Art theft is an ancient and complicated crime. When you look at some of the most famous cases of art thefts in history, you see thoroughly planned operations that involve art dealers, art fakers, mobsters, ransoms, and millions of dollars. Here you can read about some of the most famous cases of art theft in the history.
The First Theft:
The first documented case of art theft was in 1473, when two panels of altarpiece of the Last Judgment by the Dutch painter Hans Memling were stolen. While the triptych was being transported by ship from the Netherlands to Florence, the ship was attacked by pirates who took it to the Gdansk cathedral in Poland. Nowadays, the piece is shown at the National Museum in Gdansk where it was recently moved from the Basilica of the Assumption.
The Most Famous Theft:
The most famous story of art theft involves one of the most famous paintings in the world and one of the most famous artists in history as a suspect. In the night of August 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen out of the Louver. Soon after, Pablo Picasso was arrested and questioned by the police, but was released quickly.
It took about two years until the mystery was solved by the Parisian police. It turned out that the 30×21 inch painting was taken by one of the museum employees by the name of Vincenzo Peruggia, who simply carried it hidden under his coat. Nevertheless, Peruggia did not work alone. The crime was carefully conducted by a notorious con man, Eduardo de Valfierno, who was sent by an art faker who intended to make copies and sell them as if they were the original painting.
While Yves Chaudron, the art faker, was busy creating copies for the famous masterpiece, Mona Lisa was still hidden at Peruggias’ apartment. After two years in which Peruggia did not hear from Chaudron, he tried to make the best out of his stolen good. Eventually, Peruggia was caught by the police while trying to sell the painting to an art dealer from Florence, Italy. The Mona Lisa was returned to the Louver in 1913.
The Biggest Theft in the USA:
The biggest art theft in United States took place at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. On the night of March 18, 1990, a group of thieves wearing police uniforms broke into the museum and took thirteen paintings whose collective value was estimated at around 300 million dollars. The thieves took two paintings and one print by Rembrandt, and works of Vermeer, Manet, Degas, Govaert Flinck, as well as a French and a Chinese artifact.
As of yet, none of the paintings have been found and the case is still unsolved. According to recent rumors, the FBI are investigating the possibility that the Boston Mob along with French art dealers are connected to the crime.
【小题1】 How long did it take to put back the stolen Mona Lisa in Louver ?___
| A．Thirty six months | B．Thirty months |
| C．Half a year | D．Around two years |
| A．Chaudron wanted to sell the stolen painting. |
| B．Peruggia thought he didn’t need to work for Chaudon any more and wanted to market the painting. |
| C．Valfierno was tired of waiting. |
| D．Peruggia wanted to study the painting carefully. |
| A．Mona Lisa case |
| B．Last Judgment case |
| C．Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum thirteen paintings case |
| D．none |
| A．China | B．France | C．Dutch | D．Vantican |
| A．Picasso was ever considered a art theft suspect. |
| B．Art thieves normally not work alone. |
| C．The first documented case of art theft was conducted by pirates. |
| D．The mastermind of Mona Lisa was an art faker who wanted to sell copies. |
| A．The Economic Value of Art Theft | B．The Loss to Art Lovers |
| C．The Most Sought After Painting | D．Boston Mob and French Art Dealers |
【小题1】D
【小题2】B
【小题3】C
【小题4】D
【小题5】C
【小题6】C
解析试题分析：文章讲述了世界历史上一些非常著名的艺术品失窃事件。
【小题1】细节题。从文章In the night of August 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen out of the Louver. 及The Mona Lisa was returned to the Louver in 1913.可知，为两年的时间，故为D
【小题2】推断题。从文章After two years in which Peruggia did not hear from Chaudron, he tried to make the best out of his stolen good. Eventually, Peruggia was caught by the police while trying to sell the painting to an art dealer from Florence, Italy.可知他想自己私自去出售这幅画，结果被警察发现了，故选B
【小题3】细节题。从文章As of yet, none of the paintings have been found and the case is still unsolved. 可知，Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum thirteen paintings case 这个事件到现在仍然没有得到解决，故选C
【小题4】细节题。从全文看，只有梵蒂冈的人们没有在文章中间被提到，故选D
【小题5】细节题。从文章While the triptych was being transported by ship from the Netherlands to Florence, the ship was attacked by pirates who took it to the Gdansk cathedral in Poland. 可知并非是海盗偷走了这幅《最后的审判》画，而是在船运的过程中被海盗抢去了，故选C
【小题6】推断题。文章前文都讲到了各个不同的盗窃，所以文章后文将会讲到最受人追捧的绘画，故选C
考点：社会现象类说明文
点评：说明文是高考必考题型，此类题型比较好解答，在答题过程中注意结合题目在文章中找到答案的位置，注意理解作者所要表达感情色彩和中心思想。 同时，如果第一遍不能理解，结合题目来进行理解全文，也不失为一个好的方法。
阅读快车系列答案科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Three armed robbers stole two Pablo Picasso prints from an art museum in downtown Sao
Paulo on Thursday, which was the city’s second high-profile art theft in less than a year. The bandits also took two oil paintings by well-know Brazilian artists Emiliano Di Cavalcanti and Lasar Segall, said Carla Regina, a spokeswoman for the Pinacoteca do Estado museum.
The Picasso prints stolen were "The Painter and the Model" from 1963 and "Minotaur, Drinker and Women" from 1933, according to a statement from the Sao Paulo Secretary of State for Culture, which oversees the museum. The prints and paintings have a combined value of $612,000, the statement and a museum official said.
About noon, three armed men paid the $2.45 entrance fee and immediately went to the second-floor gallery where the works were being exhibited, bypassing more valuable pieces, authorities said. "This indicates to us that they probably received an order" to take those specific works, Youssef Abou Chain, head of Sao Paulo's organized crime unit, told reporters at a news conference. The assailants overpowered three unarmed museum guards and grabbed the works, officials said. The robbery took about 10 minutes and the museum was nearly empty at the time. The assailants took the pieces — frames and all — out of the museum in two bags. The institution has no metal detectors.
In December, Picasso's "Portrait of Suzanne Bloch" and "O Lavrador de Cafe" by Candido Portinari, an influential Brazilian artist, were stolen from the Sao Paulo Museum of Art by three men who used a crowbar（铁撬棍）and car jack to force open one of the museum's steel doors. The framed paintings were found Jan. 8, covered in plastic and leaning against a wall in a house on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, South America's largest city. One of the suspects in that robbery — a former TV chef — turned himself over to police in January, who already had two suspects in custody（监禁）.
What did the armed men steal on Thursday?
A．Two prints by Pablo Picasso
B．Two oil painting by Brazilian artists
C．Two prints by Pablo Picasso and two oil paintings by two Brazilian artists.
D．Two prints by two Brazilian artists and two oil paintings by Picasso Pablo.
Why didn't the thieves take other more valuable works?
A．Because they didn't know that the other pieces were worth more.
B．Probably because they had received an order for the prints that they took.
C．Because they didn't have enough time.
D．Because they were in such a hurry that they couldn’t get them all.
How many people were in the museum during the robbery?
A．A lot. The museum was crowded.
B．Not too many. It was almost empty.
C．There were a lot of people outside the museum.
D．Only three of them.
According to the passage, which of the followings is TRUE?
A．In December, "Portrait of Suzanne Bloch" and "O Lavrador de Cafe" painted by Candido
Portinari were stolen.
B．There are steel doors and no detectors in Sao Paulo Museum of Art.
C．Three robbers defeated three armed museum guards and took away the works on Thursday.
D．Three suspects in the first high-profile art theft in less than a year were arrested.
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科目：高中英语 来源：福建省福州三中2011届高三第二次月考英语试题 题型：阅读理解
Three armed robbers stole two Pablo Picasso prints from an art museum in downtown Sao
Paulo on Thursday, which was the city’s second high-profile art theft in less than a year. The bandits also took two oil paintings by well-know Brazilian artists Emiliano Di Cavalcanti and Lasar Segall, said Carla Regina, a spokeswoman for the Pinacoteca do Estado museum.
The Picasso prints stolen were "The Painter and the Model" from 1963 and "Minotaur, Drinker and Women" from 1933, according to a statement from the Sao Paulo Secretary of State for Culture, which oversees the museum. The prints and paintings have a combined value of $612,000, the statement and a museum official said.
About noon, three armed men paid the $2.45 entrance fee and immediately went to the second-floor gallery where the works were being exhibited, bypassing more valuable pieces, authorities said. "This indicates to us that they probably received an order" to take those specific works, Youssef Abou Chain, head of Sao Paulo's organized crime unit, told reporters at a news conference. The assailants overpowered three unarmed museum guards and grabbed the works, officials said. The robbery took about 10 minutes and the museum was nearly empty at the time. The assailants took the pieces — frames and all — out of the museum in two bags. The institution has no metal detectors.
In December, Picasso's "Portrait of Suzanne Bloch" and "O Lavrador de Cafe" by Candido Portinari, an influential Brazilian artist, were stolen from the Sao Paulo Museum of Art by three men who used a crowbar（铁撬棍）and car jack to force open one of the museum's steel doors. The framed paintings were found Jan. 8, covered in plastic and leaning against a wall in a house on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, South America's largest city. One of the suspects in that robbery — a former TV chef — turned himself over to police in January, who already had two suspects in custody（监禁）.
【小题1】What did the armed men steal on Thursday?
| A．Two prints by Pablo Picasso |
| B．Two oil painting by Brazilian artists |
| C．Two prints by Pablo Picasso and two oil paintings by two Brazilian artists. |
| D．Two prints by two Brazilian artists and two oil paintings by Picasso Pablo. |
| A．Because they didn't know that the other pieces were worth more. |
| B．Probably because they had received an order for the prints that they took. |
| C．Because they didn't have enough time. |
| D．Because they were in such a hurry that they couldn’t get them all. |
| A．A lot. The museum was crowded. |
| B．Not too many. It was almost empty. |
| C．There were a lot of people outside the museum. |
| D．Only three of them. |
| A．In December, "Portrait of Suzanne Bloch" and "O Lavrador de Cafe" painted by Candido Portinari were stolen. |
| B．There are steel doors and no detectors in Sao Paulo Museum of Art. |
| C．Three robbers defeated three armed museum guards and took away the works on Thursday. |
| D．Three suspects in the first high-profile art theft in less than a year were arrested. |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源：2014届浙江省高二下学期期中考试英语试卷（解析版） 题型：阅读理解
Art theft is an ancient and complicated crime. When you look at some of the most famous cases of art thefts in history, you see thoroughly planned operations that involve art dealers, art fakers, mobsters, ransoms, and millions of dollars. Here you can read about some of the most famous cases of art theft in the history.
The First Theft:
The first documented case of art theft was in 1473, when two panels of altarpiece of the Last Judgment by the Dutch painter Hans Memling were stolen. While the triptych was being transported by ship from the Netherlands to Florence, the ship was attacked by pirates who took it to the Gdansk cathedral in Poland. Nowadays, the piece is shown at the National Museum in Gdansk where it was recently moved from the Basilica of the Assumption.
The Most Famous Theft:
The most famous story of art theft involves one of the most famous paintings in the world and one of the most famous artists in history as a suspect. In the night of August 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen out of the Louver. Soon after, Pablo Picasso was arrested and questioned by the police, but was released quickly.
It took about two years until the mystery was solved by the Parisian police. It turned out that the 30×21 inch painting was taken by one of the museum employees by the name of Vincenzo Peruggia, who simply carried it hidden under his coat. Nevertheless, Peruggia did not work alone. The crime was carefully conducted by a notorious con man, Eduardo de Valfierno, who was sent by an art faker who intended to make copies and sell them as if they were the original painting.
While Yves Chaudron, the art faker, was busy creating copies for the famous masterpiece, Mona Lisa was still hidden at Peruggias’ apartment. After two years in which Peruggia did not hear from Chaudron, he tried to make the best out of his stolen good. Eventually, Peruggia was caught by the police while trying to sell the painting to an art dealer from Florence, Italy. The Mona Lisa was returned to the Louver in 1913.
The Biggest Theft in the USA:
The biggest art theft in United States took place at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. On the night of March 18, 1990, a group of thieves wearing police uniforms broke into the museum and took thirteen paintings whose collective value was estimated at around 300 million dollars. The thieves took two paintings and one print by Rembrandt, and works of Vermeer, Manet, Degas, Govaert Flinck, as well as a French and a Chinese artifact.
As of yet, none of the paintings have been found and the case is still unsolved. According to recent rumors, the FBI are investigating the possibility that the Boston Mob along with French art dealers are connected to the crime.
1. How long did it take to put back the stolen Mona Lisa in Louver ?___
A．Thirty six months B．Thirty months
C．Half a year D．Around two years
2.What does the underlined sentence, “he tried to make the best out of his stolen good” mean?
A．Chaudron wanted to sell the stolen painting.
B．Peruggia thought he didn’t need to work for Chaudon any more and wanted to market the painting.
C．Valfierno was tired of waiting.
D．Peruggia wanted to study the painting carefully.
3. Which case among those mentioned in the passage is still a mystery?
A．Mona Lisa case
B．Last Judgment case
C．Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum thirteen paintings case
D．none
4.People from the country of _____ is not involved in the passage.
A．China B．France C．Dutch D．Vantican
5. Which statement is WRONG according to this article?
A．Picasso was ever considered a art theft suspect.
B．Art thieves normally not work alone.
C．The first documented case of art theft was conducted by pirates.
D．The mastermind of Mona Lisa was an art faker who wanted to sell copies.
6. The passage is not finished, which subtitle could be the next?
A．The Economic Value of Art Theft B．The Loss to Art Lovers
C．The Most Sought After Painting D．Boston Mob and French Art Dealers
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科目：高中英语 来源：2014届浙江省宁波市高二下学期期中考试英语试卷（解析版） 题型：其他题
附加题（10分）(说明：这是高考1B考试中的06题，请根据上下文在空格中填上适当的词或括弧中单词的适当形式，每空1分)
No wonder that man in Munch’s The Scream is screaming. He keeps getting stolen. The famous painting went 1 in 1994 and again ten years later, both times from museums in Norway. 2 , security was extremely poor. Officials thought the painting was so famous that it wouldn’t be stolen. Wrong.
The world of art theft is not, as one might think, populated with intelligent persons who have a fine appreciation of art. Art thieves are thugs(流氓), according to a new book by Charley Hill. Hill was an undercover policeman 3 job was to track down stolen paintings. He says that the people who steal 4 were usually stealing wheels from cars a few years earlier. He describes priceless Vermeers being stuffed 5 the back of cars, Gainsboroughs being passed around by drug dealers with dirty hands and a nasty end to one of Henry Moore’s huge sculptures. The bronze, King and Queen, a 6 by Moore, was too heavy for the thieves to move, so they took out a chainsaw and cut off the heads, thinking those might be worth something.
The artworks usually turn up, sometimes many years 7 , though the police don’t always catch the thief. Even rarer is when a gentleman thief—one who steals art for personal pleasure only—is caught. In 2009, a waiter, Stephane from Switzerland, 32, 8 (find) guilty of stealing 69 artworks from museums since 1998. He told the court he did 9 for the love of art. His haul (赃物) was 10 over $1 billion—not bad for a waiter.
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