Question

Beauty has always been regarded as something praiseworthy. Almost everyone thinks attractive people are happier and healthier，have better marriages and have more respectable occupations. Personal consultants give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive defendants(被告)．But in the executive（主管领导） circle，beauty can become a liability.

While attractiveness is a positive factor for a man on his way up the executive ladder，it is harmful to a woman.

Handsome male executives were thought as having more integrity（正直） than plainer men；effort and ability were thought to account for their success.

Attractive female executives were considered to have less integrity than unattractive ones；their success was attributed（归功于） not to ability but to factors such as luck.

All unattractive women executives were thought to have more integrity and to be more capable than the attractive female executives. Interestingly，though，the rise of the unattractive overnight successes was attributed more to personal relationships and less to ability than that of attractive overnight successes.

Why are attractive women not thought to be able？An attractive woman is thought to be more feminine and an attractive man more masculine(有男子气概的)than the less attractive ones. Thus，an attractive woman has an advantage in traditionally female jobs，but an attractive woman in a traditionally masculine position appears to lack the “masculine” qualities required.

This is true even in politics. “When the only clue is how he or she looks，people treat men and women differently，”says Anne Bowman，who recently published a study on the effects of attractiveness on political candidates（候选人）. She asked 125 undergraduate students to rank two groups of photographs，one of men and one of women，in order of attractiveness. The students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked to rank them again，in the order they would vote for them.

The results showed that attractive males utterly defeated unattractive men，but the women who had been ranked most attractive invariably（始终如一地） received the fewest votes.

1.The underlined word “liability”(in Para.1)most probably means “________”．

A．misfortune        B．instability          C．disadvantage       D．burden

2.In traditionally female jobs，attractiveness________.

A．reinforces(加强)the feminine qualities required

B．makes women look more honest and capable

C．is of primary importance to women

D．often enables women to succeed quickly

3.Bowman's experiment reveals that when it comes to politics，attractiveness________.

A．turns out to be an obstacle to men

B．affects men and women alike

C．has as little effect on men as on women

D．is more of an obstacle than a benefit to women

4.It can be inferred from the passage that people's views on beauty are often________.

A．practical          B．prejudiced         C．old­fashioned       D．pessimistic

5.The author writes this passage to________.

A．demand equal rights for women

B．emphasize the importance of appearance

C．discuss the negative aspects of being attractive

D．give advice to job­seekers who are attractive

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.D

4.B

5.C

【解析】

试题分析：文章讨论的是美丽，漂亮的消极一面。

1.C 猜测词义题。根据. Even judges are softer on attractive defendants(被告)．But in the executive circle，beauty can become a liability.中的But，表示转折说明美丽有时候会成为缺点，尤其对女性。

2.A 细节题。根据第六段第2句话An attractive woman is thought to be more feminine可知A正确。

3.D 根据文章倒数第三段最后两行Thus，an attractive woman has an advantage in traditionally female jobs，but an attractive woman in a traditionally masculine position appears to lack the “masculine” qualities required.以及倒数第二段第一行This is true even in politics.可知在政治方面，漂亮有时候会成为障碍，而不是优势。故D正确。

4.B 推理题。根据文章可知很多人对于漂亮的女性成功者持怀疑态度，认为她们可能能力不足，对于很帅的男性，则认为他们阳刚不足，所以都存在着偏见，故B正确。

5.C 主旨大意题。文章讨论的是美丽，漂亮的消极一面。

考点：考查社会现象类短文