The Enigma（謎）of Beauty

The search for beauty spans centuries and continents．Paintings of Egyptians dating back over 4,000 years show both men and women painting their nails and wearing makeup．In 18th-century France, wealthy noblemen wore large wigs (假發(fā)) of long, white hair to make themselves attractive．Today, people continue to devote a lot of time and money to their appearance．

There is at least one good reason for the desire to be attractive: beauty is power．Studies suggest that good-looking people make more money, get called on more often in class, and are regarded as friendlier．

But what exactly is beauty? It’s difficult to describe it clearly, and yet we know it when we see it．And our awareness of it may start at a very early age．In one set of studies, six-month-old babies were shown a series of photographs．The faces on the pictures had been rated for attractiveness by a group of college students．In the studies, the babies spent more time looking at the attractive faces than the unattractive ones．

The idea that even babies can judge appearance makes perfect sense to many researchers．In studies by psychologists, men consistently showed a preference for women with larger eyes, fuller lips, and a smaller nose and chin while women prefer men with large shoulders and a narrow waist．According to scientists, the mind unconsciously tells men and women that these traits—the full lips, clear skin, strong shoulders—equal health and genetic well-being．

Not everyone thinks the same way, however．“Our hardwiredness can be changed by all sorts of expectations—mostly cultural,” says C．Loring Brace, an anthropologist at the University of Michigan．What is considered attractive in one culture might not be in another．Look at most Western fashion magazines: the women on the pages are thin．But is this “perfect” body type for women worldwide? Scientists’ answer is no; what is considered beautiful is subjective and varies around the world．They found native peoples in southeast Peru preferred shapes regarded overweight in Western cultures．

For better or worse, beauty plays a role in our lives．But it is extremely difficult to describe exactly what makes one person attractive to another．Although there do seem to be certain physical traits considered universally appealing, it is also true that beauty does not always keep to a single, uniform standard．Beauty really is, as the saying goes, in the eye of the beholder．

1.People’s ideas about beauty _______．

A．have existed since ancient times

B．can be easily described

C．have little influence on a person’s success

D．a(chǎn)re based upon strict criteria

2.In Paragraph 3, the babies in the study _______．

A．were rated for their appearance

B．were entered in a beauty contest

C．were shown photos of a group of college students

D．were able to tell attractive faces from unattractive ones

3.The underlined word “traits” in Paragraph 4 probably means _______．

A．Qualities

B．measurements

C．Judgments

D．standards

4.We can learn from the passage that _______．

A．the ideas of beauty vary as people grow up

B．the search for beauty is rooted in lack of confidence

C．the standards for beauty are based on scientific researches

D．the understanding of beauty depends on cultural backgrounds

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請認(rèn)真閱讀下列短文，并根據(jù)短文的內(nèi)容要點(diǎn)完成文章后的表格列單。

注意：補(bǔ)全填空應(yīng)符合語法和搭配要求，每空只填一個(gè)單詞。請將答案寫在答題卡上相應(yīng)題號的橫線上。

Friends in your life are like pillars on your porch．Sometimes they hold you up and sometimes they lean on you．Sometimes it's just enough to know they're standing by．Friendship doubles your joy and divides your grief．A friendship is priceless and should be cultivated．

●Remembering the golden rule

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● Considering foes as friends

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● Making friends by being an optimist

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● Capturing the pleasing personality

How do you develop a pleasing personality? Here are some steps you can take:

Smile when you see someone．You don't have to give a wide grin — just a pleasant, friendly smile．

Speak in a pleasant, upbeat tone of voice．Talk to people as if they are good friends, even if they don't really fall into that category yet．

Take a course in public speaking．The ability to express yourself attracts favorable attention from many sources．

Develop a sense of humor．Pick up a couple of joke books．This makes you a little more outgoing and friendly．

● Don't criticize unjustly

Instead of being eager to dish out criticism all the time, take the humane and sensible approach．Look for the good in others．Encourage them．Build them up．

Most people seldom think through each situation completely and consider the other person's point of view．If you take the time and effort to do this, you'll end up befriending more people．

Title:Five ways to cultivate friendship

Passage outline

Supporting details

Introduction to friendship

Friends in your life are like pillars on your porch.Sometimes friends share each other’s 1.and sorrow.

2.Of cultivating friendship

Remembering the gold rule

Treat others like you want to be treated.Don’t have to accentuate the problem even though they are 3.to you,because sometimes a gentle understanding 4.is better than a rude behavior.

Considering foes as friends5.on foes as friends makes you and your friends better off.

Making friends by being an optimist.

Most people have the 6.for being around the ones who are optimistic.

Capturing the pleasing personality

Give a 7.and friendly smile.

Speak in a pleasant, upbeat tone of voice.

Take a course about speaking 8..

Develop a sense of humor.

Don’t criticize unjustly

9.criticizing others

Look for the good in others.

Conclusion

Make an effort to do this and you’ll 10.more friends in the end.

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In order to increase their job chances after college, Chinese students are turning to a special practice—Eiffel Tower nose jobs (鼻整形手術(shù)). The latest trend in plastic surgery promises to create a nose that is similar to the curve of the Eiffel Tower.

Surgeon Wang Xuming said: “We are influenced by the beauty of the Eiffel Tower. We are not content to just add something to the nose; we reconstruct it.” The surgery costs about US$ 10,000 and involves the enlarging of the nose using tissue from the forehead.

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According to a Mr. Li, hospital manager at surgeon Xuming’s clinic, most of their customers are female and the bill is taken care of by the family. “They usually come in with their mothers, and tend to be from well-off backgrounds.” he said.

Personally, I don’t think it so important to “improve” our appearance as long as we are skilled at our jobs. We can’t decide how we look, but we can decide how well we live and work.

1.Why do Chinese college students choose to have a nose operation?

A. To have more chances of getting a job.

B. To gain a real westerner appearance.

C. To Take good care of their family.

D. To look like the Eiffel Tower.

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A. The city of Chongqing.

B. A plastic surgery procedure.

C. The posters advertising the surgery.

D. Xuming’s private practice.

3.What can we learn from Mr. Li’s words?

A. Most families can’t afford the expensive operation.

B. Their customers are usually from wealthy families.

C. Patients can be well looked after at the clinic.

D. The number of plastic surgeons is increasing.

4.Which of the following will the author probably agree with?

A. Chinese employers only care about their employees’ appearance.

B. Chinese students are content with the shape of their noses.

C. A western face looks prettier than a Chinese one.

D. Skills at work speak louder than appearance.

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