Leonardo da Vinci’s mother may have been a Chinese slave according to a new research by an Italian historian and novelist—Angelo Paratico, who has spent the last 20 years living and working in Hong Kong, researching the links between his homeland and China over the past half century.

Mr Paratico said the documents he has uncovered during two years of research form the basis of his latest book Leonardo Da Vinci, a Chinese scholar lost in Renaissance(文艺复兴)Italy. The book, which is due to be published next year, uncovers evidence that there’s a link between Da Vinci and the Far East.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post, Mr Paratico said, “I am sure that Leonardo’s mother was from the East, but to make her a Chinese, we need to use a deductive method(演绎法). One wealthy client of Leonardo’s father had a slave called Caterina. After Leonardo’s date of birth, she disappeared from the documents.She was no longer working there.’’

It is believed that his mother was called Caterina, who, according to some reports, was a local peasant. But Mr Paratico’s new work claims it is most likely that Da Vinci’s mother was a slave. Supporting his theory, he said, “During the Renaissance, countries like Italy and Spain were full of slaves from the East.”

He claimed that there were certain aspects of Da Vinci’s life and works which suggest a Chinese link. For instance, he was writing with his left hand from left to right and he was also a vegetarian, which was not common. Mona Lisa is probably a portrait of his mother,as Sigmund Freud said in 1910. On the back of Mona Lisa, there is a Chinese landscape and even her face looks Chinese.

Mr Paratico said he believes the only way to solve the mystery is to dig out some of Da Vinci’s relations in Florence and extract some DNA.

1.What is Mr Paratico’s latest book based on?

A. His research findings. B. His living experience.

C. His final visit to Italy. D. His interest in Renaissance.

2.What may suggest there is a link between Da Vinci and Chinese?

A. His working habit. B. His ways of writing.

C. His birth date. D. His father’s friend.

3.What can we learn about Da Vinci’s mother?

A. She was a slave of Leonardo’s father.

B. She quit working after her marriage.

C. She was buried in Florence after death.

D. She was probably the model of Mona Lisa.

A Leap (跳跃)to Honor

Leapirg on a narrow balance beam( 平衡木) is not easy. But Lola Water. a 13-year-old gymnast is an expert at it.

To perfect her skills. Lola_____ for four hours a day, five days a week. At the slate championships in March,she finished seventh out of 16 girts. That's especially impressive. ___she is legaly blind, horn with a rare condition that causes her eyes to shift (转移)canstantly. She offen sees double and can't___ how far away things are.

When she was little, her mom ___ even though she couldn’t____, she was fearless. So her mom signed her up for gymnastics when she was three. She loved the____right away and gymnastics became her favorite.

Though learning gymnastics has been more_____for her than for some of her tournaments( 锦际赛). she has never quit(放弃). She doesn’t let her____ stop her from doing anything that she warts to. She likes the determination (决心)it takes to do the sport. Her biggest __ is the balance beam. Because she has double vision , she often sees two beams. She must use her sense of touch to help her during her routine. Sometimes she even clones her eyes. "You have to______your mind that it’ll take you where you want to go”, says Lola.

To be a top-level gymmast, one must be brave The beam is probably the most __ for anyone because it’s only four inches wide At the state competition, Lob didn 't____the beam, In fact, she got an 8.1 out of 10 一 her highest scone yet.

Lola doesn’t waat to be ____, differently from the other girls un her team, At the competitions, the judges don’t know about her vision____. She doesn’t tell them, because she doesn't think they need to know. Her mom is amazed by her _______altitude.

Loda never thinks about____. She is presently at level 7 while the highest is level 10 in gymnastics. Her____is to reach level 9.She says she wants to be a gymnastics coach 10____what she s learned to other kids when she grew up.

Lola is____of all her hard work and success. She says it has helped her overcome problems in her life

Outside gymnastics,too. Her __for others is “just be1ieve yourself ”.

1.A. runs B. leaches C. trains D. daneeft

2.A. since B. uritciab C. after D. ihDUgh

3.A. tell B. guess C. fancy D. pmlict

4.A. doubied B. remembered C. imagined D. noticed

5.A. deeply B. well C. ahead D. carefully

6.A. task B. sport C. event D. show

7.A. boring B. enjoyable C. difficult D. unsatisfying.

8.A. talent B. quality C. nature D. condition

9.A. doubt B. advantage C. challenge D. program

10.A. examine B. express C. open D. trust

11.A. fearful B. harmful C. unfair D. inconvenient

12.A. full down B. fall over C. fall off D. fall behind

13.A. greeted B. treated C. served D. paid

14.A. pains B. stresses C. injuries D. problems

15.A. positive B. friendly C. selfless D. devoted

16.A. defending B. quilting C. winning D. bargaining

17.A. standard B. ranga C. view D. goal

18.A. go through B. pass by C. hand down D. give out

19.A. proud B. tired C. ashamed D. confident

20.A. plan B. advice C. reward D. Responsibility

The ability to deal with anxiety is an important part of sports training.People who are able to overcome their anxiety perform much better than some of the strongest competitors of the game.Unfortunately,at times sportspersons fail because they feel nervous when they are on the playing field,which makes them lose confidence in themselves.As a matter of fact,performance anxiety is quite common among stage artists and athletes,who are required to present themselves and their skills to a large crowd.

Various psychologists have found that expert athletes may behave like amateurs under great pressure.So what causes performance anxiety?First of all,during training and preparing for any competition,an athlete focuses on improving his or her skills in a familiar environment.All the efforts taken and practice done are,thus,stored in the procedural memory.However,in a real competitive situation,the conscious awareness of new grounds corrupts the memory of the practiced game,thus causing anxiety.It is also found that with more cheering crowds,the pressure for the athlete to achieve the best builds up rapidly.

Secondly,our body releases certain hormones(荷尔蒙) to welcome the upcoming exciting situation,which causes quickening of the heartbeat and sweaty hands.These signs are often misinterpreted(曲解) by an athlete as fear and lack of ability to perform.The negative thoughts often result in a terrible panic attack.

Thirdly,while training,some athletes set unrealistic targets for themselves.Failure to achieve those targets is regarded as lack of skills and puts the athletes in self?denial(自我否定) of their own improvement.Even if they are fully prepared for an event,they tend to think poorly of their capabilities.Such reaction can turn any professional player into a green hand,thus ruining their performance.

Fortunately,something can be done to solve the problem.One of the best ways to overcome such a situation is distraction(分心).As soon as you have the awareness of anxiety,pay your attention to something else—maybe singing or asking a fellow sportsperson about something that is not related to the game.Besides,you can take some small but effective measures.For instance,cut down on caffeine and sugar and have a carbohydrate?rich meal before the game to preserve energy.Anyway,performance anxiety is not a disease that athletes can get rid of once and for all.They should handle it properly to improve their performance so as to achieve sporting glory.

Performance Anxiety in Sports

Concept of performance anxiety

·Performance anxiety refers to the 1. of nervousness,which leads to athletes doubting their abilities.

·Its common 2. are stage artists and sportspersons.

Causes of performance anxiety

·Sportspersons can feel anxious when competing in a(n) 3. environment.

·The 4. of large cheering crowds makes a sportsperson feel more stressed.

·Sportspersons think too 5. about some normal body signs,such as fast heartbeat and sweaty palms.

·Sportspersons begin to doubt themselves when they 6. to achieve their targets.Thus,they tend to undervalue themselves even though they’ve made full 7. for the event.

8. to performance anxiety

·When you feel anxious,pay your attention to something 9. to the game.

·10. caffeine and sugar,and consume something rich in carbohydrate before the game.

Have you ever run into a careless cell phone user on the street? Perhaps they were busy talking, texting or checking updates on WeChat without looking at what was going on around them. As the number of this new “species” of human has kept rising, they have been given a new name — phubbers(低头族).

Recently, a cartoon created by students from China Central Academy of Fine Arts put this group of people under the spotlight. In the short film, phubbers with various social identities bury themselves in their phones. A doctor plays with his cell phone while letting his patient die, a pretty woman takes selfie in front of a car accident site, and a father loses his child without knowing about it while using his mobile phone. A chain of similar events eventually leads to the destruction of the world.

Although the ending sounds overstated the damage phubbing can bring is real.

Your health is the first to bear the effect and result of it. “Constantly bending your head to check your cell phone could damage your neck,” Guangming Daily quoted doctors as saying. “the neck is like a rope that breaks after long-term stretching.” Also, staring at cell phones for long periods of time will damage your eyesight gradually, according to the report.

But that’s not all. Being a phubber could also damage your social skills and drive you away from your friends and family. At reunions with family or friends, many people tend to stick to their cell phones while others are chatting happily with each other and this creates a strange atmosphere, Qilu Evening News reported.

It can also cost you your life. There have been lots of reports on phubbers who fell to their death, suffered accidents, and were robbed of their cell phones in broad daylight.

1.For what purpose does the author give the example of a cartoon in Paragragh2?

A. To inform people of the bad effects of phubbing.

B. To advertise the cartoon made by students.

C. To indicate the world will finally be destroyed by phubbers.

D. To warn doctors against using cell phones while treating patients.

2.Which of the following is NOT a risk a phubber may have?

A. His social skills could be affected.

B. His neck and eyesight will be gradually harmed.

C. He will cause the destruction of the world.

D. He might get separated from his friends and family.

3.Which of the following may be the author’s attitude towards phubbing?

A. Supportive. B. Negative.

C. Optimistic. D. Objective.

4.What may the passage talk about next?

A. Advice on how to use a cell phone. B. People addicted to phubbing.

C. Results of phubbing. D. Measures to reduce the risks of phubbing.

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网