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.
21. 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
22. 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
23. The underlined word “traits” in Paragraph 4 probably means ________.
A. qualities B. measurements C. judgments D. standards
24. 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
What is time? Is it a thing to be saved or 41 or wasted, like money? Or is it something we have no control 42 , like the weather? Is time the same all over the world? That's an easy question, you say. 43 you go, a minute is 60 seconds, an hour is 60 minutes, a day is 24 hours, and so forth. Well, maybe. But in America, time is 44 that. Americans see time as a valuable 45 . Maybe that's why they are 46 of the expression, "Time is money."
To Americans, punctuality is a way of showing 47 for other people's time. Being more than 10 minutes late to an appointment usually 48 an apology, and maybe an explanation. People 49 are running late often call ahead to let others know of the 50 . Of course, the less formal the situation, the less important it is to be exactly 51 . At informal get-togethers, 52 , people often arrive as much as 30 minutes past the 53 time. But they usually don't try that at work.
American lifestyles show 54 people respect the time of others. When people plan an event, they often 55 the time days or weeks in advance. Once the time is fixed, it takes almost a(n) 56 to change it. If people want to come to your house for a friendly visit, they will usually 57 first to make sure it is convenient. Only very close friends will just 58 unannounced. Also, people hesitate to call others late at night for fear they 59 be in bed. The time may vary, but most folks think 60 about calling after 10:00 p.m.
41. A. bought B. ignored C. spent D. killed
42. A. over B. in C. with D. for
43. A. However B. Whenever C. Whatever D. Wherever
44. A. less than B. no more than C. not more than D. more than
45. A. resource B. material C. source D. factor
46. A. short B. fond C. crazy D. enthusiastic
47. A. preference B. mercy C. respect D. hatred
48. A. calls for B. arises from C. makes for D. results from
49. A. whom B. which C. who D. whose
50. A. time B. result C. explanation D. delay
51. A. in time B. on time C. ahead of time D. over time
52. A. such as B. in a word C. for example D. as usual
53. A. assigned B. appointed C. approved D. assessed
54. A. how many B. how far C. how much D. how soon
55. A. set B. prepare C. use D. quit
56. A. emergency B. pleasure C. period D. emotion
57. A. write B. claim C. inform D. call58. A. drop out B. drop by C. drop off D. drop behind
59. A. must B. might C. need D. shall
60. A. first B. last C. once D. twice
41-45 CADDA 46-50 BCACD 51-55 BCBCA 56-60 ADBBD