A long-lost Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece thought to be worth £90million and discovered in a bank vault is finally being returned to Italy.

The painting of Renaissance celebrity Isabella d’Este, attributed by experts to da Vinci, was seized by police after being found in a bank vault in Switzerland in 2013. Investigators said the piece had been exported illegally and was in danger of being sold on to an investment fund in the UK.

The portrait, which had been missing for centuries, was uncovered among 400 pieces of art stored in the vault. But in a further twist, when art police ruled the painting had been exported illegally and went to the vault to seize it, they found it had gone missing again.

Incredibly, it came up for a second time last year during a car insurance fraud, when Italian police discovered a lawyer was trying to negotiate its sale for £90million. Prosecutor Manfredi Palumbo said: “As part of a separate insurance fraud investigation came to know that an Italian lawyer in Pessaro had been made the agent to tell a painting attributed to da Vinci for no less than 95 million euros (£70m). Just before we seized it we discovered that the lawyer was in negotiations to sell the painting to a UK fund for 120 million euros (£90m). Once it arrives back in Italy, we will conduct further investigations to establish who really owns the work.”

Experts have attributed the painting to Da Vinci using carbon dating and pointing to a 1499 pencil sketch of the noblewoman that hangs in the Louvre Museum in Paris. Carlo Pedretti, an expert in Leonardo studies at the University of California, said the tests showed there were “no doubts” that the portrait was the work of Da Vinci.

However other experts have expressed doubt on the truthfulness saying that it could have been completed by his students. 

1.What was the danger of the portrait?

A It was hidden in the vault among 400 pieces of art.

B It was exported to Italy illegally.

C It was almost sold to an investment fund in the UK.

D It was almost sold to pay a car insurance.

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。根据文章第二段第二句…was in danger of being sold on to an investment fund in the UK可知，达·芬奇的这幅名画差一点被卖给英国的一个投资基金。

2.How did the police get to know where the portrait was and seize it?

A They discovered the portrait from a car insurance fraud investigation.

B They discovered the painting when it was exported illegally to Switherland.

C They found that the painting was hidden in a bank vault with other pieces of art.

D They discovered the painting when an Italian lawyer sold it for 95 million euros.

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。根据文章第四段…it came up for a second time last year during a car insurance fraud, when Italian police discovered a lawyer was trying to negotiate…可知，警方在调查汽车骗保案时发现一位意大利律师就名画的价格与另一方进行谈判，警方抓住这一线索，一举破获了这起名画走私案。

3.What most likely happened to the Leonardo da Vinci portrait? exported to Switzerland=ES, a lawyer wanted to sell it =LS, fund and seized =FS, returned to Italy =RI. uncovered in a vault=UV, missing again=MA.

A ES→ RI→ MA→ UV→ LS→ FS

B MA→ UV→ ES→ LS→ RI→ FS

C LS→ MA→ LS→ ES→ FS→ RI

D ES→ UV→ MA→ LS →FS →RI

解析：选D。D 细节排序题。通读全文可知，这幅名画在失踪几百年后，在瑞士一家银行的保险库里被发现，警方前往缉私时画突然失踪，在调查一起汽车骗保案时又发现了线索，一名意大利律师准备将这幅名画卖给英国的一家投资基金公司，警方实施抓捕行动，缴获名画，将画归还给意大利。故选D。

4.What does the underlined word most probably mean in the passage?

A Exported illegally.

B Considered to be owned by.

C Possessed.

D Discovered.

解析：选B。B 猜测词义题。根据第五段的pencil sketch of the noblewoman可知，这幅油画的作者是达·芬奇。因此attribute的意思为“被认为是……的/属于……”。

5.What can we infer from the passage?

A Carbon dating can decide the starting time very accurately.

B It took the police many years to find and seize the illegally exported painting.

C Some experts do not think the painting was created by Leonardo da Vinci.

D Fortunately the painting has been returned to the owner in Italy.

解析：选C。C 推理判断题。根据文章最后一段expressed doubt可知，有些专家并不认为这幅油画是达·芬奇的作品。