Запиши ответы
Прочитай текст и выполни задания 12–18. В каждом задании запиши в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному тобой варианту ответа.
Strategies and useful tips
- Recommended time is 15 min (not more).
- Read the text carefully. You may need to read it, or parts of it, twice.
- Look at the first question.
- Look back to the text and find/highlight the part which the question refers to.
- If you have time, think how this information might be rephrased (or how you would answer the question in your own words).
- Look at the choices, and either choose the answer that you think is right or eliminate the ones you know are wrong.
- Check against the text.
A Primitive Tendency
The word "makeup" is of French origin and stands for substances that people put on their faces to improve their appearance. Since ancient times, people have tried to decorate or somehow change their appearance. Initially, painting faces and bodies was part of the religious and magical rituals that were supposed to help ancient people to influence the world around them and get the protection of supernatural forces. Since medicine and healing were inextricably linked with magic at an early stage of human development, face and body painting could also have medical purposes such as protection or a cure from diseases. The ancient warriors' painting of their bodies was also of a ritual nature, but it also had obvious purposes to scare and confuse their enemies. Priests and rulers used to decorate their faces with paints to emphasise their sacred status and to inspire awe, adoration and respect in common people.
However, later a decorative function was added to the important properties and functions of makeup. The first people to discover the art of beautifying themselves were the ancient Egyptians. It was a natural consequence of the development of their knowledge about various substances, oils and perfumes that were used for embalming. The ancient Egyptians possessed the art of using the prototypes of modern lipsticks, eyebrow pencils, nail and hair dye and perfumes. The ancient Greeks also learnt the art of makeup and made a significant contribution to the development of cosmetology and the art of face and body care. The word "cosmetics" is of Greek origin and it comes from the word "kosmetike" which means the art of decorating. Gradually people began to distinguish between the decorative and therapeutic uses of cosmetics.
Of course, beauty standards have always been different. What seems beautiful to the people in one part of the world might seem absolutely ugly to the inhabitants of other areas. Each of the epochs in the development of mankind also set its own standards which very often turned out to be contradictory to each other. Therefore, it is not the universal ideal that decorative cosmetics are to form but the looks that might be highly estimated by the contemporaries and might therefore bring significant social benefits.
Although a great number of decorative substances were made of toxic and even poisonous substances, the pursuit of the appearance approved by society was not to be stopped, and people often sacrificed their health for it. We are sometimes astonished by what our ancestors were willing to do to comply with certain standards and consider it barbarism, but are we really that progressive ourselves?
Modern society has gone very far from those ancient times. We understand that we cannot cause rain by painting our faces. We have conquered space, invented devices that let us transmit information using invisible forces and discovered the cure for a great number of diseases that seemed incurable. But we haven't stopped using decorative makeup and we can't let ourselves be natural, just the way we are.
Probably, the reason for this is the high competition for material goods and social benefits which has not become less and is the source of constant anxiety. We know that we cannot relax. To be safe, you have to look strong. And to look strong, you need to look young and energetic. Being old and decrepit is not welcome. After all, in the wild a young individual is usually superior to an elderly individual in strength and health. Makeup also helps us look brighter which in the wild corresponds to greater aggressiveness and is intended to intimidate potential enemies. Makeup is a powerful weapon in the struggle for our safety and benefits and therefore is likely to stay with humanity for a long time. I hope someday our descendants will learn to praise natural looks. Looking at our photos, they will wonder why we had to suffer so much to comply with such strange standards of beauty.
\(\boxed{12}\) According to the text, at the dawn of history people believed that...
it was sinful to change their appearance.
only supernatural forces could help people change their appearance.
healing was connected with the work of supernatural forces.
sick people could not paint their faces.
Ответ: [ ].
\(\boxed{13}\) Priests and rulers painted their faces to...
confuse their enemies.
show they are holy people.
stay unknown to common people.
be handsome.
Ответ: [ ].
\(\boxed{14}\) Why did the ancient Egyptians manage to start using decorative makeup?
Because they had to paint the faces of the mummies.
Because they had the necessary plants and minerals in their region.
Because they had discovered some important books.
Because they had been experimenting with different substances.
Ответ: [ ].
\(\boxed{15}\) The author says that as time went by, people...
became more beautiful.
learnt the difference between two different types of beauty products.
derived the standards of beauty from other countries.
spent more time and money on makeup.
Ответ: [ ].
\(\boxed{16}\) The author claims that people did not give up the idea of being beautiful even though...
they were unwilling to do that.
they were barbaric.
it was not approved by the other people.
it was often unhealthy.
Ответ: [ ].
\(\boxed{17}\) According to the author, which of the following is typical for wildlife?
Young animals are more vigorous than old animals.
An animal's bright colouring provokes its enemies to be more aggressive.
Brightly coloured animals are poisonous.
Constant anxiety helps animals to survive.
Ответ: [ ].
\(\boxed{18}\) The author wants the people of the future to...
stop valuing artificial beauty.
suffer just the way we do.
praise our beauty standards.
live long and happily.
Ответ: [ ].