BBC随身英语:Beauty school 选美学校

But the apparent obsession with beauty has faced some opposition. On one occasion, a feminist group protest interrupted the Miss Venezuela broadcast and President Hugo Chavez has spoken out against the culture of plastic surgery in Venezuela, calling breast enlargements a "monstrous thing".

The BBC reporter Sarah Grainger says that acceptance of the contests is partly a result of the country's 'machista' (meaning macho) view of rigid traditional gender roles, ''where men are supposed to be strong and brave and women to be gentle and delicate''.

Miss Universe 1996, Alicia Machado, knows the price to be paid when you're no longer seen as attractive. After winning the beauty contest, she said all she wanted to do was "eat, eat and eat". Her subsequent weight gain and threat by the organizers of the pageant to replace her as queen with the runner-up was the subject of intense media scrutiny, particularly in Latin America.

Quiz 测验 How old are the youngest students at Venezuela's beauty schools?

The girls can be as young as four years old.

What's the advice given by a teacher in Caracas to her students?

Teacher Andrea Reyes advises that students' hair must be clean, their make-up should look natural and they should always wear high-heels.

Is the following statement true, false or not given? Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has spoken out against beauty contests.

Not given. The article only tells us that he has criticised the culture of plastic surgery in the country.

Look at the article. What word is used to refer to the contestant who comes in second place?

Runner-up.

What expressions are used in the article to refer to people who are well known in their country?

Celebrities and public figures.

Glossary 词汇表 beauty is in the eye of the beholder情人眼里出西施 beauty queen选美冠军 to leave (something) to chance听天由命 to strut down the catwalk走时装秀 make-up化妆 high-heels高跟鞋 beauty pageant选美比赛 groomed受培训 public figure公众人物 to raise public consciousness提高公众意识 to speak out大声讲 plastic surgery整形手术 breast enlargement隆胸手术 macho有男子气概的 gender roles男女角色 attractive有魅力的 weight gain体重增加 runner-up亚军