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.

1. 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

2.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.

3. 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

4.People from the country of _____ is not involved in the passage.

A．China            B．France            C．Dutch            D．Vantican

5. 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.

6. 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

 

Humankind has tried to improve its standard of living since the very beginning of civili­zation. Back then, as well as today, providing food and security was the basic task for a per­son. However, nowadays the range of required goods has expanded significantly. People feel the need for not only some primary things, such as a piece of bread and a roof over their heads, but also for various facilities and luxuries. Providing humanity with these things is connected to the use of natural resources, which requires energy. In turn, the common sources of energy we use today cause pollution, so economic growth is almost unavoidably as­sociated with environmental damage.
Economic growth is the increase in numbers of goods and services produced over time by an economy, and it is calculated in terms of real Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Before growth is calculated, inflation (通貨膨脹)is adjusted in order to take into account its mis­leading effect on the price of goods and services. Economic growth can also be explained as the increase in expected output, which results from an increase in actual output, or total de­mand.
There are certain aspects of economic growth which affect the environment. The first of these is the fact that in order to produce more goods and products, at a faster rate, the con­struction of large industrial plants is required. These plants produce a lot of waste, leading to the pollution of water and the atmosphere, which may cause negative long term health effects to nearby populations of animals, or people. They also lead to global warming.
Industrial manufacturing leads to the constantly increasing energy consumption. The traditional energy sources, which are commonly used nowadays, are considered to be the greatest polluters to the environment. There also exist so-called eco-friendly sources of energy. They are sometimes preferred but replacing the traditional sources with them also requires time, during which people have to make some sacrifices to support these undertak­ings.
In order to produce economically practical energy, a sometimes significant transforma­tion of the natural site is often inevitable. This is expensive and, has harmful effects on the environment. Application of wind energy would block airflows’ natural speed which is the reason for their decrease in strength, after crossing the windmill. Consequently, the pres­sure balance that is brought about by this current will be affected, and it is important to re­member that the environment and weather conditions are directly affected by atmospheric pressure.
For these reasons, bringing about economic growth without any resulting environmental damage, whatsoever, is impossible.
【小題1】What does the passage mainly talk about?

A． Pollution caused by plant construction.

B． Effects of windmills on the environment.

C． Economic growth and human civilization.

D． Economic growth and environmental damage.

【小題2】What does the underlined word “They” in the third paragraph refer to?

A．Goods and products	B．The industrial plants
C． Water and atmosphere	D．Negative health effects

【小題3】According to the passage, the author holds the opinion that ______.

A． economic growth should be calculated in terms of GDP

B． use of natural resources causes no damage to the environment

C． industrial manufacturing may cause damage to the environment

D． a windmill is a perfect way to produce economically practical energy

【小題4】Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?

Three boys and three girls were going to Fort Lauderdale and when they boarded the bus，they were carrying sandwiches and wine in paper bags，dreaming of golden beaches as the gray cold of New York vanished behind them.
As the bus passed through New Jersey，they began to notice Vingo, He sat in front of them，dressed in a plain，ill-fitting suit，never moving，his dusty face masking his age. He kept chewing the inside of his lip a lot，frozen into some personal cocoon of silence.
Deep into the night，outside Washington，the bus pulled into Howard Johnson's，and everybody got off except Vingo. He sat rooted in his seat，and the young people began to wonder about him，trying to imagine his life：perhaps he was a sea captain，a runaway from his wife，an old soldier going home. When they went back to the bus，one of the girls sat beside him and introduced herself.
"We're going to Florida,” she said brightly, “I hear it's really beautiful.”
“It is，”he said quietly，as if remembering something he had tried to forget.
"Want some wine?" she said. He smiled and took a swig.  He thanked her and once again returned to his silence. After a while，she went back to the others，and Vingo nodded in his sleep.
In the morning，they awoke outside another Howard Johnson's．And this time Vingo went in.  The girl insisted that he join them.  He seemed very shy, and ordered black coffee and smoked nervously as the young people chattered about sleeping on beaches. When they returned to the bus，the girl sat with Vingo again，and after a while, slowly and painfully，he told his story. He had been in jail in New York for the past four years，and now he was going home.
“Are you married?”
“I don't know.
“You don’t know?” she said.
“Well，when I was in jail I wrote to my wife，”he said. “I told her that I was going to be away a long time，and that if she couldn't stand it．if the kids kept asking questions，if it hurt too much，well she could just forget me, I'd understand. Get a new guy，I said she's a wonderful woman，really something and forget about me. I told her she didn't have to write me for nothing.  And she didn't.  Not for three and a half years.”
"And you’re going home now，not knowing?”
“Yeah，”he said shyly. “Well，last week，when I was sure the parole (假釋) was coming through, I wrote her again.  We used to live in Brunswick，just before Jacksonville，and there’s a big oak (橡樹(shù)) tree just as you came into town. I told her that if she'd take me back，she should put a yellow handkerchief on the tree，and I'd get off and come home,  If she didn't want me, forget it, no handkerchief，and I'd go on through.”
"Vow,” the girl exclaimed. "Wow.”
She told the others，and noon all of them were in it, caught up in the approach of Brunswick，looking at the pictures Vingo showed them of his wife and three children. The woman was handsome in a plain way，the children still unformed in the much-handled snapshots.
Now they were 20 miles from Brunswick, and the young people took over window seat on the right side，waiting for the approach of the great oak tree. The bus acquired a dark，hushed mood，full of the silence of absence and lost years. Vingo stopped looking, tightening his face into the ex-con's mask, as if fortifying himself against still another disappointment.
Then Brunswick was ten miles, and then five. Then，suddenly，all of the young people were up out of their seats，screaming and shouting and crying，doing small dances of joy. All except Vingo.
Vingo sat there stunned，looking at the oak tree. It was covered with yellow handkerchiefs，20 of them，30 of them，maybe hundreds，a tree that stood like a banner of welcome billowing in the wind. As the young people shouted，the old rose and made his way to the front of the bus to go home.
【小題1】Which is right about Vingo?

A．He was a sea captain.

B．He was a runaway from his wife,

C．He was an old soldier going home.

D．He was a prisoner.

【小題2】 The underlined word "`exclaimed" probably indicates that the girl was“______”
A. surprised        B:  angry         C:  embarrassed     D.  puzzled
【小題3】 From the story，we know that

A．the young people and Vingo loved New York

B．Vingo dressed himself decently

C．Vingo's Wife didn't write to him because she didn't miss him

D．the young people were happy for Vingo because he could went home

【小題4】What is the best title for the story?

A．An Unexpected Return	B．Forgiving My Absence
C．Going Home	D．The Old Oak Tree

Like many other high school seniors, I eagerly anticipate life after graduation. In less than three months, my belongings will be packed up and shipped to the other side of the country.

I had never imagined, in my wildest dreams, that I would attend college in Ithaca, New York. I had had my heart set on a university in California and of majoring in English.

Nearly all of my friends are staying in state, and I remember thinking to myself, when one friend said she would be going to college in Virginia: Why would someone ever choose to move away from California?

But by a twist of fate, I received a letter from Ithaca College, inviting me to apply for a program in communications. On a while, I decided to apply. What were the chances that I would be selected as a finalist? If I hadn’t applied, I would have always regretted not trying. Yet secretly, I hoped that I wouldn’t be chosen.

But, as things turned out, I was offered one of the scholarships. I also received admission letters from the other colleges I had applied to, all of which were California schools.

As I began to weigh my options, I wrote out a pro/con (利弊) list for each of my schools. I began to realize that my reasons for wanting to go to certain schools in California were based on considerations of comfort. It would be so reassuring to be close to my family and my home.

Then I began to think about the expensive tuitions (學(xué)費(fèi)) and class shortages in the California public school system. These issues were not likely to greatly improve in the next four years. Slowly, I came to the conclusion that Ithaca was the ideal choice for me – culturally, academically and financially.

Fear of the unknown should not be a reason for shying away from opportunities. It might be difficult to adapt to my new situation, but I am confident I have made the right decision.

64. What is the point of the article?

A. To introduce the advantages of studying at Ithaca College.

B. To tell readers what matters when applying to a college.

C. To share the author’s experience of choosing a college.

D. To compare the differences between Ithaca College and California schools.

65. The author decided to go to Ithaca College because ______.

A. she wasn’t accepted by any of her dream schools in California

B. she has a great interest in Ithaca College’s communications program

C. she was offered a scholarship by Ithaca College but not by colleges in California

D. she thinks that teaching and classes are better at Ithaca College than at California schools

66. Judging from the article, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. The author had never thought of going to college in New York.

B. The author is independent and likes adventure.

C. The author believes it will be easy to adapt to college life.

D. The author applied to Ithaca College because Ithaca College is much cheaper than California      schools.

67. Judging from the article, what has the author learned from her experience?

A. That she must make good use of her time in college.

B. Not to let fear put her off something she wants.

C. That nothing we want in life can be achieved without effort.

D. Not to take any risks.