11．The Enigma （谜）of Beauty
The search for beauty spans centuries and continents．Paintings of Egyptians dating back over 4，000years show both men and women painting their nails．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 more attention in class，and are regarded as friendlier．
But what exactly is beauty？It's difficult to describe it clearly，yet we know it when we see it．And our sense of beauty may start at an early age．In one study，six-month-old babies were shown a series of photographs．You know what？The babies spent more time looking at the more attractive faces．
The idea that even babies can judge appearance makes perfect sense to researchers．In studies by psychologists，men firmly 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 standard can be changed by all sorts of expectations-mostly cultural，"says C．Loring Brace，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．
32．What can be inferred according to Paragraph 1？A
A．People's ideas about beauty have existed since ancient times．
B．What one looks like has little influence on a person's success．
C．Ancient Egyptian women painted their nails，but men did not．
D．The search for beauty dates from many years ago and involves continents．
33．In paragraph 3，the babies in the studyD．
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．
34．What is the structure of this passage？A
①：paragraph 1 ②：paragraph 2 ③：paragraph 3 ④：paragraph 4 ⑤：paragraph 5 ⑥：paragraph 6
35．What can we learn from this passage thatD．
A．the idea 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．
