Question

Face masks are commonly used in ceremonies and performances. They not only hide the real face of the mask wearer but they often evoke powerful emotions in the audience—danger, fear, sadness, joy. You might think, because so many things vary cross-culturally, that the ways in which emotions are displayed and recognized in the face vary too. Apparently they do not. Recent research on masks from different cultures supports the conclusion that masks, like faces, tend to represent certain emotions in the same ways. We now have some evidence that the symbolism used in masks is often universal.

The research on masks builds on work done by anthropologists, who used photographs of individuals experiencing various emotions. These photographs were shown to members of different cultural groups who were asked to identify the emotions displayed in the photographs. Emotions were identified correctly by most viewers, whatever the viewer’s native culture.

Coding schemes were developed to enable researchers to compare the detailed facial positions of individual portions of die face (eyebrows, mouth, etc.) for different emotions. What exactly do we do when we scowl? We contract the eyebrows and lower the corners of the mouth; in geometric terms, we make angles and diagonals (斜線) on our faces. When we smile, we raise the corners of the mouth; we make it curved.

Psychologist Joel Arnoff and his colleagues compared two types of wooden face masks from many different societies—masks described as threatening versus masks associated with nonthreatening functions. As suspected, the two sets of masks had significant differences in certain facial elements. The threatening masks had eyebrows and eyes facing inward and downward and a downward-facing mouth. In more abstract or geometrical terms, threatening features generally tend to be angular or diagonal and nonthreatening features tend to be curved or rounded, a face with a pointed beard is threatening; a baby's face is not. The theory is that humans express and recognize basic emotions in uniform (一致的) ways because all human faces are quite similar, skeletally and muscularly.

1.What does the passage mainly discuss?

A. The techniques for comparing facial expressions across cultures.

B. The photography of faces.

C. Cultural variations in mask.

D. The uniformity of facial expressions in revealing emotions.

2.According to the passage, masks are used in performances to _______.

A. disguise the real emotions of the performers

B. cause members of the audience to have strong emotions

C. remind the audience that an illusion is being created

D. identify the cultural background of the performers

3.What does the author mean by stating, "the symbolism used in masks is often universal"?

A. Masks are sometimes used to hide emotions.

B. Performers often need help conveying emotions to an audience.

C. Not all societies use masks in their rituals.

D. People from different cultures generally express certain emotions in similar ways.

4.The passage mentions "baby’s face" in the last paragraph as an example of a _______.

A. typical human face

B. source of inspiration in the creation of masks

C. nonthreatening face

D. face that expresses few emotions

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.D

2.B

3.D

4.C

【解析】

試題解析：本文通過在一些儀式和演出中的面具的世界性引出了自己的觀點(diǎn)：面具和人類的臉一樣總是用同意的方式表達(dá)某些情感，并提出一系列的論據(jù)來支持自己的觀點(diǎn)。

1.D主旨大意題。根據(jù)最后一段最有一句話：The theory is that humans express and recognize basic emotions in uniform (一致的) ways because all human faces are quite similar, skeletally and muscularly. 人類用一致的方式來表達(dá)和識別基本情緒，因為所有人的面孔、骨骼和肌肉都很相似，所以D正確。

2.B細(xì)節(jié)推理題。根據(jù)第一段第一句話：Face masks are commonly used in ceremonies and performances. They not only hide the real face of the mask wearer but they often evoke powerful emotions in the audience—danger, fear, sadness, joy. 面具常用于儀式和表演，他們不僅隱藏面具佩戴者的真正表情，而且常常喚起觀眾的強(qiáng)烈的的真實情感：危險，恐懼，悲傷，快樂。所以B正確。

3.D理解推斷題。根據(jù)第一段第二句：because so many things vary cross-culturally, that the ways in which emotions are displayed and recognized in the face vary too. Apparently they do not. Recent research on masks from different cultures supports the conclusion that masks, like faces, tend to represent certain emotions in the same ways. 因為很多事情跨文化而不同，，在臉上展示和識別情緒顯的方式也不同。顯然不是這樣。近期關(guān)于來自不同文化的面具來的研究支持這一結(jié)論：面具，和臉一樣，總是以相同方式代表特定的情緒。所以D正確

4.C細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)最后一段倒數(shù)第二句In more abstract or geometrical terms, threatening features generally tend to be angular or diagonal and nonthreatening features tend to be curved or rounded, a face with a pointed beard is threatening; a baby's face is not. 在更抽象的幾何圖形里，威脅的特點(diǎn)往往是角或斜的。沒有威脅的特點(diǎn)往往是彎曲或圓形，有胡子的臉是威脅性的；嬰兒的臉是不是。所以C正確。

考點(diǎn)：考查文化生活類短文閱讀。