Question

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.

1.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

2.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.

3.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

4.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.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.B

2.D

3.A

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：本文讲述了《蒙娜丽莎的微笑》这幅画随着岁月的流逝，现在也发生了破损的现象，同时文章里讲述了这幅画的一些特别之处。

1.B 推理题。根据time is catching up with the Mona Lisa.和第二段3,4行“The thin, wooden panel on which the Mona Lisa is painted in oil has changed shape since experts checked it two years ago,”说明这幅画现在也受到岁月的侵袭，也有了破损。故B正确。

2.D 推理题。根据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.说明专家不清楚达芬奇所使用的原料，所以担心会不会把画反而弄坏。故D正确。

3.A 推理题。根据第三段最后“when you’re not looking at her, she seems to be smiling, and then you look at her and she stops,” 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.”可知在不直视的情况下才能看到她的微笑。故A正确。

4.C 推理题。根据本句Like many old ladies, the Mona Lisa has some interesting stories to tell.可知在这幅画的身上还有很多的情况是我们所不熟悉的。故C正确。

考点：考察文化短文阅读

点评：本文讲述了《蒙娜丽莎的微笑》这幅画随着岁月的流逝，现在也发生了破损的现象，同时文章里讲述了这幅画的一些特别之处。本文要求考生在阅读理解整体语篇的基础上，把握文章的真正内涵。要吃透文章的字面意思，从字里行间捕捉有用的提示和线索，这是推理的前提和基础;要对文字的表面信息进行挖掘加工，由表入里，由浅入深，从具体到抽象，从非凡到一般，通过分析、综合、判定等，进行深层处理，符合逻辑地推理。