THE MISSING MONA LISA

On august 21, 1911, Italian painter Leonardo da Vinci’s world-famous painting the Mona
Lisa was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. The police believed that the
painting was taken when the museum was closed for cleaning, and that the thief was
probably someone who worked there. But with over 800 workers at the museum that day,
it was going to be difficult to find the thief. Months passed and the police still had not found
the painting. Then, two years later, something interesting happened. Alfredo Geri, an
Italian art dealer, put an ad in several newspapers, looking to buy artwork. He received a
letter from a man who called himself “Leonardo Vincenzo.” Vincenzo, whose real name
was Vincenzo Perugia, used to work at the Louvre and admitted that he was the thief.

Geri wrote back and a few days later, they met in Florence, Italy. Perugia said he would
sell Geri the painting, but only if he agreed to hang it in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. He
had to promise never to give it back to France. Perugia explained that he stole the painting
to bring it back to Italy, not to make money. With some quick, clear thinking, Geri agreed,
but said the director of the Uffizi would want to see the painting first. They decided to meet
in Perugia’s hotel room the next day. After leaving, Geri contacted the police. Geri went to
Perugia’s hotel the following day, and Perugia showed him The Mona Lisa. The police
then entered, and Perugia was arrested. The Mona Lisa was shown throughout Italy
before it was returned to the Louvre Later that year.

I. TRUE OR FALSE: Read the article and check true or false. Correct the false
statements.
1) The Mona Lisa was stolen by Leonardo da Vinci.
2) Eight hundred workers helped to steal the painting.
3) Vincenzo Perugia stole painting to make money.
4) Perugia was arrested by the police.
5) The Mona Lisa was kept at the Uffizi Gallery instead of the Louvre.
6) Alfredo Geri saw the painting at Perugia’s hotel.
7) Leonardo da Vinci’s real name was Vincenzo Perugia.
8) The Mona Lisa was painted by an Italian painter.
II. ANSWERRING: Answer the following questions.
1) Why did the thief steal the painting?
2) Where was the thief caught by the police?
3) When was the painting stolen?
4) Did Italian people could see the painting before it was waken to France?
 PROTECT YOURSELF ONLINE

Anyone can access the Internet, including people who want to steal your personal
information or harm your computer. Here are some tips to protect yourself:

Be careful with passwords. Passwords protect your online accounts (like banking and e-
mail) from being accessed by other people. Don’t use passwords that are easy to guess,
such as your birthday or phone number. Use a different password for every account.
Change your passwords about every two months.

Use a firewall. A firewall is a software program that checks information coming from the
Internet into your computer. If the firewall thinks a piece of information is bad for your
computer, it won’t let into your system. You have to set your firewall and tell it what kinds
of information are OK to let in.

Use antivirus software. Viruses can damage or destroy your computer. Get antivirus
software to protect it. Antivirus programs check e-mail attachments for viruses and delete
viruses from your hard drive. It’s important to update this software regularly.

Check e-mail attachments. Attachments can carry viruses. Don’t open attachments from
anyone you don’t know. Use an antivirus program to check all attachments before you
open them. Even someone you know can send you attachment with a virus by mistake.

Disconnect. If you follow these tips, you’ll be well-protected. But to be even safer, always
log off if you don’t need to be online.

I. MAIN IDEA. Circle the main of the article.

a) Steps on how to protect your computer on the internet.
b) Tips on how to prevent getting bad information or viruses on your computer.
c) Different ways to remove viruses from your computer.
II. TRUE OR FALSE. Circle T (true) or False (F). Correct the false statements.
1. You don’t need to change your password every two months.
2. Firewall helps you protect your computer from dangerous websites.
3. It’s secure to use your birthday date as a password.
4. If you want your computer to be more protected you don’t need to log off from the
Internet.
5. You can get viruses not only from strangers but also from friends.
 HONEST MAN RETURNS $9,000 CASH

If it seems that you only read bad news in the newspaper these days, then you’ll enjoy this
story. Jason Baxter was driving home last week he saw a book lying in the road. He didn’t
know who the book belonged to, but he thought, “If that were mine, I’d want someone to
return it to me.” So he stopped and picked it up. It was an appointment book. Baxter
opened one pocket and found what he was looking for–identification so he could return it
to its owner. Then he looked in another pocket, and found $9,000 in cash.

For some people, this would be a moral dilemma, but no for Baxter. When he got home,
he called the police and told them about the appointment book with the cash in it. “That’s
just the right thing to do,” Baxter said. The police returned the book to its owner, Karrie Jo
Blakston. Ms. Blakston said she had all of that money with her to pay for her wedding. She
had put the appointment book on top of her car as she was getting in. But she was thinking
about other things, and she forgot about the appointment book. As she drove away, the
book fell off her car. Ms. Blakston was extremely happy to have the money back. But she
was even happier to know that there are still good, honest people in the world.

I. SEQUENCE OF THE EVENTS: Put the events in the correct order from 1 to 5.
1. The money was Ms. Blakston’s.
2. Baxter stopped to pick up a book when he was driving home.
3. The money was returned to Ms. Blakston.
4. The book had an identification inside and $9,000 in cash.
5. Baxter didn’t have any moral dilemma to return the money.
II. TRUE OR FALSE: Read the article and circle true or false.
1. Baxter thought twice before returning the money.
2. Waiting until the owner calls was the right thing to do for Baxter.
3. Baxter returned the money to its owner and then called the police.
4. After he found the appointment book, Baxter immediately looked for money on it.
5. Ms. Blakston dropped the book when she was getting in her car.
III. COMPREHENSION: circle the letter that best fits in each statement.
1. Returning lost things and especially money could be a moral ___ to some people.
a) dilemma b) controverse c) trouble
2. It’s very rewarding to see that some people nowadays are still ___.
a) honest b) punctual c) grateful
3. Punctuality, honesty and responsibility are ___ people nowadays don’t practice.
a) facts b) goods c) values