C
There is a popular Chinese saying that “Fair skin will make up for three flaws(缺陷)”. This mentions the fact that in Chinese culture, it is believed that people who have fair skin are more beautiful. In Western culture, however, the opposite is true---many Westerners think tanned skin is prettier. The example shows that different cultures have different ideas of what they think is beautiful. These cultural meanings of beauty, however, are no longer important, As more and more people travel overseas, ideas about beauty are being shared among cultures. The Internet has also made it easier for people to share different types of beauty since people are always posting pictures on social media. The result is an ever-changing idea of what is considered beautiful.
The cultural practice of ear piercings, for example, has become a part of modern day culture. In Kenya, it is a tradition among the Masai men and women to pierce and then make their ear lobes (耳垂) longer using ivory and wood or stones. They then wear colorful things on their ear lobes. This is a common practice since longer ear lobes are seen as a sign of beauty. This tradition has now found its way into present-day culture. Nowadays, this might still seem unusual to some, but with more and more well-known actors and film stars showing off their longer ear lobes, it will finally become more fashionable.
It is understood that different cultures around the world have different ways of showing beauty. However, since we now live in a worldwide society, people's views about beauty are always changing. With the help of the Internet, people are now able to easily borrow ideas from other cultures to help them stand out. So what new fashions can we expect to see in the future?
58. What has made it easier for people to share ideas about beauty?
A. The development of technology. B. The popularity of the latest fashions.
C. The unchanged cultural traditions. D. The world’s growing population.
59. What can be learned about the Masai people from the passage?
A. Longer ear lobes are their new fashion. B. Only women make their ear lobes longer.
C. They think longer ear lobes look beautiful. D. They make actors and film stars famous.
60. The underlined word "them" in the last paragraph refers to _______ .
A. people B. ideas C. cultures D. fashions
61. What is the passage mainly about?
A. People in Asian countries like fair skin better.
B. Beauty is considered important in many cultures.
C. Different cultures have different ideas about beauty.
D. People's ideas about beauty are changing all the time.
D
There’s always something deep in our soul that never dies. I moved to the small, busy town of Edison in New Jersey six years ago. It was during the second term of my fifth grade. My parents got new jobs and higher income, so they decided it was time to move from Woodbridge to a better, more educational town.
In the US, it is unnecessary to take a test to get into a “good” middle or high school. You just attend the school close to where you live. So, many parents will think about the quality (质量，品质) of the local school when they decide to buy a new house. My parents did the same. We finally chose Edison mainly because of the high quality of its school.
In New Jersey, an area with a good school usually means a concentration of Asian people. There are about 300 students in our school. 55% are Asians and just under half of that are Chinese. There are so many Chinese people nearby that we even have our own Chinese school.
Edison is an old town, just like thousands of others in the United States. However, I have treated it as my hometown. That’s where I spend much of my youth, and the memories there can’t be moved at all.
62. Why did the writer’s parents move to Edison?
A. Because they were born there. B. Because it was a better educational town.
C. Because the writer began his fifth grade. D. Because the writer didn’t need to take a test.
63. How many students are from Asia in the writer’s school?
A. About 80. B. About 160. C. About 220. D. About 300.
64. What does the underlined expression “a concentration of” mean in Paragraph 3?
A. A small number of B. The whole of C. A large number of D. None of
65. Why can’t the writer forget Edison?
A. Because he regards it as his hometown. B. Because his parents got new jobs there.
C. Because there are many Asians there. D. Because it is in the state of New Jersey.
，我们将会及时处理。
