Section B
Passage One
Heredity is not the only thing that influences our color. Where and how we live after we are born is important too. For instance, our skin color greatly depends on how much sunshine we get.
Centuries ago, most people in Europe were peasants and had to work in the fields all day. On the other hand, noblemen did not have to work. They stayed indoors and remained pale. You could always tell a nobleman from a peasant because the peasant had a tan. As a result, noblewomen did their best to keep their skins as light as possible. A skin so pale was considered a mark of great beauty and nobleness.
During the Industrial Revolution, farmers left their fields and went to work in factories, mines and mills. Working for long hours in those dark places make their skins pale. Wealthy people, however, could afford to travel to sunny countries. They lay around on the beaches and got a tan, which became a sign of wealth. In Western Europe and North America pale skin is no longer desirable. The desire for a quick tan has led to the invention of pills that darken the skin without exposure to sunlight.
So there are three answers to the question “Where does our color come from?” — It comes from the genes we inherit. It comes from the conditions in which we live. And it can come from a bottle that we buy at the drugstore on the corner. Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.
26. Why did noblewomen in Europe do their best to keep their color as light as possible?
【解析】選[C]。文中提到，貴族婦人盡可能保持膚色潔白是因?yàn)榘尊哪w色被認(rèn)為是美麗和高貴的象征。a mark of...nobleness表明貴族們極力想使自己和農(nóng)民區(qū)分開來。選項(xiàng)[C]與此相符，為答案。
27. Who were the people having a tan according to the passage?
【解析】選[D]。本題問哪些人會(huì)被曬黑。文中提到，工業(yè)革命時(shí)期，有錢人去陽光充足的國家旅行，他們?cè)谏碁┥咸芍つw被曬黑了，成為富有的象征，[D]項(xiàng)與原文相符。tan指日曬后的顏色，選項(xiàng)[A]與此矛盾。幾個(gè)世紀(jì)前，歐洲貴族因?yàn)樽悴怀鰬舳つw潔白，[B]項(xiàng)錯(cuò)誤。工業(yè)革命時(shí)期，工人長時(shí)間在光線昏暗的地方工作，皮膚變得很蒼白，[C]項(xiàng)也不正確。
28. What does the passage mainly tell us?
【解析】選[B]。短文第一句就點(diǎn)明了文章的主題：遺傳不是影響我們膚色的因素，接下來的內(nèi)容都圍繞這個(gè)主題展開，結(jié)尾也進(jìn)一步與此呼應(yīng)，因此選項(xiàng)[B]正確。貴族的情況不是文章討論的中心，而只是舉例論證主題的需要，并且文中也沒提到幾個(gè)世紀(jì)前的貴族喜不喜歡旅行，因此排除[A]項(xiàng)。影響膚色的因素有遺傳、陽光和化妝品，[C]項(xiàng)過于片面。“皮膚曬得黝黑被視為是富有的象征”是工業(yè)革命時(shí)期的情況，[D]中的nowadays與此不符。
Passage One
Heredity is not the only thing that influences our color. Where and how we live after we are born is important too. For instance, our skin color greatly depends on how much sunshine we get.
Centuries ago, most people in Europe were peasants and had to work in the fields all day. On the other hand, noblemen did not have to work. They stayed indoors and remained pale. You could always tell a nobleman from a peasant because the peasant had a tan. As a result, noblewomen did their best to keep their skins as light as possible. A skin so pale was considered a mark of great beauty and nobleness.
During the Industrial Revolution, farmers left their fields and went to work in factories, mines and mills. Working for long hours in those dark places make their skins pale. Wealthy people, however, could afford to travel to sunny countries. They lay around on the beaches and got a tan, which became a sign of wealth. In Western Europe and North America pale skin is no longer desirable. The desire for a quick tan has led to the invention of pills that darken the skin without exposure to sunlight.
So there are three answers to the question “Where does our color come from?” — It comes from the genes we inherit. It comes from the conditions in which we live. And it can come from a bottle that we buy at the drugstore on the corner. Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.
26. Why did noblewomen in Europe do their best to keep their color as light as possible?
【解析】選[C]。文中提到，貴族婦人盡可能保持膚色潔白是因?yàn)榘尊哪w色被認(rèn)為是美麗和高貴的象征。a mark of...nobleness表明貴族們極力想使自己和農(nóng)民區(qū)分開來。選項(xiàng)[C]與此相符，為答案。
27. Who were the people having a tan according to the passage?
【解析】選[D]。本題問哪些人會(huì)被曬黑。文中提到，工業(yè)革命時(shí)期，有錢人去陽光充足的國家旅行，他們?cè)谏碁┥咸芍つw被曬黑了，成為富有的象征，[D]項(xiàng)與原文相符。tan指日曬后的顏色，選項(xiàng)[A]與此矛盾。幾個(gè)世紀(jì)前，歐洲貴族因?yàn)樽悴怀鰬舳つw潔白，[B]項(xiàng)錯(cuò)誤。工業(yè)革命時(shí)期，工人長時(shí)間在光線昏暗的地方工作，皮膚變得很蒼白，[C]項(xiàng)也不正確。
28. What does the passage mainly tell us?
【解析】選[B]。短文第一句就點(diǎn)明了文章的主題：遺傳不是影響我們膚色的因素，接下來的內(nèi)容都圍繞這個(gè)主題展開，結(jié)尾也進(jìn)一步與此呼應(yīng)，因此選項(xiàng)[B]正確。貴族的情況不是文章討論的中心，而只是舉例論證主題的需要，并且文中也沒提到幾個(gè)世紀(jì)前的貴族喜不喜歡旅行，因此排除[A]項(xiàng)。影響膚色的因素有遺傳、陽光和化妝品，[C]項(xiàng)過于片面。“皮膚曬得黝黑被視為是富有的象征”是工業(yè)革命時(shí)期的情況，[D]中的nowadays與此不符。