I look in the mirror, and I'm not happy with what I see.I don't have a "perfect" face.I look in the magazines and all I see are girls with fair hair, blue eyes, and, of course, a-pretty little nose.They're on the outside of the buses that I take home, the television programs I watch, and the billboards I walk under.Almost every advertisement I see shows this human physical "perfection".These billboards not only tell me what to drink, but also how to look.

Our society tends to place more importance on a person's physical beauty, rather than their ability, honesty and character.We have influenced women to go through painful surgeries and starve themselves to become this society constructed physical model.To be a beautiful woman in the 21st century doesn't mean that you are a brilliant doctor or caring mother.It means you have the perfect jaw structure, eyes and lips.It means that you can be six feet tall and weigh one hundred and ten pounds.

But what about the women who are starting to leave their youth? Instead of looking at aging as a sign of wisdom, we attempt to prevent the aging process.It's a kind of funny thing to want to look eighteen when fifty.Fifty is a relaxed age, where you can step back and look at all you've achieved.It is when your hard work pays off.Unfortunately, our society just sees you as "old".To stop the aging process, women buy wrinkle creams, do eye lifts and face lifts.They spend thousands of dollars to win the hopeless battle against age.

I remember when I was about thirteen years old and going through teens, I had oily hair, and a half developed body.I hated the way I looked.I used to cry to my mother all the time, but she would just laugh and tell me that "you don’t want anyone to like your appearance.It's your heart that matters, because beauty fades.” I knew that she was right.If you work on your heart enough, people will start to see the beauty in you, which lasts and remains on even after you die.

44.The main idea of the first paragraph is that _____ _.

A.the author doesn't have a perfect face

B.women have to look beautiful

C.photos of beautiful girls can be seen everywhere

D.there are too many beauties in daily life

45.What's the author's attitude towards being "old"?

A.It's a pity that people have to get old. B.It's a fruitful and wise time.

C.It's stupid to try to stay young. D.It's a pity that society looks down upon the old.

46.It is ____ _ that regard(s) the physical beauty as more important.

A.women themselves B.the author's parents

C.newspapers and magazines D.society

47.What's the author's opinion about beauty?

A.The author doesn't like the beauties our society values.

B.It is not important whether a person looks beautiful or not.

C.It is a person's inner qualities that matter rather than the physical beauty.

D.The author feels appearance is important to a person.

C

Paris, Jan 11—An armored car robbery last night ended in a wild gun battle that left two men dead and one hostage seriously wounded.

The drama began when an armored car carrying the contents of safe deposit boxes to a bank was struck by a large truck, police said.

The bank guards were helpless when the robbers jumped out of the truck and tied them up.The thieves used heavy tools and explosives to break open the armored car.

A passing police car turned to investigate the accident as the men were removing the contents of the armored car.Police said the three robbers fled on foot across a nearby highway.

Stopping a private car driven by a teenager girl, the three headed for central Paris with the police car in hot pursuit.

A plainclothes policeman saw the car as it ran down through the street of the Latin Quarter.The policeman tried to stop the car, but the thieves started shooting at him, witness said.

The girl hostage tried to slip away.Just as she was crawling away from the car, she was hit by a bullet.Police said she was out of danger at Central Hospital.

The gunmen gave up the car and got into a shop, pouring fire on more than 50 policemen who had surrounded the building.After a wild gun-battle, police broke into the room.They only found two of the gunmen, both seriously wounded.The third thief was believed to have escaped with over $1.3 million in cash and jewels.

48.The passage is about _______.

A.a gun-battle between the policemen and the government soldiers

B.a bank robbery in Paris

C.a group of gunmen's robbing an armored car in the street

D.how a teenaged girl got seriously wounded