5．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 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．
47．People's ideas about beautyA．
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
48．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
49．The underlined word"traits"in Paragraph 4probably meansA．
A．qualities B．measurements C．judgments D．standards
50．We can learn from the passage thatD．
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．
分析 本文属于说明文阅读，作者通过这篇文章主要向我们描述了美丽的力量，美丽就是力量，它能为人增加更多的吸引力，然而对于美的判断标准是不固定的，不同的文化可能会有不同的对于美的标准．
解答 47．A．推理判断题．根据第一段，人们对美丽的追寻跨越了时间和地域（"The search forbeauty spans centuries and continents…Today，people continue to…"）．因此人们对于美的理解，始于从古代并一直存在（"have existedsince ancient times"）；故选A．
48．D．细节理解题．根据第三段，婴儿观看迷人脸孔的时间比非迷人脸孔的时间长（"the babiesspent more time looking at the attractive faces than the unattractive ones"）．婴儿可以区分迷人和非迷人脸孔（"were able totell attractive faces from unattractive ones"）；故选D．
49．A．词义猜测题．根据第四段，大脑无意识告诉男人、女人这些特征--丰满的嘴唇、光滑的皮肤、强壮的肩膀（"the mindunconsciously tells men and women that these traits-the full lips，clear skin，strongshoulders"）．"traits"在这里的意思是"特征"（"qualities"）；故选A．
50．D．推理判断题．根据第五段，所有期待值都会改变我们的固有看法--绝大多数是有关文化的（"Ourhardwiredness can be changed by all sorts of expectations-mostly cultural，"）．对美的理解依附于文化背景（"theunderstanding of beauty depends on cultural backgrounds"）；故选D．
点评 考察学生的细节理解和推理判断能力，做细节理解题时一定要找到文章中的原句，和题干进行比较，再做出正确的选择．在做推理判断题不要以个人的主观想象代替文章的事实，要根据文章事实进行合乎逻辑的推理判断．
