1 . Washington, DC—In a press conference today, the National Gallery of Art will share groundbreaking new findings about Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) to be explored in the exhibition of Vermeer’s Secrets, opening on October 8, 2022.

These findings led a team of professors and scientists working together to determine that the painting Girl with a Flute was made by a partner of Vermeer-not by the Dutch artist himself, as was previously believed.

This challenges the long-held belief that he was alone genius and, instead, assumes him as an instructor to the next generation of artists. In part because Vermeer’s collection of works contains only about 35 accepted paintings, professors have generally considered it unlikely that he had students or partners. With no surviving documents to provide evidence of a workshop, it was believed that he must have worked alone.

The existence of other artists working with Johannes Vermeer is perhaps one of the most significant new findings about the artist to be discovered in decades. It changes thoroughly the popular understanding of Vermeer, building on decades of research and using advanced scientific technology to expose exciting discoveries that add new knowledge to the secret artist. “I am unbelievably proud of the team of National Gallery staff who worked together to study these paintings,” said Kay win Feldman, director of the National Gallery of Art.

On view through January 8, 2023, Vermeer’s Secrets offers audiences a behind-the-scenes look at how National Gallery professors and scientists studied the museum’s four treasured paintings—as well as two 20th-century fake(假的) copies—to understand “what makes a Vermeer a Vermeer”.

Research also led scientists to determine that Vermeer’s Girl with the Red Hat was made at a turning point in the artist’s career. They recognized Girl with the Red Hat as a key work that points to Vermeer’s late style.

1. What does the underlined word “This” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．That a workmate of Vermeer worked on Girl with a Flute.

B．That a team of devoted professors and scientists worked together.

C．That Vermeer was alone instructor to the next generation of artists.

D．That there is no surviving evidence of Vermeer owning a workshop.

2. What does paragraph 4 mainly talk about?

A．The property of the research.

B．The process of the new research.

C．The praise from Kay win Feldman.

D．The significance of the new finding.

3. Why was the exhibition of Vermeer’s Secrets held?

A．To guide us to enjoy Vermeer’s paintings.

B．To offer us a better understanding of Vermeer.

C．To show us alone and familiar painting genius.

D．To give us an insight into Dutch art of painting.

4. What will the author most probably talk about next?

A．What effects the new findings have on the previous views.

B．Whether Girl with the Red Hat was created by Vermeer alone.

C．How Girl with the Red Hat is different from Girl with a Flute.

D．Why Girl with the Red Hat marked a turning point in Vermeer’s career.