A well-known manufacturer of weighing machines produced a new model.

The machine had a computer inside it, and this computer could do wonderful things: it could weigh people very accurately; it could tell them their weight in their own language; and it could tell them what they should eat to reduce their weight.

The manufacturer decided to try out his machine before he sold it to the shops.

He looked around for a good place to put it and finally decided on an airport. There were always people at an airport from many different countries.

The first person to use the machine was an Italian woman. She stood on the machine, put a coin in and waited to hear her weight.

The machine took only a second or two to weigh her, decide on her nationality and the language she spoke, and figure out what kind of food she should eat.

“Good morning, madam,” it said in perfect Italian. “Your weight is 72 kilos, three more than it should be for a woman of your height, age and nationality. This is because you have been eating too much spaghetti. I suggest you eat more fruit and vegetables. Please have a nice day”.

The second person to use the machine was a Chinese girl. She stood on the machine, put a coin in and waited to hear her weight.

“Good morning, Miss," the machine said in perfect Chinese. "Your weight is 38 kilos, exactly the correct weight for your height, age and nationality. Continue to eat what you are eating. Please have a nice day.”

The third person to use the machine was a huge Australian woman. She walked up to the machine and looked at it for a long time. At last she found the courage to stand on the machine and put a coin in. The machine spoke immediately.  “Good morning. Will one of you ladies please get off?”

1.What could the computer do?

A．Weigh and talk to people.                 B．Translate information.

C．Give them diet pills.                      D．Make them lose weight.

2.What did the machine say to the Italian woman?

A．She was a little too light.                  B．She was a little too heavy.

C．She disliked spaghetti.                    D．She couldn’t speak Italian.

3.What did the machine say to the Chinese woman?

A．She should eat more.                    B．She could speak Chinese.

C．She would have a nice day.                D．She was fine.

4.What did the machine suggest about the Australian woman?

A．She was unwell.                        B．She was courageous.

C．She was too heavy.                      D．She had dieted well.

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”

An Italian couple are become the world’s oldest divorcees, after the 99—year—old husband found that his 96—year—old wife had an affair(婚外情) in the 1940s.
The Italian man, called by lawyers in the case as Antonio C, looking through an old drawer when he made the discovery a few days before Christmas.
In spite of the time that had passed since the affair, he was so upset that he immediately asked his wife of 77 years, named as Rosa C, whether it was true, and demanded a divorce.
Stricken by the guilt, she reportedly admitted everything but was unable to persuade her husband to reconsider his decision, though her children also did much more work.
She wrote letters to her lover during a secret affair in the 1940s, according to court papers released in Rome this week , which made people know the truth.
The couple are now preparing to split, though the marriage they built has lasted over nearly eight decades- they have five children, a dozen grandchildren and one great- grand child.
The discovery of the letters was the final problem for their marriage which had already run into difficulty- 10 years ago the husband briefly left their house in Rome and moved in with one of his sons, only to return a few weeks later.
The Italian thought the fierce split resulted from the couple’s southern blood- he is originally from Olbia in Sardinia, while his wife was born in Naples. The couple met during the 1930s when Antonio served as a young officer.
The case appears to set a new record, at least for the age of the oldest figures- the previous oldest couple to divorce were Bertie and Jessie Wood, both aged 98, from the UK.
That pair ended their 36- year marriage in 2009 when they were both two years away from their 100^th birthdays. They got married in Elstree, Hertfordshire, in 1972 having both ended previous marriages, before moving to Falmouth, Cornwall four years later.
【小题1】          Which is true according to the text?

An Italian couple are to become the world's oldest divorcees, after the 99 - year – old husband found that his 96 - year - old wife had an affair（婚外情）in the 1940s．

The Italian man, called by lawyers in the case as Antonio C, was looking through an old drawer when he made the discovery a few days before Christmas．    

In spite of the time that had passed since the affair, he was so upset that he immediately asked his wife of 77years, named as Rosa C, whether it was true, and demanded a divorce．

Stricken by the guilt, she reportedly admitted everything but was unable to persuade her husband to reconsider his decision, though her children also did much more work．

She wrote the letters to her lover during a secret affair in the 1940s, according to court papers released in Rome this week, which made people know the truth．

The couple are now preparing to split; though the marriage they built has lasted over nearly eight decades－ they have five children,  a dozen grandchildren and one great – grand child．

The discovery of the letters was the final problem for their marriage which had already run into difficulty－10 years ago the husband briefly left their house in Rome and moved in with one of his sons, only to return a few weeks later．

The Italian thought the fierce split resulted from the couple's southern blood 一 he is originally from Olbia in Sardinia: while his wife was born in Naples． The couple met during the 1930s when Antonio served as a young officer．

The case appears to set a new record, at least for the age of the oldest figures – the previous oldest couple to divorce were Bertie and Jessie Wood, both aged 98, from the UK．

That pair ended their 36 - year marriage in 2009 when they were both two years away from their l00th birthdays．They got married in Elstree, Hertfordshire, in 1972, having both ended previous marriages, before moving to Falmouth, Cornwall four years later．

1.Which is true according to the text?   

A．To find his wife' affair, Antonio C looked through an old drawer．

B．Rosa C' lover may be Bertie．

C．Rosa C admitted what she did because she was sorry for her guilt．

D．The Italian thought the fierce split resulted from the discovery of the letters．

2.Which word can replace the underlined one in passage5?

A．advertised         B．announced        C．concluded         D．expressed

3.Which of the following best describe Antonio C?．

A．a childish man                          B．a rude man

C．a romantic man                         D．a stubborn man

4.The marriage of Antonio C and Rosa C            ．

A．may come to an end because the husband sticks to his decision

B．appears to set a new record

C．may have lasted over 36 years

D．began in the 1930s before both ending previous marriages

5.This passage may come from        ．

A．a text book                            B．a newspaper

C．a history book                          D．an advertisement

阅读下面短文，简要回答问题。

Baloney is a kind of sausage that many Americans eat often. The word also has another meaning in English. It is used to describe something—usually something someone says—that is false or wrong or foolish.

Baloney sausage comes from the name of the Italian city, Bologna. The city is famous for its sausage, a mixture of smoked, spiced meat from cows and pigs. But, boloney sausage does not taste the same as beef or pork alone.

Some language experts think this different taste is responsible for the birth of the expression baloney. Baloney is an idea or statement that is nothing like the truth...in the same way that baloney sausage tastes nothing like the meat that is used to make it.

Baloney is a word often used by politicians to describe the ideas of their opponents.

The expression has been used for years. Fifty years ago, a former governor of New York State, Alfred Smith, criticized some claims by President Franklin Roosevelt about the successes of the Roosevelt administration. Smith said, “No matter how thin you slice it, it is still baloney.”

A similar word has almost the same meaning as baloney. It even sounds almost the same. The word is blarney. It began in Ireland about 1600.

The lord of Blarney castle, near Cork, agreed to surrender the castle to British troops. But he kept making excuses for postponing the surrender. And, he made them sound like very good excuses, “this is just more of the same blarney.”

The Irish castle now is famous for its Blarney stone. Kissing the stone is thought to give a person special powers of speech. One who has kissed the Blarney stone, so the story goes, can speak words of praise so smoothly and sweetly that you believe them, even when you know they are false.

73.Find in the passage a word closest in meaning to the underlined word “baloney”.

74.According to Americans, what does baloney refer to? (回答词数不超过8个)

75.What do you know about the lord of Blarney castle, near Cork?  (回答词数不超过6个)