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Gaye Horrell, 76, was talked into giving up the landscape in 1967. Neither she nor the owners knew it was by the famous Dutch artist Van Gogh. The 1885 work was later identified as Peasant Woman in Front of a Farmhouse. It was sold last month for an unknown sum but it was said that the price was between £12 million and £13 million.

Gaye recalled how the art could have been hers when her relative asked if she wanted any item from their Staffordshire farmhouse before they held a sale. She asked for the picture which had been given to the family in 1929 as payment for farm supplies.

Gaye said, “The painting looked old, very dirty and had a hole in it, but I still liked it. They persuaded me it wasn’t worth having and not to bother with it.” She added, “Oh dear, how naive of me. Of course, in those days I couldn’t argue with them and ended up with a handbell. I learnt my lesson the hard way.”

The painting was sold in 1967 for £4 to a local auction house. It was next seen in a junk shop in North London where a buyer, who paid £45, found the faint signature “Vincent” on it. Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum made sure it was an original in 1970. The painting changed hands several times before the latest sale at the European Fine Art Fair in Holland.

1.The underlined word “landscape” refers to _______.

A the handbell

B the painting

C the farmhouse

D the farm supply

解析：选B。细节理解题。根据文章第一段第二、三句Neither she nor the owners knew it was by the famous Dutch artist Van Gogh. The 1885 work was later identified as Peasant Woman in Front of a Farmhouse.可知，Gaye Horrell所放弃的是荷兰著名画家梵高的一幅名为《农舍前的农妇》乡村风景画，故选B。

2.Van Gogh’s 1885 work was first hidden _______.

A in a junk shop

B in a local auction house

C in a Staffordshire farmhouse

D in Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum

解析：选C。细节理解题。根据文章第二段可知，Gaye亲戚在他们举行售卖之前，问她是否想从斯塔福德郡的农舍里得到任何物品。她要的是一幅画，即1885年梵高的作品，由此看出这幅画最早隐匿在斯塔福德郡的一个农舍，故选C。

3.What did Gaye think about the painting at the first sight?

A Ugly.

B Attractive.

C Interesting.

D Beautiful.

解析：选B。推理判断题。根据文章第三段The painting looked old, very dirty and had a hole in it, but I still liked it.可知，这幅画看起来很旧，很脏，画上还有个洞，但还是喜欢它，由此推测Gaye第一眼看见这幅画是觉得很有吸引力的，故选B。

4.Why did Gaye missed Van Gogh’s work in the end?

A Because she was cheated for unknown reasons.

B Because she sold it with a little money.

C Because she listened to her relatives’ suggestions.

D Because she couldn’t afford the painting at that time.

解析：选C。细节理解题。根据文章第三段They persuaded me it wasn’t worth having and not to bother with it.可知，他们说服了Gaye，认为这幅画不值得拥有，也不值得费心。由此看出Gaye是因为听从了亲戚的建议而错过了名画，故选C。

5.What can we infer from the passage?

A Van Gogh’s work was worth a lot of money in the past.

B Many valuable works of art could be found in the junk shop.

C The signature on the painting may affect the value of a work.

D There is no doubt that Gaye felt sorry for her wrong decision.

解析：选D。推理判断题。根据文章第三段Oh dear, how naive of me. Of course, in those days I couldn’t argue with them and ended up with a brass handbell. I learnt my lesson the hard way.可知，Gaye觉得当初真无知，她以那种艰难的方式得到了教训，毫无疑问，Gaye对她的错误决定感到很遗憾，故选D。