Freezing to Death for Beauty
People in Beijing wear a lot of clothing during winter to fend off the cold. In the United States, however, people wear 1 , partly because the car is the primary mode of transportation. Cars take 2 straight to their workplaces, which are heated well. The American diet is full of calories, so their 3 can afford to bum heat more quickly.
Fewer layers of clothing give people the opportunity to stay 4 . Lots of Yale girls wear skirts 5 when it's 10 degrees Centigrade outside. Some of them at least wear boots, tights, and leg-warmers. Some, however, really just go for the look 6 the risk of health. These girls have nothing to prevent their legs 7 the wind, and no socks to protect their feet. A mini skirt and a pair of stilettos are all that they wear.
Typically, the ones pursuing fashion are 8 , with little body fat. Just by the nature of their bodies, they are already at a disadvantage compared with normal people in 9 weather. I have always l0 , whenever I pass these girls, how they manage to refrain from shivering and just smile like spring had arrived.
And then there are the guys. The girls can be said to 11 health for beauty. But why do guys 12 so little? It is not like, once they shed some layers, they suddenly become better-looking. They are not exactly being fashionable when they 13 wear sporty shorts and shower slippers in the midst of winter. It's not cute.
Of course, people have the freedom to look whatever 14 they want. I am just surprised that, given the vast difference between winter and summer temperatures in Connecticut, they can still 15 like they are partying on the beach in the middle of February.
1. Less (比较级)
2. 人称代词
3. 身体发出热量
4. Stay fashionable 保持时尚
5. Even甚至
6. At the risk of 以…为代价
7. Against 抵御
8. Skinny
9. In cold weather
10. wonder想
11.Sacrifice health for beauty
12. wear little
13. only
14. way (一定是答案)
15. look like看上去像
美丽就是一切
冬天北京人都穿得很厚来防寒,而在美国,人们穿得很少,一个原因是轿车已经成为了主要的交通工具,它可以把他们直接送到单位,而单位又有暖气。还有个原因是美国的饮食里含热量高,因而他们身体能在短时间内发出所需要的热量。
轻便的衣服给人们提供了时尚的机会。许多耶鲁女孩甚至在外部气温为10摄氏度的天气下穿短裙。其中一些至少还穿着靴子,裤袜和暖腿套。而有些真是只是为了漂亮而牺牲健康。她们的双腿没有穿任何东西来抵御凛冽的寒风,脚上也没有穿袜子,所穿就只是一条迷你裙和一双细高跟鞋。
典型的说,那些追求时尚的人都是非常苗条,几乎没有脂肪的人。仅看她们的体质,与正常人相比,抵御寒冬的能力就已经处于劣势。每当我走过这些女孩的时候,我总是想,她们怎么能做得到不哆嗦,并且还能带着似乎春天已经来临的微笑。
男孩也这样,可以说女孩是为了漂亮而牺牲了健康,但男孩子为什么穿这么少呢?好像并不是,他们穿得少了,就突然变得更好看了。当冬天最冷的时候他们仅仅穿着花哨的短裤和洗澡用的拖鞋时在确切意义上并不显得更时髦,也不讨人喜欢。
当然,人们有决定自己穿着的自由。我只是觉得惊讶,在康涅狄格州冬夏温度相差很大的情况下,他们仍然看上去像是在二月中旬的海滩上聚会。