40. What does the phrase “green shoots” mean in “Green shoots have begun to appear in

different markets”?

A. Signs of recovery. B. High prices.

C. Environmental protection. D. Change in policy.

41. Fill in the blank in the sentence “I can’t believe this is Joshua—he’s ______ since we last met!”

A. shot out B. shot through C. shot up D. shot down

42. When you are talking about unimportant things, we say you are ______.

A. shooting yourself in the foot B. shooting the breeze

C. shooting your mouth off D. shooting questions at somebody

43. Choose a word to complete the sentence “The ______, which killed a policeman and wounded a passer-by, was reported to have lasted only 13 seconds.”

A. shooter B. shoot C. shot D. shooting

C

She is widely seen as proof that good looks can last for ever. 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 Louver Museum 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 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 details, 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 Louver 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 WarⅡ, the French hid the painting in small towns to keep it out of the hands of German forces.