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D. Mona Lisa does not look out of date though painted 500 years ago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

Tayka Hotel De Sal

Where: Tahua, Bolivia

How much: About $95 a night

Why it’s cool: You’ve stayed at hotels made of brick or wood, but salt? That’s something few can claim．Tayka Hotel de Sal is made totally of salt—including the beds (though you’ll sleep on regular mattresses (床垫) and blankets)．The hotel sits on the Salar de Uyuni, a prehistoric dried-up lake that’s the world’s biggest salt flat．Builders use the salt from the 4,633-square-mile flat to make the bricks, and glue them together with a paste of wet salt that hardens when it dries．When rain starts to dissolve the hotel, the owners just mix up more salt paste to strengthen the bricks.

Green Magic Nature Resort

Where: Vythiri, India

How much: About $240 a night

Why it’s cool: Ridding a pulley(滑轮)-operated lift 86 feet to your treetop room is just the start of your adventure．As you look out of your open window—there is no glass!—you watch monkeys and birds in the rain forest canopy．Later you might test your fear of heights by crossing the handmade rope bridge to the main part of the hotel, or just sit on your bamboo bed and read．You don’t even have to come down for breakfast—the hotel will send it up on the pulley-drawn “elevator”.

Dog Bark Park Inn B&B

Where: Cottonwood, Idaho

How much: $92 a night

Why it’s cool: This doghouse isn’t just for the family pet．Sweet Willy is a 30-foot-tall dog with guest rooms in his belly．Climb the wooden stairs beside his hind leg to enter the door in his side．You can relax in the main bedroom, go up a ffew steps ot the loft in Willy’s head, or hang out inside his nose．Cotta “go”(想要方便一下)? Although you have a full private bathroom in your quarters, there is also a toilet in the 12-foot-tall fire hydrant outside.

Gamirasu Cave Hotel

Where: Ayvali, Turkey

How much: Between $130 and $475 a night.

Why it’s cool: This is caveman cool! Experience what it was like 5,000 years ago, when people lived in these mountain caves formed by volcanic ash．But your stay will be much more modern．Bathrooms and electricity provide what you expect from a modern hotel, and the white volcanic ash, called tufa, keeps the rooms cool, about 65℉in summer．(Don’t worry—there is heat in winter.)

Which of the following about Tayka Hotel de Sal is true?

      A．The hotel is the cheapest among the four mentioned.

      B．Everything in the hotel is made of salt.

      C．It is on an island in the Pacific Ocean.

      D．It is located on a prehistoric lake.

What is the similarity of the four hotels?

      A．Being expensive.     B．Being beautiful.      C．Being natural.  D．Being unique.

What does the underline part “Sweet Willy” refer to?

      A．The building of Dog Bark Park Inn B&B.

      B．The name of a pet dog of the hotel owner.

      C．The name of the hotel.

      D．The name of the hotel owner.

Which of the hotel makes you have a feeling of living in the far past?

      A．Tayka Hotel De Sal  B．Green Magic Nature Resort

      C．Dog Bark Park Inn B&B       D．Gamirasu Cave Hotel

What may be the purpose of the writer writing the passage?

      A．To show his wide knowledge. B．To introduce some interesting hotels.

      C．To develop business in tourism.      D．To attract attention from the readers.

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

This morning, as I was getting close to the supermarket, I saw a small   36    gathering around an elderly woman with blood under her face. I stopped and asked if I could   37  . I told her I was certified（授予证书的）in first aid. Then I   38   someone for a first aid kit（工具箱）. But she didn’t want help, saying she was fine. But she wasn’t fine. I asked her to   39   with me and we   40   about her routine of getting groceries. People brought out ice packs, water and paper towels from the   41   nearby. I put on the gloves from the first aid kit, and cleaned her up a bit, but   42   I just talked to her and held her hand.

Two   43   happened to be passing by and   44   to help check her out a bit. Finally, after ten minutes the   45   arrived and I talked to the emergency medical team and they   __46  .

I was certified in first aid years back, and I got re-certified a month ago, but I never   47   it once. However, I realized being certified isn’t   48   about providing the aid. I didn’t stop the bleeding. I didn’t   49   to examine her. Mostly it was about providing comfort for people in a difficult   50  . The certification gave me the   51   to do that: to kneel on the sidewalk, holding an old woman’s hand, and to help make those _ 52   few minutes just a little bit better.

If you’re not certified in first aid, I can’t   53   it strongly enough. It takes four hours of your time at your   54   Red Cross. With what you’ll   55   , maybe you’ll be able to help someone like the old lady one day.

1.A. people             B. public C. traffic    D. crowd

2.A. watch out      B. look out         C. help out         D. make out

3.A. paid         B. sent    C. applied D. scolded

4.A. stay          B. walk    C. accompany   D. shop

5.A. looked              B. cared C. talked   D. quarreled

6.A. hospital           B. supermarket         C. station  D. office

7.A. mostly             B. maybe  C. simply   D. extremely

8.A. policemen     B. volunteers     C. clerks    D. doctors

9.A. refused            B. stopped      C. lay         D. woke

10.A. ambulance    B. family   C. driver   D. officer

11.A. operated on    B. turned up  C. ran away        D. took over

12.A. liked                B. noticed     C. used      D. met

13.A. necessarily     B. possibly      C. hopefully       D. commonly

14.A. want                B. teach         C. permit  D. try

15.A. place              B. situation      C. life         D. position

16.A. harm             B. confidence   C. lesson   D. wish

17.A. confusing      B. moving        C. scary     D. friendly

18.A. recommend     B. demand    C. support          D. explain

19.A. formal             B. national     C. local      D. private

20.A. recognize      B. offer   C. allow     D. Learn

 

第二节根据所给句子意思以及汉语或首字母提示，写出下列各句中所缺单词的正确形式。(共15小题；每小题1分，满分15分)

11. If you _______________(违反) the regulations, you shall be fired. Be responsible for your job.

12. His father always reminded him to look out for ________________（潜在的）dangers ahead.

13. Leaving the doors unlocked is a(n) ________________ (诱因) to burglars.

14. At the end of each term, teachers are required to __________（评估）the performance of students.

15. I believe Mary will turn up at eight. I know she is always very ______________ (准时的）for meetings.

16. We shouldn’t change lanes without _________________(发信号) or giving wrong signals.

17. We cannot put the theory into practice because of the fact that it has been based on a series of wrong _________________. (假设)

18. His father a__________________（陪伴）him to school every day; he is too young to go alone.

19. Ann likes to buy goods in large q__________________ so that she needn’t go shopping often.

20. A sore throat and fever were the s__________________ of serious flu.

21. She has mastered English grammar and a__________________ a large vocabulary without the help of a teacher.

22. We had to p________________ going to France because the children were ill.

23. The young fellow is a__________________ and likely to quarrel with anyone at any time.

24. Time p_________________, I would like to go fishing with you this weekend.

25. On hearing the terrible accident, you could never imagine how I worried when I was told that you two went home s________________ on such a rainy night.

 

John once told me a story about his friend, Michael. Michael happened to be on a train sitting next to a young man who seemed worried. Finally the young man told the friend that he was a convict (罪犯) returning home from a prison far away. What he did had brought shame (羞耻) on his family, and they had neither visited him nor written to him. He hoped, however, that this was only because they were too poor to travel and too busy to write.

When he was set free he had written to tell them he wanted to go home. To make matters easy for them, however, he had asked them to put up a signal (信号) for him when the train passed their little farm. If the family had forgiven (原谅) him, they were to put up a white ribbon (丝带) in the big apple tree near the railway. If they didn't want him back, they were to do nothing, and he would stay on the train, and go far away.

As the train neared his hometown his suspense became so great that he was afraid to look out of the window. He asked Michael to watch for the big apple tree. They changed seats. In a minute, Michael put his hand on the young convict’s shoulder, "There it is," His eyes was filled with sudden tears. "It’s all right. The whole tree is white with ribbons."

1.According to the passage, the white ribbon in the big apple tree means ________.

A．pleasure

B．forgiveness(原谅）

C．happiness

D．education

2.The word "suspense" underlined in the last paragraph can best be replaced by ________.

A．anger

B．interest

C．worry

D．happiness

3.Why was Michael asked to watch for the apple tree?

A．The young man was afraid that he was refused by his family.

B．The young man’s seat was far from the window.

C．The young man was afraid of seeing the white ribbons in the tree.

D．The young man was sure that his family would accept him.

4.Why did Michael cry at the end of the story?

A．The young man couldn’t live with his family.

B．There were many white ribbons on the apple tree.

C．He was afraid.

D．The young man was very sad.