Question

The Enigma (谜）of Beauty

The search for beauty spans（跨度） 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 ideas 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：本文是一篇社会现象类短文，讲述了各个时间以及不同的人对于“美”的判断标准。

1.A推理判断题。根据文章第一段中所述，里面提到了各个时间对美的批判，尤其是本段的第一句“The search for beauty spans centuries and continents”，可知美是从古代就开始存在，故选A。

2.D细节理解题。根据第三段中的最后一句“In the studies，the babies spent more time looking at the attractive faces than the unattractive ones”，可推断出婴儿们也能够通过看照片把好看的脸和不好看的脸区分开来的，故选D。

3.A词义猜测题。根据这个单词后面的一系列的词语“the full lips，clear skin，strong shoulders”（丰满的双唇，光亮的皮肤，强壮的肩膀），可知这些都是一个人的特质，故意思与quality相近，故选A。

4.D推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“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”，可知对于美的判断标准是因地而异的，故选D。

考点：考查社会现象类短文阅读。