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Fading beauty

　　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 Louvre Museum(盧浮宮博物館)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(狀態(tài))．

　　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(視覺)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)

What does the writer mean by “time is catching up with the Mona Lisa”?

[　　]

A．

The painted woman is not so beautiful any more．

B．

Ageing is something that affects us all．

C．

The painting needs repairing．

D．

At such an old age, she is no longer popular．

(2)

What makes the repair work difficult?

[　　]

A．

The wooden panel is thin and old．

B．

No one knows exactly what materials were used to create the painting and how it might respond to treatment．

C．

The health of the painting is suffering

D．

Experts can't agree on how to carry out repairs．

(3)

What makes her smile so mysterious according to Professor Livingston?

[　　]

A．

The materials the Italian artist used．

B．

The way she smiles．

C．

The way Da Vinci painted the smile．

D．

It plays a trick upon the human mind．

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科目：高中英語 來源：湖南省衡陽八中2010屆高三第四次月考、英語試卷 題型：050

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　　In the atmosphere, carbon dioxide acts rather like a one-way mirror or the glass in the roof of a greenhouse which allows the sun's rays to enter but prevents the heat from escaping．

　　According to a weather expert' s prediction, the atmosphere will be 3℃warmer in the year 2050 than it is today, if man continues to burn fuels at the present rate．If this warming up took place, the ice caps in the poles would begin to melt, thus raising sea level several metres and severely flooding coastal cities．Also, the increase in atmospheric temperature would lead to great changes in the climate of the northern hemisphere(北半球), possibly resulting in an alteration of the earth's chief food growing zones．

　　In the past, concern about a man-made warming of the earth has concentrated on the Arctic because the Antarctic is much colder and has a much thicker ice sheet．But the weather experts are now paying more attention to West Antarctic, which may be affected by only a few degrees of warming, in other words, by a warming on the scale that will possibly take place in the next fifty years from the burning of fuels．

　　Satellite pictures show that large areas of Antarctic ice are already disappearing．The evidence available suggests that a warming has taken place．This fits the theory that carbon dioxide warms the earth．

　　However, most of the fuel is burnt in the northern hemisphere, where temperatures seem to be falling．Scientists conclude , therefore, that up to now natural influences on the weather have gone beyond those caused by man．The question is：Which natural cause has most effect on the weather?

　　One possibility is the variable behavior of the sun．Astronomers at one research station have studied the hot spots and "cold" spots(that is, the relatively less hot spots)on the sun．As the sun rotates(使旋轉(zhuǎn)), every 27.5 days, it presents hotter or "colder" faces to the earth, and different aspects to different parts of the earth．This seems to have a considerable effect on the distribution of the earth's atmospheric pressure, and consequently on wind circulation．The sun is also changeable over a long term：its heat output goes up and down in cycles, the latest trend being downward．

　　Scientists are now finding shared relations between models of solar weather interactions and the actual climate over many thousands of years, including the last Ice Age．The problem is that the models are predicting that the world should be entering a new Ice Age and it is not．One way of solving this theoretical difficulty is to assume a delay of thousands of years while the solar effects overcome the inertia(慣性)of the earth's climate．If this is right, the warming effect of carbon dioxide might thus be serving as a useful opposed balance to the sun's fading heat．

(1)

It can be concluded that a concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would ________．

[　　]

A．

mean a warming-up in the Antarctic

B．

raise the temperature of the earth' s surface

C．

prevent the sun's rays from reaching the earth's surface

D．

explain the cause of great changes in the climate in the northern hemisphere

(2)

The article was written to explain ________．

[　　]

A．

the greenhouse effect

B．

the solar effects on the earth

C．

the causes affecting weather

D．

the models of solar-weather interactions

(3)

Although the fuel consumption is greater in the northern hemisphere, temperatures there seem to be falling．This is ________．

[　　]

A．

mainly because the levels of carbon dioxide are rising

B．

partly due to changes in the output of solar energy

C．

possibly because the ice caps in the poles are melting

D．

only due to the effect of the inertia of the earth' s climate

(4)

On the basis of their models, scientists believe the opinion that ________．

[　　]

A．

the climate of the world should be becoming cooler

B．

the new Ice Age will be delayed by the greenhouse effect

C．

the man-made warming effect helps to increase the solar effects

D．

it will take thousands of years for the inertia of the earth's climate to take effect

(5)

If the assumption about the delay of a new Ice age is correct, ________．

[　　]

A．

ice would soon cover the northern hemisphere

B．

the greenhouse effect could work in favor of the earth

C．

the best way to overcome the cooling effect would be to burn more fuels

D．

the increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could warm up the earth even more quickly

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科目：高中英語 來源：貴州省云峰中學(xué)2010屆高三下學(xué)期3月月考（英語） 題型：完型填空

完形填空(共20小題；每小題1.5分，滿分30分)
閱讀下面短文，從短文后所給各題的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)(A、B、C、D)中，選出可以填入空白
處的最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。
第二節(jié)完型填空(共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分)
It was New Year’s night, An aged man was standing at a window. He raised his mournful（悲哀的）eyes towards the deep  36 sky, where the stars were  37 like white lilies(百合花)on
the surface of a clear calm lake．Then he threw them on the earth．Where a few more  38 people than himself now moved towards their certain goal-the  39 ，He had already passed sixty of the  40  leading to it，and he had brought from his journey nothing but errors and regret．Now his health was poor，his mind  41 ，his heart sorrowful，and his old age short of  42．
The days of his youth appeared like dreams before him．a(chǎn)nd he recalled the  43 moment
when his father placed him at the  44 to the two roads-one leading to a  45 ．sunny place．
covered with flowers，fruits and resounding with soft，sweet songs；the other 1eading to a deep，
dark cave．which was endless． 46 poison flowed instead of water and where deviIs(惡魔)and
poisonous snakes hissed and crawled．
He saw the  47  fading away in the darkness．a(chǎn)nd these were the days of his  48 life；He saw a star fall from the sky and disappeared，and this was the  49 of himself．His regret，which was like a sharparrow．Struck deeply into his heart．Then he remembered his friends in his
childhood．who entered on life together with him．But they had  50 to success and were now
honored and happy on this New Year’s night
The clock in the high church tow struck and the sound made him remember his parents’
early love for him．They had taught him and  51 to God for his good．But he chose the 52
way．With shame and grief he   53  no longer look towards that heaven where his father lived．
His darkened eyes were full of tears，and with a despairing  54  ，he burst out a cry；“Come back，my  55  days!Come back!”
36．A．grey           B,blue           C. black        D. cloudy
37．A．floating         B, flashing       C hanging      D shinning
38．A．purposeless     B purposeful      C hopeful      D hopeless
39．A．house          B tomb         C church        D birthplace
40．A．dreams         B moments      C incidents      D stages
41．A．strange         B pale           C blank        D shallow
42．A．a(chǎn)llowances      Bcomforts        C experiences   D  memories
43．A．serious         B awful          C tough         D desperate
44．A．end            B entrance        C origin        D base
45．A.  lonely          B noisy           C quiet        D peaceful
46．A．which          B that             C whose       D where
47．A．people         B lights            C  stars       D clouds
48．A．a(chǎn)ccustomed     B rewarded         C wasted      D occupied
49．A．symbol          B fate             C future       D outcome
50．A．lost their heart B devoted their attention
C．made their way D given their way
51．A．prayed       B attached         C adjusted      D turned
52．A．ordinary     B unfamiliar        C wrong        D difficult
53．A．would      B could            C should         D dared
54．A．a(chǎn)nxiety     B effort            C patience       D attempt
55．A．early       B good             C old           D shamdful

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科目：高中英語 來源：2010-2011學(xué)年江蘇省姜堰市高三上學(xué)期學(xué)情調(diào)查（三）英語卷 題型：完型填空

閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。

       Born in America , I spoke English ,not Chinese , the  language of my ancestors ．When I was three, my parents flashed cards with Chinese    36  at my face , but I pushed them   37   ．My mom believed I would learn   38    I was ready ．But the    39   never came．

       On a Chinese New Year’s Eve , my uncle spoke to me in Chinese , but all I could do was    40   at him , confused , scratching my head ．“ Still can’t speak Chinese?” He     41   me , “You can’t even buy a fish in Chinatown ．”

       “Hey ,this is America , not China．I’ll get some    42    with or without Chinese．” I replied and turned to my mom for     43    ．

       “Remember to ask for fresh fish, Xin Xian Yu ,” she said , handing over a $20 bill ．I     44   the words,  running downstairs into the streets of Chinatown．

       I found the fish    45   surrounded in a sea of customers．“I’d like to buy some fresh fish,” I should to the fishman．But he     46    my English words and turned to serve the next customer ．The laugh of the people behind increased     47    their impatience．With every   48  , the breath of the dragons on my back grew stronger—my blood boiling—    49    me to cry out ．“ Xian Sheng Yu , please．” “Very Xian Sheng ,” I repeated ．The crowd erupted into laughter ．My face turned    50   and I ran back home    51   , except for the $20 bill I held tightly in my pocket．

       Should I laugh or cry? They’re Chinese．I should feel right at     52    ．Instead , I was the joke , a disgrace （丟臉）to the language．

       Sometimes, I laugh at my fish      53   , but , in the end, the joke is on    54  ．Every laugh is a culture     55   ; every laugh is my heritage （傳統(tǒng)） fading away．

1.A．custom            B．games          C ．characters     D．language

2.A．a(chǎn)head            B．a(chǎn)round          C．a(chǎn)long           D．a(chǎn)side

3.A．when              B．before          C．unless           D．until

4.A．success            B．study           C．time            D．a(chǎn)ttempt

5.A．a(chǎn)im              B．joke            C．nod             D．stare

6.A．cared about        B．laughed at    C．a(chǎn)rgued with   D．a(chǎn)sked after

7.A．right now         B．from now     C．a(chǎn)t times        D．in time

8.A．decision           B．Permission    C．information    D．preparation

9.A．repeated          B．reviewed        C．spelled         D．kept

10.A．farm           B．stand          C．pond          D．market

11.A．guessed          B．forget           C．doubted       D．ignored

12.A．by             B．a(chǎn)s              C．with         D．from

13.A．second          B．effort         C．desire           D．movement

14.A．forcing         B．a(chǎn)llowing     C．persuading     D．leading

15.A．bright          B．blank         C．pale            D．red

16.A．open-mouthed    B．tongue-tied   C．empty-handed D．broken-hearted

17.A．service        B．home         C．risk            D．root

18.A．trade                 B．deed          C．challenge      D．incident

19.A．it              B．us              C．me            D．them

20.A．thrown               B．lost           C．divided      D．reflected

 

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科目：高中英語 來源：2010年高考試題（福建卷）解析版 題型：完形填空

 

閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑

Born  in  America , I spoke English ,not Chinese , the language of my ancestors . When I was three, my parents flashed cards with Chinese    1at my face , but I pushed them   2. My mom believed I would learn   3I was ready . But the    4never came.

On a Chinese New Year’s Eve , my uncle spoke to me in Chinese , but all I could do was    5at him , confused , scratching my head . “ Still can’t speak Chinese?” He     6me , “You can’t even buy a fish in Chinatown .”

“Hey ,this is America , not China. I’ll get some    7with or without Chinese.” I replied and turned to my mom for     8.

“Remember to ask for fresh fish, Xin Xian Yu ,” she said ,handing over a $20 bill . I     9the words, running downstairs into the streets of Chinatown.

I found the fish    10surrounded in a sea of customers. “I’d like to buy some fresh fish,” I should to the fishman. But he     11my English words and turned to serve the next customer .The laugh of the people behind increased     12their impatience. With every   13, the breath of the dragons (龍) on my back grew stronger—my blood boiling—    14me to cry out . “ Xian Sheng Yu , please.” “Very Xian Sheng ,” I repeated .The crowd erupted into laughter . My face turned    15and I ran back home    16, except for the $20 bill I held tightly in my pocket.

Should I laugh or cry? They’re Chinese. I should feel right at     17. Instead , I was the joke , a disgrace (丟臉)to the language.

Sometimes, I laugh at my fish      18, but , in the end, the joke is on    19. Every laugh is a culture     20; every laugh is my heritage (傳統(tǒng)) fading away.

1.A. custom         B. games        C .characters .         D. language

2.A. ahead          B. around           C. along           D. aside

3.A. when           B. before           C. unless               D. until

4.A. success       B. study            C. time                 D. attempt

5.A. aim            B. joke             C. nod             D. stare

6.A. cared about        B. laughed at       C. argued with          D. asked after

7.A. right now          B. from now         C. at times             D. in time

8.A. decision      B. permission       C. information          D. preparation

9.A. repeated           B. reviewed         C. spelled         D. kept

10.A. farm          B. stand            C. pond            D. market

11.A. guessed           B. forgot           C. doubted         D. ignored

12.A. by           B. as               C. with            D. from

13.A. second       B. effort           C. desire               D. movement

14.A. forcing           B. allowing         C. persuading           D. leading

15.A. bright            B. blank            C. pale                 D. red

16.A. open-mouthed      B. tongue-tied    C. empty-handed       D. broken-hearted

17.A. service           B. home         C. risk                 D. root

18.A. trade             B. deed        C. challenge       D. incident

19.A. it                B. us          C. me               D. them

20.A. thrown            B. lost             C. divided              D. reflected

 

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