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 (现在的)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 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.

41．The underlined sentence in the first paragraph means the Mona Lisa ______.

A．is losing its value         B．is being damaged after so many years

C．will rot away             D．is getting more valuable with years passing

42．Experts haven't any repairs on the Mona Lisa because ______.

A．it is now in a poor chemical state

B．they don't know how to replace the wooden panel

C．they don't have the materials Da Vinci used

D．they are afraid it'll be done further damage

43．The smile of the Mona Lisa can only be seen ______.

A．by indirect vision     B．at a distance   C．by direct vision     D．in shadows

44．Which of the following is TRUE about Mona Lisa?

A．It was once taken away and hidden up by German forces.

B．Its painter himself loved it greatly and always kept it in a shade.

C．Mona Lisa stops smiling when you look at her wanting to see her smiles.

D．King Franc I bought it and planned to return it to Italy.

It's great fun to explore (探索) new places—it feels like an adventure, even when you know you're not the first to have been there. But make sure not to get lost or waste time going round in circles.

● Do the map reading if you're being driven somewhere. It'll be easier if you keep turning the map so it follows the direction you' re traveling in. Keep looking ahead so that you can give the driver lots of warning before having to make a turn, or you'll have to move to the back seat.

● Get a group of friends together and go exploring. You'll need a good map, a compass (指南针), a raincoat, a cell phone to call for help in case you get lost, and a bit of spare cash for emergencies (应急现金). Tell someone where you're going before you set out and let them know what time you expect to be back. The test is in not getting lost, not in seeing how fast you can go, so always stick together, waiting for slower friends to catch up.

● See if your school or a club organizes orienteering activities, in which you need a map and a compass to find your way. This can be done as a sport, with teams trying to find the way from A to B (and B to C, etc. ) in the fastest time, or simply as a spare-time activity. Either way, it's not only good fun, but a great way to keep fit.

Sitting beside the driver, you should ________.

A. direct the driver when necessary

    B. look ahead to see where there's a turn

    C. move to the back seat if feeling uncomfortable

    D. keep looking at the map to find a place to go to

Why do you need to tell someone your exploration plan before setting out?

    A. To get information when in danger.

    B. To be saved in case of an accident.

    C. To share the fun with him/her in exploration.

    D. To tell him/her what's going on with the group members.

Orienteering activities can ________.

     A. make people work fast                                B. help people stay healthy

     C. help people organize other activities          D. make people get prepared for sports

The text mainly talks about      ?

       A. the fun of exploration                                 

B. what to bring for exploration

       C. the way to use the map in exploration            

D. how to prevent getting lost in exploration

By the time he realizes he ____into a trap, it’ll be too late for him to do anything about it.

A. walks     B. walked     C. has walked    D. had walked