题目内容

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 criteria

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

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Larry was on another of his underwater expeditions(探险)but this time, it was different. He decided to take his daughter along with him. She was only ten years old. This would be her first trip with her father on what he had always been famous for.

Larry first began diving when he was his daughter’s age. Similarly, his father had taken him along on one of his expeditions. Since then, he had never looked back. Larry started out by renting diving suits from the small diving shop just along the shore. He had hated them. They were either too big or too small. Then, there was the instructor. He gave him a short lesson before allowing him into the water with his father. He had made an exception. Larry would never have been able to go down without at least five hours of theory and another similar number of hours on practical lessons with a guide. Children his age were not even allowed to dive.

After the first expedition, Larry’s later diving adventures only got better and better. There was never a dull moment. In his black and blue suit and with an oxygen tank fastened on his back, Larry dived from boats into the middle of the ocean. Dangerous areas did not prevent him from continuing his search. Sometimes, he was limited to a cage underwater but that did not bother him. At least, he was still able to take photographs of the underwater creatures

Larry’s first expedition without his father was in the Cayman Islands. There were numerous diving spots in the area and Larry was determined to visit all of them. Fortunately for him, a man offered to take him around the different spots for free. Larry did not even know what the time was, how many spots he dived into or how many photographs he had taken. The diving spots afforded such a wide array of fish and sea creatures that Larry saw more than thirty varieties of creatures.

Larry looked at his daughter. She looked as excited as he had been when he was her age. He hoped she would be able to continue the family tradition. Already, she looked like she was much braver than Larry had been then. This was the key to a successful underwater expedition.

1.In what way was this expedition different for Larry?

A. His daughter had grown up.

B. He had become a famous diver.

C. His father would dive with him.

D. His daughter would dive with him.

2.What can be inferred from Paragraph 2?

A. Larry had some privileges.

B. Larry liked the rented diving suits.

C. Divers had to buy diving equipment.

D. Ten-year-old children were permitted to dive.

3.Why did Larry have to stay in a cage underwater sometimes?

A.To protect himself from danger.

B.To dive into the deep water.

C.To admire the underwater view.

D.To take photos more conveniently.

4.What did Larry expect his daughter to do?

A.Become a successful diver.

B.Make a good diving guide.

C.Take a lot of photos underwater.

D.Have longer hours of training.

Nearing the age of 101 has not slowed down one Japanese woman.In fact,in the swimming pool—she is only getting faster.

Recently,a 100-year-old Japanese woman became the world’s first centenarian to complete a 1,500-meter freestyle swimming competition in a 25-meter poo1.

Her name is Mieko Nagaoka.Ms.Nagaoka set a world record for her age group at a recent Japan Masters Swimming Association event in the western city of Matsuyama.She swam the race in 1hour,15 minutes and 54 seconds.

By comparison,the overall female world record holder completed the same distance in just under 15 and a half minutes.But that swimmer,Katie Ledecky,is only 17 years old.And Ms.Nagao.ka was not competing against her.In fact,Ms.Nagaoka was the only competitor in the 100-104 year old category.Her race was not a race of speed but of endurance,or not giving up.

Breaking swimming records is nothing new to Ms.Nagaoka.So far she has broken 25 records.But she began competing when she was much younger—at 88.

Ms.Nagaoka sufferred a knee injury in her 80s,so she began swimming to help her body recover.Since her first international swimming competition,she hasn’t looked back,except maybe to see if her competition is catching up.

In 2002.at a masters swim meet in New Zealand,Ms.Nagaoka took the bronze medal in the 50-meter backstroke.In 2004,she won three silver medals at an Italian swim meet.

Masters swimming is a special class of competitive swimming to promote health and friendship among participants.Swimmers compete within age groups of five years.

Japan has a large number of people who live beyond 100 years old.Until she passed away this month,the oldest person in the world was also from Japan.Misao Okawa was born in 1 898.She said her secrets for longevity,or long life,were good genes,regular sleep,sushi and exercise.

1.The underlined word“centenarian”refers to someone who is____.

A.from Japan B.100 or older

C.an old competitor D.a new swimmer

2.Which is possibly the age category of the masters swimming competition?

A.82 to 87 years old. B.93 to 97 years old.

C.95 to 99 years old. D.106 to 110 years old.

3.It can be inferred from the passage that_____.

A.some people are born with longevity genes

B.people who like swimming live longer

C.the Japanese are interested in swimming

D.woman usually live much longer than men

4.Which can best explain the spirit of Ms.Nagaoka?

A.Not to advance is to go back.

B.After a storm comes a calm.

C.The early bird catches the worm.

D.Keep on going,never give up.

Like human beings, dogs may catch cold because of cold weather, wet conditions or can also get it from other sick dogs. If a dog has a running nose and watery eyes, coughs or sneezes(打喷嚏), then it is quite probable that the dog has caught cold.

A dog's cold can get over after a few days without treatment but it totally depends upon the owner to treat it with medications or improve its immune power(免疫力)to get rid of the cold naturally. Following are some of the things you can do if your dog gets a cold.

You can improve its immune power by giving it proper nutrient diet. Healthy food can really do wonders. Try to give it food which is either suggested by the vet(兽医)or is healthy for your pet. Increase the intake of food which is rich in vitamins A, C and E.

Keep your dog warm. The best place for your dog in winter is inside your house. Do not keep your dog outside when it is cold and wet. At home you can also keep the dog warm with the help of carpets. This will make him comfortable and help him to recover fast.

Increase the fluid(流质)intake as it helps a lot. Water can be the best choice but you can also add broth(肉汤)in water which will give your dog strength. Warm water will make your dog more comfortable and will also keep the dog away from the respiratory infections(呼吸道感染).

Steam treatment is considered to be effective in getting rid of cold. It makes the nasal(鼻的)passage wet, which helps proper breathing. Just fill your bathroom with steam and leave your dog inside the bathroom for 15 minutes. Do it nearly 2 to 3 times a day and you will see your dog recovering.

These are some of the things you can do to help your dog recover from cold. However, if you are not able to find any improvement in its health, then turn to the vet for help immediately. Take your dog for regular checkups so as to avoid complications(并发症).

1.From the first paragraph we know about __________.

A.the difficulty in keeping a dog as a pet

B.characteristics(特征) of sick dogs

C.the similarities between dogs and human beings

D.causes and symptoms(症状)of cold in dogs

2.When your dog catches cold, you should feed it on _______.

A.its favorite food B.the suggested food by the vet

C.some meat and water D.food rich in vitamin B

3.When a dog catches cold, it is wrong to ________.

A.keep it inside during cold and wet weather

B.leave it inside the bathroom full of steam

C.let it eat too much solid(固体)food

D.keep it sleeping on carpets at home

4.It can be learnt from the text that _________.

A.a dog’s cold can always disappear naturally

B.it’s quite easy to make a sick dog recover from cold

C.treating a dog’s cold sometimes needs a vet’s help

D.cold in dogs won’t spread between each other.

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