1 . Today, we tell about one of the greatest thinkers in the world, Leonardo da Vinci. He began his career as an artist. But his interest in the world around him _______ him to study music, math, science, engineering and building design. Many of his ideas and inventions were centuries _______ his time.

Leonardo da Vinci spent his life studying and _______ in order to develop a scientific understanding of the world. He designed weapons, machines, engines, robots, and many other kinds of _______ devices. When disease spread in Milan, Leonardo designed a city that would help _______ the spread of infection. _______ of these designs were built during his lifetime. But they show his extraordinarily forward-thinking _______ .

Leonardo's first known portrait now _______ in the National Gallery in Washington, D. C. . He made this painting of a young woman named Ginevra de' Benci around 1474. The woman has a pale face with dark hair. In the _______ , Leonardo painted the Italian countryside.

He soon received ________ for his extraordinary artistic skills. Around 1475 he was asked to draw an angel in Verrocchio's painting ''Baptism of Christ. '' One story says that when Verrocchio saw Leonardo's addition to the painting, he was so ________ by his student's skill that he said he would never paint again.

Leonardo's most famous portrait of a woman is called ''Mona Lisa.'' It is now in the ________ of the Louvre museum in Paris. He painted this ________ of Lisa Gherardini starting around 1503. She was the wife of a wealthy businessman from Florence named Francesco del Giocondo.

Lisa Gherardini is sitting down with her hands crossed in her lap. She looks ________ at the painter. She seems to be smiling ever so slightly. A great deal of ________ surrounds the painting. Experts are not sure about how or why Leonardo came to paint the work. But they do know that he never gave it to the Giocondo family. He kept the painting with him for the rest of his life.

1.

A．pulled

B．drove

C．recommended

D．reminded

2.

A．away from

B．out of

C．ahead of

D．up to

3.

A．observing

B．releasing

C．hesitating

D．noticing

4.

A．musical

B．educational

C．warning

D．engineering

5.

A．insist

B．consist

C．resist

D．list

6.

A．Few

B．Many

C．Less

D．Much

7.

A．figure

B．mind

C．humor

D．mood

8.

A．stands

B．lies

C．hangs

D．leans

9.

A．distance

B．heart

C．mirror

D．air

10.

A．reply

B．attention

C．care

D．comfort

11.

A．annoyed

B．ashamed

C．amused

D．amazed

12.

A．charge

B．favor

C．name

D．collection

13.

A．image

B．expression

C．gesture

D．movement

14.

A．thoroughly

B．directly

C．unbelievably

D．originally

15.

A．doubt

B．surprise

C．sorrow

D．mystery

2 . This is what HBO’s Veep has been trying to do—by making US presidential election into a comedy.

Presented for the first time in 2012, Veep follows the daily life of Selina Meyer, the fictional vice-president (or “Veep” for short) of the US. We see that as much as Meyer wants to have an influence, she—despite being the second-in-command of the country—is constantly ignored by the president and kept away from important meetings. Meyer herself isn’t exactly competent: she has to put out political fires every once in a while but usually ends up making things worse.

The show also finds humor in a much darker side of politics: the unreal smiles and wrongdoings of politicians. When a mass shooting happens in the show, for example, instead of feeling shocked, Meyer is actually glad, because she feels it may help draw people’s attention from her. “It feels like peeking (窥视) behind a curtain and seeing the truth of who these politicians really are,” wrote reporter Kathryn VanArendonk.

But Veep is refreshing not just for the way it handles politics, but also because its leading role is a woman politician, especially in a comedy, considering the fact that comedies used to be an all-male kingdom. “There’s more opportunity (机会) for women in comedic roles than 20 or 30 years ago,” Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 58 this year, who plays Meyer, said. “There’s more opportunity for roles that are not just the angry wife or the cute girlfriend.”

In the 7th and final season of Veep, which came out on March 31, 2019, Meyer is finally running for president. No matter where the show—and Meyer—is heading, and whether you appreciate its way to deal with politics, the bottom line here is that Veep is funny.

1. Which of the following best describes Meyer?

A．Hardworking and demanding.	B．Humorous and influential.
C．Ambitious but untalented.	D．Educated but lazy.

2. How old was Julia Louis Dreyfus when Veep’s first season came out？

A．49.	B．51.
C．53.	D．58.

3. What can know about women according to Julia Louis ---Dreyfus?

A．They are fit for politics.

B．They don’t like comedies.

C．They were left out of some fields.

D．They seldom used to be successful.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Meyer runs for president	B．Politics can be funny
C．Women like power	D．A comedian realizes her dream