Question

Can you be too beautiful? It is hardly a problem that most of us have to bother — as much as we might like to dream that it were the case.

Yet the blessings and curses of beauty have been a long-standing interest in psychology. Do those blessed with shiny faces and an attractive body live in a cloud of appreciation — or does it sometimes pay to be ordinary?

Combing through decades of findings, social psychologists Lisa Slattery Walker and Tonya Frevert at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte have reviewed all the evidence to date and their conclusions are not what you might expect.

At the most basic level, beauty might be thought to carry a kind of halo(光环) around it; we see that someone has one good quality, and by association, our deep mind may assume that they have other good ones too.

Even in the courts, a pleasing appearance can work its magic. Attractive criminals are likely to get less strict sentences, or to escape punishment entirely; attractive plaintiffs(原告), meanwhile, are more likely to win their case and get bigger financial settlements. “It’s an effect seen everywhere,” says Walker.

But if beauty pays in most circumstances, there are still situations where it can have opposite results. While attractive men may be considered better leaders, for instance, hidden sexist prejudices can work against attractive women, making them less likely to be hired for high-level jobs that require power. And as you might expect, good-looking people of both sexes run into envy — one study found that if you are interviewed by someone of the same sex, they may be less likely to employ you if they judge that you are more attractive than they are.

More worryingly, being beautiful or handsome could harm your medical care. We tend to link good looks to health, meaning that illnesses are often taken less seriously when they affect the good-looking. When treating people for pain, for instance, doctors tend to take less care over the more attractive people.

And the bubble of beauty can be a somewhat lonely place. One study in 1975, for instance, found that people tend to move further away from a beautiful woman on the pathway — perhaps as a mark of respect, but still making interaction more distant. “Attractiveness can convey more power over visible space — but that in turn can make others feel they can’t approach that person,” says Frevert. Interestingly, the online dating website OKCupid recently reported that people with the most beautiful pictures are less likely to find dates than those with less perfect pictures.

Ultimately, Frevert points out that focusing too much on your appearance can itself be harmful if it creates stress and anxiety — even for those already blessed with good looks. “If you are crazy about attractiveness, it may affect your experience and interactions,” she says. It’s an outdated saying, but no amount of beauty can make up for a bad personality. As the writer Dorothy Parker put it so elegantly: “Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone.”

1.From paragraph one, we can learn that _______.

A. we might always dream about being bothered by others[

B. most people are not afraid of being too beautiful

C. some may be bothered by their unattractive appearance

D. being too beautiful can be a problem bothering everyone

2.Which is the benefit for beautiful people?

A. An attractive plaintiff has more chances to get away with punishment.

B. Beautiful criminals are more likely to persuade the judge and win the case.

C. Good-looking people are often regarded as having many good qualities.

D. Women with pleasing appearance will always be considered as better leaders.

3.What can be inferred from OKCupid’s finding?

A. Don’t use perfect pictures when trying to find dates online.

B. Less attractive women are lonely because of their appearances.

C. We may feel more excited to approach those with attractive appearances.

D. People with perfect pictures will find dates sooner or later.

4.What might be the best title for the passage?

A. Sexist Prejudice         B. Negative Sides of Beauty

C. Blessed with Beauty       D. Beauty vs Ugliness

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.A

4.B

【解析】

试题分析：本文讲述了美的好处和坏处，重点研究了美的消极影响。

1.B 推理判断题。根据文章第一段as much as we might like to dream that it were the case可知很多人都想变美，并且不害怕太美。故选B。

2.C 细节理解题。根据文章第四段we see that someone has one good quality, and by association, our deep mind may assume that they have other good ones too. 可知美丽的人就会让人觉得他们还有一些好的品质。故选C。

3.A 推理判断题。根据文章倒数第二段Interestingly, the online dating website OKCupid recently reported that people with the most beautiful pictures are less likely to find dates than those with less perfect pictures. 可知在网上，拥有美丽照片的人比普通的照片的人更难有约会。故选A。

4.

考查：调查研究类文章阅读。

【名师点睛】

英语高考阅读理解细节题解题技巧

1.确定文章的标题和主题(title or topic)

标题位于文章之首，用来高度概括文章内容，点明文章主题。它可以是单词，短语，也可以是句子。要确定文章标题，首先，要在阅读原文的基础上，考虑标题是否与主题密切相关；其次，看标题是否能概括全文内容。不能只概括短文中的某些事实或细节；然后，要注意标题范围不应太大或太小；最后，标题应简练并能吸引读者。即:1、独特新颖 2、概括性强 3、短小精炼。 比如第28题，通读全文可知，文章讲述了美的好坏，但是重点在于讲述美带来的消极影响。故选B。

2.推理判断题

做这类题要求考生在阅读理解整体语篇的同时，又要求学生对作者的态度、意图及文章细节的发展作正确的推理判断，力求从作者的角度去考虑，不要固守自己的看法或观点。不要主观臆断，凭空想象，任意发挥，而走入误区。学生要学会运用主题句去推测、揣摩文字背后作者的意图，运用归纳、对比、演绎技能，运用背景知识去挖掘文章深层含义，从而正确理解作者的言外之意，同时认真体会文章的语气与感情基调(如：否定、厌恶、反问、讽刺等)。比如第25题，根据文章第一段as much as we might like to dream that it were the case可知很多人都想变美，并且不害怕太美。故选B。