Without a doubt, one of the world's most recognizable pieces of art is the Mona Lisa. Painted in the 16th Century by Leonardo da Vinci, it continues to attract crowds of people who are captivated by the mysterious woman in the portrait. Her enigmatic smile and penetrating gaze reach out through the ages as if she were alive today.

recognizable 英[?rek?ɡna?z?bl]美[?rek?ɡna?z?bl]?adj.容易認出的; 易于識別的;

crowds of?成群的;一群

captivate 英[?k?pt?ve?t]美[?k?pt?ve?t]? vt.迷住; 使著迷;

portrait 英[?p??tre?t]美[?p??rtr?t]?n.肖像; 半身畫像; 半身照; 詳細的描述; 描繪;

enigmatic 英[?en?ɡ?m?t?k]美[?en?ɡ?m?t?k]?adj.神秘的; 費解的; 令人困惑的;

penetrate 英[?pen?tre?t]美[?pen?tre?t]?v.穿透; 穿過; 進入; 滲透，打入(組織霍狰、團體等); 看透; 透過…看見; 洞察; 被領(lǐng)悟; （以陰莖）插入;

gaze 英[ɡe?z]美[ɡe?z]?vi.凝視; 注視; 盯著; n.凝視; 注視;

Critics and art lovers still argue about her identity. One theory is that the way she posed suggests that she was with child. Another theory argues that her hairless face - no brows or lashes - indicates that she was a prostitute.

critic 英[?kr?t?k]美[?kr?t?k]?n.批評家; 評論家; 評論員; 批評者; 挑剔的人;

theory?英[?θ??ri]美[?θi??ri]?n.學(xué)說; 論; 說; 理論; 原理; 原則; (未證明的)意見; 看法; 推測;

lashes ?l???z]美[?l???z]?n.睫毛; (作為懲罰的)鞭打当编，抽打; 鞭端皮條; 鞭梢; v.鞭打; 猛擊; 狠打; 抽打; 怒斥;

indicate 英[??nd?ke?t]美[??nd?ke?t]?v.表明; 顯示; 象征; 暗示; 間接提及; 示意; 指示; 寫明; （用燈光或手臂）打行車轉(zhuǎn)向信號; 有必要;

prostitute 英[?pr?st?tju?t]美[?prɑ?st?tu?t]?n.賣淫者; 娼妓; 妓女; 男妓; vt.濫用才能; 糟蹋自己; 賣淫; 出賣肉體; v.濫用才能; 糟蹋自己; 賣淫; 出賣肉體; adj.賣淫的; 墮落的;

It seems that in 16th Century Italy women working in the world's oldest profession had hairless faces in order to make themselves more sexually arousing. There is, however, evidence that at one time the woman in the portrait had thick eyebrows. Perhaps they were inadvertently erased when the painting was cleaned. Nobody knows for sure.

似乎在16世紀的意大利，從事世界上最古老職業(yè)的女性為了讓自己更性感碴犬，臉上沒有毛發(fā)。然而，有證據(jù)表明嘉熊，畫像中的女子曾有過濃密的眉毛夏块。也許是在清洗畫作時疏咐，它們被無意中抹去了纤掸。沒有人確切知道。

profession 英[pr??fe?n]美[pr??fe?n]?n.(統(tǒng)稱浑塞，指需要較高教育水平的)職業(yè); (需要專門技能借跪，尤指需要較高教育水平的某一)行業(yè); (某)職業(yè)界; 業(yè)內(nèi)人士; 同業(yè); 同行; 同人; 聲明;

arouse 英[??ra?z]美[??ra?z]?vt.激起，引起(感情酌壕、態(tài)度); 激起性欲; 使行動起來; 激發(fā); 喚醒;

portrait 英[?p??tre?t]美[?p??rtr?t]?n.肖像; 半身畫像; 半身照; 詳細的描述; 描繪; adj.豎向的; 縱向打印格式的;

inadvertent 英[??n?d?v??t?nt]美[??n?d?v??rt?nt]?adj.無意的; 并非故意的; 因疏忽造成的;

erase 英[??re?z]美[??re?s]?vt.擦除; 清除; 消除; 消滅; 擦掉掏愁，抹掉(筆跡等); 抹去，清洗(磁帶上的錄音或存儲器中的信息);

The painting itself has an interesting history. With the death of Leonardo, it went to his friend King Francois , and then to Louis XV and the Palace of Versailles. It wasn't until 300 years after its completion that it was recognized as a master piece. For a time, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte hung it in his bedroom. Eventually, it found a permanent home when it was added to the collection of the Louvre in Paris. In 1911 it was stolen by a museum employee and two accomplices. This theft made the painting famous all over the world. During World War II it was taken away and hidden from the Nazis, as were many important works of art. Today the painting resides at the Louvre, captivating a whole new generation. Whoever she was, the mysteries surrounding the Mona Lisa continue to engage our imaginations.

engage 英[?n?ɡe?d?]美[?n?ɡe?d?]?v.從事; 聘用; 吸引住(注意力卵牍、興趣); 雇用; 與…建立密切關(guān)系; 盡力理解; 與（某人）交戰(zhàn); （使）銜接果港，嚙合;

versailles 英[v???sa?]美[v?r?sa?]?網(wǎng)絡(luò)凡爾賽; 凡爾賽宮; 凡爾塞;

completion 英[k?m?pli??n]美[k?m?pli??n]?n.完成; 結(jié)束; (房地產(chǎn)等的)完成交易，完成交割;

permanent 英[?p??m?n?nt]美[?p??rm?n?nt]?adj.永久的; 永恒的; 長久的;

louvre 英[?lu?v?(r)]美[?lu?v?r]?n.百葉窗板; 百葉門; 百葉窗;盧浮宮

reside 英[r??za?d]美[r??za?d]?vi.居住在; 定居于;