ROME: The legend of Leonardo da Vinci is covered in mystery: How did he die? Are the remains buried in a French castle really those of the master? Was the "Mona Lisa" a self-portrait in disguise (伪装)?

A group of Italian scientists believe the key to solving those puzzles lies with the remains, and they say they are seeking permission to dig up the body to conduct carbon and DNA testing.

If the skull is undamaged, the scientists can go to the heart of a question that has fascinated scholars and the public for centuries: the identity of the "Mona Lisa." Recreating a virtual and then physical reconstruction of Leonardo's face, they can compare it with the smiling face in the painting.

"We don't know what we'll find if the tomb is opened. We could even just find grains and dust," says Giorgio Gruppioni, an anthropologist who is participating in the project. "But if the remains are well kept, they are a biological record of events in a person's life, and sometimes in their death." Silvano Vinceti, the leader of the group, said that he plans to press his case with the French officials in charge of the said burial site at Amboise Castle early next week.

Leonardo moved to France at the invitation of King Francis I, who named him "first painter to the king." He spent the last three years of his life there, and died in 1519 at age 67. The artist's original burial place, the palace church of Saint Florentine, was destroyed during the French Revolution and remains that are believed to be his were eventually reburied in the Saint-Hubert Chapel near the castle.

"The Amboise tomb is a symbolic tomb; it's a big question mark," said Alessandro Vezzosi, the director of a museum dedicated to Leonardo in his hometown of Vinci. Vezzosi said that investigating the tomb could help identify the artist's bones with certainty and solve other questions, such as the cause of his death. He said he asked to open the tomb in 2004 to study the remains, but the Amboise Castle turned him down.

The group of 100 experts involved in the project, called the National Committee for Historical and Artistic Heritage, was created in 2003 with the aim of "solving the great mysteries of the past," said Vinceti, who has written books on art and literature.

Arguably the world's most famous painting, the "Mona Lisa" hangs in the Louvre in Paris, where it drew some 8.5 million visitors last year. Mystery has surrounded the identity of the painting's subject for centuries, with opinions ranging from the wife of a Florentine merchant to Leonardo's own mother.

That Leonardo intended the "Mona Lisa" as a self-portrait in disguise is a possibility that has interested and divided scholars. Theories have existed: Some think that Leonardo's taste for tricks and riddles might have led him to hide his own identity behind that puzzling smile; others have guessed that the painting hid an androgynous lover.

If granted access to the grave site, the Italian experts plan to use a tiny camera and radar to confirm the presence of bones. The scientists would then exhume (挖掘) the remains and attempt to date the bones with carbon testing.

At the heart of the proposed study is the effort to discover whether the remains are actually Leonardo's, including with DNA testing.

Vezzosi questions the DNA comparison, saying he is unaware of any direct descendants (后代) of Leonardo or of tombs that could be attributed with certainty to the artist's close relatives.

Gruppioni said that DNA from the bones could also eventually be compared to DNA found elsewhere. For example, Leonardo is thought to have rubbed colors on the canvas with his thumb, possibly using saliva (唾液), meaning DNA might be found on his paintings.

Even in the absence of DNA testing, other tests could provide useful information, including whether the bones belonged to a man or a woman, and whether the person died young or old.

Even within the committee, experts are divided over the identity of the "Mona Lisa."

Vinceti believes that a tradition of considering the self-portrait to be not just a faithful imitation of one's features but a representation of one's spiritual identity may have resonated (共鸣) with Leonardo.

Vezzosi, the museum director, dismissed as "baseless and senseless" the idea that the "Mona Lisa" could be a self-portrait of Leonardo. He said most researchers believe the woman may have been either a wife of the artist's sponsor, the Florentine nobleman Giuliano de Medici, or Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a rich silk merchant, Francesco del Giocondo. The traditional view is that the name "Mona Lisa" comes from the silk merchant's wife, as well as its Italian name: "La Gioconda."  

   Where is this passage most probably taken from?

    A. A magazine.  B. A newspaper. C. A textbook.      D. A research report.

   Why does the author ask a couple of questions in the beginning?

    A. To arouse the interest of readers.   B. To puzzle Italian scientists.

    C. To answer the questions himself.     D. To make fun of French officials.

   The best title of this story might be “_____”.

    A. What Is the Purpose of an Investigation?

    B. How Did Leonardo da Vinci Die in France?

    C. Are the Remains Really Those of the Master?

    D. Did Leonardo Paint Himself as 'Mona Lisa'?

The sentence “he plans to press his case with the French officials” (underlined in Paragraph 4) suggests that Vinceti intends to _____.

    A. press the French officials to participate in their project

    B. urge the French officials to open the tomb early next week

    C. persuade the French officials to allow opening the tomb

    D. record events in a person’s life with the French officials

   Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

    A. Scholars have the same opinion on DNA testing.

    B. Scientists doubt if the remains are those of da Vinci.

    C. The identity of “Mona Lisa” has already been proved.

    D. Alessandro Vezzosi got permission to open the tomb.

   We can infer from the last two paragraphs that _____?

    A. “Mona Lisa” is the name of the wife of a silk merchant

    B. the “Mona Lisa” is a self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci

    C. experts divided the committee into several groups

    D. opinions differ of the identity of the “Mona Lisa”

Throughout the history of the arts,the nature of creativity has remained constant to artists.No matter what objects they select,artists are to bring forth new forces and forms that cause change—to find poetry where no one has ever seen or experienced it before.

Landscape(风景) is another unchanging element of art.It can be found from ancient times through the 17th-century Dutch painters to the 19th-century romanticists and impressionists.In the 1970s Alfred Leslie,one of the new American realists,continued this practice.Leslie sought out the same place where Toomas Cole,a romanticist,had produced paintings of the same scene a century and a half before.Unlike Cole who insists on a feeling of loneliness and the idea of finding peace in nature,Lealie paints what he actually sees.In his paintings,there is no particular change in emotion,and he includes ordinary things like the highway in the background.He also takes advantage of the latest developments of color photography(摄影术) to help both the eye and the memory when he improves his painting back in his workroom.

Besides,all art begs the age-old question:What is real?Each generation of artists has shown their understanding of reality in one form or another.The impressionists saw reality in brief emotional effects,the realists in everyday subjects and in forest scenes,and the Cro-Magnon cave people in their naturalistic drawings of the animals in the ancient Forests.To sum up,understanding reality is a necessary struggle for artists of all periods.

Over thousands of years the function of the arts has remained relatively constant.Past or present,Eastern or Western,the arts are a basic part of our immediate experience.Many and different are the faces of art,and together they express the basic need and hope of human beings.

The underlined word “poetry” most probably means ______.

A.an object for artistic creation

B.a collection of poems

C.an unusual quality

D.a natural scene

Leslie’s paintings are extraordinary because ______.

A.they are close in style to works in ancient times

B.they look like works by 19th-century painters

C.they draw attention to common things in life

D.they depend heavily on color photography

What is the author’s opinion of artistic reality?

A.It will not be found in future works of art.

B.It does not have a long-lasting standard.

C.It is expressed in a fixed artistic form.

D.It is lacking in modern words of art.

What does the author suggest about the arts in the last paragraph?

A.They express people’s curiosity about the past.

B.They make people interested in everyday experience.

C.They are considered important for variety in form.

D.They are regarded as a mirror of the human situation.

Which of the following is the main topic of the passage?

A.History of the arts.

B.Basic questions of the arts.

C.New developments in the arts.

D.Use of modern technology in the arts.四、写作(共两节,满分35分)

As computers become all the more popular in China, Chinese people are increasingly relying on computer keyboards to input Chinese characters. But if they use the computer too much, they may end up forgetting the exact strokes(笔画)of each Chinese character when writing on paper. Experts suggest people, especially students, write by hand more.

Do you write by hand more or type more? In Beijing, students start using a computer as early as primary school. And computer dependence is more wide-spread among university students. Almost all their assignments and essays are typed on a computer.

All the students interviewed say they usually use a computer.

It's faster and easier to correct if using a computer. And that's why computers are being applied more and www..commore often to modern education. But when people are taking stock in computers increasingly, problems appear.

"When I'm writing with a pen, I find I often can't remember how to write a character, though I feel I’m familiar with it."

"I'm not in the mood to write when faced with a pen and paper."

Many students don't feel this is something to worry about. Now that it's more convenient and efficient to write on a computer, why bother to handwrite?

Many educators think differently. Shi Liwei , the headmaster of a famous primary school in the capital said "Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic(审美的) value. But those characters typed with computer keyboards only maintain their practical value. All the artistic beauty of the characters is lost. And handwriting contains the writer's emotion. Through one's handwriting, people can get to know one's thinking and personality. Beautiful writing will give people a better first impression of them"

To encourage students to handwrite more, many primary schools in Beijing have made writing classes compulsory(必修的)and in universities, some professors are asking students to turn in their homework and essays written by hand.

【小题1】Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?

A. The Importance of Handwriting and Typing.

B. To Type or To Hand Write

C. Writing By Computer Will Replace Writing By Hand

D. Practical and Aesthetic Value of Chinese Characters.

【小题2】The students interviewed prefer to write using a computer mainly because______.

A. they are usually asked to e-mail their Homework and Essays

B. they can correct the mistakes they make quickly and conveniently 

C. they find it not easy to remember how to write a character

D. computers have become a trend and fashion in China.

【小题3】The underlined expression “taking stock in”(Paragraph 4) probably means_____.

A. getting bored with          B. getting dependent on    

C. becoming crazy about       D. getting curious about

【小题4】We can draw the conclusion from the passage that_______.

A. more and more students will give up writing on a computer

B. writing by hand will give way to typing by computer one day

C. more and more students will pay attention to handwriting

D. the typing article better expresses one’s emotion and quality

In a recently published book, I came across some exercises with interesting names such as fishbone diagrams, lotus flowers and clustering. As I used these exercises in my classes, I noticed that students were interested. They said more and wrote more. They enjoyed expressing their ideas and sharing them in groups. They were no longer passively waiting for the bell , but actively taking part in the lesson. I find that creativity can act as a way to increase participation and improve fluency.

    Creativity has become a popular word in recent years. Scholars in arts, psychology, business, education and science are all working to get a deeper understanding of it. Robert J. Stemberg is a creativity specialist and Yale professor of psychology. He defines creativity as “the ability to produce work that is both new (original) and appropriate(applicable to the situation ) ”. This definition is useful, as we want our students to use language in a new way and to use it correctly and properly. Mot scholars say there are two types of creativity: big “C” creativity and small “c” creativity. Big “C” creativity refers to genius level thinking that results in artistic masterpieces and scientific breakthroughs. Small “c” creativity refers to everyday level thinking that can be used in any situation our emphasis is on the latter. While it goes without saying that any of our students could go on to be the next Picasso or Edison, our aim is to help students produce more ideas and use language in a new way.

1. The underlined words “waiting for the bell ” in the first paragraph probably means______.

A. longing for a phone call      B. hoping to have a bell

C. expecting the end of the class   D. waiting to speak in the class

2.It can be inferred from the passage that the author thinks the exercises in the book were _____.

A. popular   B. useful   C. scientific    D. Creative

3.When you use a familiar word in a new way, you are ________.

A creative in the sense of big “C” creativity.

B. creative in the sense of small “c” creativity..

C. not creative in the sense of big “C” creativity..

D. not creative in the sense of small “c” creativity.

4.The main purpose of the passage is to _________.

A. show how useful the book is

B. explain what creativity is

C. discuss how one can be creative

D. tell what teaching aims at

 

 

Throughout the history of the arts,the nature of creativity has remained constant to artists.No matter what objects they select,artists are to bring forth new forces and forms that cause change—to find poetry where no one has ever seen or experienced it before.

Landscape(风景) is another unchanging element of art.It can be found from ancient times through the 17th-century Dutch painters to the 19th-century romanticists and impressionists.In the 1970s Alfred Leslie,one of the new American realists,continued this practice.Leslie sought out the same place where Toomas Cole,a romanticist,had produced paintings of the same scene a century and a half before.Unlike Cole who insists on a feeling of loneliness and the idea of finding peace in nature,Lealie paints what he actually sees.In his paintings,there is no particular change in emotion,and he includes ordinary things like the highway in the background.He also takes advantage of the latest developments of color photography(摄影术) to help both the eye and the memory when he improves his painting back in his workroom.

Besides,all art begs the age-old question:What is real?Each generation of artists has shown their understanding of reality in one form or another.The impressionists saw reality in brief emotional effects,the realists in everyday subjects and in forest scenes,and the Cro-Magnon cave people in their naturalistic drawings of the animals in the ancient Forests.To sum up,understanding reality is a necessary struggle for artists of all periods.

Over thousands of years the function of the arts has remained relatively constant.Past or present,Eastern or Western,the arts are a basic part of our immediate experience.Many and different are the faces of art,and together they express the basic need and hope of human beings.

1.The underlined word “poetry” most probably means ______.

A.an object for artistic creation

B.a collection of poems

C.an unusual quality

D.a natural scene

2.Leslie’s paintings are extraordinary because ______.

A.they are close in style to works in ancient times

B.they look like works by 19th-century painters

C.they draw attention to common things in life

D.they depend heavily on color photography

3.What is the author’s opinion of artistic reality?

A.It will not be found in future works of art.

B.It does not have a long-lasting standard.

C.It is expressed in a fixed artistic form.

D.It is lacking in modern words of art.

4.What does the author suggest about the arts in the last paragraph?

A.They express people’s curiosity about the past.

B.They make people interested in everyday experience.

C.They are considered important for variety in form.

D.They are regarded as a mirror of the human situation.

5.Which of the following is the main topic of the passage?

A.History of the arts.

B.Basic questions of the arts.

C.New developments in the arts.

D.Use of modern technology in the arts.四、写作(共两节,满分35分)

 

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