that there may be different reasons for teaching history. Let me briefly explain the three good reasons for studying history and two bad reasons for studying history.
The major reason I see for studying history is that we can learn from the past. I am convinced that the world would be a much better place if more people understood the successes and failures of the past and the things that made these successes and failures. However, as the unfortunately true statement goes “the one thing we seem to learn from history is that we don’t seem to learn from history ”.Perhaps at least in teaching history, to my children I can do a small part in changing this.
A second major reason for studying history is that it is hard to understand the current political climate in the absence of an understanding of its historical context. We can not even understand who we are and where we are without history, much less try to figure out where we are going or how we should get where we want to be.
I teach my children history, for one more reason. I purchased a set of historical audio tapes for our children. My seven-year-old son listened to them over and over. It was my hope that he would become inspired by the accomplishments of people like the Wright brothers to accomplish things by himself. I think that it is good that we celebrate the accomplishments of people like Martin Luther King Jr. In doing so, young people are called on to stand for the principles that he stood for and accomplish what he accomplished. I also think that by studying people like Adolph Hitler, people can learn to stand against the things that he stood for.What message can we get from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?
A．Many people  aren’t clever enough to learn well from the past. |
| B．Many people fail to make good use of history and make the same mistakes. |
| C．Many people feel it hard to understand history. |
| D．Many people have no interest in studying history. |
In Paragraph 3, the author shows that history is useful because_____.
| A．it makes the current political situation go smoothly |
| B．it helps us realize the importance of historical events |
| C．it helps us understand why things are the way they are |
| D．it helps people accept the present situation where they live |
Some historical figures are mentioned in the last paragraph to show_____.
| A．people can be inspired to do good, while also learning to fight against evil |
| B．people may also learn from bad historical figures |
| C．more celebrations should be held to honor their achievements |
| D．today’s people can also achieve what they achieved |
What would be talked about in the following paragraph?
| A．How to teach history effectively. |
| B．Some negative reasons for studying history. |
| C．How to get more people to study history. |
| D．Some bad historical figures. |
I am a good mother to three children. I have tried never to let my profession stand in the way of being a good parent.
I no longer consider myself the center of the universe. I show up. I listen. I try to laugh. I am a good friend to my husband. I have tried to make marriage vows mean what they say. I am a good friend to my friends, and they to me. Without them, there would be nothing to say to you today.
So here’s what I wanted to tell you today：Get a life. A real life, not a desire of the next promotion, the bigger pay-check…
Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work. Pick up the phone. Send an e-mail. Write a letter. And realize that life is the best thing and that you have no business taking it for granted.
It is so easy to waste our lives, our days, our hours, and our minutes. It is so easy to existinstead of to live. I learned to live many years ago. Something really, really bad happened to me, and something that changed my life in ways that, if I had my choice, it would never have been changed at all. And what I learned from it is what, today, seems to be the hardest lesson of all.
I learned to love the journey, not the de
stination. I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back because I believed in it, completely and totally. And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had learned.
By telling them this：Read in the backyard with the sun on your face. Learn to be happy. And think of life as a deadly illness, because if you do, you will live it with joy and passion as it ought to be lived. It can be inferred from the passage that_____.
| A．the author is a success in personal life |
| B．the author didn’t try her best to work well |
| C．the author spent all her time caring for her children |
| D．the author likes traveling very much |
How did the author form her view of life?
| A．Through social experience. | B．By  learning from her friends |
| C．Through an unfortunate experience | D．From her children and husband. |
By the underlined sentence “ It is so easy to exist instead of to live” in the fifth paragraph, the author really means that people tend to_____.
| A．make a living rather than live a real life |
| B．work rather than enjoy life |
| C．waste a lot in life |
| D．forget the most important lessons in life |
What’s the author’s attitude towards work?
| A．Do it well to serve others. |
| B．Earn enough money to make life better. |
| C．Try your best to get higher position and pay. |
| D．Don’t let it affect your real life. |
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