Question

【题目】Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in each blank with a proper sentence given in the box. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.

According to a new study just published in Psychological Science, any one person seen in a group just seems better looking than when viewed alone. The reason: human eyes average things out, and when it comes to faces, average is usually good.

【1】 Facial analysis studies show the symmetry(对称) is almost always regarded as prettier than asymmetry and the most beautiful faces are the ones on which eyes are no more or less than a certain distance apart, and the forehead, chin, cheeks and other features take up no more than a certain share of the whole. It’s the reason that models may be gorgeous but can prove awfully difficult to tell apart.

“Perhaps,” says psychological scientist Drew Walker of the University of California, San Diego, in a statement that accompanied the release of the study, “beautiful people are all alike, but every unattractive person is unattractive in their own ways.”

To test how that plays out in a group setting, Walker and his UCSD collaborator, psychological scientist Edward Vul, recruited 130 undergraduate students and showed them pictures of 100 different men and women. 【2】 Other times they were cut out to show just one face at a time. Still other times, the faces were taken out of context and arranged on a simple grid (网格) of either four, nine or 16 faces.

Consistently, the researchers found, the sole shots were regarded as less attractive than the faces viewed in a group—whether in a real setting or on the grid. This was true regardless of the gender of the subjects and regardless of whether they would broadly be described as following most definitions of attractiveness or unattractiveness. 【3】

The explanation for the phenomenon, they believe, is the averaging effect and how it works. 【4】 “Individuals with complementary features—one person with narrow eyes and one person with wide eyes—would enjoy a greater boost in attractiveness when seen together, as compared to groups composed of individuals who have similar features,” Walker and Vul write.

A. Both the gorgeous and non- gorgeous improved by being with other people.

B. Sometimes the subjects in the pictures were shown as part of a three-person group.

C. It turns out that people don’t even need to be in an actual group to look more attractive.

D. It’s no secret that our definition of beauty is defined by a very clear set of physical norms.

AB. A big nose in the company of a small nose does not look bigger still; rather, both noses move closer to the average.

AC. While being average-looking might seem like a bad thing, the research suggests that’s not necessarily the case for attractiveness.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】D

【2】B

【3】A

【4】AB

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。研究发现：任何一个人在一群人中出现时，看起来都比单独出现时好看。原因是：人类的眼睛会将事物平均化，而当涉及到脸部时，平均化通常是好的。文章对这个研究以及研究结果进行了具体的介绍。

【1】本句为本段主题句。结合下文Facial analysis studies show the symmetry is almost always regarded as prettier than asymmetry and the most beautiful faces are the ones on which eyes are no more or less than a certain distance apart,（面部分析研究表明，对称几乎总是被认为比不对称更漂亮，最漂亮的脸是那些眼睛之间距离不超过或少于一定距离的脸）以及通读本段可知本段主要说明人类定义美丽时所依据的生理标准，故D选项“众所周知，我们对美的定义是由一套非常清晰的物理规范定义的。”符合语境。故选D。

【2】结合后文Other times they were cut out to show just one face at a time. Still other times, the faces were taken out of context and arranged on a simple grid of either four, nine or 16 faces.（其他时候，他们被剪下来一次只露出一张脸。还有一些时候，这些脸被断章取法地排列在一个简单的网格上，由4张、9张或16张脸组成。）中Other times与Still other times 可对应到B选项中Sometimes，表示“有时，照片中的受试者作为三人小组的一部分被展示。”承接上下文。故选B。

【3】该空前文This was true regardless of the gender of the subjects and regardless of whether they would broadly be described as following most definitions of attractiveness or unattractiveness.（不管研究对象的性别如何，也不管他们是否被广泛地描述为符合大多数关于吸引力或无吸引力的定义，这都是正确的。）可知研究人员一致认为，无论是在真实环境中还是在网格中，单独的照片都不如在一组照片中看到的面孔有吸引力。不管研究对象的性别如何，也不管他们是否被广泛地描述为符合大多数关于吸引力或无吸引力的定义，这一点都是正确的。该空承接上文，A选项“华丽的人和不华丽的人都是通过和别人在一起而提高的”和上文最衔接。故选A。

【4】上一句The explanation for the phenomenon, they believe, is the averaging effect and how it works.提到：他们认为，对这种现象的解释是平均效应及其工作原理。下一句提到：沃克和沃尔在研究报告中写道:“与具有相似特征的个体组成的群体相比，具有互补特征的个体——个窄眼睛的人和一个宽眼睛的人—在一起看的时候更有吸引力。”。该空承上启下，应该提到和平均效应以及互补特征相关的话题，AB选项“在小鼻子的陪伴下，大鼻子并不显得更大;更确切地说，两只鼻子都向平均值靠近。”最符合语境。故选AB。