第 42 題至第 45 題為題組

        People have always told stories that explain how the world came to be and how people arrived on it. On the Northwest Coast of North America, Native Americans tell about Raven. Raven is a giant bird that can 42 human form by pushing up his beak and shrugging off his wings, which then become a coat. According to tradition, the universe 43 a wide ocean that covered swampy ground. Birds and sea creatures lived in and around it. Raven made the earth by picking up stones with his beak and dropping them into the ocean. When the earth was big enough, Raven flew down and walked 

on the shore, looking out at the vast ocean and feeling lonely. Then he began to hear tiny voices, 44 seemed to be coming from a clam shell at his feet. Raven pried open the clam shell with his mighty claws and peered in. Inside the clam shell 45 people. As the story goes, Raven coaxed them out of the shell and set them on the land, and they were the first people of the Haida tribe of the Northwest Coast. 

In 1962, Shintaro Tsuji, founder of Sanrio Company, began selling rubber sandals with flowers painted on them. He noted the profits gained by adding a cute design to the sandals and hired cartoonists to design cute characters for his merchandise. The company produced a line of character merchandise around gift-giving occasions. Hello Kitty, designed by Yuko Shimizu, was added to the lineup of early Sanrio characters in 1974, and had her first appearance on a vinyl coin purse. Since then, she has become a global phenomenon. 

One part of Hello Kitty’s design has sparked some controversy surrounding it. That is, she is not given a mouth. A spokesperson for Sanrio says that Hello Kitty is not normally given a mouth because “without the mouth, it is easier for the person looking at Hello Kitty to project their feelings onto the character” and that “the person can be happy or sad together with Hello Kitty.” Some people were particularly concerned about this. They felt that this showed Hello Kitty as being meek and unspeaking. They thought young girls could be made to feel as if they had no voice. Other people, however, believe that leaving a blank facial expression stimulates imagination in young girls. They believe that leaving the mouth off will allow young girls to imagine what the kitty is going through and imagine that she understands what the girls are telling her. 

In May 2008, Japan named Hello Kitty the ambassador of Japanese tourism in both China and Hong Kong, which are two places where the character is exceptionally popular among children and young women. This marked the first time Japan’s tourism ministry had appointed a fictional character to the role.

   Michelangelo’s David, the five-hundred-year-old marble statue, is regarded as an example of a perfect male body. However, he is found to have a flaw－having crossed eyes. The 28 was made during an exercise to produce a digital version of all Michelangelo’s sculptures and buildings by scanning them with a laser. The result shows the gaze directions of his eyes diverge. This is shown clearly in the full frontal image of David’s face, which cannot normally be seen because the sculpture is 16ft tall, stands on an elevated base, and is viewed from 29 at an angle at which the face is obscured by the left hand. 

   It is believed that Michelangelo did this 30 , because it provided good profiles of David when seen from all sides. 31 , Michelangelo sculpted with not only human anatomy and common imperfections in mind, but also with the viewing angle of the people on the ground. It wasn’t until science and photography enabled us to look at David in various angles and heights was it discovered that David’s eyes weren’t “perfect.” For non-technological viewing, David’s squinted eyes contribute to his stature and posture from all sides.

 People become vegetarians for many reasons, including health, religious convictions, concerns aboutanimal welfare or the use of antibiotics and hormones in livestock, or a desire to eat in a way that avoidsexcessive use of environmental resources. Becoming a vegetarian has become more appealing andaccessible, thanks to the year-round availability of fresh produce, more vegetarian dining options, andthe growing culinary influence of cultures with largely plant-based diets. Approximately six to eight million adults in the United States eat no meat, fish, or poultry. Severalmillion more have eliminated red meat but still eat chicken or fish. About two million have becomevegans, forgoing not only animal flesh but also animal-based products such as milk, cheese, eggs, andgelatin. Traditionally, research into vegetarianism focused mainly on potential nutritional deficiencies, but inrecent years, the pendulum has swung the other way, and studies are confirming the health benefits ofmeat-free eating. Nowadays, plant-based eating is recognized as not only nutritionally sufficient but alsoas a way to reduce the risk for many chronic illnesses. According to the American Dietetic Association,“appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful,nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certaindiseases. You can get many of the health benefits of being vegetarian without going all the way. For example,a Mediterranean eating pattern — known to be associated with longer life and reduced risk of severalchronic illnesses — features an emphasis on plant foods with a sparing use of meat. Even if you don’twant to become a complete vegetarian, you can steer your diet in that direction with a few simplesubstitutions, such as plant-based sources of protein — beans or tofu, for example — or fish instead ofmeat a couple of times a week. Only you can decide whether a vegetarian diet is right for you.