At the end of last week, Bodega Aurrera, a Mexican subsidiary of the world’s biggest retailer, Wal-Mart, opened a new store in the village of San Juan Teotihuacan, just north of Mexico City. Normally, such an event would cause little stir. Wal-Mart is already Mexico’s biggest retailer too. And its shops seem to go down very well with its millions of bargain-hungry customers. But this particular opening was, in fact, the culmination of months of protests, legal actions, hunger strikes and hyperbole by those determined to stop it.
The reason is the location. Just 2. 5km away is the ancient city of Teotihuacan, probably Mexico’s most famous archaeological site. Amongst other attractions, it boasts the third-largest ( by volume) pyramid in the world. For many Mexicans, the ancient site, abandoned by its mysterious inhabitants centuries before the Spanish conquerors arrived, remains the ultimate symbol of Mexican identity and nationhood. Thousands troop up to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun to celebrate the summer solstice.
To them, the idea of having a Wal-Mart next door is disgusting. In the words of Homerw Aridjis, a writer and one of the leading opponents, "it is like driving the stake of globalization into the heart of old Mexico. " The controversy is only the latest in a string of protesters’ attempts to save Mexican culture from what they see as an increasing menace. They won a famous victory by blocking a McDonald’s restaurant from opening in the main square of the pretty southern town of Oaxaca.
But this time they were on much thinner ground. For a start, Wal-Mart went through all the appropriate regulatory departments, even getting permission from the Paris-based International Council on Monuments and Sites, which judged that the store would cause no harm to the nearby ruins. A small stone platform was indeed found during construction of the new car park, but was preserved.
Just as importantly, the claim that the new store spoils the famous view from the top of the Pyramid of the Sun is clearly unreasonable, as anyone who cares to get to the top can testify. The problem is not so much that you can see the Wal-Mart, but one of trying to distinguish it from the 30-odd other ugly, squat buildings that litter the surrounding countryside--to say nothing of the car parks, the electricity towers and the large power station. Sadly, unrestricted building long ago ruined this particular view, as well as many others in Mexico.
To the opponents, the issue counts more than the view. But neither mattered much to the hundreds of locals who queued up for the opening, delighted to be freed of the small and expensive local shops. Despite a legal case pending against Wal-Mart and local officials, brought by an irate local left-wing politician, this is one battle that the American retailer has probably won.
It can be learned from paragraph 5 that

A:the famous view is not as good as it used to be. B:the city lacks planning in building. C:the ancient site is littered with ugly buildings. D:Wal-Mart shouldn’t be fully responsible for the ruined view.

Being good-looking is useful in so many ways. In addition to whatever personal pleasure it gives you, being attractive also helps you earn more money, f’amd a higher-earning spouse and get better deals on mortgages. Each of these facts has been demonstrated over the past 20 years by many economists and other researchers, The effects are not small: one study showed that an American worker who was among the bottom one-seventh in looks, as assessed by randomly chosen observers, earned 10 to 15 percent less per year than a similar worker whose looks were assessed in the top one-third — a lifetime difference, in a typical case, of about $ 230, 000.
Most of us, regardless of our professed attitudes, prefer as customers to buy from better-looking salespeople, as jurors to listen to better-looking attorneys, as voters to be led by better-looking politicians, as students to learn from better-looking professors. This is not a matter of evil employers’ refusing to hire the ugly: in our roles as workers, customers and potential lovers we are all responsible for these effects.
How could we remedy this injustice A radical solution may be needed: why not offer legal protections to the ugly, as we do with racial, ethnic and religious minorities, women and handicapped individuals We actually already do offer such protections in a few places, including in some jurisdictions in California, and in the District of Columbia, where discriminatory treatment based on looks in hiring, promotions, housing and other areas is prohibited. The mechanics of legislating this kind of protection are not as difficult as you might think. Ugliness could be protected generally in the United States by small extensions of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Ugly people could be allowed to seek help from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and other agencies in overcoming the effects of discrimination.
You might argue that people can’t be classified by their looks — that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In one study, more than half of a group of people were assessed identically by each of two observers using a five-point scale ; and very few assessments differed by more than one point.
There are possible other objections. "Ugliness" is not a personal trait that many people choose to embrace; those whom we classify as protected might not be willing to admit that they are ugly. But with the chance of obtaining extra pay and promotions amounting to $ 230, 000 in lost lifetime earnings, there’s a large enough incentive to do so. Bringing antidiscrimination lawsuits is also costly, and few potential plaintiffs could afford to do so. But many attorneys would be willing to organize classes of plaintiffs to overcome these costs, just as they now do in racial-discrimination and other lawsuits.
Economic arguments for protecting the ugly are as strong as those for protecting some groups currently covered by legislation. So why not go ahead and expand protection to the looks-challenged There’s one legitimate concern. With increasingly tight limits on government resources, expanding rights to yet another protected group would reduce protection for groups that have commanded our legislative and other attention for over 50 years. You might reasonably disagree and argue for protecting all deserving groups. Either way, you shouldn’t be surprised to see the United States heading toward this new legal frontier.
The main idea of the first paragraph is that ______.

A:looking has something to do with the economic prospect of a person B:the discrimination against the bad-looking is prevalent in daily life C:the bad looking men earned 10-15 percent less than ordinary men per year D:the shame of being ugly will go with a person through his life

At the University of Kansas art museum, scientists tested the effect of different colored walls on two groups of visitors to an exhibit of paintings. For the first group the room was painted white; for the second, dark brown. Movement of each group was followed by an electrical equipment under the carpet. The experiment showed that those who entered the dark brown room walked more quickly, covered more area, and spent less time in the room than people in the white one. Dark brown made people more active, but the activity ended sooner. Not only the choice of colors but also the general appearance of a room affects those inside. Another experiment presented people with photographs of faces whose energy was to he commented. Three groups of people were used; each was shown the same photos, but each group was in an ordinary room—a nice office. The third was in a tastefully designed living room with carpeting. Results showed that the people in the beautiful room tend to give higher marks to the faces than those in the ugly room did. Other studies suggest that students do better on tests taken in comfortable rooms than in ordinary-looking or ugly ones.
Which of the following is the best expression of the main idea of this passage

A:People in beautiful rooms tend to give higher marks to photos of faces than people in ugly rooms. B:The color and general appearance of a room have a deeper effect on the behavior of the people in it. C:The University of Kansas has studied the effects of the color of a room on people’s behavior. D:Beautifully furnished, light-coloured rooms make people more comfortable than ugly, dark rooms.

"Wash every day and you’ll die young, my son!" People often said those words; long ago, of course. Napoleon’s wife had new clothes every month, instead of a bath. ("It’s quicker," She always said). Rich people did not often have a bath. They washed their hands and faces, but not their bodies. Many poor people did not wash at all. A young man once said to a doctor; "Soap and water have never touched my body." (And the doctor answered. "That’s true. I know... ")
why didn’t people wash in those days long ago
Well, they did not have water in their house. They carried water from rivers or from holes in the ground ( = wells). Towns people bought it from a water--carrier. Sometimes it was expensive; and soap was always expensive. They drank water, of course; and so they were clean inside. They did not think about the outside! And this is true; they just did not like a bath.
Modern life is different. We use a lot of soap and water. And we are all quite clean. However, a few people use too much soap; and they often get ill. Who are these people
Many young women work as hairdressers. They wash and then "dress" other women’s hair. That is their job, and they like it. Young hairdressers sometimes wash dirty heads on a busy day! Their hands are soapy for seven or eight hours; and that is not a good thing. A young hairdresser’s hands are often red and ugly; and she must then go to doctor.
Who are the people that use too much soap in modern life

A:Hairdressers. B:Many young women. C:People whose hands are red and ugly. D:People whose hands are soapy.

When I was about six years old, my mother came home one clay and found that I had collected half a dozen babies of the neighborhood-all of them too young to walk-and had them sitting before me on the floor while I was teaching them to wave their arms. When she asked the explanation of this, I informed her that it was my school of dance. She was amused, and placing herself at the piano, she began to play for me. This school continued and became very popular. Later on, little girls of the neighborhood came and their parents paid me a small sum to teach them. This was the beginning of what afterwards proved a very lucrative occupation.
My mother took me to a very famous ballet teacher, but his lessons did not please me. When the teacher told me to stand on my toes I asked him why, and when he replied "because it is beautiful," I said that it was ugly and against nature and after the third lesson I left his class, never to return. This stiff and commonplace gymnastics which he called dancing only disturbed my dream. I dreamed of a different dance. I did not know just what it would be, but I was feeling out towards an invisible world into which I guessed I might enter if I found the key.
My art was already in me when I was a little girl, and it was owing to the heroic and adventurous spirit of my mother that it was not stifled. I believe that whatever the child is going to do in life should begin when it is very young. I wonder how many parents realize that by the so-called education they are giving their children, they are only driving them into the commonplace, and depriving them of any chance of doing anything beautiful or original.
The narrator thought that ballet was ______.

A:the most graceful dance B:stiff, ugly and unnatural C:a dance that she had dreamed of D:an invisible world into which she guessed she might enter

She was really frightfully {{U}}ugly{{/U}}.

A:charming B:unpleasant to look at C:fearful D:astonished

{{B}}第二篇{{/B}}

Who are the people that use too much soap in modern life?

A:Hairdressers. B:Many young women. C:People whose hands are red and ugly. D:People whose hands are soapy.

A little boy invited his mother to attend (出席) his elementary school’s first teacher-parentmeeting. To the little boy’s dismay, his mother said she would go. This would be the first time that his classmates and teachers met his mother and he was embarrassed (尴尬的) by her appearance. There was a severe (严重的) scar (伤疤) that covered nearly the whole right side of her face. The boy never wanted to talk about why or how she got the scar.
At the meeting, the people were impressed (留下深刻的印象) by the kindness of his mother with the scar, but the little boy was still embarrassed and hid himself from everyone. However, he could hear clearly the conversation between his mother and the teacher.
"How did you get the scar on your face" the teacher asked.
The mother replied, "When my son was a baby, he was in a room that caught on fire. Everyone was too afraid to go in because the fire was out of control, but I went in. As I was running towards his bed, I saw a burning wood falling down and I placed myself over him trying to protect him. I was knocked to be unconscious (无知觉的) , but luckily, a fireman came in and saved both of us. " She touched the burned side of her face. "This scar will be forever, but until today, I have never regretted doing what I did. "
When the little boy heard this, he couldn’t help running towards his mother with tears in his eyes. He hugged her and felt his mother was greater than anyone. He held her hand tightly for the rest of the day.
The boy’s mother was actually (事实上)_______

A:ugly B:kind C:beautiful D:ugly but kind

A little boy invited his mother to attend (出席) his elementary school’s first teacher-parentmeeting. To the little boy’s dismay, his mother said she would go. This would be the first time that his classmates and teachers met his mother and he was embarrassed (尴尬的) by her appearance. There was a severe (严重的) scar (伤疤) that covered nearly the whole right side of her face. The boy never wanted to talk about why or how she got the scar.
At the meeting, the people were impressed (留下深刻的印象) by the kindness of his mother with the scar, but the little boy was still embarrassed and hid himself from everyone. However, he could hear clearly the conversation between his mother and the teacher.
"How did you get the scar on your face" the teacher asked.
The mother replied, "When my son was a baby, he was in a room that caught on fire. Everyone was too afraid to go in because the fire was out of control, but I went in. As I was running towards his bed, I saw a burning wood falling down and I placed myself over him trying to protect him. I was knocked to be unconscious (无知觉的) , but luckily, a fireman came in and saved both of us. " She touched the burned side of her face. "This scar will be forever, but until today, I have never regretted doing what I did. "
When the little boy heard this, he couldn’t help running towards his mother with tears in his eyes. He hugged her and felt his mother was greater than anyone. He held her hand tightly for the rest of the day.
The boy’s mother was actually (事实上)_______

A:ugly B:kind C:beautiful D:ugly but kind