Behindthetrafficnoiseandmodern-优题课

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．
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

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

The underlined word “traits” in Paragraph 4 probably means _______．

A．qualities

B．measurements

C．judgments

D．standards

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

Culture and Cuisine
The United States is known for jazz and blue jeans．But travel to Paris and ask your average French citizen about American cuisine (烹饪) and he’s likely to answer，“ McDonalds．” Ask the same thing of any American citizen on any American street and I’m afraid you’d get the same answer，or something close to it．
Hamburgers and hotdogs and fries are all fine，but with American malls and other outlets standardizing everything from clothing to food，the sad truth is that American cuisine is becoming more homogeneous―all the same―no matter where you live．True，many Americans are eating more varied foods these days，but these are largely the cuisines of immigrant groups，and they are quite likely to be affected by homogenization of American cuisine．
So what exactly is American cuisine？ Well，to some extent it is a reflection of our melting pot culture，meaning that Europeans made huge contributions in the form of wheat，dairy products，pork，beef and poultry．But American cuisine also includes products that once were known only to the New World，including potatoes，corn，pumpkin，sweet potatoes，and peanuts．
The one region of the country where you still find all these things in daily use is the Deep South．The South lost the Civil War，but children of the southerners are winning the battle to preserve and advance their cooking traditions—and in this case one of the few cuisines can truly be called American，which is why we’re pleased to have Low Country cuisine in this issue of food creation．That’s right，grits and gravy are back in a big way in cities like Charleston and Savannah．Truth is，they never really left，but up until a decade ago Low Country cuisine was more common at home than in restaurants．
In fact，a large number of tourists now go to the lower Atlantic region in order to experience this extraordinary cuisine for themselves．Time will tell whether Low Country cuisine becomes popular in other regions of the country in the way that，say，Italian cuisine has，but it’s amazing and heartening to see one of our true cultural treasures enjoying renewed popularity in these increasingly homogeneous times．
According to the passage，American cuisine impresses people as being _______．

A．dull and changeless

B．rich and various

C．popular and delicious

D．disagreeable and unpleasant

It can be seen that the writer feels regretful that _______．

A．cuisines of other countries play a more important role in America

B．American cuisine has become increasingly lacking in variety

C．American cuisine tends to vary because of immigration

D．American cuisine is being changed by foreign cuisines

From the passage，we know that grits and gravy _______．

A．were cooked with new materials after the Civil War

B．are gaining popularity in the south of America

C．were more popular over ten years ago

D．are seldom served in restaurants

What’s the writer’s attitude towards the renewal of Low Country cuisine in America？

A．Concerned and cautious．

B．Hopeless and doubtful．

C．Positive and supportive．

D．Critical and disapproving．

“The 13th of June，1325，I left Tangier，my birthplace，with the intention of making the pilgrimage（朝圣）to Mecca ．．．to leave all my friends，to abandon my home as birds abandon their nests．” So begins an old manuscript in a library in Paris—the travel diary of Ibn Battuta．
Almost two centuries before Columbus，this young Moroccan set off for Mecca，returning home three decades later as one of history’s great travelers．Driven by curiosity，he journeyed to remote corners of the Islamic world，traveling through 44 modern countries，three times as far as Marco Polo．Little celebrated in the West，his name is well known among Arabs．In his hometown of Tangier，a square，a hotel，a cafe，a ferry boat，and even a hamburger are named after him．
Ibn Battuta stayed in Mecca as a student for several years，but the urge to travel soon took over．In one adventure，he traveled to India seeking profitable employment with the sultan—the Muslim ruler of Delhi．On the way，he described his group being attacked in the open country by 80 men on foot，and two horsemen: “… I was hit by an arrow and my horse by another，but God in his grace preserved me ．．．” In Delhi，the sultan gave him the position of judge，based on his previous study at Mecca．But the sultan had an unpredictable character，and Ibn Battuta looked for an opportunity to leave．When the sultan offered to finance a trip to China，he agreed．Ibn Battuta set off in three ships，but misfortune struck while he was still on the shore．A sudden storm grounded and broke up two ships，scattering （散播）treasure and drowning many people and horses．As he watched，the third ship，with all his belongings and slaves—one carrying his child—was carried out to sea and never heard from again．
After a lifetime of amazing adventures，Ibn Battuta was finally ordered by the Sultan of Morocco to return home to share his wisdom with the world．Fortunately，he agreed and wrote a book that has been translated into numerous languages，allowing people everywhere to read about his unparalleled journeys．
What can we learn about Ibn Battuta from the passage？

A．He had great interest in the Islamic world．

B．He returned to his homeland to write a book．

C．His journeys were less important than Marco Polo’s．

D．His journeys were very common for people of that time．

The Sultan of Delhi gave Ibn Battuta a position of judge because _______．

A．Ibn Battuta had studied in Mecca

B．Ibn Battuta had been a judge before

C．Ibn Battuta had worked as a translator

D．Ibn Battuta had traveled to many countries

Which is the best title for the passage？

A．The Learned Ibn Battuta

B．A Visitor to Mecca

C．The Travels of Ibn Battuta

D．Desire for Adventures

Let’s Go Fly a Kite…
—at Piedmont Middle School’s celebration of kites!
Come and learn how to build all sorts of kites，from the simplest diamond-shaped kites to the most complex box kites．Stay as long as you like and build as many kites as you want．Once you have finished a kite，get advice on flying techniques from kite expert Lorena Hallsberg．The celebration will be at Piedmont Middle School，151 Piedmont School Drive．

The Piedmont Middle School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) has organized a refreshment (茶点) tent．All profits will benefit future PTO activities．Take a break from kite flying and drink some lemonade! While you are doing so，why not join the PTO？ Membership is free; you just donate your time．Show your support for Piedmont Middle School by joining the PTO this Saturday!
When: Saturday，April 11，from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: Piedmont Middle School
Why: For fun!
Cost: Free，thanks to a generous gift from Bizarco Kite Company!
Schedule
9:00 am — Kite-building booths open．All materials are supplied for kites．
10:00 am — Kite-building shows by Lorena Hallsberg in the courtyard．Come by and learn how to build box kites and kites that look and fly like butterflies．
11:00 am — Kite-flying shows on the school track．Learn all the most important skills．
12:00 pm — Kite-flying competitions on the school track．
1:00 pm — Presentation by Dr．Brian Lehrman in the show tent: “The History of Kites”．
2:00 pm — Best Kite competitions and judging in the show tent．Come see the most artistic kites and the most interesting theme kites．
3:00 pm — Presentation by Dr．Lehrman in the show tent: “Kites and Science”．
3:30 pm — Awards ceremony conducted by Headmaster Seward on the football field．The results of the day’s judging will be announced，with awards such as Best of Show，Most Artistic，Highest Flyer，and others．Winners will receive gifts from the Bizarco Kite Company!
4:00–5:00 pm — Let’s all go fly a kite! Everyone flies kites at the same time，creating a wonderful sight for all to enjoy．
Come to the kite celebration，enjoy yourself and learn more．
The main purpose of Paragraph 2 is to ask people to _______．

A．build a kite

B．support the PTO

C．take a break

D．join the fun

Which times are most important for people who want to join in kite competitions？

A．10:00 am and 11:00 am．

B．12:00 pm and 2:00 pm．

C．1:00 pm and 3:00 pm．

D．2:00 pm and 4:00 pm．

From the passage，we know that the kite celebration _______．

A．is enjoyable and educational

B．is strict about the shapes of kites

C．gets money from PTO of Piedmont Middle School

D．gives people a chance to see kites from around the world

The passage is intended for _______．

A．school staff

B．kite experts

C．students and parents

D．kite companies

Only two countries in the advanced world provide no guarantee for paid leave from work to care for a newborn child．Last spring one of the two，Australia，gave up the bad distinction by setting up paid family leave starting in 2011．I wasn’t surprised when this didn’t make the news here in the United States—we’re now the only wealthy country without such a policy．
The United States does have one explicit family policy，the Family and Medical Leave Act，passed in 1993．It entitles workers to as much as 12 weeks’ unpaid leave for care of a newborn or dealing with a family medical problem．Despite the modesty of the benefit，the Chamber of Commerce and other business groups fought it bitterly，describing it as “government-run personnel management” and a “dangerous precedent（先例）．” In fact，every step of the way，as (usually) Democratic leaders have tried to introduce work-family balance measures into the law，business groups have been strongly opposed．
As Yale law professor Anne Alstott argues，justifying parental support depends on defining（定义）the family as a social good that，in some sense，society must pay for．Parents are burdened in many ways in their lives: there is “no exit” when it comes to children．Society expects—and needs—parents to provide their children with continuity of care．And society expects—and needs—parents to persist in their roles for 18 years，or longer if needed．
What do we learn about paid family leave according to Paragraph 1？

A．It came as a surprise when Australia adopted the policy．

B．Setting up this policy made Australia less influential．

C．It has now become a hot topic in the United States．

D．No such policy is applied in the United States．

What makes it hard to take work-family balance measures in the States？

A．The incompetence of the Democrats．

B．The opposition from business circles．

C．The lack of a precedent in American history．

D．The existing Family and Medical Leave Act．

What is Professor Anne Alstott’s argument for parental support？

A．Children need continuous care．

B．Good parenting benefits society．

C．The cost of raising children has been growing．

D．The U．S．should keep up with other developed countries．

Why is the author against classifying parenting as a personal choice？

A．Parenting is regarded as a moral duty．

B．Parenting relies largely on social support．

C．Parenting produces huge moral benefits．

D．Parenting is basically a social responsibility．