請回答第 26 題至第 29 題:
Venezuela has long been considered a country of extraordinarily beautiful men and women. It has won the
biggest number of international beauty awards: 5 Miss Universes and 5 Miss Worlds. In Venezuela, beauty
queens are a national obsession. There are beauty pageants in elementary schools, corporations, villages, the
military, even in prisons. Venezuelans proudly point out that their country is best known for three things: oil,
baseball stars, and beauty queens. Nearly two-thirds of Venezuela’s women and half its men think about their
physical appearances all the time. For Venezuelan women, being beautiful is not only desirable; rather, it’s a
responsibility. They not only dress up for daily life but also get plastic surgery to have a beautiful body. Almost
every Venezuelan woman wants to have surgery and many from poor backgrounds save up for an operation.
But one also needs to take classes to be a beauty queen. In Venezuela, there are many beauty schools
teaching students to apply the right amount of makeup, pose for a photo, choose the right clothes, walk like a
princess, and speak with style. The average cost of such a course is $700, a price many middle-class parents are
eager to pay to see their little girls stand out. A school founder denies that girls should value appearance over
intellect, saying the culture of beauty integrates intelligence, good manners, a positive attitude, self-confidence,
and discipline.
【題組】29 According to the passage, which of the following is true in Venezuela?
(A)Basketball is the most popular sport.
(B)Beauty schools are run by middle-class-families.
(C)Young children are not encouraged to wear makeup.
(D)Taking care of one’s appearance is a responsibility for women.