考研英语阅读理解B型题(十)

　　Directions:

　　In the following article, some sentences have been removed. For Questions 1-5, choose the most suitable one from the list A―G to fit into each of the numbered blank. There are two extra choices, which do not fit in any of the gaps.

　　On the ground floor of a five-story building in Rome, Italy, a lead-aproned man carefully places a 400-year-old painting on a table. Then he steps back and flips the switch of a 50,000 volt X-ray machine. Nearby, another painting is being wheeled into a special oven. Elsewhere the buzz of a power saw is heard from behind a closed door. Two workers are cutting the back off a 500-year-old wood panel painting.

　　Such things happen every day at Rome's Institute of Restoration. 1)

　　In terms of art treasures, Italy is one of the richest countries in the world. Yet until 1939, when Italy's government founded the Institute, the country's museums had to hire private restorers for cleaning and repair jobs. Says Doctor Urbani, "Most of the restorers did not have proper training. They often did more harm than good."

　　No wonder they did harm. 2)

　　3) Sometimes they even changed the picture.

　　Any number of things can damage a work of art. Smog eats away at stone and metal. Insects chew wood. Moisture causes wood and canvas to swell, shrink and finally rot. For one art show, a painting was flown from England to Rome. During the flight, the canvas shrank so much that the paint lost its grip and began peeling. When the box was opened in Rome, there was a half-bare painting―and a pile of tiny colored flakes.

　　Doctor Urbani remembers, "The painting was rushed to us. It looked hopeless. But we never give up on a case." After months of slow, careful work, every piece of paint had been puzzled back together and glued on a new canvas. The job was so well done that no damage could be seen.

　　When a painting arrives at the art hospital, it goes to the laboratory, where scientific work is done. Infrared and ultraviolet photographs are taken. 4) Newer coats of paint stand out as dark spots against older coats of paint. If there seems to be a different picture beneath the one showing on the surface, the painting is finally X-rayed.

　　Paintings on wood are then carried into a boxcar-sized room. 5) For 24 hours, a deadly gas seeps into all the cracks in the wood to kill hidden bugs and their eggs. Paintings on torn canvas go to a room where new cloth backings are glued and ironed on. Finally the paintings are ready to be given new life by one of the restorers.

　　[A]Instead of just touching up damaged spots, most early restorers painted over them with a heavy hand.

　　[B]Using these photographs and an analysis of the paint, it began removing dirt and old, yellowed varnish with cotton dipped in a special liquid.

　　[C]Headed by Doctor Giovanui Urbani, the men and women here work at keeping works of art in good health.

　　[D]These photographs make it possible to see through the thin top coats of paint to find out if the painting has been touched up or painted over in the past.

　　[E]They often cleaned paintings with strong black soap, or scrubbed them with raw onions and green apples.

　　[F]The door is sealed shut.

　　[G]After cleaning, they began the job of filling in the spots where paint was missing.

　　答案及详解

　　1.C。开篇第一段，向人们展示了两幅场景，那究竟是要做什么呢？其实从后面的文章不难理解，这说的是一家“艺术品医院”，所以填入此处的句子应点明这个主题。

　　2.E。文章第四段第一句说，难怪乎他们只会损坏文物，接下来的描述就证明了这一点，即用“肥皂、生洋葱、青苹果去擦拭作品”。

　　3.A。文章第五段最后一句说“有时他们甚至改变了整幅作品”，可见破坏的更为严重，这已不仅仅是“对损坏的地方修正改正，而是干脆大笔一挥，在上面重画一气”。

　　这里要注意选项E与选项A比较容易位置混淆，但是只要分清它们各自表述的程度的轻重，也就可以把握了。

　　4.D。这句话的意思是“这些红外线和紫外线照片可以使人们透过上面薄薄一层油彩看到下面是否以前修补过或重新绘过”可见这是一种处理修复受损艺术品的方法，而全文第八段说的都是这个。

　　5.F。“屋门关得严严实实”咋一看，这句话似乎没什么用，可是，从下一句我们看到“a deadly gas”（一种致命的气体），可见这句话也是必不可少了。

　　B。这句话虽然也提到照片，但主要就是用来起迷惑作用的，因为它的意思与全不相符。

　　G。这句话里也提到处理（clean）一些艺术品上的 spot， 但显然这只是一个迷惑选项，与全文的内容不能融合、呼应，故不选填。

　　中心思想

　　本文向大家介绍了一家特殊的医院――艺术品医院，描述了如何对一些受损艺术品进行处理修复的方法和过程，也让人们了解了它存在的价值与重要性。