6、

Is the woman pictured on the right more attractive than the woman on the left?

The photograph on the right was changed using a new “beauty making” computer program, which uses a mathematical formula involving 234 measurements of distances between facial features to get a theoretically more attractive version, while keeping the basic appearance of the face unchanged. Unlike changes done in fashion magazine photos, wrinkles were not smoothed and hair color was not hanged.

The program is the latest attempt to combine beauty and science, a subject that has drawn increasing academic interest in the last decade.

Studies have shown there is surprising agreement among people of different cultures about what makes a face attractive. Most important is symmetry （匀称）, along with youthfulness, skin smoothness and vivid eyes and hair color. Yet, like the many other scientific or mathematical attempts to define beauty, this software program raises complex and difficult questions about the understanding of beauty.

“How can they prove something is more or less beautiful?” said Lois Banner, a history professor at Chicago University, who studies changing beauty standards. “There can never be a single standard of beauty because so much of it is culturally influenced.”

After viewing “before” and “after” photographs of different people, Banner said the original faces were more attractive. “Irregular beauty is the real beauty,” said Banner, adding that attempts to measure beauty are driven by the media’s efforts to define beauty and who is beautiful.

Martina Eckstut, the woman whose photo was beautified for this article, said the was struck by how different she looked. “I think the ‘after’ picture looks great, but it doesn’t really look like me at all.” She added, “I would like to keep my original face.”

For centuries people have tried to define a universal ideal of beauty. “The first reaction we have to faces will be based on face symmetry.” said Alexander Nehamas, a professor who has written about beauty. “But in real life we don’t just see a face. We see faces as people express their emotions and ideas, and all those aspects of the face are essential to our deciding whether a face or a person is beautiful.”

1．How does the program work to beautify a face?

       A．It changes the distances between facial features.

       B．It smoothes the skin and softens the color of the hair.

       C．It digitally repairs some obvious facial faults.

       D．It replaces the original face with a similar one.

2．Banner believes that          .

       A．there is no such thing as beauty

       B．efforts to develop a beauty measure should be encouraged

       C．the media is to blame for the failure to agree on beauty standards

       D．it is impossible to show that one thing is more beautiful than another

3．When seeing the “after” picture, Martina Eckstut was           .

       A．pleasantly surprised but though she could look even better

       B．eager to get her face changed although it didn’t look like her at all

       C．amazed by the attractiveness but preferred not to have a different face

       D．confused by how different she looked and had no idea what to do

4．According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

       A．Beauty is mainly based on face symmetry.

       B．There is no single standard or definition of beauty.

       C．The program is likely to encourage people to change their appearance.

       D．Mathematics should be used to help us create beauty.

5．The purpose of the passage is to           .

       A．oppose the attempts to create artificial beauty

       B．introduce a beauty program and a discussion about beauty

       C．discuss what makes a person beautiful

       D．show how a beauty engine can beautify a person

5、Many kids turn up their noses at the though of eating fish because, well, it can smell “fishy”. While it is usually a healthy source of protein in the diet, there may be several reasons to avoid biting into a forkful of fish. Before you break out the tartar sauce, learn some facts about fish to keep yourself and the environment healthy.

Some fish may contain harmful chemicals, which can be the result of both natural causes and water pollution. Mercury is a toxic chemical, which occurs naturally in oceans and the Earth's crust, but also comes from man-made sources, such as pesticides, burning garbage, and the releasing of fossil fuels.

Polychlorinated biphenyls（PCBs），a group of chemicals, can also be found in some fish. These man-made chemicals were used in many industries until 1977, when they were banned. PCBs were released or leak into the air and water and have been transported around the globe.

How do mercury and PCBs end up in fish and the food supply? When they are released into the air, they attach themselves to particles. These particles settle on the ground and in the water and are eventually eaten by microscopic organisms. Small fish eat the micro-organisms, and large fish eat the small fish and on up the food chain.

Because they can negatively affect your health, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency advises that kids younger than 16 years old avoid fish that contain high levels of mercury and PCBs. These include shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish.

There are also many types of fish that are good for you, but because of over fishing some are in danger of being wiped not. Some are being fished in the wild so much that they cannot reproduce enough to survive. Others are being farmed in ways that are not environmentally friendly. These fish include red snapper, Atlantic salmon, blue fin tuna, and king crab.

Despite these problems, there are several fish that are both healthy and sustainable, such as Alaskan salmon, American catfish, Pacific cod, and several farm-raised fish and shellfish.

1．How do mercury and PCBs come to our food supply?

       A．Mercury and PCBswaterfishparticlesfood supply

       B．Mercury and PCBsparticlesorganismsfishfood supply

       C．Mercury and PCBs particlesfishorganismsfood supply

       D．Mercury and PCBs organismsground and waterfishfood supply

2．The underlined word “they” （paragraph 5） refers to “         ”.

       A．fish                                                    B．particles

       C．microscopic organisms                        D．mercury and PCBs

3．According to the passage which group of fish can be safely eaten by young kids?

       A．Shellfish; tilefish; Alaskan salmon.

       B．King crab; king mackerel; Pacific cod.

       C．Pacific cod; Alaskan salmon; American catfish.

       D．Pacific cod; Atlantic salmon; swordfish.

4．The writer is most likely to agree that          .

       A．we should be careful when deciding what kind of fish to eat

       B．over fishing is the main cause of fish poisoning

       C．most types of fish can be safely raised on fish farms

       D．the government should ban children under 15 from eating fish

5．It can be inferred from the passage that            .

       A．children like eating fish because it smells fishy

       B．if you want to be more environmentally friendly, eat less fish

       C．PCBs were not allowed to be used in food industry before 1977

       D．adults might be less affected by high chemical levels in fish

2、Thirteen, for me, was a challenging year. My parents divorced and I moved to a new town with my father, far from my old family and friends. I was terribly lonely and would cry myself to sleep each night. To ease my sadness, my father purchased an old horse for me at a local auction. I named him Cowboy.

Cowboy was without a doubt the ugliest horse in the world. But I didn’t care. I loved him beyond all reason.

I joined a riding club and suffered rude comments and mean snickers about Cowboy’s looks. I never let on about how I felt, but deep inside, my heart was breaking. The other members rode beautiful, registered horses.

When Cowboy and I entered the events where the horse is judged on appearance, we were quickly shown the gate. No amount of preparation and love would turn Cowboy into a beauty. My only chance to compete would be in the speed events. I chose the jumping race.

One girl named Becky rode a big brown horse in the race events. She always won the blue ribbons. Needless to say, the didn’t feel threatened when I competed against her at the next show. She didn’t need to. I came in next to last.

The stinging memory of Beck’s smirks made me determined to beat her. For the whole next month I woke up early every day and rode Cowboy five miles to the arena （赛马场）. We practiced running and jumping for hours in the hot sun and then I would walk Cowboy home totally exhausted.

All of our hard work didn’t make me feel confident by the time the show came. I sat at the gate and sweated it out while I watched Becky and her horse charge through the course and finish in first place.

My turn finally came. I put on my hat, rubbed Cowboy’s neck and entered the arena. At the signal, we dashed toward the first fence, jumped it without trouble and raced on to the next one. Cowboy then flew over the second, third and fourth fences like a bird and I turned him toward the finish line.

As we crossed the line the crowd was shocked into silence. Cowboy and I had beaten Becky and her fancy horse by two seconds!

I gained much more than a blue ribbon that day. At thirteen, I realized that no matter what the odds, I’d always come out a winner if I wanted something badly enough to work for it.

1．The underlined expression “shown the gate” （paragraph 4） most probably means “        ”.

       A．told how to enter the arena

       B．shown how to make the horse beautiful

       C．removed from the competition early

       D．told to enter the timed – speed events

2．Why was the writer not confident of victory?

       A．He was an inexperienced rider.

       B．He had not practiced enough.

       C．He believed he was unpopular with the crowd.

       D．He thought his horse wasn’t as good as the others.

3．When the final race finished, nobody cheered because         .

       A．the audience didn’t like Cowboy            B．people envied the writer

       C．the win was unexpected                       D．the writer had run out of time

4．What did the writer learn from his experience?

       A．Life can sometimes be unfair.

       B．Anything is possible if one tries hard enough.

       C．A positive attitude will bring success.

       D．One should not make judgments based on appearance.

5．The best title for the story is        .

       A．A Run to Remember                             B．A Horse’s Tale

       C．Neck and Neck                                   D．A Difficult Age