It wasn ’ t always this way in Britain. Once beauty queens dated footballers ， traveled the world and were guaranteed fame ， fortune and fun. Now ， they open new supermarkets ， are sponsored by dry-cleaning companies and if they ’ re lucky ， they get free clothes from supermarkets.
When Francesca Marchant was crowned Miss Sussex in 1969 ， it was something to be extremely proud of “ I came from a small town ， and all my friends were green with envy when they found out I ’ d won. My boyfriend at the time thought it was terrific and boasted to everyone that he was going out with a beauty queen.
But the good times couldn ’ t last. The feminist movement gathered momentum. Some women were determined to bring an end to these “ cattle shows. ” Nowadays ， saying that you were a beauty queen just doesn ’ t sound good.
Miss World organizers claim that contestants are judged on qualities other than just their physical appearance. But Jacqueline Gold ， England ’ s representative at this year ’ s contest ， was not chosen because of her academic record. The Miss World Website states that she “ left school having gained many computer qualifications ， and certificates in First Aid and Lift Saving. ” meaning ， not much of an education.
The only time contests attract attention now is because of the protesters. At the 1999 Miss World in Britain around 60 demonstrators hurled flour bombs and fought with the police. They denounced the beauty contest as a“sexist cattle market”. They waved banners saying“fat girls are cool”and“women’s bodies are not for sale.”
31. Beauty contests in Britain are now .
A. bringing huge benefits for the country B. as popular as the World Cup Final
C. no longer popular in the country D. widely protested in the country
32. The attitude of Nicolas Baker towards beauty contests is that .
A. women shouldn’t attend the contests
B. the contests are fine but he doesn’t like them
C. the contests are insults to women
D. the contests are behind the times
33. In the 60s and 70s ， beauty queens .
A. were sponsored by dry-cleaning companies B. were admired by most people
C. did not have a good reputation D. got free clothes from supermarkets
34. The author uses Jacqueline Gold as an example to show that .
A. her academic record was very strong
B. she had gained many qualifications and certificates
C. contestants are judged on physical appearance
D. contestants are judged on their education
35. The best title for passage might be .
A. Beauty Contests ： Insults to Women
B. Beauty Contests ： Sexist Cattle Market
C. Beauty Contests ： A Headache for British people
D. Beauty Contests ： Started in Britain but Unpopular Now
Passage Two
A particular area in which assumptions and values differ between cultures is that of friendship. Friendships among Americans tend to be shorter and less intense than these among people from many other cultures. At least many observers from abroad have this impression.Because Americans are taught to be self-reliant ， because they live in a very mobile society ， and for many other reasons as well ， they tend to avoid deep involvement with other people. Furthermore ， Americans tend to “ compartmentalize ” their friendships ， having their “ friends at work ”，“ friends at school ”， a “ tennis friend ”， and so on. Americans often seem very friendly even when you first meet them. This friendliness does not usually mean that the American is looking for a deeper relationship.
