1 . The Mona Lisa is the famous Leonardo da Vinci painting of a woman with a mysterious smile. This week, the painting gave up a secret.
Scientists using X-rays to examine the chemical structure of a small part of the painting discovered a technique Leonardo used in the work. An oil paint used for it was a special, new chemical mixture, which suggests that the Italian artist was in an experimental mood when he worked on the painting in the 16th century.
“He loved to experiment, and each of his paintings is completely different technically,”said Victor Gonzalez, a chemist who has studied the chemical element (成分) of several works by Leonardo and other artists. The researchers found a rare lead compound (铅化合物) — plumbonacrite, in Leonardo’s first layer of paint. The discovery proved that da Vinci most likely used lead oxide to thicken and help dry his paint. The paint in the study is about the thickness of a human hair, lying in the top right area of the painting.
The scientists looked into its atomic structure using X-rays, moving particles at the speed of light, permitting researchers to look deeper into the paint structure. “ Plumbonacrite is really a fingerprint of his recipe, as it’s the first time we can chemically confirm it,” Gonzalez said.
Dutch artist Rembrandt may have used a similar mixture when he was painting in the 17th century. Gonzalez and other researchers have found plumbonacrite in his work, too. Leonardo is thought to have put lead oxide powder, which has an orange color, in the oil to make it thicker and dry faster. “What you will get is an oil that has a very nice golden color,” Gonzalez said. “It flows more like honey.”
But the Mona Lisa — said by the Louvre to be a portrait (肖像) of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a Florentine silk businessman — and additional works by Leonardo still have other secrets to tell. “What we are saying is just a little brick in the knowledge,” Gonzalez said.
1. What’s the new discovery about the Mona Lisa?A.A new explanation of the secret smile. |
B.A new chemical element used in the painting. |
C.The secret of the woman in the painting. |
D.The structure of the paint da Vinci used. |
A.Open secret. | B.Widespread use. | C.Hidden element. | D.Long-term dream. |
A.It helps to make many things into paints. |
B.It helps to make paints easy to deal with. |
C.It helps to keep the paintings last long. |
D.It helps to make paintings rich in color. |
A.It has more secrets to tell the world. |
B.It’s the portrait of a silk businessman. |
C.It’s well kept in bricks in the Louvre. |
D.It has a mixture of different art styles. |
2 . Being a teenager can be hard, for you have to face a lot of difficult problems, but a new program called Nfusion is working hard to help teens with mental(精神的)health needs. Nfusion gives teenagers classes where they study or discuss some troubling subjects. Drugs and bullying(欺凌)are just a few of the topics discussed during the class on Saturday.
"I had a bad attitude, " said 17-year-old Titeana Davis. Davis went through the Nfusion Program last year. The teen, who once had trouble with her attitude towards others, says the program has changed her life. "They taught me a bad attitude is not going to get you anywhere, "said Davis.
Nfusion is a new program that meets teens mental health needs and provides help for their families. The program is designed to help teens aged 14—21 live through a difficult period.
"They're still growing, still developing and still there are a lot of things they don't know how to address. So this is a good program for them to be a part of, " said Lakicha Jemigan, who worked for the Nfusion Program.
Teens like Davis are just a few who have come through the program successfully. Now thanks to Nfusion, Davis says she's looking forward to a bright future. "After I graduate from college, I want to work at a primary school and I want to be a second grade teacher, " added Davis.
1. Why is it necessary to help teens?A.Teens are in need of money. |
B.They have to face a lot of problems. |
C.Teens may face lots of problems in their study. |
D.Teens are too weak to deal with lots of difficulties. |
A.To provide teens with some programs. |
B.To help teens fight for a better future. |
C.To help teens receive a good education. |
D.To meet the mental health needs of teens. |
A.look for | B.deal with | C.talk about | D.learn from |
A.She became a teacher. | B.She worked for Nfusion. |
C.She went back to school. | D.She got along well with others. |
3 . A walk through the galleries of Quebec's Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) places individuals face-to-face with some 43,000 artworks ranging from Chinese ceramics (陶瓷制品) to Inuit sculpture.
While the visiting is an incredible cultural experience, a group of local physicians will soon be able to prescribe(开处方) museum visits as treatment for some illnesses.
Hélène Boyer, vice president of a Montreal-based medical association, explains that museum visits have been shown to increase levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter (神经传导物质) known as the "happy chemical" which helps to lift mood.
According to Boyer, the small increase in hormones(荷尔蒙)associated with enjoying an afternoon of art is similar to that offered by exercise, making museum prescriptions ideal for the elderly experiencing pain that prevents them from regularly joining in physical activity.
The museum visits are designed to improve traditional methods. As Bondil notes, spending time in a peaceful environment can provide a welcome distraction. "What is most important is this experience can help them escape from their own pain," she says. "When you enter the museum, you escape from the speed of our daily life."
"I am convinced that in the 21st century, culture will be what physical activity was for health in the 20th century," said Bondil. " Some people would do well to recall that just in the 19th century, sports were believed to do harm to the body. Just as doctors now prescribe exercise, they will be able to prescribe a visit to the MMFA."
1. What does Hélène Boyer think of museum visits?A.They can cheer people up. | B.They can reduce physical activity. |
C.They can slow down our life pace. | D.They can increase levels of art appreciation. |
A.Stop them concentrating on pain. |
B.Stop them focusing on traditional methods. |
C.Encourage them not to be absent-minded. |
D.Encourage them to slow their steps while walking. |
A.Physical activities were popular in the 19th century. |
B.Sports are considered to be harmful to the body. |
C.Ideas of treating illnesses are changing over time. |
D.Doctors prescribe museum visits regularly now. |
A.Museum visits are ideal for the elderly. | B.Happy chemical helps to lift mood. |
C.Peaceful environment helps escape pain. | D.Cultural activities will promote health |
4 . Of all the planets, none has captured the world's imagination like Mars. Its reddish colour and changes in brightness over time make the planet an unforgettable sight.
In Cosmos, the television science series from the 1980s, scientist Carl Sagan talked about some traditional ideas about Mars. Some of these ideas are from the English science fiction writer H. G. Well's The War of the Worlds. Others are from the mistaken science of Percival Lowell, the American astronomer who believed intelligent beings lived on Mars. Wells described Martians as threatening. Lowell imagined them as the hopeful engineers of great works. Carl Sagan said that both ideas influenced the public deeply.
Today, Mars continues to excite humans—not as the object of science fiction but of scientific study. Space scientists have collected a wealth of information from spacecrafts that have orbited, landed on and dug into the Martian surface.
The Smithsonian's "Mars Day" offered a chance for people of all ages to touch Mars, or at least a piece of it. Allison and Alycia from Silver Spring, Maryland, brought their children, Grace, Sam, Ryan and Emma. They heard about Mars and its geology from experts. They could see a test version of the Viking landers that reached Mars in July of 1976. They also saw meteorites(陨星)known to have come from the red, or reddish planet. Eight-year-old Sam learned that the ancient description of Mars as red is not exactly right. He said, “It's actually orangish more than red and it's also kind of brown, too.” Emma is six. She learned about the volcanic activity that has shaped the surface of Mars. She said, “The closest thing to Mars—the stuff—is from volcanoes mostly.”
“Mars Day” offered Allison and Alycia's children a chance to learn more about a world that they are very likely to set foot on within their lifetimes.
1. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?A.Why Martians were considered threatening. |
B.Why Mars has captured the world's imagination. |
C.What people generally thought of Mars in the past. |
D.How H. G. Wells got the idea for his science fiction. |
A.today's space scientists still know nothing about Mars |
B.today's space scientists are very interested in Mars |
C.science fiction films are no longer set in Mars |
D.space scientists haven't made any progress in knowing Mars |
A.Mars is not really red |
B.no meteorites have come from Mars |
C.Mars cannot be described as a little brown |
D.the ancient description of Mars' colour is true |
A.He thinks it may happen in this year. |
B.He thinks it will always remain a dream. |
C.He thinks it will come true within hundreds of years. |
D.He thinks it may happen in the following decades. |
Chinese high-speed railways are a very comfortable way to travel. They are clean, quiet and
The stations are
What’s more, with a faster check-in, the high-speed trains are also
6 . Holding on regret is like dragging (拖) the weight of the past with us everywhere we go. It consumes our
Forgiveness can heal
Keeping our minds and our energy fully in the present allows us to fuel our
A.resource | B.fuel | C.time | D.energy |
A.because | B.after | C.until | D.although |
A.develop | B.cause | C.cure | D.treat |
A.anything | B.everything | C.something | D.nothing |
A.thoughts | B.performance | C.affection | D.goals |
A.instructed | B.reminded | C.forced | D.warned |
A.on | B.away | C.up | D.down |
A.persuading | B.transforming | C.pushing | D.tricking |
A.pain | B.anxiety | C.anger | D.regret |
A.enjoy | B.understand | C.imagine | D.finish |
A.begging | B.offering | C.burying | D.attaining |
A.In all | B.In fact | C.In case | D.In return |
A.willingness | B.forgiveness | C.happiness | D.gentleness |
A.teased | B.greeted | C.forgotten | D.affected |
A.hands | B.bodies | C.minds | D.hearts |
A.future | B.present | C.beginning | D.past |
A.Release | B.Exchange | C.Supply | D.Share |
A.useless | B.bitter | C.powerful | D.slow |
A.physical | B.facial | C.sound | D.poor |
A.possessing | B.taking | C.denying | D.displaying |
7 . Monkeys seem to have a way with numbers.
A team of researchers trained three Rhesus monkeys to associate 26 clearly different symbols consisting of numbers and selective letters with 0-25 drops of water or juice as a reward. The researchers then tested how the monkeys combined—or added—the symbols to get the reward.
Here’s how Harvard Medical School scientist Margaret Livingstone, who led the team, described the experiment: In their cages the monkeys were provided with touch screens. On one part of the screen, a symbol would appear, and on the other side two symbols inside a circle were shown. For example, the number 7 would flash on one side of the screen and the other end would have 9 and 8. If the monkeys touched the left side of the screen they would be rewarded with seven drops of water or juice; if they went for the circle, they would be rewarded with the sum of the numbers—17 in this example.
After running hundreds of tests, the researchers noted that the monkeys would go for the higher values more than half the time, indicating that they were performing a calculation, not just memorizing the value of each combination.
When the team examined the results of the experiment more closely, they noticed that the monkeys tended to underestimate(低估) a sum compared with a single symbol when the two were close in value—sometimes choosing, for example, a 13 over the sum of 8 and 6. The underestimation was systematic: When adding two numbers, the monkeys always paid attention to the larger of the two, and then added only a fraction(小部分) of the smaller number to it.
“This indicates that there is a certain way quantity is represented in their brains, ”Dr. Livingstone says. “But in this experiment what they’re doing is paying more attention to the big number than the little one.”
1. What did the researchers do to the monkeys before testing them?A.They fed them. | B.They named them. |
C.They trained them. | D.They measured them. |
A.By drawing a circle. | B.By touching a screen. |
C.By watching videos. | D.By mixing two drinks. |
A.They could perform basic addition. | B.They could understand simple words. |
C.They could memorize numbers easily. | D.They could hold their attention for long. |
A.Entertainment. | B.Health. | C.Education. | D.Science. |
8 . Imagine a child standing on a diving board four feet high and asking himself the question: “Should I jump?” This is what motivation or the lack of it can do. Motivation and goal setting are the two sides of same coin.
You also need to judge the quality and depth of your motivation. This is quite important, because it is directly related to your commitment. There are times when your heart is not in your work.
Another way of setting realistic goals is to analyze your short and long term objectives, keeping in mind your beliefs, values and strengths. Remember that goals are flexible.
Your personal circumstances are equally important. For example, you may want to be a pilot but can’t become one because your eyesight is not good enough.
You will surely need to overcome some difficulties, some planned, but most unplanned. You cannot overcome them without ample motivation. Make sure that you plan for these difficulties at the time of setting your goals.
A.This can affect your work. |
B.So how should you motivate yourself? |
C.However, this should not discourage you. |
D.So why should we try to set specific goals? |
E.They can change according to circumstances. |
F.Motivation is what you need most to do a good job. |
G.Without motivation, you can neither set a goal nor reach it. |
1.你喜欢的运动;2. 你喜欢该运动的原因。
注意:1.词数100左右;
2.可以适当发挥,以使行文连贯。
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10 . Rich and Famous
Twenty years ago the most common ambition of American children was to be a teacher, followed by working in banking and finance, and then medicine. But today’s situation is quite different.
According to experts, young people desire these jobs largely because of the wealth and the fame.
In spite of these disadvantages, there is greater ambition than ever among young people to achieve that status. They are not satisfied just making a living—they want to be rich and famous. Globally, more and more TV shows provide talent competitions where winners can achieve their goals in just a few weeks or months.
While many people argue that there is nothing wrong with having such ambitions, others feel that this trend will finally lead to dissatisfaction as more and more people are unable to reach their goals.
A.In many ways this has been brought about by the celebrity culture. |
B.People no longer have a sense of satisfaction once their goals have been achieved. |
C.Besides, it can be difficult for them to adapt back to a normal everyday life. |
D.The younger generation don’t favor these professions any more. |
E.Unfortunately, they do not always have a positive effect on people’s life. |
F.The reason is that they don’t realize it takes talent and hard work to be rich and famous. |
G.This quick way of gaining wealth and fame creates a celebrity culture among people. |