Question

The Enigma (谜）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 (假发）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. are based upon strict standard

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

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.A

4.D

【解析】

试题分析：本文主要讲述自从古代人们对美就有了看法，而且在不同的时代，人们对美的看法也不一样。

1. 细节理解题。根据第一段中的The search for beauty spans centuries and continents.可知，人们对美的看法已经存在好几个世纪了，也就是说自从古代人们对美就有了看法。故选A。

2. 推理判断题。根据第三段中的In the studies, the babies spent more time looking at the attractive faces than the unattractive ones.可知，六个月的小孩都会花更多的时间看那些有魅力的面孔相比那些没魅力的面孔，故小孩能分辨美丑面孔，故选D。

3. 词义猜测题。根据第四段中的the full lips, clear skin, strong shoulders —equal health and genetic well-being.可知，丰满的嘴唇，清洁的皮肤，结实的肩膀都是人健康和基因健康的特征。故选A。

4. 推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中的What is considered attractive in one culture might not be in another.可知，不同的文化背景对美的理解是不同的。故选D。

【名师点睛】

在句子或段落中，我们可以利用熟悉的词语，根据语言环境所表示的关系推断生词词义。比如第23小题A词义猜测题。根据第四段中的the full lips, clear skin, strong shoulders —equal health and genetic well-being.可知，丰满的嘴唇，清洁的皮肤，结实的肩膀都是人健康和基因健康的特征。故选A。

考点：考查文化类阅读