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A painting was found hidden in a wall of an Italian museum. It was authenticated as a Gustav Klimt work that was stolen from the same gallery in 1997. It was reported that Klimt’s Portrait of a Lady was owned by the Ricci Oddi Gallery of Modern Art in 1925, with only the painting’s frame found on the roof of the museum.

Investigations into the 1917 work, which is worth at about $66 million today, stopped over the next few decades. The break came by chance last month, when a museum gardener clearing ivy from a wall opened a metal access panel and discovered the painting inside. It was put in a plastic bag. Experts finally confirmed that the painting was not fake, and officials in Piacenza where the Ricci Oddi is located announced the news.

"It's with no small emotion that I can tell you the work is authentic," Piacenza Prosecutor Ornella Chicca said. An authenticator in Bologna said the painting is still in very good condition, having only suffered a scratch on an edge, possibly from a silly effort to remove the portrait from its frame. Officials said X-rays aided in the authentication process, showing that Portrait of a Lady had been painted on the top of another portrait.

As for why the painting had been stored within a wall, Anne Marie O'Connor, a journalist who had written about another of Klimt’s paintings, said that the thief knew it would be too difficult to sell the painting during the investigation at that time and perhaps planned to return one day and retrieve it. The portrait has been held in Italy’s central bank during the investigation.

1.How long did the investigation last since the painting was missing?

A For 23 years.

B For 66 years.

C For 95 years.

D For 103 years.

解析：选A。细节理解题。根据文章第一段第二句It was authenticated as a Gustav Klimt work that was stolen from the same gallery in 1997.可知，它被鉴定为Gustav Klimt的作品，于1997年从同一画廊被盗，案件侦办距今已有2020－1997=23年，故选A。

2.Who was the key person to solve the case?

A Experts.

B Officials in Piacenza.

C A museum gardener.

D The owner of the Ricci Oddi Gallery.

解析：选C。细节理解题。根据文章第二段第二句The break came by chance last month, when a museum gardener clearing ivy from a wall opened a metal access panel and discovered the painting inside.可知，上个月机缘巧合，当博物馆的园丁从外墙上清理常春藤时，打开了一块金属通道面板，发现里面的画，因此博物馆的园丁是此案得以告破的关键人物，故选C。

3.The underlined word “authentic” in Paragraph 3 means _______.

A false

B real

C proper

D doubtful

解析：选B。词义猜测题。根据文章第二段Experts finally confirmed that the painting was not fake可知，专家终于证实这幅画不是赝品，由此猜测Ornella Chicca应该是说这幅作品是真迹，authentic与“real”同义，故选B。

4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A Now the painting belongs to Italy’s central bank.

B Anne-Marie O'Connor likes collecting the paintings.

C The painting was maybe hidden in the wall on purpose.

D The thief had no chance to transfer the painting at that time.

解析：选C。推理判断题。根据文章最后一段可知，记者Anne Marie O'Connor认为小偷知道在最初的调查中卖掉这幅画这太难了，也许有一天会回来找回它，由此推断这幅画可能是故意藏在墙里的，故选C。

5.What can we learn from this passage?

A X-rays play an important role in checking the portrait.

B The museum staff have something to do with the case.

C There isn’t any damage on the surface of the painting.

D The frame of the painting lies beside the plastic bag.

解析：选A。推理判断题。根据文章第三段最后一句officials said X-rays aided in the authentication process可知，X光有助于鉴定画，故选A。