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 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.

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D. Mona Lisa does not look out of date though painted 500 years ago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

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 or France, should take charge

D. experts aren’t sure about the materials and the chemical state of its oil paint

 

FAT TIRE

BIKE TOURS

(FORMERLY MIKE’S TOURS—PARIS)

DAY BIKE TOUR

(Reservations（预订）not needed for this tour to visit Paris—you will love this tour!)

Whether you’re new or experienced, our goal is not to provide you with mind-bending dates and boring stories. Instead, we offer you the famous sites, all the education information, lots of unique and fascinating stories, fantastic photo options, a comfortable bike and excellent personal service from your guide. In fact, we want you to love Paris like we do and have a great time doing it!（4 hours）

?22 students, ?24 adult (Day & Night combo ?44 student, ?48 adult)

March1—May 14	11 am
May 15—July 31*	11am and 3pm
August 1—November 30	11am

*no tours July 25

NIGHT BIKE TOUR

（Reservations not needed for this tour to visit Paris—you will love this tour!）

Our Night Tour is the way to experience the “City of Light” at its best!

Ride through the Latin Quarter and witness the best nightlife in town. Pedal down the lle de la Cite, along the river and enjoy ice cream at Berthillon (Paris’s most famous ice cream shop). See the Louvre as never before (free concert often included) and relax onboard a boat trip on the Seine. Did we mention free wine is provided on the boat?

Make on mistake—this tour is 100% different form our Day Tour in both route and information. Over 65% of our customers take both tours and we hope you will too. Also, be sure to eat something before coming or the wine may give you an unexpected hit! (4.5 hours)

?26 students, ?28 adult (Day & Night combo; ?44 student, ?48 adult)

March1—May 31	Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday 7pm
April 1—October 31*	Everyday 7pm
November 1—November 15	Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday 7pm

*no tours June 21 & July 14

OUR HEADQUARTERS

0156581054/ www. FatTire Bike Tours Paris. Com/ info@Fat Tire Bike Tours Paris. Com?

1. According to the schedule, which day might be appropriate for a Day & Night Combo?

  A. A Saturday in November.             B. Any day in June.

  C. A Friday in March.                   D. A Monday in May.

2. If a teacher and his five students plan to visit Paris during daytime, they must pay_________.

  A. ?268                                              B. ?158                               C. ?134        D. ?142

3. One may taste the best ice cream and enjoy free wine in___________.

  A. the Day Bike Tour                         B. the Night Bike Tour

  C. the Tour on the Seine                     D. the Tour to the Louver

4. The following statements are true EXCEPT___________. 

  A. For further information, one can call 0156581054.

  B. One can attend free concert on the boat trip on the Seine.

  C. The route of the Day Bike Tour is totally different from that of the Night Bike Tour.

  D. No reservations are needed for attending both the Bike Tours.

 

Adventure Vacations

People like different kinds of vacations. Some go camping. They swim, fish, cook over a fire and sleep outside. Others like to stay at a hotel in an exciting city. They go shopping all day and go dancing all night. Or maybe they go sightseeing to places such as Disneyland, the Tai Mahan or the Louver.

Some people are bored with sightseeing trips. They don’t want to be “tourists”. They want to have an adventure--a surprising and exciting trip. They want to learn something and maybe help people too. How can they do this? Some travel companies and environmental groups are planning special adventures. Sometimes these trips are difficult and full of hardships, but they’re a lot of fun. One organization, Earth watch, sends small groups of volunteers to different parts of the world. Some volunteers spend two weeks and study the environment. Others work with animals. Others learn about people of the past.

Would you like an adventure in the Far North? A team of volunteers is leaving from Mormons, Russia. The leader of this trip is a professor from Alaska. He’s worried about chemicals from factories. He and the volunteers will study this pollution in the environment. If you like exercise and cold weather, this is a good trip for you. Volunteers need ski sixteen kilometers every day.

Do you enjoy ocean animals? You can spend two to four weeks in Hawaii. There, you can teach language to dolphins. Dolphins can follow orders such as “Bring me the large ball.” They also understand opposites. How much more can they understand? It will be exciting to learn about these intelligent animals. Another study trip goes to Washington State and follows orcas. We call orcas “killer Whale”, but they’re really dolphins—the largest kind of dolphin. This beautiful animal travels together in family groups. They move through the ocean with their mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers. Ocean pollution is chasing their lives. Earth watch is studying how this happens.

Are you interested in history? Then Greece is the place for your adventure. Thirty-five hundred years ago a volcano exploded there, on Santorum. This explosion was more terrible than Karate or Mount Saint Helens. But today we know a lot about the way of life of the people from that time. There are houses, kitchens, and paintings as interesting as those in Pompeii. Today teams of volunteers are learning more about people from the past.

Do you want a very different vacation? Do you want to travel far, work hard and learn a lot? Then an Earth watch vacation is for you.

1.The Tai Mahan may be _______.

A．a shopping center                       B．a hotel　

C．a dancing hall                          D．a place of interest

2.From the passage, on an adventure trip, people ______.

A．may not spend much time on sightseeing

B．won’t meet some difficulties or hardships

C．can’t enjoy them

D．can’t learn something

3.If you want to learn something about people of the past, you can _______.

A．join the team to Hawaii

B．join the team to the Far North

C．join the team to Washington

D．join the team to Greece

4.Which of the following is false?

A．Some people find sightseeing trips boring.

B．Earth watch is planning all these special adventures.

C．The number of orcas is decreasing.

D．3 volcano explosions in all broke out 3, 500 years ago in Greece.

 

People like different kinds of vacations. Some go camping. They swim, fish, cook over a fire and sleep outside. Others like to stay at a hotel in an exciting city. They go shopping all day and go dancing all night. Or maybe they go sightseeing to places such as Disneyland, the Tai Mahan or the Louver.

Some people are bored with sightseeing trips. They don’t want to be “tourists”. They want to have an adventure--a surprising and exciting trip. They want to learn something and maybe help people too. How can they do this? Some travel companies and environmental groups are planning special adventures. Sometimes these trips are difficult and full of hardships, but they’re a lot of fun. One organization, Earth watch, sends small groups of volunteers to different parts of the world. Some volunteers spend two weeks and study the environment. Others work with animals. Others learn about people of the past.

Would you like an adventure in the Far North? A team of volunteers is leaving from Mormons, Russia. The leader of this trip is a professor from Alaska. He’s worried about chemicals from factories. He and the volunteers will study this pollution in the environment. If you like exercise and cold weather, this is a good trip for you. Volunteers need ski sixteen kilometers every day.

Do you enjoy ocean animals? You can spend two to four weeks in Hawaii. There, you can teach language to dolphins. Dolphins can follow orders such as “Bring me the large ball.” They also understand opposites. How much more can they understand? It will be exciting to learn about these intelligent animals. Another study trip goes to Washington State and follows orcas. We call orcas “killer Whale”, but they’re really dolphins—the largest kind of dolphin. This beautiful animal travels together in family groups. They move through the ocean with their mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers. Ocean pollution is chasing their lives. Earth watch is studying how this happens.

Are you interested in history? Then Greece is the place for your adventure. Thirty-five hundred years ago a volcano exploded there, on Santorum. This explosion was more terrible than Karate or Mount Saint Helens. But today we know a lot about the way of life of the people from that time. There are houses, kitchens, and paintings as interesting as those in Pompeii. Today teams of volunteers are learning more about people from the past.

Do you want a very different vacation? Do you want to travel far, work hard and learn a lot? Then an Earth watch vacation is for you.

The Tai Mahan may be _______.

A. a shopping center      B. a hotel       　

C. a dancing hall    D. a place of interest

From the passage, on an adventure trip, people ______.

A. may not spend much time on sightseeing

B. won’t meet some difficulties or hardships

C. can’t enjoy them

D. can’t learn something

If you want to learn something about people of the past, you can _______.

A. join the team to Hawaii

B. join the team to the Far North

C. join the team to Washington

D. join the team to Greece

The word intelligent in paragraph 4 means _______.

A. exciting     B. beautiful

C. large   D. clever

Which of the following is false?

A. Some people find sightseeing trips boring.

B. Earth watch is planning all these special adventures.

C. The number of orcas is decreasing.

D. 3 volcano explosions in all broke out 3, 500 years ago in Greece.

From early times, man has been interested in art. People have often worked together to collect and save the world’s art treasures.
Fine art treasures from many countries are kept in an art museum called the Louvre (卢浮宫) in Paris, France. The works of art have been collected by the people of France over many centuries.
The Louvre has not always been a museum. The first building was a fort (要塞)with high walls and a round tower. It had a moat (护城河) to keep out the enemies. Over the years, the number of buildings around the fort grew. By 1350,the fort was no longer needed and became a palace home for French kings and queens.
During times of peace, new treasures were brought in. During times of war, many treasures were stolen, and the buildings were damaged(毁损).
When Francis I became King of France in the year of 1515,he brought in artists from many countries, and one of them was Leonardo da Vinci from Italy, whose Mona Lisa is the best-known painting in the museum today.
In 1793, the Louvre became a public museum, just as it is now. It is a place where art treasures have been saved for everyone to enjoy.
【小题1】The above passage is about       

A．the world-famous painting Mona Lisa

B．a king of France by the name of Francis I

C．a grand art museum in the capital of France

D．an artist named Leonardo da Vinci

【小题2】It seems to be necessary for great art works to be kept in public museum because    .

A．only in this way will they not be stolen

B．it gives everyone a chance to enjoy them

C．it helps people to remember the life of French kings and queens

D．it tells people what meaningful work the French kings did in the past

【小题3】The Louver became an art museum        

A．in the year of 1350

B．in 1515 when Francis I became King of France

C．in the seventeenth century

D．in the nineties of the eighteenth century

【小题4】Though the story does not say so, it makes you think        

A．lots of people pay visits to the Louvre

B．Leonardo da Vinci was once the keeper of the museum

C．the Louvre was only open to the artists from other countries

D．the Louvre became a public museum at the beginning of the last century