Art theft is an ancient and complicated crime. When you look at some of the most famous cases of art thefts in history, you see thoroughly planned operations that involve art dealers, art fakers, mobsters, ransoms, and millions of dollars. Here you can read about some of the most famous cases of art theft in the history.
The First Theft:
The first documented case of art theft was in 1473, when two panels of altarpiece of the Last Judgment by the Dutch painter Hans Memling were stolen. While the triptych was being transported by ship from the Netherlands to Florence, the ship was attacked by pirates who took it to the Gdansk cathedral in Poland. Nowadays, the piece is shown at the National Museum in Gdansk where it was recently moved from the Basilica of the Assumption.
The Most Famous Theft:
The most famous story of art theft involves one of the most famous paintings in the world and one of the most famous artists in history as a suspect. In the night of August 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen out of the Louver. Soon after, Pablo Picasso was arrested and questioned by the police, but was released quickly.
It took about two years until the mystery was solved by the Parisian police. It turned out that the 30×21 inch painting was taken by one of the museum employees by the name of Vincenzo Peruggia, who simply carried it hidden under his coat. Nevertheless, Peruggia did not work alone. The crime was carefully conducted by a notorious con man, Eduardo de Valfierno, who was sent by an art faker who intended to make copies and sell them as if they were the original painting.
While Yves Chaudron, the art faker, was busy creating copies for the famous masterpiece, Mona Lisa was still hidden at Peruggias’ apartment. After two years in which Peruggia did not hear from Chaudron, he tried to make the best out of his stolen good. Eventually, Peruggia was caught by the police while trying to sell the painting to an art dealer from Florence, Italy. The Mona Lisa was returned to the Louver in 1913.
The Biggest Theft in the USA:
The biggest art theft in United States took place at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. On the night of March 18, 1990, a group of thieves wearing police uniforms broke into the museum and took thirteen paintings whose collective value was estimated at around 300 million dollars. The thieves took two paintings and one print by Rembrandt, and works of Vermeer, Manet, Degas, Govaert Flinck, as well as a French and a Chinese artifact.
As of yet, none of the paintings have been found and the case is still unsolved. According to recent rumors, the FBI are investigating the possibility that the Boston Mob along with French art dealers are connected to the crime. How long did it take to put back the stolen Mona Lisa in Louver ?___
| A．Thirty six months | B．Thirty months |
| C．Half a year | D．Around two years |
What does the underlined sentence, “he tried to make the best out of his stolen good” mean?
| A．Chaudron wanted to sell the stolen painting. |
| B．Peruggia thought he didn’t need to work for Chaudon any more and wanted to market the painting. |
| C．Valfierno was tired of waiting. |
| D．Peruggia wanted to study the painting carefully. |
Which case among those mentioned in the passage is still a mystery?
| A．Mona Lisa case |
| B．Last Judgment case |
| C．Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum thirteen paintings case |
| D．none |
People from the country of _____ is not involved in the passage.
| A．China | B．France | C．Dutch | D．Vantican |
Which statement is WRONG according to this article?
| A．Picasso was ever considered a art theft suspect. |
| B．Art thieves normally not work alone. |
| C．The first documented case of art theft was conducted by pirates. |
| D．The mastermind of Mona Lisa was an art faker who wanted to sell copies. |
The passage is not finished, which subtitle could be the next?
| A．The Economic Value of Art Theft | B．The Loss to Art Lovers |
| C．The Most Sought After Painting | D．Boston Mob and French Art Dealers |
Quality after-school programs are designed to improve academic performance, decrease youth crimes and other high -risk behaviors, and help young people grow into healthy, successful adults.
The effect of quality after-school programs on academic performance is clear. Studies show that students who take part in such programs show better work habits, higher rates of homework completion, improved grades, and higher scores on achievement tests. They also have fewer absences and are less likely to blame. After-school programs also influence high-risk teen behavior. Various studies show decreased rates of crime, drug use, and teen sex among youth who join in well-run after-school programs when compared to similar youth who do not. Finally, after-school programs play an important role in supporting the following fields of development: physical development, mental development and social development. Thus, one can safely say that after-school programming is an effective method to help young people become contributing members of society.
Although there is enough proof from both small and large assessments that after-school programs can make a positive difference, it is important to note that not all programs are equal. First, dosage（时量）matters —young people who attend the most hours over the most years benefit more than members who attend less often or over a shorter period of time. Next, after-school programs make a bigger difference for those students who need help most and have the fewest choices. Finally, program qualities matter. After-school programs work best when they create unique opportunities for youth. They should provide opportunities, skill building meaningful involvement, expression suggestion, service, and work. Staff characteristics make an important difference in the quality of a program. The adults should treat youth as partners, create safe and fair environment, encourage personalized involvement, and actively create learning opportunities. In short, although after-school programs have promising future, how they are designed and run matters.
1. Quality after-school programs can not help the students.
A. have fewer attendances B. improve academic performance
C. have high scores on tests D. decrease high-risk teen behavior
2. According to the passage, a good after-school program is usually determined by .
a. its unique opportunities b. safe and fair environments
c. work staff characteristics d. students’ willingness and family backgrounds
A. a, b, c, d B. a, b, c C. a, c, d D. b, c, d
3. The main intention of the writer is to.
A. present the problems with quality after -school programs
B. warn school leaders of quality after-school programs
C. compare quality after-school programs with bad ones
D. give an introduction of quality after -school programs
4. Which of the following structures suits the passage best?
A. Quality Aims
After-school Effects
Program Analysis Conclusion
B. Quality Aims
After-school Causes Effects Program Analysis Conclusion
C. Quality Aims
After-school Causes Conclusion Program Analysis
D. Quality Aims
After-school Effects Conclusion Program Analysis
It' s 2035. You have a job, a family and you' re about 40 yews old I Welcome to your future life.
Getting ready for work, you pause in front of the mirror. "Turn red," you say. Your shirt changes from sky blue to deep red. Tiny preprogrammed electronics (智能电子元件) are rearranged in your shirt to change its color. Looking into the mirror, you find it hard to believe you' re 40. You look much younger. With amazing advances in medicine, people in your generation may live to be 150 years old. You' re not even middle-aged!
As you go into the kitchen and prepare to pour your breakfast cereal into a bowl, you hear, "To lose weight, you shouldn' t eat that," from your shoes. They read the tiny electronic code(电子源码) on the cereal box to find out the nutrition details. You decide to listen to your shoes. "Kitchen, what can I have for breakfast?" A list of possible foods appears on the counter as the kitchen checks its food supplies.
" Ready for your trip to space?" you ask your son and daughter. In 2005 only specially trained astronauts went into space — and very few of them. Today anyone can go to space for day trips or longer vacations. Your best friend even works in space. Handing your children three strawberries each, you add, "The doctor said you need these for space travel. " Thanks to medical advances, vaccination shots (防疫针) are a thing of the past. Ordinary foods contain specific vaccines. With the berries in their mouths, the kids head for the front door.
It' s time for you to go to work. Your car checks your fingerprints and unlocks the doors. " My office. Autopilot," you command. Your car drives itself down the road and moves smoothly into traffic on the highway. You sit back and unroll your e-newspaper. The latest news downloads and fills the viewer. Looking through the pages, you watch the news as video film rather than read it.
1. What changes the color of your shirt?
A. The mirror. B. The shirt itself. C. The counter. D The medicine.
2. How do the shoes know that you shouldn't eat the breakfast cereal?
A. By pouring the breakfast into a bowl. B. By listening to the doctor' s advice.
C. By testing the food supplies in the kitchen; D. By checking the nutrition details of the food.
3 The strawberries the children eat serve as ________
A. breakfast B. lunch C. vaccines D. nutrition
4. How is the text organized?
A. In order of time. B. In order of frequency.
C. In order of preference. D. In order of importance.
Some say everyday miracles(奇迹) are predestined(注定的)----the right time for the appointed meeting. And it can happen anywhere.
In 2001, 11-year-old Kevin Stephan was a bat boy for his younger brother's Little League team in Lancaster, New York. It was an early evening in late July. Kevin was standing on the grass away from the plate, where another youngster was warming up for the next game. Swinging his bat back and forth, giving it all the power an elementary school kid could give. The boy brought the bat back hard and hit Kevin in the chest. His heart stopped.
When Kevin fell to the ground, the mother of one of the players rushed out of the stands to his aid. Penny Brown hadn't planned to be there that day, but at the last minute, her shift(换班)at the hospital had been changed to see her son’s performance. She was given the night off. Penny bent over the senseless boy, his face already starting to turn blue, and giving CPR, breathing into his mouth and giving chest compressions. And he revived in the end.
After his recovery, he became a volunteer junior firefighter, learning some of the emergency first-aid techniques that had saved his life. He studied hard in school and was saving money for college by working as a dishwasher in a local restaurant in his spare time.
Kevin, now 18, was working in the kitchen when he heard people screaming, customers in confusion, employees rushing toward a table. He hurried into the main room and saw a woman there, her face turning blue, her hands at her throat. She was choking.
Quickly Kevin stepped behind her, wrapped his arms around her and clasped his hands. Then, using skills he'd first learned in Scouts. The food that was trapped in the woman's throat was freed. The color began to return to her face.
"The food was stuck. I couldn't breathe," she said. She thought she was dying. "I was very frightened."
Who was the woman?
Penny Brown.
1. The author wrote the passage to show us that_______.
A. miracles are predestined and they can happen anywhere
B. whoever helps you in trouble will get a reward one day
C. God will help those who give others a helping hand
D. miracles won’t come without any difficulty sometimes
2. Which of the following statements is True of Kevin Stephan?
A. He was hit on the face by a boy and almost lost his life
B. He was a volunteer junior firefighter, teaching the players first-aid skills
C. He worked part-time in a local restaurant to save money for college
D. He saved Penny Brown though he didn’t really know how to deal with food choke
3. Why did Penny Brown change her shift and was given the night off that night?
A. She was invited to give the players directions
B. She volunteered to give medical services
C. She was a little worried about his son’s safety
D. She came to watch her son’s game and cheered him
4. When Kevin knew the woman was Penny Brown, probably he first felt _____.
A. happy B. surprised C. sad D. worried
Fat and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. "Football, tennis, cricket — anything with a round ball, I was useless," he says now with a laugh. But back then he was the one always made fun of in school gym classes in Devonshire, England.
It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him. At first he went hiking alone in a nearby forest. Then he began to ride the bike along with a runner friend. Gradually, Saunders set his mind on building up his body, increasing his speed and strength. At the age of 18, he ran his first marathon. ,
The following year, he met John Ridgway and was hired as an instructor at Ridgway' s School of Adventure in Scotland, where he learned about Ridgway 's, cold-water exploits. Greatly interested, Saunders read all he could about North Pole explorers and adventures, then decided that this would be his future.
In 2001, after becoming a skillful skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition (探险) towards the North Pole. It took unbelievable energy. He suffered frostbite (冻疮) , ran into a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit, pulling his supply-loaded sled(雪撬) up and over rocky ice.
Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he' s skied more of the North Pole by himself than any other British man. His old playmates would not believe the change.
Next October; Saunders, 27, heads south from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, a 2900-kilometre journey that has never been completed on skis.
1. What change happened to Saunders after he was 15 years old?
A. He became good at most sports. B. He began to build up his body.
C. He joined a sports team. D. He made friends with a runner.
2. The underlined word "exploits" (paragraph 3) is closest in meaning to ____.
A. journeys B. researches C. adventures D. operations
3. Which of the following is the correct order of the events that happened to Saunders?
a. He ran his first marathon. b. He skied alone in the North Pole.
c. He rode his bike in a forest. d. He planned an adventure to the South Role.
A. acdb B. cdab C. acbd D. cabd
4. What does the story mainly tell us about Saunders?
A. He is a success in sports. . B. He is the best British skier.
C. He is Ridgway' s favorite student. D. He is a good instructor at school.
第二部分阅读理解（共25小题：每小题2分，满分50分）
第一节：阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、 D和E）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
As Christmas approaches, towns and cities around the UK are preparing for a very British celebration．
The switching on of a town' s Christmas lights has become an increasingly competitive event over the years, with some councils （会议） spending lots of money to attract A-list famous persons to do the honors．
The American singer Mariah Carey flew to London in November to switch on the lights at one of the city's biggest shopping centers, while Jim Carrey lighted Oxford Street and promoted his new film at the same time．
Traffic in the historic English city of Bath was brought to a halt as thousands of fans crowded to see the Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage conducted the switching-on ceremony．
Some celebrations do not go according to the plan, as was seen in Birmingham when dozens of people were injured as the famous British boy band JLS took the stage．
Not all towns can afford to bring in an internationally-known star, so many switchon ceremonies are handled by ex-TV talent show competitors．
Pantomime （圣诞童话剧） stars are also much in demand at this time of year, as they aim to promote their Christmas shows．
But if your council hasn't got the budget to bring in a famous face, what are the cheaper alternatives?
A town in the west of England chose to let the public decide by giving their suggestions online．The result: a 21-year-old DIY store worker was given the honor．
"I was amazed and delighted to be asked," said Scott Parker, "it's just a special gift and not something I'd, ever thought about before．"
1. According to the passage, what kind of special celebration can you see at Christmas in UK?
A．People meeting their favorite stars and getting special gifts．
B．Well-known persons invited to make a performance in public．
C．A-list persons lighting Oxford Street and promoting their films．
D．Switching-on ceremonies that are conducted by honored persons．
2. The underlined word "halt" in Paragraph 4 probably means "______" ．
A．start B．stop C．ban D．run
3. Which of the followings can be learned from the passage?
A．Mariah Carey is invited to Bath to switch on the lights．
B．Pantomime stars rarely appear at events like this．
C．Not all those who switch on the Christmas lights can make lots of money．
D．Average persons can not get a chance to switch on the Christmas lights．
4. The following are famous persons EXCEPT _____．
A．Scott Parker B．Mariah Carey
C．Nicolas Cage D．Jim Carrey