10．Heredity is not the only thing that influences our color．Where we live and how we live after we are born are important too．Our skin color depends to a great extent on how much sunshine we get．
During the cold winter months，people keep themselves covered．A group of light-colored people will all seem to be pretty much the same color in these months．But when summer arrives and they go to the eaches，some will tan darkly，some will tan lightly and a few will not tan at all．Each one has inherited a different ability to tan．
Centuries ago，most of the people in Europe were peasants and had to work in the fields all day．Noblemen，on the other hand，did not have to work．They stayed indoors and remained pale．You could always tell a nobleman from a peasant because the peasant had a tan．
During the Industrial Revolution things changed．Farmers left their fields and went to work in factories，mines，and mills．Working for long hours in dingy-lit factories and mines made their skins pale．Wealthy people，however，could afford to travel to sunny countries．They had the leisure to lie around on the beaches and get a tan．Having a tan became a sign of wealth．
In Western Europe and North America pale skin is no longer desirable．Instead of bleaching themselves white with lemonjuice，many women spend their time under a sunlamp．The desire for a quick tan has led to the nvention of pills and lotion （乳液） that darken the skin artificially without exposure to sunlight．These pills and lotions can be bought by anyone at any drugstore．A rich man can spend hundreds of dollars on a vacation in the sunny West India and get his suntan there．But his lowest-paid clerk can have what looks like the same tan out of a bottle of a few cents．
So there are three answers to the question"Where does our color come from？"It comes from the genes we inherit．It comes from the conditions in which we live．And it can come from a bottle that we buy at the drugstore on the corner．
56．What can we infer from the passage？D
A．In Western Europe and North America pale skin is no longer desirable．
B．In the past，English peasants had the same tan as the noblemen．
C．The more we lie on the beach，the more tanned our skins get．
D．At one time people needed a tan skin to show they were wealthy．
57．What does the word"tan"in Paragraph 2best mean？D
A．Getting thirsty．
B．Getting tired．
C．Getting hot．
D．Getting brown．
58．How many different ways do western people use to give their skin a tan？B
A．Two．
B．Three．
C．Four．
D．Five．
59．What is the passage mainly about？C
A．Our skin color depends on how much sunshine we get．
B．Our skin color changes with the conditions in which we live．
C．Our skin color depends on where and how we live besides heredity．
D．People's attitude towards their skin color changes with time and people．
分析 这是一篇科普短语类阅读．告诉我们：遗传不是唯一影响我们肤色的因素，我们皮肤的颜色在很大程度上取决于我们受到阳光照射的强度．那么我们的颜色来自何处？来自于我们遗传的基因，来自于我们生活的条件；来自于药店某个角落处的一瓶药．
解答 56．答案：D 推理判断题，根据题干阅读短文可以推断出什么？阅读短文第三段可以找到相关信息Wealthy people，however，could afford to travel to sunny countries．They had the leisure to lie around on the beaches and get a tan．Having a tan became a sign of wealth．从中可以推断出：有钱的人可以去阳光充足的国家旅行．他们有闲躺在海滩并把皮肤晒成棕褐色． 晒成棕褐色成了财富的象征．故选：D．
57．答案：D 语义猜测题，根据短文第二段可以知道：冬天人们窝得严实，好像皮肤颜色是一样的．但是，夏天人们去海滩，他们一定会晒到太阳，结合下文
some will tan lightly and a few will not tan at all．有的人很容易晒成…，有的根本不会晒成…推知tan的意思为棕褐色．故选：D．
58．答案：B细节理解题，阅读短文第四段可以知道：有三种方法让皮肤晒成棕褐色．1．many women spend their time under a sunlamp．2．the invention of pills and lotion （乳液） that darken the skin artificially without exposure to sunlight 3．A rich man can spend hundreds of dollars on a vacation in the sunny West India and get his suntan there．故选：B．
59．答案：C主旨题，阅读短文第一段Heredity is not the only thing that influences our color．Where we live and how we live after we are born are important too．Our skin color depends to a great extent on how much sunshine we get．可以知道：遗传不是影响我们肤色的唯一因素，我们出生的地方和生活方式也很重要，我们的肤色很大程度上取决于我们获得了多少阳光．接下来是围绕第一段的话题进行阐述的．故选：C．
点评 首先通读全文，了解文章大意，然后弄清题干意思，对照短文信息确定正确答案．
