Unit 2
Inside and Outside Beauty
Text 2
Beauty
What is
beauty? Well, it's a rather difficult question for discussion, as it's a
very extensive notion and there are many opinions about it. As for
me, I have never thought about it from a philosophical point of view.
For me "beautiful" means "wonderful", "excellent" and "pleasant
for the eyes"; and I think that beauty can't be only in person's
appearance, but also in his soul, nature and arts.
Very
often we speak about beauty in a person's appearance. Usually when we see
somebody who is attractive, has modern and cool clothes, we say
that he or she is a beautiful person. It's the appearance that attracts people
(us). I think such beauty is important in modeling, show business,
advertising, and on television. And I am sure it's right because I don't think
you'll enjoy an ad, a concert, a TV program or a magazine, if it shows a
careless, unattractive and casual person. No doubt you know that many people,
especially teens, listen to songs or watch TV pro-grams because they are
performed by a pretty singer or a nice host. But sometimes it happens
that when a good-looking person opens his mouth he begins to say such silly
things, that very soon you are sorry to have started talking to him. And now
you realize that it's not his appearance that is important, but his inner
side. I am sure all of you have heard the proverb "Beauty is only skin deep".
I agree with this proverb related to a person's communicative, ability to hold
conversation. But on the other hand, it is not so pleasant to be always
laughed at, to feel as if you are an ugly duckling. That's why I can't say
what is better: to be beautiful inside or outside. Of course it will be
wonderful if these two beauties are combined in one person. Of course it
happens, but not so often as one would like.
And now
let's talk about beauty in nature. Natural beauty can be expressed in all its
manifestations. It can be a mountain, with its whimsical shapes, a lake which
strikes everybody with its depth and the variety in its underwater world: and
even a desert with its stillness. And in our world there are wonders of nature
which are really fantastic: the Grand Canyon, Glacier Hay, Mammoth Cave in
Kentucky, Victoria Falls, Lake Baikal, Mount Everest, Yellowstone National
Park. Surely, they are wonderful. But even person can find beauty in every
thing.
As for
arts, I can say only one thing: not every person is able to find beauty in
unique objects or works of arts. So, for example, not everybody can understand
Pablo Picasso's pictures, Mozart's music. Alfred Hitchcock’s films, Edgar
Poe's stories, and antique monuments - e.g. the Acropolis. I think to
understand this beauty a person must have some interests and even a talent for
it, because without it he won't be able to understand it: all of it will seem
silly, ugly, difficult to understand. And though it's quite difficult to
believe, there are people in the world, rather many I should say, who do not
know even the most famous representatives of art. So for example, somebody
thinks that Michelangelo is one of the Ninja turtles, or that Shakespeare is a
game or a kind of cheese. Of course, it's awful that the cultural level of
such people is so low, but what can we do? We can't make people love art.
There is an expression "Beauty will save the world". I don't know if it is
right or wrong; at the present moment I can't recollect any situation when our
world was in need of beauty. But life isn't over, probably there will be a
time when beauty will be the only means to help humanity survive.
Vocabulary Practice
Ex. 1 Read and translate the
text using a dictionary if necessary.
Ex. 2 Find in the text the
English equivalents of the following:
с философской точки зрения, приятный для глаз,
душа, природа, привлекать, шоу бизнес, реклама, быть уверенным в чем-то,
сомненья, подростки, симпатичный, глупости, внутренний мир, способность,
представитель, культурный уровень людей, в настоящий момент, вспомнить,
человечество, выжить.
Ex. 3 Supply the missing words
or word combinations choosing among given below.
1.
For me “beautiful” means “Wonderful”,
“excellent”, and __________.
2.
Very often we speak about beauty
________________.
3.
It’s appearance that ____________.
4.
I am sure all of you have heard the
proverb ___________.
5.
Of course it will be wonderful if those
two beauties ___________.
6.
Not every person is able to find beauty
_____________.
7.
There is an expression ______________.
8.
There will be a time when beauty will be
only means to help ___________.
“Beauty will save the world”;
humanity survive; pleasant for eyes; are combined in one person; in unique
objects or work of art; “Beauty is only skin deep”; in a person’s appearance;
attracts people.
Ex. 4 Study the following
words and word combinations and use them in sentences of your own:
an extensive notion; from a
philosophical point of view; beauty in soul, nature and arts; to be
attractive; a beautiful person; to enjoy an ad; a pretty singer; a nice host;
teens; casual person; silly things; inner side; ability to hold conversation;
a good-looking person; an ugly duckling; to strike smb. with its depth and the
variety of its inner world; the cultural level; Beauty will save the world.
Comprehension Exercises
Ex. 1 Read the text and answer
the following questions:
1.
Why are there many opinions what beauty
is?
2.
What does the word “beauty” mean for the
author?
3.
Why do people usually say he or she is
beautiful if they are in modern and cool clothes?
4.
Why do many teens like to listen to songs
or watch on TV?
5.
In what case do you realize that it’s not
appearance that is important, but inner side?
6.
How do you understand the proverb: “Beauty
is only skin deep”?
7.
What is better: to be beautiful inside or
outside?
8.
How can natural beauty be expressed?
9.
What are the wonders of nature which are
really fantastic?
10.
Is everybody able to find beauty in
unique objects or works of art?
11.
How can you prove that values of
art influence the cultural level of people?
12.
How do you understand the
expression: “Beauty will save the world”?
Ex. 2 Define the following key
terms and memorize the definitions:
beauty, appearance, inside and
outside, humanity, wonder, wonderful
Ex. 3 Speak on the cultural
level of people in Russia in brief and illustrate your report with examples or
situations of your own taken from the Russian lifestyle.
Ex. 4 Speak about natural
beauty in all its manifestations.
Ex. 5 Comment on teens
interests in music, art, fashion and style taken from the British or American
lifestyle.
Ex. 6 Express your opinion.
Can we make people love art?
Will beauty save the world?
What is beauty?
Ex. 7 Read and learn the poem
by William Henry Davies (1871 – 1940) by heart.
Leisure
What is this life if, full of
care,
We have no time to stand and
stare.1
No time to stand beneath the
boughs2
And stare as long as sheep or
cows.
No time to see, when woods3
we pass,
Where squirrels4
hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad
daylight5,
Streams6 full of
stars like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's
glance,7
And watch her feet, how they
can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth
can
Enrich that smile her eyes
began.
A poor life this if, full of
care,
We have no time to stand and
stare.
1stare –
пристально смотреть
2beneath the boughs
– под сучьями, ветвями
3woods
– леса
4squirrels
– белки
5in
broad daylight – в разгар дня
6streams
– ручьи
7to
turn at Beauty's glance – восторгаться сверканием красоты
Text 3
Additional Reading
About
Beauty
Over the
past three decades the popular magazine Psychology Today has conducted several
surveys on how people feel about the appearance of their bodies. The changing
results make for interesting reading. The dramatic changes in American culture
have significantly altered peoples' perceptions of themselves. In 1972
twenty-three percent of American women were dissatisfied with their appearance
but by 1997 that figure had risen to fifty-six percent. In 1972 fifteen
percent of men were dissatisfied with their appearance but by 1997 that figure
had risen to forty-three percent. Thirty-eight percent of men are now
dissatisfied with the size of their chests compared to the thirty-four percent
of women dissatisfied with their breasts. Men are getting pectoral implants.
Millions of women have had surgery to change the shape of their breasts or
increase their size.
Images of
Beauty are everywhere. Pictures of handsome men and beautiful women grace the
pages of glossy magazines, television, billboards, consumer products and the
Internet. In the developed world the preoccupation with the body and with
Beauty is intensifying and the Beauty Industry, despite nearly thirty years of
feminism, is a multi-billion dollar a year business.
In the
United Kingdom visit any newsagent and you will find dozens of magazines on
various aspects of style, fashion and health. There are several magazines just
devoted to the topic of hairstyles and hair care. Men's magazines tell men how
to get flat stomachs and bulging biceps. Images of slim, ultra fit models seem
to be everywhere and vast numbers of women are preoccupied with their weight.
Yet despite this preoccupation with beauty and despite the well publicized
health risks over a third of Americans are obese. The English are fast
catching up. But yet, while one third are obese, for others anorexia nervosa
is a serious and potentially fatal mental health problem.
The
images of beauty everywhere are not the average man or woman. Few ordinary
people can aspire to look like the images of the exceptional beauties the
media present us with. The models, actors, and actresses are selected from the
thousands who apply. They are statistically exceptional in their appearance.
Then professional stylists and make-up artists spend hours doing their hair
and make-up. They spend hours in the gym. However, in films, soaps, and
sitcoms they are often placed in ordinary situations so that we all feel that
they are our competition. However, as Cindy Crawford says, "Even I don't wake
up looking like Cindy Crawford." A survey of 5,000 women in the UK by Real
magazine published in November 2002 has some rather depressing statistics. 91%
of women were unhappy with their hips and thighs and 60% were depressed by
their body image. 84% of those who were normal weight wished they were
lighter. Only 3% of women were happy with their bodies. To suggest that we can
either have something very beautiful and desirable if we purchase a car or
look very beautiful and desirable if we use a certain hair conditioner and
eye-makeup sells products very effectively. This is because it touches upon
some very deep-rooted anxieties in human psychology and offers an answer to
them. Feminists have blamed men and a patriarchal society. Socialists have
blamed capitalists and the advertising industry. What is really going on? Why
are both men and women more preoccupied, more anxious, about being beautiful
these days than ever before?
To be
beautiful is presented as being the answer to a problem. The developed
countries of the world are going through a period of great turbulence. Just as
the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s led to great changes in society so too
is the Information Revolution of the late twentieth and twenty-first
centuries. And it is happening fast.
For
hundreds of thousands of years our ancestors were hunter- gatherers.
Civilization and cities are only a few thousand years old. Just as our bodies
evolved over those countless millennia in order to adapt and survive so did
our psychologies. The reasons why it is so important for women to be beautiful
and men to be strong and handsome are deeply ingrained in the human psyche and
are the product of hundreds of thousands of years of evolution.
At
www.Beautyworlds.com we think that the increasing preoccupation with Beauty is
linked with many of the great cultural and social changes of the past three
decades. Anxieties about Beauty resonate deeply in human psychology. Men don't
cause women to want to be beautiful nor does capitalism or the advertising
industries. Cultural and social conditions can heighten these anxieties and
being beautiful can be felt to be the solution. And, fundamentally, this has
to do with the biological purpose of Beauty.
WHO ARE
YOU? WHAT IS YOUR REAL AGE?
l. What
kind of people are you attracted to?
a. people
with strong personalities
b. people
who seem to admire you
c. people
who seem to need you
2. You're
trying to explain a great idea to a friend, who disagrees with you or doesn't
understand. How do you react?
a. go on
explaining
b. feel
hurt or angry
c. stop
to reconsider the idea
3. You're
at a party given by some friends and you're feeling depressed. What do you do?
a. excuse
yourself and leave
b. stay
on until the end regardless
c.
pretend there's nothing wrong with you hoping nobody will notice
4. What
sort of patient are you when you're ill?
a. you
like to be made a fuss of
b. you
prefer to be left on your own
c. you
like to have books brought to you so that you can keep yourself occupied
5. What
are you most likely to do after a hard day at work or school?
a. go out
and have a good time and forget all your worries
b. look
for comfort from those closest to you
c.
complain to a friend about the bad time you've had
6. If
someone you've just met tries to teach you something you already know, how do
you react?
a. tell
the person you already know that
b. say
nothing
c. wait
until the person has finished, then reveal your expertise
7. How
much does the person you most care about need you?
a. more
than you need him/her
b. less
than you need him/her
c. about
the same
8. How
would you react to an unexpected gift?
a. by
wondering how to reciprocate
b. with
pleasure
c. by
wondering what the giver wanted
9. If a
friend pointed out an annoying characteristic you didn't know you had, how
would you react?
a. feel
put out
b. worry
and feel self-conscious
c. ask
other friends if it was really true
10. If a
friend cancelled an engagement with you at the last minute, what would you
think?
a. they'd
found something better to do
b. they
might be in some kind of trouble
c. it was
a thoughtless way to behave but it wouldn't upset you much
ANSWER
KEY
|
1.
a-1
b-3 c-5
2.
a-5
b-1 c-3
3.
a-3
b-1 c-5
4.
a-1
b-5 c-3
5.
a-5
b-1 c-3 |
6.
a-3
b-1 c-5
7.
a-5
b-1 c-3
8.
a-5
b-1 c-3
9.
a-5
b-1 c-3
10.
a-1
b-5 c-3 |
10-27
You're probably a person with a strong feeling of helplessness and with a
strong need for emotional support at difficult times. You tend to
depend on approval from others and you're always anxious to make a good
impression.
The
childish side of your personality may make you unrealistic but it could be
that you have a greater capacity to enjoy things than 'more mature' people.
28-43
You're still an adolescent at heart. There's a conflict between the
need you have to be independent and the need for support and protection. You
find it difficult to make up your mind whether you want responsibility or not.
You're inclined to be unrealistic when assessing situations, changing suddenly
from one extreme to another.
44-50
You're clearly an adult at heart with a mature and realistic approach to life.
You hate pointless arguments and reject idealism. Instead of attempting
to take on too much responsibility, learn how to relax and enjoy life.