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
科目：高中英语 来源：2016届湖南长沙第一中学高三上第二次月考英语试卷（解析版） 题型：语法填空
阅读下面材料，在空白处填人适当的内容(1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
History is one long story，or 1. （real)，a lot of stories of competing narratives（叙述），about the people who shaped the world we live in．
Family history can give people a sense of history that is much 2. personal than hearing about far off events about 3. （stranger）．Telling your family history is a great way for the younger members of your family 4. （learn）some history and really understand and connect with it．
For example，it’s much more meaningful to discover. 5. the Great Depression meant that your grandparents didn't taste butter until 6. were in their teens than to hear an abstract fact that the Great Depression meant rationing（定量配给）．You feel much more 7. （connect）to a story about your uncle's experience of living in France than a book about it．
8. （tell) stories of people that you knew or ancestors 9. stories you know is a powerful way to help young people feel a connection to those who came before them，family and otherwise，linking the stories of the past 10. their own experience of the present and imaginings of the future．
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科目：高中英语 来源：2015-2016学年四川成都七中高二下学期入学考英语试卷（解析版） 题型：阅读理解
You are a new manager at the American branch of your German firm in Chicago. With a few minutes to spare between meetings, you go to get a quick cup of coffee.
“Hey, David, how are you?” one of the senior partners at the firm asks you.
“Good, thank you, Dr. Greer,” you reply. You’ve really been wanting to make a connection with the senior leadership at the firm, and this seems like a great opportunity. But as you start to think of something to say, your American colleague breaks in to steal your spotlight.
“So Arnold”, your colleague says to your boss, in such a casual manner that it makes your German soul cringe(畏缩), “So what’s your Super bowl prediction? I mean, you’re a Niners fan, right?”
The conversation moves on, and you walk silently back to your desk with your coffee. You know how important small talk is in the U.S., and you feel jealous of people who can do it well.
There’s nothing small about the role that small talk plays in American professional culture. People from other countries are often surprised at how important small talk is in the U.S. and how naturally and comfortably people seem to do it ------ with peers, men, women, and even with superiors. You can be the most technically skilled worker in the world, but your ability to progress in your job in the United States is highly dependent on your ability to build and maintain positive relationships with people at work. And guess what skill is critical for building and maintaining these relationships? Small talk.
What can you do if you are from another culture and want to learn to use small talk in the U.S. to build relationships and establish trust? Work hard to hone(磨练) your own version of American-style small talk. Watch how others do it. You don’t have to mimic what they do; in fact, that would likely backfire because people would see you as inauthentic. But if you can develop your own personal version, that can go a long way toward making you feel comfortable and competence．
1.The author introduces the topic of the passage by______.
A. describing an interesting scene
B. offering a plot
C. making comparisons
D. telling a small jokes
2.What do we know about German people?
A．They usually make small talk in work breaks．
B．They hate making small talk．
C．They don’t make so much small talk．
D．They are good at making small talk too．
3.What makes people from other countries surprised in American professional culture?
A．American workers’ ability to make progress．
B．American workers’ attitude towards superiors．
C．The special meaning of small talk．
D．The role small talk plays in work settings．
4.What does “backfire” underlined in the last paragraph mean?
A．have a warm atmosphere
B．have the opposite effect
C．have a good result
D．have a hard time
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科目：高中英语 来源：2015-2016学年内蒙古呼伦贝尔大杨镇二中高二上期末模拟英语卷（解析版） 题型：阅读理解
This is a true story from Guyana．One day，a boy took a piece of paper from a box．He made a paper ball and pushed it into his nose．He couldn’t get it out．He ran crying to his mother．His mother couldn’t get the paper out，either．A week later，the paper was still in the boy’s nose．His nose began to have a bad smell．
So his mother took the boy to a hospital．The doctor looked up at the child’s nose，but she couldn’t get the paper out．She said she had to cut the boy’s nose to get the paper out．
The boy’s mother came home looking sad．She didn’t want her child to have his nose cut．The next day she took the boy to her friend Sidney who lived in a house with an old lady called May．May wanted to see the child，so the child let her look up his nose．
“Yes，I can see it，” May said．“It will be out soon．”
As she spoke，she shook some black pepper （胡椒粉）on the child’s nose．The child gave a mighty sneeze and the paper flew out．His mother was surprised．May told his mother to take the boy to the seaside for a swim，for the salt water would go up his nose and stop the bad smell．
So the lucky boy didn’t have to go to the hospital to have his nose cut．
1.After the boy pushed a paper ball into his nose，____．
A．he took it out
B．his mother took it out
C．he tried to take it out but failed
D．he did nothing but cry
2.Which of the following is TRUE?
A．The doctor helped to take the paper ball out of the boy’s nose．
B．The boy had to have his nose cut at last．
C．The boy’s mother found some black pepper to solve the problem．
D．May succeeded in taking the paper out．
3.The boy should be taken to the seaside for a swim because ____．
A．he needed to learn to swim．
B．the sea water would wash out the paper ball．
C．the sea water would stop the bad smell of his nose．
D．he needed a rest．
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科目：高中英语 来源：2015-2016学年江西上饶横峰中学高一上学期第一次月考英语试卷（解析版） 题型：七选五
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填人空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项，
My mother is a diligent and kind woman．She is very busy from morning till night．As a teacher, she works hard．1. Both my brother and I love her dearly as she loves us.
My mother has been teaching math at a middle school in my hometown．She goes to work early in the morning and does not return home until late in the afternoon．2.She treats them with patience and teaches them well．For her excellent quality and very good teaching results, she has been elected as a model teacher several times.
3. Every day, when she comes back home from work, she sets about doing housework, sweeping the living room and bedrooms or cleaning the furniture, and putting everything in good order．She seems to be busy all the time．As she has been very busy working every day, she looks older than her age．But she looks as cheerful and happy as ever．Mother never buys expensive dresses for herself, but she often buys some inexpensive but high quality clothes for us．4.She just eats a plain meal outside when she is too busy to cook herself．She lives a busy yet simple life, without any complaints.
Often she says to us, “work while you work, and play while you play．That is the way to be happy and gay．If you do not work, you will become lazy and be of no use to society”．What a piece of good advice this is! 5. This advice of hers will always serve as a guide to my behavior．My mother is great indeed, and I always feel proud of her.
A．As a mother, she takes good care of us and gives us every comfort.
B．She loves her students and cares for them.
C．She never goes to expensive restaurants to enjoy meals.
D．She enjoys listening to classic music.
E．I never forget it and always bear it in my mind.
F．Can you tell us something about your mother?
G．My mother is hard-working and never wastes money.
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科目：高中英语 来源：2016届江西师范大学附属中学高三上学期第一次月考英语试卷 题型：阅读理解
The Netherlands on Monday introduced its first-ever intelligent bicycle, fitted with electronic devices to help bring down the high accident rate among elderly cyclists in the bicycle-mad country．
Developed for the government by the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), the intelligent bicycle, runs on electricity．A commercial-available bicycle is expected to be on the market in the next two years and should sell for between 1, 700 to 3, 200 euros per bicycle．
The devices on the bike are linked through an onboard computer with a vibrating (震动的) warning system fitted in the bicycle's saddle and handlebars to warn cyclists of the coming danger.
The saddle vibrates when other cyclists approach from behind, while, the handlebars do the same when barriers appear ahead．
“Accidents often happen when cyclists look behind them or get a fright when they are passed at high speed, ”said Maurice Kwakkernaat, one of TNO's research scientists involved in the project．“The onboard system technology has already been at work in the car industry, ”he said．
“More and more elderly people are using a bicycle, not only for short distances, but also for longer distances, ”Dutch Environment and Infrastructure Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen told AFP．“This type of bicycle is truly needed in the Netherlands because it will help us bring down the number of elderly people who are injured every year and allow them to continue to enjoy cycling, ”she said．
In the Netherlands, bicycles outnumber the population of 17 million by at least one million and there are some 25,000 km of bicycle path in the country．Those statistics are set to grow as more and more people take to two-wheeled transport, leading to an increased risk of injury．
Last year, 184 cyclists died in the country, of which 124, or 67%, were older than 65, according to the Central Statistics Office．The year before, 200 cyclists died, the majority of victims also being elderly．
The current model weighs 25 kilograms but researchers are working on making the onboard systems smaller．
1.The intelligent bicycle is aimed to ________．
A．protect the environment
B．help reduce traffic pressure
C．popularize the use of bicycles
D．improve safety for elderly cyclists
2.Which part of the intelligent bicycle will vibrate when another cyclist was suddenly found ahead ?
A．The handlebars.
B．The wheels.
C．The saddle.
D．The onboard computer.
3.We can learn from the passage that ________.
A．the elderly ride bicycles wherever they go
B．the accident rate among elderly cyclists is high
C．the number of elderly cyclists is decreasing
D．the elderly are planning to give up cycling
4.Which is the best title for the passage?
A．A Test Bicycle
B．Elderly Cyclists
C．A Smart Bicycle
D．A Bicycle-mad Country
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科目：高中英语 来源：2016届江苏淮安市高三12月月考英语试卷（解析版） 题型：其他题
请认真阅读下列短文，并根据短文的内容要点完成文章后的表格列单。
注意：补全填空应符合语法和搭配要求，每空只填一个单词。请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。
Friends in your life are like pillars on your porch．Sometimes they hold you up and sometimes they lean on you．Sometimes it's just enough to know they're standing by．Friendship doubles your joy and divides your grief．A friendship is priceless and should be cultivated．
●Remembering the golden rule
Without a doubt, the greatest human relations principle is to treat other people like you want to be treated． When you show respect for your friends and gratitude for their friendship, you'll be blessed in untold ways．
You can't know what has gone on in the rude person's life that day, but you can assume that his or her day hasn't gone well．Maybe a loved one lost his job, her boss reprimanded her unjustly, he's coming down with the flu, or she just found out that her teenager is taking drugs．
Whatever the cause of the rudeness, you don't have to accentuate(突出) the problem．A kind word or a gentle, understanding smile may help the person more than returned rudeness would．
● Considering foes as friends
A friend looks after your own good． On the other hand, a foe is someone who isn't interested in your well-being．
Yet some students view their teachers as enemies．However, a student's success in school partly depends on the teacher's effectiveness in the classroom．Instead of being an enemy, a teacher who corrects you and helps you to achieve can be the best friend you ever had．
This kind of thinking, along with a little attitude adjustment, helps you to convert foes to friends, and both of you are better off．
● Making friends by being an optimist
Do you enjoy being around a pessimist, someone who is generally described as being able to brighten up a room just by leaving it? The answer is obvious．Most people prefer to be around people who believe that tomorrow is going to be better than today, rather than people who believe that today is even worse than yesterday．
● Capturing the pleasing personality
How do you develop a pleasing personality? Here are some steps you can take:
Smile when you see someone．You don't have to give a wide grin — just a pleasant, friendly smile．
Speak in a pleasant, upbeat tone of voice．Talk to people as if they are good friends, even if they don't really fall into that category yet．
Take a course in public speaking．The ability to express yourself attracts favorable attention from many sources．
Develop a sense of humor．Pick up a couple of joke books．This makes you a little more outgoing and friendly．
● Don't criticize unjustly
Instead of being eager to dish out criticism all the time, take the humane and sensible approach．Look for the good in others．Encourage them．Build them up．
Most people seldom think through each situation completely and consider the other person's point of view．If you take the time and effort to do this, you'll end up befriending more people．
Title:Five ways to cultivate friendship
Passage outline | Supporting details |
Introduction to friendship | Friends in your life are like pillars on your porch.Sometimes friends share each other’s 1.and sorrow. |
2.Of cultivating friendship | Remembering the gold rule Treat others like you want to be treated.Don’t have to accentuate the problem even though they are 3.to you,because sometimes a gentle understanding 4.is better than a rude behavior. |
Considering foes as friends5.on foes as friends makes you and your friends better off. | |
Making friends by being an optimist. Most people have the 6.for being around the ones who are optimistic. | |
Capturing the pleasing personality Give a 7.and friendly smile. Speak in a pleasant, upbeat tone of voice. Take a course about speaking 8.. Develop a sense of humor. | |
Don’t criticize unjustly 9.criticizing others Look for the good in others. | |
Conclusion | Make an effort to do this and you’ll 10.more friends in the end. |
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科目：高中英语 来源：2016届山东日照一中高三上学期期末英语试卷（解析版） 题型：阅读理解
In order to increase their job chances after college, Chinese students are turning to a special practice—Eiffel Tower nose jobs (鼻整形手术). The latest trend in plastic surgery promises to create a nose that is similar to the curve of the Eiffel Tower.
Surgeon Wang Xuming said: “We are influenced by the beauty of the Eiffel Tower. We are not content to just add something to the nose; we reconstruct it.” The surgery costs about US$ 10,000 and involves the enlarging of the nose using tissue from the forehead.
Hundreds of posters advertising the procedure are put up all over Chongqing city, where surgeon Xuming runs his private practice. They show a western-looking woman with an almost-too-perfect nose, against an outline of the Eiffel Tower.
Interestingly, many young women in China are eager to achieve a western appearance, as they believe it will give them an advantage in the highly competitive job market. “Some students face a lot of employment pressure after graduation. If their facial features are good, they’ll have more chances of finding a job,” said surgeon Xuming. “We’ve had students getting the Eiffel Tower nose; it’s helped them a lot.”
Apparently, Chinese employers are quite particular about appearances and prefer attractive candidates. Some of them even go as far as putting height and weight requirements in their employment ads. Plastic surgeons across the country are reporting an increase in the number of students choosing beauty “improvement”.
According to a Mr. Li, hospital manager at surgeon Xuming’s clinic, most of their customers are female and the bill is taken care of by the family. “They usually come in with their mothers, and tend to be from well-off backgrounds.” he said.
Personally, I don’t think it so important to “improve” our appearance as long as we are skilled at our jobs. We can’t decide how we look, but we can decide how well we live and work.
1.Why do Chinese college students choose to have a nose operation?
A. To have more chances of getting a job.
B. To gain a real westerner appearance.
C. To Take good care of their family.
D. To look like the Eiffel Tower.
2.What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 3?
A. The city of Chongqing.
B. A plastic surgery procedure.
C. The posters advertising the surgery.
D. Xuming’s private practice.
3.What can we learn from Mr. Li’s words?
A. Most families can’t afford the expensive operation.
B. Their customers are usually from wealthy families.
C. Patients can be well looked after at the clinic.
D. The number of plastic surgeons is increasing.
4.Which of the following will the author probably agree with?
A. Chinese employers only care about their employees’ appearance.
B. Chinese students are content with the shape of their noses.
C. A western face looks prettier than a Chinese one.
D. Skills at work speak louder than appearance.
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科目：高中英语 来源：2015-2016学年北京怀柔区高二上学期期末考试英语试卷（解析版） 题型：单项填空
I was enjoying my dessert and talking to my American friend Janice at the table when I noticed people _____ at me.
A. to stare B. stared C. staring D. being stared
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