上海牛津高二下课文U1-U6.doc

上海牛津高二下课文 U1 What is beauty? Suffering to be beautiful Read the transcript below from a radio programme called Head to Head. Host: Good morning. Today’s topic is beauty. What is beauty? And, to what lengths can or should we go to make ourselves more beautiful? In the studio today are two beautiful women to help answer these questions! Sue Leslie, a former model who is now a successful businesswoman, and Elizabeth Cade, a writer and lecturer. Sue, perhaps we could start with you. Is beauty important? SL: Welt, first, thanks for the compliment, Mary. Now, I think that in today’s world, it is important to look your best. You should watch what you eat and keep yourself fit. And if that’s not enough, then cosmetic surgery can change people’s lives. Host: Elizabeth, what’s your viewpoint? EC: I think it’s up to everyone to decide what is right for them, but I do feel that people should be happy with themselves, regardless of how they look.There is too much emphasis on appearance these days. Seldom do people think about the real dangers of this obsession with looks, both from eating disorders and from having cosmetic surgery. Also, many people feel unhappy because just don’t happen to fit society’s current ideas of what is beautiful. Host: Since you’re a historian, perhaps you could give us a brief historical perspective on this. EC: Well, there are lots of examples of societies in which people have done some horrendous things to try to make themselves look more beautiful. For instance, some European women used to have their bottom ribs removed so that they would have thin waists. Neck stretching was fashionable in some parts of South-East Asia. Ln Africa, there were tribes which stretched their ear lobes or lips. I think it is ridiculous that people-usually women-have been forced by society to endure such considerable pain and suffering. SL: So do l. But times have changed. No one forces people to come to ‘Sue’s Salon’, my health stud\o. They’re free to come, and