She is widely seen as proof that good looks can last forever. But, at nearly 500 years of age, time is catching up with the Mona Lisa.

The health of the famous picture, painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1505, is getting worse by the year, according to the Louvre museum(卢浮宫博物馆)where it is housed.

“The thin, wooden panel on which the Mona Lisa is painted in oil has changed shape since experts checked it two years ago,” the museum said. Visitors have noticed the changes but repairing the world’s most famous painting is not easy. Experts are not sure about the materials the Italian artist used and their current chemical state.

Nearly 6 million people go to see the Mona Lisa every year, many attracted by the mystery of her smile. “It is very interesting that when you’re not looking at her, she seems to be smiling, and then you look at her and she stops,” said Professor Margaret Livingstone of Harvard University. “It’s because direct vision(视觉)is excellent at picking up detail, but less suited to looking at shadows. Da Vinci painted the smile in shadows.”

However, the actual history of the Mona Lisa is just as mysterious as the smile. Da Vinci himself loved it so much that he always carried it with him, until it was eventually sold to France’s King Francis I in 1519.

In 1911, the painting was stolen from the Louvre by a former employee, who took it out of the museum hidden under his coat. He said he planned to return it to Italy. The painting was sent back to France two years later.

During World War II, French hid the painting in small towns to keep it out of the hands of German forces.

Like many old ladies, the Mona Lisa has some interesting stories to tell.

1. The underlined sentence in the first paragraph means the Mona Lisa ________.

2. Experts haven’t any repairs on the Mona Lisa because______.

1.      

3.The smile of the Mona Lisa can only be seen_______.

4. From the last paragraph, we can infer that______.

A sunflower is a sunflower . A mobile phone is a mobile phone . But can you combine the two to do something for your local environment?

As early as next year it may well be possible. When you have finished with your mobile phone you will be able to bury it in the garden or a plant pot and wait for it to flower. A biodegradable (能进行生物递降分解的) mobile phone was, this month, introduced by scientists.

Scientists have come up with a new material over the last five years. It looks like any other plastic and can be hard or soft, and able to change shape. Overtime it can also break down into the soil without giving out any toxic chemicals. British researchers used the new material to develop a phone cover that contains a sunflower seed. When this new type of cover turns into waste, it forms nitrates (硝酸钾). These feed the seed and help the flower grow. Engineers have designed a small transparent window to hold the seed. They have made sure it only grows when the phone is thrown away. "We've only put sunflower seeds into the covers so far. But we are working with plant experts to find out which flowers would perform best. Maybe we could put roses in next time," said one scientist.

As phone technology is developing so quickly people are constantly  throwing their mobiles away. This means manufacturers are under pressure to find ways of recycling them. Some 650 million mobile phones have been sold this year. Most of them will be thrown away within two years, adding plastic, heavy metal and chemical waste to the environment. A biodegradable cover can offer some relief for nature, according to the scientists. "The seed is released and the flower grows in the pot so you don't have to concern yourself with the phone when you have finished using it," said Kerry Kirwan. She leads the research team, which is based at the University of Warwick in Britain.

1. The main idea of the passage is ________ .

2. The purpose of introducing a biodegradable mobile phone is ______ .

3. What is the possible meaning of the underlined word ?

4.Which of the following statements is NOT true ?

A controversial new study has claimed that men really are more intelligent than women．The study concluded that men’s IQs are almost four points higher than women’s.

British-born researcher John Philippe Ruston says the finding could explain why so few women make it to the top in the workplace.

He claims the “glass ceiling” phenomenon is probably due to inferior intelligence，rather than lack of opportunity.

The University of Western Ontario psychologist reached his conclusion after scrutinizing the results of university ability tests taken by 1 00,000 students aged 17 and 18 of both sexes.

A focus on the factors such as the ability to quickly grasp a complex concept，verbal reasoning skills and creativity― some of the key factors of intelligence ―showed the male teenagers had IQs that were an average of 3.63 points higher. The average person has an IQ around 100.The findings，which held true for all classes and levels of education, overturn 100 year opinion that men and women average the same in general mental ability. They also conflict with evidence that girls do better in school exams than boys.

But Professor Ruston argues that the faster maturing of girls leads to them outshining boy in the classroom.

1. The report is mainly about ______.

2. The underlined word “scrutinizing” in the fourth paragraph probably means ______.

3. We can infer that the average woman has an IQ of ______.

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

 1.  The first, and perhaps the most important, is whether to bury the body or cremate(火化) it.

Cremation is the act of burning the body until only the ashes are left. The ashes are placed in a container called an urn(骨灰盒). The urn is often put on display during the memorial service.   2.  Or they may bury them in the earth, place them in a tomb or scatter them in a special place.

It is said that cremations were used in almost 35% of funerals in 2009.   3.  And the cremation rate is expected to increase to almost 59% by 2025.

While cremation has grown in popularity, most families in the United States still choose to bury their loved ones.

After death, the person’s body is usually embalmed (进行防腐处理) to preserve it until the funeral is held. A traditional full service funeral usually includes a public viewing. This is called a wake. The body is placed in a special burial box called a coffin.   4.  The service may include music and comments about the loved one by family members and friends. A religious leader may also talk about the person and offer spiritual comfort to the family. After the service, family members and friends go to the gravesite where the body is buried or placed in a tomb.

 5.  A traditional full service funeral averages about 6,000 dollars. Flowers, funeral cars and special burial requests can increase the cost to more than 10,000 dollars. Cremations usually cost thousands of dollars less.

E.After the ceremony, the family may keep the ashes in their home.

F.American families have several decisions to make when a loved one dies.

G.More families choose cremations due to environmental protection, though they are more expensive.

As the story______, the truth about the strange figure is slowly discovered.

______ made matters worse was_______ their son’s disease was worsening.

A  It; that           B That; that     C What; why        D What; that

At the news conference the Foreign Minister spoke slowly so as to ______ what he would say.

That light rail transit line(轻轨)，started in July 2009 and _________in 2012, will be China’s longest light rail transmit line in history.

You can’t miss him. He_____ a dark green suit and a yellow tie waiting for you then.

A .is wearing        B will wear          C. wears         D. will be wearing

She didn’t recognize the man who hit her because she could only ___a dark shape moving towards her.