Scientists Open Tomb, Hoping to Identify Mona Lisa

　　Researchers in Italy have excavated¹ bones in a tomb in Florence in a bid to identify the Renaissance² model for Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa".

 

　　The research team says that the remains³ in the crypt have an inscribed⁴ stone indicating that they belonged to the family of Lisa Gherardini's husband and sons.

 

　　Many believe she posed for Leonardo.

 

　　Silvano Vinceti is the President of the Italian National Committee for Historical, Cultural and Environment Heritage.

 

　　"We have historical certainty that in that tomb there are Lisa Gherardini's descendants. Thanks to this, we will be able to do this DNA⁵ test between some of the remains that we previously⁶ found and those we found here."

 

　　If the DNA tests positive, experts will reconstruct the woman's skull⁷ and compare it to the portrait.

 

　　It is believed that Gherardini's husband commissioned Leonardo to paint the portrait of his wife.

 

　　It took Leonardo 15 years to complete the work, which is now one of the most famous paintings in the world.

1 excavated   

v.挖掘( excavate的过去式和过去分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘

参考例句：

• The site has been excavated by archaeologists. 这个遗址已被考古学家发掘出来。
• The archaeologists excavated an ancient fortress. 考古学家们发掘出一个古堡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 inscribed   

v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接

参考例句：

• His name was inscribed on the trophy. 他的名字刻在奖杯上。
• The names of the dead were inscribed on the wall. 死者的名字被刻在墙上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

6 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

7 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。